《Blazing the Competition - Pokémon SI》


 Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

    Chapter 1 ¨C New beginnings


    There was no great struggle before death. I just went to bed tired of a day¡¯s work and after I woke up. I couldn¡¯t recognize my surroundings anymore.


    At first, I had no idea what was going on. All I could perceive were spotty images in the form of human silhouettes infants have terrible eyesight.


    ¡°Congratulations! It¡¯s a boy¡±


    ¡°Chancy chance!¡±


    ¡®Wait was that¡­?¡¯


    it would take about a year for my vision to return to my previous level. In the meantime, I only had my hearing to accurately perceive my surroundings. My body was completely immobile it took about 6 months before I could even try to hold my head up. Not to mention the humiliation of not being able to control your bladder and bowel movements.


    6 years later*


    <hr>


    ¡°Gramps! I am going out to play!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to pull off your shoes at the entry way before coming back in the house!¡±


    ¡®Stupid old-fashioned rules!¡¯ Till this day I still can¡¯t figure out why mum left me and my sister to wallow in this part of Hoenn which everyone of note considered the boonies. Lavaridge town was a popular tourist spot for the abundance of natural hot springs that could be found all over the village. But we had very little actual permanent residents if you find any younger people in this town, they were most likely trainers participating in the league circuit here to challenge the gym. The population of this town was mostly made up out of retired old folks living out their twilight years. That¡¯s why as soon as I get my trainer¡¯s license I was getting out of here. The hot springs were pretty novel and all that but, this body was still spry with youthfulness not old and arthritic the health benefits of a daily soak were minimal.


    There were a few perks that come with living in Lavaridge though¡­


    ¡°Here you go boy! Want a cookie?¡±


    ¡°Num Num!¡±


    The gluttonous yellow quadruped started chewing on my latest rake-off of the day one day away from getting stale lava cookies. Since no one was buying almost stale treats I could swipe as many as I wanted. Provided, I helped out manning the register whenever grandma was busy in the back. These cookies are a Pok¨¦mon favorite and a way healthier option than regular confectionaries made with my families¡¯ secret blend of fermented berries.


    ¡°Yes, Yes, grow nice and big and when we¡¯re older I am taking you with me out of this crotchety old town.¡±


    ¡°Num NUM!¡±


    ¡°Hey you! We told you to stop feeding that wild Numel it keeps pulling out old lady Greta¡¯s energy roots!¡±


    ¡°Quick! Numsy use smokescreen so we can ditch these old bags!¡±


    Before those slowpokes could get near us my bestest buddy showered them with something we like to call our getaway surprise.


    ¡°Oeugh... STOP! STOP!¡±


    ¡°Cmon Numsy! We have to get out of here before they whip out the hoses again!¡±


    We quickly made our way to the part of town where people wouldn¡¯t question the sight of a six-year-old walking around with a living flamethrower. Not that Numsy was dangerous mind you, Numel generally were very even tempered preferring to spend most of their day lounging around areas adjacent to or near volcanic activity. The hotter it got the less they needed to eat to keep up their internal body temperature and the areas around Lavaridge town are prime real estate for nearly every fire type Pok¨¦mon.


    The past month I¡¯ve been trying to win over our town¡¯s latest little tourist successfully might I add. Head pats and Lava cookies did the trick quite well, but it would be a while until we actually got to training. The town¡¯s people generally didn¡¯t care what we did together with the exception of a few sticks in the mud but, it was illegal for me to attempt to train Numsy without authorized adult supervision not to mention training up a Pok¨¦mon that hasn¡¯t been caught yet.


    ¡°Okay, I think we lost them Numsy. Good job on the smokescreen.¡±


    ¡°Num Num¡±


    We neared a large traditional Japanese-style building with an open courtyard and tiled rooftop the walls surrounding the front gate built in the same style. The building itself was built into the slope of a semi-active volcano. The main gate was closed off though which could be a problem for us.


    ¡°Getting into trouble again Egon?¡±


    A childish high-pitched voice called out to me behind the closed off gate. The source of this grating sound came from the red headed delinquent of a child and my only age contemporary in this rinky-dink town.


    ¡°Flannie could me and Numsy crash at your place until the heats off? It will only be an hour or two before those old folks need to take their midday nap¡±.


    ¡°Num num¡±


    ¡°I told you to stop calling me Flannie! And sure, if you have readied this time¡¯s payment.¡±


    She haughtily stuck her open hand out through the railing expecting a cut from my secret stash of emergency treats.


    ¡°Why should I share Numsy¡¯s food rations with you? Lava cookies aren¡¯t even meant for human consumption. They taste awful!¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°NUM NUM!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not for me you dolts! Grandpa brought in another stray, and he likes your grandma¡¯s secret recipe!¡±


    ¡°Ehm... fine.¡±


    I fish out the last Lava cookie in my pocket and place it in her cupped hands. Having fulfilled our bargain, she messes around with the gate¡¯s mechanism until an audible click sound is generated. The gate swings open, and I get a full view of the gym¡¯s courtyard. Despite being the home turf of one of Hoenn¡¯s elite four Mr. Moore¡¯s gym had very little Pok¨¦mon running around. The only Pok¨¦mon within eyesight was a relatively small Torkoal who seemed intent on following Flannery around the compound. As soon as me and Numsy showed up though the little guy froze up and retreated into its shell.


    ¡°Is this the stray Pokemon your grandfather picked up?¡±


    ¡°Yep, Torkoal here was found in an abandoned coal mine, but since gramps is always on the move, he said it would be better if this poor little guy stays with us at the gym. Mom says that I get to keep him if I keep my grades up for an entire year.¡±


    ¡°Torkoal tor!¡±


    The turtle Pok¨¦mon enthusiastically pops back out of its shell and head punts against Flannery¡¯s pantleg.


    ¡°You are lucky, my grandparents will only allow me to keep Numsy if I earn enough money to afford a Pok¨¦ball.¡±


    Working at the store only gives me an allowance of 15 Pokedollars a month at this rate I¡¯d have to wait for a bit more than a year before I could even afford to capture Numsy. Having no guarantee that in the time I am saving up Numsy won¡¯t get reported and some ranger comes around and re-releases him back into some wasteland like the Fiery Path.


    ¡°Ehh that¡¯s lame.¡±


    ¡°So, I was wondering if I could leave my Numsy here with you during the times that I have to watch the store and at night? I am sure that a fire-type gym like this has plenty of Numel around so that my Numsy can fly under the radar while I save up some cash.¡±


    ¡°Numel Num¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ for things like this I would usually need to ask my grandpa for permission. But we haven¡¯t seen him since he dropped off Torkoal and that was over a week ago.¡±


    ¡°Numsy use Charm!¡±


    ¡°Num Num!¡±


    My trusted compatriot rushed Flannery and rubbed her kneecaps with his head looking up at her face and crying cutely.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Full power Numsy!¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Damn you ugh...!¡±


    ¡°Okay you guys win but if gramps notices I am blaming you Egon.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Flanny! I knew you were our comrade.¡±


    Afterwards me and Flannery played smoke circles with our Pok¨¦mon until it was time for me to get home for dinner.


    Walking back home my mind wandered back to the lingering questions I still had about this new world I found myself in. I couldn¡¯t just keep living day to day as I had been, befriending Numsy has already put me on the path of being a Pok¨¦mon trainer. Having already talked about this with him Numsy was seemingly enthusiastic about training to become stronger. Evolutionarily speaking it made sense. Survival of the fittest and all that, it made sense that in the wild stronger Pok¨¦mon were more respected and looked at for guidance and leadership. Fighting others in matches wasn¡¯t seen as cruel and Pok¨¦mon that disliked battling were the odd ones out in the group.


    How accomplished did I want to become doing this? The champion¡¯s seat had little appeal to me being responsible for the protection of this region¡¯s citizens and Pok¨¦mon was too much of a hassle. Not to mention all the political aspects the job entailed Champions weren¡¯t involved in the day to day running of the government, but they were expected to attend all sorts of diplomatic events and are the commander in chief in case war ever broke out.


    Becoming an ace trainer was more up my alley. All you had to do was make it to the top 16 in the Ever Grande conference and you could apply for a stipend from the league. But that also meant the elite four and the champion were your direct superiors. None of the current powers were interested in propagating war though. It made sense really, no one wanted to risk the wrath of a legendary Pok¨¦mon by destabilizing the current ecosystem.


    Having made up my mind I realize that I was already standing in front of my home. Sliding open the door I encounter my greatest source of joy in this life.


    ¡°Big Brother!¡±


    My 5-year-old half-sister was already waiting for me at the entrance. With our grandparents busy running the store I¡¯ve become the default role model.


    In this world people had differing concepts on what good parentage looks like as long as someone is there to look after your progeny it was socially acceptable for parents to not be present in their child¡¯s life. In our case that would be our grandparents. Me and my sister share the same mother but have different fathers. I¡¯ve never seen my father and from what I can recall he was some Unovan trainer that had a single night of passion with my mom after traveling with him during her own League circuit. My mother tried finding him again afterwards to inform him of the pregnancy, but he immediately left for his home country after losing in the finals of the ever Grande conference. My sister¡¯s dad is from some local tribe living it up in the sticks somewhere. I knew of him having met the guy briefly after him and my mom dropped my little sister off at her parents¡¯ house. Both of them were completely irresponsible useless parents. So, I¡¯ve made up my mind to raise my little sister into a responsible adult.


    Our parents might be useless, but I will be a great big brother and will work hard to support my sister in any endeavour she might end up undertaking. In my previous life I was born as the youngest, so this is going to be a whole new experience for me.


    ¡°What are you standing around for? Come inside or your dinner will get cold.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I was thinking about life and all that. How did your extra reading and writing lessons go?¡±


    ¡°It went fine I guess Mrs. Patterson says it won¡¯t be long until I catch up with the rest of the class.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome I knew my kid sister was a genius!¡±


    ¡°Not as smart as you humph¡­¡±


    I finished up trainer¡¯s school within 2 years of entering. As a former adult my grades spoke for themselves. Schooling in this world was free form you can graduate early if you demonstrate the required knowledge and skills. Classes were pretty interesting too. Besides the mandatory language and math classes you also got educated in wilderness survival, first aid and basic Pok¨¦mon physiology. I was too young to start going to classes with the teenagers and further schooling was optional. Not that I was interested in going back to the sweaty pubescent social nightmare that was high school.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fret it Lil¡¯ sis. Who in your class got highest mark this week for correctly identifying all forty berries that were brought to class?¡±


    ¡°Me.¡±


    ¡°Good now go brush your teeth and if your good I¡¯ll tell you a bedtime story.¡±


    My sister has always been insecure about her literacy skills even though she¡¯s good with other subjects. Dyslexia has not been properly recognized as a learning disability in Hoenn but Mrs. Patterson the angel teacher recognized the symptoms and offered extra classes to help her keep up with the rest of class.


    Taking her upstairs, I prepare a futon (Japanese style bed) for her.


    After I heard gargling sounds, she came out of the bathroom, and I tucked her in.


    ¡°I want to hear another story about Zubatman!¡±


    I had a penchant for telling stories inspired by those from my home world but this time I felt like telling a local one.


    ¡°Maybe tomorrow night this time I¡¯ll tell you a story about big strong legendary Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Long ago a great meteorite impacted on the surface of Hoenn, and natural energy poured out from deep beneath the earth.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a meteorite?¡±


    ¡°Meteorites are big space rocks that survived the process of entering our world¡¯s atmosphere without burning up.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s an atmosphere?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the air and natural gasses that surround a planet now hush and let me finish the story.¡±


    ¡°Two legendary Pok¨¦mon Groudon and Kyogre were attracted by this fount of energy. The legendary Pok¨¦mon fought amongst each other for ownership of this energy. Their clashes were destroying the environment and both Pok¨¦mon and humans suffered. During this time an ancient native tribe called the Draconids known for exclusively training dragon types prayed for salvation and received the attention of Rayquaza the Sky High Pok¨¦mon. They say the people¡¯s fervent wish allowed Rayquaza to assume a completely different appearance and with this newfound power it quelled the battle between the two legendary Pok¨¦mon and made them retreat back beneath the earth¡¯s surface and ocean respectively.¡°


    ¡°Wow Rayquaza is so cool! I want to be a dragon-type trainer when I grow up!¡±


    ¡°Well then you better eat all your vegetables and keep your room nice and clean. Dragon type Pok¨¦mon only like girls that listen to their big brothers.¡±


    ¡°Mouuu liar!¡±


    I tuck her further in and kiss her forehead.


    ¡°Good night big bro.¡±


    ¡°Good night, Zinnia.¡±

 Chapter 2 - Caught!

    Chapter 2 ¨C Caught!


    ¡°Zzzzz Zzzzz Zzzzz Clink* Zzzzz Zzzzz Clink* Zzzzzzz Thud!*¡±


    ¡°Grandpa¡­!?¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­. No wait he can just walk in.


    Trying to find the source of my sleep deprivation I open up my bedroom window and spot a redhead looking for another pebble to throw.


    ¡°Flannie¡­ what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°We are going to get caught! Grandpa arrived today on his Rapidash. He came back early this morning and is sleeping off his saddle sores but, when he¡¯s rested enough to make his rounds, we¡¯ll be growlithe chow!¡±


    ¡°First of all¡­ calm down. Did you have breakfast yet?¡±


    ¡°No, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Come inside and have breakfast with me and my little sister, but please keep it down Grandma works through the night making Cookie dough batches and she gets cranky when forced out of bed too early.¡±


    I walk through the hallway and opened the front door letting Flannery in the house. Next, I entered the kitchen and started preparing for breakfast My sister was a heavy sleeper and my usual tactic to get her out of bed early was the smell of food. My secret recipe for baked banana oatmeal usually got everyone out of bed early. As the smells started drafting out of the oven, I noticed Flannery standing behind me with a wad of saliva dribbling out of her mouth.


    ¡°Hold on its not ready yet.¡±


    ¡°Gulp¡­!?¡±


    ¡°So, how¡¯s Numsy liking the gym? Has he already made friends with the other Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ The situation has been stabilized mostly.¡±


    ¡°What has he been doing this time?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been flinging mud at the other Pok¨¦mon!¡±


    ¡°Oh, so he¡¯s been working hard even outside of our training sessions good.¡±


    ¡°What did you say!?¡±


    ¡°Ahem, I mean I¡¯ll be sure to give him a scolding when we go see him later today.¡±


    Since my deal with Flannery last week, I¡¯ve come to pick up Numsy from the gym¡¯s stable every day and working on his moves behind the local sand baths. I was trying to get Numsy to learn Mud-Slap, but it was a work in progress our accuracy and power was way off. Me and Numsy volunteered to shovel sand for the owner¡¯s customers and in the process, I hoped to familiarize him with ground-type energy. The owner¡¯s Quagsire figured out what we were doing and started giving helpful pointers to Numsy. With the guidance of an experienced fellow ground-type, I am sure we can pull it off in a few more days.


    ¡°Brother is the food ready?¡±


    Like clockwork the smell of food has lured Zinnia out of bed and into the the kitchen.


    ¡°Not yet, why don¡¯t you make nice with my friend Flannery? She¡¯s having breakfast with us today.¡±


    The two just now seemed to notice the other¡¯s presence.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lie my brother isn¡¯t capable of making friends!?¡±


    ¡°Ooof!¡±


    ¡®No mercy huh?¡¯ I wasn¡¯t the most socially adept guy out there even in my previous life, but I can totally make friends! Relationships are like houseplants that require constant upkeep or else they wither and die. I just don¡¯t have the time for them working in the store in addition to taking care of Zinnia and training Numsy!


    ¡°You never told me you had a sister!? It¡¯s not possible with a face like yours being related to a cutie like her!¡±


    ¡®Why are all the women in my life cruel and callous with their words?¡¯


    ¡°She is! Just you wait when I grow up all the women will be swooning over me! Stop looking at me with those pitying gazes!¡±


    At that moment the oven made a beeping sound notifying me the baked banana oatmeal was ready. After I fished the hot oven tray out and plated up the table Flannery immediately started devouring while the rest of us waited for our breakfast to cool.


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ Flannie how come you are not getting burned?¡±


    ¡°This is hot? ¡®S nothing compared to some of the gym¡¯s slugma.¡±


    Me and Zinnie watched her fascinated at the speed she consumed her scalding plate of food. Is she a fire-type? It does explain her bright crimson hair. No wait I am a red head myself and I get burned pretty easily. In fact, most of the people in Lavaridge are natural red heads Zinnia and a few migrants being the noticeable exception. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s due to environmental influences...?¡¯ As my mind is trying to wrap itself around this mystery I get pinched by my sister.


    ¡°Brother wake up you¡¯re spacing out again.¡±


    ¡°You are right sorry let¡¯s finish eating quickly. I¡¯ll walk you to school afterwards.¡±


    While Zinnia showed Flannery her room. I packed up my little sister¡¯s boxed lunch for her to eat during recess. Leftovers from breakfast, a carton of milk and a whole banana. Our little group of three made its way over to the local trainer¡¯s school. Unlike me Flannery still had a year of compulsory education to undertake despite being one year older than me. Flannery was mostly homeschooled. Her grandfather hiring some fancy private teacher. The only time she had to physically show up at school was during exams and field tests.


    After dropping off Zinnia we make our way to the Lavaridge gym. Flannery obviously still nervous about the whole ordeal.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine Flannie if Numsy gets kicked out I¡¯ll just keep him somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem Egon! Grandpa might take away my television rights. I wanted to watch the next Ever Grande Conference.¡±


    ¡°Fine if Mr. Moore still hasn¡¯t noticed yet we¡¯ll smuggle Numsy out.¡±


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    This time we enter the gym through a side entrance Flannery has the key to. All the Numel and Camerupt are kept inside a picket fence enclosure to the side of the gym. Lowering the chances of us getting discovered even more.


    ¡°Numsy! Come here boy.¡±


    A single Numel looked up from the herd and started racing towards me. The picketed fence wasn¡¯t high enough to be an obstacle, so Numsy jumped over it and crashed into my body.


    ¡°That¡¯s a strong body slam Numsy! And you are already getting bigger as well.¡±


    ¡°Num Num!¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, Mr. Moore is back from his business trip, so we need to sneak out quietly this time, okay?¡±


    ¡°Num.¡±


    ¡°No need for that you can just stay here for a while.¡±


    Me and Numsy jolted at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. While Flannery had a defeated expression on her face. We turn around and standing behind us is a bespectacled old man wearing traditional clothing.


    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Moore. Me and Numsy here heard about the great facilities you have for fire type Pok¨¦mon. After expressing our desire to witness the gym, Flannery here graciously agreed to give us a tour.¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    ¡°What a well-spoken youngster and I see you are already familiar with our Numel habitat. How about I show you the entire gym?¡±


    As I was conversing with Mr. Moore Flannery was trying to sneakily get away.


    ¡°Where are you going granddaughter? When inviting friends, it is important to personally ensure your guests feel welcome.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Grandpa¡­¡±


    ¡°You know gyms do have support staff running the facility especially when the leader is gone. My on-staff ranger told me we suddenly had one extra Numel in the compound. He noticed it while cleaning up the pens a week ago.¡±


    ¡°Sorry sir, I didn¡¯t want to lose Numsy, and we were afraid that a ranger would notice him and relocate him back into the wild.¡±


    ¡°Have you asked your grandparents for permission to catch him? I know them they¡¯re good people and wouldn¡¯t say no without a good reason.¡±


    ¡°They told me that I had to wait until I could afford my own pok¨¦ ball. Since I am not old enough to get a job, I would have to save up my allowance for a year to afford a Pok¨¦ ball.¡±


    Mr. Moore had a contemplating expression on his face. At the same time Flannery was giving him the puppy dog eyes.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Okay, this is what we are going to do. I will personally catch this Numel with my own Pok¨¦ ball and register him as a gym Pok¨¦mon. At the same time, you will work here part-time. If you show that you are responsible enough to take care of him, I¡¯ll fill in the paperwork to make Numsy your official starting Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Thanks a lot Mr. Moore me and Numsy will work hard to meet your expectations!¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    ¡°Good, and as for you Flannery no TV for two weeks¡±


    ¡°Nooooo!¡±


    <hr>


    A week later


    Working for a gym is not as glamorous as I imagined. Most of my time was spent cleaning up but not after Pok¨¦mon. Humans especially trainers that go hiking through the various ecological wonders in Hoenn don¡¯t tend to mind a little mud on their boots and often forget to clean up before entering the gym. Fire type Pok¨¦mon are actually really hygienic since they don¡¯t void their bowels in the traditional sense. They expunge any excess carbohydrates, fats and nitrogen in a cloud of ash and if they are active battlers they don¡¯t even have to, since most of the gym trainers liberally make use of moves like smog and smokescreen to keep challengers on their toes.


    One of my other tasks is to help feed the fire types that like to graze in the open field next to the gym. The gym had two species of Pok¨¦mon that liked to munch on raw plant fiber Ponyta and Numel. Of course, this wasn¡¯t enough because the Pok¨¦mon in this gym were used for battling purposes, so their feed got supplemented with berries and vitamin supplements. I wasn¡¯t allowed into the volcano yet for obvious reasons. The numerous Slugma and a couple of Magby were taken care of by the more seasoned personnel.


    There were two members of staff that were basically in charge whenever Mr. Moore was away on Elite Four duties. Keegan who was responsible for teaching the gym¡¯s younger Pok¨¦mon and trainers about fire hazard safety and Eli the local ranger on staff who patrols the surrounding areas, his job was very diverse ranging from rescue operations to being a liaison between humans and the local wild Pok¨¦mon. Numsy and me being new got to receive a crash course from Keegan.


    ¡°So, the first thing you need when practicing fire type moves with your Pok¨¦mon is flame resistant gear. The reason why you didn¡¯t start right away with these lessons was that we had none in your size. We have aspiring trainers undergo this test before letting them work with our fire-types. Because Pok¨¦mon can innately perceive intent from another living being. What this means in practical terms is that they understand what humans are trying to convey right out of the egg but also when overexcited trainers give out instructions the Pok¨¦mon might get confused and let their flame burn hotter than intentional causing fire incidents. Let out your Numel and order it to use ember at these practice targets the goal is for the flames to be cold enough not to set these hay bales on fire.¡±


    ¡°Okay Numsy use ember on the targets and try to make your fire as cold as possible.¡±


    This exercise wasn¡¯t as much of a problem for me. On the inside I wasn¡¯t an excitable child. After the second try me and Numsy got it down squat. I could tell Keegan was surprised at our quick progress the man having cleared his work schedule for the bigger part of the afternoon expecting us to take a while. Afterwards I just shadowed him around for a bit. Keegan¡¯s work was pretty interesting his Magmar helped him out by flash firing hardwood in a pit kiln. The resulting briquettes would be sold to restaurants, herbalist shops and trainers for a pretty penny.


    Next me and Numsy went back to the sand baths. Numsy had taken Quagsire as his Master in ground type moves having perfected his Mud-Slap. We were eager to learn what move we would be able to learn next.


    ¡°Quaaaag¡±


    ¡°What did the master tell you Numsy?¡±


    ¡°Num Num!¡±


    Excitedly Numsy started rooting around in the sand.


    ¡°Ohhh he¡¯s going to teach you dig next!¡±


    I take out a paper bag filled with lava cookies.


    ¡°Please accept this offering for your effort in teaching no good disciples like us master Quagsire.¡±


    ¡°Quaaaagsire¡±


    Dig was a super useful if ever we decided to go spelunking in caves not to mention the battle applications being able to dodge moves in a pinch. The rest of the afternoon me and Numsy dug holes for customers to sleep in. ¡®Wait¡­ were we being taken advantage of?¡¯


    <hr>


    After dropping off Numsy at the gym. I headed towards the local trainer¡¯s school to pick up Zinnia. While walking I was considering my plans for the future. The meteoroid that would head for our planet in a decade or so. In the games Zinnia got made lorekeeper of the Draconids after the previous one a girl named Aster died in a tragedy.


    Zinnia ended up doing all kinds of dangerous stuff. Infiltrating and providing team magma and aqua with the means to wake up the ancient Pok¨¦mon in a bid to lure Rayquaza back. Breaking into secure facilities and destroying a certain dimensional device and stealing keystones from powerful trainers.


    To avoid this future all I had to do was make sure that Aster didn¡¯t die prematurely. Her death was caused by the Devon corporation and the League association¡¯s hairbrained plan to capture Rayquaza and pillage the Draconids¡¯ stash of keystones. Aster didn¡¯t survive that confrontation. But she did designate Zinnia her successor before her death. So, at some point I was expecting my sister¡¯s biological father to return and invite her into the tribe within the next few years.


    ¡®What a mess¡­ too big for a boy and his numel to solve. Guess I¡¯ll have to become accomplished enough to make people listen to me.¡¯


    The bell rang and school kids started pouring out of the school gates. Zinnia was leading a group of loveable ruffians. Whenever Zinnia entered a clique, she always somehow ended up being the leader. I guess that kind of natural charisma was what is required to train prideful dragon-type Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°This is my big brother! Isn¡¯t he cool?¡±


    ¡°Not as cool as my big sister! She¡¯s already a trainer and has two badges.¡±


    ¡°Now now I bet his sister and me are both equally cool, how about you say goodbye to your little friends so we can go back home in time for dinner.¡±


    ¡°¡­I take it back your sister is probably cooler.¡±


    ¡®This brat¡­!¡¯


    We got back home and after dinner I had her start getting ready for bed.


    ¡°Next week is bring your family¡¯s Pok¨¦mon to school day. But Grandpa and Grandma don¡¯t have Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay I¡¯ll let you bring Numsy with you to school. He¡¯s very well behaved and loves making new friends.¡±


    ¡°I know Grandpa used to be a trainer what happened to his Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    Oh dear, explaining the concept of death to a 5-year-old girl is not something I am mentally prepared for. Guess I¡¯ll have to do the copout move.


    ¡°Grandpa¡¯s old Arcanine retired to live at a farm somewhere in Johto. Now he gets to spend his time chasing around mareep and scaring off rowdy houndour.¡±


    ¡°Now how about another story?¡±

 Chapter 3 - Weeping Mountain

    Chapter 3 ¨C Weeping Mountain


    It has been a year since I¡¯ve started working part time at the gym, Numsy and I were not allowed to partake in battles, but we have learned much from our seniors at the gym. Mr. Moore was impressed by my work ethic, so he promised to sponsor me when I received my trainer¡¯s license at age ten. A sponsorship generally entails some stipend for food expenses and paid lodging when a Pok¨¦mon Center was not available or had run out of rooms. Additionally, when a trainer exceeded their carry limit any extra Pok¨¦mon were sent to a stabling facility usually maintained by said sponsor. In this case all my extra Pok¨¦mon would reside at the Lavaridge gym. Which was great for any trainer that intended to specialize in fire type Pok¨¦mon but otherwise it was fairly limiting. The active volcano and the heat tend to be hazardous condition for any water types or grass types, and generally was unpleasant for most other types of Pok¨¦mon. Starting out I wasn¡¯t really planning to specialize in any type but my time at the gym sort of made me a deft hand at handling fire types. I figured since most elite level trainers tended to specialize in one particular typing, they must be on to something.


    Today was one of the more somber days in our Household. Yearly my grandpa made the trip to Mt. Pyre to pay respects and grieve his old partner Arcanine. He kept his trips a secret from my sister just telling her he was out on a weeklong berry run, but this time he allowed me to come with him. The old grave keeper couple that lived at the top of the mountain were friends of his and since they had a granddaughter that lived with them my grandpa thought it was a good idea to bring me along.


    Normally I would refuse to ever go near any gravesites in my old life ghost stories gave me the heebie jeebies. Now in this world where ghosts are a factually proven existences all the more reason not to go one will find many tales of trainers getting dragged into the spirit world by wild ghost Pok¨¦mon. There were two reasons for me to go regardless of how I felt. Firstly I didn¡¯t want to disappoint my Grandpa, he took care of me and my sister when we got left at his doorstep and for that I am still very much grateful. I could tell he wanted some male bonding time and reminiscence over his old partner with me. Secondly Mr. Moore told me there are a skulk of Vulpix that live on the mountain in fact that¡¯s where he caught his own Ninetales whom is on his elite team. After a year of saving my allowance, I finally had enough to afford a poke ball and, since Numsy lived at the gym Grandpa and Grandma won¡¯t mind sticking to their old promise.


    ¡°Are you ready to go Egon?¡±


    ¡°Yes Grandpa. How are we getting there? I am pretty sure walking from Mt. Pyre and back takes longer than a week.¡±


    ¡°For older folk like me teleportation services are made available by the league association. We¡¯ll go to the Pok¨¦mon center and pay for the services of a baltoy. It won¡¯t be enough to take us all the way there, but at Mauville city there will be a stronger psychic type Pok¨¦mon who can get us directly to the foot of the mountain.¡±


    We made our way to the Pokemon center and after my grandpa showed his senior citizen card nurse Joy took out a pok¨¦ ball from under her in short order releasing the baltoy whom floated over the countertop. Afterwards my grandpa took out the money to pay for this service and, was handed the baltoy¡¯s pok¨¦ ball. His payment was the equivalent to 10 years of my allowance. I knew he was being a cheapskate with my allowance! I should¡¯ve figured it out manning the counter to their store every morning.


    ¡°We at the league association know you had many options to choose from and, we thank you for choosing us.¡±


    ¡°Okay Egon just hold onto one of baltoy¡¯s arms and we¡¯ll be in Mauville before you know it.¡±


    I tentatively hold onto the baltoy¡¯s arm the surprisingly gritty texture feeling rather comfortable to hold on to.


    ¡°Baltoy Toy!¡±


    I blinked and the surroundings looked different than before we were still inside a Pok¨¦mon center but a far larger one with way more people inside it. Grandpa and I joined the line in front of the counter.


    ¡°You see Egon psychic type Pok¨¦mon like these can be rented out for their ability to use the move called Teleport. For the move to be used the Pok¨¦mon must be familiar with their intended destination. Usually this means places where they spent a lot of time in.¡±


    We finally made it to the front of the line and my grandpa handed over the pok¨¦ ball with the baltoy in it to the nurse joy at the counter.


    ¡°Thank you¡±


    ¡°So how are we going to get from here to Mt. Pyre?¡±


    ¡°Well usually we¡¯d have to travel the rest of the way there on foot but, my friends have sent out their old Xatu to teleport us the rest of the way.¡±


    We made our way outside of the Pok¨¦mon center building and just like my grandpa anticipated a Xatu was perched on top of the center¡¯s roof. My grandpa made a series of handgestures toward the Pok¨¦mon, and both seem to arrive at a mutual agreement.


    ¡°Okay Xatu is going to perch on your shoulder and teleport us to the base of the mountain. My old friends live at the top, so we¡¯ll still have to walk all the way.¡±


    ¡°How come Xatu won¡¯t bring us to the top directly grandpa?¡±


    ¡°Tradition they say the journey to the peak helps young trainers self-reflect.¡±


    At those words the bird Pok¨¦mon landed on top of my left shoulder and held out its wing for Grandpa to hold onto. And just like last time the surroundings suddenly shifted where previously we were standing in the bustling streets of Mauville city now we found ourselves standing in front of a massive mountain.


    ¡°Xatu Xa¡±


    The bird looked pretty wiped out after having to teleport the both of us all the way over here. Feeling generous I fished out a lava cookie out of my pocket crushed it into small pieces and extended my open hand to Xatu. The Pok¨¦mon looked at my offering for a while but eventually decided to indulge me by pecking from my hand.


    ¡°Good, isn¡¯t it? it¡¯s my grandma¡¯s secret recipe.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the offering human.¡±


    !? Suddenly hearing a voice in my head, I made a very unmanly sound but, quickly realized the origin of this telepathic message.


    ¡°Hey that¡¯s pretty awesome I forgot psychic types could do that. Can you also read my mind? Like say I have a number in my head between one and a hundred...¡±


    ¡°Only for more cookies.¡±


    I fish out another lava cookie out of my travel bag.


    ¡°twenty-seven¡±


    ¡°Rad you¡¯re a very cool Pok¨¦mon Xatu.¡±


    ¡°I know¡±


    ¡°Ahem Egon my boy stop being distracted by Xatu we have a mountain to climb. Now you¡¯ll notice the stalls here sell specialty items specifically for pilgrims that come here to bury their partners`. ¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Outside the mountain they have stalls filled with incense, soothe bells, talismans and any number of items to placate the lingering spirits that make this mountain their home. Now before we go see my old friends, I am going to visit my partner¡¯s grave in the meantime go look for an item that you like if Xatu says you¡¯ve been good I¡¯ll pay half the price.¡±


    Not needing to be reminded twice me and Xatu make our way to the various stalls while grandpa left to visit his old Arcanine¡¯s grave. I looked over the various stalls recognizing some items from the games. One stall sold all sorts of incense another sold talismans and all sorts of miscellaneous items I walked up to the latter. I went over the stall¡¯s displayed inventory and was kind of surprised seeing all the variety. They had dusk stones, spell tags, ring targets and something I would recognize as a reaper cloth. I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how they got a hold of that last item. Sadly, I wasn¡¯t a ghost type trainer so none of these items were all that useful to me.


    ¡°Excuse me do you have any items in stock that wards off wild ghost type Pok¨¦mon? I have to climb up the mountain later with my grandpa to visit some old friends.¡°


    ¡°Well, hello there young man and in fact yes we do have such items this cleanse tag will make ghost type Pok¨¦mon subconsciously ignore you but it will fail to work in front of particularly determined or powerful ghost types in any case we are not responsible for any injuries or deaths.¡°


    Hearing that sales pitch from the seller didn¡¯t do much for my confidence in the quality of her products. In any case grandpa will pay half it should still be worth it.


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°1000 Pok¨¦ dollars ¡±


    ¡°Do you give discounts to young aspiring trainers like me? If this tag works for us, I¡¯ll refer any trainers working with ghost types to your stall.¡±


    "No not really, we just say that last part to avoid arguments from people that are haunted by a powerful entity and hope that our tags can solve the issue. Kid if a ghost is specifically targeting you, I recommend seeking out an expert spirit channeler. However, we do let kids pick out a souvenir from our gift basket."


    The saleswoman pulls out a woven basket from under her stall and showed me its contents. Inside I could spot signed wooden plaques, keychains, rage candy bars, a mega stone and teacups with Mt. Pyre slogans on them. ¡­¡­..!


    ¡°Excuse me miss but where did you find that funny looking rock with the swirly pattern?¡±


    ¡°Oh that? I found it buried near the graves on the summit during one of our guided tours for new visitors.¡±


    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll take that rock along with the cleanse tag. And do you also sell those rage candy bars separately?¡±


    After concluding my transaction, I walked away with the cleanse tag a shiny new mega stone and a box filled with rage candy bars. I felt bad for the proprietor so I bought as many candy bars as my strap on wallet would carry. Hopefully grandpa will reimburse me on the cleanse tag purchase because as of now I was flat out broke.


    ¡°Human I sensed your sudden excitement when looking at that rock. What makes it so special? ¡±


    ¡°Oh this? It is called a mega stone when certain Pok¨¦mon species hold this rock while their trainers carry one complementing keystone a state of temporary evolution is unlocked. It will be a while until this becomes common knowledge.¡±


    ¡°You speak the truth what an interesting human you are.¡±


    ¡°Thanks buddy you are interesting too. Hey, can you tell me what kind of Pok¨¦mon live on this mountain?¡±


    ¡°Seeing as you have shared your knowledge with me freely, I shall do the same human. ¡±


    <hr>


    Sometime later*


    According to what Xatu told me the mountain holds two kinds of ghost-type Pok¨¦mon barring any that trainers bring in themselves. Those of the duskull and shuppet line are endemic. You can also find wingulls and vulpix that make their home on the mountain¡¯s adret. The mountain¡¯s spirituality also attracts a few psychic-types. Chimecho like to hang themselves on the human-built shrines and meditite seek further training by honing themselves in the low oxygen environment of the summit. I currently do not know what type of megastone this is but logically it should either be a Medichamite or a Banettite given its place of origin. Not one of the Pok¨¦mon I was planning to catch but maybe I can trade the stone away to someone who has one of those Pok¨¦mon.


    Grandpa eventually came back and gave me half the cost of that cleanse tag.


    ¡°A wise purchase one of the most common ways for young trainers to expire is being led around the nose by a mischievous ghost getting lost and eventually running out of supplies. Great thinking grandson. Those rage candy bars are your grandmother¡¯s favourite. When we get back make sure to share some of those with her."


    ¡°Grandpa are we going to meet those friends of yours now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Xatu can show us the quickest way to the summit. Don¡¯t worry about any ghost type Pok¨¦mon Xatu here can handle any ghost that comes our way.¡±


    We started to make our way up top and as we did so I spotted all sorts of people visiting the gravesites. Mediums, Channelers, younger people in all black reading out depressingly bad poetry their Pok¨¦mon seemed to like it though. All the people you would think specialize in ghost types. We went completely unmolested not a single wild ghost in sight If that was due to the cleanse tag, I kept safe in my satchel or the presence of Xatu I don¡¯t know.


    In the meantime, I kept my eyes out for any wild vulpix. Xatu assured me that you could only spot them outside on the mountain slope, but I wasn¡¯t taking any chances. The atmosphere wasn¡¯t as sombre as I thought perhaps because the existence of souls wasn¡¯t in question. Dead people and Pok¨¦mon sometimes turn into ghost types, and you regularly hear about souls coming back out of the spirit world to settle unfinished business maybe that¡¯s why the afterlife industry is booming here.


    Sadly for me, we didn¡¯t come across any Vulpix but we did make it to the summit relatively safely. The peak of the mountain was enshrouded by a thick fog, so it was actually hard to see further then a couple of feet in front of you. Xatu had no such issues though.


    ¡°My task is done I will leave you two with my master as I return to my roost and slumber.¡±


    Me and grandpa waved Xatu off as he flew off to do his own thing.


    This blasted bird still acting all formal and distinguished if I ever catch a psychic type, I¡¯d rather have a fun-loving adventurous one.


    ¡°Ralph my old pal you¡¯ve made it! And I see you¡¯ve brought your grandson with you as well.¡±


    Ralph? No wait that¡¯s grandpa, I got so used to thinking of him as grandpa I forgot he had a first name.


    The man finally got close enough that I could see him through the fog. He was accompanied by an old lady and a teen girl with flowers in her hair.


    They all looked tanned and dressed lightly so I guess it got warm on the summit.`


    ¡°We have much to catch up on. Let us go drink some tea and let the young ones get acquainted.¡±


    The old people departed the scene with my grandpa and left their granddaughter behind. How am I supposed to entertain a teenage girl? The girl in question looked about two to three years older than me she kind of looked familiar to me.


    ¡°Hello squirt, the name¡¯s Phoebe.¡±


    ¡°My name is Egon nice to meet you as well.¡±


    I fish out a poke ball from my satchel and release my friend inside.


    ¡°And this is my partner Numsy.¡±


    ¡°Ohh what a cutie!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll introduce you to my partner as well.¡±


    Her shadow which seemed unnatural because there was little sunlight coming through suddenly started spasming erratically and out floated a little cloaked figure wearing a grim reaper mask.


    ¡°Duskull Dusk!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty cool this is my first time seeing a ghost-type Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    Phoebe and Duskull seemed kind of disappointed that they couldn¡¯t get a scare out of me but quickly got over it.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re one of those hard to prank types huh? Don¡¯t worry at the end of this week we¡¯ll turn you into a believer. What do you want to do?¡±


    Believer in what? Now that I had a better look at her she kind of resembles that ghost type specialist elite four member of the games. It was common knowledge that ghost type trainers were of the eccentric variety.


    ¡°Nothing much, I want to explore the sunlit side of the mountain. I heard from Xatu that¡¯s where you can find wild vulpix you don¡¯t have to come along, if that sounds too dangerous to you.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll catch our second partner on this mountain Numsy!¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    This year Numsy made great strides in his training aside from dig he also learned mud bomb and our secret special weapon for catching vulpix Yawn attack. Master Quagsire started teaching us this move only after we made a promise to take over half his workload. Usually, the master utilizes this technique to put to sleep customers who suffer from insomnia. This move is what the sand bath owner used to get an edge on her business competition. In regard to his fire type moves we had the knowledge but not the strength of body to perform those yet. The lavaridge gym training made it pretty clear that the only method to perform those moves was having Numsy gain enough battle experience which we were not allowed to do because I haven¡¯t earned my trainer¡¯s license yet.


    ¡°Sounds like fun! I know this mountain the best and if I am with you the wild Pok¨¦mon that live here will leave you alone for the most part. I have one condition though. Duskull noticed you are carrying one of those cleanse tags the stall lady sells we would like you to leave that item behind because it messes with his perception.¡±


    ¡°Only if I get prank immunity while were looking for vulpix. I don¡¯t want to get jump scared while on a steep ledge or something.¡±


    ¡°Phooey spoilsport¡±

 Chapter 4 - Foxy Friends

    Chapter 4 ¨C Foxy friends


    Me and Phoebe made our way towards the eastern slope of the summit since it was still early in the morning the sun rising would be in clear view after we got away from this nebulous mist. As we were walking, I had her clear up some misunderstandings I had about ghost types.


    ¡°What so you are saying drifloon don¡¯t kidnap children?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ they do but only those who are abused by their caretakers. The accumulated negative energy is very nutritious for younger ghost types. Those children don¡¯t get eaten or anything, what usually happens is that eventually a ranger finds them, and the abused child gets reassigned to foster care.¡±


    ¡°Usually huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t tell what you are thinking! Would you get angry at an ekans for eating rattata?¡±


    ¡°So, ghost types need negative energy or whatever you call it?¡±


    ¡°For sure! That¡¯s why ghosts prank people all the time it keeps them from having to take more drastic measures to satiate their appetite.¡±


    ¡°And do they still need to eat berries and stuff?¡±


    "Of course, they also need the lifeforce that¡¯s inherent to all living things to not slip back into the spirit world. Some wild ghost types who are anchored to old ruins or abandoned mansions can be dangerous to both humans and Pok¨¦mon since they never get a chance to eat. To them living beings that enter their domain are a walking buffet of life force and negative energy. It¡¯s part of the job for seasoned channelers to exorcize such spirits before they can do any major harm."


    ¡°Okay so don¡¯t enter dilapidated buildings or ruins and you¡¯re safe?¡±


    ¡°Generally, but some of the more seasoned ghosts have invented creative uses for the move hypnosis to trick travelers into thinking the buildings are well maintained.¡±


    Having her explain ghost types to me cleared up a lot of my misunderstandings. They still give me the creeps but understanding lessened my innate fear of them significantly.


    ¡°You must have already caught lots of ghost types being so knowledgeable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d think so but so far, I¡¯ve only caught two my Shuppet and Duskull and I am really wanting to catch a Sableye in granite cave. Too bad there aren¡¯t a lot of ghost types in the Hoenn region.¡±


    ¡°What about Shedinja and Froslass?¡±


    ¡°I am not training up a Nincada just to have it evolve and catch its shell to use on my team. All Pok¨¦mon deserve to be caught by someone who believes in their potential. And as for Froslass so far, the only trainer known to have one in Hoenn is Glacia of the elite four and she is not sharing her secrets. ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy just catch a female snorunt and have it evolve with a Dawn Stone.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious!? For it to be a stone evolution. I haven¡¯t heard of this so-called Dawn Stone, and it must be female you say?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah? There are a handful of Pok¨¦mon that have evolved forms based on gender.¡±


    ¡°Wait is it normal for trainers to keep information like this hidden?¡±


    ¡°Usually yes when a trainer discovers something that is not known they keep it a secret to give themselves a competitive edge. Most sponsorship clauses stipulate that the trainer signing it shares any relevant discoveries with their sponsor but, independent trainers are not required to divulge sensitive information like that.¡±


    Damn! Again, living in a hick town has screwed me over. The only places that keep computers with pok¨¦net access in Lavaridge are the Pok¨¦mon center and the Gym but, those were reserved for licensed trainers only.


    ¡°Uhm can you not tell people that you got that information from me? I don¡¯t want to get hassled by an angry Elite Four.¡±


    ¡°Sure, whatever Egon. I don¡¯t think Glacia is going to bother an eight-year-old like you for spilling the beans on a secret she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep for long anyway.¡±


    We finally exited the blinding fog and basked in the sunlight warming up our bodies. Numsy jumped out of my embrace and started walking on his own hooves. He¡¯d been too stubborn to get back into his ball and demanded to be out with me. Numel generally get lethargic when the surrounding temperature is too cold. Carrying Numsy had been a workout especially for my prepubescent body. Numsy¡¯s weight averages out at around 50 lbs.(23kg) that would¡¯ve been impossible for any regular eight-year-old to carry in my old world. Maybe it was something in the food, but humans over here are generally hardier and live a bit longer too. Still, it had been an odorous task carrying him all the way out here.


    ¡°Oof! Just make sure not to get any bigger or, I won¡¯t be able to carry you around anymore Numsy.¡±


    ¡°Num Num!¡±


    ¡°This is why ghost types are superior! No need to carry them around when outside their balls they can just hitch a ride in your shadow.¡±


    ¡°Sure sure. Do you have any idea where we should begin searching?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t but Duskull lived on this mountain before I caught him. Dusky can you show us the way?¡±


    ¡°Dusk dusk¡±


    We followed the floating Pok¨¦mon further into the approaching canopy of tall grass.


    The games didn¡¯t get it wrong wild Pok¨¦mon will seek to challenge trainers passing by their territories. Unlike Pok¨¦mon trained by humans wild Pok¨¦mon had to spent most of their time foraging for food, maintaining their shelters, and tending to their young. They didn¡¯t have the advantages of specialized training and carefully maintained diets so on average they were weaker than trainer owned ones. Acknowledging this they will seek to hone themselves against trainers given the opportunity or search for a skilled trainer to catch them after testing them in battle.


    Duskull led us to a small clearing within which was a tree stump with a blurry figure outlined atop of the trunk.


    Phoebe quickly pulled out a device that looked like a futuristic version of an old Gameboy advanced handheld device.


    Medicham the Meditate Pok¨¦mon. Medicham is able to harness psychic powers through yoga. Being at one with nature, it can make itself vanish completely. Through a combination of food deprivation and meditation, Medicham gains the ability to see its opponent''s aura.


    ¡°Wait you already received your Pok¨¦dex!¡±


    ¡°I am eleven years old dummy I got mine last year.¡±


    ¡°Unfair I want one too! Hey scan my Numsy next!¡±


    ¡°You do realise that I am not a sponsored trainer, right? We don¡¯t have to collect data for some bozo in a lab.¡±


    ¡°This is a man¡¯s romance!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ fine weirdo.¡±


    Numel, the Numb Pok¨¦mon. Numel is so complacent that it does not even notice when it is stuck. This Pok¨¦mon''s body is filled with hot magma, which, when cooled in water, further slows its movement. Numel is also unable to bear hunger.


    ¡°That sound about right to you Numsy?¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­ that time Keegan forgot to stock up on the Gym¡¯s supply of Chesto berries. The perfect match for a sleepy head like you.¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    ¡°Can we focus on the situation at hand! This Medicham is clearly in an intense training session and probably would like for us to be as quiet as possible.¡±


    ¡°Dusk duskull¡±


    ¡°Cham Medi¡±


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Duskull and the Medicham starting animatedly communicating with each other.


    ¡°It sounds to me like these two know each other already.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s plausible. Duskull used to be a wild Pok¨¦mon that lived on this mountain.¡±


    The Medicham in question turned its head towards us while his/her eyes glowed blue.


    ¡°Young one if determined you are to make one of those foxes your partner seek audience with her ladyship. She rests in the alcove overlooking the abandoned gravesite.¡±


    Darn another serious type? Hopefully this is not a trend with all psychic type Pok¨¦mon. Higher intelligence than other types doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯d have to be a stick in the mud.


    ¡°You heard that Phoebe?¡±


    ¡°Yes, me and Duskull know where it¡¯s located. This ladyship must be the Ninetales that lives on this mountain.¡±


    Before we leave, I decided to fish out another lava cookie from my satchel and place it in front of the Medicham.


    ¡°Here when you are done with your fasting try this. They¡¯re delicious and help Pok¨¦mon recover from negative ailments.¡±


    Me and Phoebe left for the alcove and there were no more surprises along the way.


    ¡°Where did you get your Pok¨¦dex from anyway? Since you apparently didn¡¯t get it from Professor Birch.¡±


    ¡°You can just order a Pok¨¦dex on the pok¨¦net everything is pretty simple when your family is made out of money.¡±


    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know gravekeeping was such a lucrative industry.¡±


    ¡°Generally, it¡¯s not. Gravesites like these that are safe for the public to visit are pretty rare. But my family have always been experts when it comes to dealing with ghost types. People are free to visit the graves without disturbance during the day, my family¡¯s Pok¨¦mon make sure the newly formed ghosts know the rules.¡±


    ¡°Heh, that¡¯s pretty impressive.¡±


    ¡°Now hush I can see the alcove.¡±


    The alcove was positioned in such a way that it caught the natural light of the sun for as long as possible standing near I could feel the waves of heat emanating from the cave system.


    ¡°Hello is anyone home? We got told that I had to ask for permission first before trying to capture a vulpix.¡±


    ¡°Idiot! Don¡¯t be crass.¡±


    ¡±What? I think it would be more respectful to be as direct and truthful as possible.¡±


    A quadrupedal canine Pok¨¦mon appeared covered in golden-white fur and nine long tails with pale orange tips darting out from its backside. Trailing behind the Ninetales are two of her kits one who by the look of it was recently born and sporting white fur similar to their mother with a distinct lack of extra tails, the other and presumably the older one was sporting a crimson coat and adorned with a vulpix¡¯s signature number of tails.


    ¡°Nine¡±


    ¡°Duskull dusk¡±


    Duskull floated over to Numsy and prodded him forward. My best guess was Numsy had somehow become the de facto ambassador for my future company of ragamuffin Pok¨¦mon. He always seemed a bit hesitant to involve himself with more experienced and powerful Pok¨¦mon such as this Ninetales. Eli explained during one of our training sessions that Pok¨¦mon instinctively knew when another of their kind is more powerful than them. In the wilds this was a necessary defense mechanism.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Numsy she is just going to ask you some questions. Just be honest and you¡¯ll do fine.¡±


    Numsy having made up his mind gave me a determined nod and walked up to the older Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Nine nine¡±


    They went back and forward like that for a while until Ninetales looked up at me and gave me a curt nod. She bit the older Vulpix by the scruff and placed the kit in front of us.


    ¡°Egon, I think you have her permission to try and catch that Vulpix.¡±


    The vulpix in question looked at its mother with a betrayed expression and made some yipping noises.


    ¡°Vul vulpix¡±


    ¡°Nine!¡±


    Defeated she turned around and faced me and Numsy after giving us a long drawn out stare she finally gave us an affirming nod.


    ¡°Vul!¡±


    ¡°Okay Numsy! This will be our first battle so let¡¯s show this Vulpix what were made of!¡±


    ¡°Num Num!¡±


    Ninetales and its other kit made way for us and took a seated position on a slab of rock. While Phoebe and Duskull also made some space for us.


    Start with growl shake up her resolve!


    Numsy commences to produce an ear piercing sound. Vulpix started to noticeably stagger being disoriented by the screeching sound. At least until her eyes started glowing blue and for a seemingly inexplicable reason Numsy stopped growling and gave me this confused look as if he¡¯s forgotten how to make a sound.


    "Vulpix used her disable attack Numsy! you have temporarily forgotten how to use that attack. We¡¯ll go on the offensive use tackle!"


    ¡°Num!¡±


    Numsy charged forward to deliver the blow and Vulpix being as agile as she is managed to dodge it with a well-timed quick attack to the side.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t going to work Numsy use Mud-Slap!¡±


    Mud is hurled in our foe''s face Vulpix unsuspecting of this type of attack got hit with perfect accuracy. And started rubbing its face with her front paws in order to get the mud out of its eyes.


    ¡°Great! Now go for the finisher mud bomb! ¡±


    Unlike mud-slap mud bomb was a more hard-packed glob of mud and it did actually hurt getting hit by the projectile head on. Its accuracy was not the best though but since Vulpix was still blinded I figured we could give this move a shot. Numsy pelted her with the move and being a ground type move this was enough to blast Vulpix on her side.


    ¡°Now use our super-secret finisher!¡±


    Numsy let loose a cloud of white gas from its mouth that hit the struggling Vulpix in its face.


    Vulpix in response fired of an ember attack that was surprisingly accurate and hit Numsy on the side of his head. It was easily shrugged off though Numsy doesn¡¯t mind heat all that much I even saw him dip his toe in lava once which barely got a reaction.


    It all comes to this¡­ my single pok¨¦ ball should be enough to capture Vulpix while she is in this state. I grabbed the ball that was hanging by my waist and throw it at the struggling Pok¨¦mon.


    One shake


    Two shakes


    On the third wiggle a sound that I was all too familiar with was produced, one that I had not heard since I last played on my handheld all those years ago. The surroundings went eerily silent while I walked towards the object that was lying in the grass.


    Picking up the pok¨¦ ball a strange sensation befell me and a sudden urge to do something I¡®ve seen done multiple times but never had to chance to participate in myself.


    ¡°Numsy it¡¯s time.¡±


    Twirling around I struck the pose.


    ¡°I caught a vulpix!¡±


    ¡°Num numel num!¡±


    ¡°This kid¡­ when we walk the streets together you are not allowed to tell people that you know me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯ve always wanted to do that. Where I am from there¡¯s this famous trainer who always does that when he catches a new Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Good then I already don¡¯t know him either.¡±


    ¡°Nine¡±


    Ninetales made an affirming sound as if agreeing with Phoebe.


    ¡°Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to train one of your children I promise to take good care of her.¡±


    I released Vulpix out of her ball and she was still sleeping from the effects of Numsy¡¯s yawn. Figuring this would probably be the best way to wake her up I fish out a lava cookie and held it in front of her nose. The effect was immediate she woke up drooling and took a bite from the delectable treat.


    ¡°Vul¡±


    ¡°There there you were quite the fighter especially for a young and untrained Pok¨¦mon. Don¡¯t worry me and Numsy have been training up for about a year now with your talent catching up will be a cinch.¡±


    I pat the little fox on her back and start wiping off some of the debris and mud that now cling onto her. Finer than Numsy¡¯s own short matted bovine hide. This level of fluffiness¡­! while being surprised at the softness of her fur I start scratching behind her ears.


    ¡°Vul!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. Just admiring your fur coat. It¡¯s so glossy you must take great care of it.¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    ¡°Do you want to spend the rest of our time here with your mom? Me and Gramps will be staying at the mountain¡¯s summit for a couple of days.¡±


    She looked at me for a few short seconds and gave me a small nod.


    ¡°Vul¡±


    ¡°When were ready to depart, I will come get you.¡±


    <hr>


    Three days later*


    Lodging with a family of grave keepers was quite the experience and with experience I mean bad for my heart. At any moment one of the family¡¯s ghost types were out of their balls pranking the living daylights out of me. Their favorite method? Jump scares unoriginal and childish but effective. Unlike Phoebe¡¯s Duskull the other Pok¨¦mon of the family were all veteran mischief makers. The worst offender was a particular Misdreavus. While I am sleeping, eating, or playing with Numsy Misdreavus would come out of the walls or up from the ground and let loose piercing wails. It got so bad that I decided to keep Numsy in his ball for the rest of our stay here at least that way we both didn¡¯t have to suffer. The family had become desensitized by virtue of being around these pranksters twenty-four seven making them unattractive targets in the eyes of their Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Miss mis mis¡±


    ¡°I swear to Arceus one more prank and you¡¯ll unleash the dragon. Then we will see who scares who!¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening my grandmother¡¯s Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    ¡°No Phoebe this shining ball of joy and I are best of friends. Sometimes we exaggerate a little during our bonding sessions don¡¯t we Misdreavus?¡±


    ¡°Misdreavus mis mis¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ve never seen anyone attract as many ghost type Pok¨¦mon as you do. You should really consider catching one for your future team.¡±


    ¡°No thank you I¡¯d like to be able to sleep at night.¡±


    ¡°Ghost types are the best! When you finally give in and catch one, you¡¯ll have to do anything I tell you to!¡±


    ¡°Please, Fire types are obviously better whenever you decide to join the winning team you will have to acknowledge their superiority!¡±


    Phoebe gave me a once over before finally nodding to herself.


    ¡°Okay I¡¯ve decided you will be my rival! ¡±


    ¡®Wait what...?¡¯


    ¡°My standards for a rival are high though. I¡¯ve been planning my career for a long time, and I won¡¯t settle for anything less than a position on the elite four. By the time you¡¯re old enough to join the circuit you will have some catching up to do.¡±


    ¡°Bring it on! Me and Numsy won¡¯t ever lose to some sheltered mountain princess who can¡¯t spot the difference between a Pikachu and a Mimikyu.¡±


    ¡°That was just you cheating at Pictionary! Alola hasn¡¯t opened up its borders yet how am I supposed to know every foreign ghost type!¡±


    ¡°Says the girl who wants to be an elite four!¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Wait when did you get out of your ball!?¡±


    Occupied by our argument we didn¡¯t notice the seniors sipping tea on the engawa(Japanese porch) animatedly watching us.


    ¡°Ahh youth.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°And you have to feed Vulpix twice a day. Three times if you want to start training her earlier.¡±


    ¡°I know Grandpa who do you think makes breakfast for Zinnia every morning before she goes to school don¡¯t worry, I can handle this.¡±


    ¡°Just like how you handled the Pok¨¦mon of our gracious hosts?¡±


    ¡°Those things aren¡¯t like any regular Pok¨¦mon! They clearly had an agenda into helping me in an early grave.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Vulpix here is a sweet little princess loving kind and a great family Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Vuuul¡±


    This was going to be good for Zinnia¡¯s development. I already had plans to make my sister take care of Vulpix in her off time. Giving Zinnia a taste of responsibility would help her be prepared for a future Journey.


    In any case now she could at least bring Vulpix with her to show and tell. Wait¡­ I totally forgot something.


    Hey Vulpix, would you like a name? That way you can stand out from all the other vulpix something uniquely yours.


    ¡°Pix¡±


    "Okay hmm¡­ how about Swiper? It¡¯s a name belonging to a popular fox character on a kids tv show infamous for stealing."


    ¡°Ouch! Oh, sorry yes something more fitting for your noble and conscientious temperament.¡±


    ¡°How does the name Rena sound?¡±


    She gave me a look and after a tense period of waiting finally gave an approving yip.


    ¡°Vulpix!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! From now on you are Rena the Vulpix.¡±

 Chapter 5 - Hello Unova!

    Chapter 5 ¨C Hello Unova!


    Two years have passed since I caught Rena. Today I become eligible to receive my trainer¡¯s license. Officially marking me as an adult in this society and allowing me to participate in the Evergrande conference. Strangely enough even being an adult legally didn¡¯t allow me to buy cigarettes or alcohol not that I was planning to. I have spent months planning out my journey calculating out expenses for food, survival gear and transport costs. If all goes according to plan, I should have no problems providing for my own needs and that of my team. And the first step to becoming an accomplished trainer begins here the Slateport Pok¨¦mon center.


    ¡°Excuse me nurse Joy I am here to receive my trainer¡¯s license.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations on becoming independent! Could I have your name and date of birth please?¡±


    What followed was an exchange of personal information. Generally, to qualify for a trainer¡¯s license you had to attend a half-day training session and take a written test. The test was not designed to evaluate the examinee for competency but for moral character. The league didn¡¯t want their trainers mistreating Pok¨¦mon if possible. Luckily you could take your training and test early else it would have interfered with what I was planning to do today.


    ¡°Here you are Egon from Lavaridge town. You turned ten years old two months ago and have already undergone the mandatory training and examination. Please wait a moment while I retrieve your license from our archives.¡±


    The nurse Joy left through a backdoor and while she was gone, I started stroking the single tuft of hair on Numsy¡¯s head.


    ¡°This is it buddy you ready for our first big adventure?¡±


    ¡°Num Num!¡±


    I left Rena at home with my sister and made the journey towards Slateport city with only Numsy at my side. It was more economical this way and I need to pinch every penny if somehow, I don¡¯t end up winning my first few battle wagers. My grandparents can transfer Rena back to me once I have my license and am allowed to use the center¡¯s transfer system.


    Over these last two years Zinnia had gotten attached to my Vulpix seeing her playing and taking care of the young fox I determined her ready for her own Pok¨¦mon. Sadly, they don¡¯t sell dragon-types at the local pok¨¦mart. To get one you had to either catch the Pok¨¦mon yourself or somehow prove yourself to a specialized breeder. And I am pretty sure that a specialist who breeds dragon-types for a living won¡¯t sell within the means of a part-time gym trainer¡¯s salary. The former and most certainly deadlier option is too crazy even for me.


    Climbing Meteor falls to catch a juvenile bagon was a sure-fire way to get yourself eaten by its parents. Dragons tended to respect powerful trainers and me and Numsy had gotten plenty strong in my opinion but winning a battle against a Salamence to earn the right to catch it¡¯s offspring was out of the picture at this point in time. I could¡¯ve just gotten her a Swablu or something but that felt like a cop-out move. More than anything I wanted to prove that I could take care of her on my own without the help of her derelict father and his backwater tribe.


    ¡°Here you go young man, a license officially recognized by the Pok¨¦mon association.¡±


    I briefly looked at the plastic card she gave me it had my face plastered on it along with a few choice details: name, date of birth and trainer service number.


    ¡°This license grants you access to our Pok¨¦mon center¡¯s services at no cost. This includes lodging, computer access and use of the Pok¨¦mon transfer system. Would you like us to register you for the upcoming league circuit?¡±


    ¡°Thank you nurse Joy but that won¡¯t be necessary. However, would you happen to know the location of the Unovan embassy?¡±


    <hr>


    Nurse Joy¡¯s directions had been precise enough for me to locate the ambassador¡¯s building it was placed right outside the Slateport market. Since Slateport was the biggest city and the hub of all trade flowing through Hoenn it is also the home of all the embassies from different regions. I walked up to the front door and rang the bell. After some time, the door was opened by a portly gentleman.


    ¡°Hello sir, I have an appointment Egon from Lavaridge town.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve been waiting for you come into my office so we can discuss further.¡±


    As I was following the man, I noted that this building wasn¡¯t large at all basically only enough for the ambassador and his family to live comfortably. Unexpectedly I did spot a Mincinno cleaning the living room couch. The chinchilla-like Pok¨¦mon giving me a short wave before continuing with cleaning. We got into the man¡¯s office, and he waved for me to take a seat while he did the same.


    ¡°So, how can the Unovan embassy help you Egon?¡±


    ¡°I want to apply for Unovan citizenship.¡±


    ¡°You do realize that it takes at least five years of continuous screening? And even than our ruling body may decide to cancel out your application.¡±


    Grabbing my satchel, I fish out an old photo of my biological father. We didn¡¯t have any pictures of him at home, but it wasn¡¯t hard finding a photo of an Evergrande conference finalist even though it has been ten years since. Like me he had red unruly hair and grey-blue eyes luckily, I inherited most of my good looks from my mother.


    ¡°This is my father the only two things I know about him is that his name is Ranga and that he used to be a finalist during the Evergrande conference ten years ago. It was to my knowledge that the process would be a lot swifter if you¡¯re an immediate relative to a Unovan national.¡±


    I handed over the picture to the ambassador and briefly his eyes lit up from recognition. He took his time switching to look in-between the picture and my face before he handed the photo back to me.


    ¡°Would you mind letting a psychic-type Pok¨¦mon verify the truth of your claim?¡±


    I was kind of surprised by the third degree. This guy must be pretty up there in terms of social standing if they deem it necessary to verify my claim to such a degree. Making the finals to any league championship tournament meant you were a skilled trainer regardless.


    ¡°Uhm yeah sure if you think it¡¯s necessary.¡±


    He swiftly pulled out a Pok¨¦ball from his belt and released a floating green blob that kind of resembled a cell in biology textbooks.


    ¡°Soool¡±


    ¡°Now don¡¯t be alarmed Solosis here will not invade your private thoughts. She can discern the truth of spoken words based on the difference in brainwaves a person emits when they know that they¡¯re speaking the truth or lying. First, she will have to establish a baseline.¡±


    ¡°What color is my desk?¡±


    It was a mildly unnerving couple of minutes, but I pulled through eventually. Once the ambassador was satisfied, he stood up and let me know he would have to start making a couple of phone calls leaving me alone with this green blob of adorableness.


    ¡°Hey there if you wouldn¡¯t mind can I touch your membrane Solosis? I am curious as to how it feels.¡±


    ¡°Soool sis¡±


    She floats near my hand indicating to me that I could pet her body. Deciding to act quickly before her offer could be taken away, I slowly rub the surface area of her membrane like skin. If I must describe the feeling on my hand, it would be rubbery but at the same time not like rubber at all. The plasma like filling having a gel like consistency.


    ¡°You are such a cutie you know? and soft too.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Who earned a cookie for doing such a good job?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    While the ambassador was taking his sweet time making phone calls me and Solosis were having a good time. She completely blew the stereotype of rigid and serious psychic type Pok¨¦mon out of the water. Unlike phoebe¡¯s family Xatu this Pok¨¦mon wasn¡¯t afraid to discuss deep topics


    ¡°So, what came first the Pok¨¦mon or the egg?¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Logic dictates the Pok¨¦mon came first of course but, many religious texts state Lord Arceus emerged from an egg in a place where there was nothing, then shaped the world.¡±


    While I was vibing with Solosis for a good hour or so the ambassador finally came back sweaty as if he¡¯d just ran a marathon.


    ¡°My superiors have agreed to extend an immediate probationary citizenship to you.¡±


    He started fishing inside his drawers before finally pulling out a set of papers. Filling them out before he handed them over to me.


    ¡°This document gives you the same rights and duties of an ordinary Unovan citizen. You will need to visit a lab in Unova where a blood sample will be drawn. If you are matched to the DNA profile we have in our database a permanent citizenship will be bestowed upon Egon of Lavaridge town.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine and all but you look beleaguered sir. I have some bottled water in my satchel if you need it. ¡±


    ¡°Soool¡±


    After finishing up at the embassy I was escorted outside the building. The first step of my masterplan is complete now all I have to do is catch a boat heading for the Unova region. During my studies I figured out Hoenn is really a terrible place for any aspiring fire-type specialist to start his journey. This region is basically an archipelago with one really big island being the mainland and even that island finds itself mostly below sea level.


    There are only five known species of fire-type Pok¨¦mon native to Hoenn. That wasn¡¯t even enough to make for a full team. Mr. Moore started his first journey in Johto because of this problem. Considering my options deeply I concluded that starting my first circuit in Unova would be for the best. As for whoever my father was it doesn¡¯t really matter much to me. I will make my own way in this world not hang on some rich guy¡¯s coattails. My impression of him wasn¡¯t the worst he seemed like a typical irresponsible parent to me, and I already had one of those.


    The next step of my plan is to head towards the city¡¯s harbor and look for any ships heading towards Unova. Slateport was the biggest harbor city in the world so it shouldn¡¯t be too hard. Convincing a ship¡¯s captain to let me catch a ride for some manual labor would be the most difficult part of my plan.


    ¡°So, you want to sail with us towards Nuvema town squirt?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir! I have the appropriate documents and am a skilled cook and I won¡¯t complain about doing any manual labor.¡±


    He gave me a once over.


    ¡°You are a trainer, right? Do you have any strong Pok¨¦mon on ya? Ones that would be useful when we catch the attention from a nest of Gyarados?¡±


    ¡°Well, no¡­ I mainly specialize in fire types, and I am just starting out on my journey.¡±


    ¡°First rule of the sea kid. Make sure to have strong Pok¨¦mon to protect yerself and the cargo. No one wants to become sharpedo bait.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ I can¡¯t come with you?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t say that we couldn¡¯t use you. Our chief cook puts too much salt in the food and my deck is always in need of a good swabbin¡¯. However, none of that sir or mister from you. The name¡¯s Capt. Nelson or just Captain. We set out tomorrow morning at six. So, make sure to have all your affairs in order by then.¡±


    ¡°Thank you si¡­ ehm I mean Captain!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing kid.¡±


    Finally! Tomorrow will be the first day of my journey. For now, I still had one thing left to do before I slummed it at one of the center¡¯s bunkbeds. Being a licensed trainer, I could make use of the center¡¯s amenities which included their transfer machine and phones.


    ¡°Big brother?¡±


    ¡°Heya sis can you tell grandpa to transfer Rena to the Slateport city Pok¨¦mon center? Everything came through so I am heading towards Unova in the morning.¡±


    ¡°¡­do I have to?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry me and Rena will call you every day if you want us to. And I will catch an amazing Pok¨¦mon for you as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Promise?¡±


    ¡°If I lie, I will swallow one thousand needles as compensation.¡±


    That evening I received Rena from nurse Joy and went shopping for supplies. Pokechow tailored specifically for fire-types and a heap of sweet and dry flavored berries. Chesto for Numsy and Pecha berries for Rena. Even though the chow tasted pretty good even I would get sick of eating the same thing repeatedly and I feel confident that Capt. Nelson would allow me to store the berries in the ship¡¯s freezer. I went to sleep that day with Numsy lying on my feet and Rena resting on a spare pillow.


    <hr>


    Come morning I was standing at the docks both my companions balled up. Fire types and large bodies of water don¡¯t mix Numsy especially had developed a phobia for the stuff, unsurprising since he was also part ground-type. Cleaning him took a lot of elbow grease, a steel wool brush and lots of sand. I spotted the captain and gave him a hearty hello.


    ¡°Steward¡¯s assistant Egon reporting for duty Captain!¡±


    ¡°At ease son, Rico here will show you your cabin and introduce the crew. The voyage will take us about a month so after you¡¯ve settled down, we will begin drilling you on safety protocols.¡±


    The SS. Mayweather is a small cargo ferry transporting luxury goods between Unova and Hoenn. Their cargo compromised mainly of pok¨¦ balls manufactured by the Devon corporation. All seven types of Devon brand pok¨¦ balls are here on the ship from nest balls to the extremely expensive luxury balls. So, I wasn¡¯t surprised that the crew mostly consisted of experienced trainers who all had a circuit or two under their belt. The captain¡¯s partner a gigantic lanturn kept the boat safe from wild ocean Pok¨¦mon a few quick flashes and a confuse ray or two were enough to discourage rowdy challengers. It¡¯s powerful discharge and thunder are reserved for more determined threats.


    Three weeks passed by relatively fast doing busywork certainly kept my mind occupied. Every member of the crew taught me something cool. The first mate showed me how to tell which direction is north based on the position of the stars and the chief cook gave me tips on how to make rations last longer. Captain Nelson taught me how to remove binacle from a moving ship. Binacle cling onto passing ships to find better nesting grounds. Ships that bring these Pok¨¦mon into harbour get fined because they tend to multiply explosively in human trafficked waters.


    The most amazing thing happened about three weeks into our voyage.


    ¡°Egon move up on deck!¡±


    ¡°Yes Captain!¡±


    ¡°You are very lucky that you get to see one of the sea¡¯s wonders right on the start of your very first Journey.¡±


    Getting closer to the ship¡¯s railing I noticed shimmering red lights emanating outwards from the sea¡¯s depths. The source of the light too deeply submerged to clearly see its origin.


    ¡°Captain what are those¡­?¡±


    ¡°Staryu, they live off the coast from Undella bay but sometimes they migrate when the shore¡¯s water gets too cold. This phenomena messes with the ship radios that¡¯s why Undella bay is exclusively a tourist hotspot and not used for commercial purposes. You see that rainbow colored light?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Those come from a starmie unlike their first stage siblings a starmie¡¯s jewel organ shines in seven different colors.¡±


    ¡°Seeing them now means we are not far from the coast. Make sure to pack up your things we are docking the ship in a few hours.¡±


    Going back to my cabin I catch Rana and Numsy trying to pull apart my last box of rage candy bar. The room was a mess empty cookie boxes, unwashed sheets not to mention all the shed vulpix fur.


    ¡°Guys it¡¯s time to clean up the room. We will be arriving at Nuvema town in a couple of hours.¡±


    ¡°Vuul!¡±


    ¡°Num Num!¡±


    ¡°And please don¡¯t tear up our last box of candy bars you know we might need them for something later on.¡±


    I started packing up. Both of these rascals got bored during the voyage and while understandable my room became so messy from them roughhousing that I completely gave up cleaning it after the first week. Vulpix walked up to me with an empty milk carton in her mouth.


    ¡°Pix¡±


    ¡°Thank you, princess, for being a teamplayer.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long to clean up the garbage from our messy room. I returned both Numsy and Rena to their poke balls and left the cabin. The captain and crew are already standing on deck. The silhouette of the Nuvema harbor becoming clearer by the minute.


    ¡°Hey, kid it¡¯s been fun having a young whippersnapper like yourself running this vessel with us. When it¡¯s just us adults the Mayweather becomes too quiet for my tastes.¡±


    ¡°This has also been a great learning experience for me Captain! I now know a lot more about water-type Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°We will be rooting for you youngster. It¡¯s extremely rare to see a kid from Hoenn like you attempt the Unova circuit with those restrictions in place and all.¡±


    Giving my final farewell to the crew I ran off the boarding plank and made my way into town. Immediately I noticed the change in environment Hoenn was warm year-round we have a rainy season and a dry season. Unova has a more temperate climate with all four traditional seasons. Judging by the snow piling on top of the roofscape this would be the middle of winter.


    ¡®Okay first order of business obtain a winter coat because I am freezing. Second order of business locate Professor Juniper¡¯s lab.¡¯ There weren¡¯t many people on the streets due to the cold, but I managed to find a couple who helpfully directed me to the local clothing store. The familiar sound of a bell ringed as I opened the door. The salesclerk waiting behind the counter surprisingly isn¡¯t a human being.


    ¡°Leavanny!¡±


    ¡°Uhm hello¡­ so I was looking to buy a winter coat.¡±


    Leavanny came up from behind the counter and started taking my measurements but as opposed to measurement tape the Pok¨¦mon instead used lengths of silk string. Halfway through the measuring a middle-aged woman came out of the backdoor.


    ¡°So, what are you looking to buy young man? The clothes you are currently wearing are more suited to summertime.¡±


    ¡°Just a regular winter coat and a pair of gloves. Something that can withstand the wear and tear of necking it in the wilds.¡±


    ¡°Heh so you are a new trainer then. Looking to make it in the circuit this year?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, among other things I still need to visit Professor Juniper¡¯s lab to settle some paperwork.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry Leavanny here has an eye for fashion. The clothes she picks always look great in front of the camera.¡±


    ¡°Leaa!¡±


    ¡°What kind of color scheme are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°Anything fire-themed ¡±


    Being a Pok¨¦mon trainer didn¡¯t involve just catching and training Pok¨¦mon for tournaments. It is also important that you looked good in front of the cameras with the ultimate goal of attracting offers for sponsorships. Companies weren¡¯t interested in just the skill of the trainer. Being marketable is also important. Especially to me since I no longer received my income for part timing at the gym.


    I leave the clothing store with warm and comfy clothes and a hole in my wallet. The nice lady gave me directions to Professor Juniper¡¯s lab it was just at the edge of town bordering a large radio tower. The lab itself was huge three stories tall and even has an additional greenhouse probably for Pok¨¦mon and flora that can¡¯t stand the cold. I walked up to the front door and knocked after waiting for a while the door got opened by a dark-haired bespectacled lady with a flower ornament in her hair.


    ¡°Yes, how can I help you?¡±


    ¡°The name¡¯s Egon miss. I was supposed to get some bloodwork done before I start out on my journey?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you must be the young trainer from Hoenn we were expecting. My name¡¯s Fennel I work as an assistant here at the lab. It will be a while until Professor Juniper gets back from fieldwork so make yourself comfortable in our waiting room.¡±


    She guided me to their breakroom and left me there after offering me some hot chocolate and a tray filled with pastries.


    ¡°Come on out Numsy and Rena.¡±


    I released both my Pok¨¦mon and they quickly took a seat on opposite sides of the couch. Figuring that this would take a while I also pull out my grooming kit and give them quick once over starting with Numsy. Rena¡¯s grooming took a bit longer though.


    ¡°No Numsy don¡¯t eat the entire platter save some for other guests!¡±


    ¡°Num num.¡±

 Chapter 6 - Revelations

    Chapter 6 ¨C Revelations


    The platter was picked clean by the time Fennel came back from whatever she was busy with. Numsy somehow managed to eat himself into a food coma and I was not looking forward to cleaning up the ashes left behind in his wake. He will eventually wake up to a sugar rush and literally burn up the extra calories filling the room with smog. Rena lost her appetite after seeing Numsy go to town, so she was scouring the waiting room taking in her new surroundings.


    ¡°Sorry for the wait I just got word from Professor Juniper that she will be back in about an hour.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay my team was stuck on a boat for three weeks, this is a luxury compared to that.¡±


    ¡°Are you planning to enter the circuit with those two Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me and those two go way back. Numsy the Numel is my starter Pok¨¦mon. I met him when I was seven years old, he kind of becomes uncontrollable around food. Rena my vulpix has been around since I was eight, she¡¯s real responsible and likes it when you brush out the tangles in her fur. ¡±


    Fennel kept looking at both my Pok¨¦mon with undisguised interest. While clinging onto the hem of her lab coat.


    ¡°I never had the chance to examine either a vulpix or numel before. Would you mind if I log their characteristics in my journal?¡±


    ¡°I guess that would be okay as long as you don¡¯t pull on Rena¡¯s tails, they¡¯re really sensitive.¡±


    Fennel pulled out a ruler a notebook, a few measuring devices a hand-held infrared Thermometer and a blood pressure monitor. Rena got nervous observing all the strange equipment being pulled out of the closet and jumped on my lap.


    ¡°Vuuul¡±


    Fennel, seeing that Rena was getting nervous tries reassuring her. ¡°It¡¯s fine, see? Let me demonstrate on Numsy first.¡±


    Numsy still sleeping off the food coma barely reacts as Fennel measures his limbs and checks his temperature. She was about to stick her measuring tape inside his crater when I quickly put a stop to her probing.


    ¡°Numsy has boiling magma inside his body. He can erupt when someone puts something inside his hump the conduit is extremely ticklish.¡±


    ¡°Really!? This is why I became a scientist the natural world has endless possibilities!¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ So, what¡¯s working as a professor¡¯s assistant like?¡±


    ¡°Amazing! this lab has any equipment a burgeoning professor might need. And all the trainer owned Pok¨¦mon are darlings! The professor I intern under is gone most of the time though. His field of study is distribution and biology, so we do a lot of fieldwork.¡±


    While Fennel was busy pokehandling Numsy, she answered my questions with enthusiasm. Seemingly Fennel took care of most of the busy work around the lab. The current professor, a man named Cedric Juniper, has a flighty personality and tries to spend as much time outside of civilization as possible. Leaving almost all the administrative duties to his assistants.


    ¡°We do have a skulk of vulpix and ninetales living in Unova near route 14 but the region doesn¡¯t have any numel or camerupt living here. So far none of our sponsored trainers have managed to catch a vulpix for us to study.¡±


    ¡°I caught Rena on Mt. Pyre. Mr. Moore my sponsor, told me that vulpix usually reside near places of high spirituality and I wanted to try my luck. Numsy just decided to walk into town one day. Where I come from numel are one of the more common Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°You are directly sponsored by an elite four from the Hoenn region? What impressive feat did you perform to get his attention?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I couldn¡¯t afford a poke ball to catch Numsy so his granddaughter let Numsy crash at the Lavaridge gym for a while. Afterwards he offered me a job at the gym, and I guess we made a good impression. ¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    We made some small talk. Fennel clued me in on the ins and out of the Unova circuit which areas hold Pok¨¦mon dangerous to humans. Rena was finally comfortable enough to let Fennel take some measurements but was adamant that she was not to touch her tails, so I had to do those myself. Finally, during the late hours of the afternoon professor Juniper showed up at the lab. He was a jovial fellow with dirty blond hair and a goatee his eyes forming a permanent squint. After having a quick word with Fennel, he walked up to me and offered his hand in greeting.


    ¡°Hello there young man and who might you be? Most of our new trainers have already started their journeys this circuit.¡±


    Shaking his extended hand, I replied. ¡°The name¡¯s Egon professor I just arrived in the Unova region.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t expect you to arrive so soon. Word of you came in about a month ago. Let me tell you young man your application for citizenship caused quite the commotion with the pencil pushers at immigration.¡±


    His eyes darted across my face seemingly wanting to find something.


    ¡°Hmm the resemblance is uncanny.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me professor?¡±


    ¡°Ah never mind that. Now according to the letter, I received from the higherups they want me to conduct a paternity test on you. Would you terribly mind parting with some of your mucous membrane so we can run some tests on it.¡±


    The professor started digging into his desk drawer until he found a test tube and cotton swab. Handing them over to me expectantly.


    ¡°Now just swipe your inner cheek a couple of times and deposit the collected material inside the test tube. Me and my trusty assistant will convey you the results in the morning.¡±


    Doing as the man said I swabbed the inside of my mouth and handed over the filled test tube. Seeing as the professor would be busy for the rest of the day me and my team retired to the nearest Pok¨¦mon center, applying for the league circuit entry while there. The nurse Joy behind the counter was visibly surprised that someone was entering the competition this late but made no comments and quickly registered me and my team. After dinner me and my team decided to immediately use my new license to for a free overnight stay at the center and promptly went to sleep.


    <hr>


    The following morning, we had a quick breakfast before doing some simple exercises to get the blood flowing. Exercising sort of became standard routine while working at the gym. All the gym trainers and Pok¨¦mon are required to do so according to the gym¡¯s guidelines, because not every gym Pok¨¦mon gets to battle daily, and Mr. Moore wanted to make sure we didn¡¯t get lazy resting on our laurels. This Pok¨¦mon center had a single gym equipment room with some of the basic machines, nothing fancy like back home at the gym, but we could make do. My Pok¨¦mon both being quadrupeds just needed some basic cardio to get the day started. After completing our morning minutiae, we headed towards the professor¡¯s lab. I rang the doorbell and was met with a familiar wizened face.


    ¡°Egon come inside; we have much to discuss.¡±


    I was being led into the building by a somewhat jovial professor Juniper. We quickly skipped past the reception hall and entered what looked to be the professor¡¯s private office, the sides of the walls decorated with diplomas and certifications.


    ¡°Now I don¡¯t know how to tell you this, so I am just going to be straight with you and say it. You are indeed the son of a Unovan national. However, your biological father has been missing for a few years now which is not unusual him being an active trainer and all. Your extended family however is still very much present in the region and one individual in particular is a prominent league official. Since in the eyes of the law you are officially an adult, we can¡¯t share your private information with the rest of your family without your express permission. How would you like us to proceed from here?¡±


    This seemingly innocent question posed quite the conundrum for me. This could prove to be the solution of all my financial problems, not to mention having someone high up in the league vouching for me would turn into boon when I start acting on a few of my plans.


    ¡¯Should I really start riding on another¡¯s coattails when I have already resolved myself to get to the top on my own merits?¡¯


    ¡°Would it be possible to keep my new family in the dark for now? When I set out on my journey I decided to try and make it on my own. Gaining preferential treatment even indirectly would go against my principles.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but notice a newfound respect gleaming from the professor¡¯s eyes. Clearly my declaration surprised the old codger and why wouldn¡¯t it? Not many trainers would say no to money and political power.


    ¡°That¡¯s very admirable Egon and certainly I will try to keep quiet about your newfound status. However, that ambassador was quite forthcoming to his colleagues after having met you in the Slateport embassy. Your grandfather has probably already been informed that he has another grandchild.¡±


    ¡°Is my fraternal grandfather that involved with the newest bureaucratic gossip? that he already knows about me before I was even told I had an extended family?¡±


    Professor Juniper stands up and scours his wall of memorabilia before finally finding the photograph he was looking for and hands it over to me.


    ¡°This photograph was taken during the inauguration of Unova¡¯s current champion thirty years ago the man who¡¯s hand I am shaking is your grandfather.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You are joking right?¡±


    Shaking his head, the professor¡¯s mouth turned upwards showing his amusement and mirth at my expense ¡°No I am not, Alder our reigning champion is your grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Now I get it! This is one of those shows with the hidden camera crew hiding behind a fake wall. You pranksters can come out now, you almost got me.¡±


    One of the pok¨¦ balls strapped to my sides suddenly started shaking and with a distinctive popping sound Rena materialized onto the chair next to mine. She quickly proceeded to leer at me promising future punishment if I didn¡¯t quickly calm down.


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°Oh my, what a fine specimen she is. The fur on her tails is quite lustrous and well-groomed no tangles at all.¡±


    Rena spared the professor a glance and gave him a small huff to acknowledge his clearly accurate observations. Before turning around and giving me her full attention. She and I both disdained dramatics and when my grandparents turned on their old rickety TV to watch Gallade¡¯s daughters we both couldn¡¯t get out of the house fast enough. Numsy loved watching that show. The loveable scamp being too slow witted to recognize the poor-quality writing for what it was.


    Realizing I was acting hysterically very much like those poorly compensated kirlia ranchers. I quickly regained my composure and gave Rena a look of appreciation. ¡°Thank you, Rena, for being the voice of reason that leads us hotheads.¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡± she replied as the fox settled down on my lap.


    I never really considered my familial relations having any kind of impact on my career as a trainer. ¡®Should I revise my plans? Some of my schemes will be tougher to pull off under scrutiny.¡¯ Thinking about what to do I came up with my request.


    ¡°Is it possible to keep Champion Alder in the dark about me coming to Unova for now? I kind of want to take my shot at the gym circuit unmarred by expectations. The most battle experience my team has been from watching at the sidelines inside the Lavaridge gym.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I see you have already acquired a sponsor. This will help out immensely during your early career, but I am sorry to say the Unovan league association has set the minimum age for competing in the League conference at 12 regardless of your legal status. You could still partake in the circuit but would be barred from entering the tournament. There have also been talks about raising the age requirement to 14 in a couple of years so Unova would be a poor starting place for a younger trainer like you.¡±


    ¡®Dang there goes my secondary objective of making it big in Unova, but this could also be helpful in my goal of going unnoticed by the league.¡¯


    I doubt league officials monitored lower-level badge matches. I was still planning on winning a couple of badges while here. The wager fights from a gym challenge are typically extremely lucrative for challengers to encourage successful trainers to keep participating in the circuit.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay I guess¡­ the main reason for us coming here is to find some more fire-types to join the team. Hoenn¡¯s landmass is mostly below sea level so, there are precious few fire types despite the tropical climate.¡±


    ¡°Hmm fire types huh¡­ being the region¡¯s professor naturally I am an expert when it comes to all sorts of Unovan Pok¨¦mon. Especially when it comes to distribution, that¡¯s my specialization.¡±


    Professor Juniper ruminated for some time before finally giving me a resolved look.


    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ve made up my mind. How about while you are in Unova you work for me gathering data on fire type Pok¨¦mon in the region?¡±


    ¡°Really!? But I am already sponsored by the Lavaridge gym any Pok¨¦mon I capture past my trainer carry limit is to be taken care of by the gym.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I am mostly interested in any data you will manage to acquire on the natural habitats of the Pok¨¦mon you plan on catching. A lot of the time I am required to be stuck in this lab, so I have not had much chance to venture out and observe those habitats myself. Additionally¡­ I would like to acquire more data from this vulpix and any other Hoenn native fire type you carry with you.¡±


    The rest of our conversation was very fruitful. The nature of my ¡°employment¡± was as follows: I provide him with detailed reports on any fire type Pok¨¦mon I encounter, and the lab would pay me a modest sum for any new information or leads I could provide to them. It was more of a freelance gig since the lab didn¡¯t provide me with any guaranteed income. However, I did walk away with a certain piece of specialized equipment all the prospective lab trainers received.


    <hr>


    ¡°Behold Rena! The most vital tool in a trainer¡¯s arsenal.


    Now let¡¯s see what Dexter has to say about you.¡±


    Vulpix, the Fox Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    It controls balls of fire. As it grows, its six tails split from their tips to make more tails.                                                                                                                                                                                 This Vulpix knows the following moves: Ember, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, ???, ???, ???


    ¡°Geez. The professor wasn¡¯t kidding about the lack of information on foreign Pok¨¦mon. This job might be easier than I thought if their database is so starved for information.¡±


    ¡°Vul!¡±


    ¡°Yes, extra snacks for you tonight as thanks for attracting Professor Juniper¡¯s attention.¡±


    This Pok¨¦dex is a technological wonder. It automatically records data on all my registered Pok¨¦mon with their weight and height listed together and their recommended nutritional intake. The device also came with a habitat list although incomplete the list was handy for trainers that were searching for the more commonly encountered Pok¨¦mon. Finally, it also doubles as my ID.


    Me and my crew made one last stop at the Pok¨¦mon center to fulfil a promise I made to my sister before setting off. The obligatory long distance calls every time I got situated in a town with adequate facilities. This would be the first time I could use a center¡¯s payphone for free.


    Smartphones are not widely available yet, so people still have to use computers for this sort of thing. Luckily the center isn¡¯t too far away from our home, so it takes little effort from our nurse Joy to let Zinnia know her brother was calling. After waiting for a bit my sister appeared on screen with an exasperated look on her face.


    ¡°Hey big bro! You finally decided to call me after three weeks?¡±


    ¡°You know I could¡¯ve been stranded in the middle of the ocean or eaten by a school of Sharpedo right? Aren¡¯t you happy to see your brother again after all this time?¡±


    ¡°You? Hmpff¡­ how is Rena? You better hope you¡¯ve taken good care of her fur during the voyage! Nurse Joy told me sea air is bad for a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s coat of fur, especially so for fire types!¡±


    ¡°We are both doing fine, the professor in Nuvema town gave me this.¡± I wave my newly acquired Pok¨¦dex in front of the screen.


    ¡°No way for real? They must have really run out of competent Unovan trainers to allow a foreigner to walk away with a Pok¨¦dex free of charge.¡±


    ¡°Legally I am not a foreigner since that deal concerning my dad came through. Also, the Professor Juniper hired me as a freelance trainer. So technically this nifty gadget here still belongs to the lab. Anyway, since I am officially recognized as a Unovan citizen it won¡¯t be much of a hassle for me to catch Pok¨¦mon in this region.¡±


    At that news my little sister¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Really!? Could you please catch a Pok¨¦mon for me too? You caught Numsy when you were seven, I am eight years old now and totally mature enough to have a Pok¨¦mon of my own! I¡¯ll even pay you back for the Pok¨¦ ball promise!¡±


    ¡°All right All right, you remember the list of Pok¨¦mon I gave you before I left for Slateport? Pick any one of those and I¡¯ll make sure to catch one for you.¡±


    I did try my best to remember all the native dragon types in Unova before I left and compiled an arguably short list of potential wild dragons I might encounter on my journey. It has been a while since I played the games of course so the list might not be all that accurate. I left a few of the dangerous ones off the list I don¡¯t care how talented a trainer my sister is I am not getting her a Deino as her starter. Those things chewed on everything including their na?ve trainers.


    ¡°Dei¡­¡±


    I scowled ¡°No! those Pok¨¦mon are dangerous and aren¡¯t even on the list, pick something more realistic please.¡±


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ maybe an Axew or a Horsea? I would also really love to have a Dratini!¡±


    By the sound of her voice, I can somewhat judge which one of those she would prefer to have. Horsea is an ocean Pok¨¦mon you could find in any region. Most seafaring fisherman know intimately where the local Seadra spawning grounds are on the grounds of having to waste money fixing their broken nets any time they venture too close.


    Axew were localized inside the Mistralton cave system and the ones looking for a worthy trainer live on the upper levels challenging travellers and their Pok¨¦mon. This was a problem for me since my sister wasn¡¯t here to prove herself worthy. Full on dragon types are prideful and most of those Pok¨¦mon wouldn¡¯t accept merely being caught as gift for someone¡¯s baby sister.


    And finally, Dratini arguably the dragons with the most easy-going temperament and probably wouldn¡¯t mind at all being caught as a gift. The problem lay in the fact their line has parents who will not let their juveniles out of sight. Forcibly catching one is almost impossible due to this and their nesting grounds are shrouded in secrecy. When it becomes known to them that humans managed to figure out where they raise their young, they¡¯ll split the scene and relocate. If the games are anything to go by there should be a colony inhabiting the lake surrounding Dragonspiral tower.I already checked out those places on the pok¨¦net. The tower and its surroundings are off limits to any trainers without at least six badges or those who have received special permission from league personnel.


    I was preparing to catch a starter for my sister for a long while and trying to remember as many details of my past life as possible. This was the moment I could put all that knowledge to use. Even thinking about all the hurdles, I would have to cross in order to catch a Dratini for my sister gave me a headache. By the time I could catch her one she will have been waiting for months. The more logical option would be to catch her a Horsea and maybe poke my nose around Dragonspiral tower later when I am a more established trainer.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what is available. Do mind that two of those Pok¨¦mon need large bodies of water to swim in Zinnia. Our town¡¯s hot springs won¡¯t be enough in the long run.¡±


    She made a cute frumpy face ¡°I know! Before your next call I will find a way to accommodate aquatic dragons.¡±


    The rest of our conversation was very enjoyable talking about when grandma is finally going to pick a successor to the shop, since both of us have made up our mind on becoming Pok¨¦mon trainers professionally. How master Quagsire might be able to help her set up some sort of pond in our backyard. Only to receive some disturbing piece of news from her side.


    ¡°I got a letter from my dad telling me that he and mom will come visit us next month. And you never guess what Pok¨¦mon delivered the letter?¡±


    ¡°A Pelliper?¡±


    ¡°No! A Noivern and a big one too! She almost shattered our windowpane with an awesome screech attack just to get my attention.¡±


    I gave her my best deadpan expression. ¡°Dragon otaku.¡±


    ¡°Stop calling me that! Otaku only means passionate and yes, I do admire dragon types.¡±


    Outwardly I was joking, but inside I almost had a panic attack. Now of all times did her father decide to interact with his daughter!? After I am gone and unable to stop him from planting dangerous ideas inside her head. I am pretty sure he was going to try and talk her into joining their Rayquaza worshipping cult. If she accepted, I would lose contact with my sister until she came of age and started her own journey. Getting her a starter Pok¨¦mon just became my top priority. If only in an attempt to dissuade my family by marriage from enticing her with a dragon of her own.


    ¡°Something just came up lil¡¯ sis and big brother has gotta run. I¡¯ll call you back within the week. Bye love you!¡±


    ¡°Hold up! What¡¯s the sudden ru¡­¡± Click*


    Numsy popped out of his ball and gave me a questioning look. ¡°Num?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay little dude no way some old fogies are going to upstage her big brother.¡±


    <hr>


    We rushed our way into route 1 being one of the safest travelling areas for trainers starting their journey if they stuck to the route of course. Rangers made no guarantees of safety for numbskulls who left the established paths. This place also had a direct connection to the ocean. And according to the residents in town is also an estuary the place where salt and freshwater meet. Perfect for catching a wide selection of water type Pok¨¦mon. Now I had no fishing rod on me, and my fire type Pok¨¦mon and I had no intention of swimming in those deep waters, so the plan was to find a fisherman and ask for help with my predicament.


    I made my way to the shores of this route spotting passing the occasional Patrat and an adorable group of Lillipup being watched over by a grumpy looking Herdier. Any other time I would have loved to interact with these unfamiliar wild Pok¨¦mon, if only to get some training battles in now that I was allowed to do so, but I came here with only one goal in mind.


    It didn¡¯t take long before I spotted a blue haired teenager fishing on an old rock groyne. He had a Pok¨¦mon floating next to him, a marine colored Frillish, one look at their appearance and I knew that I had my guy.


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ excuse me? You wouldn¡¯t happen to be a knowledgeable fisherman, would you?¡±

 Chapter 7 - Fishy Friend

    Chapter 7 ¨C Fishy Friend


    ¡°Sshhh you are scaring the water Pok¨¦mon away. Wait until I pull in my next catch before you start talking to me.¡±


    Finding no counterargument to his solid reasoning I sat down next to him and stared at the churning waters. His Frillish seemingly content to do the same. Normally I would never get close to any ghost types however, my pressing need overrides any compunction I have for the irksome specters.


    We just sat there and stared at the open ocean for what seemed to me for like a half hour or so. I took my time studying his equipment. Water type Pok¨¦mon are way smarter than the standard fare aquatic life in my previous world, and none could be deceived by simple bait. The lures in this world are very colorful in order to stand out against the pale blues of the sea and have no hooks on them. Fishermen had the option to get scented baits, but at the end of day that was all just fluff. For water types lures are just an open invitation to a trainer battle, and maybe running the risk to be captured. The Pok¨¦mon pulling on that bait used the ensuing battle to measure the trainer¡¯s potential, and generally didn¡¯t mind getting caught.


    Suddenly the line grew taut, and a vague fish shaped shadow formed on the surface of the water. The teenager¡¯s Frillish immediately stood at attention ready for the upcoming battle. With a splash the water¡¯s surface breaks, and out appears a shabby looking fishlike Pok¨¦mon with old man liver spots. I was mildly excited even in Hoenn the native feebas are pretty rare only being found in the Fortree river. This teenager must be feeling extremely lucky hooking in such a rare Pok¨¦mon. Contrary to my expectations the teenager gives a resigned sigh in response to this amazing discovery.


    ¡°Feeb!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help myself and pulled out my Pok¨¦dex to analyze this maritime wonder.


    Feebas the Fish Pok¨¦mon                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Feebas''s fins are ragged and tattered from the start of its life. Because of its shoddy appearance, this Pok¨¦mon is largely ignored. It is capable of living in both the sea and in rivers.


    Despite the Pok¨¦dex¡¯ harsh remarks about its appearance the Feebas still gives a hopeful look to its prospective trainer. The situation remained static tension filling the air. After a while I nudged the guy in the direction of the waiting Feebas.


    ¡°Feebas are pretty rare and this one obviously wants you to be its trainer no battling necessary. Why don¡¯t you capture it?¡±


    In response he gave me a resigned nod and pulled out one of his pok¨¦ balls. Accurately catching the fish in a cyan colored dive ball. The Frillish picked up the floating ball and brought the item back to its trainer.


    ¡°Great catch friend! I am betting that Feebas is going to be winning you many a competition in the future.¡±


    He gave me a certain look to see if I was being serious or not. Being completely genuine about my opinion, I offered a hand in greeting.


    ¡°The name¡¯s Egon from Lavaridge town.¡±


    He shook it back ¡°Marlon from Humilau city. How come you are so excited about a Feebas? Don¡¯t get me wrong all water type Pok¨¦mon are great but, Feebas isn¡¯t a Pok¨¦mon most people get excited about. Even your Pok¨¦dex is of the same opinion.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that feebas start out weak but it can learn way more moves than your standard fare magikarp, and if you manage to evolve it, the effort you put into training it will more than repay itself.¡±


    ¡°Evolve it!? I come from a long line of water type specialists, and I am pretty sure no such further stages have been discovered. My family does appreciate the line because they keep our aquariums free of lichen and pond scum, but they are not suited for use in competition.¡±


    ¡°You know Wallace from the Hoenn region, right?¡±


    He gives me a firm nod.


    ¡°His ace Milotic evolved from a feebas. Wallace managed to keep it a secret so far, but I was able to figure it out in addition to the method he used to evolve her.¡±


    ¡®The bait has been set now to see if I¡¯ve got a bite.¡¯ With my complete inability to catch a Horsea on my own this was a golden opportunity for a trade of equal value. So far none but Wallace has managed to get a milotic on his or her team. ¡®Sorry Wallace bro but this is for my sister¡¯s sake.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s far out man so what¡¯s the secret? A Milotic would for sure bring extra foot traffic to Humilau¡¯s future walk-through-aquarium.¡±


    ¡°Walk-through-aquarium?¡±


    ¡°My dad calls it the Marine Tube. It¡¯s supposed to bring new life to Humilau¡¯s declining tourism. So, we can finally beat those uppity Undella townsfolk. He says it¡¯s to commemorate the friendship between our two towns, but I just know as soon as the tourists arrive in Humilau they won¡¯t ever want to leave.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re an expert on water types, correct?¡±


    ¡°The best! except for maybe my dad.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know where a trainer might be able to catch a Horsea around here? My sister is old enough to receive her starter Pok¨¦mon and Horsea is one of her favorites. I train fire types myself, so I am kind of out of my element here literally. Any assistance is appreciated.¡±


    ¡°A Horsea huh...? Your sister has great taste that¡¯s an excellent starting Pok¨¦mon for beginners. They can be found around route 17 and up. You can get there in like 5 minutes with a water Pok¨¦mon. The best way to catch them would be to use a fishing rod like mine. The male Seadra in the area are very protective of their offspring so diving for them is not the smart thing to do. If a Horsea comes up voluntarily though you are free to catch them.¡±


    ¡®I have to admit he is really knowledgeable for what I assume to be a 12-13 year old. No wonder he eventually becomes the gym leader of Humilau.¡¯


    "Okay so here¡¯s the deal, you help me catch a Horsea, and in return for your help, I¡¯ll tell you all about the super-secret method to evolving your Feebas.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got yourself a deal Egon. I am all about helping beginner trainers start off with an awesome water type.¡±


    He gets up stretches for a bit before pulling out one of his pok¨¦ balls and throwing it in the ocean. What surprised me was the Pok¨¦mon that materialized out of the ball.


    ¡°Waaail!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really rare to see a wailmer around these parts. That must¡¯ve been one lucky catch.¡±


    ¡°Wailmer here beached in front of our home one day. It probably got separated from its pod during their annual migration to warmer waters. This one is my starter Pok¨¦mon. Now hop on he is big enough for the both of us to ride.¡±


    Cautiously I tried putting my feet on Wailmer¡¯s back to test out the surface tension. Its smooth skin making it kind of difficult to find perch, but eventually I managed to get the hang of it. The whale Pok¨¦mon happily shooting jets of water out of its blowhole as it took off in the direction Marlin pointed at.


    ¡°Say I¡¯ve been wondering how do most wailmer trainers deal with the possibility of evolution? I mean at any point this ball of sunshine can balloon up to more than 7 stories tall. Too big for most competitive fields.¡±


    ¡°They mostly don¡¯t. Wailords usually get released back into the ocean by irresponsible trainers who didn¡¯t think ahead. Their diet is manageable at that size because their species mostly lives on zooplankton but that takes long periods of time in the ocean, so their trainers are waterlocked. My dream is setting up an official gym in Humilau city with a waterfield large enough, so me and Wailmer can still do battle even after his evolution.¡±


    ¡°Waail!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an amazing dream I am sure you can pull it off.¡±


    ¡®Marlin seems like a responsible fellow who can be trusted to keep a secret. No reason to believe those Sootopolis snobs will believe a fire type specialist like me figured it out.¡¯


    ¡°Can you keep secret the fact that I told you how to evolve feebas? Any maybe limit the amount of people you share such information with? I would prefer trainers not overcatching the already low quantities of wild feebas in their natural environment.


    ¡°Absolutely we from Humilau know the important role each and every water type has. Without feebas in our rivers a lot of other water Pok¨¦mon would suffer as well.¡±


    Having been reassured I decided to tell him the truth regarding Feebas¡¯ evolution.


    ¡°Regarding evolving feebas, there are two ways. One is done by acquiring a prism scale and slipping it between Feebas¡¯ scales. Prism scales are expensive though since they can only be produced by milotic. The other way is helping your Feebas produce its own prism scale. This can be done by putting your Feebas on a diet consisting of pok¨¦block or poffins made with dry-tasting, blue-colored berries. Some sort of compound in those berries acts like an antioxidant which has a beautifying effect on Pok¨¦mon. Those properties make them popular for use in the contest scene. This is how I believe Wallace managed to unknowingly evolve his starter since he is also a master class coordinator.¡±


    I admired Wallace for his grit, after learning about his story. He went from being a poor no name coordinator that wanted to prove any Pok¨¦mon can be beautiful, to one of the most successful trainers in Hoenn. The gym leader of Sootopolis took him on as an apprentice, shortly after he found success with his newly evolved Milotic. The method of evolving feebas remains a well-kept secret. Feebas is already a rare Pok¨¦mon in the wild. When trainers begin to figure out the true method to obtaining a Milotic the species will probably be caught en masse. Wallace never did share his secret not even to his colleagues at the Sootopolis gym.


    We finally arrive at a clearing where the seawater is shallow enough. Luckily, I bought a pair of rubber boots as part of my explorer¡¯s kit keeping my socks and cargo pants dry. Route 17 was almost all water and the currents are unnaturally strong going from one place to another in a chaotic pattern. My guess is that this was the doing of some of the stronger local Pok¨¦mon that live in these waters. Marlon and his wailmer parked at a spot where the water level was just below our knees.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡®¡¯Well alright then apprentice fisherman! You are lucky I always carry a spare rod with me just in case. Now tell me everything know about fishing.¡¯¡¯


    What followed was a long Q&A session with a very passionate teenager.


    ¡°Did you know that while fishing in a sea route like this it¡¯s required by law to wear polarized sunglasses? When the sun¡¯s glare reflects off the water you won¡¯t be able to spot the Pok¨¦mon you are reeling in. This route being part of the open ocean means you have the real chance of hooking in a more dangerous water type like Gyarados or Sharpedo. Seeing those Pok¨¦mon before they break the water surface might save your life.¡±


    And on he went giving out fishing details left and right. Not that I couldn¡¯t appreciate his enthusiasm, but I scorn all water related activities even in my previous life where I was forced to go to the beach by my parents every weekend. The sand got everywhere, you can cut yourself on jagged coral, and it was a pain to get all that salt off your skin and hair. Were it not for my sister¡¯s needs I¡¯d be half-way across Striation City already.


    Finally, after some setup we cast out our fishing lines his tackle soared into the moving currents. The spot I picked out was near a moss-covered rock formation I figured a younger horsea would not be able to withstand the rapid currents of these open waters.


    ¡°Aside from horsea these waters are best known for wild alomomola but if we¡¯re lucky we might also spot some qwilfish or finneon.¡±


    ¡°Are you looking to catch any of your own?¡±


    ¡°For sure I have just started my own journey and my dad has given me express permission to catch as many water types as I want.¡±


    ¡®As many water Pok¨¦mon as he wants? Damn, I am lucky that I won¡¯t be competing this year. His dad must be loaded being able to feed and house that many.¡¯


    The conversation slowly quieted down after that. Each of us focused on catching our own quarry. When suddenly his line started to wiggle, and the teen quickly caught on what was happening and expertly reeled in his catch. What sprang out from the water¡¯s surface was a Pok¨¦mon I was not unfamiliar with. I quickly pulled out my Pok¨¦dex in order to confirm my suspicions.


    Finneon, the Wingfish Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Because of its twin-tail fins that flutter like wings when swimming, Finneon has been called The Beautifly</a> of the Sea. The line running down its side can store sunlight. It shines vividly at night.


    Marlon cheered. ¡°Amazing I haven¡¯t caught a finneon yet pay close attention this is how water type Pok¨¦mon do battle. Go Frillish! let¡¯s show them our strength.¡±


    To my estimation both Pok¨¦mon are in the beginning stages of their development. Making Frillish have an overwhelming advantage especially if it has developed the water absorb ability. Fishlike Pok¨¦mon in their earlier stages rarely have more than two moves in their arsenal. I was expecting to see Finneon lose the battle being unable to do much of anything and I wasn¡¯t disappointed.


    Finneon took the lead by firing off a watergun Frillish didn¡¯t even make the effort to dodge that attack and seemingly enjoyed being doused confirming my suspicions on its ability.


    ¡°Frillish grab Finneon and use absorb!¡±


    The ghost floated over to the fish and grabbed hold of it using its appendages. It tried to escape for a while but was unable to struggle out of Frillish¡¯ grip. Blasting water guns and using pound with its fins is completely ineffective. At some point even Marlon was beginning to feel sorry for the drained fish and ended it. A well-practiced throw with a pok¨¦ ball ended the foregone conclusion of this battle.


    I decide to give him some commentary on his battling skills.


    ¡°You know it feels kind of unsportsmanlike winning a match like that. Finneon wasn¡¯t experienced enough to have learned other move types.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine Egon, Finneon wanted to be caught, and I won¡¯t mistreat it. Some Pok¨¦mon prefer to live with humans it frees up their schedule from having to compete for food sources and territory all the time.¡±


    We spent the rest of the afternoon fishing in that same spot. Marlon had all the luck eventually catching another two water type Pok¨¦mon an Alomomola and a female Frillish the latter one he didn¡¯t even need to battle. The Pok¨¦mon gave one glance to his male Frillish and decided to capture herself immediately. As far as frillish go his seemed to be a very handsome one in terms of the species¡¯ standards. With each successful capture my mood plummeted. Hoping I haven¡¯t wasted my time by coming all the way over here. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s my fate to be a lousy fisherman? All my time spent around fire types must¡¯ve rubbed off on me somehow.


    ¡°I feel something!¡±


    ¡°Again...?¡± ¡®Give me some of your luck! If not a Horsea any water type will do. Just give me a sign that I am not cursed lord Arceus.¡¯


    ¡°Horsea!¡± as he called out that name a little seahorse Pok¨¦mon popped out of the waves.


    ¡®Look at those stunning red eyes and that cute little dorsal fin. This would¡¯ve been the perfect gift for Zinnia! too bad I wasn¡¯t born with a blue thumb like this guy.¡¯


    Marlon is looking at me ¡°go on catch it.¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    Hope started blossoming within me.


    ¡°Are you for real!? This is your catch, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I can come back here at any time to catch myself a Horsea. Go on prove yourself in battle against this little one.¡±


    ¡®This guy¡­.! I take back all the things I thought about you behind your back. But firstly¡­¡¯


    Horsea, a Dragon Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            In this unique Pok¨¦mon species, thousands of Eggs hatch every spring, and then the male raises them himself. It makes its nest in the shade of corals. If it senses danger, it spits murky ink and flees.


    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go Rena!¡±


    As soon as Rena materialized in the shallow depths of the shoal we were standing on. I knew that I screwed up.


    ¡°Pix! Pix! Pix!¡±


    The water might only be knee length for humans, but it was deep enough to completely envelop the little fire type. I quickly scooped her up and put her to rest on wailmer¡¯s back. She gives me this damning look promising swift and brutal payback for my transgression.


    ¡°Uhmm Marlon buddy. Can my vulpix use your Wailmer¡¯s back as a platform for this battle? She does not like the water at all, being a fire type.¡±


    ¡°You only have fire types on you? If so, I guess Wailmer and I could help you out for this match.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, you are the best Marlon!¡±


    ¡°Sea sea!¡± Now the Horsea is also giving me flack wearing an impatient look on its face as if I should hurry up and bring out a Pok¨¦mon that can battle already.


    ¡°Sorry! Be prepared to become my little sister¡¯s first partner!¡±


    Immediately Horsea shoots a watergun in the direction of my Vulpix. Rena, having prepared for the beginning of this encounter, expertly dodges. Wailmer might not be the biggest Pok¨¦mon but with a diameter of 7ft (2m) it still gives  my Vulpix enough space to dodge incoming attacks. Now considering Horsea is a water type and we¡¯re standing in the middle of the ocean fire attack will be even more ineffective than usual luckily that¡¯s not all we have up our bag of tricks.


    ¡°Disable!¡±


    Rena¡¯s eyes glow blue and a wave of energy envelops Horsea¡¯s body who was at the time readying another potshot in our direction. Suddenly Horsea acts startled unable to fire off another attack. Not taking this chance for granted we use our final trump card.


    ¡°Hypnosis¡±


    This time multicolored energy shoots out in a hypnotic pattern in short but concise pulses. I had been surprised that my Rena knew this egg move unrefined as it was. We had put in a lot of effort until she could use the move effortlessly, I knew her line is inclined towards psychic abilities despite not having the typing, so its efficacy was nothing to scoff at.


    As expected, the Horsea falls in a deep slumber, and slowly sinks back into the deep sea. Before Horsea completely disappears, I throw one of my cheaper regular plain old pok¨¦ balls at it. All the time I spent practicing throwing potshots with rocks is finally paying off. The ball hits Horsea right on the head and sucks her inside. The Horsea hadn¡¯t taken any damage but was still sleeping making the capture rate as good as if we had weakened it. The ball begins steadily shaking in the water and after the third shake makes that all important sound.


    *Click*


    ¡°We did it! I caught a Horsea!¡±


    ¡°Vul Vulpix!¡±


    ¡°Perfect Rena you nailed that mid-air twirl.¡±


    Marlon and his Pok¨¦mon started giving me this weird look. ¡®What is that about? Everyone knows you strike a pose when you capture a Pok¨¦mon.¡¯


    ¡°Really thanks a lot, Marlon. You just made my little sister really happy. If you ever have a need for obscure information about Pok¨¦mon, I am your guy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, friend, just an afternoon¡¯s work for me and my Pok¨¦mon. Let¡¯s get to shore and get something hot to drink. First rule with winter fishing in low tide is to make sure to keep your core temperature up.¡±


    <hr>


    We travelled all the way back to route 1 and stopped at Accumula town¡¯s Pok¨¦mon center. The nurse Joy in charge gave us an earful about traveling in the dark, but the both of us were determined to sleep in a soft bed tonight. The next morning, we exchanged contact information, and he left town to fish some more in our old spot.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Horsea my sister is going to be a way better trainer for you than me.¡±


    ¡°Sea sea.¡±


    Me and the newly caught Horsea are having a conversation. I get that in his view I was the one who rightly caught him. So, the need for this conversation before I send him off to my sister in Lavaridge.


    ¡°C¡¯mon don¡¯t be like that. My sister is going to be a future dragon master. She¡¯ll help you evolve all the way into a mighty Kingdra.¡±


    ¡°Sea! Sea?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she knows how. So, like I said a way better trainer and she is as cute as a button. Look here¡¯s a picture of her. Ain¡¯t she the cutest? A big brother worries you know? I can rest easy if she has a strong and dependable Pok¨¦mon like you looking out for her.¡±


    At those words Horsea puffs up and gives me a nod in assent.


    ¡°Sea.¡±


    ¡°Perfect. I¡¯ll let the nurse Joy know to get the transfer machine ready.¡±


    And now to make my obligatory call to Zinnia. She won¡¯t be expecting the nurse Joy at the Lavaridge center to have a little surprise for her.


    POV ¨C Zinnia


    Ever since big brother left for his journey a month ago, Lavaridge has become so boring there¡¯s no one to play with me after school. Grandma is running the store and Grandpa keeps telling the same old stories. My brother always has a new story to tell. Like those Exeggutor in Alola, who live under sunlight so strong they grow freakishly tall and become part dragon type!


    ¡®He already gets to go on his journey it¡¯s not fair! I don¡¯t even have a Pok¨¦mon yet. When he comes back from his journey, I am going to surprise him with all the cool dragon-type Pok¨¦mon daddy will let me have when I move in with him and mommy.¡¯


    Thanks to my brother I¡¯ve already made up my mind which Pok¨¦mon I am going to catch for my team. Brother says catching legendaries is a no no unless they¡¯re jobless. Lord Rayquaza protects our planets from crashing meteorites and space aliens. But he didn¡¯t say anything about not catching the eon Pok¨¦mon living on Southern Island.


    The doorbell rang and I rushed up to greet our visitor. Not many people come over and grandpa¡¯s wartime buddies only come on Sunday to play cards. I opened the door and there stood nurse Joy.


    ¡°Hello Zinnia sweetheart your brother is on the phone back at the center.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about time hmmpff! That knucklehead should¡¯ve called yesterday.¡±


    I followed auntie Joy back to the Pok¨¦mon center. While we were walking, she had a suspicious expression on her face like she was hiding something.


    ¡®People underestimating me just because I am younger, I¡¯ll show them all when I become World Champion!¡¯


    We entered the center and Auntie led me to the closest center booth. My brother¡¯s stupid face is already plastered on the screen.


    ¡°Heya Lil¡¯ sis sorry for the late call I just woke up its morning here.¡±


    ¡°Did you catch any new Pok¨¦mon yet? Knowing you it¡¯s probably going to be a fire type.¡±


    ¡°Well, I made a new friend over here he¡¯s a trainer who specializes in water types.


    Met him on route 1 and he helped me out with a special project of mine. His name is Marlon and if the topic is on catching Pok¨¦mon with a fishing rod, he¡¯s an expert.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your special project? C¡¯mon you can tell me; I can keep a secret.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that behind your back Zinnia?¡±


    I turn around and I see nurse Joy standing there holding up a Horsea with a gift ribbon wrapped around its body.


    ¡°Wheeeeee!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s so cute! He¡¯s so cute!¡±


    ¡°Horsea Sea?!¡±


    ¡°Now now young lady, that¡¯s not how we introduce ourselves to new Pok¨¦mon in this center.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry nurse Joy. Can I please hold Horsea now?¡±


    She gave in to my request and I get to hold him. ¡°You are my very first partner Horsea. My name is Zinnia and I¡¯ll take good care of you from now on.¡±


    ¡°Sea!¡±


    Horsea blows a couple of celebratory bubbles in my face to let me know he is excited too.

 Chapter 8 - Red-hot Comrade

    Chapter 8 ¨C Red-hot Comrade


    It is truly a wonderous sight, seeing my little sister receive her first Pok¨¦mon. She couldn¡¯t contain her happiness, and she was showering Horsea with affection. Nurse Joy was secretly taking photos of this happy moment. We wordlessly communicated with each other, and I knew that I could count on her to save those pictures for my scrapbook collection.


    ¡°Calm down Zinnia we still need to go over the details. Since you are not ten years old yet, Horsea will remain registered to me for the time being. Since you are my family member the league won¡¯t make a fuss about it. It¡¯s kind of like I did with Numsy and the gym. When an official asks you about it just tell them you are watching over your big brother¡¯s Pok¨¦mon for a while. Once you turn ten, I can officially register Horsea under your name.¡±


    She nodded to let me know she understood. Horsea oddly mimicking her gesture. ¡¯These two already started bonding right away, good.¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Now Horsea is a water type, so you will need to find a big enough area for him to swim in for at least 6 hours a day. Seek out our old master he has much wisdom to share, and being a water type himself he will know all the best spots for swimming around Lavaridge town.¡±


    ¡°¡­Why did you start talking funny Egon? And no way can the sand baths owner¡¯s dopey Quagsire teach me and Horsea anything useful except for sleeping on the job.¡±


    ¡®This bratty¡­ no wait calm down she is just ignorant of master¡¯s teachings like any new initiate.¡¯


    ¡°Are you sure? Master Quagsire has a lot to teach new disciples like yourself. He is a proficient in the arts of icy wind and water pulse not to mention his ultimate technique the rain dance. Of course, it¡¯s up to yourselves to prove worthy of his teachings.¡±


    My sister seemed conflicted. On one hand learning those moves could be a boon for when she starts her journey. On the other hand, there is a disbelief in my master¡¯s skills. To make her decision easier I decide to sweeten the pot.


    ¡°If you follow my master¡¯s training diligently, I will keep an eye open for any dragon scales. I come across during my circuit run.¡±


    ¡°Really!? You are the best big brother!¡±


    Over the course of the past four years or so, I have been teaching Zinnia everything I know about Pok¨¦mon that the researchers haven¡¯t discovered or disclosed yet. Including the existence of the fairy type. Set to be rediscovered by professor Sycamore in about 10 years from now. Honestly how a whole new typing flies under the radar for this long is a mystery to me. At least my sister knows all her types by heart unlike the rest of these sheeple.


    After going through Horsea¡¯s dietary needs with Zinnia, and the very knowledgeable nurse Joy from Lavaridge, we ended the call.


    ¡®I am sure that she¡¯s not planning to do anything reckless.¡¯


    There is a reason why kids that young are usually not allowed to have Pok¨¦mon on them. Property damage being a chief concern.


    ¡®No, it¡¯s fine you practically raised Zinnia on your own she is a responsible girl.¡¯


    ¡°Vuuuul.¡±


    ¡°I know, I should stop worrying. Let¡¯s get to Striaton City and win us our first badge!¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    <hr>


    Route 2 is like most other early digit routes, extremely safe. The league made sure that novice trainers didn¡¯t have to deal with any dangerous Pok¨¦mon while they are still inexperienced. The rangers pulling double shifts to make sure only harmless Pok¨¦mon live on these routes. According to the map getting through this route would take about 2 days on foot, and that¡¯s without any flying or riding Pok¨¦mon on hand. The wild Pok¨¦mon inhabiting this trail are also some of the weaker and common ones. You have your standard variety lillipup and purrloin mixed in with flocks of pidove and scurries of patrat. It is rumored you can also find a colony of wild wynaut and wobuffet on this route. In any case, none of these Pok¨¦mon are on my capture list.


    What this route lacked in biodiversity it compensated for with inexperienced trainers. This late in the season the trainers that got washed out of the circuit either went back home or remained in the routes to train some more and try again with the gym leaders. This was the perfect route for me to earn some cash on wager battles.


    ¡°Numsy Fire spin!¡±


    ¡°Scraggy dodge it! Follow up with a low kick!¡±


    As scraggy was closing in on us trying to punish the lower accuracy move, he suddenly stopped midway and fell asleep on the ground.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening!? Are you cheating? No way your fire type learns sleep powder!


    ¡°No, but he does learn the sleep-inducing move called yawn. Didn¡¯t you notice the gas Numsy expelled in Scraggy¡¯s direction? Whatever, Numsy use bulldoze!¡±


    ¡°Wait wait! We give up here¡¯s your prize money.¡±


    The battle ended in our favor as usual. The chumps on this route haven¡¯t put much effort into being serious Pok¨¦mon trainers. Treating their journey as a vacation from their schoolwork and parents. With that kind of attitude, no wonder they couldn¡¯t hack it.


    Wager battles are kind of interesting the amount that goes into a bet usually depends on how many badges each trainer has. There are no obligations to bet more to match a trainer who has more badges than you. However, an accomplished trainer would never waste his time challenging rookies for easy money. At our current level we are only winning around 20 pok¨¦ dollars per win. A negligible amount for someone trying to expand his team. Even with food and lodging covered my team will need evolutionary items, technical machines not to mention potions and antidotes for when it gets scruffy here in the wild.


    Winning 5 matches barely gets me a bargain bin potion from the pok¨¦mart. Hence the need to start earning badges and find more skilled opponents.


    ¡°Num num¡±


    I got distracted from my rumination by my partner Numsy.


    ¡°What is it boy? Something bothering ya?¡±


    Over the years me and Numsy have gotten close, so even though I couldn¡¯t understand pok¨¦speak it was easy for me to recognize his tells and it was clear something was making him anxious.


    ¡°You worried about the lack of real challengers?¡±


    ¡°Num¡±


    Don¡¯t worry we have been together for the last 3 years. We have way more experience than anyone that walks around in this area just you wait till we get to the gym for our real challenge.


    <hr>


    Striaton City is the first big city we encountered; the aesthetics are completely different from cities in places like Hoenn. The place was actually built like a metropolitan city, in Hoenn the buildings are all built with interlocking pieces of wood no iron or steel whatsoever, Striaton is all brick and mortar. What is surprising is that the city is way cleaner than any of its counterparts in my old world. No garbage littered the streets and side alleys.


    ¡®When you have native Pok¨¦mon like trubbish and garbodor whose staple diet consisted of eating people¡¯s trash your cities will stay sparkling clean. Who knew?¡¯


    No Pok¨¦mon with an external temperature higher than 50 ¡ãC / 122 ¡ãF are allowed outside their pok¨¦ balls.


    This sign had the image of a crossed out Slugma.


    This sign confused me at first since we have slugma coming and going all around the town of Lavaridge, throw a rock in a random direction and you have a good chance of hitting one. Until I remembered that the streets of Lavaridge are made of mountainous rock and/or crushed up seashells. Striaton¡¯s streets are all made out of asphalt. Asphalt pavement can start to melt just from the sun¡¯s rays alone.


    Even in this life I have a bit of a rebellious streak just because of that sign I am letting Numsy out of his ball. His insides are filled with piping hot magma, but that¡¯s all-internal heat. His skin and fur are actually pretty low temperature for a fire-type.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see if any officer Jenny dares to impede on our rights¡¯.


    ¡°Num?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing Numsy I just wanted to show you the city. Look at all these different kinds of people and Pok¨¦mon this is not something you can witness in Hoenn that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°HEY! you kid with the numel!¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Me and Numsy both get startled while a loud red headed blur smashes into Numsy¡¯s side. Upon closer inspection it¡¯s a kid about my own age maybe a year or two younger with a candid pansear on his shoulder.


    ¡°Where did you catch this burning competitor stranger?! This Numel is smoldering with potential you¡¯ve gotta share some of your secrets!¡±


    ¡°Pan Pansear!¡±


    As the boy was grappling my Pok¨¦mon hints of volcanic ash started floating out of Numsy¡¯s back. He was on the verge of blowing up, and the rambunctious kid had no idea he was about to get sent to the burn ward.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ firstly I would advise against spooking my Numel like that. He tends to erupt when people he doesn¡¯t know get all up into his fur.¡±


    ¡°Ah sorry trainer. But seeing a numel is such a rare occasion they are an extremely rare species to find here in Unova.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, but there are better ways to show your burning passion for fire type Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    The crimson red hair and the Pansear on his shoulder gave me a pretty good guess as to this kid¡¯s identity. As a fellow fire-type specialist I completely understand his fervid temper.


    As we were talking Numsy seemed to calm down smoke no longer billowing out of his hump.


    Deciding to confirm my suspicions I went ahead and asked this excitable fellow for his name.


    ¡°And what might your name be fellow fire-type enthusiast?¡±


    ¡°My name is Chili, and this is my partner Pansear.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you two. My name¡¯s Egon from Lavaridge town and this is my starter Numsy.¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Sear Pansear!¡±


    ¡°Lavaridge!? Have you ever met Elite Moore?¡±


    ¡°That old man? Me and his granddaughter are childhood friends his gym is sponsoring me for my first league circuit.¡±


    ¡°Amazing! So, you have met his ace Blaze the Typhlosion?!¡±


    Chili kept following us on the way to the Pok¨¦mon center. I learned a lot about him during our conversation. He is the same age as us but being in Unova he is not allowed to compete until he¡¯s 12. So, he spends most of his days out of school just wandering around and helping his parents run their successful restaurant.


    ¡°Yes, it sucks dude. I already obtained my trainer¡¯s license in Hoenn and was planning to come to Unova to catch some new fire types and compete, but Professor Juniper told me about the age restrictions a few days ago. Now I can challenge gyms, but not much else I am not qualified to participate in the grand conference or any other tournament that¡¯s being hosted by the league.¡±


    Chili gives me a puzzled expression. ¡°So why don¡¯t you go back and compete in Hoenn?¡±


    ¡°Because there aren¡¯t enough naturally occurring fire types in Hoenn to form a diverse team. Even Mr. Moore caught most of his team in Johto. It¡¯s whatever, I guess¡­ I¡¯ll just catch me some rad fire-types over here, do some gym challenges and then go back.¡±


    We arrived at the center, and I recalled Numsy back in his ball before handing him and a balled Rena over to the nurse Joy behind the counter. Usually check ups will take about 10 minutes Pok¨¦mon centers mostly relied on machines for diagnostics before the personnel performed any medical treatments on the Pok¨¦mon. Battling being the favorite past time and being in a big city like this the nurses have almost no time to spare doing it the old-fashioned way.


    ¡°By the way do you know the way to the Striaton Gym? I still have to make my appointment for a match.¡±


    ¡°My parents run the gym out of our restaurant. I can introduce you and schedule an express match if you¡¯d like. The season is already half-way done so there will be no scheduling issues.¡±


    ¡®Arceus bless generational nepotism for making my life easier.¡¯


    Gym ownership tended to stay in the family, because being a gym leader is a real cushy job. I¡¯ve gotten a glance at Mr. Moore¡¯s bank statements and his income from being a gym leader is way higher than what he is getting paid by being an elite four member. Winning wager battles against unprepared youths is nothing compared to his league salary. The league association has to since gyms need to constantly replace their older Pok¨¦mon to adjust for each badge level.


    I turned back to my excitable new friend.


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect let¡¯s go after this. We haven¡¯t had anything to eat yet either does your place also sell meals for Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a given, our tamato berry ratatouille is a fire type Pok¨¦mon favorite!


    <hr>


    The Striaton gym is this huge posh building with marble pillars on the outside and a glass topped roof. ¡¯Seriously, these people have the strangest sense of aesthetics.¡¯


    The outside is a bit gaudy, but the inside was what you would expect from your typical restaurant. The interior is partitioned into three sections with open drapes separating each corridor. In the chamber all the way in the back of the restaurant I could spot a battlefield filled with rocky outcroppings and coarse terrain.


    Chili and I separated once we walked into the building, he went in the back to ask his parents about the possibility of me skipping appointment procedures. Whether he is successful or not did not matter to me and my team, and all we could think about is filling our stomachs. We haven¡¯t eaten since this morning and with the number of battles we had on the way over here my team deserved to eat something other than vitamin supplements and food pellets. I signaled a waitress to let her know I was looking for a table and she promptly guided me to an empty table to take a seat.


    ¡°Come on out Rena Numsy!¡±


    My partners materialized on the table.


    ¡®Luckily, they¡¯re still smallish right now so it is possible. Once they¡¯ve evolved, I can¡¯t do stuff like this anymore.¡¯


    ¡°Chili brought us back to his family restaurant which also doubles as a gym. Before any of that though let¡¯s get something to eat with all the money we¡¯ve earned. You guys deserve it.¡±


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    The cute looking waitress came back with the menu and to take our drink orders.


    ¡°We¡¯d like to have a whole pitcher of Moomoo milk please.¡±


    Moomoo milk is almost nothing like the regular milk from my previous life. It tasted better, was more nutritious and helps Pok¨¦mon recover from fatigue. Naturally it didn¡¯t come cheap, but I was prepared to order as much of it as my team liked this is their special day.


    ¡°As for our meal whatever the chef recommends for two very hungry fire-types and I¡¯ll have the basculin chowder with greens on the side.¡±


    Most people in this world are avid vegetarians given the humanlike intelligence of many Pok¨¦mon species, but I hold no sympathies for basculin. They are the Unovan equivalent of kanto¡¯s zubat population you can find them in every river or body of water in the region and they have no mercy in their hearts for people or other Pok¨¦mon accidentally finding themselves in their territory. They¡¯ve become such a plague that other water types get displaced from their homes if the basculin population in that area reaches critical mass. They also hate each other for some reason getting into fights with schools of the opposite color. Maybe that¡¯s nature¡¯s way of keeping their population down when they become too numerous.


    ¡®It has been a while since I¡¯ve eaten any sort of meat and I kind of missed it. This won¡¯t become any sort of regular thing but if it¡¯s available I won¡¯t deny myself a taste.¡¯


    Chili reappeared again this time wearing a snaggy looking butler uniform. Without much fanfare he immediately spots the table I am sitting at and takes a seat opposite to mine.


    ¡°No way Egon you also have a vulpix!? You must be the luckiest trainer ever!¡±


    I try my best to douse his enthusiasm. Rena unlike Numsy really can¡¯t deal with energetic fellows like Chili for very long. She was already giving him the evil eyes after his outburst.


    ¡° ¡°Have¡± is sort of a strong word. We met on top of Mt. Pyre in Hoenn. Rena¡¯s mother after some vetting approved of me catching her for my team. She is kind of prickly towards strangers though especially loud ones.¡±


    ¡°Oops¡­ sorry Rena I was just so excited this is my first time seeing a vulpix outside of a textbook or television. They are extremely rare to see in Unova.¡±


    ¡°Really? Professor Juniper told me Unova has a skulk of them living near route 14. Vulpix and Ninetales usually pick places with high ambient spirituality to make their burrows in. Tell me is there some sort of special shrine there or a cemetery?¡±


    ¡°Ahh! There is. We call that place the abundant shrine. Channelers worship something they call the embodiment of fertility there.¡±


    ¡°That must be it then. If you are looking to add a vulpix to your team, I would begin my search around that shrine. Make sure to ask one of those channelers to guide you through the area. Places like that attract wild ghost types like moths to a flame. Also, if you spot any vulpix alone it would be best to ask for permission from its parent first before attempting to catch it. Wild ninetales tend to be very old and powerful given the rather long lifespan of the species. They are not above cursing someone they feel has disrespected them.¡±


    We continued talking about fire types, methods for raising them and their known locations in Unova. Until the food and drink arrived. The ratatouille was a big hit with Numsy but not so much with Rena. She was a very selective eater and loath to try unfamiliar food. I shared some of my chowder with her and she seems to prefer that over the purely vegetarian dish. The moomoo milk was a big hit with her though. She couldn¡¯t get enough of the stuff it got so bad that at the end she had milk dripping out of her nostrils. I fished out one of the restaurant¡¯s napkins and started wiping clean her face. While we were enjoying our meal Chili seemed content with just watching my Pok¨¦mon eat.


    ¡°So, what did your parents say about scheduling an early match?¡±


    ¡°They can do it, but it will take place at the tail end of today¡¯s opening hours. You will have to wait for a bit.¡±


    <hr>


    While I was busy with grooming Rena and Numsy, Chili and I talked about all the fire types we were planning on adding to our team. The kid had ambition instead of taking over the family gym and running it with his brothers, he wanted to strike out on his own, and run a gym exclusively for fire types.


    ¡°Egon how are planning on dealing with the gym? Striaton gym¡¯s challenge is uniquely difficult for trainers like us that specialize only in one type. My mother will most likely field one of the gym¡¯s panpour against you in this upcoming battle.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about how I am going to deal with it. Me and Rena have a strategy in place for water types. If it¡¯s only a 1<sup>st</sup> badge level Pok¨¦mon we can handle it. We just have to make a good showing for ourselves.¡±


    All gym matches are recorded and put on the gym¡¯s website in order to connect sponsors and promising trainers. Battling wasn¡¯t all about how skilled trainer and Pok¨¦mon are in battle, looking good in front of the camera was a big bonus towards your marketability value for companies. Seeing as I had two sponsors that didn¡¯t give me any monetary compensation this could be my big break. Naturally I wasn¡¯t expecting anything to come of this, sponsors usually didn¡¯t watch 1<sup>st</sup> level badge matches, but a guy can hope.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about the match for a second. How are you planning to get closer to your goal Chili? I get that you still have to wait another 2-4 years before you can start your circuit run and make a name for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ just that I guess I can¡¯t start catching more Pok¨¦mon until I qualify for my trainer¡¯s license. In the meantime, I just help my parents run the gym together with my brothers.¡±


    I decided to help my new buddy out with his predicament I can remember how I was at that age waiting another four years basically doing nothing of note must be really stifling to him.


    ¡°That is true, I guess. However, I can put in a good word for you with Mr. Moore. Now that I am no longer working at the Lavaridge gym they¡¯re short-staffed and could use an intern. You would be learning all about taking care of different kinds of fire types.¡±


    ¡°Really!? No wait I still have trainer¡¯s school.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t they let you graduate early if you finish all your coursework?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®This kid sure is a handful.¡¯


    ¡°Okay so, whenever you finish up doing that just let me know and I¡¯ll give Mr. Moore a call.¡±


    We exchanged contact information. I gave him my home number from grandma¡¯s Lava cookie store, and he gave me the number of his Xtransceiver. I told him to use that number only if it is for something important, I can¡¯t have granny acting like my secretary for social calls. Buying an Xtransceiver suddenly rose to the top of my to-do list. The wager money I can win from this gym will help a long way towards that goal.


    A mature looking woman walked up to us going by her facial features I could tell she was chili¡¯s mother.


    ¡°Egon from Lavaridge?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯d be me ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°We are ready to commence your gym challenge. As per our gym¡¯s traditions you first have to complete our in-house quiz before facing me the gym leader in a Pok¨¦mon battle.¡±


    In the games this gym was all about learning the type matchups, so I was expecting this development. I wasn¡¯t worried at all about passing their requirements their standards can¡¯t be too high for rookie trainers. She led me to their examination room unlike in the games this Striaton gym tested new trainers with a quiz machine.


    Question 1:


    Excadrill is a steel/ground type what move types would be super effective against it?


    Question 2:


    Elektross is an electric type what move types does it resist or is completely immune to?


    A dozen questions later and I was done with their test. As expected, an extremely basic overview about resistances and super effectives attacks, but with a trick question here and there. I walked out of the testing area and was greeted by Chili¡¯s mother.


    ¡°Congratulations for passing our test. You scored a 93%.¡±


    ¡°93%!? Wait I am sure that I was supposed to receive full marks.¡±


    ¡°On the tenth question regarding moves which would be super effective against a druddigon, you filled in fairy-type. I didn¡¯t know you were also a fan of professor Sycamore¡¯s work, but his research hasn¡¯t been validated yet by peer review. As such I cannot deem that answer as correct.¡±


    ¡°Still to know about professor Sycamore¡¯s work are you Kalosian by any chance?¡±


    ¡°No, my mother is from Hoenn and my father is Unovan. I just like to keep up to date with scientific research. Say, being a gym leader have you never had a chance to test out professor Sycamore¡¯s research yourself? A generalist gym like this must have an alleged fairy type or two in reserve.¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t had the pleasure, no native Unovan Pok¨¦mon so far has been determined to be of the fairy type by professor Sycamore. Importing nonnative Pok¨¦mon isn¡¯t allowed by the gym¡¯s charter since I am not permitted to use those for gym battles. Trainers in the circuit earning their gym badges need to be familiar with the Pok¨¦mon they¡¯re facing.¡±


    Feeling like throwing her a bone I pass her a nugget of information.


    ¡°Actually, I have heard rumors in the scientific community that cottonee and whimsicott have a good chance to be of the grass/fairy type.¡±


    She gave me an imperceptible nod.


    ¡°Now that is something I could investigate. We have two of their line in the gym, and my eldest Cilan likes to play with them from time to time. If I can help professor Sycamore in any way, I¡¯ll be glad to do so. He might even accredit me as a contributor to his research if this pans out. I am Kalosian born you know? Most of this restaurant¡¯s dishes and decorations are based on my home region.¡±


    ¡°I am sure professor Sycamore would be very appreciative of any help offered.¡±


    ¡°You are very mature for your age, unlike my youngest Chili. He could use a good friend like you looking out for him.¡±


    Talking with Chili¡¯s mom was pleasant she was very knowledgeable and had a quick wit. We headed towards the gym¡¯s battlefield I knew my chances to win are pretty good. Most 1<sup>st</sup> level badge fights revolved around the very basics, and my years observing Lavaridge battles more than prepared me for this match.


    ¡°Chili dear why don¡¯t you act as the referee for this battle? It¡¯s your friends very first gym battle you know?¡±


    Chili like a whipped dog took his stand to the side of the field and readied his referee flags.


    ¡°Attention for our last battle today in the Striaton gym it¡¯s Egon from Lavaridge facing off against Katarina the gym leader. Only two Pok¨¦mon each the challenger may substitute his Pok¨¦mon once while the gym leader may not. The match is over if both the leader and/or the challenger¡¯s Pok¨¦mon are unable to battle.¡±


    ¡°Let the battle begin!¡±

 Chapter 9 - Small Steps

    Chapter 9 ¨C Small steps


    Katarina and I released our Pok¨¦mon at the same time. Numsy came out on my side of the field and on her side a scruffy doglike Pok¨¦mon materialized in a flash of light. Naturally I took this opportunity to again make use of my brand new Pok¨¦dex.


    Lillipup, the puppy Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            The long hair covering lillpup¡¯s face is an excellent radar which senses conditions in the surrounding area. This Pok¨¦mon is far brighter than the average child, and lillpup won¡¯t forget the love it receives or any abuse it suffers.


    ¡°Victory goes to those who make the first move. Numsy use bulldoze!¡±


    ¡°Lillipup hold on and use leer!¡±


    The battlefield shook with the force of our first move. The power behind it wasn¡¯t earthquake level yet, but Numsy was getting more proficient in manipulating his typed energy. Using a move such as this indoors would usually get you in deep trouble with the local authorities. However, state of the art battlefields like the ones in a gym featured shock dampers, grates for water overflow and other nifty features.


    Lillipup fell to the floor having lost it¡¯s footing but not before giving Numsy an intimidating stare its eyes glowed with a menacing red hue startling Numsy and lowering his defensive ability in the progress.


    ¡°Incinerate!¡± Numsy started producing a series of fireballs with a bright center and black highlights holding them in the air before finally after the third fireball was produced, launching them all together towards the still staggered Lillipup.


    The Lillipup in question tried to scamper behind a rocky outcropping, but as Lillipup was making its way towards safety the terrain which has drastically shifted due to Numsy¡¯s bulldoze hindered it and its paw got stuck in a crevice.


    Katarina knowing that dodging was out of the question encouraged her Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Stay strong!¡±


    Lillipup hearing the encouragement from its trainer and bravely faced the incoming attack. The move hit the Lillipup followed by the sounds of three small explosions and a small whimper. The smoke cleared and revealed the Lillipup clearly fatigued but holding on.


    We worked very hard on this move back at the Lavaridge gym. Numsy still didn¡¯t have the power required to shoot the incinerate out as a beam, but this variation is probably even better not many first stage Pok¨¦mon had the control necessary to hold up their move in the air like this.


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    Numsy shared a particular look at me. I instinctively know what message he tries to convey. Respect for our opponent. This Lillipup was tough unlike the trainer owned Pok¨¦mon we met on the route this one wasn¡¯t calling it quits after the first setback. Numsy wanted to finish things with a head on confrontation.


    ¡°Tackle!¡±


    ¡°Tackle!¡±


    Mildly surprised that Katarina¡¯s and mine thought process aligned we watched our Pok¨¦mon duke it out in one final showdown. Two small bodies crashed into each other Numsy let out a small grunt still being weakened by the previous leer attack. However, that was nothing in comparison to the Lillipup who was already standing on its last legs.


    The outcome of this head on clash left lillipup gasping on the ground and Numsy mildly out of breath.


    My Numsy wasn¡¯t some starter I got a few months ago. We¡¯ve been together for three years already I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it was on equal footing with any three-star badge Pok¨¦mon from this gym.


    ¡°Lillipup is unable to battle victory goes to Numel¡±


    ¡°Lillipup return! Go Panpour!¡±


    A simian figure materializes on her side of the battlefield not dissimilar to Chili¡¯s Pansear. Water droplets poured out of the crest on its head and its closed eyelids and derpy smile gave me the impression that Panpour was having a pleasant dream.


    Panpour, the Spray Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Panpour lived in forests long ago, but developed a body that makes it easy to live near water. It can store water in the tufts on its head. The water stored inside the tuft on its head is full of nutrients. It waters plants with it using its tail.


    ¡®As expected, her final Pok¨¦mon is one who is especially strong against my starter. Numsy might be able to take one water type move but not two.¡¯ I tested this myself in Lavaridge with tap water from our sink. Anything that cools down Numsy¡¯s molten core enough will sap his strength, and he is forced to go into a lethargic daze.


    ¡°Water gun!¡±


    ¡°Numsy use strategy 3!¡±


    Numsy used his smokescreen to completely cover our side of the field. Smokescreen is normally used on your opponent¡¯s Pok¨¦mon to hinder their field of view, but Numsy is not limited in just directing the smoke with his mouth he can also use the hump on his back to completely cover himself.


    Tension is high while we both wait for the smoke to eventually clear itself from the field. The smoke did clear, and the gym leader was surprised to find a hole where my Numel should have been.


    Our strategy revolved around using smokescreen in conjunction with dig to surprise our opponent and keep them on the backfoot. Naturally this could backfire if the opponents Pok¨¦mon had access to moves like earthquake or magnitude.


    ¡°Now Numsy!¡±


    Hearing my command, the ground exploded underneath Panpour¡¯s feet. Flinging Panpour in the air before gravity did its work pulling the Pok¨¦mon back down dealing a good chunk of damage. Panpour wasn¡¯t out of this fight by a long shot though it got up quickly ready to retaliate.


    ¡°Water gun!¡±


    ¡°Hold on Numsy!¡±


    Panpour expelled a copious amount of water in the form of a jet stream launched from its mouth. The jet of water hit Numsy head on dousing my fire type Pok¨¦mon and pushing it a ways backward.


    Immediately the water has a visible effect on my Numel exhausting him and slowing him down. I know with his limited stamina only one more hit was needed to floor Numsy. If I wanted any chance of finishing this battle now, we had to go for the all or nothing move.


    ¡°Lava plume!¡±


    ¡°Water gun again!¡±


    An inferno of scarlet flames washes over the entire battlefield hitting Panpour in the process. However not before Panpour launches a move of its own scoring another direct hit on Numsy.


    The flames cleared up from the battlefield which revealed a knocked out Numsy and a slightly singed Panpour. ¡®As expected Numsy totally can¡¯t deal with water types having quadruple weakness against them.¡¯


    ¡°Numel is unable to battle the winner is Panpour!¡±


    I recalled my friend inside his pok¨¦ ball. ¡°You did your best, in our next gym battle you will shine even more brightly.¡±


    I released the final member of my team. She gave me an enthusiastic yip ready to finish this battle for our fallen comrade.


    ¡°Let¡¯s win this match Rena!¡±


    ¡°Vuuuuul!¡±


    ¡°The challenger has chosen Vulpix as his last Pok¨¦mon. Both the trainer and gym leader have one Pok¨¦mon remaining let the match begin.¡±


    ¡°Disable!¡±


    ¡°Water gun!¡±


    A familiar blue wave streaked across the battlefield and washed over an unprepared Panpour. The spray Pok¨¦mon tried firing off its water gun but couldn¡¯t and had a confused expression.


    ¡®Thank lord Arceus, my Vulpix is quicker than her Panpour!¡¯


    Disable immediately took effect. Temporarily making Panpour forget how to use the move. Now normally this wouldn¡¯t be an issue for opponent¡¯s Pok¨¦mon since most water types learned multiple water type moves but since this is a 1<sup>st</sup> badge match their Pok¨¦mon should be younger and have a more limited move pool.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    My assumptions proved correct when I heard Katarina¡¯s next command.


    ¡°Panpour get in close and use pound!¡±


    Panpour dashed forward arm poised ready to strike.


    ¡°Sweep the leg. Follow up with fire spin.¡±


    Rena bowed low and turtle spinned. Her six tails hooking on to Panpour¡¯s dominant leg bowling him over in the process.


    We trained many a day to master this variation of tail whip. Most trainers would advise against training up a move that would turn useless against Pok¨¦mon in a heavier weight class. Unlike the sheeple trainers I saw the potential. Especially since Rena had six tails not just a singular one.


    While Panpour has lost control of his motor functions Rena fired off a sizzling fire spin. Water type or no at this range it would be sure to deal some good damage.


    Panpour got trapped inside the fire vortex and Rena didn¡¯t let up keeping the fire spin going until she couldn¡¯t hold on any longer. The flames dissipated revealing a slightly crispy Panpour. Its fur singed off in most places unconscious due to the lack of oxygen, but otherwise fine.


    ¡°Panpour is unable to battle! The victory goes to Vulpix! winning the match for Egon the challenger!¡±


    ¡°Pix pix!¡±


    ¡°I know as soon as I am done here, we¡¯ll go get you that thing you¡¯ve wanted.¡±


    I recalled Rena back to her ball and walked up to Katarina in order to receive my first badge. It is customary for gym leaders to give a small speech and some training tips while awarding their badges. So, I wasn¡¯t surprised when Katarina did the same thing.


    ¡°Coming into this match I was sure no fire type starter would be able to beat my Panpour. For exceeding my expectations, I reward you the trio badge congratulations.¡±


    ¡°Thanks leader Katarina.¡±


    ¡°Furthermore, I am so impressed by your Vulpix¡¯ tail whip attack that I¡¯ve decided to reward you with one of our gym¡¯s technical machines. You can follow me to our storage room so we can pick one out.¡±


    Receiving a technical machine as a reward is extraordinarily lucky. Gym leaders rarely rate a challenger¡¯s performance good enough to reward one. The gym would actually lose money were that the case.


    Chili also got down from the stands and followed his mother and I to storage room. Firing all sorts of questions about the moves my Pok¨¦mon displayed.


    ¡°Numel and I learned dig from a wise old quagsire back in my hometown. I figured since Numsy is also part ground type we could learn a thing or two from him.¡±


    And that¡¯s where Katarina decided to chip into the conversation.


    ¡°I was really hoping your Numel would not be proficient in ground type moves. Now Chili will have to repair the battlefield flooring and fill up that tunnel.¡±


    ¡°Mom!?¡±


    ¡°If you want to become a gym leader in the future it is best that you become proficient in maintenance work sweetie. Now here we are this catalogue has a list of all technical machines we have on hand pick one and I¡¯ll go get it for you.¡±


    Unlike specialist gyms the Striaton gym has a wide variety of technical machines to choose from. I go down the entire list before narrowing down my choice. There are three TM¡¯s that garnered my interest.


    Protect, Hidden Power and Sunny Day. Protect is a must have for higher level trainers. They all use it to disrupt their opponent¡¯s strategy and scout out for dangerous moves. However, since protect was such a popular move Silph Co. produced too many of them making them relatively cheaper to get compared to other technical machines.


    Hidden power is the rarest move on this list. Picking hidden power would be a gamble for me. You never know what type of hidden power each Pok¨¦mon possesses, and it is relatively low in power. If I taught my Numsy the move and it is revealed his hidden power is fire type I will have wasted my pick.


    Sunny Day is the safest choice none of my Pok¨¦mon have learned it yet.


    Relatively early during my internship I inquired about having the gym staff teach the move to my Pok¨¦mon, but that didn¡¯t pan out. Since all the gym matches were held inside the volcano none of the gym trainers were proficient in teaching the move. Because the natural environment of the battlefield was already most suited to their fire type Pok¨¦mon. Asking Mr. Moore to use his free time teaching me was too daunting a prospect. I know the man loves spending every minute of his free time pampering and doting on Flannery. This TM was also the most expensive of the three going for 50,000 pok¨¦ dollars in the open market. I would probably have to save for months to afford the TM.


    ¡°Could I get Sunny Day?¡±


    ¡°Excellent choice for a fire type specialist like you. Just wait a second and I¡¯ll go get it.¡±


    <hr>


    After finishing up at the gym I made a beeline towards the Pok¨¦mon center to get Numsy fixed up. The nurse manning the reception told me that it would take a few hours to adequately warm up his core temperature. Hanging around until then seemed like a waste of time so me and Rena decided to visit the local market for an accessory.


    ¡°Rena stop fidgeting, the nice lady is only trying to help you find a prop that would look stunning on you.¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    I made it my team policy to reward any Pok¨¦mon that helped me win a major battle. Be it in the form of snacks they usually couldn¡¯t have or extra comfy bedding. Rena decided she wanted a new accessory to stand out of the crowd even more than she already does. So far, we haven¡¯t seen any other vulpix in the region, but I wasn¡¯t one to argue against my team¡¯s little diva.


    ¡°She certainly would make a big splash in the musical scene, if you ever decide to participate young sir.¡±


    ¡®Musicals? Yeah, they had something like that here instead of your regular contests.¡¯


    I certainly wasn¡¯t one to deny my Pok¨¦mon their ambitions. If Rena wanted to go into show business, I would support her all the way it might even lighten our monetary burdens while she is enjoying herself.


    ¡°What do you think Rena? Do you want to dance on the big stage?¡±


    ¡°Vuuul Pix.¡±


    ¡°You are not that sure? We could make a day of it when we arrive in Nimbasa.¡±


    The store clerk decided to add her two cents to the conversation.


    ¡°That would be a wonderful idea young man. Trainers that are actively participating in this year¡¯s circuit get in for free if it is their first time at the theater.¡±


    The clerk continued trying on different props until finally Rena decided on a tiara.


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    ¡°She wants this one.¡±


    ¡°An excellent choice dear customer that will be 1000 pok¨¦dollars.¡±


    ¡®My poor wallet That¡¯s half my gym winnings! No wait. This is an investment if Rena ever does decide to go into show business, we can reuse the tiara.¡¯ I am just lucky those aren¡¯t real gemstones in that ornament.


    ¡°If I get you this tiara you promise to work hard on mastering Sunny Day?¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    She gave me a begrudging yes. ¡®This girl wants to wear the tiara. She really is a spoiled princess. Zinnia might have put some weird ideas in her head while I was away working at the gym.¡¯


    It would all be worth it though if she mastered the move. With training I figured I can start developing her drought ability. Pok¨¦mon weren¡¯t born with their abilities fully developed you needed to put in some elbow grease to get them working. The limitations of only having the one ability still applied but you could sort of zero in on the ability you wanted your Pok¨¦mon to have by making them do the appropriate training. That¡¯s why I never had Rena battle against other fire types I didn¡¯t want her to get stuck with the flash fire ability. Humans haven¡¯t developed anything resembling ability capsules yet. So, planning to receive the proper ability is crucial.


    People know all the common abilities Pok¨¦mon species can develop. However, the hidden abilities are aptly named. I am sure that there are some trainers out there who have accidentally developed their Pok¨¦mon¡¯s hidden abilities.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take it.¡±


    Before leaving the market, I looked around for second hand Xtransceivers the average price ranging between 5000 to 10000 pok¨¦ dollars. It might have been a stupid idea indulging Rena with the tiara while I am still saving for one of them cool wrist phones but in my opinion my Pok¨¦mon have equal say in what our budget is going to be spent on. They are the ones doing all the battling I am just a sideline coach.


    <hr>


    The following day me and my team headed out for Nacrene City. Route 3 unlike other routes has a bunch of towns and villages populating its length. Since it was densely populated by humans you had to go far out to spot any of the more dangerous Pok¨¦mon populating the route. The nurse Joy from Striaton did warn me not to travel when there¡¯s a thunderstorm out and about, that is usually the time when the local zebstrika herd get rowdy. Zebstrika are just like real zebra¡¯s they have a nasty attitude but mostly keep to themselves.


    To make some extra money I picked up a side gig at the Pok¨¦mon center¡¯s bulletin board. There is an open invitation for trainers to come visit route 3¡¯s Pok¨¦mon Daycare and Kindergarten. They didn¡¯t expect much. Just sharing some stories about your travels and letting the children play with your Pok¨¦mon team.


    The job paid a 1000 pok¨¦dollars that amounts to half my prize winnings for beating the Striaton gym.


    Naturally I had to do it and it was only two hours walk away from the city which was a huge boon.


    The daycare is run by an elderly woman named Karena. The daughter Daniella spends her time teaching preschoolers at the kindergarten. Their organization was heavily funded by the Unovan government. Alder is known for being fond of children and most of the league¡¯s leftover funds are donated to education facilities and orphanages. This is probably why they can afford to pay so handsomely for an afternoon¡¯s work.


    When we finally made it to the school I was unceremoniously shooed inside the classroom. Guessing by the weathered look on Daniella¡¯s face I can accurately guess the level of excitement the children have for surprise visitors.


    ¡°Good morning children! Today we have a special guest who has come all the way from the Hoenn region to share some of his experiences working as a gym trainer. Let¡¯s all welcome Egon from Lavaridge Town.¡±


    ¡°Show us your Pok¨¦mon!¡±


    ¡°I am Hungry!¡±


    ¡°Miss Daniella Timmy is pulling on my hair again!¡±


    Any newbie trainer would probably be overwhelmed dealing with a classroom like this. Suddenly the exorbitant amount trainers get paid to do this makes sense. Regular people have no way of dealing with this level of excitement. However, I have experience dealing with overly energetic children. The trick is instantly changing their level of comfort, and I had just the tool in hand to make that happen.


    ¡°Numsy come out and use growl!¡±


    Numsy materialized and as instructed promptly started to use his ear drum shattering growl attack. Immediately it got deathly quiet inside the classroom. The children kept their ears covered until they were sure that the screeching sound was over.


    ¡°And that¡¯s what it sounds like when a Pok¨¦mon uses their growl attack in an enclosed classroom.¡±


    The nonchalance with which I made that remark helped bring back the levity in the classroom. Before the children had the chance to descend into anarchy again, I started my background story detailing my daily life at the Lavaridge gym working with fire type Pok¨¦mon. Only acknowledging questions when asked with a raised hand. For the most part kids like these are riveted by any stories that are Pok¨¦mon related.


    ¡°That is why it¡¯s important to stick to a planned dietary budget. Especially when you have a little glutton on your team like this guy.¡±


    ¡°Num Num!¡±


    ¡°Oh really? Flannery¡¯s Torkoal had to subsist on only the basic foodstuffs after you went through his entire bag of coal mixed berries. Numels like you don¡¯t even need to eat minerals like his species does.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, mister trainer sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes Wendy, was it?¡±


    ¡°Can I also learn how to talk to Pok¨¦mon like you do?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ a good question but it is almost impossible for humans to learn pok¨¦speak. Even senior trainers cannot communicate with perfect clarity to a Pok¨¦mon they don¡¯t know well enough. When you see me talking to Numsy here it is not because I can understand the words, he is saying. The intent behind the words themselves are clear to me, and that¡¯s only because I¡¯ve been with this little guy for almost 4 years now. The more time you spend with your Pok¨¦mon the clearer their intentions are until words are almost unnecessary.¡±


    However, there are many exceptions to this rule. Psychic-type Pok¨¦mon are smart enough to communicate telepathically with their trainers. Even if their bodies cannot make the full range of sounds necessary to vocally speak in our language.


    When you catch a Pok¨¦mon in the wild it is usually standard procedure to hire the services of translator at the nearest Pok¨¦mon center. This is to make sure your goals don¡¯t misalign. Say you catch a Pok¨¦mon that hates battling but wants to star in contests or participate in Pok¨¦athelon competitions instead. Just like us humans a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s ambitions can vary wildly.


    I can already see the children ruminating about what they want to do when they grow up. Struggling to figure out what they might be successful at.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much if you have a hard time figuring out what to do. Most trainers on their first circuit run have no idea what they¡¯re doing. Your journey is as much about figuring what you don¡¯t want to do as it is about forming strong bonds with your Pok¨¦mon. Now who here wants to feed Numsy the Numel some berries?¡±


    <hr>


    During free period the kids were allowed outside to play with my Pok¨¦mon. There are clear rules about playing with Pok¨¦mon. The preschoolers are experienced enough to know where their boundaries are. Numsy already having gotten used to the kids during the berry feeding session didn¡¯t mind going on small adventures with them through the playground. Rena immediately caught the eye of every girl in class and was busy getting amateur makeovers with brushes and Pok¨¦mon friendly water-soluble hair gel.


    Daniella took me aside to have a little conversation while were both watching the children play with my Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°You are good with kids you know? When you get older and tired of the circuit life. You can start working here we will welcome you with open arms.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the offer miss. I might take you up on it if my career as a trainer doesn¡¯t pan out.¡±


    Getting curious I decide to ask a few more pointed questions.


    ¡°So, these kids all want to be trainers when they get older?¡±


    ¡°You know how it is. Everyone wants to try and test out their limits see if they have what it takes to make it in the league circuit. I have gotten as far as winning four badges before deciding I wanted to work with children.¡±


    ¡°How do children like these get their starters in Unova? And how can they afford to participate in their journey if their families are not affluent?¡±


    ¡°Well children that get the best grades qualify for one of three royal starters given by Professor Juniper. Or as you said their family makes sure they get a dependable first Pok¨¦mon. For orphans or children whose families struggle financially there is a third option. My grandmother runs a Pok¨¦mon daycare and has a breeding facility. For students struggling to get their first Pok¨¦mon she donates any eggs that get left behind by trainer owned Pok¨¦mon she cares for. The league makes sure all the eggs get distributed to certified responsible trainers. They won¡¯t be able to pick any specific Pok¨¦mon but at least they have the guarantee that it won¡¯t be a pidove or patrat. Breeders rarely take the effort breeding such widely available species.¡±


    ¡°As for funding their journeys¡­ most trainers get washed out around the second gym. Those that win their third gym badge usually come up for sponsorship by that point. They do have it hard getting enough money for feed and supplies during the initial stages of the circuit.¡±


    I ruminate on my own difficulties with finances. ¡®Would I be able to come to Unova without being sponsored by Mr. Moore?¡¯ Probably not. Pok¨¦mon feed gets expensive especially if you buy the good stuff. Supermarket pellets tasted well enough, but it has nowhere near the nutritional value serious competitors need to gain that edge during battles. I promised myself that when I become financially independent that I would pay Mr. Moore¡¯s goodwill forward by sponsoring fledgling trainers of my own.


    The school is nearing closing time. Numsy and Rena have both their heads resting on my lap. Completely tuckered out by the rambunctious kids. As we enjoy the warm breeze Daniella approaches us having sent the children off with their legal guardians.


    ¡°A job well done Egon here is your payment and a little something extra for a job well done.¡±


    She hands over the promised 1000 pok¨¦dollars and surprisingly a pair of safety goggles.


    ¡°I figured you would make your way over to the desert resort and attempt to catch a wild darumaka. With this on you will be able to see even during a surprise sandstorm.¡±


    ¡°Thanks a lot miss. If I am ever come back around these parts, I will be sure to visit your classroom and tell the kids about all my new experiences traveling the Unova region.¡±


    I recalled my Pok¨¦mon and started my track towards Nacrene City. It is a journey of several days. But if I am lucky enough, I might be able to crash at one of the nearby settlements with a Pok¨¦mon center.

 Chapter 10 - Familial Trouble

    Chapter 10 ¨C Familial Trouble


    We decided to spend around a week training on route 3. Sunny day is not a move you can use inside city confines without special permission. Rena was pumped, still riding the high of her first major victory. Numsy on the other hand carried this forlorn look his loss against the Panpour still bothering him.


    ¡°Numsy it¡¯s okay bud you did well in in the gym match. You know water type moves are one of your few weaknesses.¡±


    ¡°Num num¡­¡±


    ¡°Our next gym battle is against Lenora, and she specializes in normal types like that Lillipup. I am confident you can sweep her entire team alone with some extra practice.¡±


    ¡°Num?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am not saying that just to cheer you up. Everyone has a weak spot you know I don¡¯t particularly enjoy being around ghost types, right? Your innate weakness would be water types. There are ways to mitigate that problem, but for now I want you to focus on what you do best.¡±


    Numsy still had to work on getting Lava plume down pat. The power wasn¡¯t quite there yet, and neither was its accuracy. Which is to be expected though shooting from his hump completely changed the aerodynamics of the move.


    In the meantime, Rena was to practice Sunny Day. Now I had no idea how to train her to activate her hidden ability. I reckon mastering sunny day would help her know what to shoot for. Using a technical machine is simple. Each machine could only be used once, and their creation was a trade secret. Something involving leaving a psychic imprint or something. In any case a Pok¨¦mon learning the technicalities of the move did not translate into them gaining instant mastery. Rena knows how to use Sunny day, but her body doesn¡¯t. It could take a while for her body to catch up to her mind.


    [ img ] https://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/5/59/TM_in_EToP.png</a> [ /img]


    The move involved using some form of fire-typed energy in a lens like matter increasing the intensity of the sun¡¯s ray in a smallish area. The lens could also be used to disperse rain clouds. A Pok¨¦mon that has truly mastered the move can also use it during nighttime by shooting up a miniature sun that briefly stays around for a while. Pok¨¦mon that can use the latter method are truly powerful though with a capital P. However, since night battling wasn¡¯t a thing, I wasn¡¯t too concerned getting her to that level. Maybe once she evolved, we could take our time training for that.


    The trick is finding an empty spot to practice. Wild Pok¨¦mon do not appreciate getting flash banged on the regular. Eventually we found a quaint little place called Luxuria town on the outskirts of route 3. A local Pok¨¦mon battling club manager named Don George let us use their empty facilities when they weren¡¯t in use. In return we helped clean up during closing hours. The battling club was a novel idea cooked up by George¡¯s family. It helped locals find people outside of their social circles that are up for some battling. According to George their club has a facility in almost every major city or town in Unova.


    I wasn¡¯t interested in signing up, the club specialized in catering to amateur trainers. No serious battlers participated in these battles because wagered battles aren¡¯t allowed in club confines. If I wasn¡¯t padding my meagre savings with wager battles, I was out training. Which left little time for recreational battling.


    The days passed like that until both me and Rena were satisfied with the progress she made. She still isn¡¯t able to increase the intensity of the sun by just coming out of her pok¨¦ ball but not making headway into our journey for over a week seemed wasteful to us. We packed up and left Luxuria town for Nacrene city.


    <hr>


    Nacrene City isn¡¯t really city big like Striaton or Slateport. There are no skyscrapers sticking out every building has this quaint old-timey feeling to it. The houses are all refurbished warehouses my guess is this place used to be an industrial complex. Whatever filled these buildings before was replaced with coffee shops and art galleries.


    Our first order of business was visiting the gym to make an appointment. By asking the locals a few pointed questions we were able to figure out where the gym/museum is located. Arriving there I was surprised at the sight of a disclaimer notice pasted on the the front entrance.


    Attention!


    Please be advised that the Nacrene city Gym and subsequently The Nacrene Museum will be closed until further notice. This is due to the discovery of an important archeological digsite which will require the museum¡¯s staff full attention for the coming month(s). Trainers wishing to earn themselves a Basic Badge will be allowed to do so by acing the examination provided inside the Nacrene Pok¨¦mon center. This badge¡¯s validity will only last until the end of the year¡¯s circuit. After which the recipients of this badge are requested to schedule another match. P.S. the replacement badge is not valid for trainers attempting their 8<sup>th</sup> badge challenge this season.


    ¡®Arceus damn it! All this training for nothing? Screw taking a written test!¡¯ Normal trainers would see this as boon. You study some take a test and walk away with a free badge afterwards but I wasn¡¯t in it for the badges. A gym challenge payout is what is going to get me a new Xtransceiver letting me call home and be accessible to all my friends and family.


    ¡°Num num?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay bud Lenora thinks skipping out of town will let her skimp her duties as a gym leader, but I have a pretty good idea where she went. We¡¯ll just go where the gym leader is and challenge her on the spot. You¡¯ll have your time to show your flames of passion no sweat.¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    Now making it to Nacrene there was one other thing on my list of things to do before I went chasing after that wayward gym leader, and that was calling my little sister. She must be missing me a lot fortunately this time Horsea was there to keep her company. When accounting for the Hoenn time zone she should be about to get out of bed and since it was the weekend school shouldn¡¯t be open.


    The Pok¨¦mon center was strangely empty which was good for me since there wasn¡¯t any line to use the video phone booths. Dialing the Lavaridge Pok¨¦mon center¡¯s number I quickly got on the phone with Mary Joy who told me to wait while she notified my sister next door.


    ¡®I look forwards to seeing how Zinnia has been doing this last week. Now that she has her own Pok¨¦mon there is no way she will be tempted to leave grandpa and grandma¡¯s home to live with our no show parents.¡¯


    Mary appeared on the screen again this time with a strange look in her eyes.


    ¡°Egon, Zinnia will be here in a minute. She says she has a surprise for you.¡±


    ¡°Has her Horsea already learned a new move? She must have studied diligently under master Quagsire¡¯s tutelage.¡±


    Contrary to my expectations it was not a pleasant surprise. Staring me down was the only man in this world I could only hold contempt for. Yahto, Zinnia¡¯s bum dad. Next to him was my airhead mother I still gave her the obligatory I love you during the rare times she called us to make sure we were doing okay at her parents¡¯ house, but my heart wasn¡¯t really in it.


    Having already lived a previous life with a mother who did stick around might have blocked some of that familial bonding. Her continued absence didn¡¯t give me much of an opportunity to build a loving relationship. Zinnia still loved her and that deadbeat fiercely though, so I made sure to never badmouth them while in her presence.


    ¡°Hi sweetie! It¡¯s been so long! How have you been enjoying your journey so far? Zinnia tells us that you are all the way over in the Unova region.¡±


    ¡®Ugh¡­ this is going to be dreadful.¡¯ ¡°Hello mother, I¡¯ve been doing fine, and even won my first badge last week.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would! Didn¡¯t I tell you Yahto dear? My little boy is quite the trainer just like his mother. I earned seven badges my first journey. Ah But don¡¯t feel pressured to do the same sweetie I am happy with any number of badges you are able to win.¡±


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ yeah that¡¯s nice of you to say mother. May I ask why you and stepfather have decided to visit Zinnia?¡±


    Zinnia took this opportunity to come forward and take a seat on her father¡¯s lap. Promptly addressing me afterwards.


    ¡°It¡¯s about what I told you about a while ago Egon. Dad says I am ready to join him and the tribe in the hidden village.¡±


    Lightning, fast I tried thinking of counter arguments and why she shouldn¡¯t go into the wilds with her absentee dad and his tribe of antediluvian primitives.


    ¡°What about schooling? You still have two years of primary education left to go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be homeschooled by mom! The teacher says it¡¯s allowed as long as I occasionally show up to take their proficiency tests.¡±


    ¡°What about horsea? He is still learning under master Quagsire correct? How do you expect him to grow stronger without expert tutelage?¡±


    She was about to answer my question when her father suddenly butted into the conversation.


    ¡°That horsea while still not a full dragon is an appropriate partner for my daughter. Under the auspices of the tribe, it will grow stronger than it could learning under outsider caught Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡®This fucking guy¡­ giving me even more reasons to dislike him. Don¡¯t dismiss other people¡¯s Pok¨¦mon just because they are not born inside your fancy village!¡¯


    This was it, I only had one final card to play. Usually, I would have compunctions about emotionally blackmailing my sister like this, but this was for the best. Her having anything to do with future dangerous events would leave my mind ill at ease.


    ¡°What about me? The tribe doesn¡¯t have any landlines. How can I make sure you¡¯re okay when I can¡¯t get in contact with you?¡±


    The jerk face as usual didn¡¯t let Zinnia answer the question.


    ¡°Any outside influence is forbidden while she undergoes our trials! You will be able to talk to Zinnia again after she has reached majority.¡±


    My mother finally decided to intervene at this moment.


    "Now Dear, Can¡¯t the lorekeeper make an exception for our little Zinnia? If Aster says it¡¯s allowed than there would be no reason my child can¡¯t keep a pokegear on her in times my sweet boy wants to talk to his sister."


    ¡°The answer is no Willow! Any form of modern technology has a chance to be tracked. We will not risk the secrets of our village.¡± He started addressing Zinnia ¡°Now say goodbye to your half-brother I will wait for you outside.¡±


    The man left the room giving me a chance to talk with mother and Zinnia by themselves.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Zinnia had tears in her eyes. While mother was sporting a troubled expression. It is obvious that she wants to go to the tribe and learn more about rasing dragontype pokemon. I also know that it will be painful for her not being able to talk with me for the following two years.


    ¡®If this is what she wants than I as her brother can only support her decision. Even if I think it will be dangerous. Maaan¡­ being a good role model is such a pain sometimes.¡¯


    ¡°Zinnia whatever you decide to do I¡¯ll have your back 100%. Besides I sort of know roughly where that village is located. The first thing I¡¯ll do when I get back to Hoenn is go looking for you.¡±


    The pressure on her visibly alleviated the tears in her eyes drying up. Mother however had a puzzled look on her face.


    ¡°Sweetie I never remembered telling you where to find the village...?¡±


    ¡°Process of elimination mother, in preparation for something like this happening I conducted my own research.¡±


    ¡°Than you know how dangerous it can be venturing inside there on your own. One badge trainers like yourself are not ready for the dangerous species of wild Pok¨¦mon that make ¡®that place¡¯ their home.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay mother than we¡¯ll just have to grow strong enough. We were already planning to become the best, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    My Pok¨¦mon which were resting inside their pok¨¦ balls simultaneously materialized on both sides of the booth showing their support for my resolve.


    ¡°Num!¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    ¡°My my, with such loyal friends looking after you my mind can be at ease. I¡¯ll let you have a moment alone with your sister. Egon I might not have been around as much as you would like but you do know I still love you right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, mothe¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you call me mom?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ mom.¡±


    She left to join her husband outside now it is just me and Zinnia. I still have a lot I need to tell her.


    ¡°Little sis¡¯ remember everything I told you about legendary Pok¨¦mon and ancient history? It would be best if you don¡¯t share that information with the rest of the family.¡±


    ¡°How come...?¡±


    ¡°Technically I should have no way of knowing those things. The villagers might not react well to a stranger like me walking around with some of their secrets, and mother might get accused of leaking information to outsiders.¡±


    ¡°Okay Egon I¡¯ll keep your secrets.¡±


    ¡°When I get back, I¡¯ll show you all the new friends we caught traveling through Unova.¡±


    ¡°Now be good and brush your teeth two times a day. There should be a waterfall near the village. Climbing it will be an excellent way for Horsea to train his muscles. Also try to get a dragon scale off one of the villagers they should have plenty of those, I¡¯ll get you something else as a souvenir. I¡¯ll be back in Hoenn within 3 maybe 4 months if there is any kind of delay.¡±


    Exchanging our final goodbyes, the call ended. I was left feeling like there is a simmering fire in my gut. It filled me with the resolve to prove our strength. Looking at my team¡¯s faces I know they feel the same way. Just like me they viewed Zinnia as family and are not content by just leaving her to languish inside that village.


    ¡°We have to speed up our plans, it might be a little risky but if it works, we can shave off at least a month from our journey here.¡±


    They both give me a nod of acknowledgement. Over the years I have been sharing all my plans with these two. Even the fact that I was reborn in this world. I figured if you can¡¯t even trust your Pok¨¦mon with all your secrets who else is there? Being able to talk openly with them has relieved some of the pressure I was feeling about my familial situation.


    ¡°Okay guys let¡¯s get out of here Castelia City is waiting for us!¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    <hr>


    To get to Castelia city from Nacrene we have to pass the Pinwheel Forest. A place famous for trainers getting lost. Rumors hold that the forest bears a grudge against humans for starting a fire that threatened the Pok¨¦mon in the Unova region. Basically, it is a place trainers should be careful not to spend too much time in. ¡®Virizion should still be living inside the forest.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how much influence a legendary grass type held over a forest as large as this but knowing the shared history the musekteers have with humans it would probably be better to have my stay be as short as possible.


    Near the entrance of the forest a crowd was gathering. Confused I asked a random passerby what all the commotion is for.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know!? Elite Marshal is letting a newly caught member of his team take on the Challenger¡¯s rock.¡±


    ¡°Challenger¡¯s rock?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a place which naturally attracts fighting types. In the middle of the clearing up ahead there¡¯s this giant boulder. It is tradition in Unova for people with freshly caught fighting types to come here and have their Pok¨¦mon use its strongest move on the rock once. The piece that falls of is then kept as a memento.¡±


    I thanked the passerby and followed the crowds lead which eventually saw me staring down at this massive boulder. People respectfully kept at a distance to not disturb Marshall and his new Pok¨¦mon. Which revealed itself to be a Riolu. I immediately pulled out my Pok¨¦dex. ¡®Can¡¯t let a chance slip by to record the data of Sinnoh native Pok¨¦mon.¡¯


    Riolu, the Emanation Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        A Fighting type. Riolu can understand how people and Pok¨¦mon feel by observing a kind of wave called aura. It has a flexible body with enough power to cross three mountains and two canyons in one night. The pure of heart are met with Riolu''s approval, while those of ill nature earn only its loathing.


    Marshal reminded me of a character in a fighting game. The man was built like a brick wearing his black belt proudly around his waist. He is famously known as one of the few people who can safely spar man to Pok¨¦mon against fighting types, and not risk injury.


    His Riolu was getting itself ready to leave a mark on the challenge rock. I recognized the stance it was using. ¡®Focus energy it must be getting pumped.¡¯ Numsy can also use focus energy, but I decided not to put as much effort into training the move it didn¡¯t mesh well with his fighting style.


    ¡°Rio!¡±


    Riolu gave an affirming battlecry to let Marshal know he was ready. Marshal turned around and addressed the gathering crowd and T.V. reporters.


    ¡°My name is Marshal. I am the No. 1 pupil of my mentor, Alder. In order to master the art of fighting, I''ve kept training. Today Riolu will take his first step on the long path that is the martial way.¡±


    Riolu punched the Challenge rock with its glowing aura infused paw. The sound created by its paw drowned out the spectating crowd for a brief moment. The Challenger Rock now had a new paw shaped hole in it not the largest to be sure, but it still spoke of the potential this Riolu has.


    Riolu pulled it¡¯s paw back, and a clattering sound is made by the object that falls out of that cavity. The crowd upon seeing what the object is got back to being noisy. At first I was confused not seeing the value of the shiny piece of star shaped quartz until the T.V. reporter gave her viewers the skinny on this new development.


    ¡°There you have it folks! our Elite Marshal¡¯s newest team member is lucky enough to have found a star piece inside the Challenge rock. Now as not all the viewers might know the significance of this let me remind you folks that a single star piece can be worth up to a 100.000 pok¨¦dollars! The Challenge rock rarely yields such a lavish bounty but when it does happen it is seen as a sign of good luck.¡±


    ¡®I am now sorely tempted to catch myself a fighting type. Maybe I can coerce Professor Juniper into giving me a tepig for a job well done documenting fire types on the way out of Unova?¡¯


    The crowd knowing that the show is over disperses. The local residents back into Nacrene city and the trainers on the circuit venture into Pinwheel Forest. I was about to do the same when I heard the voice of Marshal calling out for someone. I ignored it seeing as I wasn¡¯t the only trainer there until I received a tap on my shoulder. I turn around and see Elite Marshal giving me a scrutinizing look.


    ¡°Trainer, might I have a moment of your time?¡±


    ¡®Okay calm down Egon he doesn¡¯t know anything just keep it cool.¡¯


    ¡°Elite Marshal? How can I help you sir?¡±


    ¡°You young man bear an uncanny resemblance to a person I greatly respect. Can you tell me the name of your father?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never met my father, Sorry sir, but my mother did tell me he is a great trainer.¡±


    ¡®Good now to keep telling sort of truths.¡¯ I don¡¯t know if riolu are able to discern truths from lies based on a person¡¯s aura signature, but I figure its best not to risk it. The little bugger is staring me down while I am speaking to Marshal.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I see that¡¯s too bad what¡¯s your name youngster?¡±


    ¡°Egon from Lavaridge town.¡±


    ¡°Lavaridge? I see¡­ you are from Hoenn. Did you travel all the way to Unova to participate in our Vertress conference?¡±


    ¡°I was planning to, but Professor Juniper informed me there are age restrictions I didn¡¯t know about. Since I am not yet twelve years of age I can¡¯t legally participate. Me and my team are still having fun traveling the region though. Lots of Pok¨¦mon here that you can¡¯t see anywhere else.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit Egon! By meeting and battling many different trainers and Pok¨¦mon you broaden your horizons and find true inner strength. You never know one day you might even face me on the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Rio!¡±


    ¡®This little guy is getting all excited by Marshal¡¯s passionate speech. This is perfect now it¡¯s time to slowly back out.¡¯


    ¡°This is getting me all pumped up for my Castelia gym battle! It¡¯s been nice talking to you Elite Marshal sir, but we really want to make it out of Pinwheel before sundown.¡±


    Before he had any chance to react, I make a beeline towards the forest entrance.


    <hr>


    Now if I had to make one observation regarding Pinwheel Forest it would be the amount of bug types that make this place their home. They are literally everywhere face any direction in the forest and its guaranteed that you see at least one bug type. I stuck to the path since there aren¡¯t any fire types that would make for good team members inside the forest. I did however record every bug type I came across on my Pok¨¦dex.


    Yanma the Clear Wing Pok¨¦mon                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Its two big eyes can turn 360 degrees, observing the surroundings, in search of food.                                                                                                                                                                                     If it flaps its wings really fast, it can generate shock waves that will shatter windows in the area.


    Surprisingly enough I could even spot a wild Yanma perched atop a tree. I wasn¡¯t expecting to come across a Johto native Pok¨¦mon like that. ¡®Maybe some irresponsible tourist released a couple inside the forest, and they¡¯ve propagated since then?¡¯ In any case it is a nice change of pace being in a forest as wild as this. Lavaridge is surrounded by Mountains and rock deserts. The constant odour of sunbaked sediment is nostalgic, but it can¡¯t beat the scent of decaying wood and wild herbs.


    Since trainers constantly got lost inside the forest the rangers and city council of Castelia city saw fit to pave a straight road for travelers to follow that led directly to Skyarrow Bridge. I kept Rena out as a deterrent for any wild Pok¨¦mon, but we haven¡¯t been bothered so far. Maybe the Pok¨¦mon recognized that travelers sticking to the path are just trying to get through? Whatever the case we made it out in good time it is approaching evening when we are finally met with the sight of the biggest bridge in all of Unova. The lower part of the bridge is built for vehicle traffic while suspended above the roadway is a pedestrian walkway. The night lights in the city just turned on, while the sun turned orange in the horizon it made for a stunning sight.


    It was about 20 minutes walking from the beginning of the bridge to the end. The railings were used by flocks of ducklings and swanna to build their nests upon. The warning sign made it clear not to antagonize them unless you wanted to get doused in boiling water, courtesy of their scald attacks.


    Numsy got out to accompany me for the final stretch while Rena languished inside her ball. The small camel Pok¨¦mon was as mesmerized as me watching the setting sun as we walked.


    ¡°This is it Castelia City. You ready to get our second badge Numsy?¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Burgh uses bug types so it should be an easy match for you. Let¡¯s not get overconfident though. He might still have a trick up his designer sleeves.¡±


    Castelia city is one of the most unique places I¡¯ve ever seen. The night life of the city was bustling. Streets filled with rows of people and their Pok¨¦mon. There are no stand-alone buildings as far as I can see it¡¯s all just massive apartment complexes. The city brochure was very informative as to why the Unovans decided to build Castelia this way. To preserve as many Pok¨¦mon habitats as possible the people in this part of the region decided to build upwards to create vertical living spaces. Getting a permit to build any other type of residential housing is impossible unless you can somehow convince the city council that your buildings are a net positive for nature.


    I am tired but, because we are under time constraints, I fast tracked it to the Castelia gym to make an appointment. The gym was nestled between two high rise buildings. I walked inside past the automatic sliding doors. The inside was very tastefully decorated showing the gym leader¡¯s artistic background. The gym employee behind the counter was wearing some sort of new age style dress coat which I suspect has been spun making use of bug type silk string.


    ¡°Excuse me sir I¡¯d like to schedule a gym battle.¡±


    ¡°Fill out your personal details on this application form and leave it at the counter. We don¡¯t have any openings for the next two weeks. Does Tuesday work for you?¡±


    ¡°Two weeks!? Are there that many trainers challenging the gym this late in the circuit?¡±


    ¡°Gym leader Burgh went on one of his inspirational outings last week, and we kind of have to play catch up if you catch my drift. I can slot you in before lunchtime, and just between you and me our gym leader is not a morning person.¡±


    ¡°No thank you! I¡¯d like to schedule for the afternoon please.¡±


    <hr>


    After I left the gym, I realized I could use these next two weeks to catch a new member for my team. The closest target being more of a gamble than anything, but I figured he who dares wins. So, I made my way to the Pok¨¦mon center to see if I could buy a certain elusive item.


    This late in the evening only a handful of trainers lounged in the Pok¨¦mon center lobby. Most trainer¡¯s ages ranged from 12-16 so it is long past their usual bedtime. That meant the computers are all available. I procured myself a machine and opened the site of a certain Unovan travel agency. The ticket will cost me an arm and a leg completely emptying out my gym winnings, but I figure it is worth it for a chance at meeting this vanishingly rare Pok¨¦mon. I clicked on buy and since I was inside a center the computer gave me the option to print my ticket on the spot. The printer in the corner came to life and made all too familiar whirring sound.


    ¡°Vuul?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is it. A Liberty Pass.¡±

 Chapter 11 - Liberating a Friend

    Chapter 11 ¨C Liberating a Friend


    The following morning, I was woken up by an overly excited little camel. Numsy kept jumping on the bed excited at the prospect of meeting a new friend.


    ¡°Calm down Numsy. I am happy too, but let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves breakfast first and some shower time for me.¡±


    ¡°Nuuum!¡±


    The mention of food always tempered his excitement enough to get him to focus on what needed to be done at the moment. I prepared our breakfast for this morning, for Numsy the same berry blend the gym Pok¨¦mon got with added vitamin supplements. Mr. Moore¡¯s Camerupt eats the same thing scaled down of course because of the size difference.


    Rena as well got the same as the Ninetales on Mr. Moore¡¯s team from what I could glean of his recipe his Ninetales receives a blend of dry tasting berries, calcium and carbos as added supplements and some type of mystery meat. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s it made of, but the package doesn¡¯t come labeled. Trainers probably didn¡¯t want to know where the meat they order comes from and I share that inclination be it slowpoke tails, veluza fillet or some other culinary horror. These Pok¨¦mon can shed their body parts and they regrow after a while, but I don¡¯t believe for a second that it didn¡¯t cause them some amount of discomfort.


    Me copying the dietary plan for Mr. Moore¡¯s team was purely because Pok¨¦mon nutritional needs are still a mystery to me. I figured since Mr. Moore¡¯s elite level Pok¨¦mon perform well enough it would probably be the better option to just copy the man instead of making my own recipes. So far, I haven¡¯t gotten any complaints from my team yet.


    The liberty pass resting on my desk caught my attention. I picked it up and read the lettering in order to confirm my departure time.


    The holder of this liberty pass is expected to arrive at the liberty pier in the Castelia harbor at 8:00 in the morning. Beverages and snacks not included. Expected arrival date at the island 8:30 AM. Captain reserves the right to refuse entry aboard ship.


    Still about an hour before I need to be there plenty of time to get our morning nuptials done. Living on the road didn¡¯t afford one many chances to take showers so whenever I arrive at a Pok¨¦mon center, I take the opportunity to get my personal hygiene in check. My Pok¨¦mon had no such problems, every time one of them felt dirty they could just give themselves a napalm bath the grime and bacteria burning up in the process.


    I stepped inside the shower cabin and gave myself a good rinsing. I like to sing while I am at it usually some variation of a Pok¨¦mon theme song.


    A new adventure another day. One more challenge that comes our way ?.


    ¡°Vuuuuul!!!¡±


    ¡°No this is me time Rena I am allowed to sing whatever I want! ¡±


    ¡°Pix Pix!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because your taste in music is still underdeveloped! Numsy doesn¡¯t mind my singing at all.¡±


    ¡°Num?¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Fudge Fudge Fudge! We are so late!¡±


    ¡°Vuuul pix!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean I shouldn¡¯t have taken that shower? Do you really want to spend the rest of the day outside your pok¨¦ ball with me smelling like a hobo?¡±


    Thanks to extenuating circumstances outside of my control we are at risk of missing the departure time.¡¯ I blame Rena¡¯s slow eating habits, put out a food bowl for Numsy and like a vacuum wave in mere seconds he is finished eating.¡¯ Numsy is still inside his ball unlike Rena his stubby legs make him slower than my own running speed. I weaved through the morning city crowds on the way to our destination.


    Luckily, I had the foresight to stay at the Pok¨¦mon center nearest to the docks. Liberty pier already in sight, me and Rena take our speed up a notch. We make it to the docks and see a man presumably the captain preparing to cast off loosening the ropes that tether the ship to the dock.


    ¡°Wait wait! Please let us on Captain!¡±


    The man looked up and gave us an annoyed expression. Clearly not amused by our punctuality.


    ¡°Young whippersnapper you were this close to losing your spot on the boat. Now quickly show me your ticket all the other passengers that made it on time are waiting for you.¡±


    Showing my liberty pass to the captain he gave me a begrudging nod before tearing out the bottom half of the ticket and returning the remains to me.


    ¡°This ticket makes you eligible for a one day stay at Liberty Garden when asked you need to be able to produce said ticket to confirm your identity. At sundown we¡¯ll sail back towards Castelia so make sure to be on time or we¡¯ll be sailing without you. Once on the island there are few rules that must be followed.¡±


    He gave me a small brochure detailing the rules that must be followed during our stay on the island.


    <ol>


    <li> No littering.</li>


    <li> No Pok¨¦mon battles on the island.</li>


    <li> Guests are not allowed near or inside the central light house.</li>


    <li> Always keep your liberty pass on you while on the island.</li>


    </ol>


    Breaking the aforementioned rules is grounds for permanent expulsion from the island and a fine upwards of 20.000 pok¨¦ dollars.


    ¡®Sheesh maybe this wasn¡¯t such a good idea after all.¡¯ I hoped guests would be allowed inside the tower, but I guess we have to do things the hard way. If someone did discover the Victini living on the island by accident rule 2 made sure people couldn¡¯t take it away forcefully. In any case I wasn¡¯t planning on doing that. Just the prospect of meeting a mythical fire type Pok¨¦mon was already enough to make this trip worth it.


    Finding a seat was pretty easy the only other passengers today were an old couple and a particularly haggard looking treasure seeker who is convinced that there must be some sort of treasure buried on the island¡¯s coastline. He came equipped with a dowsing rod and a metal detector.


    ¡°We are casting off people!¡±


    The ship¡¯s engine started revving up. We left Castelia¡¯s docks and headed for Liberty Garden. The captain now also doubling as a tour guide started a riveting story about the island¡¯s history.


    The island¡¯s owners are one of the few noble families around with still living members. The monarchy and nobles used to hold all the power in the region until about a 100 years ago. A civil war broke out and the nobles lost. The remaining members had to sign away most of their privileges and power. This island being one of their last hold overs from the previous era. This is to change in about 7-8 years, the island is set to become communal property when the concession from the old agreement expires. The family was only to hold the rights to the island for one hundred years after the war.


    Its weird considering the possibility for wars to happen in this world. Modern weaponry is a thing, but not widely in use. Bringing the right Pok¨¦mon with you will end a gunfight real quick, and people don¡¯t really have the reflexes to deal with Pok¨¦mon even with modern weapons. Not to mention some species are straight up immune to most form of artillery. Ghost types can phase through, and steel types can take hits from shelling all day long.


    From my history lessons I know Hoenn hasn¡¯t been involved in wars for ages. Our island nation is too isolated from the rest of the world for it to matter in global politicking. Kanto and Jhoto have a long and bloody history with each other until they finally decided to unite and form a shared government.


    Caught up in my own thoughts and the stories shared by the captain I didn¡¯t notice the passing of time overly much until finally the island came into view.


    The island is beautiful to be sure, well-kept gardens framed an imposing light house. Small wharfs with paddleboats for people who wanted to enjoy the ocean. The perfect place for a family picknick. I wasn¡¯t here for any of that though. The ship docked on the island¡¯s port the passengers now free to roam the island for about eight hours until we were expected back.


    The old couple left carrying with them a basket probably filled with goodies for a romantic luncheon. The guy with the with the metal detector left for the west coast shore. And the captain left to attend his other job as the island¡¯s sole custodian.


    Me and my team left for the light house, but instead of walking towards the locked-up front entrance we circled around until I got the confirmation from Numsy notifying me that this place was a prime digging spot. Ground types have this feel for the earth other types don¡¯t have, Numsy can feel if the ground beneath him was laden with wiring or pipes. The spot he picked for us devoid of those obstacles. After all we are here to meet Victini not to demolish the noble¡¯s light house.


    We got to work Numsy is responsible for digging the tunnel that leads to the basement of this place while Rena is on lookout duty. Using hypnosis in case we got caught by a passerby and had to high tail it out. My job is to make sure the tunnel is structurally sound testing it for weak spots. We hole had to be filled back in eventually, but it would suck if the tunnel collapsed while we were still inside.


    ¡®Thank you master Quagsire for teaching Numsy how to expertly use dig.¡¯ The master¡¯s lessons really came through for us. The basement should only be one story deep. That¡¯s nothing for a ground type like Numsy, and my theory came true as after only 10 minutes Numsy struck a stone tile with his head.


    ¡°Numsy move over I¡¯ll get that stone tile out of the way, and by the way great job digging this tunnel buddy. Can you camouflage the back entrance a bit and call Rena over?¡±


    ¡±Num num!¡±


    What I often forget while trying to do physical labor is that my body is only ten years old. This stone tile is approximately thirty kilograms (66 pounds) while that¡¯s hardly anything for a grown adult I had to exert much pressure to lift it overhead. The people of this world are way hardier than my old one, but they weren¡¯t any stronger.


    ¡°Urgh¡­¡±


    ¡°Num?¡±


    ¡°Vul?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay you guys don¡¯t have hands I¡¯ll take care of this. Ooof!¡± I managed to move the tile out of the way at the cost of a possible muscle tear.


    ¡®That¡¯s going to hurt in the morning.¡¯ ¡°We made it! Now to start looking.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    The Basement was decorated and furnished with a small sized bed in the corner. Toys and boardgames littered the ground and the bookcases are filled with children¡¯s books. After a quick inspection we come to the conclusion that Victini is currently not here.


    ¡°Well going upstairs is out. Let¡¯s just enjoy ourselves until it¡¯s time to go back. Some of these games are super old school and nostalgic.¡±


    There¡¯s this game that I used to play with my sister called Who is that Pok¨¦mon? It¡¯s basically Guess who? But instead of using people the game revolves around guessing which mystery Pok¨¦mon your opponent has picked. It even came with a helpful booklet with common characteristics so when playing against Pok¨¦mon your opponent only has to tap a paw to make clear which question they would have asked. Me and Zinnia played the Hoenn edition of course this game is the Unova edition.


    ¡°Your Pok¨¦mon is a fire type?¡±


    Rena gave me a headshake.


    When it was her turn to ask a question, she tapped on the booklet.


    ¡°The same type of question? Yes, mine is a water type.¡±


    Rena got to pawing down all the pictures on her board that aren¡¯t water types. Leaving only 16 possible Pok¨¦mon left.


    Rena is the smartest in my admittedly small team of two. Asking for the water type is a clever strategy since they are the most numerous of all the types in each region.


    Our exchange went on for a while until she finally hit the nail on the head.


    She pawed a certain picture.


    ¡°You are asking me if my Pok¨¦mon is ducklett?¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    ¡°You got me Rena let¡¯s play another game I am not very good at this one.¡±


    Zinnia always wins against me when we are playing this game. ¡®Something about my facial expressions being very obvious?¡¯ Anyway, I am an expert at Jenga or Timburr¡¯s tower as they call it here. The pieces resembling the logs their species are inclined to carry around. Naturally I hold the distinct advantage of being born with opposable thumbs. So, to make it fair Rena and Numsy teamed up against me and for every one turn of theirs I had to take out two hardwood blocks.


    ¡°Aaand¡­ that¡¯s two. It¡¯s your turn now my wayward compatriots there is no chance of you defeating me I am an expert at this game!¡±


    ¡°Pix pix!¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    They huddled up together and eventually decided on pulling one of two last bottom blocks holding the tower together. ¡¯Foolish you¡¯ve sealed your own demise.¡¯ Their paws and hooves being inadequate for the job Numsy was picked to remove this block with his mouth the extra molars of my herbivore Pok¨¦mon providing a more secure grip.


    ¡°Num num num.¡±


    ¡°Draw your last pathetic block so I can end this Numsy. it¡¯s over Numsy you were never a match for me!¡±


    ¡°Num¡­el!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Impossible!¡±


    Numsy succeeded in pulling out the loadbearing block in the middle which should theoretically collapse the tower. However, miraculously the tower was still standing up on only a single corner piece.


    ¡¯Exodia!? No wait.¡¯ ¡°This goes against the natural laws of physics. Rena, are you using some sort of psychic type move?¡±


    Baffled Rena also gives me a confused yip. ¡°Pix¡­?¡±


    ¡°Tini Tini Tini!¡±


    ¡®It can¡¯t be¡­?¡¯


    Right there sitting on top of a bookshelf in the corner was the mythical Pok¨¦mon Victini laughing it up. Clearly it was messing with our game using confusion to hold the tower up. Impressed but similarly miffed for being cheated out of a win I didn¡¯t know how to react.


    My team however was ecstatic. Victini helping them snatch victory from the jaws of defeat is just icing on the cake.


    ¡°Num num num!¡±


    ¡°Vuuulpix!¡±


    My Pok¨¦mon crowded the bookshelf Victini was sitting on trying to get closer to the rabbit-like Pok¨¦mon. It was at that moment Victini showed a side of itself I wasn¡¯t expecting. The tiny Pok¨¦mon disappeared, but this time I wasn¡¯t fooled. My theory is that Victini was capable of refracting light becoming invisible in the process. My Pok¨¦mon must have scared Victini with their enthusiasm.


    ¡°Now calm down you two. Sure, it¡¯s not every day you meet such a cool and amazing Pok¨¦mon, it must be feeling very shy so mind your manners. Now say sorry.¡±


    ¡°Vuul¡­¡±


    ¡°Num num¡±


    Whatever I said must have done the trick because Victini reappeared on top of the bookshelf. This time sporting a curious look.


    ¡°You know me¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you are the mythical Pok¨¦mon Victini said to bring victory to those that have you by their side.¡±


    ¡°¡­came looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Yep, the name¡¯s Egon from Lavaridge town Nice to meet you Victini. These are my partners Rena the vulpix and Numsy the numel.¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡®This is my once in a lifetime opportunity to learn more about mythical Pok¨¦mon.¡¯ Not many could boast of such an opportunity. I decided to proceed with caution and eloquence.


    ¡°I really came down here to learn more about you. As a trainer that specializes in fire types I figured I could learn a lot from a Pok¨¦mon that¡¯s been around as long as you have. Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll keep your existence a secret if you want me to.¡±


    My last sentence calmed Victini down her facial expression relaxing for a spell. The rabbit-like Pok¨¦mon floated up and proceeded to open up a toy chest pulling out one of the boardgames.


    ¡°I never have enough beings to play with could you¡­?¡±


    <hr>


    We were playing some sort of variation of Operation the game when Victini finally decided to open up and answer some of my long-standing questions. Yes, she is a girl. ¡®Mythological Pok¨¦mon have genders too who knew?¡¯ The owner of the island¡¯s grandfather first hatched her out of an egg around 97 years ago because the civil war was raging on at the time the grandfather decided that the existence of Victini was best kept a secret. At the time they were looking for any trainers with powerful Pok¨¦mon to be drafted for the noble faction and her old partner didn¡¯t want that for her. Of course, that didn¡¯t prevent him from getting drafted he was a noble after all, so he had a duty to his contemporaries. The grandfather decided that this island being of minimal strategic importance to both factions was the ideal place for hiding her. Sadly, he didn¡¯t survive the war, but he acted with such valor on the battlefield that he garnered much respect from both factions which allowed his family to hold onto the island even after the noble¡¯s defeat. Since then, his son and grandson routinely visited her to keep Victini company in her hideout.


    ¡®The loss of her first trainer must have traumatized her into developing some form of agoraphobia (fear of the outside).¡¯ No regular human or Pok¨¦mon could stand hiding away for so long without regular company.


    ¡°So, Where¡¯s your trainer¡¯s grandson now? Does he still come by to visit you from time to time?¡±


    ¡°Not anymore, the last time he came to visit he told me to go out into the world and look for new friends. That this will be the last time he comes to visit me.¡±


    Tears started forming in Victini¡¯s eyes. Pulling on all our heartstrings. Making a fire type Pok¨¦mon cry is extremely hard only a profound sense of loss is able to draw tears out of Pok¨¦mon that are fundamentally incapable of producing water.


    ¡°Num num¡­¡±


    ¡°Vuuuuul¡±


    My team and I instantly moved over to Victini¡¯s side showering her with affection and well wishes. While at the same time decrying the actions of the human that did this to her.


    I didn¡¯t feel any type of animosity towards the grandson. ¡¯He must be getting too old to keep seeing Victini and didn¡¯t want to burden her spirit with his oncoming passing.¡¯ That man must be at least 90 years old by now since he was around during events after the unfolding of the war. Observing Victini¡¯s countenance she must have realized this as well. Legendary psychic-types are not known for their dim-wittedness after all.


    ¡°But it¡¯s okay now you can be my friends and come visit me. We¡¯ll play games, stay up past our bedtime and eat unhealthy snacks.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm that sounds great Victini, but we still have our ambition. I also need to save my sister and her tribe from government overreach.¡±


    ¡°Tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of a long story¡­¡±


    So, I spent the next thirty minutes regaling her with the story of my life. Attempting to lie or obfuscate the truth seemed foolhardy in the face of this mythical psychic type Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°After my passing I woke up inside a hospital being patted down by a chansey who I am still friends with¡­¡±


    ¡°So, my new mother eloped again and got preg¡­ ehm sorry made an egg together with this guy obsessed with dragon type Pok¨¦mon¡­¡±


    ¡°My new sister is the cutest her name is Zinnia here do you want to look at some of her baby pictures?¡±


    ¡°Since our parents left us to stay with the tribe, I decided to take care of all her needs¡­¡±


    ¡°So, now our mother and her wayward father finally decide to show up and take her to the tribe which is set to be raided by Devon corporation goons and league associates in a foolish bid to gain control of the Legendary dragon-type Pok¨¦mon. If what I remember from my previous life is correct.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ so you have to leave.¡±


    Her ears droop down and those big blue eyes that radiated hope started to dim again. Looking at those droopy rabbit-like ears I can¡¯t help but start to feel sorry for it. Having to endure loneliness all this time just because she was afraid to leave the island. Numsy and Rena are giving me this chastising look as if it¡¯s my fault that she has no one to keep her company.


    ¡°How about you come with us for a while? The world outside has mellowed out a lot since then it¡¯s not as dangerous as it used to be. We¡¯ll have a blast every day, and you can cheer us on from the sidelines while we earn our gym badges.¡±


    Victini seemed conflicted she desperately wanted to keep our company, but at the same time her fear of the outside world crippled her resolve.


    ¡®I know what to do.¡¯


    ¡°Numsy Rena hold her down and give her the tickle treatment don¡¯t stop until she agrees!¡±


    Before she could fly away my Pok¨¦mon were already on her giving those sensitive looking ears a tongue bath. Her bewilderment and surprise breaking our shared mental connection.


    ¡°Tini Tini Tini!¡±


    ¡°Yes, good¡­ my minions don¡¯t let up until she takes her place by our side.¡±


    ¡°Num num num.¡±


    ¡°Pix pix.¡±


    Victini raises her front paws to signal her submission. Conveying to me that it was time to hash over the details of our joint venture. Before all that though I still needed to reward my subordinates for a job well done. I ruffle inside my bag until I find what I am looking for my grandma¡¯s special edition Lava cookies baked in the shape of the heat badge from our very own Lavaridge gym. I only pull these out during special occasions but this they have more than earned them. Giving them each a Lava cookie, and one extra for Victini because I don¡¯t play favorites.


    ¡°This is my hometown¡¯s special edition Lava cookie Victini go ahead and try some.¡±


    While the rest of my Pok¨¦mon are enjoying their bounty in a rapid pace. Victini nibbled on the edges of her cookie while we were having a conversation.


    ¡°Now obviously its going to be a hassle to have you out in the open with us. People can and will try to capture or use you for their own purposes. Can you stay invisible during our trip back towards Castelia? These is someone I trust that is more knowledgeable about what we should do to keep you out of the public eye.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    I could tell she was only paying half attention Lava cookies tended to have this effect on Pok¨¦mon that are trying them for the first time. Seeing her cutely nibbling away I had a strong urge to pat Victini on her head. Which I promptly followed up on.


    ¡°¡­!?¡±


    ¡°Sorry you looked adorable like that. Those ears are warmer than I thought you really are a fire-type Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°All aboard! We are going back to Castelia City.¡±


    After finishing things up with Victini we left back the way we came. It took a while to fill the hole back up with all the dirt we displaced while tunneling. Victini helped us out with her confusion putting the stone tile back into its proper place. I also left a note inside the basement in case the elderly grandson came back to check up on her. Informing him that Victini is doing well and is going on her own adventure.


    Victini explained to me that refracting light does tire her out if she keeps it up long enough. So, I made some extra space in my backpack in case she needs to rest up. The unknown megastone, Rena¡¯s tiara, my stash of Lava cookies, the safety goggles I got as a gift, cleanse tag and ragecandybars couldn¡¯t be replaced. So, I had to do away with the suntan lotion and flashlight. It was one of those older models that couldn¡¯t keep a charge for long anyways.


    ¡°Now if you look to our left you can spot Virbank City streetlamps lighting up in the distance. The industrial heart of the Unova region. If you are looking to catch poison type for your team there is no better place to do so than in Virbank complex. That is where they separate crude oil into its various useful components. Making it a home for poison types you can¡¯t find anywhere else in the region.¡±


    That last part of his speech is meant for me. Since I was the only trainer on board. I appreciated the captain¡¯s sage advice even though I probably wouldn¡¯t ever use it.


    The boat sped along the dark waters until we could see Castelia City in the distance. Also alight with neon signs and streetlamps it made for a wonderous sight. ¡°See the outside world can be beautiful.¡± The other passengers looked at me like I was a weirdo talking to myself they didn¡¯t see the invisible Victini holding on to the railing also taking in the sight of the luminous city.


    After the ship made port at Liberty Pier, we made off towards the Pok¨¦mon center. Before anything else I still had to make an important phone call towards a certain professor. As my official sponsor he has a confidentially agreement with me regarding any and all new discoveries I make in the field. Technically Victini could be considered as such and if it was just the written agreement, I wouldn¡¯t have trusted him keeping the secret. However, he seemed like a stand-up guy whom you could trust with secrets especially since I haven¡¯t been outed yet in regard to being Alder¡¯s grandson.


    The Pok¨¦mon center was still bustling so I requested a private booth. Victini snuck inside my backpack and closed the zipper up from the inside. She was anxious being around all these unfamiliar people and Pok¨¦mon. ¡¯I should ask the professor if he can hire a professional to help her deal with all the mental traumas.¡¯ After ten minutes of waiting the private videophone booth opened up and I made my way inside with Victini Numsy and Rena being out their balls for additional emotional support.


    I dialed up the professor¡¯s number and waited for the call to come through. Eventually the Professor¡¯s face appeared on screen.


    ¡°Egon, what has you calling so late? My office hours are almost over.¡±


    ¡°Good evening professor, if it wasn¡¯t for an important reason, I would be sure to call at a more opportune time. I recently came across someone special whom I would like to introduce you to.¡±

 Chapter 12 - Show and Tell

    Chapter 12 ¨C Show and Tell


    ¡°A special someone you say? Now I am intrigued, show me this mysterious stranger of yours Egon.¡±


    I zipped open my bag and tried coaxing Victini out of her safe space.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Professor Juniper is a really nice person you can trust him. When this is over, we can all go out for ice cream. Castelia City is famous for its frozen desserts.¡±


    Slowly Victini emerged out of the backpack. First her pointy ears and then the rest of her body. Victini¡¯s shyness evident she used her small paws in an attempt to hide her face. Halfway through her reveal the professor started sporting a dead serious expression.


    ¡°Young man¡­ do you know what kind of Pok¨¦mon this is?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a Victini. We found her in Liberty Garden she¡¯s been living on that island for like a hundred years. We figured that we could bring her along for our journey to keep her company since her previous trainer isn¡¯t around anymore.¡±


    ¡°Can I go now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s okay keep listening in though. I am kind of out of my depth, so all your input is appreciated.¡±


    Victini disappeared back into my backpack. Comically her two ears are still sticking out.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ so professor I figured her being such a rare Pok¨¦mon it might land us in trouble if it became common knowledge that she is traveling with me. You are the only credited Pok¨¦mon professor I know personally that can keep a secret. What do you think I should do to minimize the risk?¡±


    The professor had a pondering look on his face before giving me a measured answer.


    ¡°A Victini¡­ I¡¯ve heard about such a Pok¨¦mon being described in ancient folktales. It is certainly my first time seeing one. You did well by calling me first before making any decisions. Yes, I would say generally it would be better to keep Victini out of the spotlight. There are many unscrupulous people who would prey on novice trainers like you in order to acquire such a valuable Pok¨¦mon. The path I would advise you to pursue is getting stronger as a trainer. When you have more experienced Pok¨¦mon to call upon in battle the risk of poachers taking her by force is reduced.¡±


    After the professor mentioned the risk of her being taken by poachers the ears sticking out of my backpack started trembling again. ¡®The first thing to do is help Victini improve her confidence and self-esteem. Before even considering putting her through any sort of training.¡¯


    The professor continued on.


    ¡°Now although I can¡¯t help but admit that I would love to study her in my lab. The focus of my research is Pok¨¦mon migratory patterns. However, I have someone in mind that is more knowledgeable on Pok¨¦mon myths and legends her recent dissertation paper was on the Origin of Pok¨¦mon so she should be more informed than an old coot like me.¡±


    ¡°That someone being your daughter professor?¡±


    Professor Juniper gives me this bewildered look.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that sir. I have a subscription to the Rustboro Science Monthly. Aurea Juniper has been making waves with her comments on the feasibility of resurrecting Pok¨¦mon fossils.¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ in any case, Aurea is currently on an archeological expedition near Route 4¡¯s desert resort as an advisory aide. Given the extenuating circumstances she will probably be willing to leave early to give you a summary overview of things to be mindful of while keeping company with such a unique Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°In regard to keeping Victini¡¯s anonymity. The best thing to do is to catch her with an unregistered pok¨¦ ball. These are generally illegal to use, but as this region¡¯s professor I am authorized to give you special dispensation for unique cases like this. You see Egon, the league association keeps records of every caught Pok¨¦mon by tagging all pok¨¦ balls sold in Unova. Then when a poke ball Is used the Pok¨¦mon caught gets it species, size and other unique traits registered. This is to prevent black market trading and helps identify each Pok¨¦mon that is being used for criminal activities. Too many officials have access to these files for me to comfortably let Victini get caught in a pok¨¦ ball sanctioned for official use. I will inform Aurea to bring an unregistered pok¨¦ ball with her when she comes to visit you in Castelia.¡±


    ¡°Also, from now on don¡¯t use public communication devices like these to contact me for sensitive matters. Our ruling government body keeps record of all public phone calls and is known to make security blunders now and again.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean Egon?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have an Xtransceiver.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Why didn¡¯t you just say so! I can put the discovery of long-lost Pok¨¦mon in your sponsory records and pay you enough pok¨¦dollars to afford the newest brand models.¡±


    I started getting this euphoric feeling. ¡®Finally¡­ my indiscriminate ways are paying off.¡¯


    Shaking off the disparaging side of my consciousness that was telling me this new Xtransceiver was due to me breaking and entering inside private property. I gratefully listened to the professor explaining how to use the cash machine inside the center to print out pok¨¦dollars using my lab associate account.


    The call concluded with the promise of me meeting up with his daughter tomorrow evening at the same Pok¨¦mon center. Victini levitated out of the bag and gave me demanding look. Without anything needing to be said I put my coat back on and we made our way towards Mode Street the birthplace of this city¡¯s famous Castelia cones.


    <hr>


    I woke up groggily assessing my situation. All my Pok¨¦mon are sharing my bed to sleep. Luckily there aren¡¯t any blanket stealers in my team. Numsy and Rena are out of their balls curled up around a certain rabbit-like Pok¨¦mon.


    Last night we went out on an ice cream run with Victini. After standing in line for like an hour. ¡¯Seriously what¡¯s up with that? An evening during wintertime and still everyone is lining up to get ice cream?¡¯ We finally got to order some Castelia cones. Asking the staff for their recommendation resulted in some sort of spicy ice cream mix made from yache and razz berries. Rena and Victini couldn¡¯t get enough of the stuff, but Numsy for the first time in his life refused to finish his cone. Naturally the ice cream makers in Unova never had a Numel come to their store before. Numsy was upset with me the whole way back until I promised him that the next time, we went out for treats he would get to have first pick of the available venues.


    We went to bed that night and surprisingly Victini couldn¡¯t sleep tossing and turning until the rest of my team decided enough was enough. Creeping up next to her to share their body warmth.


    ¡®The first time away from home is always the hardest. Thankfully I have some amazing Pok¨¦mon with me to keep her company.¡¯


    I used a trick my sister always used to get me up. Softly blowing inside the ears until their faces scrunched up.


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi Tini!¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°You ready for the day cuties? Today I get to buy my first ever Xtransceiver.¡±


    I made breakfast as usual but when it came to feeding Victini I was stumped. There were no dietary guidelines to follow at all. So, I plainly asked her what she usually likes to eat. Apparently, she survived by eating wild berries that grow on the island and raiding the sole vending machine near the light house for sugary snacks.


    ¡°Hmm okay, it¡¯s important we find a well-balanced diet for you to enjoy. Don¡¯t expect to eat sugary snacks on the regular. Those are best saved for special occasions.¡±


    ¡°Tini Vi Vi!¡± ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry it¡¯s going to be okay. I am a deft hand at figuring out what flavors a Pok¨¦mon likes or dislikes. You won¡¯t even miss the sugar once we picked out a meal plan for you.¡±


    With this new inflow of cash from Professor Juniper I finally have enough dough to experiment with flavors, but for now I asked Numsy to share some of his food with Victini. Just until we can get to the market.


    <hr>


    ¡°So, yer saying you need me to come up with a meal plan for psychic/fire type Pok¨¦mon?


    What do you have there like a delphox?¡±


    The old man at the farmer¡¯s market was being very helpful. He saw me floundering around trying to measure different stuff until he couldn¡¯t take it anymore and stepped in to help me.


    ¡®Yes, that¡¯s a good excuse.¡¯ A braixen actually, my braixen is close to evolving and now I need to account for the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s growing psychic abilities.¡±


    ¡°Then what you need is a healthy dose of calcium to be added to her regular diet. For that added brain power. Next every canine Pok¨¦mon needs some sort of protein supplementing their regular diet I would recommend you try out our store¡¯s ¡°Mystery meat¡±.¡± What flavors does the little fox usually like to eat?¡±


    ¡°She uhm¡­ has an appetite for the sweeter things in life.¡±


    ¡°Well than you want to mix some type of sweet tasting berry to the regular brand. What would you like? We have Pecha, Mago and Magost. I even have some Custap berry in the back if you really want to spoil that Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for the help. And yes, I would like to order enough of those berries for a month at least. Leave out the mystery meat though since I already have that product. Just ring me up for the extra calcium powder and berries no custap though. We don¡¯t want her getting too spoiled for choice.¡±


    Suddenly I felt an invisible force pinching my cheeks. I was so surprised that I let out a very unmanly sounding yelp. The culprit let out tiny squeaking noises inside my backpack.


    ¡°You know what? Leave out the sweet berries and fill my order up with the bitterest and oldest Rawst berries you can find.¡±


    This time the pinching grew more fervent accompanied by little invisible hands pulling on my hair.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame only well-behaved Pok¨¦mon get sweet tasting berries.¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    The store owner finally noticing what¡¯s going on by the rustling of my hair decides to play along.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame indeed those sweet berries are as fresh as they come just shipped in this morning. The rawst berries you want¡­ you don¡¯t mind if they¡¯re a bit moldy do you?¡±


    The pinching stopped followed up by Victini¡¯s urgent mind linking with my own.


    ¡°No moldy berries, yuck!¡±


    When linked like this she could easily read my surface thoughts.


    ¡®Are you going to be good? Those Custap berries are extremely rare and will cost almost triple the amount of a somewhat regular berry. You can have one every other week else my sponsor will start asking questions.¡¯


    ¡°Okay hmpfff.¡±


    I give the store owner a wink letting him know he played his part perfectly before handing over the payment for all those extra ingredients. I was glad that Victini was already coming out of her shell bit by bit. My team really bonded with her overnight. Especially Rena was acting like an older sister even though Victini is at least 94 years her senior.


    After we were done grocery shopping our next destination is a local hardware store where they sell all sorts of gizmo¡¯s including Xtransceivers. We walked inside Numsy deciding to stay out this time. The counter was manned by a sleepy salesclerk who greeted me on entering and promptly went back into a daze. Upon further inspection of this store, I can see all sorts of interesting items. Bicycles, Camping gear, Explorer kits and I could even see a pok¨¦ flute. All sorts of key items that can be useful for a trainer¡¯s Journey. The thing I specifically came looking for was all the way in the back Xtransceivers.


    The cheapest models were around 20.000 pok¨¦dollars. The name brand ones freshly released this year cost upwards to around 60.000. Which is coincidentally the amount the professor awarded me for rediscovering Victini. If I could get a decent model at a mid-price range with all the features, I need on it then I¡¯d be satisfied.


    ¡°Excuse me miss. What model would you recommend for a traveling trainer?¡±


    Clearly startled the salesclerk woke up from her daze and rushed to accommodate me and walk me trough all the models.


    ¡°Well sir, most of our cheaper models are not water resistant so those won¡¯t last during rainstorms. It also depends on what type of Pok¨¦mon you frequently encounter. Shock resistant Xtransceivers are insulated against your typical fare electric shocks. In case sir tends to work with fire types our flame retardant models might work better for you.¡±


    The last part she said while eying Numsy who is still walking beside me.


    ¡°Of course, we also have satellite connectivity options for trainers that like to wander off route. For the seafaring trainers we have Xtransceivers that are completely waterproof.¡±


    ¡°Uhm what would you recommend for the average fire type specialist that likes to wander off route and go spelunking every once in a while?¡±


    ¡°For those trainers I¡¯d recommend this model. It has satellite connectivity; a signal booster, is flame retardant and water resistant. It also comes with a one-year warranty. At the reasonable pricing of 39.000 pok¨¦dollars.¡±


    "I¡¯ll take it. Does it come in red? And do you also sell torches? I could use a couple of those."


    I walked out of the store with three torches that last for one hour each and a brand-new wristwatch phone for only 39.750. ¡®I can finally call everyone; Phoebe and Flannery must be angry not hearing from me for over two months.


    The last time I talked with Phoebe she was participating in the ace circuit. I know exactly where Flannery is though she had to sit out this circuit because Mr. Moore thinks she is too much of a klutz to travel alone without supervision. In this case I had to agree with him. She can¡¯t prepare meals for her Pok¨¦mon without cutting her fingers and her inability to read a map still confounds me. ¡®How did she manage to get her license when navigating is part of the curriculum?¡¯ In any case she was betting that her grandfather would let her go if I traveled together with her this year. Naturally she was indignant when I told her of my plans to travel to Unova. ¡®I should get her a souvenir when I return.¡¯


    With all the important stuff done for the day I take my team to visit the famous battle company. Their building is located just off central plaza, and they let trainers make use of two of their floors to gain some battle experience against their working staff. The worker¡¯s Pok¨¦mon get some exercise this way instead of having to sit still while their trainers slaved away doing paperwork. Wager battles aren¡¯t allowed though but with my recent windfall I felt less pressure to earn more money. This would also be an excellent way to show Victini what sportsmanlike battling is like.


    ¡°Okay guys the plan is to show Victini how we do battles. No trash talking and hitting under the belt. These Pok¨¦mon need all the exercise they can get. So don¡¯t end the fight early when it turns out your opponent is a chump.¡±


    ¡°Chumps¡­?¡±


    ¡°Uhm yeah¡­ so you have these trainers that treat their circuit journey like a vacation from their parents and school. They tend to hang around in the beginner areas catching multiple wurples and zigzagoon without moving on. Here in Unova they¡¯d probably have a different name for them. Anyway, I tend to to call any trainer that doesn¡¯t put in effort raising his Pok¨¦mon the C word.¡±


    ¡°¡­but don¡¯t emulate me, okay? Calling trainers chumps is bad and I am quitting too if you see me using the word, call me out on it and I¡¯ll owe you a berry.¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Pix pix!¡±


    ¡°Okay okay¡­ The same goes for you guys.¡±


    Those two are sporting smug looks as if I already owe them a plate full of berries. ¡¯I can hold my tongue when I want to okay?¡¯


    We entered the building, and the receptionist directed us to the 47<sup>th</sup> floor and the 55<sup>th</sup> floor. The areas designated for the public to come visit. The battle company manufactured battlefields for the whole of Unova. Pok¨¦mon battling being the most popular pastime activity in the whole world. Their clients ranged from gym leaders to eccentric rich folk. This company made a killing from building battlefields for the yearly Ventress conference. Naturally their own battle facilities are top notch.


    ¡®This open battle invitation for all passing trainers might be a great PR move. How can clients trust workers that don¡¯t participate in battle themselves?¡¯


    We ascended straight to the 55<sup>th</sup> floor. Walking inside after the elevator doors opened revealed a high-tech battlefield hooked up to all sorts of measuring instruments. The hall is fairly crowded with employees and trainers alike.


    ¡°Greetings young trainer are you here to participate in the open challenge invitation?¡±


    The man who spoke to me is an older fellow sporting an impressive moustache. The way he carried himself belied his humble clothes sporting a patched up janitorial outfit. His station however did not seem to affect his mood having an amused twinkle in his eyes.


    ¡°Yes sir, my team and I heard about the open invitation and since there are so few places to have battles in the city, we thought to check it out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just perfect young man. It just so happens that a spot opened up how¡¯s about you and me have ourselves a match?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m up for a match sir, but could we make a two versus two battle? I don¡¯t have that many Pok¨¦mon yet.¡±


    ¡°Great suggestion youngster I only have two myself you see.¡±


    We made our way towards the opposing stands on the battlefield. The current field is a plain one filled to the edges with loose grit. Perfect for your everyday battling.


    One of the company employees acted as a referee while his colleagues are busy monitoring the match on their hardware.


    ¡°Go Rena!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s give em a surprise Trubbish!¡±


    Our opponent revealed his first Pok¨¦mon trubbish.


    Trubbish, the Trash Bag Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Trubbish prefer to live in dirty places like garbage dumps. It is said they were born when a chemical reaction occurred between an abandoned trash bag and industrial waste. Wanting more garbage, they follow people who litter. They always belch poison gas.


    ¡°Be wary of its toxic attacks Rena start off with Sunny day!¡±


    ¡°Use Acid Spray!¡±


    Trubbish belched out a lump of acid straight towards Rena while she put the sun up. Trubbish¡¯ attack hit singing Rena¡¯s fur with its acid. Meanwhile the field monitors read our move and in anticipation the rooftop of the building opened up and let the sunshine come through.


    ¡®Man, these battlefields are awesome I should really get these guys to do some work for me if I ever get my own place.¡¯


    ¡°Rena hit em with Incinerate!¡±


    ¡°Toxic spikes!¡±


    The harsh sunlight upped our firepower so much that incinerate formed 5 balls of fire simultaneously two more than usual. Before Rena could fire off her attack the Trubbish launched poisonous caltrops all over the field which buried themselves deeply ready to set off when the fields combined weight changed. Rena¡¯s move hit causing massive amounts of damage melting off some of trubbish¡¯ outer skin.


    The janitor didn¡¯t bother having his trubbish try to dodge our attacks. ¡®Being generally a slow-moving species, he is correctly playing to this poison type¡¯s strength.¡¯


    ¡°Finish it with ember!¡±


    ¡°Trubbish poison gas!¡±


    The ember hit true finishing off the janitor¡¯s trubbish but not before it could envelop the field with its poison gas. Rena inhaled some of it poisoning her in the process.


    ¡°We are on a timer Rena let¡¯s finish off his second Pok¨¦mon just as quick!¡±


    ¡°Ho Ho! that¡¯s the spirit youngster but we are not going down that easily.¡±


    He recalled his fainted trubbish and released his second pokemon a Mincinno.


    Minccino, the Chinchilla Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      A clean freak that will not allow even the slightest mess, it uses its tail like a mop to thoroughly clean any and all filth. When its tail has gotten dirty from self-cleaning or from cleaning its nest, Minccino spends a whole day washing its tail in clean spring water.


    ¡°Rena let¡¯s do this! start off with plan 4!¡±


    ¡°Baby-Doll eyes!¡±


    Plan 4 was hitting our opponent with confuse ray. Confuse ray was an interesting move but if the opponent sees it coming its effectiveness is reduced drastically. They can close their eyes before the flash of light hits them. Them leading off with baby-doll eyes basically guaranteed the confusion would take hold.


    And so, it did the flash bang vulpix sent out completely countered their move. Temporarily blinded from the confuse ray Mincinno left itself wide open. ¡®Let¡¯s finish this up.¡¯


    ¡°Quick attack Rena!¡±


    My vulpix ran with blazing speed giving a full body blow to our opponent¡¯s Pok¨¦mon. Quick attack was one of those moves we trained extensively. That kind of speed will always be invaluable in any sort of encounter. What happened next though I didn¡¯t plan for.


    ¡°Punish them use tail slap!¡±


    Even though the janitor¡¯s Mincinno is blinded it somehow knew exactly where my vulpix was. Its tail found its target as it barraged Rena with a 4-hit combo. The tail acted like it had a mind of its own instinctually finding all her weak spots.


    Rena was laying down weakened from the poison and hurt badly by those tail slaps she received. I made the call to recall her before the poison exacerbated her condition.


    ¡°Return!¡±


    ¡°How...!?¡±


    ¡°My Mincinno¡¯s ability is called technician even when blinded she knows exactly where to hit for maximum damage.¡±


    ¡®They are already this far along with training up their Pok¨¦mon¡¯s ability? I guess this man is no chump.¡¯


    ¡°Berry!¡±


    ¡®What are you doing reading my thoughts! Get out of here I am in the middle of a battle.¡¯


    ¡°Go Numsy!¡±


    My little yellow camel materialized on my side of the field but was quickly struck by the toxic spikes shooting upwards from the soil. Now poisoned as well, we had to quickly settle this match. Luckily the Janitor¡¯s mincinno was still temporarily blinded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s avoid getting close Numsy bulldoze!¡±


    ¡°My Mincinno doesn¡¯t need its sight to hit her target. Use swift!¡±


    There were no obstacles Numsy could use to block those star-shaped rays. Luckily Numsy is a bit hardier than Rena so he should be able to take a hit or three. While under barrage he performed his bulldoze admirably shaking up the field. Mincinno still dazzled complete lost its balance and fell face down into the dirt.


    ¡°Perfect finish it with lava plume!¡±


    Numsy erupted dousing the battlefield with scarlet flames. Their intensity magnified by sunny day¡¯s effect. Dazed lying on the ground Mincinno has no chance of dodging.


    So, I wasn¡¯t surprised when before the flames could hit Mincinno was recalled into its pok¨¦ ball by its trainer. Letting your Pok¨¦mon sustain unnecessary injury is pointless when the battle is already lost most responsible trainers would do the same. As a result, the flames flooded the field harmlessly.


    Withdrawing your Pok¨¦mon is a valid strategy but loses you the match when it¡¯s your last one. The employees declared my victory and the field reset itself. The roof closing back up to protect us from the elements.


    The man approached me and my struggling Pok¨¦mon. Numsy was still afflicted with poison. As was Rena so I determined going to the pokemon center straight away was the prudent thing to do. Before I had a chance to recall Numsy inside his ball the janitor called out to me.


    ¡°Ho there young trainer. Let me fix up your pokemon before you leave. It¡¯s the least I could do after such an interesting battle.¡±


    The Janitor brought out a couple of pecha berries. ¡°Here give these to your Pok¨¦mon it should help counteract the poison from my Trubbish.¡±


    Grateful for his gift I let out Rena from her ball and had the two of them eat the pecha berries the older gentleman offered me. Numsy was in a well enough state that he could feed himself, but Rena had to be fed by hand. Normally Pok¨¦mon can recover somewhat on their own while in their poke balls, but Rena being afflicted by poison didn¡¯t have the chance to do so.


    ¡°Vuuuul¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay you did amazing. It¡¯s our first time coming up against a poison type. We¡¯ll work on a way to counter such methods for the next time. That Mincinno also caught me by surprise I will account for Pok¨¦mon having developed their abilities in our future battles. Also, great work Numsy you really improved on using lava plume. That move will probably become one of your staples.¡±


    Numsy didn¡¯t respond too enamoured with eating his pecha berry.


    ¡°Well young man, thank you for helping us test out our indoor field¡¯s capability in automatically adjusting for the use of weather moves. Not many trainers are willing to spend time in battle adjusting the field for their benefit. Here¡¯s my card if you are ever in need of our services don¡¯t hesitate to call.¡±


    Geoff


    Owner and CEO


    XXX-XXXXXXX


    The Battle Company


    Castelia City


    ¡®All old man janitors are secretly big shots I knew it!¡¯


    <hr>


    We arrived at the Pok¨¦mon center on time for our meeting with Aurea Juniper I left Numsy and Rena in the care of Nurse Joy while I freshened up and answered any of Victini¡¯s questions about what she just witnessed.


    ¡°Are my new friends going to be okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re fine a half hour with Nurse Joy, and they¡¯ll be right as rain.¡±


    ¡°Do you do that often getting into fights?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah¡­ Pok¨¦mon like to get stronger, and we humans love to watch exciting matches between trainers. Pok¨¦mon battle against each other in the wild all the time. You know to impress potential mates and protect their territory even just to get some exercise in. So, this sort of sporting event just seems natural to them.¡±


    ¡°Why with human trainers?¡±


    ¡°When a human and a Pok¨¦mon form close bonds the Pok¨¦mon grows exponentially stronger. It¡¯s why some Pok¨¦mon seek out human trainers on their own. The famous professor Oak did a lot of research on this. For me it feels nice having friends that I can always trust be by my side. I can share anything with my trusted partners and in return they do the same.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Can I have my berry please?¡±


    ¡®This girl¡­¡¯


    A knocking sound is heard from our door, and Victini makes herself scarce before I open the door. The person standing in the center hallway is a young looking brunette in casual wear if I had to guess she should be around 25 years old. She had the prettiest seafoam eyes I¡¯ve ever seen and has a mature atmosphere to her.


    ¡®Oh, there are the hormones. I wondered when puberty would start to rear it¡¯s pimply head.¡¯


    ¡°Hello, are you Egon from Lavaridge town?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and you must be Professor Juniper¡¯s daughter please come in.¡±

 Chapter 13 - Blast from the Past

    Chapter 13 ¨C Blast from the Past


    ¡°Yes, my name is Aurea Juniper nice to meet you. My father told me about you, the trainer from Hoenn that can¡¯t compete in the Vertress conference but still decided to start his journey in Unova regardless.¡±


    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s me plain old trainer from Hoenn looking to make his mark here in Unova.¡±


    ¡°The next part of our conversation is best kept private, may I?¡± She motioned her hand to indicate her request for entering the room.


    ¡°Yeah, sure come in.¡±


    We entered inside, this room was a small one only having a single bunkbed meant for traveling trainers to share. Luckily the center isn¡¯t overbooked so I could stay here by myself tonight. She takes a look around before nestling herself on the other side of the lower bunkbed.


    ¡°In preparation for this meeting I collected all of the loose myths and legends mentioning Victini and put them in this comprehensive folder. There isn¡¯t much information out there about this Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t kidding the file she brought up on her datapad was only about one hundred words. I pieced together the most important bits.


    Victini is a mythical Pok¨¦mon that is said to radiate energy from its body. When Pok¨¦mon or people come into contact with that energy, it fills up their bodies, and they exhibit more power than usual. This Pok¨¦mon brings victory. It is said that Trainers with Victini always win, regardless of the type of encounter.


    ¡®Some type of special energy that makes people and Pok¨¦mon stronger?¡¯


    ¡°Do you want me to¡­?¡±


    ¡®No thanks if we don¡¯t earn our victories in fair competition then what¡¯s the point? My partners have worked hard to make it this far. I don¡¯t want to belittle their achievements or other trainers¡¯ effort by relying on your power.¡¯


    Feelings of relief flooded our connection. Before me and Victini could hash out her issues I was interrupted by Aurea¡¯s next set of questions.


    ¡°Egon I must ask where did you encounter this Pok¨¦mon? Maybe it¡¯s origin can shed more light on this enigma. Also, I would very much like to meet Victini if possible.¡±


    ¡®¡­She seems like a decent sort would you mind showing yourself to her?¡¯


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The clasps on my backpack opened themselves and out popped Victini. She quickly floated her way behind my back while grasping the hem of my shirt. Her head sticking out while looking back at Aurea.


    Her timid behavior coupled with those disproportionate big blue eyes invokes a feeling of protectiveness in a certain demographic of people. Judging by Aurea¡¯s reaction it seems she was one of those people.


    "Oh Arceus! Aren¡¯t you just the cutest little thing. Would you mind if big sister here pats those adorable ears of yours?"


    Both me and Victini are completely stunned from the change in her personality. The formerly business-like woman now exhibiting behavior more appropriate for a teenage girl. As Aurea inched closer to Victini I sensed the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s distress. Normally I wouldn¡¯t intervene because I was also guilty of patting her head numerous times, but something about doing it during their very first time meeting seemed overly familiar to me. I resolved to put a stop to her approach.


    ¡°Professor Juniper, Victini is rather shy around strangers perhaps it would be best to let her get accustomed to your presence first?¡±


    Being addressed so formally seemed to pull her out of her earlier behavior. She sat back on her spot of the bed and removed the creases on her lab coat.


    ¡°Ehem you are right of course. I offer my sincerest apologies for my inappropriate conduct. It is my first time seeing such a unique looking Pok¨¦mon and I nearly forgot myself. Now to harken back to my earlier question where did you find this miraculous Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    I regaled her with the story of my meeting with Victini without mentioning the breaking and entering. The secret basement, sticking around to play with all the novelty toys and playsets, Victini eventually revealing herself to come play with us finally culminating in the story of her previous trainer.


    Aurea is an attentive listener only breaking up my story a couple of times to ask for further details.


    ¡°And the groundskeeper just allowed you to walk into the light house?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really ask him the door was unlocked and I assumed it was just part of the viewing experience.¡±


    ¡°Really? I have been on that boat tour before. I am pretty sure they give out these flyers warning people to stay out the light house.¡±


    ¡®Darn this is why I can¡¯t deal with the high IQ types. Can¡¯t tell a story without them poking out the holes in my narrative.¡¯


    At this time a knocking sound emanated from the door.


    ¡°Excuse me, trainer Egon your Pok¨¦mon have fully recovered would you mind picking them up from our front desk?¡±


    ¡°Yes of course, I¡¯ll come over right away!¡±


    ¡°Can you wait here for a minute? I need to retrieve my team members.¡±


    She seemed willing to let the matter rest for now. Getting a nod from her I rushed downstairs.


    Pok¨¦mon centers are like veterinarian offices mixed with youth hostels. All the medical facilities are located downstairs while the upper floors are where all the younger trainers crash on the league¡¯s dime. I made it to the front desk, and a Nurse Joy handed me my Pok¨¦mon back before promptly going back to work. I¡¯ve been hanging around this place for a while now so the nurse in charge didn¡¯t ask for my trainer¡¯s license this time. I clipped the pok¨¦ balls to my nifty belt with magnets knitted on the inside and made my way back up to my room. Victini was hiding under the blankets while an overeager Aurea was observing her frantic actions and taking notes.


    Luckily the sudden lull in our conversation left us switching to another topic.


    ¡°If Victini¡¯s power is as described by these ancient texts than there is no limit to the number of organizations that would want to capture her for their own nefarious uses. I''m sure that the noble who built this underground room for Victini was sincerely trying to help it. But I think shutting the poor thing up in this room was a mistake. Making sure no one misuses Victini''s powers is now your duty!¡±


    She started fishing out something out of her carry all. A pok¨¦ ball it looked like one of those premier balls the Devon corporation hands out to customers who buy balls in bulk but instead of a red line etching the clasp this one was black.


    ¡°Here you go one unregistered pok¨¦ ball. The unique coloring is for law enforcing purposes. The police will know that this is a legal unregistered pok¨¦ ball. Letting them know that they would need a warrant in order to have access to this ball.¡±


    She handed over this unique looking capturing device. I take hold of it and promptly drop it inside my bag.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to use it?¡±


    ¡°I never really asked Victini if she would like to become my Pok¨¦mon. Me and my team just sort of decided it would be better for her to experience the outside world. Letting her make a decision on her own on what goals she would like to pursue is part of that.¡±


    ¡°I want to stay with Egon!¡±


    She projected that thought outwards this time. Making sure Juniper knows that she wouldn¡¯t accept another trainer. The commotion also pulled out my sleeping Pok¨¦mon out of their balls. This weird habit of theirs would become troublesome once they¡¯ve evolved.


    ¡°Num num¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    My Pok¨¦mon are looking at me like I am an idiot. They made sure to let me understand that Victini is already part of our little family.


    ¡°My my, if this is how much your Pok¨¦mon care about you than I can rest easy.¡±


    Victini rummaged around in my backpack before eventually finding what she was looking for. The ball floated out of the backpack and into my hand. She started looking at me waiting for something staying eerily quiet.


    Rena gave me a small huff letting me know what kind of dunce her trainer is.


    ¡°Victini, are you willing to be my partner?¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Yes.¡±


    I tapped the ball on her crown and watched as she got sucked inside. The ball started shaking in my arms until I heard the familiar gotcha sound the ball makes after a successful capture.


    ¡°I caught a Victini!¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    Perfect execution you guys especially you Numsy. I didn¡¯t know you stand on your hind legs like that.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing! Shouting out Victini¡¯s name like that do you want to expose her!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s kind of a thing all of us do every time we catch ourselves a new friend.¡±


    Victini popped out of her pok¨¦ ball and made a peace sign with her claws. Her adorable appearance mollifying Aurea somewhat.


    ¡°Egon I¡¯d like to observe Victini for a couple of weeks. Would you mind if I followed you and your team around?¡±


    Victini upon hearing the word observe got reminded that Aurea is still in the room, and she quickly hid behind my back again.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s okay¡­? I was planning on catching another fire type. I still need a third Pok¨¦mon for my match with Burgh.¡±


    ¡®¡­!¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t mind her. Consider this training to get used to new people and Pok¨¦mon. You can¡¯t make friends if you are too shy to talk to them.¡¯


    ¡°That works out perfectly. The archeological expedition I am a part of happens to be located in an area known for harboring wild darumaka. I can still be part of the expedition while you get a chance to catch a new Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°My gym battle is scheduled to be held twelve days from now on. Do I still have enough time to make it back by then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, route 4 is adjacent to Castelia City. Our expedition site is just off the route. It shouldn¡¯t take long to get there. I have the expeditions¡¯ all-terrain vehicle on loan the ride will take maybe half a day and some extra. Let¡¯s go in the morning.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    I wasn¡¯t as enthused to get railroaded into going on an expedition in the hot sands of the desert resort. I hate sand it gets everywhere add in my sweat to the mix and it takes multiple showers to get myself completely clean. ¡¯On the other hand¡­ I could use this opportunity for something else that I have been looking forward to for a while.¡¯


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    ¡®Well, there¡¯s this Pok¨¦mon that¡¯s living deep down inside that buried city. Ugh¡­ never mind our journey won¡¯t be as fun if I plan everything out like this.¡¯


    ¡°By the frequent drops in our conversation I would guess that Victini is having telepathic conversations with you from time to time?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we are sorry for being rude. Yes, she does like to poke around inside my head from time to time. She is actually very curious about the outside world. If you are looking to garner her attention, talking to her about interesting trivia is the best way.¡±


    ¡°That is fascinating. Most psychic types that I know like to hoard knowledge. That she is not exempt from these typical personality traits is very interesting. Yes, I asked if you wanted to have dinner with me later, I personally have not yet had the chance to visit Hoenn. I am curious about the type of Pok¨¦mon that live there.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Mt. Pyre is the absolute worst! So many ghost types looking to prank unsuspecting visitors. If you are there to pay your respects do so quickly and get out. My grandpa is friends with the couple that runs the place. The family has developed such nerves of steel that the ghost Pok¨¦mon don¡¯t see them as attractive targets, but that disinterest doesn¡¯t extend to visitors. All their pranking and cheap thriller scares are used on me. Every year I had to accompany my grandfather starting when I became seven years old.¡±


    ¡°You poor thing there there.¡± Aurea lays a hand of compassion on my shoulder.


    ¡°So, would you say that you have some experience dealing with ghost types? Our expedition is currently held up because the place we are surveying is haunted by yamask and cofagrigus.¡±


    ¡°No not really my friend Phoebe is the best when it comes to dealing with ghost types. She specializes in training them and is already making headway into the ace circuit. Phoebe is the granddaughter of that elderly couple I mentioned earlier. She lives on Mt. Pyre when not competing during the off season.¡±


    ¡°Really? Do you have her number? We could really use someone like her for our expedition. The archeology team can¡¯t get deeper without someone to help deal with the roaming ghost types.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ doesn¡¯t Unova have their own ghost type specialists? Any spirit channelers or mediums native to the region you can ask? Elite four Shauntal also trains ghost types exclusively I believe.¡±


    ¡°We do but they have been reluctant in helping us. They only step in when ghost types become an active threat. Shauntal is a writer by trade, and so she isn¡¯t available for hire.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I can give her a call so you can at least get a second opinion. Let me warn you though she can be very mercurial, and money isn¡¯t really a motivator for her since their family is loaded.¡±


    I shift through my backpack in search for the sticky note where I write all the numbers from friends and family on. ¡®I should really just put these numbers in my contact list. Then again, I¡¯ve only had this Xtransceiver for a single day.¡¯ Finally managing to find the correct number I attempt to call Phoebe¡¯s pok¨¦gear with my Xtransceiver. Pok¨¦gears don¡¯t have video phone compatibility, so the call is just audio.


    ¡°¡¯Hello...?¡¯


    ¡°Phoebe it¡¯s me Egon. I just bought myself an Xtransceiver.¡±


    ¡°Oh, little Egon nice to know you finally decided to give in and buy a phone just like the rest of us.¡±


    ¡®This is why I can¡¯t deal with her.¡¯


    ¡°What little¡­? I¡¯ll have you know that I got my trainer¡¯s license this year and am already on my circuit run in Unova. Just because you are five years older doesn¡¯t mean that you are more mature.¡±


    ¡°Unova, you say? Have you already caught any new Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    ¡°No, I am going for quality over quantity for now Numsy and Rena are enough to win myself some badges.¡±


    ¡°This is why I am the better trainer between the two of us. It¡¯s all about catching as many as you can.¡±


    ¡°Really? Says the girl who caught two banettes three dusclops and a single sableye. I am impressed by the variety of Pok¨¦mon in your team.¡±


    ¡°And a Frosslass! Thanks for the tip by the way. Glacia was fuming at the mouth when she first became aware that I figured out her secret evolution method.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no problem. Anyway, there¡¯s this archeological excavation going on in Unova right now. The researchers have been having troubles with wild ghost types disrupting their progress. I told one of their members about my friend who is good with ghost types. Now they want to bring you on board to help them out.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Egon I usually don¡¯t mix friendship with work. Traveling all the way to Unova seems like a hassle.¡±


    ¡°There are a couple of bigwigs from the local league association mixed in the group. Maybe you can even catch some of those ghosts they¡¯ve been having trouble with. I am pretty sure you don¡¯t have a yamask or cofagrigus on your team.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it. Just have one of their associates call me with an offer. Anyways when¡¯s your next visit? Our Misdreavus really wants you to come spend the night again.¡±


    ¡°Never! And you can tell that banshee to choose some other poor sap to haunt.¡±


    Phoebe was clearly experiencing some kind of schadenfreude from my trauma, inferring from the giggling sound I am hearing on the other end. Just like one of her ghost types would. ¡®Probably growing up around ghosts has rubbed off some of their personality traits onto her.¡¯


    ¡°You are lucky I am mature enough to separate my feelings for ghost types from my feelings for you. Not many people can withstand their relentless pranking.¡±


    ¡°Aww I care about you too Egg. As soon as you come back from the Unovan circuit I¡¯ll test how much you and your Pok¨¦mon have grown. Ciao.¡±


    The girl hung up on me just before I could do the same to her.


    ¡°I am sorry for my outburst Aurea that that girl keeps testing my boundaries. Phoebe might be interested in helping, but not for a monetary compensation. She would likely want a free pass for catching Unovan ghost types.¡±


    Aurea let out a small huff. ¡°That is going to be difficult letting foreigners catch Unovan native Pok¨¦mon always comes with lots of paperwork. My father could get her a catching permit, but he will have to justify himself afterwards. Our league association still has some xenophobic elements inside. I am sure that in four more years this won¡¯t be such an issue anymore granted that the other regions become more permissible with their restrictions as well.¡±


    The meal was mostly pleasant after that. Aurea was a most excellent conversational partner. Her knowledge of Pok¨¦mon ancestry and fossils was very enlightening for a layman trainer like me.


    ¡°So, you believe Blaine from cinnabar island is the closest to developing a working resurrection machine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, although the resurrected Pok¨¦mon will not have any recollections of their time during the period when they were alive. Also, they would be infertile not able to produce eggs of their own.¡±


    ¡°Interesting and you are working on something similar?¡±


    ¡°Well, that is the whole reason I joined this research expedition in the first place. They need someone with a degree in paleontology to make sure no fossils are damaged in the process. Samples taken from the sediment layers in that area indicate that this will be a prime spot for excavating fossils.¡±


    The dinner concluded and we both went our separate ways. Aurea back to her hotel room in the city and me back up to my center dorm room. Victini still couldn¡¯t sleep alone comfortably so I made plans with my team to sleep beside her on rotation this night¡¯s turn belonged to Numsy. The little camel not minding at all to keep our resident psychic rabbit company for the night.


    ¡°Night night¡±


    ¡°Num num¡±


    ¡°Tini Vi¡±


    <hr>


    Early in the morning I got forced out of bed by a peppy future regional professor. Her loud knocking waking up Numsy, Victini and myself.


    ¡°What are you doing? it¡¯s like 5 AM in the morning.¡±


    ¡°For my observational records it¡¯s important to document every waking moment of Victini¡¯s daily life.¡±


    ¡°Well, we usually wake up at around seven in the morning¡­ Do you want to have breakfast with us?¡±


    ¡°Yes please.¡±


    As it turns out Aurea is also a trainer. Not a serious one but she did have a Pok¨¦mon on hand. Her Mincinno enjoyed breakfast with us. Rena was a bit wary of the chinchilla Pok¨¦mon probably due to losing her previous battle against CEO Geoff¡¯s Mincinno. Victini enjoyed her meal with gusto the sweet tasting berries doing wonders for her appetite. Even though Aurea was also having breakfast she kept fervently glancing at Victini while taking notes.


    ¡°So, Aurea what do you intend to do with all the observational data you are gathering?¡±


    ¡°I am glad you asked Egon. After getting permission from my father, I aspire to write my own Pok¨¦dex entry about Victini.¡±


    ¡°Really!? Won¡¯t that spill the beans to the public?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a hidden entry until the trainer in question scans an actual Victini. I always thought that all the Unovan Pok¨¦dex entries had already been filled. Now that I have my own chance at contributing to this repository of knowledge, I can get my name up there with the researchers that paved the way for us all.¡±


    ¡°Sounds cool. When do we leave?¡±


    ¡°As soon as your Pok¨¦mon finish breakfast.¡±


    We watched Victini try to shove a whole magost berry in her mouth successfully I might add. Her cheeks puffing up to accommodate the piece of fruit that was almost as big as her whole head.


    ¡°Fascinating, Victini is able to expand the available space in her mouth. Just like some other rodent Pok¨¦mon that we know of.¡±


    ¡°Aurea, I think she might be cheating by using confusion to cut the berry up into manageable pieces inside her mouth.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± ¡°Vi...?!¡±


    Victini started to spasm uncontrollably while making high pitched sounds. Knowing what this is I walk towards the sink in the bathroom to get her a glass of water.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk while you are eating large amounts of food at once! Even young children know how to avoid getting the hiccups. Drink this glass of water.¡±


    ¡°I am the oldest!¡± ¡°Vi Vi!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes you are. Now hold your breath and swallow three times.¡±


    <hr>


    We finished up at the Pok¨¦mon center Victini¡¯s new ball hanging on the inside of my jacket. I also donned my safety goggles. Route 4 is known for its spontaneous dust devils, and I didn¡¯t fancy getting sand in my eyes. I would¡¯ve taped off every nook and cranny of my apparel to avoid the sand getting inside, but that would take too long and keep Aurea waiting.


    We walked together towards the parking lot of her hotel where the SUV was parked. Victini seemed to prefer being outside her pok¨¦ ball sometimes floating around invisibly taking in all the new sights, other times she could be found holed up inside my backpack. After a while we finally made it to her fancy hotel the valet ready and waiting to bring her SUV around.


    The drive out of the city was completely traffic free. Not many people used cars to move around Pok¨¦mon showing their usefulness even in the transport of people and goods. Senior citizens especially those in Unova ride sawsbuck from place to place. There are many exceptions of course. Children and younger trainers seemed to prefer riding stoutland. The most shocking encounter for me was seeing this hipster guy riding around on a grumpy looking Scolipede. ¡®How is that even considered safe? All those venomous barbs¡­ I bet this Scolipede¡¯s ability is poison point.¡¯


    The vehicles we did see are mostly people driving trucks and busses. Which made sense. I haven¡¯t seen Pok¨¦mon of the size required to carry large enough loads to stock supermarkets.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°A traffic sign. When the light on the sign turns green, we can go forward.¡±


    ¡°And that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bus stop. People gather there to be picked up and transported to places somewhere in the city.¡±


    Victini was busy firing off questions at a rapid pace. No longer did she feel the need to act guarded around me. Which certainly was an improvement I have infinite patience for all her little quirks. It reminded me much of myself when I saw my very first Pok¨¦mon.


    Aurea obviously amused by the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s antics decided to drive extra slowly to let Victini take in all the sights. She wasn¡¯t a participant in Victini¡¯s telepathic communication with me, but based on my answers I figure she could make an accurate guess to what the topic of our conversation was.


    We finally made it out of the city. Route 4 is one big sandbox, but there are traces of civilization here. The beginnings of a road are being built the goal being to connect the two cities of Castelia and Nimbasa. Little suburban houses dotted the sides of that road. ¡®Why would anyone want to live near a desert of all places? Maybe their family Pok¨¦mon prefer this environment?¡¯ Peering over the fences I can see a big doghouse accommodating a sleepy Hippopotas. ¡®Eh figures.¡¯


    ¡°How come this entire place is filled with sand?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ when there is little rainfall plants can¡¯t grow as well. This desert is a natural rain shadow because of the mountain range over there. The moist air current from the sea blows against the mountain range and is forced to rise, and as it does so the moist air becomes colder becoming unable to hold the water in its vaporous form. Which causes it to rain. The air now bereft of moisture descend again on this side of the mountain range. Making naturally occurring rain very rare in this area.¡±


    ¡°What a splendid explanation Egon. If your career as a Pok¨¦mon trainer doesn¡¯t work out, you can always intern at our lab.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the offer, Aurea. Maybe I¡¯ll do a ¡®Professor Oak¡¯ earning the champion¡¯s title and then smoothly transitioning into academia.¡±


    We finally hit the end of the road. Marked by obvious red danger signs. Aurea parked to the side and we stepped out into the blazing sun.


    ¡°I thought this vehicle was all terrain?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but generally it¡¯s a bad idea to do so. Most wild Pok¨¦mon don¡¯t appreciate the sounds cars make. The wild ones living here are mostly harmless to humans. You just have to watch out for the occasional mother krokoodile and her hatchlings. They are nighttime predators so we shouldn¡¯t meet any if the sun¡¯s up, and we don¡¯t make any loud noises.¡±


    Coincidentally this is also the area where you find wild darumaka. The ones that are looking for a trainer mostly stick to this area because they know humans occasionally traverse this route. When we get near the desert resort that will no longer be the case.


    ¡°Why do they call that area the desert resort?¡±


    ¡°Because elite Grimsley plans to build a casino and resort hotel there. Naturally the government is not too keen to allow him to build a resort on top of an archeological site. Part of our funding for this expedition comes from him. He wants our researchers to clearly map out the area he is not allowed to build on so he can convince the two-city council that are responsible for this area to give him the go ahead to build his casino resort.¡±


    ¡°Why would he want to put his casino in the middle of a desert?¡±


    ¡°This desert area is popular with sand boarders. The ground is also very reasonably priced.¡±


    ¡°Now seeing as you are not exactly a seasoned trainer, I have arranged for someone to come pick us up.¡±


    ¡°Hey! My Numsy can ward off any wild Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    Numsy at the mention of his name popped out of his ball and gave me a confused stare.


    ¡°Ah sorry buddy for waking you, now that you are out would you mind walking with us? A ground type like you can sense if a Pok¨¦mon approaches us from beneath the sand.¡±


    ¡°Num¡±


    Numsy unlike me didn¡¯t mind the sand at all he actually got more energetic than usual under this sweltering sunlight. So, the four of us minus Rena who was still sleeping inside her ball remained at that spot until finally a figure approached us from the west. The first thing I noticed about this new persona was her towering height, and the second thing was that this person is the gym leader of Nacrene City Lenora.


    ¡°Aurea how nice to see you again. Have you finished up your personal business in Castelia City?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have. And I also brought a guest along. This is my father¡¯s newly sponsored trainer Egon from Lavaridge town. Egon come meet gym leader Lenora.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The two women responded simultaneously ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I challenge you to a gym battle!!¡±


    ¡°Num NUM!¡±

 Chapter 14 - Proving Worth

    Chapter 14 ¨C Proving Worth


    Both women are stunned by my declaration before Lenora eventually responded to my challenge.


    ¡°I am sorry to say this young man, but I am on a work sabbatical. You will have to take the exam just like everybody else to earn that gym badge.¡±


    ¡®We are already being underestimated from the get-go? Did she just assume I couldn¡¯t ace her ridiculous written test?¡¯


    Numsy wasn¡¯t having it though I did promise him a battle against Lenora just after his defeat against that Panpour in the Striaton gym. He was ready to prove his mettle, and Lenora¡¯s stubbornness was just another obstacle to him. His many years spent at my side taught him the most effective way to deal with stubborn humans.


    ¡°Num num¡­?¡±


    Numsy walked up to Lenora and gave her his best charm attack. Bunting her kneecaps while giving her his best sad look. He has improved over the many years of tricking Flannery out of Pok¨¦mon treats. The droopy eyes really sold it.


    ¡°Trainer Egon, why is this Numel looking at me like I am supposed to be giving him something? Whatever it is you are looking for little Numel I have long since become immune to charm attacks. I raise lillipup litters for a living.¡±


    ¡®Failure! I¡¯ve never seen Numsy¡¯s patented charm move not work. Even my stubborn grandma sneaked some leftovers for Numsy when hit by this attack.¡¯


    ¡°He just really wants to battle a gym leader to prove his strength. I kept telling him all about the Nacrene gym during our road trip on route 3.¡±


    ¡°Well, he will just have to wait until next year. I don¡¯t even have any Pok¨¦mon at the appropriate experience level. What are you? A three-badge challenger?¡±


    ¡°2-badge¡­¡±


    ¡°Burgh was too though for you, eh? Don¡¯t worry about it kid no one expects a minor like you to complete his first circuit run.¡±


    ¡®This woman and her assumptions! Just because I am on the younger side doesn¡¯t mean I am lacking as a trainer.¡¯


    I had many things I wished to convey to her. My sponsorship from an elite four member. My knowledge about various secret methods to make Pok¨¦mon stronger. Ultimately her casual assumptions turned me into a mute. Defending myself by listing all my achievements would make me look more like an immature kid than my silence would.


    ¡°Okay you two ready to go? Lenora pulled out a pok¨¦ ball and released a ragged looking Braviary.¡±


    Braviary, the Valiant Pok¨¦mon,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      The evolved form of Rufflet. Known as ¡°the hero of the skies,¡± this Pok¨¦mon is so proud and so brave that it will never retreat, even when it''s injured. The more scars it has on its front, the more heroic it''s considered to be. Those with many scars on their back are mocked by the flock.


    ¡®I guess that¡¯s why it looks the way it does. I would love having a brave Pok¨¦mon for my team.¡¯


    ¡°I am brave!¡±


    ¡®Yes, and you are getting braver every day.¡¯


    The braviary in question was busy preening it¡¯s feathers clearly proud at hearing what the Pok¨¦dex had to say about its species. Showing off all its front-end scars in the process. Lenora sighed exasperatedly half-amused and half-annoyed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him he likes hearing the Pok¨¦dex entry every time he¡¯s sent out.¡±


    By the look of that Braviary¡¯s scars I guess Lenora was telling the truth about not having any weaker Pok¨¦mon on her. Most trainers are only allowed to have a team of six Pok¨¦mon on them at all times. Lenora being a gym leader could clearly carry a fair bit more than that. She finished giving her Braviary instructions before beckoning us to leave with her.


    ¡°Braviary will keep an eye out for us from the sky. The youngster may ride my Stoutland if his legs get tired.¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡®I am fine it¡¯s just the first time in my life that I have been underestimated like this.¡¯


    The trek towards the archeological site would take a couple of hours so we set off immediately. Most people would take issue with the scorching sun but it honestly kind of invigorated me. The real issue was all the sand. My feet kept sinking deeper inside the ground and I had to pull extra effort into hauling myself back up. Numsy didn¡¯t have any issue at all. His camel toes perfectly adapted to this desert substrate. I knew if this kept up, I might be proving Lenora right about needing a ride.


    ¡®Stupid kid sized legs.¡¯


    We made it about halfway through when I was delightfully captivated by this catchy tune riding on the desert winds. It most resembled street music something you would typically expect to be played by a wizened old musician sporting a pair of maracas. Aurea and Lenora reacted to this sound as well, both being curious as to the source of this enchanting music. Aurea nudged me motioning for me and my Pok¨¦mon to follow her into the desert shrubbery.


    Standing in a clearing was a triplet of maractus giving a musical performance to the surrounding wild Pok¨¦mon. The trio of Pok¨¦mon using a rock outcropping as their musical stage. The spectators being a pair of sandile three dwebble and a lone scraggy. The catchy tunes luring out Pok¨¦mon who should be sleeping at this time of day, when the sun is at its hottest. Too bad none of these Pok¨¦mon are the darumaka I am looking for.


    Maractus, the Cactus Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                When Maractus dance in rhythm, they sound like maracas shaking. They make their homes in dry desert-like areas. Once each year, this Pok¨¦mon scatters its seeds. They''re jam-packed with nutrients, making them a precious food source out in the desert.


    Luckily the Pok¨¦dex has a silent mode for situations like these.


    Numsy clearly enjoyed listening in on the Maractus¡¯ as did the other Pok¨¦mon we had out. Braviary landing on a dried-up looking tree just to enjoy the show. We just sat there behind the prickly bushes until the end of their performance. The surrounding Pok¨¦mon waking up from their daze started to leave as well. The sandile and dwebble digging themselves back inside the sand while the scraggy just walked off into the horizon.


    Aurea clearly moves by this scene put her feelings into words.


    ¡°Nature can be cruel sometimes but seeing moments like these proves it is beautiful as well. Maractus can safely give out performances because no Pok¨¦mon here is willing to jeopardize their yearly seed scattering, also predators don¡¯t typically eat grass type Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    What she said made sense all Pok¨¦mon have plants-based foods as the staple for their diets. However, the carnivores still needed to eat meat occasionally. Eating plantlike Pok¨¦mon such as maractus therefore made no sense from a dietary standpoint, since it didn¡¯t satisfy their craving for meat.


    Victini was oddly quiet during the performance. Feelings of wonder and amazement flooding our telepathic link.


    ¡®When we get back to Hoenn I¡¯ll take you to see the contest halls. There these kinds of performances are the norm.¡¯


    <hr>


    The plan was to make it to the camp before sundown. Our little group didn¡¯t encounter any more difficulties on the way, so we made good pace. Braviary kept a flock of vullaby and a single mandibuzz off our backs by tussling with their leader one on one. Lenora later told me that was typical mating behavior. Apparently that Mandibuzz thought Braviary was a good match, but the prideful bird wasn¡¯t too impressed by her antics and shooed the she-bird off.


    We finally made it to the expedition¡¯s camping grounds. All put together there were around twenty archeologists, paleontologists, and trainers roughing it out here in the wild. The expedition¡¯s foreman is a man named Hawes who worked at the museum, while at the same time being Lenora¡¯s husband. Standing next to his wife the two looked pretty comical. Whereas Hawes is a person of short stature his wife was fairly tall by Unovan standards. I didn¡¯t ponder on it for too long though love takes the form of all shapes and sizes, especially so in this world.


    ¡°Welcome back dear, I see you¡¯ve brought Aurea back with you, and who is this fine young trainer?¡±


    I decided to introduce myself before Lenora could. ¡®I¡¯ll show you who is immature making assumptions.¡¯


    ¡°Egon is the name and fire types are my game a pleasure to meet you sir. Professor Juniper my sponsor thought it would be a swell idea for me to shadow his accomplished daughter for a while to learn a thing or two.¡±


    Aurea and I agreed on this cover story. Me observing her made a lot more sense than the other way around. Hawes and Lenora are trustworthy people but we couldn¡¯t account for all the personnel they invited to this camp.


    ¡°So, you are looking to become an academic as well? Welcome to the winning team Egon I am sure there is much to learn from our resident genius. Unfortunately, this expedition has come to a grinding halt until we can fix our ghost problem. The Sigilyph guarding the ruins are very reasonable as long as we don¡¯t cross their bottom line, we can study these ruins all we want. That is not so much the case for the ghost-types.¡±


    ¡°Hawes I might have a solution for our problem Egon here has close ties with a family of gravekeepers in Hoenn. The granddaughter being an ace trainer who specializes in ghost-types. Bringing her over is well within our budget.¡±


    Aurea and Hawes walked away to hash out the details for tricking my childhood friend into coming here. Leaving me and Lenora alone, I spent my time sifting through more details of our surroundings. It was then that I noticed the various statues inside the camp¡¯s threshold. The camp seemingly ignored the statues even leaving some of their equipment on and around them.


    ¡®Those poor Darmanitan being used as furniture by these ignorant scientists.¡¯


    ¡°Those statues are alive!?¡±


    ¡°Yep, darmanitan have this hidden ability called Zen Mode. They petrify and can¡¯t move, but in return gain heightened psychic abilities.¡±


    ¡°Leader Lenora, I have a proposition for you.¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind squirt?¡±


    ¡°If I discover something groundbreaking about these ruins you owe me a gym battle for this circuit.¡±


    ¡°Egon you do realize no one is permitted to enter these ruins without special permission from my husband? It¡¯s too dangerous right now especially for a rookie trainer like you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to get inside to make my discovery.¡±


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Lenora made a pained face as if struggling to make her decision, but it didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡®Still underestimating me, eh? She¡¯ll be singing a different tune shortly.¡¯


    ¡°Okay you have yourself a deal little Egon.¡±


    ¡®Victini I need you to fish out my ragecandybars from my backpack. They are the key to winning this bet.¡¯


    Suddenly a sense of shame is transmitted through our bond.


    ¡°¡­I ate them.¡±


    ¡®¡¯The entire dozen!?¡¯


    ¡°They smelled good, and I am sorry! We only have two left.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s okay It¡¯s okay. I only needed one. Don¡¯t worry about it and the next time you get hungry you can just tell me I won¡¯t get mad about something like that.¡¯


    I stuck my hand inside the backpack where Victini secretly gave me one of the last two bars. Afterwards I tapped Numsy on the back to indicate that I wanted him to follow me. We made it to the darmanitan statue nearest to the middle of the camp. Lenora following me to see what I had planned gave a brief piece of commentary on this petrified Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Ah yes, the darmanitan statues. Their presence around the ruins helped the first explorers of this region identify where the entrance was buried. We believe these strange looking darmanitan are the ancestors our modern-day ones.¡±


    ¡®Tini now that I have made you aware can you sense the mind trapped in this body?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s faint¡­ but I do believe you are correct.¡±


    ¡°Okay Numsy time to make a big splash. Can you jolt everyone awake with growl?¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    Numsy proceeded to use grunt loudly as he does when I forget to bring him food. Gathering the crowd¡¯s attention towards us.


    ¡°Esteemed PHD¡¯s and trainers, Today I Egon from Lavaridge town will prove that the stone darmanitan aren¡¯t statues but petrified Pok¨¦mon! These protectors of the ruins below have simple fallen asleep and are stuck in a state that I like to call zen mode!¡±


    The crowd looked miffed especially the PHD¡¯s whose important time I now must be squandering. Well at least they think that I am doing so.


    I unwrap my ragecandybar and hold it up for the crowd before slipping it through the narrow crack that is the Darmanitan¡¯s petrified mouth and wait. The candybar takes a while to have an effect on the darmanitan, but slowly the camp¡¯s people and I start hearing a peculiar sound. The noise emenated from the petrified Pok¨¦mon one which I recognize to be the chewing of my candybar.


    ¡°See here, Darmanitan is enjoying my brand authentic ragecandybar imported straight from Johto!¡±


    The crowd especially Lenora look on with surprised faces and murmuring sounds while the Darmanitan slowly wakes up from its age-old slumber.


    ¡°No way¡­!¡±


    ¡°This whacky kid is correct!¡±


    ¡®Who is the one that called me whacky?!¡¯


    The darmanitan finally finished eating the candy bar meal and started moving its limbs in order to stand up. The blue colored petrified body slowly turning red, and its stone white fish eyes slowly forming a moving pupil.


    ¡°Darma..NITAN!!¡±


    ¡°Darmanitan is in a state of confusion Numsy let¡¯s battle!¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Hold up there young man. We have no idea how strong this ancient darmanitan is let me take over.¡±


    A menacing look Stoutland materialized right next to me and Numsy. Eying the unpetrified darmanitan and looking ready to battle. Meanwhile its trainer seemed to have plans for me.


    ¡°What are you¡­!?¡±


    Lenora picked me up and carried me over her shoulder.


    ¡°No this is my battle! Darmanitan is going to be a perfect addition to my team.¡±


    ¡°Sorry kid, I am not letting a one badge trainer like you face a fully evolved Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡®This woman keeps getting in my way! Belittling me and now violating trainer¡¯s etiquette by jumping in another¡¯s battle.¡¯


    ¡°Stoutland use Take down!¡±


    ¡°Arf!!¡±


    ¡°Nooooo! This is unfair!¡±


    <hr>


    The battle concluded with Lenora defeating the disoriented thousands of years old Darmanitan and capturing the Pok¨¦mon for research purposes. I refused to talk to anyone from the expedition all day. ¡®How can they just stand there and allow this miscarriage of justice to happen?¡¯ I was assigned my own tent by Hawes the man seemingly apologetic over his wife¡¯s behavior. I didn¡¯t buy any of it though. If this expedition was set on treating me like a kid, I would share none of my knowledge with them.


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s the culture?¡¯ In any of the eastern regions I would be treated as a fellow adult, but Unovans could have another mindset when it comes to ten-year-olds.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I guess not really? Its though being treated as lesser even though their bozos would never figure things out without me.¡±


    ¡°Should we leave?¡±


    ¡°Ehh maybe. I still have stuff I want to accomplish here. That harpy also still owes me a gym battle.¡±


    My Xtransceiver started ringing looking up the caller¡¯s name I saw it was Aurea. Brooding internally, I decided to pick up the call anyway.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Ah you are still awake Egon. Can I come visit you in your tent? There are a couple of things I want to discuss with you in private.¡±


    ¡°Fine I guess¡­¡±


    The call ended within a few short seconds Aurea zipped open my tent and walked inside. Luckily these tents are big enough for a family of four, so we still had plenty of space to move around. My Pok¨¦mon were with me, and as equally outrages as I was. At least I know they will always have my back.


    ¡°Firstly, Egon I am sorry for what happened earlier. The trainers and researchers talked it over and it was indeed your information that led us to this new discovery. We have decided to let you have the Darmanitan if you still want it.¡±


    ¡°Is this a joke? I didn¡¯t earn its approval by defeating it in battle, and even worse it saw me being hauled off like a kid throwing a temper tantrum. If I do get to keep the Darmanitan it won¡¯t respect me as a trainer.¡±


    ¡°Do understand Egon most of the people here are academics. They don¡¯t understand what it means for a trainer to lose the respect of a Pok¨¦mon. Yes, Lenora should¡¯ve known, but she is also one the proponents of raising the age restrictions on trainer licenses even further. Lenora has always been dismissive of younger trainers. Having had to deal with them on a daily basis when fulfilling her duties as a gym leader. This has made her start thinking anybody below the age of 14 is too immature to set off on their own journey.¡±


    Ironically, I was of the same opinion. Even in Hoenn not many kids make it far at all on their first circuit run. Most of them get too homesick and finish up their journey without winning a single badge. The real exceptions are those kids who are raised in families compromised of professional trainers. Having been raised by people who have seen and done it all before the newer trainers from those families performed far better. The kids who didn¡¯t have that advantage failed their first circuit run spectacularly, and usually bettered themselves before coming back and trying again.


    However, I wasn¡¯t a kid. And I refuse to be disrespected like that without an apology.


    After Lenora captured the darmanitan the camp personnel started treating the petrified darmanitan with a whole lot more caution and respect. The first few scientists tried to capture the darmanitan straight up. However, it was quickly discovered that the pok¨¦ balls didn¡¯t register the petrified darmanitan as Pok¨¦mon. After which they tried to emulate me by feeding the statues, but none of the food items they tried shoving in the mouths of the darmanitan seemed to work. Their final resort was to come to me for answers.


    ¡°Egon can you tell me how you figured out the secrets of the darmanitan statues?¡±


    ¡°You too huh? I thought I was clear on this. No more free information until I have received a public apology.¡±


    ¡°How about we compensate you for it? I know Lenora fairly well and you have almost no chance of getting that apology.¡±


    I turn towards my Pok¨¦mon. These loveable scamps shared my indignation especially Numsy. Being denied his time to shine by Lenora and afterwards being dismissed from a heated battle with the darmanitan.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Vuuul.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°I want a bag full of custap berries!¡±


    ¡°I see. Food for Numsy, Jewelry for Rena, and the most expensive sweet tasting berries on the market for Victini.¡±


    ¡°And for you Egon?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to receive a good quality firestone. Not one of those discount ones you can find in shopping mall nine.¡±


    Upon mentioning the fire stone Rena looked apprehensive and gave me questioning yips.


    ¡°Pix Pix?¡±


    ¡°Not now Rena just in case when you ever decide you want to, I¡¯ll be ready.¡±


    Evolution stones in any other region are expensive however Unova has a thriving mining industry. Most stones you buy abroad are actually mined in Unova. The gym leader Clay being the first to discover Driftveil¡¯s soil was rich in valuable minerals. He turned his rinky dink old town into Unova¡¯s biggest exporting city. With nothing but his trustly old pickaxe and his starter Drilburr.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it. Now can you tell me what you know about these darmanitan?¡±


    ¡°Well, darmanitan are known for having the ability Sheer Force. The darmanitan that are petrified outside the ruins have something I like to call a hidden ability. The chance of Pok¨¦mon in the wild developing a hidden ability on their own is almost nonexistent. In any case the other ability darmanitan can develop is called zen mode. When a darmanitan who has this ability is weakened enough their skin color turns blue their limbs fuse into their body and their eyes turn blank. Their physical power is lowered substantially, and their speed becomes nonexistent. However, in turn their defenses are increased thanks to the petrification and their psychic power is raised so much that they become part psychic type while in this form.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s some form of protection mechanism that they developed over the years? I don¡¯t know I am not a scientist. Somehow these darmanitan have become stuck in that form. They stopped aging their great minds trapped in those petrified bodies.¡±


    I was done monologuing and motioned for Aurea to leave me to my night¡¯s rest. Any further question she could ask in the morning while I wasn¡¯t so cheesed off. This ten-year-old body still needed at least nine hours of sleep.


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    ¡°Num num.¡±


    ¡°Pix.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi.¡± ¡°Night night.¡±


    <hr>


    The following morning, I was immediately accosted by Aurea during our morning routine. Sleep having taken the edge off my mood. I was much more open to answering her barrage of questions.


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ yeah so, the Lavaridge gym has some old records concerning different fire types and how to develop their abilities for use in battle. The zen mode ability is one of those that are written down in an old textbook.¡±


    The Lavaridge gym did have records regarding fire type Pok¨¦mon and their abilities, but none for Unovan fire types. It was in my best interest to keep these researchers busy with little crumbs of knowledge I can dole out one at the time. Lest they start asking the tougher questions.


    I was planning to stick around until my gym battle with Burgh comes up. Having one final ragecandybar left in my backpack gives me one more shot to catch a darmanitan. As long as the scientists aren¡¯t planning on catching all the darmanitan, I would eventually get my chance. They still didn¡¯t realize that it was my ragecandybar that specifically did the trick.


    I could go out and try to catch one of the darumaka that live nearby, but I had my heart set on a darmanitan with zen mode. Having no idea how to train a darumaka to develop its hidden ability this just seems easier to me.


    ¡°Egon our crew has been having trouble replicating your achievement and awakening one of the darmanitan. We came to the consensus that there must be some type of compound in the candy bar that dispels their condition. Do you have any of those candy bars on hand that you can give to the expedition?¡±


    ¡®Darn! I shouldn¡¯t have been so eager to show off. Nothing slips by Aurea.¡¯


    ¡°Yes, I have one¡­ I was kind of hoping I¡¯d be left alone for my next attempt.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm the expedition would very much like to analyze the ingredients on the wrapper to figure out what active component is responsible for awakening the darmanitan.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s money that you want¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I mean these are artisanal candy bars only produced in mahogany town Johto. The recipe is a protected cultural heritage. Meaning if someone outside of Johto and more specifically the area around mahogany town tries to reproduce the bars, than your expedition might come into legal trouble. The best solution is probably to just special order the candy bars. Shipping might take a month or more though.¡±


    ¡°¡­is there any way we can convince you to part with the candy bar?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t think so. Is there really such a rush to awaken more darmanitan? I mean why not wait for a month? The one Lenora caught should be sufficient to find out more about the ruin¡¯s mysteries.¡±


    ¡°We have one of our psychic type Pok¨¦mon trying to communicate with the Darmanitan. However, it stubbornly refuses to talk about its past and what happened to the underground labyrinth we now call Relic Castle.¡±


    ¡°Aside from the whole darmanitan business what is the expedition planning to do to get inside?¡±


    ¡°We have contacted a specialist who is flying in to help us out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay I really thought you guys were set on bringing in Phoebe, but it¡¯s nice that you found someone else willing to help. Trust me bringing her will not be good for some of the older faint of heart scientists that work with us.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ wait what was that last part?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing it¡¯s not important now that she is not coming. Anyway, me and my team have some training to do see you around Aurea.¡±


    We made our way outside the tent and headed towards an empty spot in the desert. I¡¯ve always wondered if the flames my Pok¨¦mon produce are hot enough to turn desert sand into glass. Today was the day we find out.


    <hr>


    ¡°That¡¯s it Numsy just a bit more Rena you take a break.¡±


    ¡®Hmm there¡¯s not enough silica dioxide in this desert sand to make proper glass. All we are left with are these weird looking chunks.¡¯


    There are actual reasons why we are doing this besides trying to make some pretty looking glass baubles. During our previous matches I¡¯ve noticed our flames intensity is lacking somewhat. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve done this type of training. Keegan isn¡¯t around to make us help him with the firing of charcoal.


    ¡°What are we doing?¡±


    ¡°We used to do this back at the Lavaridge gym. The trick is keeping the flame at an even temperature consistently. A gym staffer taught us a bunch of stuff like this.¡±


    ¡°I want to try!¡±


    ¡°Really? I guess there¡¯s no harm in trying. We are in the middle of a desert, and no one is around except for the occasional wild Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    Victini revealed itself and started aiming her claw tips at the sand pit Numsy dug up for us to practice in.


    ¡®I am pretty sure Victini has never battled even once in her life. Does she even know how to use a fire type move?¡¯


    ¡°Hey!!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am sorry those are just some errant thoughts. You¡¯ve seen us use a couple of fire type moves why don¡¯t you start off with something basic like an ember?¡±


    ¡°Viii Tini!¡± ¡°I am trying¡­!¡±


    Numsy and Rena noticed what she was trying to do and started doling out some advice.


    ¡°Num!¡±


    ¡±Pix pix!¡±


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    Suddenly, as if out of nowhere a searing hot beam fired out of her stretched paws obliterating our sand pit. Blowing the half molten sand everywhere me and my Pok¨¦mon got doused in a sand and slag.


    ¡®Arceus! it¡¯s everywhere in my nose, my ears and even¡­!¡¯


    ¡°Sorry! Let me help.¡±


    Eventually she got most of it off with her telekinesis it didn¡¯t get rid of the taste though. There are also multiple scorch marks on my clothes which no cleaning solution on the planet can remove. My team is doing fine though both of them being quite fireproof. Rena however got sand stuck all over her fur which undoubtedly, I was going to have to comb out at some point today.


    ¡®I¡¯ve decided after this I am never setting foot in another desert again.¡¯


    Victini looked in low spirits though. Her first deliberate use of a fire type move having some unintended consequences. I ruffled her ears some to let her know not to be too hard on herself.


    ¡°¡­!?¡±


    ¡°I am not mad at you Victini. Honestly, I am more inclined to be impressed by the amount of damage you caused on your first try. You have got a lot of strength I guess what they say is true, good things come in small packages.¡±


    ¡°I burned you¡­¡±


    ¡°You have taken your first step on learning about fire hazard safety. It¡¯s a required course for all the newly hatched Pok¨¦mon who end up joining the Lavaridge gym¡¯s roster. Believe me first time accidents like these are an important part of learning how to control your inner fire. Isn¡¯t that right you guys?¡±


    ¡°Num num num!¡±


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°And the first part of learning how to control your flames is doing it over and over again. Now try to fire off another scorcher!¡±

 Chapter 15 - Treasure Hoax

    Chapter 15 ¨C Treasure Hoax


    It has been a week since Lenora captured that Darmanitan. Only four more days to go until my gym battle with Burgh. My team and I have been spending most of our time practicing moves in the desert.


    Victini took to the training really well. She is learning moves twice as fast as the rest of my team and even came up with one on her own. By cloaking herself with her own flames and smashing into her target dealing moderate damage. After using that move, Victini becomes even speedier than she already is. Recognizing the move for what it was I shared the details of flame charge with the rest of my team. Rena and Numsy¡¯s feelings of competitiveness were stoked, and they are now trying to emulate Victini by trying to learn flame charge themselves. As her seniors in the team, they started working harder to try and keep up with her explosive growth rate.


    The items Aurea promised in return for our corporation came back with the camp¡¯s latest supply run. A bag of tamato berries for Numsy and a bag of Custap berries for Victini. In addition, Rena¡¯s tiara was now sporting actual rubies. She now goes prancing around wearing her tiara trying to show off to other trainers¡¯ Pok¨¦mon. Specifically, a liepard who she is in competition with for acting the most spoiled in camp. Their rivalry started when the Liepard¡¯s trainer kept showering Rena with attention. Since then, the Liepard has been successfully trying to get attention from me in order to make her own trainer jealous which in turn miffed Rena continuing the cycle.


    ¡°Nyaaaar!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are a very pretty cat. How¡¯s about going back to your own trainer? She must be worried sick.¡±


    That sentence did the trick the cat Pok¨¦mon giving me a small huff before returning from whence she came.


    ¡°Rena, can you come out now? The big bad Liepard is gone.¡±


    Rena finally revealed herself she had been watching us two covertly from inside our tent. Liepard being the more experienced Pok¨¦mon wasn¡¯t above using underhanded means to intimidate my little vulpix into submission. Liepards aren¡¯t called the Cruel Pok¨¦mon for nothing.


    Liepard, the Cruel Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            The evolved form of Purrloin. Well-known for its beauty, Liepard uses the element of surprise when battling opponents, attacking before they can react.                                                                          Don''t be fooled by its gorgeous fur and elegant figure. This is a moody and vicious Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Vuuuul¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time to stop wearing that tiara everywhere? It is obviously starting to attract the wrong type of crowd. Thieving Pok¨¦mon would love stealing fancy accessories like that.¡±


    ¡°Pix Pix!¡±


    That last argument seemed to convince her. She handed her tiara over to me before proceeding to sit on my lap. Obviously trying to mark her territory. Rena wasn¡¯t the only one suffering for her poor choices. Both Numsy and Victini are now on a strict diet, as a responsible trainer I couldn¡¯t have them turning chunky from the extra bags of feed. So, I only allowed them one additional berry a day. Victini unable to keep control of her sweet tooth dived in the bag of custap berries while I was going to bed. She kept me up all night zipping around in our tent obviously on a sugar rush. It seems even mythical Pok¨¦mon can experience hangovers because this morning she was completely out of it.


    ¡°Num num?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are a good boy. The only one that didn¡¯t walk the path of the asura.¡±


    Waking up from sleeping in on account of the zippy rabbit Pok¨¦mon. I noticed my hand was stuck in a bowl of room temperature water. ¡®This is odd¡­? I am sure Victini isn¡¯t the type of Pok¨¦mon to play pranks like that.¡¯ A mysterious feeling of dread started to fill my stomach. Obviously the one playing that prank on my estimated that I would be asleep for a little while longer. He or She would not have been able to go beneath Victini¡¯s notice so the prankster must have come by early in the morning.


    I zipped open my tent and was greeted by a scene of total anarchy. Scientists and trainers running around in panic obviously all suffering from successful or unsuccessful attempts at pranking. Two of them walking around with stained underclothes. Three had kick me signs taped to their back ends, and five of the expedition members had expletives written on their forehead with black marker.


    ¡°She is here!¡±


    Numsy and Rena instinctually knew who I was talking about.


    ¡°Num num num!¡±


    ¡°Vuuuuuul!!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t the only one who suffered from these pranks. Numsy got his food stolen regularly and the ghosts liked frizzing Rena¡¯s hair up every chance they got by way of water bucket pranks. I followed the trail of destruction until it finally led me to foreman Hawes¡¯s tent. The heated conversation being held inside not being kept to minimum auditory levels.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you do something about your Pok¨¦mon? They are causing mayhem everywhere!¡±


    ¡°We are sorry! It won¡¯t happen again I promise.¡±


    ¡°Dusk Dusk!¡±


    This was one of her classic plays. Let her Pok¨¦mon go all out at first and then scale the pranks down before moving to her next targets. Better to ask for forgiveness after the fact is one of her infamous lines. Resolving myself to face the brunt of her attentions I swept the tent flaps aside and walked in.


    Predictably my childhood friend/menace was standing there fake acting her apologies to Mr. Hawes. It has been a year and some change since we last saw Phoebe. She¡¯s been doing really well in the Hoenn ace circuit. People in the know predicted her career to go all the way to a vaunted elite four position. She was wearing her usual getup a blue dancer outfit with red mourning flowers in her hair. According to her the PR people working for Phoebe¡¯s sponsor company expressed the importance of staying recognizable. The bag lying on the floor next to her probably holding multiples of the same outfit.


    The people inside the tent turned around to face me Aurea Hawes and Lenora all recognizing me but having a bigger headache to concern themselves with keep their conversation going. Phoebe on the other hand immediately jumps me the moment she saw my weathered face.


    ¡°Egon!! Did ya miss me?¡±


    ¡°Like a growlithe missing his bone.¡±


    ¡°Aww you are so sweet!¡±


    ¡°Hello to you too dusclops.¡±


    ¡°Clops¡­¡±


    That same duskull and her oldest Pok¨¦mon long since evolved. He was the de facto leader of Phoebe¡¯s little group of misfits, and the most responsible one Phoebe included.¡±


    Dusclops, the Beckon Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       A Ghost type. No further information available.


    ¡®Darn Unovan Pok¨¦dex.¡¯


    ¡°Ahh You finally received your own Pok¨¦dex! You¡¯ve always wanted one of your own. Are you feeling like a bigshot now little guy?¡±


    ¡°I am just ten years old! I¡¯ll grow up to be bigger than you just wait a couple more years. And yes, we¡¯ve gotten a lot stronger since then.


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    ¡°Num num.¡±


    ¡°Heya Numsy, and Rena nice to see you too. Your mother and her newest kit are doing fine on Mt. Pyre you should visit more often!¡±


    Rena looked up at me and asked me a silent question.


    ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯ll put it on the list.¡±


    <hr>


    After Phoebe was done with her meeting, she decided to hang with us for a while. Being a trainer who specializes in ghost types didn¡¯t leave her with a lot of friends. Not many people had skin thick enough to weather all the jump scares and practical jokes. The fact that I lasted this long is probably because of my more mature outlook.


    ¡°So, you took the job after all. How did you get here so quickly?¡±


    ¡°First class tickets to Mistralton city, and the expedition has a beheeyem on call for long distance teleportation.¡±


    ¡°First class¡­ I had to spend three weeks on a cargo ship.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Egon your time will come. I am a big deal even back in Hoenn you know?¡±


    ¡°So, what are they getting you that you can¡¯t acquire by yourself? A stash of dusk stones, A reaper cloth perfectly sized for Dusky?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention the reaper cloth you are going to jinx my chances of finding one the right size!¡±


    Over the years Phoebe has been trying to find a reaper cloth the correct size for her starter. A near impossible task given that her dusclops is almost two meters tall. Her family put in a lot of resources in finding out how to make one of their own. The artisan who originally made reaper cloths has sadly passed away. Death wasn¡¯t an impossible barrier for her family to cross though. Something about fishing out the right soul from the spirit world before it gets sent into the reincarnation cycle. It apparently was this whole complicated process.


    ¡°They are letting me catch any ghost type Pok¨¦mon from the ruin since they can just classify that as me performing my duties. But see my awesome haggling skills got me a permit to capture one additional Pok¨¦mon from anywhere in Unova. After this is done, I am going to catch myself a litwick!¡±


    ¡°I see so you have finally succumbed to the allure of training fire type Pok¨¦mon. I knew you would be the one to give in first.¡±


    ¡°No way! Litwick is a ghost type first and foremost. The deceased spirit preferring to inhabit candles has no relevance to our wager! Besides litwick is going to be my secret weapon against glacia. That ice queen won¡¯t know what hit her when I pull out a fire type.¡±


    ¡°What was that last word? A fire type you say. Well, if you want any tips on raising fire type Pok¨¦mon you can always call me for advice.¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Her stricken expression tells me that I won this argument. Phoebe¡¯s rivalry with Glacia finally culminating into catching a fire type for her team. ¡¯Just as I predicted.¡¯


    Being on the defensive she tries changing the subject of our conversation.


    ¡°Egon how come you haven¡¯t caught any new Pok¨¦mon yet? Numsy and Rena won¡¯t be enough if you want to compete in the Ever Grande Conference.¡±


    ¡°I am working on it okay! My ship harbored in Nuvema there aren¡¯t a lot of wild fire types running around in winter time.¡±


    ¡°No excuses! When I am done with this job, I am taking you with me to catch a new Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in Castelia by then. Our appointment for a gym battle with their leader Burgh is in four days.¡±


    Then I¡¯ll just have to finish this job early! Let me borrow your tent I have to change into my work apparel.


    <hr>


    Phoebe finally came out wearing her ¡®working clothes. Which have an awfully close resemblance to eastern shrine maiden outfits. Instead of her usual flashy ensemble she wore white robes with a red trouser skirt. Her hair flowers were replaced with fancy ornaments, and she was holding a wooden wand decorated with paper streamers. The only thing that seemed out of place to me is the trainer belt with her pok¨¦ balls latched onto it.


    ¡°Are you really planning to exorcise these wandering spirits?¡±


    By virtue of being family friends I learned a thing or two about the business her grandparents are running through my grandfather¡¯s ramblings. The fancy ornaments and the Gohei weren¡¯t just for show. Ghost Pok¨¦mon feel instinctually threatened just by coming near such items.


    ¡°Probably not, but it always pays to come prepared. Some ghosts are too dangerous to live and let live.¡±


    ¡°Can I come with you? I am curious about these ruins myself.¡±


    ¡°Hmm do you still have that cleanse tag? If so, wear it on your clothes and promise you won¡¯t take it off until I say it¡¯s safe. Then you can come with me.¡±


    The two of us made our way towards the ruins¡¯ entrance. There is a single trainer guarding the entrance to make sure no one went in without permission. Scientists are a curious lot and more often than not ignore their own well-being in an attempt to make new discoveries. I might have tried sneaking in myself if the entrance wasn¡¯t guarded 24/7.


    The guard in question is one of Lenora¡¯s gym trainers. A trainer named Satomi a college aged girl who works part time at the museum. Nothing gets past her herdier¡¯s sensitive nose.


    ¡°Trying to sneak in Egon?¡±


    Phoebe cuts into the conversation before she can ask any more leading questions.


    ¡°No actually, he¡¯s coming with me into the ruins. I need an experienced assistant and Egon meets all the criteria.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say missy. Hawes told me to let you inside no questions asked. As long as you take responsibility for the kid, I can let him come in with you.¡±


    ¡®Well, that was easy¡­¡¯


    ¡°Wait for me!¡±


    ¡®Tini you are still sick from your sugar crash. Are you sure that you are up for this?¡¯


    ¡°Just let me rest inside my pok¨¦ ball. I want to see what¡¯s inside!¡±


    I felt something brush up against my pants leg. Followed by the distinct sound of a pok¨¦ ball¡¯s return mechanics activating. Now that Victini was secure in her ball I felt a lot better about this. Victini is capable of sensing what¡¯s happening outside her ball a lot better than the rest of my Pok¨¦mon. Obviously, the perks of being a psychic type. She also uses her mind¡¯s eye to perceive her surroundings not just those in her eye sockets.


    Me and Phoebe proceeded to enter the ruins. As expected of an underground ruin our surroundings are wreathed in darkness luckily Phoebe seemed to have come prepared.


    ¡°Go Sableye use flash!¡±


    Her Sableye popped out of his ball and continued to emit light from its gemstone-like eyes. The effect was even better than a regular flashlight somehow phoebe¡¯s Pok¨¦mon had the ability to light up our surroundings in a radius around itself. I resolved myself to teach one of my Pok¨¦mon flash it was a cheaper alternative to lighting a torch. The corridor we are currently residing in is so filled with sand you almost couldn¡¯t see the floor beneath. The walls are decorated with depictions of the day to day life of people and Pok¨¦mon. This floor mostly contained farmers working together with grass type Pok¨¦mon in the fields.


    ¡°Okay now, Egon Sableye¡¯s flash should start drawing attention of the ghost types Pok¨¦mon inhabiting this floor I want you to let me do all the talking.¡±


    ¡°No problems I¡¯ll be quiet as a pichu.¡±


    As soon as we finished our conversation a dark shadow fazed through the wall. It took a while for me to recognize this Pok¨¦mon until I spotted the distinct human masks their species are known to carry.


    Yamask, the Spirit Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              A Ghost-type Pok¨¦mon, Yamask wanders the ruins of ancient civilizations. Each of them carries a mask that used to be its face when it was human. Sometimes they look at it and cry.


    ¡®Poor fellow. Judging by the size of the mask Yamask was still a child before he/she died.¡¯


    Phoebe must have noticed this as well. Since she started speaking in the most tender voice I have ever heard.


    ¡°Hello little one what are you doing out here all alone.¡±


    ¡°Ya Ya Maask¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ none of the others want to play with you. So, you come out when there are visitors inside this place.¡±


    ¡®She can talk to ghosts straight off the bat without having to familiarize herself with their body language or tone of voice. No wonder she became a specialist.¡¯


    There are rare cases like these where some humans of noted families become able to instinctively understand the ¡®hearts¡¯ of a specific type of Pok¨¦mon. Being able to communicate with perfect clarity based solely on a kind of shared feeling. I always suspected Phoebe to be one of these individuals, but to have it be confirmed was still a mild shock for me.


    ¡®Her catching this Yamask is already a foregone conclusion. If the way she treats it is anything to go by.¡¯


    ¡°So, then there was this news reporter who started writing all this mean stuff about me, and Sableye here pranked him good by rearranging all the furniture in his house while I distracted him.¡±


    ¡°Sable Sable eye!¡±


    ¡°Ya ya.¡±


    ¡®Oh, Arceus she is creating another one. Well at least we know the ghosts in here aren¡¯t all that dangerous.¡¯


    ¡°What are you waiting for Egon? Yamask here is going to lead us all the way to his boss. I am pretty sure all this was some sort of misunderstanding from the part of the researchers.¡±


    We proceeded to walk down this long corridor. A few yamask phased through the walls and observed us. More than a few of those obviously attempting to chase us away. Luckily, I was completely ignored since their attention was focused on Phoebe. Sableye got rid of some of the more aggressive ones with a few expert shadow sneaks. Turning the tables on who jump scared who. The more apprehensive ones seemed content with just observing us. As we came closer to the next descending stairway Phoebe¡¯s expression got grimmer. If whatever was down, there made Phoebe apprehensive than that would probably be why the researchers couldn¡¯t get any headway down these ruins.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Phoebe?¡±


    ¡°There is this strong miasma that¡¯s wafting out from downstairs. When that¡¯s the case it usually means a ghost that is extremely powerful resides there, and that it has a strong obsession inherited from his or her previous self when it was still alive.¡±


    ¡®Well, I don¡¯t want to meet a ghost that Phoebe describes as extremely powerful. Darn my hankering for adventure.¡¯


    ¡°Do you think you can handle it? I don¡¯t mind turning around now.¡±


    ¡°Dealing with lone ghost types is my specialty. Only when ghosts conglomerate do I need the extra hands.¡±


    We proceeded down the stairs. This corridor was filled with sand pits places where the flooring gave in, and the sediment kept building up from the upper floor. Which means the lower floors must be completely filled with sand.


    ¡®Strange it¡¯s not like I expected. Well at least I know that going deeper this way is impossible. Not without an entire crew of people helping me excavate at least.¡¯


    There at the end of this hallway is a single room blocked off with what appears to be a gemstone encrusted stone door. The door wasn¡¯t completely closed a small gap was left ajar, but that was enough for us to guess what must lay behind that entryway. Sableye¡¯s flash bouncing off reflective surfaces inside that room.


    ¡°Do you see that Egon? That must be the castle¡¯s treasury. I am so excited this is like those adventure books!¡±


    ¡°Really? You haven¡¯t done any spelunking as a trainer since you earned your license four years ago?¡±


    ¡°Well, there was this one time in granite cave. That¡¯s where I found an everstone, but the real treasure was this little guy here.¡±


    ¡°Sableeeeye!¡±


    We made our way towards the door Phoebe''s Sableye pushing the door open for us. What awaited us inside was the most wealth I have ever seen gathered in one place.


    There are piles of ancient mintage stacked on top of each other. Copper Silver and Gold coins each had their own piles. Nuggets and Pearls littered the ground around these piles. The walls decorated with hooks and hanging on them rusty old relics. However, the most prevalent treasures appear to be sun stones the orange glow reflecting off them almost blinding.


    ¡°Egon don¡¯t get distracted! All this stuff is cursed, taking any of it will lead to dire consequences.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to! Obviously, this is all booby trapped like that movie File 3: Phantom Treasure.¡±


    ¡°Cofa Grig Grig!¡±


    One of the sarcophagi standing tall in the room started moving shadowy limbs stretching out from beneath it¡¯s golden lid. This Cofagrigus was easily as big as a stretched out arbok intimidating us merely by its sheer size.


    Cofagrigus, the Coffin Pok¨¦mon                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The evolved form of Yamask. It loves to eat gold. Grave robbers who mistake them for real coffins and get too close end up trapped inside their bodies. This Pok¨¦mon has a body of sparkling gold. People say it no longer remembers that it was once human.


    ¡°The sheer size of its coffin body¡­ This guy must have been on a steady diet of gold for most of its existence!¡±


    ¡°Egon stop gawking you are being rude!¡±


    ¡®Phoebe seems determined to hash things out with this Cofagrigus I better play along.¡¯


    ¡°Ah sorry for being rude. Uhmmm¡­ Your treasure hoard is really shiny it must take a lot of effort to keep it all so clean.¡±


    Phoebe gave me this look to telling me that I am terrible at this and should keep my mouth shut. Before proceeding to pander to Cofagrigus with her own brand of flattery.


    ¡°You really are amazing Cofagrigus! Any would be graverobber will surely meet his demise trying to steal from you.¡±


    ¡®Arceus! That¡¯s morbid is that how you compliment treasure hoarding specters?¡¯


    After both of us appealed to its vanity Cofagrigus seemed more open to communicate now. The shadowy appendages no longer moving in to intercept us.


    ¡°Cofa Cofa!¡±


    ¡°Egon Cofagrigus wants us to rate each of his treasures in terms of appeal. Keep giving him your ¡®sincere observations¡¯.¡±


    I looked around the room noticing the sheer volume of valuables. ¡®Oh boy we¡¯ll be stuck here for a while.¡¯


    <hr>


    These sunstones are quite valuable. In the open market they go for about 20.000. This being Unova and their historical value being part of this amazing treasure hoard I can confidently say that you could fetch about 30.000 a piece for each of them.


    ¡°Cofa Gri?¡±


    ¡°He asks how valuable other stones are in comparison.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Having Victini listen in on our conversation from her ball is a blessing. I might not have the natural affinity to communicate with ghost types like Phoebe does, but that doesn¡¯t matter if I can cheat like this. Cofagrigus was quite the generous host as long as you complimented him on his treasure. I fished out the firestone from my backpack for my show and tell.


    ¡°This here is a firestone it helps certain fire types evolve. Now these are more common than your amazing sun stones. However, quite a few more Pok¨¦mon need them keeping their supply low and their prices relatively high. I would say this firestone on the open market outside Unova would go for around 20.000. Inside this region they are around 12.000 a piece.¡±


    Phoebe gave me an exasperated sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a ghost type who would be concerned by the monetary value of their treasures. This Cofagrigus in life must have been a merchant by trade.¡±


    With the tension gone and Cofagrigus suitably entertained the ghost type decided to show us his most valued treasure. This one was not on display like the rest of his hoard the sarcophagus that was it¡¯s body opened and one of his hands came out carrying some sort of plate.


    ¡°Grig Cofa?¡±


    ¡°He also wants to know how valuable this item is.¡±


    Phoebe had a strange reaction towards the plate as did her Sableye. The balls on her belt started shaking on their own. For some reason her ghost types felt intimately attracted by this object.


    ¡°Do I have your permission to read the engraved text on this item?¡±


    Cofagrigus held the plate in front of my face. I immediately recognized the scripture for what it was.


    ¡°This is unown scripture! this plate is the real deal.¡±


    ¡°Cofa?¡±


    ¡°He wants to you to read the text aloud for him.¡±


    ¡°Well, it says the following: The other side of this world was given by the Original One to its raging third.¡±


    Phoebe snapped out her trance as I was reading the scripture off the plate.


    ¡°Egon you can read this!? Even archeologists have a hard time transcribing even a third of unown scripture they come across. Are you secretly some lab bozo?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­?¡±


    ¡®Unown scripture most closely resembles the lettering from my old world.¡¯


    ¡°What does it mean?¡±


    ¡®The original one is most probably referring to Arceus. From that interpretation I can accurately guess what the rest of this plate says. It speaks of the reverse side of this world a place with natural laws alien to our own. The sole inhabitant a single Pok¨¦mon Giratina. That is the Pok¨¦mon the description the raging third must be alluding to. I am guessing or mostly hoping that this is a copy of one of Arceus¡¯ original plates. Even as a copy its power is not inconsiderable. This has the passive effect of empowering ghost types. Maybe that¡¯s the reason why this Cofagrigus is not forced to share its hoard with others of his kind.¡¯


    Cofagrigus seemingly satisfied put the spooky plate back inside its sarcophagus body. Phoebe started addressing Cofagrigus on the original reason why we came here.


    ¡°We are part of a group of humans outside that would really like to study these ruins. Are they permitted to come inside without facing your followers in battle?¡±


    ¡°Grigus Cofa.¡±


    ¡°He says that they are allowed until one of them is invariably tempted to steal from his hoard.¡±


    Looking over his relics I see he is making a good point. A couple of those archeologist would probably attempt to snatch some of the relics if only for their historical value. ¡®Well not my problem if they¡¯ve been warned of the consequences.¡¯


    With that we decided to call it a day backing out of the treasure room and walking upwards towards the exit. Phoebe however still has one thing left to do before making it towards the exit.


    ¡°Do you want to come with me? My friends and I will always want to play with you.¡±


    ¡°Ya ya mask!¡±


    ¡°Phoebe threw one of her pok¨¦ balls at the Yamask who floated perfectly still to make it easier for her. The ball clicked shut after only a single wiggle. Showing there is little hesitancy in Yamask¡¯s decision to come with her.¡±


    Phoebe looked at the pok¨¦ ball in her hand for a second before clipping it to the side of her trainer¡¯s belt and following the pathway out of the ruins.


    ¡°Wait wait! Where is that.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean Egon?¡±


    ¡°You know the thing that needs to happen each time a trainer catches a new partner for his team.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense Egon! I am not doing one of your silly poses.¡±


    ¡°Just try it out please? Believe me you¡¯ll feel way better afterwards.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Oh really? Says the same girl who on the same day menaced the entire expedition site with her legion of ne''er do wells.¡±


    ¡°A well-timed practical joke is a form of art utilized in the right hands Egon! This and that are completely different!¡±

 Chapter 16 - Tower Secrets

    Chapter 16 ¨C Tower Secrets


    It has been two days since our little adventure inside Relic Castle. The scientists were ecstatic to finally be able to venture inside the ruins, without being victimized by the ghosts inhabiting that place. I have also been spending a good amount of my time inside the ruins mostly hanging out with the Cofagrigus inside the treasure room. This Pok¨¦mon is the first ghost-type I could kind of get along with. Me translating what¡¯s written on his plate has endeared me to the Pok¨¦mon such that out of any of the expedition members I alone could come and go inside his treasure room. The expedition members are satisfied with studying and archiving all the mural paintings in the corridors for now, but I knew sooner or later they¡¯d try their hand at acquiring some of those relics Cofagrigus kept inside his treasury.


    ¡°I am telling you the best way to keep those other humans off your back is by trading some of your less interesting items to them in exchange for something of equal or greater value.¡±


    ¡°Griii¡­¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®What did he say?¡¯


    ¡°That humans cannot be trusted. He has dealt with intruders that tried to rob him of his treasure before.¡±


    I was clearly not getting through to him. Considering all my options I decided that a practical example would be my best bet.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say you decide to trade just one of your gold pieces in with the expedition. You could get as much as three times its raw value. These archeologists are more interested in its historical importance than the monetary value of your treasure. If you want, they¡¯d probably pay you in gold bars. You¡¯d have more than what you started with.¡±


    ¡°Grii Gri¡­¡±


    ¡°He says he¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    ¡®Okay that went better than expected now certain individuals inside the expedition have a better chance of not getting turned into mummies. Now to slowly ease into my second objective.¡¯


    ¡°Say, could you help me for a more personal matter?¡±


    ¡°Grigus?¡±


    ¡°I have an objective I want to accomplish inside the lower levels of this place. Can you point me in the right direction?¡±


    ¡°Cofag gri.¡±


    ¡°They have a tentative agreement with something he calls the sun not to venture in the lowest levels.¡±


    ¡®This Sun figure is probably the Pok¨¦mon I am looking for, and if that is the case¡­¡¯


    ¡°Can you share with me the general direction of the castle tower leading all the way to the lowest levels? I really want to meet this sun Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Cofa Cofa.¡±


    ¡°If you go directly west from the entrance you will find the tower. However, the baltoy that make the tower their home have discovered an inventive use of mass hypnosis. Pok¨¦mon and people that encounter the tower can¡¯t focus directly on the structure. They can only perceive it within the edges of their vision.¡±


    ¡°Awesome, that''s just what I needed to hear. Thanks for the information, big guy.¡±


    ¡°Grigus Gri.¡±


    ¡°He says that you can consider this as a form of payment for your companionship. He hasn¡¯t talked to anyone as interesting as you for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Well, you are quite the character too. The first ghost type that hasn¡¯t strung my shoelaces together or used cheap scare tactics while I am asleep.¡±


    After saying my goodbyes to Cofagrigus we made our way upwards back to the entrance. Unlike the first time I came here the halls are now riddled with PHD¡¯s and their interns. Relic Castle has become a lot safer now that the ghost types have backed off. They still had the occasional sandile or krokorok tunneling inside, but those Pok¨¦mon left well enough alone mostly using these ruins as a resting place.


    Phoebe mostly kept to herself to avoid the harsh conversations she¡¯ll face when having to confront the pranking victims of her Pok¨¦mon. She didn¡¯t mind that though, having already gotten used to people¡¯s reaction regarding her team. Like me she also spent a lot of time inside that treasure room. Mostly trying to catch a glimpse of the spooky plate again. She was fascinated by the strange energy it put out and so were her Pok¨¦mon. The rest of her time was spent training the newly caught Yamask in how to pull off pranks and introducing the child ghost to the ways of Pok¨¦mon battling.


    Aside from spending time at relic castle I also kept in touch with Aurea. She usually pays us a visit during breakfast and dinner time before and after she gets off from work. The future regional professor strangely enjoyed watching Victini eat. I have long since discovered her weakness to cute Pok¨¦mon. Aurea wasn¡¯t much of a trainer, but her team reflected her tastes pretty well. I have already met her Purrloin, Mincinno, Cottonee and Emolga. They sometimes joined us for our shared meals. The final two Pok¨¦mon she carried on her person are on loan from her father and some of the strongest ones he keeps inside his corral in Nuvema town. The older Professor Juniper refused to let her go on this expedition without some assurances concerning her protection.


    ¡°I did it, Egon! What do you think of this Pok¨¦dex entry?¡±


    Victini the Victory Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              A psychic and fire type. This Pok¨¦mon brings victory. It is said that trainers with Victini always win, regardless of the type of encounter. Please note that trainers of this Pok¨¦mon need to keep a watchful eye during mealtimes Victini is known to gorge on its food without chewing properly leading it to often choke on its food.


    ¡°Vi VI!¡± ¡°No! That is not true!¡±


    Victini, distressed, projected her thoughts on the entry outwards. Aurea was obviously teasing my Pok¨¦mon to lure out more cute reactions. I myself wasn¡¯t a stranger to some good-natured ribbing, so I let it pass this time. Since we were still in the middle of dinner, Victini started to consume her food at a slower pace trying to disprove her newest Pok¨¦dex entry.


    ¡°Aurea any updates on the whole Lenora situation? She still owes me a gym battle.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to direct her attention somewhere that doesn¡¯t have anything to do with Relic Castle. At heart she is more of an archeologist than a battler. She will keep to her promise of battling you, but in her own free time. You¡¯d have a good chance of getting a match out of her later in the season.¡±


    ¡°Keeping to the words of our deal but not their spirit I see¡­ Say If I try to catch another darmanitan she won¡¯t suddenly jump in like last time?¡±


    Aurea gives me a solemn look before answering. ¡°I would not advise another attempt at catching one of the darmanitan. If you are still inclined to do so, wait until she is inside the ruins. The rest of the expedition will not interfere with a second attempt. Since trainers catching wild Pok¨¦mon isn¡¯t breaking any laws.¡±


    Aurea¡¯s silent endorsement reawakened the ambitious side of my mind. ¡®I was planning to leave tomorrow morning and maybe come back for a darmanitan after my gym match with Burgh but If I time things right I could still walk away from this with one extra Pok¨¦mon in my team.¡¯


    ¡°When are we going?¡±


    ¡®Tonight, when most of the camp is asleep. The tower should be less than an hour¡¯s walk away. If we time everything right, we can make it back before dawn.¡¯


    <hr>


    That night I was woken up by the alarm of my Xtransceiver going off. We decided to set the timer for 2 AM When most of the adults should be asleep.


    ¡°Come on, you guys, wake up!¡±


    It was Rena¡¯s job to sleep with Victini tonight. Her multiple tails wrapped around the little Pok¨¦mon acting as a makeshift blanket. She pawed at my face letting me know she wasn¡¯t ready to wake up yet. Victini however was still good to go, so I decided to recall Rena into her ball letting her rest some more while the little rabbit Pok¨¦mon and I sneaked out of camp. Instead of having the hired trainers guard them, the people in charge made liberal use of repels to discourage wild Pok¨¦mon from entering the camp at night. We took our chances and made out like bandits into the night.


    ¡®Can you sense if anyone¡¯s awake and outside their tent Victini?¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Sleeping minds feel the same to me.¡±


    ¡®No worries, sneaking out alone isn¡¯t illegal. I just don¡¯t want ¡°you know who¡± stalking us.¡¯


    ¡°There are two people inside Prof. Hawes¡¯ tent if that helps?¡±


    ¡®Great job Tini, you are the best.¡¯


    With renewed confidence we both sneaked our way outside the camp boundaries. Victini being nauseated as we crossed the repel coated borderlines. Repel is one of the more trusted tools in a trainer¡¯s arsenal. Pok¨¦mon dislike coming near anyone or thing doused with it. Most trainers just use it during nights so they can get a good night¡¯s rest without having to worry about any wild Pok¨¦mon stealing their supplies or attacking them in their sleep. Repels aren¡¯t full proof though if a trainer has antagonized a particular individual or group of Pok¨¦mon too much, they were apt to disregard the bad smell and attack anyways.


    ¡°We are beyond the border Tini, now to just head westwards. Thank Arceus the Xtransceiver comes with a compass application.¡±


    ¡°And where do you think you are going, Egon?¡±


    Startled, I turn around while Victini quickly turned invisible. Standing there obviously having tailed us all the way from camp is Phoebe, accompanied by one of her banette¡¯s. The blasted thing obviously has been spying on us, that creepy open zipper grin confirming my suspicions.


    ¡°Uhh nowhere Phoebe I couldn¡¯t sleep so I wanted to take a nice long walk to clear my head.¡±


    ¡°Really? Mind if we join you then?¡±


    ¡°Well long walks in the desert are best done on your lonesome¡­¡±


    ¡°Quit the gibberish Egon. I know you are planning something big. My darling Banette told me all about it. She also told me you have another Pok¨¦mon on hand who you¡¯ve been planning this all out with. Why did you lie to me about not having caught any more Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    ¡®Caught! How come you didn¡¯t sense that ghost spying on us?¡¯


    ¡°Ghost and dark types are hard to notice, okay? I have never done this type of stuff before.¡±


    ¡°Well Egon, are you going to explain yourself¡­?¡±


    ¡°I guess the jig is up. You can show yourself Victini.¡±


    My rabbit companion stopped refracting light making herself visible towards the newcomers.


    ¡°Oh my gosh! your new Pok¨¦mon is such a cutie!¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡®Do we have to go through this every time Victini shows herself to a girl!?¡¯


    Composure forgotten Phoebe rushes towards our position and tries to pet my team member. Usually, Victini would shy away from such overly familiar behavior from strangers, but Victini has observed Phoebe hanging out with me for a couple of days now. So, she quickly relented in the face of this oncoming assault.


    ¡°These ears are so warm and fluffy! This Pok¨¦mon is a fire type, right?¡±


    ¡°Psychic and Fire type actually. Anyways, now that you know our secret, we should have a long discussion about this. You can keep following us as we talk.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°So, what you are saying is that this cupcake is some sort of very special Pok¨¦mon and if bad people hear about her, they¡¯d try to forcefully take Victini away from you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s about right.¡±


    Phoebe insisted on holding onto Victini as we walked, not leaving the rabbit Pok¨¦mon out of her arms. Victini initially resisted her wanton ways, but quickly warmed up to her enough that she didn¡¯t resist being carried around like a stuffed doll.


    ¡®Maybe she likes being carried around like this?¡¯


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°For now, while I am still training up my team, I¡¯d like to keep Victini¡¯s existence a secret.¡±


    ¡°Hmm yes, I see your point. The only other trainer in a similar situation like you is the Pyramid King Brandon. He recently revealed that he captured the legendary Pok¨¦mon Registeel, Regirock and Regice. Brandon is a veteran trainer on equal footing with champions so no one is dumb enough to try and steal his Pok¨¦mon. A squirt like you on the other hand¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you that I am still growing! However, please don¡¯t tell anyone. The less people in the know the better. So far only Unova¡¯s regional professor and his daughter know about Victini.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why that uppity white coat keeps spending time with you alone! For a while there I thought she had convinced you to quit the life of a trainer and enroll into college early.¡±


    ¡°You think I am smart?¡±


    ¡°Of course! My little Egon can do whatever he sets his mind to.¡±


    ¡°I am not¡­ never mind, I think we have arrived.¡±


    Suddenly it became really hard for me to focus straight ahead. This must be the mind-numbing effect from the tower.


    ¡°Tini, can you see the tower?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that distortion effect doesn¡¯t affect me.¡±


    ¡°Can you lead us?¡±


    It was at this moment that Phoebe interjected herself into our conversation.


    ¡°Hold up Egon, what are you guys talking about?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s this tower right in front of us. Cofagrigus told me about this alternate entrance into the ruins below. The baltoy living here can alter the perception of passerby¡¯s, this entrance has remained undiscovered up until now.¡±


    ¡°Is this true darling?¡±


    ¡°Nette!¡±


    Her banette gave an affirming nod in response to its trainer¡¯s enquiry. ¡®Good it seems her ghost types aren¡¯t affected either.¡¯


    ¡°I think the best thing to do is to hold hands with our Pok¨¦mon so that they can lead us inside. The effect should probably disappear when we make it in.¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait a minute Egon! How come you want to go inside anyway?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s this fire type Pok¨¦mon living on the bottom level of these ruins that I desire to meet. I want the opportunity to catch one of their lineage.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay then, this also counts for my promise with helping you catch a new Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    Victini levitated out of Phoebe¡¯s arms and used her tiny paws to hold one of my fingers pulling me towards the entrance. Banette did the same for Phoebe, her shadowy claws holding onto her hands and leading her trainer into the entrance. Getting nearer to the tower I developed a mild headache nothing too painful, but still subconsciously encouraging me not to get closer.


    ¡®Interesting this must be another way of keeping the tower safe from intruders.¡¯


    As soon as our respective Pok¨¦mon pulled us beyond the gateway the banging in my head stopped. I could clearly perceive the tower¡¯s interior. The aesthetics were mostly similar to what we have already seen from the ruins. I turned around to observe the entrance we just came in from. It most resembled a tower window not something meant for people to pass through. If these ruins are really the remains of an ancient castle the geography of the land must have shifted majorly, since the time of its construction thousands of years ago, for so much of it to be buried in sand.


    ¡°The top floor is devoid of any wild Pok¨¦mon, but I reckon we¡¯ll spot a good many if we have to go down all the way to the bottom, lets keep our wits sharp.¡±


    ¡°Ya don¡¯t have to worry Egon we are the strongest!¡±


    ¡°Nette!¡±


    As expected, the tower room was filled with sand. However, the staircase residing in the middle of the floor was spotless and oddly well maintained. For a staircase that¡¯s over a thousand years old you¡¯d expect at least some amount of blemishes or cracks.


    ¡°The Pok¨¦mon living here must be maintaining this staircase; it''s in too pristine of a condition.¡±


    ¡°Well at least we know something is living here. Let us make haste Egon!¡±


    Our group started to descend into the depths of the ruins. Unlike the main hall entrance back at camp this couldn¡¯t be more straightforward we just had to keep walking down this stairwell. Oddly enough we couldn¡¯t spot any Pok¨¦mon on the first three floors but on the fourth floor¡­


    ¡°Toy¡­ Toy¡­¡±


    This floor contained a quintuplet of Baltoy lazily spinning around without stopping. They don¡¯t seem to have reacted to our presence.


    Baltoy, the Clay Doll Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Baltoy moves about while spinning like a top. It has been said that Baltoy coexisted with humans in ancient times. No further information available.


    ¡°Phoebe, can you? This Pok¨¦dex has very little information about nonnative species. Well¡­ formerly nonnative species when people find out about these little guys.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ you and your strange obsession with Pok¨¦dexes.¡±


    Baltoy, the Clay Doll Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Well, that information checks out. Should we wake them up? It is inevitable that we get spotted the further down we go. Might as well be polite intruders.¡±


    ¡°I guess so, Baltoy aren¡¯t even dangerous anyway. I play pranks on my grandfather¡¯s Claydol all the time.¡±


    ¡°Your grandpa has a claydol?! How come I haven¡¯t noticed before?¡±


    ¡°Because it sleeps most of the year. It can take months before it decides to wake up again.¡±


    I cautiously prod one of the sleeping baltoy


    ¡°Uhmm hello there, can you please wake up?¡±


    The little guy reacts to my prodding, its spinning coming to a brief halt.


    ¡°Toy!?¡±


    ¡°Hello there, my name is Egon, and this is Phoebe, my friend, and these are our partners Victini and Banette. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Baltoy.¡±


    ¡°Vi VI Tini!¡±


    ¡°Nette!¡±


    The commotion seems to have woken up the other four baltoy all equally as startled as the first one. The group all huddled up together switching from looking at us back to their heated discussion. Finally, the one I talked to first hopped forward and tried to start a conversation with us.


    ¡°Toy Toy?¡±


    ¡°Victini, can you translate for us?¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Sure!¡±


    ¡°Baltoy wants to know why we have come here.¡±


    ¡°Wait Victini can talk telepathically!? She could have shared her favorite petting spots with me the whole time.¡±


    ¡°¡­not the time Phoebe, and Victini¡¯s still not used to people. She only let you hold her because you are my trusted friend.¡±


    Redirecting my attention back to the baltoy I proceed to start conversing with it.


    ¡°We have come here because I want to meet the Volcarona that¡¯s living downstairs. You might know her as the sun. Is it possible to arrange a meeting?¡±


    The Baltoy huddles back into the group and they start conversing again. After a while the one I identified as the leader of the group spoke up again.


    ¡°Bal Toy.¡±


    ¡°He says that we may follow him downstairs to meet with his elders. The decision if we are allowed to meet Sunny is up to them.¡±


    ¡®Sunny? That¡¯s a strange form of endearment.¡¯


    Still spinning the Baltoy went further down the stairs. The way he did it was very amusing to watch making a mid-air twirl for every tread on the staircase. Like that we traversed another four stories of the castle. The lower we went the cleaner the place became. We came across more sleeping Baltoy, but our guide made no motions to wake them up. Letting his compatriots remain in deep slumber.


    ¡°There¡¯s almost no sand on the lower levels; these baltoy run a tight ship. Do you figure I could hire one of these little dudes to clean up all the clumps of shed fur you guys leave behind inside the center dorm?¡±


    ¡°VI!¡± ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, just teasing.¡°


    Eventually we made it to the bottom floor. Great pillars rose up from the ground preventing all of Relic Castle from sinking further into the ground. Baltoy guided us through this underground labyrinth. This maze was very confusing, but Baltoy was leading us south-east by my estimations taking the southern and eastern passages when available. Which eventually led us to a room with lots of ceramic pottery. Inside this room are two larger Pokemon sleeping. Considering their features it was pretty clear these two are claydolls.


    Claydol, the Clay Doll Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Claydol is the evolved form of Baltoy. These ancient Pok¨¦mon are said to come alive when a mysterious light instilled life into clay creatures created in ancient times. Claydol can fly and are able to fire beams from both arms. If it gets wet, its body melts. When rain starts to fall, it wraps its whole body up with its psychic powers to protect itself.


    ¡°Thank you, Phoebe.¡±


    ¡°Well, I figured you would ask me eventually.¡±


    The little Baltoy¡¯s eyes glowed blue for a while until the two slumbering Claydolls started moving.


    Being asleep for so long has left a layer of dried sediment on them that isn¡¯t part of their bodies. So, when they first started moving again in such a long time the dried crusted up mud started falling off in patches.


    The Baltoy and Claydolls started having some form of telepathic conversation. Baltoy might not be strong or proficient enough to project its mind outward, but I am betting that wasn¡¯t the case for these two claydol.


    A mental probe sought entrance into my mind, one that wasn¡¯t Victini¡¯s. Me and her being linked she noticed the foreign intrusion too. My brainbox being one of the places she has laid claim to, Victini was understandably upset when someone else tried to get inside without asking her permission.


    ¡®It¡¯s alright they probably just want to communicate with me directly to avoid misunderstandings.¡¯


    ¡°Okay¡­ but don¡¯t let them in too deep.¡±


    Victini¡¯s presence retreated to make space for the Claydol. The thoughts of this Pok¨¦mon felt kind of alien, more machine-like. Most likely due to its non-biological nature.


    ¡°You seek an audience with Sunny? For what purpose?¡±


    ¡°Sunny? The Cofagrigus up above told me she was called The Sun.¡±


    ¡°Her original ancestor was called by that title the specter up above has no concept of time and frequently confuses one for the other.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you for the explanation that had been bugging me for a while. Ehem I¡¯ve come down here to see such a fabled Pok¨¦mon up close, and also maybe to ask one of her offspring to be our partner.¡±


    ¡°Your words hold no lies, we will converse amongst ourselves to decide. Does your other human companion have a similar purpose in coming here?¡±


    ¡°Phoebes, they''re asking if you also want to catch a Pok¨¦mon here.¡±


    ¡°No way I can only capture one more Pok¨¦mon in this region. As soon as we are done here, I am heading straight for the celestial tower.¡±


    Seemingly satisfied with her answer, the claydol¡¯s presence retreated out of my mind. No doubt in order to converse with others of its kind. The two inside this room are likely not the only ones living inside the relic castle.


    <hr>


    It took them about half an hour to get back to us with their answer. I didn¡¯t mind the waiting, spending time playing cards with my Pok¨¦mon. Phoebe and her banette joined us for a couple of rounds.


    ¡°Vi VI!¡± ¡°Uno!¡±


    I had the sneaking suspicion that Victini was cheating using her psychic abilities. This was the fifth game she had won in a row. Before learning the rules of the game, she lost constantly. Now she keeps getting winning hands. Of course, Phoebe and Banette are more impressed than angry by her cheating ways.


    ¡°That was very well played, Victini.¡±


    ¡°Nette Nette.¡±


    The two claydol inside the room watched us finish the game before letting us know they came to a resolution.


    ¡°We have come to a decision. You may enter the main chamber and observe Sunny as she rests. We will communicate with Sunny inside her dreams. If she finds you appealing you will be allowed to take one of her eggs with you.¡±


    ¡°How come she can¡¯t judge me herself?¡±


    ¡°In order to preserve her lifespan, she only wakes during the summer and spring seasons. Otherwise, she will remain in hibernation.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how old is she?¡±


    ¡°Sunny is currently four hundred and ninety-three cycles old. She is the third-generation child of our beloved sun.¡±


    Most bug types didn¡¯t live that long. Your standard beautifly or dustox will only last for about fifteen years with its trainer. Their average life expectancy is even shorter in the wild due to predation or poor nutrition. ¡®To think this species can live for that long, they are truly mystical creatures.¡¯


    ¡°We have arrived.¡±


    The inner sanctum of this place was finely decorated. The depictions on the walls clearly showing scenes of a catastrophe that struck this place thousands of years ago. Black clouds covered the skies, scenes of crops dying out coupled with failed harvests. The next scenes showed the sun depicted as a Volcarona saving the people and Pok¨¦mon that were almost wiped out due to the absence of sunlight.


    At the end of the room stood a huge silken nest with a single occupant. Propped upward by her silken throne the human sized moth Pok¨¦mon was resting.


    Volcarona, the Sun Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            A Bug and Fire type. Volcarona emerged from a flaming cocoon. It scatters burning scales from its six wings, bathing the area in a sea of fire. When volcanic ash darkened the atmosphere, it is said that Volcarona''s fire provided a replacement for the sun. It appears during bitterly cold winters and saves Pok¨¦mon from freezing.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    Our entire group was stunned by the majestic bearing of this Pok¨¦mon. The Pok¨¦dex entry fanning the flames of our admiration, even Victini was properly impressed by Volcarona.


    ¡°Not many visitors are allowed inside this room. You two are part of only a handful of humans that have been inside this sanctuary these past hundred cycles.¡±


    ¡°Wait other humans have made it here before us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, some odd forty cycles ago a red-haired young human came here for the first time and left a lasting impression on Sunny. He is one of the few that she has deemed worthy enough to bestow one of her children onto.¡±


    ¡°Red hair? Did this man go by the name of Alder per chance?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe that is what he called himself.¡±


    ¡®So, this is the place he received his ace team member. Alder has been keeping the secret of this place to himself for all these years. Understandable if trainers knew about this location, they would come here in droves to get a larvesta for their own teams. The more dubious characters would aim to capture this enchanting creature by force.¡¯


    ¡°How will Sunny determine if I am worthy or not?¡±


    ¡°She observes you in your natural state. We have been showing her images of you playing this ¡®card game¡¯ with your companions. If her impression of your character is a positive one, we will bestow onto you one of the children.¡±


    ¡°Wait, that was a test!?¡±

 Chapter 17 - Eggcellent Surprise

    Chapter 17 ¨C Eggcellent Surprise


    ¡°So, you are saying this place is around twenty-five hundred years old? Fascinating, and you kept the tower above us away from scrutiny up until this point?¡±


    ¡°It was determined to be the most prudent decision to make. Our creators, the humans who first lived inside this castle, gave us this mission before moving away to escape the desertification.¡±


    ¡°You two have been living here all this while, doesn''t it get boring? Do you ever get to take days off, maybe travel the world to go sightseeing?¡±


    ¡°Being bored is not a concern. While sleeping our consciousness escapes these physical forms, and we partake in a journey of wonder and discovery amidst the stars.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that''s some heavy stuff. Well, I am glad you aren¡¯t just keeping watch all these years I¡¯d have gone crazy.¡±


    ¡°Would you and your group like to hear the history of this fallen kingdom, while your group waits?¡±


    ¡°Lay it on me. Phoebe also doesn¡¯t mind listening in on these types of old history lessons.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t go making decisions for me, squirt, but yes I¡¯d like to hear the story.¡±


    ¡°This castle used to be surrounded by a vibrant city. The first city ever built in Unova. Before the forming of this kingdom Unova was divided between groups of warring tribes each trying to lay claim on this land until our founding princes found the Dragonstone. The princes having proven themselves worthy awakened the legendary Pok¨¦mon from its slumber. Together they unified the lands under one single kingdom and named this newfound region Unova. Having secured lasting peace the brothers had a disagreement on what virtue this new kingdom was to be founded on. The elder brother sought truth and the younger brother sought ideals. Mirroring their differing beliefs, the ancient dragon Pok¨¦mon split into two different entities. The white dragon sided with the elder prince seeking truth. While the black dragon followed the younger prince who sought ideals. The princes decided that a battle between dragons would prove which side was right. However, since both Pok¨¦mon were born of the same dragon neither side could defeat the other and the brothers declared that there was no right side. As all humans do the princes eventually passed on to the spirit world and their heirs took control of the kingdom. Recommencing the previous conflict. These princes, less wizened than their forebears, continued warring with each other until the Unova region was destroyed. The dragons disappeared shunning further human contact. This city which was founded by the elder prince had its blessings revoked by the forces of nature and sank deep into the sands.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a depressing tale. Nowadays anything can be settled by having a Pok¨¦mon battle. Those who can guide their team to victory are ultimately appointed as the leaders of their respective home regions. Being able to bring out all of a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s hidden strength is seen as the hallmark of a great leader.¡±


    Phoebe also had her own two cents to add onto this topic.


    ¡°The two princes must have been real neglectful parents to not be able to instill some sense in their children¡¯s heads.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s typical Phoebe. I haven''t seen my mom for more than five years. My grandparents are the best though, they took me and Zinnia in even though they didn¡¯t have to. That catastrophe could have been avoided if the rulers from that time were decided through battle.¡±


    ¡°Egon, I always thought you were more of the democratic type¡­?¡±


    ¡°For the small-scale stuff yes. Local communities should be allowed to govern themselves. When we are talking region wide decisions, that would also affect the Pok¨¦mon living inside these areas the decision-making process can get hamstrung by the number of voices all with differing opinions. At that moment the best we can do is put our faith into people who share the strongest bonds with Pok¨¦mon. If a mistake is made at least there would be a singular person that can shoulder responsibility for the bad choice.¡±


    ¡°Lighten up Egon! Let big sister Phoebe worry about all that when she makes it to the Elite Four. Tell you what. I¡¯ll let you work as my secretary advisor when I get there.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for getting all serious Phoebes. I think the trick to good leadership is always being open to new ideas and not dismissing others who have differing opinions.¡±


    ¡°She has made her decision.¡±


    ¡°Vraahhbrbrbrbr!¡±


    One look at the previously unmoving body informed us that the Volcarona inside the room was no longer sleeping. Flaming scales started drifting around the room as this centennial Pok¨¦mon regarded our presence in her sanctuary. Even Phoebe, our ace trainer, seemed intimidated by this Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Before letting you hear her decision, we ask you Egon to clarify the relationship between you and trainer Alder. Sunny recognizes remarkable similarities between the two of you.¡±


    ¡°Egon what is this¡­?¡±


    ¡°Can you keep another secret for me Phoebes?¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ but you will have to spend an entire month on Mt. Pyre.¡±


    ¡°Can it be anything else please? No sleep for a month is kind of harsh¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask Misdreavus to take it easy on you during sleeping hours.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­ but only after I have finished my business with certain dragon obsessed in-laws.¡±


    ¡°That trainer who visited you all those years ago is my grandfather. Now I haven¡¯t ever met the guy, my familial situation is kind of complicated, but please don¡¯t feel obligated to make your decision based on my heritage.¡±


    ¡°Brbrbr!¡±


    ¡°That would never have been the case. The downfall of old Unova has made it clear to us that blood doesn¡¯t always tell of sound character.¡±


    ¡°Egon, you''re the grandson of a champion!? Don¡¯t even think for a second that I am letting you off the hook for not sharing that with me!¡±


    ¡°Do I have to share every little thing with you? Being related to Alder doesn¡¯t even make it in the top five secrets you know about me!¡±


    ¡°What about that one time you took laxatives because you were convinced one of the ghosts put floor polish in your cereal bowl and¡­¡±


    ¡°Lalala! I can¡¯t hear you!¡±


    ¡°She approves you may pick one of her eggs to take with you.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°So, I just have to choose one of these?¡±


    ¡°Yes, whichever one you choose will become your partner Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    Before me five eggs are lined up for me to choose between. Sunny the Volcarona had the eggs placed inside the ceramics decorating her room to obscure them from view. On her orders one of the Claydol used telekinesis to line them up for me.


    ¡®Am I supposed to get some sort of special feeling for the egg that is most suited for me?¡¯


    These eggs looked like any other Pok¨¦mon eggs I¡¯ve seen in the gym. Being no different except for the distinct red pattern on each of them. Two of the eggs are slightly bigger, while they all have varying shades of red going from coral all the way to crimson.


    I get closer to observe the individual differences between each of the eggs. I noticed Victini making eyes at the one in the middle, a medium sized egg with scarlet red markings. I crouch down to touch the outer shell.


    ¡®Warm¡­¡¯


    ¡°I pick this one to be my future partner.¡±


    ¡°A peculiar choice. This one¡¯s father impressed Sunny enough to be picked a second time for courtship. Its sibling is the one on the other end of the lineup.¡±


    ¡°What happens when the eggs hatch on their own?¡±


    ¡°They live inside the castle with us for a spell before being sent out with a protector to ensure they find themselves a place to call home. Now¡­ onto your obligations as a human picked to care for one of Sunny¡¯s progeny. Sunny has decided she would like to spend time with her offspring nearing the end of the warmer seasons. Schedule any planned visitations in that timeframe. The second more important thing is that we expect human partners to try and extend Sunny¡¯s lineage by helping female offspring find a worthy mate of their own once they have fully matured. If your egg hatches a male member of her bloodline this supposition is nullified of course.¡±


    ¡®Please be a boy, please be a boy.¡¯


    I had no interest in hooking up any of my team members with the opposite gender now or in the future. Especially not for species that belonged to the bug egg groupings.


    ¡®How would they even determine another individual to be a worthy mate? The bite strength of their mandibles? or the color of their compound eyes?¡¯


    ¡°Sunny has shared many such details with us for example¡­¡±


    ¡°No! I mean I am good! I¡¯ll let her heart decide if it turns out she¡¯s a girl.¡±


    The Claydol seemed willing to let it go as it was this moment that Sunny flew up to me and the egg. The egg levitated off the ground and the Volcarona proceeded to dust the eggshell with her three pairs of wings, tiny embers falling down as she did so. I was about to question the purpose of this procedure before Claydol helpfully explained this phenomenon.


    ¡°She is marking the egg with her scent. The child will smell this during the hatching process and know how to identify its mother when the two encounter each other again. It is also to let the child know that you were chosen by Sunny to nurture and protect it. Stick out your dominant appendage, you will need to be delineated as well.¡±


    Sunny now proceeded to mark my arm with her ember scales as well. She was surprisingly gentle and being slightly singed on my right arm didn¡¯t hurt nearly as bad as I expected it to.


    ¡°Water won¡¯t wipe away this particular marking. Do note to avoid wearing anything that smells strongly during the hatching process, so the child can properly identify you.¡±


    I made a mental note to avoid cleaning my right forearm with strong detergents for the foreseeable future. Sunny having completed her intended purpose for waking up, slowly turned away to return to the silk throne she used as her resting place.


    ¡°Thank you very much for choosing me! I¡¯ll take great care of your child!¡±


    ¡°Vrrrrr¡­¡±


    ¡°She knows you will. Let us escort you outside the tower. It is the minimum we can do for one of Sunny¡¯s chosen humans.¡±


    We left Relic Castle through the same route we used to come inside. This time one of the Claydol came with us, together with the original Baltoy who guided us on our pathway in. Nothing out of the ordinary happened and we soon found ourselves outside the tower entrance once again. This time, immune to the distortion effects, I could see the castle tower for the first time from the outside. It had this ancient Victorian style aesthetic to it. Not what I would¡¯ve expected from a castle that was built in a dry weather area like this.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°This is where we part ways. When visiting us in the future do keep in mind that we prefer visitors that come by during the spring or summer months. Waking up months early has already disrupted Sunny¡¯s remaining time with us.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be, this was her choice. She was willing to give up a year or two of life just to send you off properly. Don¡¯t underestimate the value she sees in you. Let us meet again under more favorable circumstances.¡±


    With that the Claydol turned around and retreated back into the depths of the relic castle.


    ¡°Vi Vi Vi!¡± ¡°This place is mine I am not sharing again!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine Tini. I wasn''t expecting any psychic types to act as middleman for the Volcarona living inside Relic Castle. The next time a psychic type asks for entry inside my mind you will be the one that decides the necessity of such a measure. Let¡¯s go Phoebe if we are quick the scientists won¡¯t have cause to question where we have been.¡±


    ¡°Egon, you do know that I have missed about half the conversation that you¡¯ve had with Claydol? You better fill in the blanks as we walk towards camp, no more secrets!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°And that¡¯s about everything. Alder probably knows I exist thanks to blabby government officials, but he doesn¡¯t know where I am or that I have even entered Unova.¡±


    ¡°Man, that¡¯s such a headache. Your mother sure knows how to pick ¡®em doesn¡¯t she.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, her type is crazy obsessed men. It¡¯s whatever, at least this gave me the opportunity to meet these two cuties.¡± I gestured towards the egg I was holding, and Victini who was currently being detained inside her prison arms. Do you think the expedition is going to act fussy about the egg once we reach camp?¡±


    ¡°If they know of its origins probably. You can just say you found the egg in the desert sands and are intending on raising it by yourself. Unless the expedition team has a licensed breeder on retinue, they won¡¯t figure out its species by the time we leave the expedition.¡±


    ¡°Ehh I¡¯d rather not risk it. Sunny placed her trust in me by giving me her egg. There¡¯s the off chance one of the expedition members minored in reproductive biology. In the morning I¡¯ll be leaving for Castelia. I am guessing you¡¯ll be heading for the celestial tower?¡±


    ¡°Yep! I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s the place to be if you want to catch ghost Pok¨¦mon. They also run a graveyard for deceased Pok¨¦mon there, so I¡¯ll finally be among my own people. My team can go all out without us being reprimanded by stuck up normies.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t those channelers and mediums have ways to deal with ghost types that become too rowdy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all a matter of perspective, Egon! They know to save the real talismans for actual emergencies.¡±


    We arrived at camp just as the sun was coming up. Phoebe and I split up as soon as we crossed the repel line. She went back to her tent to freshen up while I quickly slipped inside my own tent making sure I wasn¡¯t spotted holding the egg. Victini, having already turned invisible, followed me quietly. As soon as I was in the safe confines of my tent, I decided to release my team from their balls so we could go over our plans together.


    ¡°Vuuul.¡±


    ¡°Num num.¡±


    ¡°Did you sleep well you lovable scamps? You missed out on a big adventure. We got to see ancient Pok¨¦mon, a sunken tower and the newest addition to our little group of misfits.¡±


    I presented to them the egg I received from Sunny. They both started hopping up and down excitedly, especially Rena seemed enthusiastic to be in the presence of a Pok¨¦mon egg.


    ¡°From now on I need you guys to act like responsible older siblings. And to take turns watching the egg when I am not around. Can you do that?¡±


    ¡°Pix pix!¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    ¡°After we have breakfast with Aurea, we are making a beeline for Castelia city to check in for our gym battle. We also have to find an egg incubator while there. I am guessing the body heat of a fire type will do for now, but it''s best to get an expert¡¯s opinion on this. We can¡¯t afford to make any mistakes when it comes to the health and safety of a newborn Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    As if responding to my words Rena started wrapping her tails around the egg in a bid to help keep it warm. We sat down like that until it was time for Aurea to come visit us for her daily observation. It didn¡¯t take long until a familiar figure arrived in front of our tent tapping on the entrance and pulling down the zipper door to our tent.


    ¡°Good morning, Egon, have you slept well? Wait... what is that?¡±


    The future professor pointed towards the corner of my tent where Rena was sitting, her tails still wrapped around the Pok¨¦mon egg.


    ¡°Well, the strangest thing happened while I was out for a morning stroll. I came across this egg in the desert. Based on the shell¡¯s temperature and coloration I figured this egg belongs to a fire type. So, I decided to hatch and raise it on my own.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? Can you tell me where in the desert you found this egg perchance? And what are those burn marks on your right arm? Did you have a training incident while practicing fire type moves?¡±


    ¡¯Darn! I didn¡¯t cover up my right arm.¡¯


    Aurea fired one salvo of questions after another until I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Deciding to cut my losses I determined it was best to cut her out of the loop.


    ¡°Actually Aurea, me and my team decided it was best to leave for Castelia city this morning. Our match with Burgh is on the morrow, and it''s best we get this miracle of nature, an incubator of its own.¡±


    Aurea, figuring out that I wasn¡¯t going to answer her questions, decided on a different approach to solve the mystery of the desert egg.


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea I¡¯ll come with you!¡±


    ¡®This woman is relentless. I am scared.¡¯


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have like obligations to fulfill here at the expedition site? I¡¯ve heard they¡¯re planning on excavating more of the flooded lower tunnels. There could be a good number of fossils down there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to take weeks before we can get the permits to dig any deeper. The ruins are still a protected cultural site. Egon why do I get the feeling you''re trying to ditch me? I still haven¡¯t completed my observation journal and you¡¯re already talking about separating. Are you hiding something from me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, everybody has their own secrets to keep. I don¡¯t know anything about your personal life. Why should I be forced to share mine?¡±


    This question momentarily stumped the future regional professor until she finally found her groove again.


    ¡°My name is Aurea Juniper. I am twenty-four years old. My favorite color is lime green. I graduated from Nimbasa tech with PHD¡¯s in both paleontology and Pok¨¦mon ethology. My dream is to one day revive a Pok¨¦mon fossil and at the same time prove the origins of all modern-day Pok¨¦mon.¡°


    ¡®Uh-oh¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    The pain in my behind, that was the inquisitiveness of the junior professor, kept following me all the way on route to Castelia. Luckily the camp was due for a supply run so we could travel with one of the hired trainers to avoid any possible dangers of having to make the journey alone with a vulnerable egg in my arms. The specific trainer they sent with us was one that Rena is all too familiar with.


    ¡°Nyaaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Oh Arceus! Not this again I am terribly sorry trainer Egon.¡±


    ¡°Pix pix pix!¡±


    ¡°It''s fine they¡¯re working out their problems by themselves. So, what¡¯s it like working for a living as a trainer?¡±


    The Liepard¡¯s trainer was a quirky girl named Becky who finished top sixtyfour at last year¡¯s Ventress conference. Instead of opting to make another run she decided to take a break from competing. Naturally she still needed living accommodations and food for her team, so she took the job offered to her by foreman Hawes.


    ¡°As a trainer you have multiple avenues for work. You could decide to join the ranger corps living out in nature and making sure the routes are safe for trainers to traverse. You could also freelance as hired help for third parties like I am doing currently, and thirdly you could keep on competing. As long as you make it to the top one hundred and twenty-eight every year and keep your sponsors happy, you can make enough money to afford living expenses and supplies. Of course, if you and your team are skilled enough you won¡¯t even have to find a job. The top sixteen trainers in the tournament get paid generously and any company that has battlers occupying the upper echelons generally try their best to keep them in luxury.¡±


    ¡°What happens to the trainers that wash out?¡±


    ¡°If they kept up with their studies they could return to college and find work. To pay for the living expenses of a full team is usually a pretty major financial burden. In some cases parents can help out by pitching in some money .¡±


    The other option was left unspoken. Nearly all trainers dreaded having to part with their Pok¨¦mon. To wash out in the preliminaries of the conference usually meant the end of a trainer¡¯s career. Most sponsors would not take a second chance on a failed investment. Luckily Becky didn¡¯t share that problem.


    ¡°So, an egg huh? Most breeders charge exorbitant prices for a Pok¨¦mon egg. Which daycare was generous enough to just give you one?¡±


    ¡°Well actually I found this one in the wild by its lonesome. After making sure the parents were out of the picture, I decided to take it with me. I am hoping to buy an incubator once we arrive in Castelia city.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s even luckier! I¡¯ve always wanted to see a Pok¨¦mon being born. If it seems like the egg is hatching while we''re still inside the city, please call me. I want to be there for that special moment.¡±


    Aurea, sitting on the inside of the backseat of the car, decided that this moment was the time to start harrying me again.


    ¡°Yes, that is an excellent idea let us all share in the moment while watching the wonder that is childbirth.¡±


    Aurea basically decided to start following me around coming to some weird conclusion that I would give in if she persisted long enough. I didn¡¯t have the heart to keep lying to her about the egg¡¯s origins. Which would also be pointless because she was as smart as a whip. How she decided that my secrets were interesting enough for her to keep up the stalking I didn¡¯t know. The SUV experienced an uncomfortable silence every time I didn¡¯t take each chance that I had to converse with our driver Becky.


    ¡°So, you like dark types?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think they¡¯re just adorable. I started off with my dear Liepard when she was just a purrloin. Most people give dark types a bad rap, but once you get past their tough exterior, you¡¯ll learn that they¡¯re the most caring Pok¨¦mon around. Isn¡¯t that right, sweetums?¡±


    ¡°Nyaaaaar.¡±


    ¡®This is going to be a long ride.¡¯


    <hr>


    The last few hours have been nerve wrenching for me, but we finally made it to Castelia city somewhere in the afternoon. That left me plenty of time to go searching for an appropriate egg incubator. Fortunately, I managed to lose Aurea inside the Pok¨¦mon center while she was busy calling her father to assess him of the situation inside Relic Castle. I remembered seeing some being sold at the same hardware store I bought my Xtransceiver, so we headed to that place first.


    ¡°Welcome to Penny¡¯s Adventuring Gear Inc. How can we help you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, hello I was here last time, and I remembered seeing egg incubators for sale.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am sorry to inform you that incubators are only sold in the big multiplex stores. The ones we had on our shelves last time must have been secondhand products that we have rented out. You see most trainers only need egg incubators for the brief period that they are carrying an unhatched egg on them. The only people that need incubators on a permanent basis are professional breeders. However, seeing as you are a loyal customer, I can spare a few minutes helping reserve one online.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll help out tremendously, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Okay, is that the egg in question that needs to be incubated? The one that you are holding?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°Do you know the species of the Pok¨¦mon inside? If not, you will have to call for a professional breeder to identify the egg.¡±


    ¡°Is that important for renting an incubator?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. For example, let¡¯s say that egg holds a Cubchoo. We would need an incubator capable of reaching freezing temperatures. Only specific incubators are made for ice types. Every species of Pok¨¦mon eggs has optimal temperatures that stimulate and expediate the hatching process. Even being a few degrees off can have a big impact on hatching times. That includes different species that happen to share the same typing.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, can you promise not to tell anyone what¡¯s inside this egg? It¡¯s kind of a big deal.¡±


    ¡°Sir if you are part of an illegal trafficking ring, snatching eggs from nesting mothers, I will have to report you to the authorities.¡±


    ¡°No no it¡¯s nothing like that, just that¡­¡±


    I look left and right before whispering the species name in her ear. The woman behind the desk is startled upon hearing the name.


    ¡°Well, I have never¡­¡±


    ¡°I know I know! Is there an incubator available which is up to the task?¡±


    She readjusts her glasses before attempting to answer my question.


    ¡°Well typically for bug type eggs the incubator simulates the undergrowth of large forests like Pinwheel. Moist and a slightly acidic top-level sediment thanks to all the decomposing fallen leaves. In the case of fire types. It ranges from simulating volcano environments to those living on mountainous hills facing constant harsh sunlight. I cannot give you a recommendation. To really get help incubating this egg you would need to ask an expert.¡±


    ¡°Do you know someone?¡±


    ¡°Aside from our champion? The closest thing to an expert you could find is the gym leader inside this city. Burgh is not known for having trained any of the species, but he is the foremost bug type expert, If anyone can help you it''s him.¡±


    ¡°I guess this is the best I can expect.¡±


    ¡°Do remember not to tell anyone what you are carrying. Even good-natured trainers would be tempted to steal such a valuable Pok¨¦mon. Yes, even telling me was a mistake. You should¡¯ve directly headed to the Castelia gym in order to ask Burgh for help.¡±


    <hr>


    Following the advice from the store clerk I headed towards the Castelia gym. Based on the reservation chart I looked at the last time I was here Burgh should be winding down on the challengers for today. Hopefully the gym personnel wouldn¡¯t question why an unknown ten-year-old needed to speak with their boss. I stopped carrying the egg openly in my arms, the store clerk helpfully providing me with a padded carton box.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir?¡±


    ¡°Can I speak with leader Burgh please?¡±


    ¡°If you are here to apply for the modeling job to promote our child size clothing, I am sorry to tell you hun, but you don¡¯t have the facial qualities to make it in the modeling business.¡±


    ¡°No, I am not here for that, I just want to talk to Burgh for a minute.¡±


    ¡®Wait did that lady just call me ugly? It¡¯s one thing hearing it from Flannery but to get called that by a professional in the modeling business.¡¯


    ¡°Egon, focus!¡±


    ¡®You are right, I will have to face this existential crisis another time.¡¯


    ¡°Leader Burgh is a busy man. Are you sure you can¡¯t find anyone else to help you with the contents of that box? We stopped adopting strays from bug catchers due to new league policy. You will have to find it a same species colony in Pinwheel, just like everybody else whose mother didn¡¯t let them keep their bug type Pok¨¦mon at home.¡±


    ¡®This lady is making a lot of assumptions over here. I ought to¡­¡¯


    ¡°No actually, what I have here is something that leader Burgh would really like to see in private. I promise you won¡¯t be wasting his time by letting me see him.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I was about to get my manicure redone, but I guess I can spare the few extra minutes.¡±


    ¡®Is everybody that works for Burgh as vain as this woman?¡¯


    She led me through the interior of the gym until reaching a door marked private.


    ¡°This is where leader Burgh gets most of his creative juices flowing. His private atelier, all of our most famous clothing lines started their inception from the insides of this room. I hope you were serious when claiming you aren¡¯t planning to waste his time.¡±

 Chapter 18 - Everything for Fashion

    Chapter 18 ¨C Everything for Fashion


    The inside of the room was filled with paints and silk threads. Obviously spun by all the various bug types that call this gym their home. There wasn¡¯t a single spot in this atelier that was not covered by these two things. Burgh obviously favored Blues and greens the most, but he didn¡¯t hesitate to spruce things up with a dash of pink and yellow.


    ¡®Burgh is probably the most famous of the major Unovan gym leaders second only to Brycen the movie star. His side gig is being a famous sketch artist and fashion designer. Burgh mostly paints forest scenes, his muse being newly born bug type Pok¨¦mon hanging from their silk cocoons.¡¯


    ¡°What if he can¡¯t help us?¡±


    ¡®Then I will swallow my pride and give good old grandpa a call.¡¯


    ¡°Ahhh, hello there young man. What a darling ensemble you are wearing! Red is your color I can just tell. With a few more adjustments you¡¯ll be making waves for sure. I am thinking a wild look, as if you have just been roughing it out hand to hand with a throh from the forest.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the compliment leader, Burgh. My name is Egon from Lavaridge town. I actually came here to get some advice on hatching a bug type egg that was given to me recently. This is the first egg I have been given to care for and I don¡¯t want to mess up.¡±


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll just have to see the little sweetling in person then, won¡¯t I? If it¡¯s a bug type egg we''re talking about, you can rely on me.¡±


    I placed the box on the single stool that was available inside this room before opening it and revealing its contents to Burgh.


    ¡°Oh my¡­ do you know what you have here Egon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a larvesta egg. I am having problems finding an incubator with the appropriate settings on the open market. The nice lady at Penny¡¯s told me that I should ask you for advice.¡±


    ¡°Hmm before any of that, let me take a closer look at your body.¡±


    ¡°What are you¡­!?¡±


    Burgh proceeded to manhandle every nook and cranny of my childlike body until he found what he was looking for on my right upper arm. The first-degree burn hadn¡¯t completely faded yet. The distinct smell of moth pheromone still dominates my body¡¯s natural scent.


    ¡°Here it is. If you didn¡¯t have this mark young man, I would have confiscated the egg. Seeing it on your body puts my heart at ease. It means you have been given this egg with the blessings of its mother. A rare feat for any trainer to accomplish. volcarona don¡¯t hand out their eggs to just anyone you know.¡±


    Burgh proceeded to stick his nose on the mark and taking deep huffs of the lingering scent.


    ¡°Ahh this must be one of the most distinct smells in the world! A hint of ozone mixed with the scent of a loving mother Volcarona who must undoubtedly be at least over one hundred years old going by the richness of this aroma. You will need this mark when the egg hatches, but afterwards if you are still around and interested, I¡¯d like to isolate this smell and turn it into my newest perfume. This mark here can help me produce as many as forty bottles! I¡¯ll call it Sun goddess¡¯ grace!¡±


    ¡®This is the most unique individual I¡¯ve ever come across.¡¯


    ¡°I like him.¡±


    Victini¡¯s endorsement was all I needed to trust Burgh and proceed with my inquiry.


    ¡°Leader Burgh, can you give me a recommendation?¡±


    ¡°I wish that I could, for a promising young pupa such as yourself. Alas there have never been any studies done on optimal incubator settings for hatching larvesta eggs. The best I can do is point you towards the right direction to take. At the moment the league only knows of two trainers that have captured one of their line. Luckily, I have both their Xtransceiver numbers.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s another one beside Champion Alder!?¡±


    ¡°Yes indeed, the second one is our very own master sergeant Dianne of the ranger corps. We both started the circuit at around the same age. She was my rival for a long time but now we are just good friends.¡±


    ¡°But firstly, I have to ask. What possessed a young trainer like you to have climbed the unnamed mountain that¡¯s completely removed from the routes like that? For a novice trainer like you that¡¯s risking death. The wild Pok¨¦mon living on that mountain are strong and temperamental. There¡¯s a reason the league decided to obscure that place from our maps.¡±


    ¡°Mountain¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh dear, I guess it is me not making any sense this time. Let me start from the beginning. The league only knows of one place with a nesting Volcarona, but the mountain she calls her home is off route. I went there myself once together with Dianne. Sadly, the nesting mother only had a single egg to give and decided that my ex-rival was a better fit. You see Egon, a volcarona will only mate with another bug type she deems strong enough. Sadly, there aren¡¯t many bug-types capable of besting a mature volcarona especially so in the wild. The league has tried many times to find a suitable partner for her, but she has turned down all suitors until now. I suspect her previous mate that fathered the egg lost to her and has now fallen out of favor.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t champion Alder have a male Volcarona? A champion¡¯s Pok¨¦mon isn¡¯t strong enough?¡±


    ¡°The league suspects the two Pok¨¦mon to be siblings. They get along just fine, but there is no attraction there.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡®That Volcarona must be one of Sunny¡¯s daughters that left and established her own nest.¡¯


    ¡°Based on your reaction I assume you must have found a different nesting mother while on your journey. That is excellent news! To think that there could be another nest out there. The propagation chances of this species isn¡¯t as bleak as I originally thought it to be. Let me just call Dianne and have her tell us what she did to get her egg to hatch.¡±


    Burgh started scrolling the numbers list on his Xtransceiver until he finally picked the one he was looking for. The device buzzed a few times until the call got forwarded through. Burgh put the Xtransceiver on speaker so I could listen in.


    ¡°Burgh? Why are you calling me again after such a long time? I already told you I won¡¯t model for your new wild and free clothing brand.¡±


    ¡°Dear Dianne, it is such a wonder hearing your lovely voice after such a long time. Alas! I have called you for a greater purpose this time. A strapping young trainer has recently brought in a larvesta egg with questions on how to hatch this wonder of nature. Of course, I myself cannot help him. However, then I remembered my dear old friend who found herself in a similar situation years ago. Come introduce yourself, Egon.¡±


    ¡°Uhmm Hello Ma¡¯am, Egon here. Just like leader Burgh said, I recently received this egg from its mother, and I was wondering how to hatch it.¡±


    The woman on screen was a brunette wearing a standard issue ranger attire designed for female members to use. A skintight body suit with a vest and latch belt with all the tools one might need to survive in the wilderness.


    ¡°Burgh¡­ did this kid go off route and ignore about a thousand safety precautions to get that egg? Arghh¡­ sorry, that¡¯s my work voice speaking. Since I am on break, I will ignore this matter for now. Kid if you want to hatch that egg you will need an incubator that¡¯s capable of producing lots and lots of simulated sunlight. Temperature isn¡¯t as much of an issue, but sunlight is. The best incubators you can find for this are those developed to house the sunflora and cherrim lines. I still have my old one and can have it sent to you tomorrow. Don¡¯t worry about missing out on a few days. Pok¨¦mon eggs are hardy and can last for years, even decades until the right conditions have been met.¡±


    ¡®Sunlight huh? That explains why there were five eggs in Sunny¡¯s sanctuary. They don¡¯t get any sunlight at all. Any light down there can only be provided by her scattering ember scales.¡¯


    ¡°That would be great Ma¡¯am, but I don¡¯t really have an address you can send the incubator to.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll send the incubator to Burgh¡¯s place, so he can give it to you. All I ask for in return is that if by some miracle the hatched Larvesta is a girl that you do the responsible thing and try to convince her to repopulate the species. Having more wild volcarona around would be a boon for us rangers. Their benevolence extends to all species, and they usually become the de facto leader of any place they call home. Burgh give him my number, I am available if he needs any advice on raising larvesta.¡±


    The call ended after Burgh and Dianne exchanged some more pleasantries. Followed by Burgh showing me Dianne¡¯s number and for good measure he gave me his personal number as well.


    ¡°Now don¡¯t hesitate to call me. Especially so for the hatching, I can take a day off of work if it means I get to watch that special moment. Also¡­¡±


    His face suddenly turned serious. ¡°Try to keep the news that you have been given a volcarona¡¯s egg on a need-to-know basis for a while. Baby Pok¨¦mon are very impressionable, hunters and poachers would not mind adding stealing eggs to their list of crimes. Selling an unbonded larvesta egg would set them up for life.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir! I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow? I don¡¯t think the package will arrive by then. Dianne lives all the way over at victory road.¡±


    ¡°I am up for my second gym badge at your gym. The match was scheduled two weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°What a pleasant surprise! That I¡¯d be the one that gets to judge your skills as a trainer. Win or lose I¡¯ll teach you all about caring for newly hatched bug types.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Is it going to be, okay?¡±


    ¡°It''s fine, this is a 2nd level badge fight against a bug type gym. Within a few blasts it¡¯ll be over.¡±


    ¡°The receptionist said it¡¯ll be a three-on-three fight. Do you need me to?¡±


    ¡°No! I am not resorting to that. You still haven¡¯t figured out what you want to do in life. Honestly, I¡¯d be fine with you just hanging out with us. It''s been a delight so far.¡±


    We are currently residing at the Pok¨¦mon center. Victini was still concerned by the fact that the battle is going to be a three versus three fight. I wasn¡¯t concerned, our major weakness being water types and there not being any bug and water types native to Unova made me pretty confident in our chances to win regardless of being at a numerical disadvantage. Aurea finally caught up with us and was currently giving our egg another look over, stumped by its mystery.


    ¡°Can you please tell me what¡¯s inside Egon? I quizzed this encyclopedia on eggs and it¡¯s not in there.¡±


    ¡°You''re smart, you can figure it out. We are dealing with our own problems over here.¡±


    ¡°Judging by your wordings I am imagining that Victini is concerned for you having only two Pok¨¦mon capable of battling? I have to say she is right to worry. Gym leaders aren¡¯t pushovers Egon. Even with a type advantage Burgh might surprise you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it. My team has been prepping for another gym battle for over three weeks now. We¡¯ll kick their carapaced behinds, piece of cake.¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡®Should I have stuck around longer to catch a Darmanitan?¡¯ I am not in such dire financial straits as I used to be. I am by no means wealthy, but I was not in any danger of not being able to afford the basic necessities. The professor¡¯s generous donation gave me breathing room and some time to think. I did not want to run the risk of my egg being discovered by the people in charge of the camp that morning. Sunny entrusted her child to me that outweighed the concern of missing a team member to take on Burgh.


    This being a second level badge fight did mean that Burgh had more freedom to use diverse tactics. I was expecting to see him make liberal use of status moves and the occasional entry hazard. Bug types generally being frailer than most other types meant that trainers that specializing in them tended to use tricky tactics to trip up their opponents. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that it would behoove us to watch some of Burgh¡¯s second level gym battles as preparation. The Castelia gym has a website dedicated to reviewing the gym¡¯s past matches. This was mostly so sponsors could watch out for promising trainers to keep their attention on. However, it could also be used by trainers looking to prepare themselves for their upcoming gym battle. The gym charged a small sum for each watched video though this being part of a gym¡¯s mainstream income. The Lavaridge gym did something similar. Mr. Moore being the old fossil that he is rented out battle tapes at the gym¡¯s desk.


    ¡°Okay gang! I¡¯ve decided to have us watch some of Burgh¡¯s battles on video. Let us make haste to reserve one of the center¡¯s computers.¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    <hr>


    We watched three videos that evening in preparation for our upcoming gym battle. As expected, burgh favored the use of guerilla tactics in his gym matches. His team for second level badge battles consisted of a shelmet and a dwebble while his third choice was usually preserved to throw his opponent for a loop. We had seen him use a venipede, joltik or even a whirlipede. The latter one on that list he saved for trainers like me who have already been training their team for some time.


    ¡°Okay so we¡¯ll lead with you Rena. You are fast enough to dodge those acid sprays from the Shelmet. When he switches in for his Dwebble I¡¯ll recall you for Numsy. He can tough it out against those rock blasts. His final Pok¨¦mon will likely be his Whirlipede. The most important thing for us is to disrupt its use of rollout. Once that Whirlipede gets going it will be very difficult to hinder its use of the move. Numsy, we¡¯ll use smokescreen and mud bombs to obscure Whirlipede¡¯s vision. Going at high speeds using rollout while having obscured vision will likely result in the Whirlipede missing us and slamming against the wall.¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul.¡±


    ¡°Okay you guys let¡¯s go out for dinner. Since Numsy didn¡¯t enjoy the frozen desserts last time he gets to pick out our dinner place.¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°That spicy ratatouille from last time?¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    I don¡¯t know if they have Kalosian restaurants in Castelia city, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to look around. I proceeded to look it up on the pok¨¦net. In fact, Castelia did have a number of fancy Kalosian restaurants, but once I got a look at their menu¡¯s I was forced to bow down to the fiscal reality of our situation. Going there once would drain my wallet of all it¡¯s hard-earned cash. Striaton¡¯s gym menu was designed for penniless trainers on the go quite unlike the restaurants of a big city. I proceeded to be more selective on our outing place.


    ¡°How about this Galarian curry place? They say it¡¯s the best around the block.¡±


    ¡°Num num?¡±


    Yes, it¡¯ll be just as good as any of those fancy places, and they let you decide your own mix of berries that they will put inside the curry. You can make it as spicy as you like.


    ¡°Num!¡±


    We made our way out of the Pok¨¦mon center and into the neighboring streets. The restaurant I was looking for was just two blocks away, easily within walking distance. I had my whole team out with me. There was a ruling for not having more than one Pok¨¦mon out at the same time to prevent overcrowding, but the streets were pretty tame on traffic tonight so no one should mind.


    ¡°Here it is. The Slowpoke Shack. Arceus, I hope they don¡¯t serve real actual slowpoke tail here.¡±


    We made our way inside and it was exactly how I imagined a Galarian restaurant would look like. There was this massive pub table with several high-rise stools lined up alongside it. Behind the bar hanging on the wall was this large flat screen tv or a telly as the Galarians would call it. The bar was probably experiencing a slow day since there were only around six people inside and all of them nursing an alcoholic beverage.


    ¡°Welcome to the slowpoke shack! Table for three?¡±


    The barmaid gestured towards me and my Pok¨¦mon. Before leading us to sit at a window side table.


    ¡°Can I get you started on anything?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like some fresh water and give us three cartons of berry juice. Sweet, Dry and Sour. Also, could we get an extra cushion for the egg? You see our incubator hasn¡¯t arrived yet and I don¡¯t want to let it out of our sight.¡±


    ¡°Coming right up! We¡¯ll bring an extra cushion for you right away.¡±


    Rena and Numsy took their seats at the table. Pok¨¦mon of their size got the booster seat treatment. Sadly, small restaurants like this gave no options for larger Pok¨¦mon to eat together with their trainers. Any Pok¨¦mon larger than a human needed to go to eateries that specialized in catering to big, bodied eaters. Numsy would start experiencing this problem once he evolved. Victini sat at the table invisibly, using the paper place mats as a makeshift cushion. I tried making small talk with the bartender while we waited.


    ¡°So, the name. Does the owner have a slowpoke or something?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be me, the name¡¯s Harry. Yes, we do have a slowpoke. He''s the mascot of this restaurant.¡±


    The gentleman pointed at the west most corner of the restaurant where the dopy Pok¨¦mon was sleeping inside a pillow stuffed basket. This slowpoke seems to be of the Galarian variety having yellow markers on the top of its head and tail.


    ¡°Yep, old Scruffer¡¯s is essential to the atmosphere of this place. He is one of the few things I kept with me when I married my Unovan wife and we moved back to her home city of Castelia. Judging by the friends you keep with you, you must be from outside the region as well.¡±


    ¡°Yep, the name¡¯s Egon. I am Hoenn born and raised. Go Combuskens!¡±


    ¡°The Combuskens? The Combuskens are terrible not once have they qualified for nationals.¡±


    ¡±Sorry, still have to back my home team.¡±


    ¡°As we all do, my wife tried getting me into what the Unovans here call football, but I just can¡¯t see the appeal of a sport where men cause each other concussions on the regular. Well there is at least one pastime that we all enjoy.¡±


    The man gestured towards the screen where a Galarian gym battle was being displayed. The challenger seemed to be around ten years old like me. Doing reasonably well against his opponents Gossifleur with his Charmeleon.


    ¡°That kid Leon is looking decent. He might be one of the few who makes it to the championship tournament.¡±


    ¡®So that is Leon huh? Nice Charmeleon.¡¯


    The Galar league had a completely different structure than the regular circuits from foreign regions. Only a handful of hopefuls each year were selected to join the circuit run. Basically, you needed to have a high-ranking league official or gym leader in your corner before you were allowed to participate. Typically, this meant family members or friends got in quicker in comparison to no-names who first needed to prove themselves capable of going all the way. When trainers lost once during a gym match their run was over which reflected poorly on the official who sponsored them. That system ensured that every match was worth watching since the novice trainers tended to be students of big shot trainers. Naturally, I had an innate disdain to this form of nepotism even though it did produce results. Their television ratings were always sky high making their league more commercialized than those in other regions.


    ¡°Sir, if I was a betting man, I would put all my money on Leon making it to and winning the Champion¡¯s cup. In fact, I¡¯d even bet that he will never lose a single battle.¡±


    ¡°Really? And what makes you so sure that a no name kid can win against heavy hitters like Raihan and Sonia? They both come from trainer families. Sonia¡¯s grandmother is the region¡¯s professor ensuring that she has her pick of strong Pok¨¦mon to train.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell others that you got it from me, but my sources tell me that Leon was trained personally by the former champion Mustard.¡±


    Champion Mustard sported a strong reputation, even abroad, being the champion who held onto his title the longest. The decision to retire only came after losing his first partner Pok¨¦mon due to old age.


    ¡°So, he is Mustard¡¯s disciple, eh? I¡¯d see why you¡¯d want to make that bet.¡±


    The waitress came back with our drinks and plated our table before taking our orders back to the kitchen. I just ordered the cheapest curry they had, while the rest of my team received curry¡¯s that suited their taste palettes. Personally, I would never eat a sweet tasting curry and half expected Victini to throw up after her first bite.


    ¡°I saw you ordering four meals when¡¯s your third friend coming?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s already here. My Kecleon is very shy and remains invisible most of the time even when eating. She doesn¡¯t do well in public spaces.¡±


    I came up with the Kecleon excuse in case we wanted to dine in public places. Your standard Unovans wouldn¡¯t know the difference between true invisibility and the camouflage Kecleon are famed for.


    ¡°A Kecleon huh? That¡¯s certainly not a Pok¨¦mon you can find around these parts. You are a traveling trainer then?¡±


    ¡°Yessir! I am going to win my second badge from Burgh tomorrow; he won''t know what hit him!¡±


    ¡°Well, you are certainly hotblooded enough to make a lasting impression on Burgh. Especially so with all these fire types.¡±


    It was at that moment a certain brunette walked into the bar. Aurea having successfully tracked us down gave me a stare as if condemning me for not constantly updating her on my whereabouts. She nabbed an extra chair and took her seat nearest to the egg.


    ¡°Egon, have you already rented an incubator for the egg?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s being sent out to me. Also please stop asking questions about the egg. I want to keep it a surprise. You¡¯ll find out when it hatches.¡±


    In a rare moment of clarity, she acceded to my argument and ordered some curry of her own. While I was being distracted by the battle on screen. The curry soon arrived and after giving it a taste I was surprised by the flavor of this Galarian delicacy. The flavors were well balanced and slightly spicy, but not overwhelmingly so.


    ¡®I was expecting their basic curry to be just plain rice, coconut milk and spices but what is this texture? It reminds me of something I haven¡¯t had in a long time.¡¯


    And then it dawned on me what I was eating. I kept my cool and started asking the owner a few pointed questions.


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ this curry could there possibly be meat inside?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we put slowpoke tail in all our curries. Now I know that you foreigners have this weird hangup about eating meat, but don¡¯t get your britches in a twist. Galarian slowpoke tails fall off naturally. Of course, my partner¡¯s tail wouldn¡¯t be enough to feed all my customers, so we order in. All ethically sourced none of these tails have been cut.¡±


    Aurea chose this moment to chime in.


    ¡°It¡¯s true Egon, Galarian slowpoke tails fall off naturally. It takes multiple weeks for the tail to grow back though so the demand is always higher than the supply.¡±


    I looked at my Pok¨¦mon. Rena was eating without qualms while Numsy had already finished his plate and was slowly falling into a food induced coma. Victini was still slowly savoring her meal. I put my spoon back into the curry and took another bite.


    ¡°¡­Not bad.¡±


    <hr>


    The next morning my team was well rested and fed, ready to get that second gym badge. Aurea decided to come with us and watch our gym battle from the stands. Most gyms sold entry tickets for the higher profile seven and eight badge matches. Lower ranked matches like mine didn¡¯t have that restriction the public was free to sit in as long as there was enough space left.


    I brought my egg with me and asked Aurea to egg-sit for me during the match. Leaving the egg without supervision at any point seemed like a fool¡¯s gambit to me. We walked past the revolving gym doors and entered. On first glance I could spot the figure of Burgh already waiting for me in the lobby.


    ¡°Egon, how wondrous that you could make it! And I see you have brought the stunning Aurea Juniper with you. You know Aurea that offer to work together on my spring collection still stands. In fact, I¡¯d be delighted to have you model for my entire deerling seasonal storm clothing line.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you too Burgh, but regarding your invitation sorry I have other aspirations.¡±


    ¡°Shot down again! No matter, I will have to make do with my other muses. Speaking of muses, Egon the package has just arrived this morning. My dear Dianne has paid extra for overnight teleportation services. We can put that little wonder of nature right inside the incubator.¡±


    Aurea gave me a glare.


    ¡°You told Burgh what¡¯s inside the egg and not me!?¡±


    ¡°I needed his expertise for hatching the egg! Besides you know who likes him so he¡¯s gotta be on the level.¡±


    Burgh interceded into our conversation.


    ¡°Well then, I must thank this mysterious stranger for his or her glowing recommendation. Now let us depart for my atelier. I kept the incubator on my desk.¡±


    Burgh guided us into his workroom where the incubator was standing on his desk. Unlike other incubators this one¡¯s headpiece was decorated with LED lights. Dianne also generously provided a pok¨¦ ball to catch the Larvesta in once it was hatched. The ball in question was one of those Devon net balls which had increased effectiveness when used to capture bug and water types. Not that I needed it, but it was a nice gesture, nonetheless. The ball also doubled as a head ornament for the incubator.


    ¡°Okay, Egon put the egg inside. This incubator is triple isolated and has reflective strips at the bottom, see? So, it gets hit with sunlight from up top and down below.¡±


    I did as Burgh instructed while he was messing with the incubator settings. Eventually he got the thing working, the lights inside went on and the surface temperature of the incubator got nice and toasty.


    ¡°This will do it. It took my dear Dianne around three weeks to hatch her egg after she figured out what to do about the incubator. Come now let us have our match. The beautiful Aurea Juniper can look after the egg while we will have our exciting battle!¡±


    Burgh went straight for the room housing his battlefield. The field itself was a standard variety battlefield with no fancy whistles or gadgets, the area surrounding it was decidedly not so. Large trees surrounded us while we walked across the pseudo-forested area.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this astounding? This is our home away from home. My bug types feel most comfortable up and around large trees, so I modeled this room to resemble pinwheel forest very closely.¡±


    The gym¡¯s referee was already waiting for us to begin the match. So, me and Burgh took our positions on the battlefield while Aurea secured herself a good viewing spot from the rafters. Beside her there were two local members of the bug catching scouts there to cheer Burgh on.


    For our first battle today in the Castelia gym it¡¯s Egon from Lavaridge facing off against Burgh the gym leader. Only three Pok¨¦mon each, the challenger may substitute his Pok¨¦mon twice while the gym leader may not. The match is over if both the leader and/or the challenger¡¯s Pok¨¦mon are unable to battle.¡±


    ¡°Let the match begin!¡±


    ¡°As the gym leader I¡¯ll show you my choice of Pok¨¦mon first. Go Shelmet!¡±


    ¡®Just as expected.¡¯


    ¡°Go Rena!¡±

 Chapter 19 - Skittering Showdown

    Chapter 19 ¨C Skittering Showdown


    ¡°Okay Rena just like we discussed; watch out for its acid attacks, if you can dodge that and keep your distance we should be golden.¡±


    I pulled out my Pok¨¦dex to see if the gadget had anything more to add.


    Shelmet, the Snail Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Shelmet can spit a sticky poisonous acid when attacking, and it can defend itself by closing its shell. It has a strange physiology that responds to electricity.                                                              When together with Karrablast, Shelmet evolves for some reason.


    ¡°Acid!¡±


    ¡°Sunny day!¡±


    Luckily me and Rena already walked through this scenario before entering this battle. Knowing that Shelmet had little mobility and mainly relied on its spit attacks. If Rena kept her guard up and didn¡¯t engage in close quarters action the odds of her getting hit would be minimal.


    Shelmet expelled its acid attack, rancid orange goo flew in a straight line towards Rena. Missing her by a hair¡¯s breadth, thanks to her expert dodging. Rena took this chance to intensify the sunlight coming in from the glass ceiling up above us. The battlefield became nice and toasty.


    ¡°Fire spin!¡±


    ¡°Protect!¡±


    Burgh didn¡¯t even bother having Shelmet dodge any of our attacks. The snail Pok¨¦mon being as slow as its epithet would suggest. Instead opting to use defensive strategies to protect his Pok¨¦mon.


    The torrent of flame hit Shelmet dead on, but the flames were blocked by a crystalized energy shield that surrounded the bug type. The fire cleared and shelmet came out unharmed by Rena¡¯s attack.


    ¡°Disable!¡±


    ¡°Struggle bug!¡±


    Rena being the faster Pok¨¦mon managed to hit Shelmet first temporarily making the Pok¨¦mon forget how to use its last move. This was part of our strategy making Shelmet unable to hide behind this defensive move. Shelmet proceeded to release a red wave of energy that hit all corners of the battlefield. Struggle bug is one of the weaker bug type moves, its after effect limiting the opposing Pok¨¦mon¡¯s use of typed energy outside the body. Rena did get hit by the attack, but casually brushed it off.


    ¡°Now finish it with Incinerate!¡±


    Empowered by the sun Rena fired off this fire type move in a beam towards Shelmet¡¯s position. The staunch Pok¨¦mon finally panicked after realizing that hiding behind a protective move was no longer an option. A loud bang followed, when the smoke cleared the charred Shelmet was lying unconscious on the battlefield.


    ¡°Shelmet is unable to battle the winner is Vulpix!¡±


    Burgh returned his Shelmet before addressing us.


    ¡°That was a great use of disable there Egon, but I wonder how you will fare against my next Pok¨¦mon? I choose you Joltik!¡±


    His next Pok¨¦mon appeared in a flash. The tiny spiderlike Pok¨¦mon entered the battlefield.


    Joltik, the Attaching Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      This Pok¨¦mon clings to larger Pok¨¦mon, and absorbs static electricity, storing the energy in a special pouch. Joltik that live in cities have learned a technique for sucking electricity from the outlets in houses.


    Anticipating this move I returned Rena for a more favorable matchup.


    ¡°Return!¡±


    My fox dematerialized and in return I called forth my other competitor.


    ¡°Go Numsy!¡±


    My little camel friend appeared in a flash of light ready to show Burgh what for. Burgh on seeing my switch in started wearing a contemplating expression.


    The gym leader¡¯s restriction of not being able to switch out Pok¨¦mon really hampered the amount of counter strategy he could bear against me. Unless this particular Joltik was trained in the use of an effective hidden power the most it could do was keep dodging attacks until we eventually got a hit in, and at that size a single hit was all it would take. During higher level gym battles this wouldn¡¯t be much of an issue. Pok¨¦mon at that level of experience had a wide arrange of moves and strategies they could employ, even while at a disadvantage. Burgh knew all this but despite that fact he didn¡¯t give up on winning this battle.


    ¡°Agility!¡±


    ¡°Bulldoze mess up the field!¡±


    The tiny Pok¨¦mon increased its speed tremendously zigzagging and jumping around the battlefield like some sort of spider acrobat. That didn¡¯t matter much to us though as long as official battles are conducted within the confined space of the battlefield. The maximum allowed size of a league approved battlefield hinders the most common forms of dodge tactics. Joltik would have a hard time escaping from tremors, unless it has also learned how to fly.


    The battlefield shook, putting a quick halt to Joltik¡¯s speedy movements. I imagine this much force had the potential to jumble up the insides of a regular human. Joltik being a Pok¨¦mon would be a bit hardier than that, but at that size it mattered little. After Numsy was done with bulldozing the field Burgh¡¯s Joltik was left reeling on the floor making a perfect stationary target. At this point doing anymore significant damage seemed cruel, so I opted for the less optimal approach.


    ¡°Ember half power!¡±


    Burgh never got the opportunity to counterattack, quickly recalled his Pok¨¦mon before it got hurt unnecessarily before addressing me.


    ¡°The gym leader has chosen to withdraw his Pok¨¦mon. This counts as a loss according to the gym¡¯s charter. The leader Burgh has only a single Pok¨¦mon remaining!¡±


    ¡°Egon your team clearly exceeds the level of experience I have come to expect from any second badge challenger. Allow me to pose to you a real test of your battling skills, with this last Pok¨¦mon of mine. Go Scolipede!¡±


    A giant centipede like Pok¨¦mon appeared on the battlefield.


    ¡®A Scolipede! This completely changes everything.¡¯ Although bug type Pok¨¦mon were one of the fastest species to evolve into their next forms, I was pretty sure scolipedes only start appearing at fifth level badge fights or higher.


    Scolipede, the Megapede Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Scolipede catches its opponents with great speed and attacks using horns on its head. Scolipede is highly aggressive and will not give up until victorious. It clasps its prey with the claws on its neck until it stops moving. Then it finishes it off with deadly poison.


    ¡®An experienced scolipede could destroy my team. Here¡¯s to hoping this one has only just recently evolved.¡¯


    ¡°Numsy strategy 3!¡±


    ¡°Venoshock.¡±


    Numsy led off with enveloping his side of the field with a smokescreen. While Scolipede fired off a glob of poison inside the cloud of smoke. Sneakily digging himself deep into the battlefield Numsy waited for my subtle tap to emerge from his hiding spot underground. Strategy three is our go to if we are certain the opposing Pok¨¦mon¡¯s strength is greater than ours.


    When the smoke cleared an open tunnel leading deep into the battleground was clear for Burgh to see.


    ¡°Interesting strategy Egon. It gladdens me that you can do more than simply overpowering your opponents, but we won¡¯t be beaten so easily! Use protect once you feel it coming up from beneath you, Scolipede!¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s to be expected from a third stage Pok¨¦mon. Its move pool must be considerable. We won¡¯t be beaten so easily though.¡¯ I tap the ground 3 times to signal a change of plans.


    A white colored gas started emanating from the hole Numsy left behind which was followed by Numsy breaking free from underneath Scolipede in a torrent of white gas. This was our adapted strategy. Numsy, being immune to its own sleeping gas, can use Yawn to fill the tunnel he dug beneath, giving our opponent a sleep-inducing surprise on his exit from the ground.


    Scolipede followed its trainer¡¯s instructions, and a prismatic shield covered its entire body blocking the gas from affecting the megapede Pok¨¦mon. However, it couldn¡¯t let up its shield in fear of inhaling some of the gas giving us the freedom to create some distance. ¡®Protect is such an amazing move I should really invest into getting a TM for it.¡¯


    ¡°Lava plume!¡±


    ¡°Take down!¡±


    ¡°Scooool!¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    Scolipede started charging towards us with a considerable amount of speed. Take down was one of the few moves a scolipede at this level could utilize, which my Numsy couldn¡¯t resist. Me recklessly commanding Numsy to counterattack knowing he would take this hit head on was part of my calculations. The effect of sunny day was almost over and getting one last fire type attack in, while under its influence, was worth it; knowing Burgh¡¯s Scolipede couldn¡¯t attack and use protect at the same time.


    Numsy unleashed the scarlet flames that blanketed the field around it. As Scolipede¡¯s hit connected, both Pok¨¦mon took a considerable amount of damage in the progress. Numsy got hit so hard he flew off all the way back into the corner of the field. While Scolipede received a fiery shower during the close quarters¡¯ engagement with Numsy, while he executed his fire type move.


    ¡°Nuumm¡­¡±


    Numsy stood back up with much effort. The little camel Pokemon was on his last legs, one more hit like that and he¡¯d be knocked out. On the other side of the field Scolipede was having the same problem. The bug type¡¯s exoskeleton was scorched black by taking a direct hit from Numsy¡¯s lava plume.


    ¡°Poison sting!¡±


    ¡°Incinerate!¡±


    Scolipede fired off a series of toxic barbs faster than Numsy could retaliate. The small barbs struck the side of his face injecting trace amounts of poison into Numsy¡¯s system. Somehow Numsy endured the hit without fainting and fired a single ball of fire towards Burgh¡¯s Scolipede before falling unconscious. Scolipede took that fireball head on and collapsed on the floor similarly knocked out by the last-ditch effort of its opponent.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Both the challenger¡¯s Pok¨¦mon and the gym leader¡¯s Pok¨¦mon are unable to battle! The challenger still has two Pok¨¦mon remaining, while the gym leader has no Pok¨¦mon left! The Challenger wins!¡±


    ¡®Ughh that was close! I am pretty sure I would¡¯ve lost that fight if I didn¡¯t have the double typing advantage.¡¯


    ¡°The challenger may now step forward to receive his gym badge!¡±


    Burgh and I walked up to the middle of the wrecked battlefield to get the winner proceedings over with. My hopes of receiving a technical machine are pretty abysmal seeing as I fought with a type advantage throughout the match. Not that my Pok¨¦mon could use bug type moves to begin with.


    ¡°Egon for managing to defeat me I award you the Insect badge. For the feat of besting one of my more experienced Pok¨¦mon you may also choose a technical machine from the gym¡¯s storage.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the badge, but uhm do I really deserve to receive a technical machine? I kept using my Pok¨¦mon¡¯s natural advantage against you.¡±


    ¡°If it was just that than yes, I would not have allowed you to pick out a technical machine. However, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen a Pok¨¦mon use yawn in such a unique way. That darling Numel showed us his determination, which is most worthy of extra remuneration.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much leader Burgh. We¡¯ll do our best to make your investment worth it.¡±


    Burgh led us through a side door adjacent to the room we were currently in. Rows of shelves lined the walls of this room with all sorts of items useful for Pok¨¦mon training. Vitamin supplements, cases full of honey and of course lots of technical machines.


    ¡°These are the technical machines our gym has on offer for promising challengers. Take your time to choose, there are no wrong choices.¡±


    ¡®X-scissor skip, infestation skip, leech life maybe, megahorn if I ever get to catching a ponyta, pin missile skip, bug buzz skip, pollen puff skip,¡¯


    Burgh had a fine collection of bug type technical machines sadly most of them were unusable for my current team. ¡®The little one inside the egg could probably use a few of these in the far future.¡¯


    It took a while but finally I narrowed down my options. I would either pick silver wind or U-turn. If I picked silver wind it would mostly be for the money. This technical machine has recently been discontinued and if I kept it on me for long enough the resell value would probably go through the roof. As it currently stands it was only worth around 5000 P. U-turn is a move that a handful of the speedier fire types can learn. It messes with the return function of the pok¨¦ ball and lets the Pok¨¦mon forcibly recall itself after dealing damage. In official matches this would be considered a legal move.


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided can I get a copy of silver wind please?¡±


    ¡°A fine choice. There are only a handful of this variety of technical machines on the open market. Such a shame that only winged bug types can learn this move. If the Larvesta inside this egg ever evolves you can make good use of this technical machine for sure.¡±


    ¡°Aha!¡±


    The stalker that had been following us towards the storage room while still holding the egg. Had been listening in on our conversation from a discreet distance. Now that the cat is out of the bag, she declared her victory triumphantly.


    ¡°I knew there was something special inside this egg. Now tell me how you found this baby while wandering the desert resort?¡±


    I took a peek at Burgh who seemed just as eager to find out the truth of this matter. Not reprimanding Aurea at all for her intrusive line of questioning.


    ¡°Not telling. However, the Volcarona who gave me this egg did request to see her offspring from time to time. The next time I visit her you and Burgh can come along, if you stop nagging me.¡±


    That bribe offer seemingly calmed her down. It had the opposite effect on Burgh the gym leader who almost danced in exuberance.


    ¡°A most gracious offer Egon! I accept of course. Please let me know a week in advance so I can take time off from my gym duties. This will really help me find my next source of inspiration. Do you think the nesting Volcarona would mind modeling for my next work of art?¡±


    ¡°I guess? She seemed really down to earth for an ancient Pok¨¦mon. It¡¯s too bad I caught her during a hibernation period. She went right back to sleep after gifting me the egg.¡±


    ¡°Now if you don¡¯t mind, we have to make a trip towards the Pok¨¦mon center. Numsy¡¯s due for a checkup after how hard he fought.¡±


    <hr>


    Following my gym battle I went to the Pok¨¦mon center to get Numsy in for treatment. After my successful gym battle the plan was to head back out to the desert resort with Aurea, catch a new partner and then head towards Nimbasa city. My eventual goal was to catch a flight back to Hoenn at the Mistralton airport. Victini noticed the planning session going on inside my head.


    ¡°What is Hoenn like?¡±


    ¡°The climate is more tropical. There¡¯s a lot of interesting sights to see, most of the region is below sea level so there are a lot of water routes. The place where I live is nice and toasty though. There¡¯s a good amount of volcanic activity in Lavaridge. It¡¯s a great spot for meeting fire type Pok¨¦mon in the region.¡±


    ¡°¡­can I meet some of your friends?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Flannery is going to love you and the gym Pok¨¦mon are all good friends of mine.¡±


    We decided to start playing cards in the center¡¯s dorm room, while Aurea was busy taking care of our transportation. Victini has a penchant for playing games and I liked to indulge her from time to time. Currently I am teaching her the intricacies of playing poker. Her instincts were spot on, and she quickly got a handle for the new game. However, her poker face was terrible. I folded every time she sported a triumphant facial expression.


    It was at that moment that I received my very first call on my Xtransceiver. The screen flashed green to let me know I had a call incoming. I put the watch on vibrate for the off chance I was trekking it in the wilderness. Some Pok¨¦mon don¡¯t react well to sudden noises. Hitting the accept button a familiar face appeared on screen.


    ¡°Heya Egon!¡±


    ¡°Hello Phoebe, how¡¯s traveling in the Unova region? Did you already make it to Driftveil City?¡±


    ¡°I am already at the celestial tower dummy!¡±


    ¡°That fast!?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I just rented a psychic type Pok¨¦mon inside Nimbasa to bring me all the way.¡±


    ¡®Ughh rich people.¡¯


    ¡°So, how¡¯s the tower? Did you meet any Pok¨¦mon that struck your fancy?¡±


    ¡°So many Egon! All these cute litwick are looking for a new home. It¡¯s so sad that I only get to bring one of them with me! Not only are the ghost types amazing, the people that take care of this place are as well. Did you know they even give lessons to budding psychics inside the tower? I don¡¯t have the gift, but all people are free to observe their beginner courses.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t humans born with those abilities like super rare?¡±


    ¡°Yep! They only have five students at the moment. They use the tower as a practice ground because of the natural ¡®silence¡¯ it emanates. The hustle and bustle of populated places give psychics headaches. You should totally come visit too Egon! The caretakers of this place are letting me crash for as long as I want.¡±


    ¡°Friends of your grandparents?¡±


    ¡°No, but people practicing our craft look out for each other. The lady in charge here has the sweetest Golurk. It picks me up and fares me to any floor I want to visit inside the tower.¡±


    Phoebe went on a rave about how amazing the celestial tower is. For close to half an hour. Finally, when she was done, a promise was forcefully extracted from me to come visit as soon as possible. Phoebe was planning on staying there for as long as her visa would allow her to stay in the region which was two weeks since her job with the expedition was already concluded. We finished saying our goodbyes, when Aurea came walking in to inform me that she was ready to return to the desert resort.


    I picked up Numsy and Rena from the nurse Joy stationed behind the Pok¨¦mon center¡¯s desk and together we were driven back to the expedition camp that was stationed right outside the relic castle for one final time.


    <hr>


    We were on the latter half of our journey towards the expedition camp. With nothing to do except watch the scenery Aurea began quizzing me about my plans.


    ¡°Are you sure about this Egon? Lenora might still be at the campsite.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have wasted enough time. I¡¯ll give catching one of the darmanitan a shot and we will leave for Nimbasa city straight afterwards. I still have a few more Unovan fire types that are available for me to partner up with if this doesn¡¯t work out.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm native fire types, that is going to be difficult.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°The tepig and pansear lines are exceedingly rare to find in the wild. Most trainers have to pay a specialized breeder to acquire them. Pansear of course being the cheaper option of the two. Then you have heatmor which are a very aggressive species. You can find them in the tunnels and their dietary requirements make most trainers a bit squeamish.¡±


    I pulled out my Pok¨¦dex to look up known locations where this species has been sighted.


    Heatmor, the Anteater Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Possessing a fire that burns internally, Heatmor breathes through a hole in its tail. A flame serves as its tongue, melting through the hard shell of Durant so that Heatmor can devour their insides.


    Known locations: twist mountain, victory road.


    ¡®I am guessing it can¡¯t eat solid foods. Being a species of Pok¨¦mon that live underground. These Pok¨¦mon must subsist mainly on a carnivorous diet. It¡¯ll be hard to train them out of that predatory mindset.¡¯


    Aurea went on with her summation.


    ¡°Of course, you can always try catching a litwick. Their dietary requirements are even stranger than that of heatmor. Having to subsist on life energy.¡±


    Litwick, the Candle Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Litwick appear to be helping to guide the way of people by illuminating areas that are darkened, but in reality they are actually leading them to the Ghost World. They feed off the life energy of people and Pok¨¦mon, and use it as fuel for the flames on their heads. This Pok¨¦mon is known to haunt dilapidated mansions.


    ¡®Arceus! This is the Pok¨¦mon Phoebe wants to catch? She must be feeling extra crazy. Unless she has some way of providing them with sustenance without turning into a dried-up husk.¡¯


    ¡°Aurea doesn¡¯t that need for life energy become problematic for the health of the trainer at some point?¡±


    ¡°Wild litwick that live in seclusion are dangerous, yes, because they never know how long it will take to wait for their next feeding opportunity. Trainers that train this species of Pok¨¦mon can comfortably provide enough life energy for a singular individual to feed on. As long as the Pok¨¦mon knows how to properly portion its meals. The trainer does have to make sure to eat plenty of food and get enough sleep in. Especially since he or she is providing energy not just for themselves anymore. The trainer can also choose to share this burden with his other Pok¨¦mon partners making the life drainage completely negligible.¡±


    ¡°And what is this bit about a ghost world?¡±


    ¡°That specific entry has been written based on interviews from trainers that managed to escape after being tricked into following a group of wild litwick into their lair. Egon if you do intend to catch one of these Pok¨¦mon, I recommend visiting the celestial tower. The litwick that live there are not as feral. They interact with humans a lot more and are being managed by experienced mediums.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I promised Phoebe to visit her at the celestial tower. I guess I can look for a reasonably minded litwick while I am there.¡±


    Aurea beamed at me obviously satisfied that I picked the safer of the two options. This did mean that my stay in Unova will be extended for a while since twist mountain is a tad closer than the celestial tower. I was relatively disappointed at losing the opportunity to go spelunking underneath twist mountain. Finding hidden buried treasures is a man¡¯s romance after all. ¡®Guess I¡¯ll have to wait until returning to Hoenn before I can go caving.¡¯


    <hr>


    We arrived at the camp site in the afternoon. It was quiet, since the sun was at its zenith, most members of the expedition were either inside the ruins or were cooling off in their tents. The perfect conditions for me to make my move. Aurea, already knowing what I was planning to do, procured a video camera to film the process of the darmanitan waking up from its long slumber. Which according to her would be of significant scientific interest.


    Now there were a good dozen or so darmanitan to choose from. Invariably I decided to pick the largest one to add to my team. Who stood at about five ft tall, I figured a bigger darmanitan would make for a better fighter having the advantage of a longer reach and more mass behind each of its blows. In a Pok¨¦mon battles experience is king, but adding these small advantages wouldn¡¯t hurt my chances of future success.


    I decided to leave Numsy out of his ball in case this darmanitan was as confused as the previous one that had awakened.


    ¡°Okay, here goes. At any sign of an impending tantrum blast it with your yawn.¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    I unwrapped my final ragecandybar and stuck it in between the petrified Darmanitan¡¯s mouth cavity. Like before nothing happened straight away until we heard chewing noises emanate from the blue colored gorilla-like Pok¨¦mon. It¡¯s blue petrified skin went from purple all the way to deep red. It¡¯s dormant eyebrows flared up and its arms extended outwards until finally the Darmanitan returned to its original form.


    To its credit this one kept its cool for longer than the previous one.


    ¡°Dar!?¡±


    ¡°Easy there buddy, you¡¯ve been asleep for quite some time now. The world has changed greatly over the years. Do you want some treats?¡±


    ¡°ANITAN! DAR DAR!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with the plan Numsy!¡±


    Numsy released its sleep gas in the face of the confused Darmanitan. Sadly, gas like this doesn¡¯t take effect immediately and Darmanitan retaliated with a fire punch squarely hitting Numsy in the face. Although the typed energy empowering Darmanitan¡¯s thrust shouldn¡¯t hurt Numsy, the physical force behind it did. Numsy flew all the way backwards where I managed to catch him inside my arms before he had the chance of falling onto the ground.


    ¡°You okay bud?¡±


    ¡°Num¡­¡±


    Judging by Darmanitan¡¯s face, drowsiness was beginning to set in. Just one more round of exchanges should be able to knock him into slumberland.


    ¡°Okay Numsy, he¡¯s almost out, we just need to hit him with one more move. Do you think you are up for it?¡±


    ¡°Num¡­ Num!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! Let¡¯s hit Darmanitan with everything we¡¯ve got!¡±


    Numsy jumped out of my arms in order to hit Darmanitan with a super effective move. The Darmanitan who was stuck between being sleepy and upset gave no quarter. Its body became surrounded in red-orange fire, and it charged at the both of us. Naturally I recognized the move for what It was having seen the use of it on numerous occasions.


    ¡°Hold steady Numsy, that''s a flare blitz coming our way!¡±


    However, before I could order Numsy to counter that maneuver Darmanitan stopped mid charge. The big guy looked at us dumbly before falling on the ground, face first clearly dead tired.


    ¡°We did it Numsy! Who¡¯s a good boy?¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    I fished out an unused pok¨¦ ball from my backpack and threw it at the downed Darmanitan. The Pok¨¦mon being sucked inside after the ball collided with its forehead. The ball wiggled something fierce, but after the fourth nerve wrecking struggle my ears registered the all too familiar click of a successful capture. I stepped forward and picked up the ball laying on the desert sands.


    ¡°We did it! I captured a darmanitan!¡±


    ¡°Num num num!¡±


    ¡°Excellent posing, Numsy, completely contest worthy.¡±


    Aurea, being done with recording the encounter, walked up to me and Numsy and started addressing us more seriously.


    ¡°How are you planning to help this Darmanitan adjust to this now unfamiliar world? The darmanitan that Lenora caught has been sent off to a Pok¨¦mon therapist. It kept demanding to be brought back so it could continue its guarding duty.¡±


    ¡°I was planning to make friends with it. My team are experts when it comes to befriending others. Don¡¯t worry we¡¯ll take good care of our newest companion.¡±


    ¡®Tini, with your support I am sure that we can help Darmanitan adapt to this new world.¡¯

 Chapter 20 - Old Veteran

    Chapter 20 ¨C Old Veteran


    The following morning the uproar, inside the camp, had calmed down somewhat. Professor Hawes and his wife heard about the little skiff with my newly acquired Darmanitan. Hawes gave me an earful about camp safety procedures, apparently the expedition crew brought along a lot of sensitive equipment, so it wasn¡¯t appreciated that I commenced a Pok¨¦mon battle in the middle of the campsite. Lenora displayed some type of resigned indignation scolding me for my second attempt at catching one of the Darmanitan, but not making any moves to deprive me of my latest catch. Perhaps me defeating Burgh assuaged some of her doubts on my worth as a trainer in her eyes.


    Victini spent her time mentally communicating with Darmanitan. I requested her help in this matter since I didn¡¯t want to get mauled before I could get a word in edgewise. She was supportive in aiding our newest friend by relieving some of his distress, after waking up in an unfamiliar world. She let me know that it was a slow-going process since Darmanitan was vigilant against Victini¡¯s mind probing. So far, she¡¯s figured out that he used to be a guard Pok¨¦mon who worked for the royals that lived inside the castle. Darmanitan¡¯s primary duty was to guard against thieves and bandits who were looking to plunder riches and screen for potential ne¡¯er-do-wells entering restricted corridors.


    This would be my first time releasing Darmanitan from the confines of its pok¨¦ ball. Yesterday evening the Pok¨¦mon was too tuckered out, after its rampage, to wake up from his slumber and have dinner with us. My Pok¨¦mon were a bit anxious to meet their new teammate. It isn¡¯t only the chemistry between Pok¨¦mon and trainer that is important, but also how Pok¨¦mon on the same team interacted with one another. Typically, the strongest Pok¨¦mon formed the top of a team¡¯s hierarchy becoming the de facto leader while the trainer wasn¡¯t around. In my team that wasn¡¯t really the case since Rena and Numsy are both at around the same level of strength and Victini¡¯s childlike personality and insecurity meshed well with the both of them naturally leading to a sort of pseudo mentors/mentee relationship. Darmanitan¡¯s presence in the team could throw a spanner into this safe learning environment. Therefore, I spent most of the previous day¡¯s evening coaxing my team into giving Darmanitan a fair chance to win their trust.


    Darmanitan¡¯s dietary requirements are well known, but for this occasion I decided to spoil the entire team with a selection of berries instead of just mixing them into the dried stuff. We had plenty of reasons to celebrate after all. The addition of a new team member doesn¡¯t happen every day, I wasn¡¯t one of those trainers that followed the gotta catch ¡®em all mantra. The amount of time and care each Pok¨¦mon took up wasn¡¯t negligible. Only rich trainers and gym leaders could afford to feed and care for more than your standard team size worth of Pok¨¦mon. Not to mention the amount of individual attention each of them required. Gym leaders could afford to be a bit negligent of each individual¡¯s personal needs since they had staff on hand to do that for them.


    ¡°Come on out, Darmanitan!¡±


    My newest Pok¨¦mon partner appeared in a flash of light. The first thing he did was create distance between us while holding up his hands aggressively. Darmanitan surveyed his surroundings, his eyes resting on the bowl of food that I prepared for him. The rest of my team greeted the confused Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Vuuuuul!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡±


    Their enthusiastic greetings eased Darmanitan¡¯s aggressive stance somewhat. The Pok¨¦mon sniffing the bowl of food presented to him with some apprehension.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay pal, those are freshly preserved berries. I didn¡¯t know what kinds you like, so there¡¯s a bit of everything in there. Take your time eating, it must have been a long while since you¡¯ve had anything to fill your stomach with.¡±


    Darmanitan scrutinized me before looking back at his bowl. After some time, he hesitantly grabbed one of the cheri berries and gave it a cautionary sniff before plopping the berry in his mouth. The expression on his face shifted from a serious one to one with a smidge of satisfaction.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, fill your stomach first. Then we can discuss what you want to do now that you are awake and capable of movement.¡±


    I took this opportunity to scan him with the Pok¨¦dex.


    Darmanitan, the Blazing Pok¨¦mon, and the evolved form of Darumaka.


    ¡®Oh yeah¡­ maybe I¡¯ll get credited for rediscovering Zen mode.¡¯


    The remainder of breakfast proceeded to be quiet but amicable. Darmanitan, now certain I wasn¡¯t going to press him into doing anything he didn¡¯t want to, started enjoying his meal ravenously consuming the food presented to him. My other team members followed suit relishing this opportunity to dispose of their strict nutritional diets. When all their bowls were emptied, they sat there enjoying the afterglow of a well filled stomach.


    ¡°So¡­ I am guessing that you are very confused about your whereabouts and the time period you now find yourself in Darmanitan.¡±


    ¡°Dar dar.¡±


    ¡°He agrees with your statement.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ by my estimations it has been around twenty-five hundred years since you went to sleep. The previous kingdom you defended has become a footnote in the annals of time and most of the castle¡¯s lower levels have sunk deep into the desert sands.¡±


    At that news Darmanitan huddled into itself deeply saddened by the revelation.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay buddy that¡¯s just how these things go. Time is the great equalizer and all that. Kingdoms come and go but the people and Pok¨¦mon living inside that nation left behind their descendants to inhabit this more modern Unova region.


    That seemed to cheer him up a little. His body language tells me that he still needs a bit more comforting, so I decided to introduce him to the team.


    ¡°By now you must have become curious about all my partners sharing a meal with us. They are all great Pok¨¦mon to get to know and I am sure they all want to be your friend.¡±


    This is Numsy, my first partner he likes to sleep in and is the most level-headed in the group.


    ¡°Num!¡±


    And this is Rena, our resident princess.


    ¡°Pix¡±


    And this is Victini, the mischief maker and liveliest in the team.


    ¡°Hi!¡± ¡°Vi!¡±


    I also pulled out the egg still held inside the incubator to show off to Darmanitan.


    ¡°And this little cutie hasn¡¯t been born yet. So, we don¡¯t have a name for him or her. Our group takes turns looking after the egg. Its mother lives deep inside the ruins of the castle and she entrusted her child to my care.¡±


    The egg reveal seemed to shake Darmanitan to the core.


    ¡°Dar Dar Manitan!¡±


    ¡°He says to show him the mark.¡±


    ¡®Even this darmanitan knows about the mark? How come everyone we encounter has intimate knowledge about secret Volcarona procedures? No wait, he used to work for the residents of the castle; he might have encountered one of the previous Volcarona that resided here.¡¯


    I rolled up my sleeve and exposed my right forearm to Darmanitan. The mark was still there but faded one had to know what to look for if they wanted to recognize the mark for what it was now. Darmanitan inched closer and gently held my right arm in his hands scrutinizing the faded mark after he gave it a quick sniff, and seemed satisfied enough quickly dropping his guarded demeanor.


    ¡°So, what do you say big guy? Do you want to partner up with us and travel around the world?¡±


    ¡°Manitan!¡±


    ¡°He agrees with your proposal and that you can count on him to do his best to protect a descendant of the Sun.¡±


    With Darmanitan¡¯s loud vocal agreement the rest of my team moved in to sate their curiosity over this new partner of ours. Numsy was still in awe at the strength of our new friend gushing out compliments at the older Pok¨¦mon even gifting Darmanitan one of his precious berries as a peace offering. Rena acted standoffish but still moved close enough to listen in on the conversation between Numsy and Darmanitan. Victini nestled herself in my hair content to just watch the new relationships developing.


    It was at that moment that Aurea briefly announced herself before moving into our tent. The young professor obviously becoming more shameless the longer we interacted with her.


    ¡°Hmm good morning, Egon. I see you have already finished having breakfast. Oh my¡­ have you already warmed relations with your new capture?¡±


    ¡°Darmanitan has agreed to travel with us. How¡¯s your research coming along? We¡¯ll be leaving for Nimbasa City in a short while.¡±


    ¡°Done! I came here to show Victini¡¯s completed Pok¨¦dex entry to her. With her approval I¡¯ll upload it to the lab¡¯s database as a secret entry.¡±


    Victini curiously floated over to look at Aurea¡¯s own device to read her newest iteration in a line of embarrassing entries.


    Victini the Victory Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          This Pok¨¦mon brings victory. It is said that Trainers with Victini always win, regardless of the type of encounter. It creates an unlimited supply of energy inside its body, which it shares with those who touch it. When it shares the infinite energy it creates, that being¡¯s entire body will be overflowing with power.


    ¡°Wait wait, that last sentence did you test that while I was away or something?¡±


    ¡°Yes! My Mincinno bravely volunteered to be the test subject for Victini¡¯s powers. The little munchkin is still sleeping off from the energy high Victini gave him.¡±


    I quickly addressed the subject of her research.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t blackmail you or anything right? You don¡¯t have to use your powers for anyone else¡¯s sake except your own.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°She said that if I help her that I can have as many berries as I want.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine then just wait a moment.¡±


    I readdressed the intruder in the tent who is running out of my hospitality.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bribe my Pok¨¦mon! That¡¯s bad etiquette especially from someone in your position. Not to mention the fact that Victini is already eating more than she should be, do you want her to blow up like a balloon?¡±


    For the first time Aurea looked truly apologetic.


    ¡°Sorry! I know my curiosity should have limits, but sometimes I just can¡¯t help myself. She is designated as number 000 in the Pok¨¦dex.¡±


    ¡°Well at least you know you are in the right profession¡­ Come on guys, give me your empty food bowls, after washing them we¡¯ll set out.¡±


    <hr>


    Unfortunately, since I have now officially cut my working relationship with Aurea, the expedition was no longer obliged to provide transport for my traveling needs. This wasn¡¯t as much of a problem since some extra exercise would do my body good. Not to mention the fact that it has been a while since I¡¯ve locked eyes with other wandering trainers, getting into the grind again would do us good.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    The road towards Nimbasa City was fully paved and patrolled by rangers so getting there would be a cinch, no need to take out any maps for this road trip. Not to mention this would give me some time preparing Darmanitan for his first encounter with a city as large as Nimbasa. We walked down the road as I was busy explaining everything about everything to him.


    ¡°Okay, so trainers like me are people who have taken up Pok¨¦mon training as a profession. Pok¨¦mon training entails capturing wild Pok¨¦mon and getting stronger together to compete against others for money and recognition. The device we use for this is called a pok¨¦ ball.¡±


    I showed off his own ball to him as a teaching prop.


    ¡°Dar¡­¡±


    He motioned for me to continue.


    ¡°Pok¨¦ balls can capture and store Pok¨¦mon. Trainers use this as a convenient tool to carry their partners with them wherever they go. Did humans use something familiar during your time?¡±


    ¡°Dar Dar.¡±


    He gave me an affirming nod.


    ¡°He says its functionality resembles the staves the guardians used to use.¡±


    ¡°Darmanitan must be referring to the aura guardians. They are a secretive organization, composed of humans capable of wielding a type of energy called Aura. It is the same energy the Pok¨¦mon riolu and lucario use to perform attacks.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!?¡± ¡°Humans can use moves!?¡±


    ¡°Some humans can. As I said, they guard their secrets closely. There¡¯s only a single human that I know of that is trained in the use of aura abilities and he lives all the way over in the Sinnoh region. Anyway, Darmanitan I have been wondering is it okay to give you a nickname? There is a good chance that we¡¯ll encounter other Darmanitan on our journeys and I don¡¯t want to get confused.¡±


    This was more for my benefit than Darmanitan¡¯s. Any Pok¨¦mon would instinctively know who I was referring to when calling out their species¡¯ name. Intention is more important than words when communicating with Pok¨¦mon. You could be talking in a completely made-up language, and they would still understand you.


    ¡°Nitan.¡±


    ¡°He says if it¡¯s a good name that he will consider it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ How about Olive?¡±


    Darmanitan shakes his head to let me know his refusal.


    ¡°Paprika?¡±


    Shake


    ¡°Parsley?¡±


    Shake


    ¡°Basil?¡±


    Darmanitan was about to refuse again when Numsy popped out of his ball. Obviously looking around for the aforementioned food items. When he didn¡¯t find any, he looked up to me expecting me to feed him extra for dragging him outside of his pok¨¦ ball.


    ¡°Sorry Numsy, I was trying to come up with a good name for Darmanitan.¡±


    ¡°Num¡­¡±


    We were currently standing on route four¡¯s main road towards Nimbasa City. Built entirely out of asphalt concrete, but as expected from a road that¡¯s been built in an arid climate surrounded by wild Pok¨¦mon, maintenance was rarely done. The road was littered with potholes and also regular holes, probably made by some of the ground types that live in the area.


    ¡°Dar?!¡±


    Darmanitan, who has been walking beside me, got his hand cut by a sharper piece of rock. The Pok¨¦mon usually walked with both his hands and feet leaving him vulnerable for this type of terrain. Naturally, being a Pok¨¦mon afforded him some protection, the sharp piece of rock barely scratched the surface of his skin.


    ¡°Maybe we can get you some gloves over in Nimbasa. If you are going to be walking with me on the asphalted streets of big cities, the roads are going to be a bother.¡±


    ¡°Manitan!¡±


    ¡°He liked that name!¡±


    ¡°What Nimbasa?¡±


    ¡°No, gloves.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to be called Glove? It is an unusual name, but oddly fitting. Okay! From now on you will be known as Glove the darmanitan.¡±


    ¡°Dar Manitan!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep on going, now that I have to factor another team member depleting our supplies, we¡¯ll have to make it to Nimbasa before tomorrow evening. Glove you rest in your pok¨¦ ball, okay? I don¡¯t want your hands getting all scratched up by this poorly maintained road.¡±


    The rest of route 4 was oddly devoid of trainers to challenge. At first, I was confused until a realization struck me. Who would want to linger around inside a desert environment waiting for passing trainers to challenge? Only certain specialists would want to have their battles here and I certainly don¡¯t want to intentionally lose my money while battling at a disadvantage against rock and ground type specialists. My ruminations proved true when I eventually locked eyes with someone whom I expect to be some type of construction worker. He had all the safety gear on him not mentioning the fact that his vehicle parked behind him was filled with power tools.


    ¡°The name¡¯s Gus and I challenge you to a two-on-two Pok¨¦mon battle!¡±


    ¡®Guess I am not getting out of this one¡­¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but ehm¡­ don¡¯t you have a job to do? There are a lot of holes on this side of the road.¡±


    ¡°A fair point you are making there youngster, but you see the wild Pok¨¦mon don¡¯t like it when this here road becomes too pristine. So, we maintenance boys all got together and decided to only fix the holes that could lead to serious physical injury.¡±


    ¡®Sure¡­ so you can spend your working hours challenging rookie trainers and earning some extra spending money. Well, he¡¯s in for a surprise if he thinks he¡¯ll get an easy victory off me.¡¯


    We moved to the side of the road, to avoid damaging this decrepit road even further.


    ¡°My name is Egon from Lavaridge, I have two gym badges so the wager will be to the amount of sixty pok¨¦dollars.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me, but don¡¯t go crying to your momma when you lose all your allowance for the day.¡±


    ¡®This guy¡­ I am all for a bit of trash talk but this person is taking it too far. Especially since I am still a minor by Unovan standards.¡¯


    ¡°Would you mind if one of my newer team members watches the battle from the sidelines? He¡¯s still new to the whole recreational battling scene.¡±


    ¡°Sure sure, let¡¯s get on with it.¡±


    I released Glove from his ball. The worker¡¯s face paled at the sight of this towering Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Glove, I want you to experience what modern battling is all about. So, watch closely, okay? Can you look after the egg?¡±


    ¡°Dar.¡± Giving a nod of assent he took a seat somewhere out of the way but within eye and ear sight. Carefully holding onto the incubator while doing so.


    I was betting this guy was sporting a team of rock or ground types to take advantage of the terrain. My best lead in either case would be Numsy.


    ¡°Go Numsy!¡±


    ¡°Go Drillburr!¡±


    ¡®Hmm interesting.¡¯


    Drilbur the Mole Pokemon,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              It''s a digger, using its claws to burrow through the ground. It causes damage to vegetable crops, so many farmers have little love for it. It can dig through the ground at a speed of 30 mph. It could give a car running aboveground a good race.


    ¡°This is my partner in battles and work. Those claws can get the job done lickety-split.¡±


    ¡°Numsy¡¯s the best at boiling water for the tea. I don¡¯t have to do anything except for holding my all-purpose canteen over his hump.¡±


    ¡®Yes, my brag was better.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Lava plume!¡±


    ¡°Sandstorm!¡±


    The man was obviously trying to maximize the effectiveness of his surroundings. No doubt trying to fulfill the conditions to activate one of Drilbur¡¯s abilities. And seemingly deeming it worth getting hit in the process. The scarlet flames were hampered somewhat by the billows of sand Drilbur was creating but not enough to avoid being able to get hit. The mole Pok¨¦mon¡¯s fur got singed after taking Numsy move head on.


    ¡°Our speed is the greatest during a sandstorm! Go dig underground!¡±


    ¡°Magnitude!¡±


    Magnitude was a finicky move that has fallen out of use ages ago thanks to its unreliability. We favored the use of bulldoze as a replacement since it was great at changing the surface area of the battlefield to our advantage. However, there is one thing magnitude can do that bulldoze is unable to and that is hit targets that hide underground. Not only that, but the move also becomes even more powerful against subterranean targets. Magnitude¡¯s power changed depending on a multitude of factors; this one seemed fairly powerful though.


    ¡°Nooo! Drilbur!¡±


    Both me and Guss concluded that the tectonic waves rocking the sandy depths must have knocked out his Drilbur. He was about to get his shovel when I volunteered our rescue services to dig him out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about digging out your Pok¨¦mon. Numsy here can get him out, no sweat at all. Isn¡¯t that so bud?¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    Numsy went to work digging out his helpless Drilbur while we watched. While Numsy was busy me and him talked about what happened.


    ¡°So that Numsy of yours is also a ground type? I¡¯ll be honest, I am not that familiar with foreign Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    It was common knowledge not to go underground against Pok¨¦mon that naturally learned moves such as earthquake or magnitude. If Guss had been more informed the battle would still be up for grabs.


    The awkward silence was broken by my little camel hauling up the dazed off Drilbur. Guss returned his fallen Pok¨¦mon and threw out his second competitor.


    ¡°Go Boldore!¡±


    A rock-like Pokemon with red crystals cropping out at its front and back appeared in a flash of light.


    Boldore, the Ore Pok¨¦mon and the evolved form of Roggenrola.                                                                                                                                                                                                            Because Boldore cannot contain its massive energy, orange crystals form on its body. They glow when Boldore''s energy overflows. Just one crystal fragment would provide enough fuel for a hundred dump trucks.


    ¡®This must be his ace in the hole. Not many trainers carry around a second stage Pok¨¦mon on this route.¡¯


    The sandstorm was still raging on the surroundings making it almost effortless for this weather effect to carry on. Or perhaps we were inside an actual sandstorm. It has been proven that with the assistance of sandstorms rock types gain a microscopic layer of sand particles that protects them from most forms of ranged moves. So, this prospective battle just got a whole lot more difficult.


    ¡°Mud bomb!¡±


    ¡°Power gem!¡±


    Both Numsy and Boldore traded blows. Boldore¡¯s crystal gems lit up and fired off a series of successive rays of light while Numsy countered with his own move shooting a hard-packed mud ball at the stationary Boldore. The moves impacted both Pok¨¦mon equally hard. However, due to Numsy¡¯s shorter stature he was the one that got blown away by the blast.


    My buddy got up pretty fast though, the power gem attack not being all that damaging by my estimations. He could take at least another two of those before being knocked out. I tried coming up with a strategy to counteract our opponent¡¯s defenses, but I realized that our only way forward is to keep trading blows like this. The presence of the sandstorm would allow Boldore to weather my super effective hits and its physical defenses were nothing to sneeze at either.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go Numsy, we''ll have to rough it out with this piece of rock!¡±


    <hr>


    The battle concluded with Numsy being declared the winner. Both Pok¨¦mon were on the end of their ropes. When it came time for their final exchange Numsy¡¯s willpower trumped Boldore¡¯s sturdy defenses. Guss handed out our winnings and was very sportsmanlike about the whole affair. He offered to drive us all the way to Nimbasa City in exchange for some stories about the Hoenn region.


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you should never swim in the sea routes inside the region or else you¡¯ll end up Sharpedo bait. Fresh water is fairly safe though.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Really! For us in Unova it¡¯s the complete opposite. Fresh water is the most dangerous, unless you are absolutely sure there are no basculin in the waters you should stick to dry land. The coastal areas are safe enough though.¡±


    Guss, despite being a slacker at his job, was good company and very informative about the region.


    ¡°What is the fastest way for a lone trainer without much money to reach the celestial tower? My friend invited me over; she has been welcomed to stay there with the mediums.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ of course teleportation services are the fastest way, but also the most expensive. What¡¯s your budget like?¡±


    ¡°The Lavaridge gym is sponsoring me, but they only give me money for food and board. Everything else I have to pay for on my own. I have about twenty-four thousand P to spare.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll get you a one way teleportation to the celestial tower no problem.¡±


    ¡°I also have to pay for my plane ticket back home. I already looked it up, second class will cost me twenty thousand.¡±


    ¡°A cheap way of travelling for four thousand hmm¡­ You could try riding on the Battle Subway.¡±


    ¡°The Battle Subway?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the public transportation all Unovans use to travel on the cheap. Nimbasa City holds the honor of housing the Gear Station, the platform where all subway cars come through. Those subway cars can ferry you to most of the major cities in Unova including Mistralton City.¡±


    ¡°And what is this battling part of this subway?¡±


    ¡°The operation is run by two brothers Ingo and Emmet; we call them the subway bosses. Those two had the ingenious idea of combining their two great passions: trains and battling. Their subway takes you where you need to go and at the same time provides a great battling experience for trainers who are up to the challenge. A fair warning to you though, it¡¯s a tournament style double battling operation with your partner chosen at random. The winners get to face the subway bosses themselves. Most of the trainers taking on the challenge have at least seven badges so as to not hinder their partner¡¯s chances at victory.¡±


    ¡°Can I also board the subway just to get to Mistralton?¡±


    ¡°For sure, it¡¯s about as cheap as you can travel nowadays. A ticket that gets you all the way to Mistralton is going to set you back three thousand pok¨¦dollars.¡±


    The man got quiet after that, we both just enjoyed watching the sun setting, basking in its orange glow. The egg was secured while Numsy was sleeping off a day¡¯s battling. The oran berries I fed him did the trick of getting him into shape, before I could get him looked after by a professional inside a Nimbasa City Pok¨¦mon center.


    ¡®As soon as we reach Nimbasa city I should go looking for a tutor so Numsy can learn some stronger ground type moves. Master Quagsire wasn¡¯t able to teach us the next set because his trainer gave up her journey to start a bathhouse.¡¯


    <hr>


    Nimbasa City was obviously a city centered around entertainment. The famous rondez-view ferris wheel was visible before we even entered the city proper. Because the sun already set, all the street lights had been turned on and it made for an amazing view. It also held the world¡¯s largest sports stadium which the locals just refer to as Big Stadium. Nimbasa is the birthplace of Pok¨¦mon Musicals, quite unlike the extremely competitive contests we in Hoenn are familiar with. Pok¨¦mon musicals are an option for the Pok¨¦mon who want to shine on stage without the pressure of a competition.


    At the moment I couldn¡¯t care less about that though. Drilbur¡¯s sandstorm did a number on my attire, every nook and cranny was filled with sand. The thing I wanted to do most right now was take a shower and head to bed. Guss was nice enough to let me off at the nearest Pok¨¦mon center. I was mostly asleep by the time we made it. Guss had to shake me up good to get me to wake up.


    ¡°This is you kid. Good luck on your journey. Maybe I¡¯ll see you competing in the big leagues someday.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure Guss. When I get old enough to participate in the Ventress Conference I¡¯ll surely make it back to Unova to leave my mark you can count on that.¡±


    With a spring in my step, I entered the Pok¨¦mon center for a good night¡¯s rest.

 Chapter 21 - Musical Mayhem

    Chapter 21 ¨C Musical Mayhem


    It was the following morning of the next day that I woke up bright and early. I had a busy schedule planned for us. Firstly, I needed to find a move tutor for Numsy. The little camel needed to learn a more powerful ground type move, second on our schedule was purchasing a ticket for the battle subway and thirdly I was planning to take Rena and Victini to go see a musical show at the local theater.


    I let out my team to go through our morning routine together. Eating breakfast and making sure we all looked good for our outing. People tended to look down on you if you didn¡¯t keep up with your personal hygiene less so in this world compared to my original one since trainers were frequently stuck in the wild without access to showers. However, no matter what world you were in, people didn¡¯t like the smell of sweat, especially when one has been camping out in the desert for a couple of days. I wasn¡¯t the only one needing to freshen up, a good amount of sand got stuck on the bodies of my beloved rascals so they are all getting the brush treatment. I couldn''t make them take baths or showers since fire type Pok¨¦mon really didn¡¯t appreciate getting wet.


    ¡°Numsy you first.¡±


    Numsy looked at me holding my grooming brush and waddled over unenthusiastically. The little camel didn¡¯t mind having sand stuck in his fur and saw little point of being well groomed. I make sure to keep him clean when we find ourselves in urban locations like this one, so other people didn¡¯t have to tidy up after him when we walk into buildings open to the public.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that being part ground type excuses you for having a dirt covered fur coat in public settings.¡±


    ¡°Num¡­¡±


    Combing out his hair wasn¡¯t all that hard. Numel have only a single coat of fur unlike the species of Pok¨¦mon you can find in colder climates. Cleaning him up takes only a couple of minutes each time. Next it was Rena¡¯s turn; she was the total opposite when it came to grooming, relishing the process of having her coat get all nice and clean. Back in Lavaridge she would regularly pester me or Zinnia into grooming her just because. Getting all of the sand out of her fur would take not a small amount of elbow grease; her having six separate tails didn¡¯t help.


    ¡°Vuuuul.¡±


    ¡°I know I know I have to clean behind your ears as well.¡±


    Whilst I was busy with my errant Vulpix, Victini was busy establishing the pecking order with Glove. Since she was now no longer the newest member of our group, Victini felt that she had to clue Glove into all the intricacies traveling with us would entail.


    ¡°Vi Tini Tini!¡± ¡°I am the oldest in the group so you can just call me big sis!¡±


    ¡°Dar?¡±


    At this comment I felt the inexplicable urge to add my two cents to the conversation.


    ¡°Well technically Glove is over 2.500 years old if you count the time period of him being stuck while petrified.¡±


    ¡°Nitan Dar.¡±


    Glove started petting Victini on the crown of her head. Amused by her attempt to pull seniority over him. Victini started pouting while leering at me, her new attempt at becoming a big sister failed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am sure you can become an older sibling figure for the little tike inside the egg.¡±


    I spent a half hour like that. Me making Rena presentable, while I watched my team have intriguing interactions with each other sometimes chipping in when I felt like it. Rena was mostly content just getting brushed up while Victini tried to advertise the wonders of tabletop gaming to Glove. The Darmanitan gave cards an honest shot, but his hands were just too big to hold the tiny cards comfortably, while Numsy didn¡¯t have any hands at all. That didn¡¯t discourage Victini the slightest bit; she quickly switched over to playing a game of Timburr¡¯s tower with them. Numsy could still somewhat play along using his mouth to remove blocks from the tower. Glove could sometimes get the blocks out on his own but more often than not relied on Victini¡¯s confusion to help him play out the game. Watching them like that gave me an epiphany.


    ¡°Glove you don¡¯t know any psychic type moves?¡±


    ¡°Dar Dar¡­¡±


    ¡°He says the older guards taught him how to achieve inner focus, but he never got the chance to develop his mental abilities further than that.¡±


    ¡°This is perfect! Tini you can coach Darmanitan in that area, your confusion is top notch.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t just blurting out meaningless compliments, Victini has the finest control over her mental powers that I¡¯ve ever seen from any psychic type Pok¨¦mon. She was accomplished enough to bend light and turn invisible and levitate around her own body like it¡¯s nothing.


    Glove seemed amenable enough to the idea of being mentored nodding his assent to be tutored by our resident flying rabbit. Victini on the other hand showed signs of self-doubt fidgeting with her claws while staring down at me.


    ¡°Vi¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, you''ll do great. The key to being a great teacher is confidence.¡±


    Victini cutely clenched her claws together and slapped her cheeks.


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°I am going to be the best teacher!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it, now come over here, the best teacher needs to get her fur groomed.¡±


    I was saving Darmanitan for last. He spent twenty-five hundred years in that desert, and I was dreading the amount of grooming I had to do to get him completely clean or if I was even able to. It also didn¡¯t help that Glove was about a whole foot taller than me. Most fire types could just burn themselves clean but that didn¡¯t work for sand. Most fire types aren¡¯t able to produce flames hot enough to melt sand and if they could it would just become some sort of sticky amorphous liquid.


    ¡°This is my punishment for only catching furred fire types I guess.¡±


    <hr>


    After my first attempt at getting Glove clean, I immediately realized that I would need professional help to get him presentable enough to walk into public places with. Thankfully the nurse Joy behind the desk gave me a referral to a Pok¨¦mon groomer who lived in the city. According to her this groomer recently retired but still took on jobs with the right referrals. Luckily nurse Joy was a personal friend of this groomer else she wouldn¡¯t even have taken the time to talk with us.


    ¡°So, this is the big lug you want me to fix up?¡±


    The groomer was a grouchy looking elderly lady.


    ¡°Yes please.¡±


    She started inspecting Glove¡¯s fur, checking his ears and even looking under his nails.


    ¡°This¡¯ll be a big job. I''ll charge you double what I usually ask my customers. One thousand pok¨¦dollars and I¡¯ll need to keep him here for most of the day. You can come pick him up at the end of the afternoon. By the end of this you won¡¯t even recognize him.¡±


    ¡®One thousand?! that is all my free spending money. I hope that leaves enough left over for subway tickets.¡¯


    I grudgingly handed over the money. Usually, I don¡¯t keep that much cash with me. But I pulled out four thousand from the center¡¯s ATM just in case.


    ¡°Glove, I need you to stay here with the nice lady for a couple of hours. Do everything she wants you to do and afterwards we can go out for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Dar dar!¡±


    ¡°He says that his duty to protect the egg comes first.¡±


    ¡°Hmm okay then. Excuse me, miss can I also leave my Pok¨¦mon egg behind? Glove doesn¡¯t want to let the egg out of his sight.¡±


    ¡°What do I care? Just leave it here at the table , your Darmanitan can look at it all he wants while we are busy.¡±


    ¡®This lady might be rough on the outside but has a soft doughy filling.¡¯


    I did as she instructed and left the egg on the nearest table confident that Glove would keep it safe. It felt kind of weird leaving my newly caught partner alone on his second day of being with us, but needs must, and it would only be for a few hours. It did also spare me from having to carry around the egg while finishing up my business in the city.


    Our next stop was the gear station in order to buy a ticket to Mistralton city. I had no idea what the average ticket prices were for passengers who just wanted to board the subway without having to participate in the battling, but I was about to find out. Getting to Gear Station was not difficult by any means, its location being right in the middle of the city. The building looked like one of those old Victorian mansions, the difference being that it held eight railway platforms inside, each railway leading to a different city within the Unova region.


    In the middle of this massive subway station stood a giant timepiece underneath which a small ticket stand was built manned by two receptionists.


    ¡°Excuse me mister. Can I buy a ticket to Mistralton City?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can. Off to visit your family there kiddo?¡±


    ¡®Kiddo?! adolescence can¡¯t come soon enough.¡¯


    ¡°No, just visiting a family friend who is crashing at the celestial tower.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great seeing as you seem to be under fifteen, I¡¯ll have to look at your ID first.¡±


    I fished out my Hoenn trainer¡¯s license and for good measure I also pulled out my lab assigned Pok¨¦dex.


    The guy behind the desk took one look at my foreign issued license before addressing his colleague sitting at the next booth over.


    ¡°Julie, do we accept foreign ID?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we do Larry, you are just too lazy to pull up the league¡¯s visa listings. Just take your thirty-minute break and let me handle this.¡±


    The nicer looking lady took over for the stereotyping man. Taking his seat behind the booth.


    ¡°Well, what you got here young man is a standard issue trainer¡¯s license from Hoenn. That means we have to look at our registry to find out if you are here illegally. Mr. Emmet and Mr. Ingo ran into some legal issues a few years ago and now we have to do this every time a foreign trainer wants to board our battle subway.¡±


    I was quick to retort.


    ¡°I also gave the previous clerk the Pok¨¦dex I received from Professor Juniper. Doesn¡¯t that count for something? Since technically I am not a foreigner.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?! Thank you, that makes my job a lot easier. Really, Larry can¡¯t even recognize the difference between a foreign Pok¨¦dex and one issued by our own regional professor.¡±


    The clerk flipped open the pokedex and pressed a couple of buttons to play


    ¡°This Pok¨¦dex is programmed by Professor Juniper for Pok¨¦mon trainer Egon from Lavaridge town. My function is to provide Egon with information and advice regarding Pok¨¦mon and their training. If lost or stolen I cannot be replaced.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I needed to hear. Now what kind of ticket are you looking to purchase?¡±


    ¡°One way to Mistralton City please.¡±


    ¡°Are you looking to enter as a battler or just a regular passenger?¡±


    ¡°As a passenger. I¡¯ve only just started my journey and from what I hear taking on the battle subway requires a bit more experience.¡±


    ¡°We have a departure scheduled for five in the afternoon. Do you want to board at that moment, or would you rather arrange for another day?¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡®Five in the afternoon is perfect. That gives me just enough time to go pick up Glove at the groomer after watching a musical at the theater with Rena.¡¯


    ¡°Today please.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be 1500 pok¨¦dollars. Are you aware of the regulations for passengers boarding our trains?¡±


    ¡°Uhmm no not really.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really simple if while seated inside one of our cars the light on the monitor goes red you are required to vacate the car you are currently occupying and move over to the next one adjacent to it. Red means the railroad car is going to be used for a battle.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t battling wreck the railcar?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Our railcars are made from the toughest metal known to man. It would take a concerted effort from a fire and fighting type Pok¨¦mon to destroy one of our cars. The chairs lining our railcars do get destroyed on the regular though. Now have a nice day and we hope you enjoy your time traveling with us trainer Egon.¡±


    We left Gear Station and as we did, I released Rena from her ball.


    ¡°Do you want to go see a musical show princess? First time visiting trainers and their Pok¨¦mon get in for free.¡±


    ¡°Pix pix!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    <hr>


    We made our way to Nimbasa¡¯s musical theater hall. Rena insisted on wearing her best duds at the gathering place for Pok¨¦mon of culture like her. That also meant she was wearing her gaudy tiara while we made our way through the city. She got more than just a couple of looks from passersby and a few women even walked up to us in order to dote on her. Complimenting me for my good fashion sense. Rena¡¯s ego couldn¡¯t balloon up bigger than it already is and by the time we arrived at the theater I was positively exasperated.


    ¡°This is it, the Musical theater. Now we are just here to enjoy a show so don¡¯t start singing and dancing with the performers on stage alright?¡±


    ¡°Vuuuuul!¡±


    Rena started lightly gnawing on my ankles as a form of protest. Letting me know that she is the more mature being out of the two of us. Unlike at the reception at gear station checking was completely automated all I had to do was select one of the plays I wished to see on the screen and either reserve the number of seats I needed or let the computer scan my Pokedex in order to have two seats of my choosing set aside for free for our first visit,


    There was only one show we could view and still be on time to pick up Glove and make it for our departure. A show called Gothorita and the Zoroark. The synopsis describing it bears striking similarities with a play I am already familiar with. An arrogant young zoroark prince, who lives in a castle surrounded by his enchanted servants, opens his heart to a peasant gothorita. As their love slowly develops a narcissistic Bisharp starts coveting Gothorita for her beauty and imprisons Gothorita¡¯s father. Only willing to release her father if she gives in and marries him. The play lasts for about two hours including the intermission break. I just hoped Rena is into sappy love stories.


    I picked two available seats that were displayed on screen. This show seemed pretty popular judging by the number of seats still available; the only adjoining seats that were still up for grabs were second row in the left most corner. Thankfully, me and Rena could be seated next to each other. She could¡¯ve made use of my lap too, but I am pretty sure that would¡¯ve become uncomfortable after a while. Not to mention that Victini also needs a spot to view the play from.


    I tried walking past the concession stand but an invisible tug stopped me from moving forwards. Followed by a large box of popcorn floating upwards and landing itself between my arms. Just like at the cinema this theater food was also ridiculously overpriced and I had no intention at all in feeding the beast.


    ¡°You know if you want some caramelized popcorn, we can just go get some at any grocery store right? Theater popcorn doesn¡¯t magically taste better.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ this is the last thing I want after that I¡¯ll be good; I promise!¡±


    ¡®You are overestimating yourself and those big blue eyes of yours are ineffective while still invisible. There¡¯s no way, no how that I am paying five times the market rate for a box of popcorn.¡¯


    Ten minutes later*


    ¡°You must have used some form of hypnosis on me! This time I¡¯ll let it slide since you have obviously been working on your moves.¡±


    Victini was invisibly munching on popcorn while seated on my lap. The smugness basically radiating off her so much that even an untalented hack like me could feel the telepathic waves of satisfaction. Rena took the seat nearest to the isle. I let her have that seat in case the patron who is going to be seated next to me was some kind of weirdo.


    My neighbor did eventually show up to claim her seat. Surprisingly she looked like a girl about my age, maybe one year older, blonde and sporting a pair of custom-made earphones.


    ¡®Keep the chewing to a minimum, okay? Our new neighbor might hear you.¡¯


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Musicals starring Pok¨¦mon have one single problem. The audience can¡¯t understand any of the dialogue between the actors. That¡¯s why every seat came with an earphone that played a live recording of the script as the play commenced. The human partners of the actors usually being the ones that voiced over their Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Look there she goes a Pok¨¦mon who''s strange but special.


    A most peculiar mademoiselle


    It''s a pity and a sin.


    She doesn''t quite fit in!¡±


    I pulled out one of my earphones having already lost interest in the story. Trying to just focus on the Pok¨¦mon actors. Rena and Victini were almost jumping from their seats, clearly enjoying the show. I kept as quiet as possible in order to not detract from their merriment.


    ¡°Excuse me, are you going to eat the rest of that popcorn?¡±


    Startling blue eyes faced me. My neighbor, now no longer hidden in the natural shadows of the theater, gave me a questioning look.


    ¡°Yeah sure, go ahead. Just leave some of it left over after the ending. my Pok¨¦mon might still be hungry after the show.¡±


    The girl seemed familiar to me however since this was a musical theater I decided to leave my questions for after the show.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Poor Gothorita. It''s a shame about your father.


    You know he''s not crazy, Bisharp.


    I might be able to clear up this little misunderstanding, if...


    If what?


    If you marry me.


    What?


    One little word, Gothorita. That''s all it takes.


    Never!¡±


    ¡®Ughhhhhh¡­ this is going to take a while.¡¯


    <hr>


    ¡°That was my popcorn!¡±


    ¡°It''s fine you were on a diet anyways. And she left you one fourth of the amount afterwards. You know what they say, sharing is caring. I am sure our neighbor was very grateful for our generosity.¡±


    It was intermission time leaving me a good ten minutes to stretch my legs while the lights were on. Our mysterious neighbor quickly used this opportunity to go backstage behind the drapes. I figured she must know one of the actors personally. My Pok¨¦mon were completely engrossed in the story. Rena kept gushing about how pretty the actors looked. She seemed especially fond of the lead Zoroark. I wasn¡¯t the most adept in the matters of love but even I could see that my Vulpix was developing a celebrity crush.


    ¡®Maybe since they¡¯re both vulpine Pok¨¦mon?¡¯


    The Zoroark was skilled at using his illusionary powers to provide a number of the special effects in the play. Using shadows to make himself seem more menacing during his introduction scene. This show was very enlightening in terms of learning more about their species¡¯ unique abilities. Since I haven¡¯t come across any of them until now. They are widely known for being difficult to capture. Being able to disappear into the surroundings at will. So, any trainer that does manage to capture one of their line has somehow convinced the Pok¨¦mon that he or she would be fun to stick around with.


    ¡°Pix pix pix!¡±


    ¡°Calm down Rena this is just the intermission the show will start up again after everyone has had a chance to stretch their legs a little.¡±


    Rena jumped off her seat and rushed towards the closed drapes obviously planning to meet a certain dark type.


    ¡®Tini, can you look after our seats?¡¯


    After getting the psychic equivalent of an affirmation I followed after my starstruck Pok¨¦mon. Obviously being faster than me Rena has already disappeared behind the drapes. Now all I had to do was find her before we were both forcefully removed from the premises. The backstage area was filled with set props and Pok¨¦mon actors and their human partners. They used this cessation of their activities to lounge around and practice lines. I waded through the crowd hoping that they were not paying enough attention to realize I was not supposed to be there.


    ¡®If I was an infatuated six tailed fox, where would I be?¡¯


    ¡°Hey, you there! You are not supposed to be here!¡±


    I was stopped by the blonde girl who just like me entered the backstage area during the intermission. This time she had a Pok¨¦mon with her, lounging on her shoulders stood a tired looking emolga.


    Emolga, the Sky Squirrel Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Emolga lives in trees and uses its cape-like membrane to glide through the air. As it flies, it scatters electricity around, so bird Pok¨¦mon keep their distance. That''s why Emolga can keep all its food to itself. This Pok¨¦mon absolutely loves sweet berries. Sometimes it stuffs its cheeks full of so much food that it can''t fly properly.


    ¡°You better have a good reason for sneaking in here! Only the actor Pok¨¦mon and their trainers are allowed backstage.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see your Emolga on stage neither. Are you sure that you aren¡¯t supposed to be here as well?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ My precious Emolga is responsible for the theater lamps. She glides around the rafters turning them off and on.¡±


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ Sorry my Vulpix ran off. I am just trying to get her back. What¡¯s your name miss¡­?¡±


    ¡°Elesa.¡±


    ¡®Egon it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. Say you wouldn¡¯t happen to know where I could find the male lead actor? My Vulpix has really taken a shine to him. I am sure that I can find her with that Zoroark.¡±


    ¡°The owner¡¯s Pok¨¦mon? He can usually be found in his personal quarters. No one goes in there except for him and his Zoroark.¡±


    ¡°Could you please take me there? ¡±


    Elesa fidgeted somewhat, eventually deciding to show me where to find that Zoroark. Leading me up to a secret backdoor room where the leading actor resides. The door was closed and waiting just outside was my wayward fox Pok¨¦mon seemingly patiently waiting for the actor to come outside.


    ¡°Rena come back quick! We are not supposed to be here.¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul.¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t have his paw graph! And I am pretty sure what you are doing is considered stalking.¡±


    Elesa and her Emolga watched me and my Pok¨¦mon bicker. Obviously, our argument was going nowhere. Until she finally decided to step up and help solve the issue. Addressing my Pok¨¦mon with a hint of amusement in her voice.


    ¡°I know the director personally. If you want, I can get you a paw graph little Vulpix.¡±


    ¡°Pix pix?!¡±


    Elesa was confused for a moment not following Rena¡¯s line of questioning.


    ¡°She wants to know if you are really such a big deal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my mother designs the stage costumes and props for all the actors in this show.¡±


    Rena was mollified somewhat at the prospect of getting that Zoroark¡¯s signature. I picked her up and walked us back in the direction of our seats. Elesa, also noticing the intermission was almost over followed behind me.


    ¡°Does this happen often? Rabid fans sneaking backstage to meet the actors?¡±


    ¡°Pix pix!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know, or maybe you want me to ask nurse Joy to have you checked?¡±


    Elesa amused just watching me and Rena go at it backtracked to answer my earlier question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, me and Emolga are still novices and haven¡¯t been here that long. That won¡¯t always be the case though. She and I will make it all the way to become big A-list celebrities, that''s our dream!¡±


    I gave her a look up and down.


    ¡°Sure, maybe if you grow up a bit, you have a symmetrical face that people would find pleasing to look at, high bone cheeks, vivid eyes and hair color.¡±


    She puffed up a little more after each of my astute observations.


    ¡°Becoming famous isn¡¯t all about looks! Me and Emolga still have a lot to learn before we can make it out there. But¡­ thank you for the compliments¡±


    We made it back to our seats in time for the commencement of the second and final act of the show. Elesa, probably having already seen this same show multiple times zoned out and focused only on the rafters where her Emolga must be taking care of the show¡¯s lighting needs.


    Just like that we spent another hour watching all the different Pok¨¦mon actors singing and dancing out the story.


    <hr>


    The show ended with prince Zoroark and his servants getting uncursed and winning the heart of Gothorita. I myself was too mature to enjoy a sappy feel-good ending like that, but my Pok¨¦mon seemed to like it. The audience gave a standing ovation to the actors who were all lined up at the show¡¯s ending. Elesa gave me a nudge to let me know I should follow her if I still wanted to get that paw graph for Rena. Seeing no other way but to indulge in my Pok¨¦mon¡¯s unhealthy fanaticism me and my team followed the blonde back behind the drapes. Elesa looked around for a bit after we found ourselves wading through a crowd of actors and their trainers until she presumably found who she was looking for. An older gentleman accompanied by a bipedal fox Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Excuse me director!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Elesa dear. How was the show?¡±


    Before these two had the chance of finishing their exchange of pleasantries my fox jumped out of my arms and started yipping at the sight of the gentleman¡¯s Zoroark.


    ¡°Pix pix pix!¡±


    ¡°My what an excitable young lass wouldn¡¯t you say so Zoroark?¡±


    ¡°Ark.¡±


    ¡°This Vulpix is my seat-neighbor¡¯s Pok¨¦mon. She expressed her desire to meet and get a paw graph from Zoroark sir.¡±


    ¡°Vuuul Pix!¡±


    The constant barrage of compliments seemed to be getting through to Zoroark a slight tint of red adorning his cheeks.


    ¡°Well now what do you say Zoroark old friend? Do you want to make this lassie¡¯s day extra special?¡±


    ¡°Ark.¡±


    The director fished out a special type of ink that was used to stain Pok¨¦mon paws. When he asked where we wanted the paw graph inscribed on, I wasn¡¯t sure what to use. None of the items I carried on me seemed suitable enough for this type of endeavor. Eventually I decided to let Zoroark paw graph my backpack. At least this way Rena gets to look at it whenever she wants.


    We walked out of that theater with an extra memento given to us by that wizened Zoroark. He, just like me, saw the futility in trying to curb Rena¡¯s enthusiasm and quickly gave in after a barrage of flattering remarks. We got two free tickets to come watch their show the next time we were in the city. I felt a small sense of accomplishment having indulged Rena and to a lesser extent Victini, The play didn¡¯t match my tastes for sure but as long as my team was happy with the experience I couldn¡¯t care less what I was watching. It was just me and Victini now I recalled Rena into her ball to cool off from all her excitement.


    We walked back to the groomers. Where Glove¡¯s transformation was complete.


    ¡°He smells incredible. What kind of scent is that?¡±


    ¡°Extract of Lilligant.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the amazing work. I had no idea if he¡¯d ever get all that plastered on sand out of his coat.¡±


    ¡°He should be good to go. Darmanitan¡¯s fur does need a weekly brushing if you want him to stay like this.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll make sure to do that. Have a nice day!


    We parted ways with the groomer. I''d be sure to visit her the next time I was in town. With the egg in my arms I left together with my Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Now are you guys ready for a train ride?¡±


    ¡°Dar!¡± ¡°Vi!¡±

 Chapter 22 - Mysterious Hermit

    Chapter 22 ¨C Mysterious Hermit


    I hurried back to Gear Station in order to make it in time for our train¡¯s departure. All of my Pok¨¦mon were resting in their balls, since I didn¡¯t want to lose them in the crowd of passengers that were getting ready to board the train. The automated station announcement echoed throughout Gear Station.


    ¡°The train heading for Mistralton City is leaving within ten minutes. All passengers please make your way to platform three.¡±


    ¡®Perfect timing, I wonder if they offer refreshments on long train rides like this one?¡¯


    According to the ticket the train ride would take around seven hours, which meant I would arrive in Mistralton City very early during the next morning. Fortunately, Pok¨¦mon centers provided 24-hour service even though the nurse Joy behind the counter probably wouldn¡¯t appreciate you for waking her up during the wee hours of the morning if it wasn¡¯t an emergency.


    As luck would have it platform three was the least populated transit in gear station. By my estimation of the people present, at the platform during departing time, only around two dozen people in total needed to take this train to Mistralton City. Leaving me enough room to have my Pok¨¦mon out and about if I didn¡¯t have to share my car with too many other people.


    Eventually the sliding doors opened and me and the rest of the passengers could enter the train. Most of the passengers aboard this train seemed to be foreign tourists at least judging by the Pok¨¦mon they had with them. That¡¯s when I saw a girl walking around with a black salamander like Pok¨¦mon on her shoulders. Intrigued and a bit excited to meet such a rare Pok¨¦mon, in this region, I followed the two into their car and took a seat nearest to them.


    ¡°Excuse me, the name¡¯s Egon. Is that a Salandit? Are you from the Alola region perhaps?¡±


    ¡°My name is Halia and yes, this little boy is a salandit. Not many people in this region can recognize foreign Pok¨¦mon on sight. Are you from Alola as well? You certainly have the correct skin tone for a tropical islander.¡±


    ¡°No, I come from the Hoenn region. I asked because I am really into fire types like your salandit he¡¯s certainly one of the coolest Pok¨¦mon around.¡±


    ¡°He is, isn¡¯t he? Salandit is the best at keeping me warm especially during the winter times.¡±


    ¡°Saaaal.¡±


    Salandit, having been praised incessantly during our verbal exchange puffs up obviously pleased by the direction this conversation is going.


    ¡°Is it true that the poison his species produces is strong enough to envenom steel and even other poison types?¡±


    ¡°Well yes but me and this little guy aren¡¯t much interested in battling, so we haven¡¯t tried that out yet. He was given to me as an egg you see, his mother was a prolific battler, and she was able to do that during competitions. I noticed you have an egg as well. What sort of cutie is inside that egg? I am much more interested in Pok¨¦mon breeding.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you, but I know it¡¯s a fire type Pok¨¦mon. I am somewhat of a specialist, you see. I¡¯ve been working as an intern at the Lavaridge gym.¡±


    Just like that I struck up a pleasant conversation with a previously unknown stranger. Halia was a seventeen-year-old ambassador¡¯s daughter from Melemele island, and her family moved to Unova after her father was appointed as an ambassador. She decided to go back to Alola to visit her relatives and get away from the cold weather, only planning on returning when the winter season is over. Halia is determined to become a prominent breeder specializing in Alolan native Pok¨¦mon. Once she is done with college, she is hoping to land an internship position at the Aether foundation.


    ¡°You really think it¡¯s doable? Catching a salazzle and setting up a breeding colony? If that works out I¡¯ll become your first customer.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ not for now though. With all the strict laws surrounding importing foreign exotic species. Unova also has a seasonal climate as opposed to Alola¡¯s wet and dry seasons.¡±


    ¡°Alola¡­ I¡¯d like to go visit that region and find myself an awesome fire type like yours.¡±


    ¡°Well, then you will probably have to wait for a long time. Alola has the strictest bylaws regarding foreigners. It¡¯s so bad that employees of multinational trading companies are not even allowed to set foot on the islands proper, instead being restricted to the Melemele shipyard.¡±


    ¡°Really!? I didn¡¯t know it was that bad and the population agreed to this?¡±


    ¡°Ah no, the people didn¡¯t come up with those policies. We do actually have an elected government that runs the islands, but they are not the highest authorities in the Alola region. Our guardian deities ultimately step in to make decrees when they deem it necessary. With our Kahunas acting as their middlemen, they have decreed that Alola is not yet ready to open up its borders.¡±


    ¡°With guardian deities you mean legendary Pok¨¦mon? Aren¡¯t those types of beings usually too reclusive to care about human affairs?¡±


    ¡°That is the biggest difference between Alola and the other regions. Our people still have a strong spiritual connection to the land and by extension the Pok¨¦mon that govern it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your dad¡¯s job like? It must be a big responsibility managing diplomatic relations between Unova and Alola.¡±


    ¡°He mostly attends meetings and events. Unova being one of the closer regions we have ties with, it is important that the trade keeps flowing unabated since Alola doesn¡¯t produce enough goods to sustain our growing community. In return we provide this region with minerals, hardwood timber and patented alcoholic beverages. Every time there is some type of tariff dispute my father steps in to protect our region¡¯s interests.¡±


    It was about an hour into the journey when I decided to let my Pok¨¦mon out to let them stretch their limbs for a bit and give each of them their evening meals. Unlike my other Pok¨¦mon, Glove didn¡¯t seem to have a preferred flavor so I just fed him the recommended amount of Pok¨¦mon food for a Darmanitan his size combined with whatever berry slices I had on hand for flavoring. This evening he got to enjoy a not insubstantial amount of Leppa berries in his dinner time meal.


    I shared a train car with Halia, so she got a good look at most of my Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°By the Tapu¡¯s that Vulpix is so adorable!¡±


    ¡°Vuuul?¡±


    ¡°Halia bent over to pick up Rena while she was enjoying her meal. Leading to some irritation on my Pok¨¦mon¡¯s part. One gaze of hers told me she was this close to giving Halia a mouthful of embers.¡±


    ¡°I got you that paw graph, didn¡¯t I? Please bear with it for now.¡±


    Rena was somewhat mottled by my mentioning of previous events so although somewhat reluctant she let Halia have her way with her body for now.


    ¡°What was that Egon?¡±


    ¡°Uh nothing, just something between me and my Pok¨¦mon. So, you have never seen a vulpix before?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen and met plenty of vulpix before, just none of this variety. In Alola we would call this one a Kantonian vulpix.¡±


    Halia refocused her efforts on giving my Rena a good look over. Checking inside her ear and even opening Rena¡¯s maw to check if her gums are healthy. At one point even trying to have a gander at her tails it was at this point I was forced to stop her. Rena was very peculiar about who was allowed to touch her tails. Random strangers we met on a train not being on that list.


    ¡°Halia, My Vulpix doesn¡¯t let just anyone touch her tails. Could you please let go of her for now?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I am sorry! I was so invested in figuring out all the differences that I forgot myself for a moment. Can you forgive me, Vulpix?¡±


    ¡°Pix.¡±


    Rena landed on the floor with her paws after giving a dismissive yip towards Halia. Quietly returning to her bowl of food, but not before letting me know that the favor has already been repaid.


    ¡°I have always been fascinated by regional variation within Pok¨¦mon species. You might not know this, but around a century ago a foreigner washed up on the shores of Ula¡¯ula Island with his Kantonian Vulpix. He made the island his home and after his passing the old Vulpix now a Ninetales exiled herself to the top of Mount Lanakila in order to grieve over her old Master. The locals say the loss and sadness turned her heart icy cold and somehow under the influence of the mountain spirits her appearance shifted to reflect her change of heart. After her transformation the change in typing and demeanor bred true, populating our Lanakila Mountain with a bunch of white colored vulpix.¡±


    Rena was still sitting at her food bowl, but I knew Halia¡¯s story gripped the attention of my dainty fox companion. Signified by the slight turning of her right ear.


    ¡°Do you believe it? That she was changed by spirits? or did some other environmental factor turn her into an ice type?¡±


    Halia gave me a pondering look. Seemingly mulling the question over in her mind.


    ¡°Hmm I don¡¯t know, but researchers could probably run a double-blind test by bringing groups of Kantonian vulpix and ninetales up the mountain and see if anything happens.¡±


    Letting the matter rest she instead looked at the rest of my team.


    ¡°I say you have quite a fine gathering of Pok¨¦mon here, Egon. Are you participating in this years¡¯ Ventress conference?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t meet the age requirements. Having dual citizenship is pretty useful for catching Pok¨¦mon not found in my home region though. I¡¯ll be sure to take the Ever Grande Conference by storm with all my new pals once I get back to Hoenn.¡±


    We spent our time like that until we both decided that it was getting too dark outside the train, and that we should get some rest. The passenger seats inside the train could be pushed downwards to make a pseudo bed of some sort. Combined with the sleeping bag I put in my backpack for camping situations I could pass my time away resting up. My Pok¨¦mon each selecting a seat of their own and growing comfortable enough to sleep. Glove insisted on staying out to watch over the egg and I wasn¡¯t playing favorites, so they all got to stay out. Victini took this chance to stay in the sleeping bag with me so she could spend some time socializing. Having to stay invisible for so long must have made her anxious. We were pretty sure that all these train cars had cameras inside them for the purpose of recording any subway battles. That being the case she didn¡¯t get the chance to hang out openly with us.


    ¡®Just a little bit more when we are back in Lavaridge you can float around all you want. Those old fogies can¡¯t tell the difference between a tailow and a salamence.¡¯


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°All the time?¡±


    ¡®Well at least during school hours. Their grandkids are a tad more perceptive.¡¯


    <hr>


    The sound of the intercom turning on woke us up. I noticed that Halia and her salandit had already gotten up early and were quietly enjoying what seemed to be a granola bar of sorts. I was grateful that they were careful not to wake us up even though the announcement machine turned their efforts fruitless. The bulge in my sleeping bag was starting to move, evidently Victini waking up from the noise as well.


    ¡°Dear passengers, we will be arriving shortly at the Mistraltion City Station. Please make sure to leave none of your belongings behind. We know you have choice a in modes of transportation, and we are pleased you decided to make use of our battle subway for your transit needs.¡±


    Halia decided to make use of my now lucid state of mind to make sure I got off the train on time.


    ¡°Are you ready to go, Egon? We¡¯ll be arriving within ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°Just a second!¡±


    ¡®Tini, can you tap the ball latched onto my belt?¡¯


    I was lucky that I am not the type of person who gets comfortable enough with strangers to change into my pajamas in full view. As such the only thing I needed to do to get ready was to wiggle out of my sleeping bag and stuff it into my backpack. The rest of my team was now fully awake as well.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to get crowded on the platform guys go ahead and rest some more inside your pok¨¦ balls.¡±


    I started recalling my team members until it was Numsy¡¯s turn. The little camel expertly dodged the red beam and gave me a defiant look.


    ¡°Num!¡±


    Words were unnecessary. I could instantly tell what Numsy¡¯s intentions were.


    ¡°I am sorry you didn¡¯t get to do anything in Nimbasa. how about we hang around for the rest of the day?¡±


    My pok¨¦ pal begrudgingly accepted my offer. So, after I finished packing and donning my attire for the day it was just him, me and the egg between my arms when we walked onto the station¡¯s platform. Halia following closely behind us with Salandit draped over her shoulder as usual.


    Navigating the platform wasn¡¯t easy by any means especially since I had to keep watch over my knee height camel with my hands full. Numsy took this opportunity to punish me for my hubris and kept walking up to strangers wanting to get petted. His tactics rarely failed to get the head scratches he desired, sometimes even walking away with some variety of unhealthy snacks. The children especially kept helping him violate his dietary restrictions. I figured that this was his way of showing me he had other options.


    ¡°I am sorry Numsy! Ok we¡¯ll do it like this. I owe you a solid and whenever you want to call in that favor you can do so. I won¡¯t object whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°Num¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t forget.¡±


    Halia took this moment to jump into the conversation.


    ¡°Egon¡¯s sorry and he won¡¯t do it again. If you are worried about him forgetting, you¡¯ll just need to remind him every time you feel left out.¡±


    ¡°Num num.¡±


    I knew Numsy was really only half upset, but it paid to give him the full attention he was due. Numsy relenting to Halia¡¯s pleading was only for showmanship.


    ¡°Numsy will you allow me to take us to the Pok¨¦mon center? Once there we can all partake in a hearty breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    The mention of food always works on him. Maybe because he used to be a solitary Pok¨¦mon roughing it out in the wild, but Numsy is the lone Pok¨¦mon on my team that considers regular food pellets a reward. Not that I didn¡¯t mix a copious amount of sliced berries in it to elevate the flavor but even before I had the luxury of doing so Numsy was always happy with just the regular stuff. As we were walking out of the station and into Mistralton City proper I struck up a casual conversation with Halia.


    ¡°So, when is your flight back home to Alola?¡±


    ¡°In a couple of hours, we can walk with you until we hit the Pok¨¦mon center. As the more experienced travelers it¡¯s our job to look after you right Salandit? It wouldn¡¯t do to have a ten year old like yourself get lost in the big city.¡±


    ¡°Saaaa.¡±


    ¡°You do realize this ten-year-old has won a multiple of badges and traversed all the way from Hoenn to Unova on his lonesome.¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t want me coming with you?¡±


    ¡°¡­Never mind.¡±


    I felt a sense of amusement coming from inside my mind. Being stuck inside her ball while awake usually gave Victini a good incentive to mess around inside my dome. When having nothing better to do she would experience our surroundings vicariously through me given the opportunity.


    ¡®This is not a capitulation! I just enjoy having her around for company.¡¯


    ¡°Tsun¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t you finish that sentence! This is what I get for letting you have free unfettered access to my mind. Some parts of my old world¡¯s cultural experience are not meant to see the light of day.¡¯


    The trek towards the nearest Pok¨¦mon center was mostly uneventful. Mistralton City was the hub of all air travel coming to and from Unova. Even while not yet at the airport the sound of jet engines can be heard from miles away. The locals, having mostly grown desensitized towards the sound, didn''t even flinch; it was a great way to differentiate denizens from the tourists. As we neared the Pokemon center we saw a crowd forming at the entrance. Halia took this chance to say goodbye.


    ¡°Egon, it¡¯s time for us to part ways but know we will be watching your training career with great interest. If you do end up making it to this year¡¯s Ever Grande Conference. I¡¯ll be rooting for you!¡±


    ¡°The same goes for me, Halia. If you ever get the chance to breed fire type Pok¨¦mon professionally, I will make sure to become your first customer.¡±


    We parted ways amicably she made a beeline towards the airport while I was stuck waiting in line for access to the Pok¨¦mon center.


    ¡®That¡¯s strange a city like Mistralton shouldn¡¯t have any congested Pok¨¦mon centers.¡¯


    Congested Pok¨¦mon centers were a rare sight. It usually meant some kind of natural disaster had occurred or some sort of tournament was being hosted in the city. I was hoping that it was the latter of those two. I shoulder tapped the person closest to me.


    ¡°Hey man, what''s going on at the Pok¨¦mon center? Are the lines usually this long?¡±


    ¡°You must not be from around here little dude. The trainers standing in line here are waiting for the old hermit to give his weekly Pok¨¦mon evaluations.¡±


    ¡°Old hermit? Pok¨¦mon evaluations?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s this wizened old guy living by himself up in the mountains. Once a week he comes down into the city to get some fresh supplies and help trainers figure out the typing of their Pok¨¦mon¡¯s hidden power. It¡¯s all for free, but he only stays here until the end of the afternoon. His services are in very high demand since training up a Pok¨¦mon in the use of its hidden power is so much easier once you know what type it should be. If you just want to gain entrance to the Pok¨¦mon center, you can just skip all the way to the end of this line, the center doors should be open.¡±


    This hermit being here on the same day while I was inside the city could be an unexpected boon. I had no idea what kind of hidden power each of my Pok¨¦mon holds. Looking back to the size of the line it would seem I had a decent shot at seeing the hermit if I decided to join the queue. However I didn¡¯t think my team would appreciate having to stand in line especially since it was still early in the morning and we haven¡¯t had our breakfast yet.


    ¡®I guess I¡¯ll wait and see if he¡¯s still around by the time we are finished with our morning routine.¡¯


    After thanking the kindly stranger for his information, I went ahead and skipped all the way to the front of the line. There near the center¡¯s entrance stood a makeshift tent propped up next to the main building. Figuring that the tent was probably the place people were standing in line for to get their Pok¨¦mon evaluated I walked into the main building. In contrast to the hustle and bustle outside, the center¡¯s interior was quiet and devoid of people aside from a sleepy nurse Joy sitting behind the counter.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Excuse me!¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­? Oh, sorry young man, it''s just so early in the morning. What can I help you with?¡±


    ¡°I would like a room please. Here¡¯s my trainer¡¯s license and ID.¡±


    <hr>


    A couple of hours later*


    Safely situated in one of the center¡¯s rooms I had my entire team out and about. As I was busy cooking up their meals, they decided to catch some more zzz¡¯s by huddling up together and getting an extra hour of sleep in. Since Glove was so much bigger than the rest of the team it was unilaterally decided he would be their body pillow. Which the big gorilla didn¡¯t mind, most of my team members were too small to hinder his sleep overly much. He did take issue with Numsy trying to take a spot on his midriff. Numsy might be small, but he weighed as much as a big sack of potatoes. His molten core made up of mineral rich magma being the main contributor to his added weight.


    ¡°breakfast¡¯s done!¡±


    I started distributing out everyone¡¯s bowls of food. Glove¡¯s bowl being a size bigger than the rest of them. Because of his body size having higher nutritional needs was a given and because he was still malnourished from having spent thousands of years as a statue. The rest of the team, knowing his need for a greater caloric intake, didn¡¯t complain about the difference in portion sizes.


    I left my Pok¨¦mon in the dorm room to enjoy breakfast while I went downstairs to observe the procession. Now that there are proper waking hours the line got even bigger. Curious about this mysterious hermit I decided to ask Nurse Joy for the details on this mysterious person.


    ¡°Nurse Joy, do you know the hermit who is giving out those Pok¨¦mon evaluations?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, he just showed up one day out of the blue. In exchange for lending a helping hand, I let him set up his little tent outside. I am glad he did so because business has never been better. Ah! Not that that is a good thing of course for someone in my profession. A lot of people who aren¡¯t even on their circuit run book rooms here now, which they have to pay full price for. Alleviating this center¡¯s reliance on league subsidies.¡±


    ¡°Does he ever take a break or something? I¡¯d really like to meet this figure.¡±


    ¡°Sharing information like that would be unfair to all the other trainers that have come here to meet him, young trainer. If you want him to evaluate your Pok¨¦mon, you¡¯ll have to wait in line just like everybody else.¡±


    ¡®Darn! She saw through my ruse.¡¯


    As I was busy trying to trick the kindly nurse Joy into giving up her confidential knowledge, I felt a slight bump impacting the top of my head. Having grown familiar with the suddenness and fur to skin feel of the intruder I know Victini was sitting invisibly on the top of my head.


    ¡®Are you already finished with your meal?¡¯


    ¡°Most of us are. I just wanted to see what was taking you so long.¡±


    ¡®This hermit character intrigues me. A human being able to perceive a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s hidden power closely resembles an ability that I have heard about from before my arrival in this world.¡¯


    As I was sharing my speculations with Victini I excused myself in front of Nurse Joy and headed back up into our room but before I could get near the entrance of the attached dormitory we were stopped by a scroungy looking old man.


    ¡°Excuse me there young trainer. I couldn¡¯t help but notice a peculiar presence around you. Would you mind this old man here taking up some of your time? I am a deft hand at palm readings and the like.¡±


    ¡®Is this the start of my hero¡¯s journey? If I give this old man some change and kindness, will he reveal himself to be an old sage who trains me in an ancient form of Pok¨¦mon battling?¡¯


    ¡°Focus Egon! I think he is looking at me.¡±


    That revelation snapped me back into reality. And just like Victini has noted, this old man wasn¡¯t looking at my face, his eyes slightly slanting upward right in the position where Victini must be lounging on the top of my head at this moment. Immediately my fight or flight instincts got invoked. If this geezer was able to perceive Victini he cannot be any regular old man.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are or how you identified this ¡°presence¡±, but we won¡¯t be coerced into doing anything she doesn¡¯t want to do.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s a she? No worries boy I am not threatening you or her in any way. It is just my first time seeing a Pok¨¦mon I have never met before. I was just curious, that''s all. If you don¡¯t want to associate with me, you two are free to go on your merry way.¡±


    ¡®What do you think?¡¯


    ¡°I want to know how.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but at the first moment you pull any sort of shenanigans on us we are leaving.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect. I have a secure spot where we can talk just outside this center. It¡¯s a tent you couldn¡¯t have missed it while walking in here. When you feel like you are ready to talk, come see me and don¡¯t mind the other people waiting in line, I¡¯ll get to them eventually.¡±


    ¡®So, this is the old hermit? I better get the rest of the team with me for this encounter.¡¯


    We went back to our room to pick up the rest of my partner Pok¨¦mon. I recalled each of them inside their balls except for Numsy and we made our way back to the entrance of the Pok¨¦mon center. As the old man had said the line was being held up for some reason, a please wait sign had been put in front of the tent¡¯s opening. With some level of shame I ignored the waiting crowd and slipped inside the tent much to the chagrin of people waiting in line.


    The inside of the tent couldn¡¯t be any humbler. It was just two little plastic stools and a rickety old table big enough to rest a cup of coffee and a bowl of nuts on. Which it did incidentally. I wasn¡¯t really big on nuts since I used to be allergic to them and I never bothered testing if that is still the case. The hermit was sitting in the other chair obviously pleased to see us taking him up on his offer,


    ¡®I am hoping we can convince this guy to keep quiet. This old mountain dweller doesn¡¯t seem like the type to show and tell but I can¡¯t risk Victini¡¯s safety on just his word.¡¯

 Chapter 23 - Auric Discovery

    Chapter 23 ¨C Auric Discovery


    There I was sitting awkwardly on a makeshift barstool waiting for my host to finish brewing something I can only describe as leaf juice since he didn¡¯t have any appliances at hand to boil his water.


    ¡°Do you want us to lend a hand? Numsy here is an expert in boiling water at just the right temperature.¡±


    ¡°Num num!


    ¡°No, thank you. I have gotten so used to steeping my leaves in cold water that I have grown to prefer it this way.¡±


    With that the elderly gentleman just sat down opposite to me clearly intending to let those leaves soak for however long it would take to extract the flavor from them.


    ¡°Now young trainer you must be curious on how I was able to perceive your floating friend here while other humans cannot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something to do with Aura, right? I have heard that a small group of humans are able to perceive the life energy of living beings. Tini is able to bend light in such a way that you can see beyond her and into the background making her invisible to the naked eye. The only way you would be able to spot her is if you didn¡¯t rely on your eyes to ¡°see¡±.¡±


    The hermit reacted like I took out all the wind out of his sails. While I sat there content and maybe a tad bit smug at being able to prick a hole into his mystery man fa?ade.


    ¡°Humans have been blessed with more than just auric abilities, but yes you are correct. I belong to that small group of people who are able to do so. Where did you come across this knowledge? People with abilities like mine don¡¯t exactly out themselves to the public.¡±


    ¡°Just a dusty old tome. It made mention of a group of people who called themselves aura guardians they usually travel around accompanied by a Lucario.¡±


    ¡°Hmm a half truth. Not that I am expecting a youngster to tell me all his secrets.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Save it. Just know that I am able to discern truth from lies. If you are not willing to share details than just say so. Now normally I make it a point not to approach Pok¨¦mon like yours, but this is the first time I have seen one casually interact with humans like that and I grew curious. Will you allow me to meet her in person?¡±


    ¡®What do you think?¡¯


    ¡°I think¡­ we can trust him.¡±


    I pulled out her pok¨¦ ball and activated the release mechanism. In a flash of light Victini appeared on top of the rickety table.


    ¡°Vi¡­?¡±


    The old man¡¯s expression morphed into one of wonder. Like he couldn¡¯t get enough of staring at Victini. Victini always turns timid when standing at the center of attention especially so from a stranger our first few days with Aurea could attest to that. So, I wasn¡¯t surprised when she eventually floated behind me to stop herself from being scrutinized.


    The old man quickly bowed his head in apology after he realized what he was doing.


    ¡°My apologies. This is the first time I¡¯ve ever been so close to a Pok¨¦mon of your stature. Please forgive my lack of manners.¡±


    ¡®Geez¡­ is this guy alright? He¡¯s talking as if there¡¯s some unwritten Pok¨¦mon hierarchy with you at the upper echelons.¡¯


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a given? I am the best!¡±


    ¡°Uhm excuse me why are you so convinced that Victini is of the same stature as those other Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    ¡°That would be the difference in the amount of Aura or life energy as you have named it. Regular humans like you are akin to small candles. Pok¨¦mon even when just hatched are like a torch. These classifications are not set, and all living beings have the potential to grow up until a certain limit. Since I have not received official instruction from those more learned in this subject you can take what this old man has to say with a grain of salt.


    ¡°So what? Tini is like a bonfire or something?¡±


    ¡°A more apt descriptor would be a raging forest fire. In my long life I have only twice seen Pok¨¦mon from afar who have a comparable amount of aura. Once in Mistralton Cave and another time when I was crossing the Tubeline Bridge it passed just between the clouds, the winds felt strong on that day. Those encounters could have ended up badly for me judging by both Pok¨¦mon¡¯s emotive states at the time.¡±


    ¡®Mistralton Cave that should be Cobalion, A Pok¨¦mon that travels accompanied by harsh wind currents, if I had to take a guess, that would be Tornadus.¡¯


    ¡°Old man, can you keep quiet about Victini? If unsavory characters learned about her existence, we¡¯d have to watch out for pok¨¦ nappers for the rest of our natural born lives.¡±


    ¡°The name¡¯s Anton and yes of course I¡¯ll keep the secret to myself. However, I do have to warn you that she would stand out to those who have trained themselves to perceive the world as I do. So... what¡¯s it like traveling with a Pok¨¦mon as unique and majestic as Victini?¡±


    ¡°Well, you have to watch out during mealtimes since she tends to choke on her food if not carefully watched.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°She also likes to snuggle during bedtime.¡±


    ¡°Tini Tini!¡± ¡°That¡¯s secret!¡±


    ¡°And she cheats while playing cards.¡±


    ¡°Vi¡­!¡± ¡°No I don¡¯t¡­!¡±


    ¡°Victini is one of my precious companions just like all my other Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    ¡°Yes, just like you Numsy.¡±


    With Victini¡¯s image of being this all powerful and wise Pok¨¦mon shattered she hastily dove inside my backpack too embarrassed to come out. Anton started muttering something incomprehensibly to himself.


    ¡°Interesting¡­ I see. You have satisfied this old man¡¯s curiosity. You are well on your way to forming an unbreakable bond with all of your partner Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Is this all leading up to you taking me in as your number one disciple? Showing me unorthodox ways of training aura by making me do seemingly mundane chores like washing old cars or painting fences?¡±


    ¡°Kid, you have watched way too many Pok¨¦star Studio Movies! Aura doesn¡¯t work like that at all. Regular run of the mill humans like us only develop these abilities after a good decade of working together with our partner Pok¨¦mon. As your mutual understanding grows so does your ability to use aura. You might grow into it quicker than myself if you find a more experienced teacher willing to guide you.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Are you saying most ace trainers can use aura!?¡±


    ¡°At a subconscious level, yes. Their flames are a little bit larger,  their reactions quicker. However, only those who make a particular effort into learning these abilities ever get anywhere. You might not know it, but I was quite the trainer in my younger years. Me and the reigning champion used to be rivals. We both represented Flocessy Town at the Vertress Conference.¡±


    In a way I was reassured. I didn¡¯t have the free time to be necking it into the wilds following this old man on a spiritual journey.


    ¡°Hey now that I am here anyway could you take a look at each of my Pok¨¦mon¡¯s hidden power typing? I am a trainer you see and that would be invaluable information to have.¡±


    ¡°The egg too?¡±


    ¡°You can do that!?¡±


    ¡°The ability to see a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s hidden typing is how I put bread on my table. Usually, the trainers coming to visit me leave small tokens of their appreciation and that is enough for me to survive and maintain my lifestyle.¡±


    ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll introduce you to my entire team. Come on out everybody!¡±


    I released all of my partner Pok¨¦mon out of their balls.


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    ¡°Dar!¡±


    Glove took this opportunity to stand protectively close near the egg. While Rena hopped on to the table expecting Anton to lavish her with praises about her appearance. Anton being sharp on the uptake did just that.


    ¡°Why that is the most beautiful Vulpix I have seen so far. Such a rare Pok¨¦mon as well she must be one of a kind.¡±


    ¡°Pix pix!¡±


    Rena enthusiastically agreed with his factual observations. Having received the attention that she was due she leapt off the table and used my lap to lie down.


    ¡°Now then let¡¯s start with your Numel. For me to accurately determine a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s hidden power I¡¯ll need to observe each of them for some time.¡±


    ¡°What about the other trainers outside¡­?¡±


    ¡°They will all get their turn. I usually don¡¯t finish my work until late evening.¡±


    <hr>


    15 minutes later*


    We left the hermit¡¯s tent and everyone except for Numsy was already recalled inside their pok¨¦ balls. Anton gave me sticky note written on it were all my partners potential hidden powers. He also gave me instructions to destroy the piece of paper once I finished memorizing all the information. It was his policy to be as secretive as possible since a hidden power was considered a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s secret trump card in battle. I looked down at the piece of paper committed to burning its contents into my memory.


    Numel ¨C Fighting


    Vulpix ¨C Water


    Victini ¨C Ice


    Darmanitan ¨C Rock


    Egg ¨C Dragon


    ¡®It would have been nice if one of my Pok¨¦mon had electric or grass. However, this still gives me some decent options going up against rock or ground types. For now, though I won¡¯t go out of my way to obtain a technical machine or find a move tutor.¡¯


    ¡°Ice is the best!¡±


    ¡®This isn¡¯t like the games in my old life Tini. I am sure each hidden power can be used to catch an opponent off guard at an opportune moment.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t feel the need to hassle the old guy into teaching me about how to use aura. This body still being ten years old was also a limiting factor. So, I¡¯ve decided to temporarily halt my inquiries in that particular field of study until I have some form of financial stability. Not to mention the fact that Zinnia is still underage and as her big brother I can¡¯t let her stay home alone for that long, even if her dad and my ditzy mom suddenly started paying attention to her.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°Now we have to trek through route seven to reach the Celestial Tower. It is built near the halfway point; the structure is large enough that we won¡¯t be able to miss it. Numsy, you¡¯ll look out for any dangerous Pok¨¦mon while we are on the route, won¡¯t you?¡°


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Route seven isn¡¯t like the beginner routes, the local rangers do allow some of the more dangerous Pok¨¦mon to inhabit the area. It would probably be best if we pay a quick visit to the ranger outpost to procure some knowledge on the best methods to keep ourselves safe while traveling there.¡±


    And on we went. Since the Pok¨¦mon center was already located near the town¡¯s exit, we made good time reaching the ranger outpost which was built on the City¡¯s edge crossing into the route. This outpost and the one on Twist Mountain served as the place where all rangers gathered to take breaks and catch up with one another. Trainers visited outposts like these to inform the rangers of any unusual sightings on the route. Technically speaking it was part of my duties as well to give forewarnings to the corps if for example I encountered a raging hydreigon while traveling. Trainers in the past have gotten prosecuted for not informing the local authorities on substantial threats.


    The building itself was bare basics since most rangers are survival nuts. they didn¡¯t feel the need to stay inside civilization for long periods of time. Their Pok¨¦mon related facilities were fully kitted out though. Stables, pastures and even something that I would describe as a caged paddock. The latter structure is probably meant to be used for holding feral Pok¨¦mon. The door to the main building was open so I just casually walked in. Standing behind a makeshift desk was a lady wearing a cameo poncho and the largest backpack I¡¯ve ever seen.


    ¡°Excuse me, miss?¡±


    ¡°Hmm what ya want?¡±


    ¡°I came here looking for some more information on the next route. Do the rangers distribute any safety brochures or flyers on what to watch out for while traversing route seven?¡±


    ¡°You kid seem awfully young to be on your circuit journey. Are you sure need to be traveling on one of the more dangerous routes?¡±


    I was about to give the woman a scathing reply when Numsy stepped out to defend my dignity. Smoke billowing out of his hump and embers falling out of his nostrils he took on an aggressive stance in front of me.


    ¡°Nuuum!¡±


    I quickly tried to calm Numsy down even though I was planning to give him extra berries for lunch later.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Numsy. I know this routine gets old, but if I were any other ten-year-old I¡¯d say this lady was just being responsible. It¡¯s because of you guys that I can freely travel around like this.¡±


    Numsy calmed down somewhat, he stopped expelling smoke but you could still hear his insides sizzle for a bit.


    ¡°Do you want to stay inside your ball for a little bit? We can walk together once we are back outside.¡±


    ¡°Num.¡±


    Hearing his assent, I recalled my little camel inside his pok¨¦ ball before addressing the ranger whose hand was clutching a great ball our entire conversation.


    ¡°I am sorry. We get questioned like that all the time and he gets like that when people underestimate us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I guess¡­ I also shouldn¡¯t have been jumping to any conclusions just because of your age. However, I would like to see your ID and trainer¡¯s license before allowing you entry into the route. It¡¯s just standard practice for trainers that look as young as yourself.¡±


    I silently complied, giving the ranger my credentials. After a moment of checking them over she handed my paperwork back.


    ¡°Okay, so there¡¯s three things really that you need to remember when traveling route seven. One is to not walk into the tall grass. There are a lot of foongus colonies living inside that grass and they release poisonous spores whenever they feel threatened or let¡¯s say a trainer steps on them. That¡¯s why the ranger corps built the wooden walkways so you can avoid their colonies. If you fall into the grass by accident, it¡¯s almost a guarantee that you will end up poisoned so please make sure to bring antidotes along with you for the journey. Two, do not pick any berries that are growing high up on the trees. The local emolga population considers any hanging fruit theirs, so you are in for a shocking surprise when you make that mistake. And finally, whatever you do, do not feed any wild cubchoo you meet on the way.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ are cubchoo dangerous?¡±


    ¡°In a way. The cubchoo that make their way on the route this time of year are recently emancipated. Having left their parents¡¯ territories up the mountain they will latch onto anyone that feeds them. If you give them treats, they will follow you forever. Many younger trainers making that mistake are eventually forced to capture and train a Pok¨¦mon they didn¡¯t plan to add to their team. Young female trainers are particularly susceptible to this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Well, I guess most trainers wouldn¡¯t be able to say no to a clingy cubchoo. I might even have given it some snacks, if not for having been warned.


    ¡°Right¡­ thanks for the information. We¡¯ll be off now, have a pleasant day ma¡¯am.¡±


    I was kind of excited. It has been a while since me and the gang had the luxury of exploring a new route. Just like the ranger lady said the route was covered with tall grass. In fact, the canopy was high enough to be over twice my height. I could see why it would be dangerous to try and make it through this route without using the wooden walkways.


    I started walking on the wooden pathways. It wasn¡¯t until I was a few feet in that I turned around to see Numsy still struggling to make that first step.


    ¡°Numsy are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Num¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell me, are you afraid of heights? It¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of, we all have that one irrational fear.¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°You know how I was scared of snail and slug Pok¨¦mon right? One day I grew tired of my irrational fears, and I walked up to the closest slugma I could find in the gym¡¯s volcano reservoir. Nothing bad happened. She even ate one of grandma¡¯s lava cookies straight out of my hand. All you have to do to overcome your acrophobia is to not focus on looking down, and just stare straight ahead.¡±


    ¡°Num.¡±


    It was slow going for a while, but Numsy made an earnest effort to improve and that is all I could ask for as his trainer. After around twenty steps Numsy got too dizzy from the adrenaline to properly coordinate so I recalled him inside his ball.


    ¡®This was good he fought through his instinctive fear of heights being a ground type and all.¡¯


    It was well known that most ground types had an innate fear of elevated heights this could be used against them in battle. Numsy taking his first steps with only a little encouragement meant he was a true fighter.


    ¡®Does hidden power mean more than just being able to use a certain type of energy?¡¯


    The trek towards the celestial tower would take me around a day if I sped along these walkways. Route seven should have some wild Pok¨¦mon looking to prove themselves, but I was sure my team was up for the challenge.


    <hr>


    Several hours later*


    ¡°Geez, how long is this walkway? At this point I am kind of impressed that this thing hasn¡¯t been destroyed by any old Pok¨¦mon that¡¯s having a bad day.¡±


    I have encountered numerous wild Pok¨¦mon up until this point. Most Pok¨¦mon were content at leaving me be, maybe the rangers made some kind of deal with all the different groups of Pok¨¦mon that live on this route not to damage the wooden walkways and to leave humans that stayed on the walkways alone. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean I was completely safe from wild encounters.


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    A tranquil was flying overhead obviously looking for a fight judging by the tone of that screech.


    Tranquill, the Wild Pigeon Pok¨¦mon, and the evolved form of Pidove.                                                                                                                                                                                                  Tranquill is always able to return to its Trainer, no matter how far the distance between them. Many people believe that, deep in the forest where Tranquill live, there is a peaceful place where there is no war. These bright Pok¨¦mon have acute memories. Apparently, delivery workers often choose them as their partners.


    ¡®That¡¯s pretty awesome that they have an inborn sense of direction.¡¯


    ¡°Heya sorry I can¡¯t battle you right now this walkway is kind of narrow and I don¡¯t have any flying types of my own. Could you let me pass this one time?¡±


    That was not the response this Tranquill was looking for judging by the barrage of broken twigs being dropped on my person. Once she flew off to restock on ammo, I sprinted further along the hallway to find some form of cover. It seemed the Tranquill was experienced with this, because the bird was back in a moment''s time ready to unleash her second volley.


    ¡°Hey look, it''s obvious that you are looking for a partner.¡±


    ¡°Quill!?¡±


    At this moment Victini released herself from the pok¨¦ ball latched on my belt. Ready to act out the role of peacemaker between myself and the angry bird Pok¨¦mon. Tranquill was surprised for only a quick second before squawking loudly at my rabbit friend.


    ¡°Quill Tranq?¡±


    ¡°She wants to know what makes you think that you are worthy of being her trainer.¡±


    ¡°I would like to, but I can¡¯t. I¡¯ve decided to specialize in fire types. I am sure you¡¯d make a fine partner for any trainer lucky enough to have gained your approval. There are a group of flying type trainers that work in this big building near the airport inside the city behind us. I am sure you can find a human looking for a new Pok¨¦mon friend over there.¡±


    ¡°Tranquilll¡­?¡±


    ¡°She says so far not a single trainer was interested enough to capture her after a good battle session and asks what makes these humans different than the rest.¡±


    ¡®Members of her line are not exactly rare to find here in Unova. All the cities and towns are filled with pidove subsisting off of leftover food that humans throw away. It must have been hard for her putting herself on the friend market and not gaining any interest.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s help her find that special human friend!¡±


    ¡®Hold up! You want us to go all the way back and find her a trainer?¡¯


    ¡°We can¡¯t?¡±


    Victini was looking at me with her big sad blue eyes. She must have gotten some type of crash course on emotional manipulation from my mindscape. Knowing it was hard for me to refuse her tearful expressions, Victini used the most compelling form of psychological warfare on me.


    ¡°We¡¯re still on a timetable... How about she accompanies us to the celestial tower and afterwards we¡¯ll take her to the Mistralton gym. Naturally we¡¯ll look after her well-being while she travels with us.¡±


    ¡°Tranq Tranq!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡±


    Tranquil, delighted that we wanted to help her with her plight, soared down to give Victini and me some wing pats to show her appreciation. This more than anything else confirmed to me that she was fit to be a trainer¡¯s Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Tranquil it might be easier to find you a trainer if I pre-capture you inside a pok¨¦ ball. It would save your future trainer the cost of buying one from the Pok¨¦mart. He or she would still have to prove themselves worthy to be your trainer. I am not giving you up to the first person who shows interest.¡±


    If I was going to do this, I planned to go all the way. It was just like putting up animals for adoption in my previous world. You didn¡¯t give a Pok¨¦mon who trusted you to find her the right human partner to just anyone.


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    The bird bopped her head onto the capturing device getting sucked inside. The pok¨¦ ball immediately confirmed the capture without any signs of resistance from our feathered friend inside.


    ¡°Come on out Tranquill!¡±


    The bird Pok¨¦mon immediately materialized giving no signs of discomfort for having just been caught inside the pok¨¦ ball.


    ¡°Okay! Tranquill, can you show us the quickest way to the big tower filled with ghost types? If you do a good job I¡¯ll scoop some extra treats for you during dinner time.¡±


    ¡°Tranq!¡±


    ¡°Tini?¡± ¡°Can I get some extra berries too?¡±


    ¡°Tranquill is a guest of course she gets the benefits of having our full hospitality. Extra berries are only allowed during holidays and special events to prevent you from getting too pudgy. Even though you are not a battler, I don¡¯t play favorites with Pok¨¦mon that are on my team Tini.¡±


    Tranquill flew off into the direction of the tower. The flying type slowed down a bit so I could keep up with her. Tini stayed out to fool around with her new bird friend racing against tranquill and using the trees as an obstacle course.


    ¡®I should really try to get another levitating or flying Pok¨¦mon on the team. That way Victini isn¡¯t landlocked whenever she wants to socialize.¡¯


    My rabbit Pok¨¦mon actually very rarely touched the ground mostly only when she was tucking in for bed. Judging by the size of her limbs that part of her biology has slowly been phased out over a long time period in her species¡¯ evolution.


    The rest of the trip was uneventful, by Arceus¡¯ grace, I managed to avoid falling into the tall grass by accident. The other Pok¨¦mon we encountered gave us a wide enough berth except for a flock of Emolga who seemed to be old friends with Tranquill. They were excited for her since she finally seemed to manage to find a trainer willing to take her on. When Tranquill informed them of our deal they were slightly disappointed but still optimistic on her chances to find an actual trainer. I let Victini and Tranquill keep playing with them and kept walking into the direction of the tower knowing they would catch up with me eventually. This was a rare event for Victini, being able to play around with wild Pok¨¦mon. While she was still stuck on the island, Victini never mustered up the courage to start playing with any of the flying types that passed by Liberty Garden. This was a good chance for her to come out of her comfort zone. As I kept walking, I eventually saw the Celestial Tower in the background. The sun was setting, and I figured it would be completely down by the time I managed to reach the small settlement surrounding the famed tower. I was hoping to find Phoebe before midnight to be safe from the copious number of ghost types that lingered in this area. Knowing that even if I managed to find her, I¡¯d still be victimized by ghost types.


    ¡®Better the devi ahem¡­ Giratina you know than the one that you don¡¯t.¡¯


    ¡°We¡¯re back!¡±


    In the backdrop of the setting sun two small figures zipped towards me from the air.


    ¡°Did you two have a good time?¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi Tini!¡± ¡°The emolga are very wise. They showed me which berries to leave on the tree to ripen and which were ready to be plucked.¡±


    I was pretty sure Victini broke her diet plan again, but I didn¡¯t have the heart to scold her after her very first playdate with friends.


    ¡°Are you ready to get pranked? Now that Phoebe¡¯s ghosts know you are part of my team, you¡¯ll be fair game to them.¡±


    ¡°I am not afraid! Yamask was very nice. I am sure that the ghost Pok¨¦mon just want to make more friends.¡±


    ¡®After we are done visiting Phoebe at the celestial tower, we¡¯ll go straight back to Hoenn and pay a visit to the Draconid village underneath meteor falls. Even if I am not a member of the tribe, they won¡¯t stop me from making sure Zinnia is okay.¡¯

 Chapter 24 – Spectral Menace

    Chapter 24 ¨C Spectral Menace


    ¡°We finally made it. Thank you for being our guide Tranquill.¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    It was dark out but despite that the small settlement surrounding the tower wasn¡¯t completely devoid of light sources. Despite being so far removed from civilization the streets are paved with cobblestones and surroundings are lit by street lamps. However, instead of a normal color the street lamps give off eerie blue light. Upon further inspection I noticed that these street lamps more closely resembled old school oil lamps from the preindustrial era.


    ¡°I wonder which person has to light them up every day before sundown?¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi.¡± ¡°Those aren¡¯t oil lamps, there are Pok¨¦mon inside!¡±


    ¡°Wait, isn''t that like Pok¨¦mon cruelty? Can you hide for a bit Tini? I¡¯ll go see what¡¯s up with those streetlamps.¡±


    My Pok¨¦mon dutifully hid inside my backpack again. While I brought out a piece of nylon rope in order to get a closer look at those streetlamps.


    ¡°Tranquill, can you wrap this rope around that streetlamp? I want to get a closer look at the Pok¨¦mon inside.¡±


    ¡°Tranq!¡±


    The bird Pok¨¦mon complied with my request by tying the rope around the streetlamp. Just before my first attempt at climbing to the top of the streetlamp I started hearing clomping noises. Not wanting to get into trouble with the locals I hurriedly slid the rope back down and kicked the evidence away from my person.


    The source of the sound was a small blue colored golem with a rectangular swirl on its front end. The Pok¨¦mon was wearing a snazzy handyman¡¯s outfit with a tool belt and everything.


    ¡®This is my first time seeing this species in person.¡¯


    Golett, the Automaton Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       It is said that Golett was instructed to protect people and Pok¨¦mon by the ancient civilization that created it. Ancient science fashioned this Pok¨¦mon from clay. It''s been active for thousands of years. Its movements are powered by a mysterious energy. It has continued to move since ancient times, so its power may soon run out.


    ¡®That last bit of the entry seems a tad grim.¡¯


    ¡°Uhm excuse me Golett?¡±


    ¡°Lett?¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me which Pok¨¦mon are trapped inside these street lamps? Are they in need of rescuing?¡±


    ¡°Lett Go!?¡±


    The golem Pok¨¦mon waved its little arms in the air obviously trying to assuage my concerns about all these trapped Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Golett says that the litwick inside these lamps light up the streets voluntarily. There are these little panels inside their lamps which they can use to jump out if they feel the need to.¡±


    ¡°Wow that¡¯s something, using Pok¨¦mon as a light source that¡¯s a first even for me¡­ Hey Golett, would you happen to know where a friend of mine resides? She¡¯s from Hoenn wears ceremonial flowers in her hair and has a penchant for letting her ghost type Pok¨¦mon prank innocent bystanders.¡±


    ¡°Go¡­ Lett!¡±


    ¡°Golett says he knows the human you are talking about but that he still has a job to do replacing some water damaged pavement. You can stick around while he gets the job done and he¡¯ll show you afterwards.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great Golett if we all chip in you¡¯ll be done twice as fast.¡±


    We all walked together towards Golett¡¯s job site. Tranquill was getting tired from having to fly all day long, so I recalled her inside my pok¨¦ ball for a deserved rest. This being a job to replace a broken tile I called out Numsy. The little camel was having a heated discussion with his fellow ground type about the best types of soil for digging holes. Naturally I could only understand half of what was said but that half was enough to gouge the topic of their conversation.


    ¡°Okay Numsy let Golett take the lead here, okay? I am pretty sure you have no experience replacing broken tiles.¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    We quickly arrived at our destination. One of the houses had a set of broken tiles right at the start of their runway.


    ¡°So how are we going to do this? We will need a grout saw to remove those tiles without damaging any adjacent ones.¡±


    Going completely against my preconceived notions, Golett just started stomping the broken tiles with his feet. I was about to correct the little golem before I noticed only the damaged tiles were being cracked.


    ¡°That is an amazing application of Stomping Tantrum. See here Numsy? Golett only damaged the tiles that needed replacing, that is some pinpoint geokinesis right there. Golett, can I borrow that scraper from your toolbelt? I¡¯ll get to removing the broken shards and leftover adhesive.¡±


    ¡°Lett.¡±


    Together we got the job done lickity-split. We did have to wait two hours for Golett¡¯s premix of grout and tile adhesive to set. I used that waiting period to ask Golett all sorts of pointed questions.


    ¡°So, I am assuming you originally lived inside Dragonspiral Tower. What was that like? How does your species get along with all the dragon types that live in and around the tower?¡±


    ¡°Lett Lett Go.¡±


    ¡°He says most of his family stay in stasis until certain conditions are met at which point, they reactivate themselves. The dragons living inside the tower didn¡¯t disturb their sleeping forms.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­ and your trainer was the one who woke you up from your age long slumber?¡±


    ¡°Lett!¡±


    ¡°Yes, humans entering the tower is grounds for reactivation. He got caught by the unofficial leader of this settlement. Incidentally she is the same person who is hosting your friend.¡±


    ¡°I am assuming all of the Litwick lighting these streets are also hers?¡±


    ¡°Go.¡±


    ¡°She has many ghost type Pok¨¦mon. We all live around the tower.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to head out? The chances of somebody walking on these tiles as they are drying up is almost minimal. It¡¯s getting kind of dark out here and we still haven¡¯t had dinner yet.¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    Upon mentioning dinner Numsy immediately woke up from his stupor the little camel became bored about halfway into our conversation and just went to rest on the side of the road. Golett was still a bit reluctant but after some further zigzagooning(badgering) from me, he accepted my proposal to move on. Golett guided us back to what seemed to be the biggest property in the settlement it was protected by a big fancy gate and the front yard housed a wide-open pond a perfect living accommodation for any water types of the owner may have.


    ¡°This is one extravagant house the proprietress must be loaded. So where do you usually pass the day Golett?¡±


    ¡°Go¡­¡±


    Our ghostly friend gestured towards a small white chapel covered in Egyptian style hieroglyphics similar to the ones we came across inside the relic castle. This small building was obviously built for the intended purpose of housing Pok¨¦mon that tended to live in old ruins like yamask or golett. Evidently the property owner took considerable measures to make her Pok¨¦mon feel at home.


    We walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. The doors to the house seemed to open up automatically since there was no human or Pok¨¦mon standing behind the threshold to receive us. I scanned the darkened corridor of the main hall for a while before summarizing my conclusion to the rest of my companions.


    ¡°Okay Numsy, Golett I¡¯ve experienced situations like this one before. In all likelihood one of Phoebe¡¯s ghost is hiding in the house¡¯s natural shadows waiting for an opportune moment to jump scare us. Golett can you turn on the lighting? We¡¯ll wait outside till the lights are on. Golett¡­?¡±


    Golett who was standing just behind us seems to have wandered off to his part of the property ruining my initial plan. Being a fellow ghost type he¡¯d be an unattractive target for any hijinks, making it safer for him to wander around the villa. Golett¡¯s wandering off on his own meant one of us would have to brave the insides of this most definitely haunted villa.


    ¡°Num!¡±


    ¡°Not it!¡±


    I watched Numsy who had managed to beat me holding one of his stubby hooves against his snout before I had fully realized our precarious situation.


    ¡°Numsy, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Num num.¡±


    ¡°Fine but you will have to watch over the egg. I can¡¯t risk dropping it out of fright.¡±


    ¡®Now how to avoid being pranked¡­¡¯


    ¡°Ahem¡­ PHOEBE!!! I know you are in there! I won¡¯t fall for any of your tricks! Turn the light back on and stop acting like a child!¡±


    ¡®Now to wait the appropriate amount of time, giving her ample opportunity to come to her senses.¡¯


    Disappointingly predictable the culprit doesn¡¯t cease her nefarious actions by revealing herself forcing me to come get her. Now I would in any other instance ask one of my Pok¨¦mon to light up one of my torches with their flames, but I didn¡¯t want to give the owner of this villa the impression that I was an arsonist. Slowly shuffling my feet further along to make sure I didn¡¯t fall for the classic fake floor or wire trap pranks I made my way further into this opulent home.


    ¡°Where are the light switches? A villa like this should have plenty of battery powered lamps even if power cables don¡¯t go this far out into the routes.¡±


    The entryway was filled with sconces holding large unlit candles. I figured the owner must be some type of romantic who was hooked on only using candles for lighting her home. I was mildly annoyed since I didn¡¯t have a lighter with me until I remembered that I have multiple solutions latched onto my trainer¡¯s belt.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Rena come on out!¡±


    My foxy friend materialized out of her ball. Still a bit drowsy at this time of day it was natural she was already asleep in her ball.


    ¡°Pix pix!¡±


    ¡°Sorry! Could you please light some of these candles for me? I can¡¯t see a thing.¡±


    ¡°Pix¡­¡±


    Realizing my need for her was warranted she reluctantly gave me a pass for this one time. I picked her up and held her close to one of the sconces decorating this hallway.


    ¡°Just a little flame, okay? We don¡¯t want to burn this place down.¡±


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    The little fox voiced her displeasure at my cautioning advice making it clear she understands that it would be a bad idea to blast a single candle wick with a full-on attacking move. Rena opened her mouth to release some sparse amount of embers into the direction of the candle. Her efforts paying off immediately as the candle lit up giving us a modicum of vision into our surroundings. At last being able to observe our surroundings. The sole flickering light created multiple shadows on the ground each potentially housing a ghost type ready to pounce on us.


    ¡°Thanks a bunch Rena. Return!¡±


    I recalled my vulpine companion so she could continue her nap. It made no sense to me for both of us to be pranked at the same time. And unlike me Rena did have the potential to damage the property in a fight or flight moment. With the candelabra in hand, I navigated myself further into the house.


    ¡®It makes no sense to keep looking for Phoebe. Guess I¡¯ll just go to the kitchen and prepare this night¡¯s dinner for the team.¡¯


    Exiting the hallway, I found myself in the living room adjacent to the all-inclusive kitchen. Unlike what I would expect from a home without any electrical lighting the rest of the villa was fairly futuristic. The variety of kitchen appliances was truly staggering; they even had a berry blender from Hoenn right on the kitchen worktop.


    ¡°This¡¯ll be sweet. I''ve always wanted to try blending my own pok¨¦block.¡±


    One of the balls latched onto my belt popped open revealing my floating rabbit Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°What are you making?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what the coordinators use to make the fur and scales of their Pok¨¦mon extra glossy. You put an appropriate number of berries into the blender and the machine has multiple settings to adjust for coarseness, temperature, pH, and there¡¯s also a compartment for any secret ingredients you want to add to the mix. These babies cost a ton, so most coordinators use the publicly available ones inside contest halls.¡±


    One might find it a tad presumptuous to start using someone else¡¯s kitchen appliances before even being introduced to the owner of said appliance. However, I didn¡¯t feel like wandering around the house until one of Phoebe¡¯s ghosts got the jump on me. Making dinner for my Pok¨¦mon seemed to be a more productive use of my time while waiting for the inevitable. After I plugged in the blender¡¯s electrical cord, I pulled out numerous tupperware containers holding my team¡¯s supply of berries.


    ¡°What berries do you think would go well together?¡±


    ¡°Magost and¡­ Pecha!¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine but you will have to share some of those pok¨¦blocks with the others. Pok¨¦blocks are more like supplements, not a substitution for a full meal.¡±


    I brought out my cutting board to cut up the aforementioned berries into manageable slices. While I was busy preparing dinner, Victini started exploring the living room. The rabbit was mildly curious about the television hanging on the wall of the living room. I went unaccosted until I motioned to open up the lid of the berry blender.


    ¡°Yaaaaaaaa!!!¡±


    ¡°Arceus!¡±


    Situated at the bottom of the blender was a familiar childlike mask shooting off into the air and giving me mild heart pangs. Quickly reassessing the situation, I soon found my bearings.


    ¡°Heya Yamask, you remember us?¡±


    ¡°Yaaaa.¡±


    The ghost having finished his spiel quickly nodded his assent to affirm my question.


    ¡°How are you liking life outside of Relic Castle so far? Is Phoebe treating you well?¡±


    ¡°Yaa Yaamask.¡±


    ¡°Yamask says Phoebe and his seniors on the team are showing him all the ropes of living outside with humans.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ and that wouldn¡¯t happen to entail how to scare the living daylights out of innocent bystanders?¡±


    ¡°Yaaa¡­.¡±


    ¡°Its fine if you want to fit in, but don¡¯t let Phoebe¡¯s wiles trick you into believing that is how all humans want to be greeted.¡±


    A creaking noise was heard behind me. I turned around fast enough to spot Phoebe popping out one of the kitchen¡¯s many cabinets. She somehow managed to stuff herself inside a 48-inch-high kitchen wall cabinet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you listen to him sweetie. Egon¡¯s always been bonkers. That was a great prank you sure got him good.¡±


    ¡°Yaaaaa!¡±


    ¡®It won¡¯t be long until this one becomes a no-good troublemaker like the rest of her team. I always presumed this type of behavior was to be expected from ghost types, but if Phoebe is the one encouraging these hijinks¡­ I might have a decent shot at capturing a more sensible litwick of my own.¡¯


    ¡°I knew if we put out the berry blender, you¡¯d try to make some pok¨¦block! You are too predictable, Egon.¡±


    ¡°Well at least I wasn¡¯t the one stuffing myself in a closet in order to get the jump on an unsuspecting visitor.¡±


    ¡°Why you¡­!¡±


    Just like that me and Phoebe kept bickering until the pok¨¦blocks were ready. The Numsy and Yamask having grown used to the byplay between Phoebe and me just lounged around on the couch watching a rerun of the ugly Ducklett until dinner was served.


    <hr>


    ¡°Food¡¯s ready, come on out everyone!¡±


    The rest of my team materialized around the coffee table eager to fill their stomachs.


    Each of their bowls had their names engraved so it was obvious for everyone who gets what. Phoebe and her Yamask sat on the living room couch content to watch us enjoy dinner.


    ¡°So Phoebes, have you already found a specter you want to team up with?¡±


    ¡°Yep! And she¡¯s a total cutie too. For now, though, we decided it was best that she remains inside the tower until we book it back to Hoenn. That way she can say goodbye to all her friends.¡±


    ¡°So, what Pok¨¦mon species did you catch? I was under the presumption that only litwick lived inside the tower.¡±


    ¡°I caught my precious Lampent just yesterday. However, litwick aren¡¯t the only species of Pok¨¦mon that have made the tower their home. Elygem and Beheeyem roam the upper levels. Something about the tower being the tallest building in this region really appeals to them, and they don¡¯t mind sharing their living space with other Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Phoebes, you know what this means don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The bet on who would crack first and catch the other¡¯s preferred type! Now, I believe you owe me a solid?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t count! Lampent is also a ghost type!¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t say anything about our preferred types overlapping! In any case I don¡¯t need much from you. Just waive our previous agreement on me spending a month on Mt. Pyre.¡±


    ¡°¡­Half¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You still have to spend two weeks at my home because Lampent is also a ghost type.¡±


    Partially amused by this rare display of childlike behavior, my first inclination was to agree with her compromise on the bet, but I wouldn¡¯t let her off with just that.


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal but only if I get pranking immunity for the rest of the night and tomorrow. Otherwise, the deal¡¯s off.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­! But know that you are really missing out. Me and my team have come up with some great material while you¡¯ve been away.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what worries me. And don¡¯t force little Yamask to go along with these juvenile pranks!¡±


    ¡°How else is he going to get his fix of negative energy? I am a girl on the move! We don¡¯t spend enough time on Mt. Pyre so he can¡¯t feed off the lingering grief.¡¯


    ¡°The celestial tower is one big graveyard, there is enough negative energy to go around! Whatever¡­ anyways, do you know when the owner will get here? I don¡¯t want to make a bad impression by falling asleep before making our introductions to the hostess.¡±


    ¡°Big sis Kira is attending a midnight s¨¦ance, by the time she gets home it will be way past our bedtimes. No worries, Egon just get some sleep in. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll give you a special super-secret tour of the celestial tower that not even tourists can get.¡±


    ¡®Big sis!? That relationship must have progressed faster than a bullet train. Well, I guess I can afford to be more lax in my demeanor if Phoebe likes her this much.¡¯


    ¡°Okay team it¡¯s bedtime! Tomorrow we¡¯ll go out and find ourselves a new friend.¡±


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Dar!¡±


    Phoebe pointed out one of the guestrooms that was still empty. The room was opulent with its own candle chandelier and adjacent bathroom. Leagues above any league assigned shared hostel room. Unlike the center dorms this room also had multiple Pok¨¦mon beddings making me not have to share my own mattress with the rest of my team. I didn¡¯t mind bunking together with Victini and Rena, but Numsy had a snoring problem and sleeping together with him was detrimental to the eight hours of sleep this body needs to keep functioning properly. I immediately dove beneath the blankets to get a good night¡¯s rest.


    <hr>


    The following morning, I woke up from the light filtering in through the drapes. It was the first time I got a full night¡¯s rest while at the same time sharing a residence with Phoebe and her team, which immediately put me in a great mood. The rest of my Pok¨¦mon were also mildly stirring on their beds showing signs of waking up. Not wanting to disturb the final spurt of their rest time I tried to sneakily slip away into the bathroom to freshen up quietly. Showers being a lot more noisy than drawing a bath I opted to go with the latter option. As I slipped inside the tub I realized that this would be the first time I took a relaxing bath since earning my trainer¡¯s license.


    ¡°Ahh this hits the spot.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Victini, already awake, seems to have followed me inside the bathroom. The rabbit Pok¨¦mon landing on the edge of the bathtub.


    ¡°It¡¯s called bathing. We humans sometimes do this when we want to clean ourselves and relax at the same time. It¡¯s similar to using the shower but takes longer.¡±


    At this point, having gotten curious, Victini was dipping her toe pads in the warm water to verify my claims. This came as quite a surprise since none of my Pok¨¦mon have shown any inclination to survey water, no matter the temperature. Victini shivered a bit after dipping her extremities beyond the water¡¯s surface but didn¡¯t appear to exhibit any major discomfort.


    ¡°Did the owner of the house come back last night?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I felt her come back last night.¡±


    ¡°Good, I''ll finish up here and afterwards we¡¯ll go introduce ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Me too!?¡±


    ¡°Of course, the proprietress has a large amount of ghost types scurrying about. I am sure that at least some of them must¡¯ve seen you last night. We might as well take this opportunity to get you an extra friend.¡±


    I finished bathing and after trying in vain to tame my messy hairdo I came out of the bathroom. My Pok¨¦mon already woken up by the sound of my draining the bathtub.


    ¡°You guys can go watch some TV in the living room while I prepare breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Nitan?¡±


    ¡°The big box with the black screen in the living room, Rena knows how to work it. While staying with us in Lavaridge she hasn¡¯t missed a single episode of her favorite show Chansey¡¯s Anatomy. Just make sure she puts on a series everyone likes.¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    ¡°I am not saying that the show is bad, it''s just that everyone has their own preferences.¡±


    As I was arguing with the little fox, I heard a commotion from the room next to the guest room where we spent the night.


    ¡°Egon!!! Let¡¯s visit the tower today!¡±


    An enthusiastic Phoebe popped out this time seemingly not being followed around by any of her ghost types. I however knew that she had at least one of her Pok¨¦mon hiding in her shadow most of the time.


    ¡°Hold your rapidashes! My Pok¨¦mon still need to eat. Oh, also¡­ I figured the owner of this house has a bunch of ghosts roaming around making hiding Victini meaningless. Can she keep a secret?¡±


    ¡°You have nothing to worry about, hothead. I¡¯ll explain the situation to Kira. She usually sleeps during the morning hours as do her Pok¨¦mon. Now what are you making us for breakfast? I am starving!¡±


    ¡°Still being completely unreasonable¡­¡±


    Most of Phoebe¡¯s Pok¨¦mon didn¡¯t need to actually eat food for sustenance. So only having to make one or two portions more than usual wouldn¡¯t take any extra time.


    ¡°For your Sableye right?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Unlike the other ghosts on her team Sableye actually needed a steady dose of minerals in its diet. Their species were known to eat rocks, precious metals and gems.


    ¡°I have iron, calcium and zinc. Anything else Sableye needs you¡¯ll have to add yourself.¡±


    ¡°No sulfur?¡±


    ¡°If I was looking to poison my team maybe.¡±


    Just like that we spent a portion of our morning preparing breakfast. My Pok¨¦mon with Rena¡¯s help managed to figure out how to use the television. They ultimately decided to watch a cartoon depicting a trio of spoink brothers participating in some sort of housing competition. It seemed interesting enough, but I had no idea what the Pok¨¦mon actors were saying without subtitles on. I finished up preparing the food, while Phoebe stepped in to add some extra minerals from a sealed jar to sableye¡¯s bowl.


    ¡°Darn that stuff smells like rotten eggs. You just ruined a perfectly good bowl of pok¨¦chow.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see, Sableye can¡¯t go a day without this. It makes him super energetic and ready for a day¡¯s worth of training.¡±


    ¡°You still train? I thought this was your vacation.¡±


    ¡°Some light sparring here and there between my team members. We¡¯ve got to stay in shape to keep competing at the highest levels. Now come on out, Sableye!¡±


    She released her Sableye and the first thing the little gremlin did was dash towards the bowl smelling of rotten eggs. The darkness Pok¨¦mon eating his food with much gusto. My other pokemon gave the ghost type a wide berth not wanting to be near that horrid smell. Me guessing that the odour didn¡¯t help my team¡¯s appetite proffered a suggestion.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat outside, on the porch, it¡¯s a beautiful day out.¡±


    <hr>


    20 minutes later*


    ¡°So, are we ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Just a second Egon! Sableye wants to know which of the spoink brother¡¯s houses can resist the big bad Absol¡¯s razor wind.¡±


    After we finished eating our breakfast. Me and the team were just lazing around outside enjoying the sun¡¯s rays.


    ¡°This is the life¡­ When I retire, I¡¯d like a home just like this, enjoying the quiet rural environment.¡±


    ¡°Why thank you young man, but I am a long time away from actually retiring.¡±


    The personage approaching us from the garden¡¯s side door was surprisingly young looking. If I had to estimate her age, I¡¯d guess her to be around thirty years old. She was rather tall wearing gothic style attire and had deep purple hair. Unlike Phoebe whose dressing sense tended to lean towards bright colors and floral printed skirts, this woman dressed in a style that would be expected from a ghost type specialist. I quickly stood up in order to offer her a proper greeting.


    ¡°Thank you for allowing us to stay at your home. My name is Egon from Lavaridge town and these are my partner Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    ¡°Manitan!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°Oh my! Such a polite group of guests. My name is Kira and I run the day-to-day affairs in this settlement. I am also a spirit channeler by trade. Phoebe told me she was expecting her friend to show up at some point.¡±


    ¡°Uhh yeah, she invited us to stay here for a bit. I specialize in fire types so I figured this would be a good opportunity to see if I can find a litwick that clicks with me and my team.¡±


    ¡°Splendid! And if you do manage to catch one, I¡¯ll be more than happy to advise you on the basics of taking care of our beloved candle Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    Hearing her mention the word candle I asked a follow up question.


    ¡°That reminds me. How come this villa doesn¡¯t use any electric lighting? Isn¡¯t it a hassle to buy candles each time you run out?¡±


    ¡°An excellent question. You see Egon, this is one of the few places in Unova where Litwick can spontaneously materialize in the living world. To achieve this, they need to use a specific type of candle as a medium. This is why everyone inside this settlement uses candles as a light source instead of light bulbs. It is seen by the residents of this place as a sign of good luck when their candle gets picked to house the spirit of these wondrous Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    This was one of the key differences between my expectations of starting anew in this world and reality. It is indeed true that Pok¨¦mon produce eggs, however a good portion of ghost types don¡¯t have the biology required to produce an egg. Instead, most ghost types could actually spontaneously form under the correct environmental influences.


    ¡°That explains a lot. Well, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll be off to the tower as soon as Phoebe¡¯s Sableye is done watching that cartoon.¡±


    I tapped the glass sliding door separating the living room from the garden. Phoebe in response gave the signal that they were almost done watching the show.


    ¡°Young man, before you go, I¡¯d like to ask a few questions of my own. Like what species of Pok¨¦mon that is.¡±


    Kira made a hand gesture towards Victini who during the course of our conversation started fiddling around with Glove¡¯s flaming eyebrows.


    ¡°Oh boy.¡±

 Chapter 25 – Celestial Views

    Chapter 25 ¨C Celestial Views


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Okay then.¡±


    ¡°Really!? you¡¯ll keep our secret?¡±


    Phoebe just finished explaining mine and Victini¡¯s circumstances to our enigmatic hostess.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine you don¡¯t seem like the type of trainer that would misuse the power of a legendary Pok¨¦mon. The way you have been trying to keep Victini¡¯s existence a secret is admirable enough. However, I would caution you to avoid the psychic academy inside the settlement(.) I have no guarantees that they wouldn¡¯t be able to sense Victini¡¯s great psychic potential. The headmistress is¡­ a bit too eager in expanding her school¡¯s influence.¡±


    ¡°Tini, can you shield your mind from other psychics?¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°No problem!¡±


    ¡°She says it shouldn¡¯t be an issue for her. I was kind of hoping to visit the school and maybe get some technical machines on the cheap since Glove here needs to work on his psychic abilities.¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°I am Glove¡¯s teacher!¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not a criticism of your teaching methods Tini, but you only know confusion, right? Your versatile application of the move surpasses any psychic Pok¨¦mon that I know. However, I was thinking you and Glove could learn some new moves together.¡¯


    Kira observed the byplay between me and Victini. The rabbit Pok¨¦mon is capable of projecting her thoughts outwards so as to have everyone participate in the conversation, but Victini only does so with people she considers friends. Since she has only known Kira for less than an hour it left the woman guessing as to the contents of our discussion.


    ¡°Victini has never been in a match before, so she doesn¡¯t know many battle moves.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating! What we do know about legendary Pok¨¦mon is that they tend to be quite old on average based on texts of people encountering them in olden times. Does this mean Victini is newly hatched?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ no she¡¯s just been really shy mostly. Before we found her, she was holed up in someone¡¯s basement playing children¡¯s board games all day.¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s instruction on battle moves that you are looking for. I own quite the collection of technical machines, mostly ghost type moves of course.¡±


    ¡®Could I? No, I made a promise to myself to not rely on others¡­ overly much.¡¯


    ¡°I would really like to, but I made a commitment to make it on my own. So please don¡¯t tempt me with expensive technical machines.¡±


    Phoebe took this opportunity to butt into our conversation.


    ¡°Are you still on that Egon!? Relying on others doesn¡¯t make your team any weaker.¡±


    ¡°Says a third generational heiress¡­ I feel like if I rely on shortcuts like these too many times it diminishes from my journey. True strength is developed in the face of adversity.¡±


    Most of my team gave me a half-confused look but surprisingly Glove gave me a quiet nod. Agreeing with my philosophy on battling.


    ¡°Dar.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Glove.¡±


    ¡°I see that¡¯s very mature of you Egon, but technical machines aren¡¯t the only way to learn a new move. How about I let one of my Pok¨¦mon teach one of yours a new move?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve always been wanting to teach my Pok¨¦mon the move will-o-wisp. Even though it¡¯s a fire type move, ghost types seem more naturally inclined to learn it than fire types. Rena should be able to learn the move on her own, but it could help if she got some tips from an experienced ghost type Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    ¡°I know but I believe you have sunny day down pat. Now it¡¯s just a power issue.¡±


    Kira didn¡¯t seem to be opposed to my idea of having one of her Pok¨¦mon teach my Vulpix a new move. That¡¯s when she proposed a deal of some sorts.


    ¡°I have an excellent idea. Why don¡¯t you and Phoebe climb the tower? There¡¯s a bell situated at the very top. They say the bell''s sound reflects the nature of the one who rings it. This could endear you to the Pok¨¦mon living inside the tower making the search for a suitable partner that much easier. And as a reward for completing this challenging quest, I¡¯ll have one of my Pok¨¦mon teach this cute little Vulpix how to use the move will-o-wisp.¡±


    ¡°Can I leave my egg here? I don¡¯t want to risk dropping it when one of the ghost types in the tower inevitably tries to prank me.¡±


    ¡°Prank? Well maybe, but they are not like ghosts haunting forests and caves. There¡¯s plenty of negative energy around to keep them going. The ghost type Pok¨¦mon in the tower only interact with humans that manage to garner their interests.¡±


    I turned my attention to Glove who was seated right next to the egg.


    ¡°You still want to come with us to the tower?¡±


    ¡°Nitan.¡±


    ¡°Vi¡± ¡°Glove says he will stand watch over the egg.¡±


    <hr>


    Celestial tower entrance*


    The walk over to the tower was very uneventful; the settlement only housed around a hundred people and most of those individuals only came out of their beds later in the day. The morticians who tended to the graves of the deceased Pok¨¦mon, entombed inside the tower, naturally were all tuckered out from last night¡¯s s¨¦ance so the only one left at the tower¡¯s entrance was a token guard who kept record of who entered and left the tower. As we approached his light lit up at the sight of Phoebe.


    ¡°A good day to you miss Phoebe. Are you here to visit the Pok¨¦mon in the tower? I have it on good grounds that all the Pok¨¦mon enjoy your visits.¡±


    ¡°Hello to you too Carl. Yes, and this time I am bringing along my friend who is also visiting from Hoenn. Can you ring us up?¡±


    The worker took out a simple sign up chart filling out Phoebe¡¯s name himself and afterwards asking me for my address and contact information. Before I even had a chance to enquire as to why that was necessary Phoebe preemptively answered those questions for me.


    ¡°It¡¯s because the staff working here are responsible for maintaining the graves of the deceased and to make sure no one desecrates the interred ashes held on the upper levels. The last time someone did that, the ghost type Pok¨¦mon refused to let humans enter the tower for a full year.¡±


    ¡°Really? Why would someone steal or damage the remains of deceased Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    My vocal confusion on the matter drew out a peculiar reaction from Phoebe and the gatekeeper.


    ¡°Eh yeah¡­ Why indeed?¡±


    Phoebe might be a professional trickster, but she is terrible at lying. I was curious as to the true reason people would mess with the graves of deceased Pok¨¦mon, but not enough to hound her for an answer. After I was done registering, Carl let us through the main entrance. Immediately I noticed the change in surroundings. The air felt stifling and even with the many open unglazed windows and it being well into the day there was a supernatural amount of shadows covering the floor.


    ¡°This is it, Egon! Very homey don¡¯t ya think?¡±


    ¡°Did you just describe a graveyard as homey? On Mt. Pyre the fresh air and the fragrant mountain flora suppresses the ahem¡­ stale smelling incense and decomposing remains.¡±


    ¡°Stop moping Egon! We still have four sets of stairs to traverse until we reach the mourner¡¯s bell.¡±


    The ground floor should easily be the largest storey judging by the tower¡¯s shape on the outside. That did indeed seem to be the case. The graves were lined up in an orderly manner and funnily enough no Pok¨¦mon were within eyesight, confused I asked Phoebe what the deal was.


    ¡°How come there are no Pok¨¦mon living on the ground floor?¡±


    ¡°There is an agreement that during visiting hours the wild Pok¨¦mon stay upstairs. Some of the older people that have come to pay their respects are deathly afraid of ghost types after all. We have similar arrangements on Mt. Pyre during the festival season. Just keep following me! My new partner is waiting for us on the first floor.¡±


    Without further ado Phoebe took an immediate left and started walking up the grand staircase with me following closely behind. By my estimations the staircase


    ¡°So how did you decide on which Pok¨¦mon to catch?¡±


    ¡°Well, most of these cuties wanted to come with me and if I wasn¡¯t under any restrictions, I¡¯d take at least a dozen to come and live with me and my family on Mt. Pyre. However, since I am a professional battler, I ultimately came to the conclusion that I should try and catch the toughest one of them all. That ended up being my dearest Lampent.¡±


    The distinct smell of soot started entering my nostrils as we made it further up the staircase. The unmistakable smell of a large grouping of fire type Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Say Phoebes, are there any other ghost types living in this tower beside those of the litwick species?¡±


    ¡°For sure the people living here just love ghost types and they often let their partner Pok¨¦mon inside the tower to come and play. If you meant to ask if there are any wild ones around, I would think not. Ah! But they do have a group of Elygem and Beheeyem living on the upper levels. Something about this being the only place in Unova without any light pollution and the tower being one of the tallest buildings seems to attract them. Those Pok¨¦mon just love stargazing.¡±


    We finally made it to the first floor and as Phoebe took her very first step on this level a flickering shadow released itself from one of the prayer altars and blitzed in her direction.


    ¡°Lamp-enttttt!¡±


    ¡°Oooh! Lampy you sure are quick to greet me. Have you been waiting all this time?¡±


    Now finally getting a better look at the shadow¡¯s shape and size it revealed itself to be a floating lampshade sporting two long wavy arms and bluish-purple flame with oval yellow eyes. The Pok¨¦mon, by my account, was excited to meet back up with its trainer judging by its enigmatic behavior.


    ¡°Lampy meet Egon you know the one I told you about? He¡¯s also here to find a partner, but first he¡¯ll have to ring the bell of course.¡±


    ¡°Laaamp!¡±


    ¡°Ehhm nice to meet you. Please take good care of this troublemaker from now on. I know she can be a handful.¡±


    ¡°Hey you! Don¡¯t badmouth me in front of my new buddy!¡±


    ¡°Ouch! Stop it! Don¡¯t think just because you are bigger than me, that you are free to walnut me!¡±


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Oh yeah? It seems to me like this big sister still needs to teach you some manners!¡±


    ¡°Laaaamp?¡±


    <hr>


    The first three floors of our climb to the top were surprisingly uneventful if you disregarded the fact that we were being stalked by floating sentient candles. The fact that the abundant litwick population lit up the halls of this tower did little to stymie the eerie feeling you get when walking around a massive graveyard. For the most part the presence of Phoebe¡¯s Lampent helped ward off any of the wild ghost Pok¨¦mon looking for a fight. Unfortunately, Phoebe herself couldn¡¯t resist the temptation of engaging in some friendly banter with the ghosts we passed along the way much to her Lampent¡¯s jealous dismay. The ghost type seemed to have a possessive streak a mile wide.


    ¡°You are looking amazing as always! I am absolutely sure that any trainer would be lucky to have you.¡±


    ¡°Lit¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that silly¡­ you know that if I could. I¡¯d bring you along with me.¡±


    One of the Litwick that was in contention for being her Pok¨¦mon still needed a good pep talk to come out of her funk. This touching emotional moment brought out someone else who was resting inside of her pok¨¦ ball. A certain rabbit that was getting into the habit of picking up strays.


    ¡°Please Egon! We just have to take her with us!¡±


    ¡°Just because this Litwick is a good fit for Phoebe doesn¡¯t mean that she¡¯ll be good addition to our team. And need I remind you that you have already used up your yearly quota of charity cases?¡±


    ¡°¡­We capture her and once we are back in Hoenn you can give Litwick back to Phoebe.¡±


    ¡°Trainer registration records are a big deal! League inspectors at any time can demand to see the Pok¨¦mon I am responsible for and if I don¡¯t have a legitimate reason for Litwick¡¯s absence, I can have my license revoked. Technically being a Unovan citizen I am not allowed to trade away native Pok¨¦mon to foreign nationals the only exception being direct family members. The only reason I felt comfortable with helping Tranquill find a trainer is because the Unovan league association will not raise a fuss over such a ahem¡­ prolific species.¡±


    ¡°How do we make Phoebe your family?¡±


    It was at that point that I should¡¯ve stopped indulging Victini¡¯s line of questioning. Sad to say that my kryptonite was that pair of big blue eyes.


    ¡°Well adoption won¡¯t work, and we are both a bit too young to enter into a sham marriage¡­¡±


    At this juncture of my conversation with Victini Phoebe stepped in with some unhelpful comments.


    ¡°Egon¡­ A squirt like you should thank their lucky staryu for even the opportunity to enter into a sham marriage with me! Don¡¯t you dare get too full of yourself you little brat!¡±


    ¡°Have you been listening at all? Anyway, I think it¡¯s best that this Litwick remains here for now. A little birdie at Professor Juniper¡¯s home told me that Unova will ease up on foreigners catching Unovan Pok¨¦mon in the near future. And it¡¯s not like you can¡¯t come and visit whenever you want right?¡±


    ¡°Vi¡­¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡±


    We continued on. The little Litwick catching a ride on Phoebe¡¯s shoulder milking their time together for all it¡¯s worth. The next floor I came across an unfamiliar sight. A pair of extraterrestrial looking cyan-colored Pok¨¦mon being seemingly instructed by a larger bigger one. They didn¡¯t really talk, instead opting to use the rainbow-colored lights at the end of their arms to communicate in some sort of morse code. I instantly recognized the species of Pok¨¦mon we encountered. Intrigued, I motioned for Phoebe and the gang to wait while I went over to say hello.


    ¡°Hello, would you mind if I scanned you with my Pok¨¦dex? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve met members of your species.¡±


    The leader flashed the green light bulb on his arm which I took as him giving the go ahead to my request. I pulled out my device to record these wondrous creatures.


    Elgyem, the Cerebral Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Elgyem was first discovered when it emerged from deep within the desert 50 years ago. Elygem uses its strong psychic power to squeeze its opponent''s brain, causing unendurable headaches.


    Beheeyem, the Cerebral Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Beheeyem can control its opponents'' minds and confuse their memories with its psychic power. Apparently, it communicates by flashing its three fingers, but those patterns haven''t been decoded.


    ¡°Fascinating, I bet the ability to tamper with memories would be really useful for treating people with PTSD. Have you ever considered working as a mental health specialist?¡±


    After making that remark I felt a foreign pressure trying to make a connection to my mind and having experienced this before I commenced a quick mental exchange with Victini letting her know that everything was okay and to allow the Beheeyem to contact my brain box.


    ¡°Am I Intruding, human?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no sorry I have a psychic type on my team, and she doesn¡¯t like sharing headspace if you know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Yes quite, members of our race also don¡¯t allow anyone else access to our minds except for the closest of partners. Communication with your species has proven difficult¡­ in the past. Which is why I opted to link minds like this. To answer your earlier question, I do indeed provide similar services to the still developing humans attending the Academy outside. Budding psychics run the risk of their powers going out of control when facing emotional distress.¡±


    ¡°Interesting! Does your species work for money or is it more like an exchange of services?¡±


    ¡°It is a mutually beneficial arrangement. In return for our assistance, we are provided food and lodging. Younger members of my species often choose to pair up with their young initiates who still lack a partner. That way both can benefit from the free training the school provides.¡±


    ¡°Say... is It true that your species are extraterrestrial in origin? Sorry for all the questions by the way.¡±


    ¡°Not many humans are able to see the signs. What was it about us that led you to such a conclusion?¡±


    I could hardly tell a Pok¨¦mon that I just met about my first life. So, I tried coming up with a plausible explanation.


    ¡°You use light signals to communicate right? That kind of adaptation would make more sense if one finds himself in the dark vastness of space. Not to mention several other Pok¨¦mon have settled here after crashing on this planet. In Hoenn Lunatone and Solrock are speculated to have hitched a ride on meteorites their species was undiscovered up until a meteor crashed on the mountain range we now call Meteor Falls forty years ago.¡±


    ¡°Excellent deduction from one as young as you. Your mind feels more ¡°settled¡± not at all like your age mates. Yes, we indeed crash landed here after running into a great serpent near your planet¡¯s exosphere. It shot us down before we had any chance at communicating our peaceful intentions. Don¡¯t ask of us to disclose the location of our vessel, it is in disrepair and we agreed that introducing such levels of technology to the world is not a wise venture.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you must have encountered Rayquaza, one of my region¡¯s legendary Pok¨¦mon. The Sky High Pok¨¦mon regards the earth¡¯s atmosphere as its territory. I think it considers any form of life foreign to the planet as a potential threat. Maybe it has had a bad experience with interplanetary visitors in the past?¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s its name¡­ you have given us much to think about. In any case we have grown accustomed to living on this planet. The beautiful scenery flush with life trumps that of our own home. We hold little attachment to our past. At first, we started living in this tower because it was the best place in the region to signal our people for a possible extraction, but now our lights flare only for tradition¡¯s sake so as to not forget our origins.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am off to ring that bell. It was nice talking to you.¡±


    ¡°Before you go, can you keep quiet about our spacecraft? We want to avoid any unnecessary attention.¡±


    ¡°For sure. Thank you for showing restraint, you could¡¯ve just erased that part of the conversation from my memory.¡±


    ¡°That would have been the prudent choice, but I didn¡¯t want to draw the ire from your partner.¡±


    I turned around and spotted Victini off in the distance being reluctantly held by Phoebe while giving Beheeyem the evil eye. Little did she know it just made her all the more adorable.


    <hr>


    Our party reached the tower¡¯s roof in good time. I was partly exhausted from the long trek on the spiral staircases. In the middle of the roof stood a meticulously designed bell. The contraption holding the great bell aloft seemed to be made out of some sort of green marble while the bell itself was made out of brass but inlaid with intricate golden designs depicting a stylized version of the tower itself.


    ¡°Have they ever considered building an elevator or some kind of pulley system? I can¡¯t imagine older folk enjoying the climb to the top.¡±


    ¡°This is for your own good Egon! Your body needs to be in shape if you ever want to make it as a Pok¨¦mon trainer. Seniors can make use of the staff¡¯s teleportation services.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, So I just have to pull this rope, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but before you do, think hard about what kind of trainer you are. They say it helps make it clear to the Pok¨¦mon living down below what kind of partner you¡¯d be.¡±


    ¡®Hmm honestly, I never spent much time thinking about that¡­ To the Pok¨¦mon I travel with I am more of a mix between a friend you can goof around with and a male nanny. We do have the overarching goal to make it to the big leagues but there¡¯s no rush to get there. Journeying with them seeing the sights and meeting interesting people and Pok¨¦mon is just as important. No¡­ before all of that I have to get my sister back.¡¯


    Victini started sending me feel good vibes through our connection. Words were unnecessary, the feelings of approval and affection were enough to let me know that she perceived me as a worthy Pok¨¦mon trainer. Her intent of cheering me up was made clear.


    I pulled the rope, deciding to only ring the bell four times so as to not upset the Pok¨¦mon living in the surrounding area. The sound the bell produced put me in a melancholic mood mixed in with a hint of nostalgia. I must have been more worried about my sister than I previously thought if the sound is any indication of my state of mind.


    ¡°Is everything alright Egon?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ let¡¯s go downstairs. I need to find my last partner as quickly as possible.¡±


    We went back downstairs and while climbing back down. I felt Phoebe staring holes in the back of my head the entire time. Obviously still unsettled by the sound the bell produced. I haven¡¯t told any of my friends about my familial situation, not wanting them to worry about a situation they could do little about. Legally speaking Zinnia¡¯s father and my mother had every right to take their child back with them to the village. Getting frustrated I tried focusing my attention on the task at hand.


    ¡°Hey Lampent?¡±


    ¡°Pent?¡±


    ¡°Do you know any litwick that might be interested in traveling with a novice trainer like me? You know, battling, exploring and the like. Preferably ones that don¡¯t like pranking.¡±


    ¡°Laaaamp!¡±


    ¡°She says that the more docile litwick keep to themselves on the first floor.¡±


    Firstly, I thanked Phoebe¡¯s Lampent for the useful information before addressing my overly worrisome friend. We were most of the way down already, currently finding ourselves on the second floor. She still has not let up on probing me for details on my private life.


    ¡°Hey Phoebe, you mind if I take a look on my own? I want the ghost Pok¨¦mon that¡¯s going to be my teammate to pick me for me not because I am hanging out with you.¡±


    ¡°Cheh! Fine, I''ll be waiting outside. But you better tell me what¡¯s going on with you afterwards!¡±


    Phoebe ran ahead leaving me alone with Victini. The flying rabbit nestled inside my hairdo the whole way down. Giving me head pats all the while as if I was a kid starved for attention.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, you''ll get back soon.¡±


    ¡®I hope so. I don¡¯t know when that league sanctioned raid is supposed to happen but if I miss it, I¡¯ll never forgive myself.¡¯


    After a few minutes we made it to the first floor. I immediately noticed a change in the demeanor of the local litwick without Phoebe and Lampent to stave off the more aggressive ones. I was immediately marked as a trainer that is available for battles. Three of them came up to me demanding a match.


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°You want a battle? That¡¯s fine but if I win you will help me find the mildest mannered litwick that is living on this floor.¡±


    The trio were momentarily confused by my request after murmuring among themselves for a while. The biggest one, which by my estimates was their leader, hopped forward and gave me a nod in confirmation.


    ¡°Wick!¡±


    ¡®Now who to pick? Numsy would have the type advantage but seeing as we find ourselves on the first floor of an ancient tower I am guessing the locals wouldn¡¯t appreciate us using most of his ground type moves.¡¯


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Let me!¡±


    My Rabbit companion floated upwards and landed on the floor tiles just in front of me, her paws clenched and jittery for battle.


    ¡°Tini, are you sure? Maybe for your first battle we can¡­¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°I can do it!¡±


    ¡°Well, if you are that determined¡­ As your partner, I obviously have to support you all the way. Litwick, can you take it easy on Victini at the start? This is her first real battle.¡±


    ¡°Lit lit!¡±


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s slowly trade moves use Incinerate!¡±


    Both fire types got ready to exchange blows. The Litwick¡¯s flame intensified and took on a swirly pattern. Having seen this hundreds of times at the Lavaridge gym I know this is the precursor of a fire spin attack.


    ¡®This Litwick is not unskilled, being able to figure out this fire type move on its own without a trainer. If the one we are looking for isn¡¯t interested I might offer this little one a spot on my team.¡¯


    Both Pok¨¦mon fired off their moves at the same time. A pillar of whirling fire headed straight towards Victini and simultaneously Tini responded by firing off an incinerate.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, you are doing it! Now Ehhh¡­!?¡±


    The fire laser Victini fired off in the direction of our opponent completely engulfed the fire spin before mercilessly impacting Litwick¡¯s body blasting the poor Pok¨¦mon away like a projectile. Luckily one of the graveyard¡¯s headstones was in the middle of Litwick¡¯s trajectory somewhat cushioning the ghost Pok¨¦mon¡¯s crash.


    ¡°Arceus! Are you alright?¡±


    Me and Tini rushed up to check if Litwick was still okay. The candle Pok¨¦mon was knocked out but still seemed to have all his parts in order.


    ¡°Quick Tini, give me the potion spray!¡±


    Victini dove into my backpack and fished out the topical spray meant to alleviate a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s injuries. I could only afford the basic version at the time, but it is better than nothing. The potion even in any of its advanced forms is not a replacement for treatment at the Pok¨¦mon center. However, in a pinch they are lifesavers. I pulled off the cap before applying the topical medicine on Litwick¡¯s candlelike body. Instantaneously the candle Pok¨¦mon started moving again clearly the medicine having an immediate effect.


    ¡°Lit¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you okay Litwick? We are very sorry for surprising you like that.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Please forgive us!¡±


    ¡°Lit¡­Wick!¡±


    ¡°Vi!?¡± ¡°Ehh!? I don¡¯t need followers!¡±


    The other two litwick caught up to us and started to prostrate themselves in front of Victini much to the embarrassment of my little rabbit Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Stop it! I am not your big sister!¡±


    ¡°Tini, this is our chance! Ask them to help us with our quest to find a uniquely tempered litwick.¡±


    After a quick back and forth between the gangster trio and Victini they happily led us towards the most lit up section of the floor. Once there I couldn¡¯t help but notice the stark differences between this part of the tower and the rest of the floor. A sunbeam coming from an open windowsill lit up the entire area and a fresh breeze wafted through alleviating the old damp smell emanating from the tower¡¯s insides. On top of an old edifice not bothering to hide at all sat a lone Litwick. Eyes closed presumably asleep since its wick was devoid of any kind of activity being unlit. I motioned for Victini to keep the trio of litwick busy while I walked up and tried to make first introductions.


    ¡°Hey there, do you want to be my friend?¡±


    ¡°Wick¡­?¡±

 Chapter 26 – Wishing for a Friend

    Chapter 26 ¨C Wishing for a Friend


    Now having the opportunity to take a closer look at the Litwick I notice that unlike the others of its kind this one has chemical green eyes instead of the bright yellow ones of its brethren. Sadly, it¡¯s fire was still out for some reason and the expression on its face makes me believe this one is experiencing health problems. As a fire type specialist, I know that a sizzling external flame is a sign of good health. Fire types that can¡¯t produce their characteristic flames should be taken to a Pok¨¦mon center immediately.


    ¡°Is everything alright? Can you light your fire?¡±


    The Litwick seemed to exert itself but the only thing that was produced were black fumes.


    ¡°Lit¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you mind if I bring you out of here? I want to take you to a health expert for a checkup.¡±


    Litwick wiggled a bit but seemed too exhausted to put much effort into communicating with me. Having made up my mind on what to do I fish out my last empty pok¨¦ball and tap Litwick on the head with the ball. It is standard procedure to capture injured or sick Pok¨¦mon you find in the wild and then bringing them to a Pok¨¦mon center. If the Pok¨¦mon in question is indeed in dire straits the league reimburses the trainer for the used pok¨¦ ball. In any event my time inside the tower is at an end since I had the obligation to bring the Litwick to a healthcare professional.


    I ran back to Victini who was still busy distracting her three newly self-appointed subordinates.


    ¡°Tini, we have to go. That Litwick is sickly and needs to be brought to a Pok¨¦mon center.¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Alright let¡¯s hurry!¡±


    The trio of litwick were confused as to why we suddenly had to leave and kept following us until we reached the staircase that went down to the ground floor. Feeling bad, Victini told the rambunctious trio where to find Kira¡¯s house before we departed. We quickly met back up with Phoebe who was waiting for us downstairs.


    ¡°Egon, did you have any luck finding your new partner? Hey! Hold up! Where are you going?!¡±


    ¡°We came across a sick Litwick. It couldn¡¯t ignite its flame and was acting very lethargic. I am taking Litwick to the nearest Pok¨¦mon center.¡±


    Her expression quickly changed into a serious one quickly chasing after me as I was hurrying towards the exit.


    ¡°Egon this settlement doesn¡¯t have a Pok¨¦mon center. Our best bet would be asking Kira for help. If that doesn¡¯t work, I am sure she can ask one of the academy¡¯s psychic type Pok¨¦mon for an emergency teleport.¡±


    ¡°Is Kira a licensed health worker?¡±


    ¡°No, but when one of the litwick living in the area has issues they call her. I am telling you she¡¯d probably be more knowledgeable than any nurse Joy when it comes to ghost types.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­ we¡¯ll go see her first.¡±


    We passed the same guy working the security detail from before but quickly left him in the dust as we ran towards Kira¡¯s villa. We zipped past all the foot traffic without stopping to talk to anyone and eventually made our way to Kira¡¯s place. Luckily the gate at the main entrance was unlocked. According to Phoebe Kira never locks any of her doors. The Pok¨¦mon that live on the property keeping the house secure by themselves. If a stranger without an invitation enters the premises, he or she is considered free game for the ghost types more natural proclivities. After passing Glove who was sleeping in the living room wrapped around the egg incubator, we found Kira sitting at the dinner table nursing an Oran berry cocktail. Phoebe took the initiative to broach the urgent subject.


    ¡°Kira! Egon found a sickly litwick inside the tower. Quickly, have a look at it!¡±


    ¡°Phoebe calm down, just release the litwick on my table and I¡¯ll have a look.¡±


    I pulled out my Pok¨¦ ball and tapped the release mechanism. The candle Pok¨¦mon materialized in a flash of light.


    ¡°Lit¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh my?! Do you know what type of Pok¨¦mon this is?¡±


    ¡°A litwick¡­? Anyway, the poor thing can¡¯t seem to light the wick on his or her head.¡±


    Both women in the room instantaneously responded to my previous observation.


    ¡°His.¡±


    ¡°His.¡±


    ¡®How are they able to tell? Ghost type Pok¨¦mon don¡¯t have any sexual dimorphism¡­ Do they?¡¯


    ¡°Young man this here is what we trainers in the know call an off-color Pok¨¦mon. These are incredibly rare to find outside of species that are more numerous like pidove and woobat and the like.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine and all but can you help this one? Or do I need to bring him to the nearest Pok¨¦mon center?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy, his condition is caused by a lack of life energy. I have just the thing to alleviate this problem.¡±


    Kira moved into the kitchen and opened one of the cabinets taking out some sort of urn. It smelled really bad, and I wasn¡¯t the only one who noticed that. Victini used her paws to block the odor from entering her nostrils. While Glove decided to move himself and the egg outside to enjoy the fresh air. Remarkably Phoebe and Kira had no reaction whatsoever to a smell that I can only describe as a mix between rotting fish and spoiled fruit.


    ¡°What in the reverse world¡¯s name is that?¡±


    ¡°Corpse Incense. It¡¯s what I use to feed my litwick, lampents and chandelure. I hope I don¡¯t have to explain to you what it¡¯s made from.¡±


    ¡°Wait wait wait¡­ this is the reason why people like yourself can afford to skimp donating your own life energy to feed your litwick?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, the wild litwick living inside the Celestial tower feed off the remains of the Pok¨¦mon laid to rest there. This here is a special product those of us specializing in this particular species often use. Just sprinkle some of this on top twice a day and they are good to go. Here you go little one this will make you feel all better.¡±


    ¡°Lit¡­! Wick Wick!¡±


    Contrary to her expectations the moment she dropped that pinch of incense on top of the emaciated Litwick the little guy immediately tried shaking off the offered nutriment. Heedless of the health benefits proffered. Even more so it looked like the little Litwick was deathly afraid of the unsavory substance.


    ¡°How strange this is the first time a Litwick in my care has refused to partake in corpse incense. Hmmm¡­ even more baffling it seems to be afraid. Maybe it has incurred some kind of phobia from its past life?¡±


    ¡°Tini, can you ask Litwick why it won¡¯t accept the incense?¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Leave it to me!¡±


    ¡°Vi vi?¡±


    ¡°Lit Lit¡­¡±


    ¡°VI?!¡±


    While Victini was busy sussing out our Litwick situation Phoebe who was the only person I know who is fluent in ghost wore a flabbergasted expression after those two were done with their conversation. Victini was similarly surprised after his rendezvous with the little ghost type.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the sitch?¡±


    Before Victini had time to answer my question Phoebe stepped in to answer the question.


    ¡°Litwick is suffering from a severe case of Necrophobia. He won¡¯t accept the incense because Litwick has an instinctive fear of all things related to death.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that strange? For a ghost type who lives inside a tower filled with other dead things to be afraid of his natural environment. No wonder he looks so emaciated. This is just as peculiar as you knowing the meaning of the word necrophobia.¡±


    ¡°My family works in the industry, you pick up a thing or two about this stuff you dolt!¡±


    Kira had her own two cents to add.


    ¡°This Litwick can¡¯t be older than two weeks else the staff would have noticed him by now. Still, that leaves the question on who is going to feed him life energy. I would do it myself, but my Pok¨¦mon would get crazy jealous if I let an outsider Litwick feed on me.¡±


    Phoebe found herself in the same boat as Kira her newly caught Lampent would faint from jealousy if she knew that she let another Pok¨¦mon take her life energy. At this point both woman were watching me now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. Technically speaking Litwick is my responsibility since I caught him. Now how do I do this? Just touch him or what?¡±


    ¡°Litwick can absorb life energy from any being that finds itself in the glow of their candle flame. Seeing as that is not an option right now, you¡¯ll have to touch his wick directly.¡±


    I extended my hand in Litwick¡¯s direction before offering it to Litwick letting him get familiar with my hand before going any further, which seemed to me to be the right call.


    ¡°Hey little fellow you mind taking some of my life energy? That way you don¡¯t have to use that icky incense.¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    Having received confirmation from the candle Pok¨¦mon I extend a finger and touch the top of his head. Immediately I felt the drainage of my vitality kicking in. It was a weird feeling but not at all painful it was more like an all-over numbing feeling.


    ¡°Oh, this isn¡¯t so bad I wonder what all the fuss was abou¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Several hours later*


    I opened a singular eye to survey my surroundings. Apparently, I was tucked into a guest bed after being the victim of a fainting spell. One look in the room and I noticed my team of Pok¨¦mon occupying various spots in the bedroom, most of which were on top of the same bed I was occupying.


    Even Tranquill was perching on top of the empty dresser.


    ¡°Hey guys what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°Vi!¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    ¡°Dar!¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    My three smaller teammates all started jumping up and down on the bed using it like a trampoline while Glove was the only one who observed the rules of good bedside manners.


    ¡°That was some head-trip I was on. Sorry for worrying you guys. Did things work out with Litwick?¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi.¡± ¡°Kira is taking the time to teach Litwick how to manage his appetite for life energy without putting people or Pok¨¦mon in danger.¡±


    Noticing a lack of sunlight coming through the drapes I sat up from bed and started unwrapping myself out of the cocoon of blankets and sheets.


    ¡°Well, it''s dark out. I should probably get dinner ready.¡±


    Immediately I felt a foreign force enveloping me moving me back inside the bed.


    ¡°Tini what are you¡­!?¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°You need more rest, let Phoebe handle the cooking!¡±


    ¡°No way she¡¯s a terrible cook; most of her ghost types don¡¯t even have taste buds. It¡¯s my job to make sure you guys are eating quality dishes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve watched you prepare food for us dozens of times. I''ll make sure she follows your recipe.¡±


    With that Victini zipped out of the room no doubt to keep an eye on Phoebe as she flounders around inside the kitchen. The rest of my team started playing a game of tag inside the room. Understandably since we haven¡¯t gotten the time to do team exercises today and they were still full of pent-up energy. Glove received the task of making sure I didn¡¯t get out of bed. Helpless against their fervent gazes I decided to stay in bed until dinner was ready. Phoebe was a hopeless chef, but with Victini there to keep watch over her I was assured my ingredients wouldn¡¯t be wasted.


    ¡®I guess I could close my eyes for a few more minutes.¡¯


    An hour later*


    ¡°Egon dinner¡¯s ready!¡±


    ¡°I am coming! Don¡¯t start without me!¡±


    I entered the living room and was rewarded by the sight of Victini carrying a ladle and a chef¡¯s hat. Floating around and filling everyone¡¯s bowls and plates. Being a manly man, I was immune to beckoning call of her cuteness, the other people currently residing in this house less so. I caught the two of them taking pictures with their pok¨¦gear and Xtransceiver.


    ¡°Tini¡­ who put that chef¡¯s hat on you? And you two stop taking advantage of Tini! What do you think will happen when a person other than you got a hold of your phones?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine Egon I¡¯ll delete the pictures after printing them out. These photos will make a perfect addition to my family¡¯s scrapbook. You trust Granny and Grandpa with keeping a secret right?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s those two yes¡­ and print some extra pictures for me¡­¡±


    Victini and Phoebe¡¯s cooking didn¡¯t taste that much different from what I usually make funnily enough. Promptly assuming Victini did most of the work I happily enjoyed dinner with the rest of my team. The Pok¨¦mon for some reason or another couldn¡¯t stop themselves from lauding the taste in an exuberant fashion.


    ¡°Wait a minute¡­ Phoebe how many berries did you use for my team¡¯s portions?¡±


    ¡°Victini said to put in as many of the Custap berries as possible. I gotta say Egon you really treat your Pok¨¦mon to luxurious feasts and here I thought that I had you pegged as a skinflint.¡±


    ¡°¡­Victini, could I have a word with you for a quick second?¡±


    Victini, predicting the coming storm telekinetically grabbed as many as three bowls and flitted out of the window without a second¡¯s notice. Phoebe now realizing what she has wrought gave me a guilty but bemused look while Kira munched on some popcorn obviously enjoying the show. I wasn¡¯t even that mad really this just meant Victini would have to pay for this in future treats as did the rest of my team who facilitated the crime without stopping it. I quickly checked my bag to ascertain the damage done to my supply of berries. Obviously, I was all out of Custap and the berries I was saving for their use as treats were gone as well.


    ¡°That was half a month¡¯s supply of berries. Gone in just one evening¡­¡±


    ¡°Oops sorry¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you Phoebe this is the first time Victini¡¯s been bad. I actually feel relieved in a sense. This just means she can come out of her shell around other people. You can¡¯t tell as much from her more recent behavior, but she was suffering from crippling shyness since the moment I found her.¡±


    With every word I uttered Phoebe seemed to inflate like a balloon and just when her ego couldn¡¯t get any bigger, I put her back in her place.


    ¡°Still¡­ no more having you cook meals for my Pok¨¦mon. Just the caloric intake alone was enough to feed my team three times over. By the way where¡¯s Litwick I figured he¡¯d be here enjoying our company.¡±


    Kira helpfully replied.


    ¡°My Chandelure is putting him through his paces. We can¡¯t be having you fall down in the middle of the routes because of some overeager feeding sessions.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I haven¡¯t asked Litwick if he wanted to be part of my team yet. It seems a bit presumptuous to assume he wants to stay with me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to know that you are not one of those trainers that think captured Pok¨¦mon don¡¯t have a mind of their own but believe me when I tell you that Litwick will want to stay with the person who rescued him. He was constantly fretting over you after draining too much of your vitality. While we are on the subject of staying¡­ How long are the two of you planning to remain here?¡±


    ¡°I was actually thinking of leaving right after capturing a litwick, since I need to be back in Hoenn for something important. I guess I would like to stay the night if you don¡¯t mind? It¡¯s probably a bad idea to travel back overnight.¡±


    ¡°Nooo! Egon I still have a week left on my visa. Let''s just stay here for a couple more days.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    Kira decided to add her two cents to the conversation.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ If it¡¯s really important I¡¯d like for you to stay the rest of tomorrow and then I¡¯ll rent a psychic type Pok¨¦mon from the academy to teleport you to Mistralton City. You¡¯ll be saving yourself the hassle of a day¡¯s travel on route 7 and make it there in roughly the same amount of time.¡±


    ¡°Why would you go so far to keep me around for only a bit longer?¡±


    ¡°You see, I want to show off your Litwick to the rest of my colleagues and my little sister will probably want to see him too.¡±


    ¡°All this over some variation in color?¡±


    ¡°We kind of want to figure out if the type of candle the spirit of this Litwick inhabited has any relation to his coloring. The best way to do that is to find out where this Litwick was born and determine which brand of candles that household bought.¡±


    ¡®All this talk about research reminds me that I still have to talk with Professor Juniper before I leave for Hoenn. He¡¯ll probably want to know that I am leaving the region since I am one of his sponsored trainers.¡¯


    ¡°I accept your proposal but first I need to talk with Litwick to figure out if he¡¯s okay with it.¡±


    ¡°Great, how about we go meet him right now? Chandelure and Litwick should be about finished with their session. I left the both of them at the mausoleum outside.¡±


    ¡°You mean that small building that looks like something out of a tomb explorer movie?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, my Cofagrigus absolutely loves staying there as do my other Pok¨¦mon. Now let us be off.¡±


    Me and Kira went to visit her mausoleum, the strange looking building looking as imposing as ever. Entering places like this one on your own, while traveling the routes, was usually a bad idea but Kira¡¯s presence did a lot to stymie my worries. The mausoleum itself did have a gate which was already open the moment we got there. Kira led me inside and it was exactly as I imagined it. Sarcophagi lined the walls and at the end of the hallway stood three treasure chests each filled to the brim with treasure mostly filled with the same type of relic gold silver and bronze from the relic castle. I was convinced that these coins were mostly replicas since being able to acquire the real deal would classify Kira as a person who is beyond the normal standards of people who are classified as wealthy.


    ¡°Great right? Most Cofagrigus trainers don¡¯t get to spoil their Pok¨¦mon as much as I do. Let me introduce you to some of my longtime friends. Come on out everyone!¡±


    Instantaneously a couple of ghosts revealed themselves. One fairly large Cofagrigus pretending it was just one of the sarcophagi crawled out of the wall before eventually standing upright. The golett statue in the corner also came to life revealing itself to be the actual Pok¨¦mon. This Pok¨¦mon in particular seemed familiar to me but all of that was forgotten when the chandelier hanging from the ceiling animated and revealed its true nature.


    ¡°Luuuure!¡±


    ¡°Wow this is actually my first time meeting a Chandelure. May I record it with my Pok¨¦dex?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, Egon my Chandelure is an exemplary specimen of her species.¡±


    Chandelure, the Luring Pok¨¦mon and the evolved form of Lampent.


    Being consumed in Chandelure''s flame burns up the spirit, leaving the body behind. This Pok¨¦mon haunts dilapidated mansions. It sways its arms to hypnotize opponents with the ominous dancing of its flames.


    ¡°Very cool. The part about burning the spirit is a bit creepy though.¡±


    ¡°That entry is blatant speciesism. My dearest Chandelure has never burned someone¡¯s spirit before. I¡¯ve tried getting the professor to change that entry but he insists that a bit of folklore should remain in the entries for posterity¡¯s sake.¡±


    ¡°Really? I¡¯ll bring it up with him the next time I see him. When I arrived in Unova he helped me get settled and even decided to give me sponsorship as a freelance trainer for the lab.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm small world. Anyway, are you ready to see Litwick? He should be around here somewhere seeing as Chandelure is not with him, which means his lesson about responsibly taking life energy should already be done. Dearest, can you lead us to him?¡±


    ¡°Lure!¡±


    Chandelure floated in the direction where I presumed litwick was holed up. We went back outside where the Pok¨¦mon decided to go up towards the roof of the building handily helping us get there with the liberal use of Psychic. There hidden away in a gutter sneakily installed on the backside of the mausoleum was Litwick. Now this was actually the first time I¡¯ve seen litwick while his flame was alight unlike his brothers and sisters in the tower Litwick¡¯s flame was an ethereal blue color instead of the darker purple other members of his species sported. What I did not expect to see was my wayward rabbit Pok¨¦mon having a heart to heart with him.


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡±


    ¡°Lit¡­ wick.¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Can I join in on the conversation?¡±


    ¡°Viiii!¡±


    Before Victini had the chance to fly off again I tried calming her down.


    ¡°I am not angry Tini. Just surprised is all, now please come back down here and help me figure out what to do with Litwick.¡±


    ¡°You promise you are not angry?¡±


    ¡°Promise, and this dinner got me thinking that we should all have a cheat day once a month to keep our spirits up. Sticking to the same diet plan everyday might get stale for the team and affect performance.¡±


    Victini, now assured that I wasn¡¯t mad at her, gave me a quick full body hug before landing on her usual spot at the top of my head.


    ¡®So, what¡¯s the deal with Litwick? Wouldn¡¯t he rather stay inside the Mausoleum instead of on top of it?¡¯


    ¡°Litwick is scared of all the coffins filled with corpse incense inside.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. Hey Litwick, I didn¡¯t have a chance to ask you yet, but do you want to join my team and travel around the world? You could also stay here with Kira. I know she is really interested in you.¡±


    ¡°Lit¡­?¡±


    ¡°Litwick is asking why you are not afraid of him after what happened.¡±


    ¡°It was an accident. I know that you were not actively trying to hurt me. Now that Chandelure has gotten you up to speed I doubt that you will take as much life energy every time you need to eat. Besides if I have to faint for a bit to save you, I¡¯d say that is a fair price to pay.¡±


    ¡°Lit! Wick!¡±


    Litwick jumped into my arms giving me all the confirmation I needed. That this little Pok¨¦mon wanted to come with me.


    ¡°You know what this means right Tini?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°I did it! I caught a Litwick!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi Vi!¡±


    Kira, who was watching me twirl around while holding onto Litwick, didn¡¯t question my actions even once. Her Chandelure got pretty into it though copying our artistic movements with a few pirouettes of her own.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back inside Litwick I am going to introduce you to the rest of the team. I just know that they¡¯re going to love having you around.¡±


    ¡°Lit Lit!¡±


    We got off the roof, this time with the help of Victini¡¯s own psychic abilities. Litwick don¡¯t have flying capabilities until they evolve which made me wonder how the little scamp got stuck on the roof in the first place. As we made our way back inside, my Pokemon were all there lounging on the couch waiting for me. Phoebe was present too, holding onto one of the ghosts I haven¡¯t seen her let out before except for televised matches.


    Froslass, the Snow Land Pok¨¦mon. No further information available.


    ¡°Lasss.¡±


    ¡°Really Egon? You were the one that told me about Froslass. Don¡¯t you know enough about the species already?¡±


    ¡°I know how to get one and that¡¯s it. There are a bunch of things I don¡¯t know about the species as a whole. Never mind that¡­ I have to introduce my team to our new companion. Litwick, you¡¯ve met Victini already and this is Numsy the Numel my first partner, Rena the Vulpix, and Glove the Darmanitan. Numsy can show you the ropes and don¡¯t hesitate to rely on the others as well.


    ¡°Lit Lit!¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    ¡°Manitan!¡±


    Kira tapped my shoulder.


    ¡°Now that that¡¯s settled how about I clue you in on the dos and don¡¯ts of caring for your own litwick?¡±


    What followed was a long seminar with slides projected onto her television. On how to clean, how much to feed and most surprising of all beginner trainer tips on how to work on moves. The last part would be something trainers keep secret from each other since it could give them an edge in competition. Kira did let me know that she hadn¡¯t shown any of the advanced stuff her colleagues and family have been working on but any information on that subject is a great boon for any trainer. Kira let me know that each year she hosted a good handful of trainers who she thought had potential and had come to the celestial tower to catch a litwick.


    After sitting through all that I was completely exhausted and ready to head for bed. My Pok¨¦mon bravely holding me company through the extensive lecture were in similar states to mine.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ evenings are for lounging not studying. Well at least we don¡¯t have to sit through that presentation again.¡±


    Without even bothering to put on my pajamas I slipped under the covers of my guest bed and fell into sleep¡¯s warm embrace.


    <hr>


    The following morning, I was awoken by two stubby little arms poking my face. Opening my eyes, I met the sight of a clingy candle who just succeeded in waking me up. Having been enlightened by last night¡¯s presentation, I know that technically speaking ghost types and by extension Litwick don¡¯t need to sleep. They voluntarily enter a state of dormancy to avoid getting bored while their trainer hits the hay and becomes unavailable to avoid being the only one awake at night. My Litwick hadn¡¯t adjusted himself yet to my sleep cycle so there was a good chance he was just looking at my face the entire night.


    ¡°Good morning Litwick.¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°You ready to be poked and prodded? A bunch of Kira¡¯s colleagues are coming to visit you today and her sister will be down here later this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Lit¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry that was just slang, they aren¡¯t actually going to poke and prod you. They¡¯ll mostly be taking pictures and asking questions.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably for the best if you take some of my vitality now while I am still in bed. That way I can go right back to sleep if you accidentally take too much.¡±


    Litwick gave me a quick nod before I felt the now familiar drain on my vitality. This time I didn¡¯t lose consciousness. Where before Litwick almost drained me dry this felt much more manageable.


    ¡°Hmm that wasn¡¯t so bad¡­ I¡¯ll have an extra big breakfast to make up for it. Do you want to help me boil some water?¡±


    ¡°Lit Wick!¡±

 Chapter 27 - Surprise after Surprise

    Chapter 27 - Surprise after Surprise


    ¡°Just a bit more heat Litwick.¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    The little candle Pok¨¦mon¡¯s flame started burning more intensely, finally producing enough heat to boil the water inside the pot.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, this will make enough morning tea for everyone thanks Litwick.¡±


    ¡°Wick!¡±


    Why did I request Litwick¡¯s help with cooking while this house had a perfectly serviceable stove? Preparing food together was an activity me and Numsy have come to enjoy and since then I¡¯ve seen it as a helpful bonding exercise.


    It was still a bit too early in the morning for my team to wake up, so I got myself started on preparing breakfast. Victini¡¯s antics from last night emptied my expensive berry supply significantly so this first meal of the day was somewhat cheaper compared to the standard fare I made for my Pok¨¦mon. We finished breakfast preparations just before the rest of my team woke up. Glove was still sleeping soundly but a quick shake to let him know that it was time to eat did the trick. I made some toast for myself with the oran jam I found in one of the cabinets. complemented by a glass of freshly squeezed cheri berry juice.


    ¡°This is nice¡­ wait what the!?¡±


    The Cheri juice I had just poured for myself froze over just as I was about to drink it.


    ¡®The only one in the house with an ice type on her team is¡­¡¯


    ¡°My pranking immunity expired last night, didn¡¯t it? You can stop hiding yourself, Froslass I know it was you.¡±


    ¡°Lass Lass Lass!¡±


    ¡®It is said that Snorunt can survive by only eating snow and ice. I don¡¯t know how much of that is true but in any case, I don¡¯t want to get on the bad side of this femme fatale that¡¯s for sure. Maybe if I¡­?¡¯


    I picked up my frozen cheri juice dumped it in a bowl paired it with some whipped cream out of the fridge stuck a spoon in it from one of the drawers in the kitchen and presented it to Froslass as a sort of peace offering.


    ¡°Here you go you must have been hungry too, right?¡±


    Luckily it seems Froslass was pining for a frozen treat of her own because she let me off with a simple nod, before taking my gifted peace offering into her hands and flying off. With a bit of pride for handling the situation like an expert I resumed eating my breakfast pouring myself another glass of juice.


    ¡°Litwick and Rena are you two ready for today? Kira¡¯s Chandelure is going to teach Rena the basics of will-o-wisp and Litwick you¡¯ll get to watch them. This¡¯ll be a great learning experience for the both of you.¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    ¡°Now there will be people coming over throughout the day to observe Litwick so don¡¯t mind the spectators. For a large part of this morning, I¡¯ll be going sightseeing in the settlement. I didn¡¯t get to visit the psychic academy yet and I am hoping to score a psychic type technical machine from them. That way Tini will also have a new move to work on.¡±


    ¡°Num¡­?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry Numsy, aside from our general exercise routine I don¡¯t have anything new to teach you for now. When we get back to Hoenn I¡¯ll ask Mr. Moore to teach us some of the more powerful fire type moves, but don¡¯t let that stop you from experimenting with new type energies. I am fairly certain you have grown powerful enough to try your hoof at rock type energies.¡±


    ¡°Glove, how''s learning confusion coming along?¡±


    ¡°Dar¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay we all have our difficulties learning something completely new the first time. You know how to perform belly drum right?¡±


    ¡°Dar.¡± The blazing Pok¨¦mon gave me an affirming nod.


    ¡°Switching to zen mode with the use of that move should be doable. Learning to use confusion after switching forms is probably less demanding, and after you have figured out how to do so in zen mode performing the move in your regular form should be the next step. I¡¯ll make sure to set aside our remaining oran berries for you to use to replenish your endurance. Now we just need a volunteer to feed you the berries while you are petrified¡­¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll help out? That¡¯s really generous of you Tranquill.¡±


    ¡°Glove, do you mind me walking with the egg alone while you train? It¡¯s been a while and professor Elm¡¯s studies have shown that trainers walking with their eggs makes them hatch quicker.¡±


    Glove now showed a contemplating expression. On the one hand he would like to see the royal Pok¨¦mon be born as soon as possible and on the other he probably feels that leaving the egg alone is the same as neglecting his duties.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry we¡¯re strong enough to protect the egg from any thief or bandit isn¡¯t that right Numsy?¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    With today¡¯s planning decided on, each member of my team went forth to complete their assignments. Numsy and Victini being the only ones to come with me to scout out the psychic academy. Phoebe, not being a morning person, was committed to staying in bed until the guests arrived. Apparently, Kira¡¯s younger sister was a big deal in the ghost rearing community, so my wayward friend was incessant on meeting her.


    ¡°Tini, do you want to get into my backpack? Kira did give us a warning that you should avoid getting seen by the headmistress.¡±


    Victini who was getting used to being able to openly interact with people living in the villa was a tad reluctant of going(to go?) back to avoiding the public eye but in the end, she grudgingly complied with my request.


    ¡°When we get there, I¡¯ll try and see if we can find Beheeyem again. I¡¯ve been wondering if you are able to learn the move teleport. I know that only certain species of Psychic type Pok¨¦mon can actually use the move, but it would be pretty cool if you could.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I never tried it before.¡±


    ¡°I am not really expecting to be able to buy any of their technical machines since we have to save most of the money for our return trip home. In any case this¡¯ll give us something to shoot for. I can¡¯t wait for you to try my grandma¡¯s freshly baked Lava cookies. They are way tastier than the preserved ones. She also takes special requests if you want to try specific kinds of fermented berries.¡±


    ¡°Even liechi berry?¡±


    ¡°That berry¡­ finding it in the wild is such a rare occurrence. I¡¯ve told you about mirage island, right? People have spent their whole lives looking for that special place. The only location in Hoenn with just the right environmental factors which allow this rarest of berries to grow in the wild. Even Hoenn¡¯s premier berry master can¡¯t get it to grow in his state-of-the-art greenhouses. Maybe with you by my side we¡¯ll have better luck finding it. My theory is that a colony of wobuffet and wynaut are hiding the island¡¯s location just like those baltoy from the desert resort. If we can find that island, we¡¯ll get to taste those elusive berries, and bring enough back home for some truly special Lava cookies. Those berries are just the right mix between sweet and spicy perfect for a sweet tooth fire type like yourself.¡±


    ¡°Sweet AND spicy!?¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    ¡°Numsy you wouldn¡¯t like that berry, it''s too sweet for your taste palette. If we ever get the chance to visit the berry master¡¯s gardens, I¡¯ll pick out a Belue berry for you. It is said that they taste very sour but with a hint of spiciness.¡±


    As we were daydreaming about uncommon berries, I didn¡¯t notice the time passing by. As a result we were standing in front of the entrance to the Psychic academy without having registered our arrival. Numsy, being the most observant of us three poked my trouser leg with his snout to let me know that we had already arrived. The school building looked the same as any other trainer school I¡¯ve seen passing the numerous towns and cities in Unova.


    Seeing as there were no people standing outside and the gate was open (so?) we let ourselves in. Inside instead of a person manning the reception desk a perky looking Gothorita was swiveling on the desk chair. Obviously the Pok¨¦mon got bored and decided to goof off for a bit.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Rita?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am here to observe an ongoing class. I¡¯d really like to see what a typical lesson looks like for psychically gifted school kids.¡±


    I felt the familiar sensation of a psychic type Pok¨¦mon looking to connect with my mind but before Gothorita had a chance to, she was mentally rebuffed by the rabbit Pok¨¦mon stuck in my backpack.


    ¡°No more squatters!¡±


    Gothorita, unprepared for any form of retaliation was surprised when her comfy swivel chair suddenly rotated a whole lot faster than she was used to. Like a carousel out of control the chair kept spinning and at the end of it all Gothorita was thoroughly disorientated while making googly eyes.


    ¡®No Tini that¡¯s bad! I thought we agreed to keep a low profile. Gothorita wouldn¡¯t know that I already have you with me so you shouldn¡¯t be that harsh on her. Now hopefully she forgives us otherwise we have to hightail it out of here.¡¯


    ¡°We are very sorry Gothorita! My psychic type partner really doesn¡¯t like it when others enter my mindspace and she acted out. Can you please forgive us?¡±


    ¡°Goth¡­¡±


    ¡®What did she say Tini?¡¯


    ¡°She is speaking gibberish, it doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡±


    ¡®What do we do!? Maybe we should come back another time when another Pok¨¦mon is working the reception desk.¡¯


    ¡°You there! young man. What are you doing harassing our staff!?¡±


    A professional looking woman marched towards me obviously having noticed Gothorita¡¯s dazed condition. She was wearing a black pencil skirt and white blouse combination, telling the world that she took her job very seriously.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Uhmm it was an accident¡­?¡±


    <hr>


    10 minutes later*


    The woman named Jasmine turned out to be the headmistress of this academy. Who after introducing herself took me to her office for an immediate scolding.


    ¡°So, you are telling me that you wanted to come take the school¡¯s universal offer to see one of our lessons being held and when Gothorita tried to touch minds one of your partners took offense and gyrated her office chair so fast that she almost fainted.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s basically what happened. Not many psychic types assume that I already have a Pok¨¦mon poking around there and she gets upset when her space gets invaded.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ your explanation seems plausible enough and no permanent harm was done by making my assistant woozy for a couple of minutes. Your partner must be quite skilled to get a leg up on Gothorita like that. Are you perhaps looking to enroll in our fine institution?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have the gift like some of your other students ma¡¯am. I was just looking to learn some general information about training psychic type Pok¨¦mon, and I thought I could accomplish that by attending one of your lessons.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there are indeed many parallels between training human psychics and Pok¨¦mon of the psychic type. Pray tell of what species is your partner Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    ¡®I knew it would come to this¡­ I hope I can lie convincingly else we need to get out of here. I should¡¯ve brought Glove with us for a plausible excuse even though he can¡¯t even use psychic moves at the moment.¡¯


    ¡°A Natu but she¡¯s very shy so she won¡¯t come out of her Pok¨¦ball.¡±


    Her eyes flash briefly with what I believe to be disappointment before she stood up and opened the door going out of her office.


    ¡°Follow me then. I¡¯ll show you what a typical day looks like in this place of learning.¡±


    As we walked along the corridor, I noticed most of the classrooms were completely empty. I was expecting to see a bunch of kids my age running around. ¡®A tad wasteful having such a large building without anyone being able to make use of the facilities.¡¯


    ¡°Humans who are psychically gifted only compromise about 0.2% of the population. We work hard trying to fill up these classrooms young man.¡±


    ¡°Eh!? Did you read my mind?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have to. Just understand that these classrooms aren¡¯t empty by choice. Each year we only have a limited number of students enrolling. Our staff members scour all of Unova for gifted children which is hard without violating any privacy laws concerning the sanctity of a person¡¯s or Pok¨¦mon¡¯s mind. If we do find children of a suitable age to enroll, we also have to receive parent¡¯s permission to move them into the settlement.¡±


    ¡°Hmm indeed that would make it fairly hard to find students. May I ask how many children are currently enrolled at this academy?¡±


    ¡°Eleven¡­ The children that study at this institution get a full ride. Housing, an allowance for food and recreational activities and private tutoring by qualified personnel. If they happen to fall behind in their general studies. After they have finished their coursework, they are also awarded with a trainer¡¯s license and the academy is responsible for finding them their first partner Pok¨¦mon. Naturally we raise the finest psychic type Pok¨¦mon around.¡±


    Just like that she guided me towards the only classroom which was in use while extolling the benefits children get for enrolling at her school. To be fair even I was tempted to resume my education here after getting a full overview of what this academy had to offer.


    ¡°How does the academy determine if an individual has psychic potential?¡±


    ¡°Naturally parentage plays a big part. Children who are born into families with psychic abilities tend to have them as well to a greater or lesser degree. It is also possible for one to develop this potential even if there is no such relation through a random mutation, although such cases are very rare. Finally, a regular person may develop some minor psychic potential through long lasting relationships with psychic type Pok¨¦mon. In the latter case those individuals are limited in what they can do and end up at the same level as those carnival fare workers. You know the ones¡­ bending spoons and reading tarot cards. As for how to tell for sure if one has the gift. It usually involves putting a person through severe mental distress. We stage a fake dangerous situation with the parents¡¯ permission of course.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here, this lady seems dangerous!¡±


    ¡®Just a bit longer let¡¯s take a look at the students first before arriving at any conclusions.¡¯


    ¡°These are the children under my care. They are studying math at the moment so you are free to observe them.¡±


    The classroom we stopped at was filled with a handful of teenagers. The atmosphere seemed the same as any other school environment I¡¯ve come across except for one notable difference. Each of these students had a psychic type Pok¨¦mon out seemingly helping them with their coursework. The Pok¨¦mon in question were all native from Unova.


    Gothita, the Fixation Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Gothita watches Pok¨¦mon and Trainers with an intense stare. Its bow-like feelers amplify its Psychic powers. Even when nobody seems to be around, Gothita can still be heard making a muted cry. Many believe it''s speaking to something only it can see.


    Solosis, the Cell Pok¨¦mon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                A membrane filled with fluid surrounds Solosis''s body which allows it to live anywhere. It defeats its enemies using its formidable Psychic-type powers. Many say that the special liquid covering this Pok¨¦mon''s body would even allow it to survive in the vacuum of space.


    Munna, the Dream Eater Pok¨¦mon. Munna can eat the dreams of people and Pok¨¦mon alike, and then project those dreams by emitting Dream Mist from its body. The mist is pink when it''s eating a good dream, and black when it''s eating a nightmare. Late at night, it appears beside people''s pillows. As it feeds on dreams, the patterns on its body give off a faint glow.


    This was the first time I¡¯ve seen so many psychic types gathered in one place. Naturally my first instinct was to play with them. I repressed my desire to get to know these new Pok¨¦mon mostly because of Victini''s jealous streak and since they were in the middle of receiving lessons.


    As I was watching outside the class window the headmistress noticed my use of a Pok¨¦dex.


    ¡°One of the lab sponsored trainers then? Aren¡¯t you a bit too young to have already received your trainer¡¯s license?¡±


    ¡°I earned my trainer¡¯s license in Hoenn where any ten-year-old can undertake the examination. My license is recognized by the Unovan league association, but I am not allowed to compete in tournaments. Something about setting a bad example. In any case the professor pays me a small sum if I uncover things that are helpful to his research, while I am on my journey.¡±


    ¡°Tell me¡­ since you seem to have some form of relation with our regional professor. Are you aware of the discovery of a previously unknown Psychic type Pok¨¦mon in Unova? My contacts have told me Cedric Juniper¡¯s daughter is working on something big.¡±


    My heart was about to come out of its chest until I realized she probably wasn¡¯t talking about Victini but the newly discovered Darmanitan form.


    ¡°Ahem yeah. They discovered that Darmanitan has an ability that allows it to switch typing from fire to dual fire and psychic. I was actually there when they made the discovery, and I caught one of those Darmanitan for my team. He¡¯s been having a rough time learning psychic type moves though, but I am sure he¡¯ll get it down pat with some further training.¡±


    There was no need to elucidate the headmistress on my more direct role in this discovery. The less attention she directed towards us the better.


    ¡°Fascinating, might I see this Darmanitan of yours? This irregular Pok¨¦mon would be perfect for an impromptu guest lesson.¡±


    ¡°I would show him to you but he¡¯s back at Kira¡¯s place practicing confusion.¡±


    ¡°That is not a problem. I am familiar with all the places inside the settlement we can teleport from here to her villa and back again in but a moment¡¯s notice.¡±


    ¡°Ehm maybe? He¡¯s not the type to show off as much and I don¡¯t know how teleportation will affect my egg.¡±


    ¡°Tell you what young man if you let my students study this Darmanitan of yours I will recompense you for the time and effort.¡±


    The word recompense nabbed my attention.


    ¡°Recompense as in maybe a technical machine?¡±


    ¡°We do actually pay money to guest teachers you know? Also, we aren¡¯t by any means a poor institution. If you want your Pok¨¦mon to learn a particular psychic type move, we have a couple of short courses on offer.¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering because I figured that a technical machine could really get my partner Pok¨¦mon started and we have to leave for Hoenn at the end of the day.¡±


    The headmistress looked miffed probably under the impression that I didn¡¯t have enough faith in the school¡¯s services but ultimately, she relented.


    ¡°Fine, we do have a couple in stock for the types of Pok¨¦mon who have a learning disability: simple minded woobat, slowpoke and the like. You can pick one from our catalogue after showing off your Darmanitan in front of the class.¡±


    ¡°Right away ma¡¯am! I¡¯ll go get him, it''s only a ten minute walk.¡±


    ¡°Hold up a second young man. I can have my Beheeyem teleport you over.¡±


    ¡°No thank you. I need the exercise. I''ll be back in no time!¡±


    Before she got the chance to stop me, I already made a beeline back to Kira¡¯s Villa. With Victini still in my bag I didn¡¯t want to risk being discovered during the teleportation.


    ¡°This is it, Tini. If everything works out the way I hope it does, we might be able to snag ourselves a teleportation technical machine! No more standing in line like with the rest of the peasants, we¡¯ll get those Castelia cones before anyone else does!¡±


    ¡°For the sweets!¡±


    <hr>


    Back at the villa*


    ¡°So, I would like to show off your zen mode in a classroom setting and in return we¡¯ll get to pick a technical machine from the academy.¡±


    We made it back to the villa in good time. Glove was using the courtyard to train and since he used belly drum to enter his zen mode state, communication was slow going.


    ¡°Tini what does he say?¡±


    ¡°Glove doesn¡¯t mind¡­ he successfully got confusion to work while we were gone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing Glove! When we get to Mistralton you¡¯ll get to pick the restaurant we dine at.¡±


    I recalled Glove inside his pok¨¦ball but before I got the chance to leave. A certain bird pokemon perched on my shoulders.


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    Oh, hey Tranquill thanks for looking after Glove for us. You can take all the leftover berries in my backpack for yourself as a reward for a job well done. Do you want to come with us? Or would you rather explore the surrounding area some more?


    ¡°Tranq! Quill!¡±


    Tranquill lifted off most probably to stuff herself full of berries.


    ¡°Me too?¡±


    ¡°No, you are on a diet. Besides you and the team ate most of my berries last night. We¡¯ll have to resupply once we arrive in Mistralton.¡±


    As we were surveying our surroundings, we noticed a crowd of people gathering on Kira¡¯s lawn. Kira herself was seated on the edge of her porch and standing on her lap was my worrisome Litwick. Inclined to avoid the crowd I sent the little guy a silent prayer before darting out the front door. I would have dropped by just to give words of encouragement to Litwick, but I still needed to keep a low profile while in Unova. I was one hundred percent certain Rena would keep an eye on the little guy and make sure none of those invited would get overly touchy with my Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back before Darmanitan reverts back to his regular form.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how long it would take for Glove to recover its stamina and exit zen mode, but I knew I didn¡¯t want him using belly drum again. Repeated use of that move in a single day has sent a good number of users to the Pok¨¦mon center for an extended stay. We made our way back to the academy. This time I didn¡¯t want to chance someone accidentally discovering Victini by snooping in my bag so, we both decided it would be best that she stay in her pok¨¦ ball for the remainder of the lecture. At the entrance of the school headmistress Jasmine was already waiting for us.


    ¡°You have returned, are you ready to present your Darmanitan to the class?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. Glove won¡¯t really be able to interact with the class, since in his alternate state his body becomes petrified. However, I can talk about where I found him and the peculiarities of his ability. IF that is okay with you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll do. Be sure not to overly excite the students lest you lose control of the topic of conversation. I will introduce you and give the sign when it¡¯s okay for you to walk in.¡±


    With that we returned to the classroom¡¯s entrance and the headmistress walked inside the classroom.


    ¡®This is the first time Glove will interact with a large group of people since I captured him. Hopefully everything will turn out okay.¡¯


    ¡°Just keeping close to the egg will be enough for Glove.¡±


    ¡°And with that I¡¯d like to introduce you to Egon from Lavaridge Town and his recently captured Darmanitan.¡±


    She gave me the signal to come into the classroom.


    <hr>


    Nearing the end of the lecture*


    ¡°And that¡¯s how I captured Glove. Once I got to know him better things just worked itself out. He¡¯s still adjusting to modern times. The first time we entered a city the sights left him completely stunned. Back then the most populated place was the relic castle and that place doesn¡¯t even come close to the size of Nimbasa City.¡±


    ? girl with pigtails named Tammy raised her hand.


    ¡°How come the Darmanitan didn¡¯t die of old age? I have heard no mention of Pok¨¦mon being able to live that long.¡±


    ¡°A good question. My guess is that being stuck in Zen mode halted the ageing process for Glove and his fellow guard Pok¨¦mon. And I am speculating that after a while the mind just shuts down to protect itself from going mad. So, he didn¡¯t really realize how long he¡¯s been stuck in that state. Next question please.¡±


    This time one of the boys excitedly asked a question foregoing the raising of the hand.


    ¡°Are we going to see you and Glove competing in this year¡¯s Ventress Conference?¡±


    ¡°Sadly no, I am set to return to Hoenn so maybe you¡¯ll get to see me competing in the Evergrande conference.¡±


    The teens acted just like any other kids their age. Being able to move objects with their minds or glimpse the future didn¡¯t really have any effect on their personalities as far as I could tell. Being able to do these things as a human must not feel all that special if any psychic type Pok¨¦mon could do the same but better. After the asking of questions died down somewhat I unlatched Glove¡¯s ball from my belt.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s time for some showboating. Strut your stuff Glove!¡±


    My Darmanitan materialized in front of the classroom still stuck in his zen mode. The students were notably impressed by his figure. I was hearing Multiple Ooh¡¯s and Aaah¡¯s


    ¡°Now as you can see this is how a Darmanitan looks in its zen mode state. Notice the petrified blue fur and the arms that have receded into his body? He is still aware of what is going on around him with his psychically heightened senses. It is just that he has trouble expressing himself while in this form.¡±


    I pat Glove on the back.


    ¡°He¡¯s been with me only for a short while, but I¡¯ve met no other Pok¨¦mon more dutiful and of staunch character. Now to return him to his regular form he only needs to recover his physical stamina. This can be done faster by feeding him or using a recovery move. In fact, let¡¯s hear what the Pok¨¦dex has to say about Glove. I am pretty sure the scientists at the desert resort have had ample time to update the entry of his species.¡±


    Darmanitan, Zen mode. A Fire and Psychic type.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      When Darmanitan is injured in a fierce battle, it hardens into a stone-like form. Then it meditates and sharpens its mind. Through meditation, it calms its raging spirit and hones its psychic powers.


    ¡°The entry may seem complete but there¡¯s still a lot of stuff missing like average size and the moves it can perform while in this state. Since there aren¡¯t many of these Darmanitan around. Researchers are going to have a blast learning all there is to know about Zen mode. If any of you want to touch his fur to experience what his petrified form feels like you can do so now. Just remember to be gentle, he still has his sense of touch.¡±


    The students needing no more encouragement lined up to touch Glove¡¯s rocky exterior. While the class was busy, Headmistress Jasmine took me aside for a quick one on one conversation. Judging by the mellowed expression on her face she was impressed enough with my teaching skills to forgive me for that little mishap in the morning.


    ¡°What a wonderful lesson you barely had to put in effort to keep the class¡¯ attention on the lecture. Your Darmanitan is an exemplary specimen of its kind. I would very much like to acquire one for this Academy. You say the expedition only managed to unpetrify one other who is currently under the care of Lenora from Nacrene city?¡±


    ¡°Well, so far at least. I¡¯ve only seen five Darmanitan stuck in their zen mode outside the excavation site. There could be more buried deep within the sand though. The expedition is currently waiting for a batch of ragecandybar ordered directly from Jhoto. The only reason the scientists managed to figure out that these Darmanitan weren¡¯t just statues was because I had two of those candy bars with me in my backpack. It¡¯ll probably be another week and some change before the scientists can unpetrify more Darmanitan.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Egon, that¡¯s all I needed to know. This Academy still has quite some pull with the league association. I¡¯ll do my best to convince them to allow me a chance to capture one.¡±


    After class was over and the students were heading out for their lunch break Jasmine motioned for me to follow her to an isolated part of the school building where the technical machines were kept. The archive room seemed dusty, like it hadn¡¯t been used in a long while.


    ¡°This is also the place where we keep student records and the like, so we only need to use the room  once every so often. You need only to pick one technical machine from that shelf over there, if you feel like you can¡¯t make an informed decision just ask for help, I am an expert when it comes to battling with psychic types.¡±


    ¡®Teleport Teleport Teleport!¡¯


    ¡°Calm down Egon!¡±

 Chapter 28 - Technical Mayhem

    Chapter 28 ¨C Technical Mayhem


    Getting the opportunity to browse through the school¡¯s technical machines was an amazing opportunity. I would try to keep an open mind on what kind of technical machine I was shooting for.


    ¡®Teleport!¡¯


    The pantry housing the technical machines looked to be more stocked than the one inside the Striaton gym. Even with a distinct lack of non-psychic type technical machines. All in all, there seemed to be around a dozen different varieties. Luckily for me they were alphabetically organized.


    ¡°Calm mind, Dream eater, Imprison, Light screen, Power Swap. No¡­ Teleport begins with a T so it should be all the way in the back.¡±


    There at the very edge of the pantry just after telekinesis lay the technical machine, I was looking for TM30 part of Silph Co¡¯s very first line of technical machines for the open market. Having only been produced in the Kanto region for a limited amount of time before the company discontinued production a couple of years ago. Being able to see even a single copy up here in Unova is a rare event. Dust had accumulated on its packaging affirming my suspicion that it was the real deal. Glimpsing back at all the other great technical machines I would miss out on by picking this I hardened my heart and pulled it off the shelf.


    ¡°Headmistress Jasmine, I''ve made my choice. I¡¯ll choose this one.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­ Teleport? I have to say young man there are far better technical machines than this one on that shelf. Most psychic type species that can perform teleport do so right out of the egg. We believe it''s ingrained into them on a genetic level to avoid predation while their parents are stuck in deep meditation. There is a good chance that Darmanitan of yours won¡¯t be able to learn this move even with extensive tutoring. Are you sure you want to choose this one?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it just seems like a great time saver.¡±


    ¡°This technical machine comes with a pamphlet, I¡¯ll have to give it to you to avoid any legal issues.¡±


    ¡°Really? What¡¯s written in the pamphlet?¡±


    ¡°In order to prevent humans and Pok¨¦mon from abusing this power. The league association in each region has strict guidelines on where you are allowed to teleport to and from. It also has a bunch of common-sense laws like only teleporting on private property if you have the owner¡¯s permission to do so. It is actually fairly dangerous trying to teleport into crowded areas; you might crash into people or vehicles.¡±


    As the headmistress was talking, she pulled out the pamphlet from a dossier box.


    ¡°Make sure to read this before attempting any form of teleportation.¡±


    ¡°What you don¡¯t know about teleportation, a cautionary tale¡­ I¡¯ll make sure to read this ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°If you are still having trouble getting teleportation to work you can call me. My contact information is available on the academy¡¯s pok¨¦site.¡±


    ¡®This is it, Tini! Once we get back, we¡¯ll check to see if this technical machine is compatible with you.¡¯


    ¡°I want one whole custap berry each time that we have to teleport!¡±


    ¡®The old bait and switch huh¡­ well played my fuzzy friend. We can work out the exact details after this ends up working, but for now let¡¯s get back to Kira¡¯s place. Those grave keepers must¡¯ve had their fill of Litwick by now.¡¯


    ¡°Thank you for your generosity, ma¡¯am and if I ever come across human psychics, I¡¯ll recommend they look up your academy.¡±


    With that we left the school¡¯s premises. Still not believing how lucky I was that I received their last copy of the teleport technical machine. With a spring in my step, I walked all the way back to our hostess¡¯ home.


    <hr>


    10 minutes later*


    There I was back at the gated entrance of Kira¡¯s opulent home. Through the bars I noticed the previous crowd had already dispersed. Even though I would soon be leaving Unova it would not do to get recognized so early. My choice to avoid crowds where I would garner a large amount of attention was in my view a wise choice. Being Litwick¡¯s new trainer I would doubtlessly be bombarded with trade requests or even those shameless enough who wanted to buy my newly minted partner outright. Even though such practices were not illegal a lot of trainers me included scoffed at such practices. Catching Pok¨¦mon just to sell or trade them away afterwards was just treating the same as treating these living beings as a commodity. Not mentioning the emotional trauma, the Pok¨¦mon in question would suffer being swapped away like that. I could still see the value in trading if both partners had different ambitions in life. A Pok¨¦mon who is an avid battle maniac would fare poorly under a dedicated coordinator after all.


    I unlocked the gates with the spare key given to me on loan from Kira and walked myself inside. This time I was extra cautious since my Phoebe¡¯s ceasefire has expired, I could expect to be pranked every hour or so just by being in her proximity. Seeing as every house in this town is probably warded with ghost repel talismans, I would probably be the only target for their particular branch of amusement.


    ¡°Numsy come on out!¡±


    I released Numsy from his ball, the little camel appearing in a flash of light.


    ¡°Num?¡±


    ¡°Hey there buddy. How¡¯s about you walk in front of me? Scout ahead for a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Num¡­? Num num!¡±


    The little camel stomped his feet on the ground in protest.


    ¡°Please¡­ I just finished up that guest lesson. You can hide out in your ball when she¡¯s around, but I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°¡­Num.¡±


    ¡°Really, you¡¯ll do this for me?! You are the best Numsy, a true friend!¡±


    Numsy reluctantly agreed to be my sacrificial pawn in this endeavor, forever claiming the best bud spot in my heart. Only a true brother would take one for the team like this. My little camel cautiously moved forward, with me following behind from a distance. We kept going on like that making sure to keep sight of our surroundings until we got blocked by the front door. Naturally I avoided trying to open the door by hand in case Phoebe¡¯s ghosts were messing with the door handle home alone style.


    ¡°We should be almost in the clear. I am fairly certain those ghosts won¡¯t pull anything with Kira in the same room. Let¡¯s try knocking fist.¡±


    Numsy used his front leg to punt the front door making a hardy knocking sound. We stood there waiting for someone to answer the door. Half a minute passed but eventually someone did deign to open the front door. It was a woman we have never met before but looked awfully familiar. I figured she must be a public figure of some kind for her face to have stayed in my memory. The young woman had deep purple hair just like Kira and a pair of glasses with a ridiculously large frame, which oddly complimented her face quite well.


    ¡°Hey, umm I am searching for Miss Kira? She¡¯s been looking after my Litwick for the day.¡±


    Before she had a chance to respond I heard a loud insufferable voice from further inside the villa.


    ¡°Egon! Come inside quickly, we''re having brunch!¡±


    ¡°Numsy, it seems the coast is clear, let us go and fill our stomachs.¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    ¡°Will you be joining us, miss¡­?¡±


    ¡°Shauntal, and yes I¡¯d be delighted to share a meal with such an interesting young man such as yourself.¡±


    ¡®Kira¡¯s baby sister is a member of the elite four?!¡¯


    Instinctively I knew hiding my background was going to be a near impossible task. Unlike the strength obsessed Marshal, Shauntal was best known for using clever strategy to win most of her battles. As we were walking towards the dinner table, I already saw the gears in her head turning trying to solve the mystery that was me. Phoebe and Kira were enjoying what looked to be a selection of takeaway meals. My Litwick was still with them seated on top of a simple candelabrum half asleep, probably tuckered out from all the attention. I took a seat at the table Numsy hopping onto my lap while Shauntal did the same and for some reason decided to take the seat opposite to mine.


    ¡°So, did anything interesting happen with Litwick? Have those colleagues you invited over discovered something groundbreaking?¡±


    ¡°We actually did come upon something peculiar about our little Litwick here. The candle that was used to form his body was part of a birthday cake to celebrate a toddler¡¯s third name day. All my colleagues are now raving about the possibility of children¡¯s birthday wishes having the power to produce off color ghost types. Naturally I am of the opinion that it would be crazy to buy used birthday candles from the surrounding towns. Phenomena like this should happen naturally not to be used in some sort of get rich quick scheme to profit off of heartfelt wishes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ maybe. Where did Rena go? I promised her a good brushing for having to practice without me.¡±


    ¡°Your Vulpix is sleeping in one of the guest rooms. Chandelure tells me she got the gist of using will-o-wisp down, now it¡¯s just repetition.¡±


    Everyone at the table noticed me being awkward; it didn''t help that Shauntal¡¯s glare never seemed to move off my facial features. The other ladies in the room started to notice this peculiar byplay because at some point Phoebe started raving to me about Shauntal most likely to pull some of that pressure off me.


    ¡°Hey, Egon, did you know Shauntal here was just recently inaugurated as part of Unova¡¯s elite four? She¡¯s been giving me all sorts of helpful tips about training ghost types that even I didn¡¯t know of. I am sure she could give your Litwick some pointers as well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ What¡¯s being part of the elite four like? Does it involve a lot of paperwork? I am thinking you are not just sitting around until trainers who have earned the right to challenge you come along.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm Technically speaking we are subordinate to the reigning champion. He can send us to do all sorts of odd jobs for the league. However, Champion Alder is determined to only call on us for regionwide emergencies, so we have enough time to pursue careers or hobbies and the like. I spent most of my free time searching for new inspiration. You see, I write books professionally.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°All your experiences as a trainer must be enough to fill up a dozen books.¡±


    ¡°A writer is always in need of new material. Oh, Egon! Would you mind being my subject today? I''ve got some new novel ideas that need brainstorming! A trainer from Hoenn sets out, searching for lost familial relations. What do you think?¡±


    ¡®This woman¡­ Is she toying with me?¡¯


    Phoebe snapped out of her starstruck state and gave me a worried glance. Apparently, she picked up the innuendo as well.


    ¡°Ehh¡­ not really, I¡¯ll be leaving for Hoenn today. I can¡¯t compete in the Vertress conference this year, even with a trainer¡¯s license and I still have some stuff to sort out back home. A friend of mine is competing this year though, he specializes in water type Pok¨¦mon. We shared some training tips, and I am sure he¡¯s going to turn some heads around this year.¡±


    The news that I would be leaving the region didn¡¯t seem to sit well with Shauntal based on what she had to say next.


    ¡°Egon, would you mind if I send a picture of your face to my colleagues? Even though you come from Hoenn I feel like your features closely resemble a person I hold in high regard. He would be delighted to know someone so similar to him is friends with my sister.¡±


    ¡®I am pretty sure he doesn¡¯t care who your sister is friends with, lady!¡¯


    ¡°I would mind actually it¡¯d feel weird to know people are sharing pictures of me amongst themselves.¡±


    ¡°Photos are no good huh¡­? How about I just invite him over so he can get to know you? That would indeed be better.¡±


    ¡°I CAN¡¯T TAKE IT ANYMORE! Egon is your champion¡¯s secret grandchild, okay now leave us alone!¡±


    I was not the first to crack under the pressure of Shauntal¡¯s coy interrogation method, that honor fell to my childhood friend. Phoebe even though she wasn¡¯t the one facing the pressure head on felt implicated enough that she felt the urge to come clean in front of one of her idols.


    ¡°Keeping each other¡¯s secrets is an important part of friendship Phoebes!¡±


    ¡°It was an accident, Egon! She kept putting the screws on you. I couldn''t handle the pressure anymore!¡±


    ¡°Complete prank immunity for a month¡­!¡±


    Meanwhile Shauntal had this smug look on her face as if all her devious plots and schemes had come to fruition. Kira on the other hand seemed genuinely surprised by the news.


    ¡°Phoebe must have misheard me saying something in our private conversations miss elite four. I am just a random nobody from Hoenn and am in no way related to your current reigning Champion.¡±


    My only way out is a completely lack of scruples. If it didn¡¯t come out of my own mouth, she has no way to prove the validity of Phoebe¡¯s words.


    ¡°Oh really?¡± She pulled out her Xtransceiver.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t¡­ you win.¡±


    ¡°What prize did I win? I don¡¯t remember entering any competition.¡±


    Kira took this moment to come to my rescue. She unceremoniously stood up and started tugging Shauntal¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Ow ow ow!¡±


    ¡°What kind of grown woman bullies a ten-year-old? I raised you better than that Shauntal! Now apologize!¡±


    Properly chastised the elite four gave me a flimsy apology in order to be let off by her older sibling. Naturally she went right back on topic and started grilling me over my background.


    ¡°So¡­ do Alder and his son know you exist?¡±


    ¡°Probably¡­ I visited the Unovan embassy to get my green card. The ambassador there was really excited about the whole affair. Professor Juniper told me he would keep my whereabouts a secret so they shouldn¡¯t know where I am or that I even entered Unova to begin with... Are you going to tell them?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm Alder¡¯s son Ranga has been off on another one of his adventures since the end of last year. So that makes informing him a moot point. However, Alder is my superior and I am really not that comfortable about keeping secrets from him. Why are you so adamant on not meeting family? Alder doesn¡¯t have many family members left and he cherishes each and every one of them very much.¡±


    ¡°I want to make it as a trainer on my own. If people know that I am related to a champion they¡¯ll just assume that all my future achievements are due to my parentage and not my own efforts.¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right Numsy we¡¯ll make it into the big leagues all on our own.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ You can just ask Alder to not mention the fact that he has another grandson. Don¡¯t you want to meet your little half-brother? He should be around five years old now.¡±


    ¡°I am sure he is well taken care of, but I have a little sister of my own to look after¡±


    ¡°Alder has a granddaughter?!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, me and my sister have different fathers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true! Egon¡¯s little sister is waaay better looking than him. She¡¯s a real cutie pie!¡±


    ¡°How would you know that? You haven¡¯t even met my little sister!¡±


    ¡°Your grandpa showed off some family photos during his last visit. You should really bring her along one of these days.¡±


    ¡°Like hell I will! No way am I going to subject my little sister to the ghost Pok¨¦mon of Mt Pyre. An eight-year-old needs a full nine hours of sleep. I don¡¯t want her sleeping the day away because of that incessant Misdreavus. Not that it even matters, you won¡¯t be able to see her for the next couple of years¡­¡±


    ¡°Egon¡­¡±


    ¡°Later, okay?¡±


    Shauntal and Kira helpfully didn¡¯t comment on our terse exchange being insightful enough to not pry into my personal business. Just like that the atmosphere at the dinner table turned awkward with no one sitting at the table willing to break the silence. After we finished eating the takeaway Phoebe grabbed my hand and made me follow her to her guest room.


    ¡°Spill.¡±


    ¡°You know my stepdad?¡±


    ¡°The man who made off with your mother nearly a decade ago?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, while I was on my journey, he decided it was best that Zinnia come live with him and mother. He¡¯s keeping her isolated inside the Draconid village. They have some weird rules about not allowing villagers to use modern technology, furthermore according to him she won¡¯t be allowed outside until she¡¯s of age to start her own journey. Since I am not a member of the tribe I won¡¯t get to see or talk to her for at least two years.¡±


    ¡°What sort of stupid rule is that?! Hmm but the Draconid village¡­ even my grandparents don¡¯t know where it¡¯s located or if they do, they won¡¯t tell me because it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I know where it is roughly, but it¡¯s located inside the most dangerous place in all of Hoenn.¡±


    ¡°Meteor falls?! Only really strong ace trainers can make it through that place in one piece. Please don¡¯t tell me you plan on going. Your team is not at the level of strength required to safely make the journey. If you go there you¡¯ll end up salamence chow.¡±


    ¡°I know I¡¯ve been working on a solution.¡±


    ¡°And¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Mr. Moore for his aid. He¡¯s the only one I know who might be willing to lend a helping hand. Zinnia comes by the gym often enough so Flannery might put in a good word for me as well.¡±


    ¡°At least you are not stupid. If Mr. Moore is with you, I won¡¯t end up having to worry. However, if he doesn¡¯t agree to go, don''t set off on your own.¡±


    I was pretty sure I¡¯d end up going at it alone, but to avoid upsetting Phoebe needlessly I just smiled and nodded my head. It did feel kind of good having someone to confide with like this. My grandparents back in Lavaridge are amazing people but there¡¯s still that age barrier that was hard to overcome. Likely they ended up worrying about Zinnia just as much as I do. Too bad they didn¡¯t know how to work a phone or else I¡¯d probably be airing my thoughts to them at this moment.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay at this place for a couple more days. Shauntal is the best and she has my dream job, a member of the elite four. I¡¯ll get her to spill those juicy training secrets and by the time I get back I¡¯ll show Glacia who¡¯s who!¡±


    Now that Phoebe wasn¡¯t on my back anymore and my stomach was filled with food. It was time for me to get some extra bonding time in with Litwick. I was expecting the teleportation service to pop by later in the evening so there was still a couple of hours left until we had to leave for Mistralton City. Litwick was still standing on the dinner table illuminating his surroundings in a bright blue light.


    ¡°Hey Litwick, you want to hang out with us in the guestroom?¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    <hr>


    30 minutes later*


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you always make sure a flareon¡¯s coat is clean. Their fluffy tail releases any excess heat into the atmosphere, so being dirty is actually a life-threatening condition for a flareon.¡±


    ¡°Lit Lit!¡±


    I was sharing some stories about working in the Lavaridge gym to break the ice. The rest of my team was in the room with us. Even Tranquill picked out a cozy little nook to listen in on my stories. Numsy and Rena who experienced it all firsthand just started lazing off on the bed having heard this story multiple times already.


    ¡°Litwick I was thinking. ¡±


    ¡°Lit?¡±


    ¡°How about we pick out a nickname for you? The rest of my team all have one that way I don¡¯t confuse you for any other litwick.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t the actual reason I nicknamed all my Pok¨¦mon. I just liked giving my team that extra personal flair and nicknaming was a part of that. Most trainers didn¡¯t bother giving their Pok¨¦mon new names; only mavericks that went against the grain did so, but those rebel trainers usually ended up being the strongest. I was pretty sure that most elite level trainer¡¯s had pet names for their Pok¨¦mon even if they didn¡¯t use those in public.


    ¡°Wick!¡±


    I didn¡¯t need Victini translating his response for me. For being a ghost type my Litwick was super emotive making communication that much easier.


    ¡°Well let¡¯s see¡­ How about Orin? it means light in an older language.¡±


    ¡°Lit Lit!¡±


    ¡°You like that don¡¯t you? Good, from now on your name is Orin. I¡¯ve gotta tell you Orin coming up with a name for you was a lot easier than thinking one up for Glove. In the end he had to pick his own name.¡±


    Glove who has already shifted back to his regular form nodded his assent. Before going back to cradling the incubator. The egg hasn¡¯t shown any signs of being close to hatching so far. Dianne¡¯s egg hatched in about a month using the exact same incubator therefore the egg should start showing traces of activity by the end of this week. If a Pok¨¦mon egg starts wobbling it should be around two weeks away from hatching naturally this varies from species to species.


    Suddenly the familiar sound of knocking came from our guest room door. Not seeing any point in delaying the inevitable I opened the door to see Shauntal waiting for me outside. We still didn¡¯t get a chance to hash out this champion¡¯s grandson business so by all accounts she is probably here for that. Victini as a measure of precaution already hid herself under a stack of pillows.


    ¡°Can I come in?¡±


    ¡°Yeah sure.¡±


    Shauntal sat down on the loose chair standing in the corner while I sat back down on the bed using Numsy¡¯s body as a substitute for an extra warm pillow.


    ¡°I have come up with a compromise after talking it out with my sister. I will hold off on reporting your location to our leader if you give me your home address in Hoenn and your Xtransceiver number. With the understanding that Alder will probably want to speak with you as soon as I share that number with him.¡±


    For a short moment I was tempted to give her a false address and number before banishing those dark thoughts. I had to be true to myself and reneging on deals was a quick way to lose my self-respect and that of my Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡¯If I give her my contact details now, I could possibly avoid having to meet with my lauded grandfather long enough that I¡¯ll be able to dodge a face-to-face meeting with him. I am fairly sure Champions can¡¯t just visit other regions willy nilly since they represent a good chunk of their region¡¯s military might.¡¯ On the other hand, international relations between Hoenn and Unova might be better than I thought, and he could just show up at my grandparent¡¯s doorstep at any point in time.¡¯


    Victini was able to relate to my anti-social way of thinking fairly easily since the rabbit was a closeted introvert for most of her life.


    ¡°Do it. If he knocks on the front door, we¡¯ll be able to hide under your bed!¡±


    Sadly, her solution was a tad juvenile for my taste. If the guy did travel all the way to Hoenn the least I could do was speak with him.


    I was trying to brainstorm Shauntal¡¯s proposal in my mind but my feelings were telling me to take this reasonable offer for a compromise. Phoebe liked Shauntal and her sister a lot and I didn¡¯t want to strain her relationship with them.


    ¡°Okay¡­ but could you do me a favor? Phoebe is planning to stay here for a few extra days can you let her shadow you for a bit and give her some training advice? She is gunning for a spot on the elite four in our own region and I believe she has the talent to make it.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ are a good friend, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    <hr>


    With the deal finalized Kira called her liaison living in this area who is responsible for taking care of the psychic type Pok¨¦mon capable of long distance teleportation. That person turned out to be Jasmine since the two are very familiar with each other the headmistress just sent her pokemon out to Kira¡¯s place to come get me. What I didn¡¯t expect was to see a familiar face. A beheeyem was floating in front of the main gate. The same Beheeyem who I saw taking care of a group of elygem inside the celestial tower. A quick exchange of glances was all it took for him to recognize me as well.


    ¡°Heya Beheeyem, I thought you told me you worked for the psychic academy. You didn¡¯t mention your human partner was the headmistress.¡±


    All of my Pok¨¦mon were inside their pok¨¦ balls, and the egg was clasped tightly between my arms. Just because Victini was inside her own ball didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t keep up our mental connection. She was awake and primed to make Beheeyem uncomfortable if he attempted to establish mental communications with me. Luckily our previous encounter with him made him aware that I had a psychic type Pok¨¦mon on my team who resented having to share my brain space. So, he stuck to rudimentary messaging using his palm lights. Green for yes, red for no and I didn¡¯t know what his yellow light was supposed to mean.


    ¡°I think I have everything on me. We need to go to Mistralton airport so the closer you can teleport us to that place the better.¡±


    Beheeyem extended his arm motioning for me to hold on. Which was kind of hard to do with both of my arms occupied holding the egg, but I managed to in the end. At one point I was standing in front of Kira¡¯s home awkwardly holding onto Beheeyem¡¯s palm with the tip of my fingers and suddenly I found myself next to an airport conveyor belt. The both of us were standing inside a square lined out on the floor with red markings. The sign nearest to us warning passerby¡¯s  that this zone was meant to receive incoming travelers that visited the airport using teleportation and that moving inside the square was at your own risk.


    ¡°Thanks a bunch, Beheeyem. The next time I am in the area I will be sure to pay you a visit.¡±


    The psychic type flashed his green light. Which I took to mean that he looked forward to seeing me the next time I visited the celestial tower. A quick flash and he was gone, probably back to the psychic academy and his trainer. Since I was still standing inside the somewhat dangerous teleportation zone I quickly moved out of the way to avoid crashing into the next pair of travelers.


    ¡®Now since I am conveniently already at the airport it would be best If I went ahead and booked my flight ticket back to Slateport city.¡¯


    The airport had rules about walking around with Pok¨¦mon. Each trainer could only walk around with one of their Pok¨¦mon outside their ball to limit crowding. Of course some species of Pok¨¦mon were just too large or heavy to have out of their balls in confined spaces like this airport building. I went over the balls on my belt with my finger before finally deciding to release Rena. She was always useful to have out in public settings since her very appearance instantly endeared me to the fairer half of a region¡¯s population.


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°Hey, will you walk with me? I need to go buy our plane ticket.¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    Just like that we navigated through the crowds of people gathered at the airport. A vulpix being such a rare sight in Unova meant that we got delayed by multiple groups of children who wanted to pet the cute little fox. In the end Rena helpfully managed to get a baggage handler to direct us towards the nearest reception desk.


    ¡°Excuse me miss? I¡¯d like to buy a ticket to Slateport City please.¡±


    ¡°Hoenn right? Return or Single?¡±


    ¡°Single please¡±


    ¡°We have two flights that go to Hoenn Slateport every week. One is scheduled to go within the hour and the other after four days.¡±


    ¡®An hour?! I was planning to go looking for a compatible person willing to be Tranquills trainer.¡¯


    Waiting another four days basically guaranteed that Alder would find me. On the other hand taking this last minute flight would exclude Tranquill from finding a trainer here.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you find a nice trainer back in Hoenn?¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s a legal conundrum, Tranquill is considered a nonnative Pok¨¦mon in Hoenn. So, if she finds a suitable mate over there and the eggs produced from such a relationship somehow make their way into the wild, I would be in very deep trouble. The trainer I am handing her over to could be the irresponsible sort.¡¯


    ¡°Then just find a responsible trainer! ¡±


    The lady behind the desk started tapping her desk with her fashionably done acrylic nails. Subtly letting me know I was wasting other people¡¯s time by holding up the line.


    ¡°One last minute ticket for today''s departure please!¡±

 Chapter 29 - Taking to the Skies

    Chapter 29 ¨C Taking to the Skies


    ¡°Pix Pix!¡±


    ¡°I know! We have to hurry!¡±


    Ultimately, I decided it was best to skip town as quickly as possible. I didn''t know when Shauntal would hand over my private information to the Champion. By virtue of being a last minute ticket it cost us less than I was expecting, fifteen thousand pok¨¦dollars was a steal for a flight that long, which left me plenty of money to pay for much too expensive airplane food. I was secretly hoping there to be a berry shop close to my terminal so I could avoid having to spend all that money. In either case this was going to be one uncomfortable flight. The plane trip is supposed to take eleven hours, I was fairly sure my Pok¨¦mon would start getting rowdy after the sixth hour being trapped in their pok¨¦ balls. I was praying to Arceus that the air travel company had some sort of area on the plane where Pok¨¦mon could stretch their legs.


    ¡°Rena keep an eye out for any sort of supply store once we get to the terminals!¡±


    The check in procedure was fairly straightforward. They tried to take my all-important backpack but I somehow managed to convince them that it was not too heavy for overhead storage. So far everything was smooth sailing that lasted until we reached customs.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir, you have to declare ALL Pok¨¦mon traveling with you.¡±


    She was glaring at Victini¡¯s white Pok¨¦ball.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Professor Juniper gave me this specific Pok¨¦ ball to keep my Pok¨¦mon¡¯s identity private. The only way you are getting a look inside is if you somehow manage to procure a warrant.¡±


    ¡°And the egg?¡±


    ¡°Look lady, can you please just let me off? All I can tell you is that the people in charge already know.¡±


    ¡°Sorry we can¡¯t do that. Airport policy requires me to register the species of any Pok¨¦mon egg coming through customs. For all we know you could be a trafficker.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute, I can call Professor Juniper right now.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t work. Professor Juniper has no direct jurisdiction here. This is between you and the League association of Unova. You would have to find someone pretty high up there to vouch for you.¡±


    ¡®People working customs are just as insufferable in this world! What kind of lab sponsored trainer would illegally traffic Pok¨¦mon on the side?! At this rate I am going to miss my flight!¡®


    I scrolled through the list of contacts on my Xtransceiver before finally stopping at a particular name. Deciding that I might as well use the power of connections to get me out of this jam. I initiated the call.


    ¡°Egon, how come you are calling me so early? Is everything all right with the egg?¡±


    ¡°Hi Dianne. I found myself stuck in customs and they want to know the species of the egg. Is it safe to just tell them?¡±


    ¡°Hmm Mistralton airport I suppose? You are heading back to Hoenn?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s this family issue and I am needed back early but I¡¯ll be sure to come visit next year! I promised Burgh that I¡¯d introduce him to Sunny when I get back, and let the child meet his or her mother.¡±


    ¡°Hmm okay then. Be sure to record the hatching. I want full details and a call back to give the hatchling a once over. If at all possible, make sure that one of the Joys is present to make sure nothing goes wrong. They have an ironclad doctor patient confidentiality agreement. Not even the league associations can force that clan into compliance. Now hand over your Xtransceiver to Karen I¡¯ll sort this mess out.¡±


    ¡°You two know each other?!¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve been called to calm down our little zealot. She means well but sometimes gets a little bit overeager.¡±


    I did as instructed and unclasped the Xtransceiver off my wrist offering it to Karen in short order. The dainty customs officer acted confused for a moment before finally deciding to look at the person displayed on screen. She quickly turned around to have a private conversation with the ranger corps'' master sergeant.


    ¡°Dianne, no I know that¡­ but this kid¡­!¡±


    They went back and forth like that for a hot minute until the customs officer finally slumped back in her seat defeated. Eyeing me wearily she gave me the go ahead to walk along.


    ¡°Thank you for your service and defending this great region. I got to go now bye!¡±


    Obviously, the hold up caused me to lose a lot of time. The flight was set to take off within the next ten minutes and I couldn¡¯t afford any more delays. Not caring about propriety anymore I just sprinted across the terminal area. My ticket said I had to be at terminal eight. That terminal was made for some of the smaller commercial flights. The plane itself only had a maximum passenger capacity of one hundred and sixty people. Interregional travel was still fairly rare with all the restrictions placed on tourists. Furthermore, becoming a licensed pilot was even more arduous in this world.


    Aside from the normal certifications a pilot needed to earn in flight school, they also had to be an elite level trainer with a specialization in the flying type. On the off chance the plane gets attacked by wild flying Pok¨¦mon. Now most Pok¨¦mon capable of flight weren¡¯t all that territorial, but on the off chance that for example a Hydreigon decided to suddenly move ship(?????) and establish its new territory right on top of a commercial flight route. The captain needed to be able to defend his passengers.


    I arrived just in time. The passenger line to board the plane only consisted of around twenty people. The feeling of relief for having made it in time flooded my body. Now that my mind was free to ponder the implications of an eleven hour long flight I was thinking on how to spend all that time being trapped in this aluminum death trap. It was just around dinner time now so I hoped the staff on board could accommodate feeding all five Pok¨¦mon on my team. I had around seven thousand pok¨¦dollars to my name which should be enough to last us a month after we landed back in Hoenn. The Hoenn league circuit should be one third of the way completed. At this point most competent trainers should be competing to get their fourth badge. I didn¡¯t have the confidence in completing the circuit on time but it should be doable for me to support my team while the circuit was still ongoing.


    ¡°Ticket and ID please.¡±


    I was so busy ruminating that I didn¡¯t notice making it to the front of the line. I handed over my ticket, trainer¡¯s license and for good measure my Pok¨¦dex. The man scrutinized my documents some time and after tapping some buttons on my Pok¨¦dex seemed satisfied enough to let me pass. Quite contrary to the customs officers from before. Before I shuffled along though I had to ask a pertinent question.


    ¡°Excuse me, does the airline also provide Pok¨¦mon food? I didn¡¯t get the chance to stock up before and my own personal supplies are running dry.¡±


    ¡°Our airline is able to provide free meals for up to two. One extra for any Pok¨¦mon who are traveling with you. If you have more partners traveling with you, there are meal sets the stewards and stewardesses serving you can offer this flight, we are able to accept checks, PIN, or hard cash.¡±


    ¡°Can I preemptively buy four extra meal sets for three small sized Pok¨¦mon and one large one?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, that¡¯ll be 1200 pok¨¦dollars.¡±


    ¡®Ouch! Airline companies are the same everywhere, even in this world.¡¯


    Having been left with no other options I decided to fork over my hard-earned cash. The steward in return gave me three vouchers for the extra meals I¡¯d be requiring.


    ¡°We thank you for choosing to fly Pelipper Airlines and we hope you have a pleasant flight.¡±


    I was guided inside the airplane and towards my seat. Since I was last in line, they closed the doors behind me in preparation for takeoff. Luckily, I was situated next to the isle giving me some extra leg space in case I needed it. The person next to me was seated adjacent to the window a non-descript older gentleman wearing a brown trench coat.


    ¡®Now if my luck holds out, I¡¯ll be able to sleep most of the flight over.¡¯


    ¡°Bwehhhh!¡±


    ¡®Arceus darn it!¡¯


    <hr>


    The initial part of the flight was nerve wracking especially so since all the infants on board were somehow located in my aisle. ¡®This is what I get for buying a ticket last minute.¡¯


    It got so bad Numsy released himself from his pok¨¦ ball to see what all the fuss was about. He served to distract the children on the plane for a short while before the bawling began anew.


    ¡°Calm down Numsy this is normal for plane flights. Infant children are very sensitive and the change in air pressure is a bit painful for humans their age.¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Num?¡±


    ¡°The food should be arriving soon. I''ll release you when it is dinner time, okay?¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    With that I recalled the little camel,


    The view from way up in the clouds was something truly special. On occasion we zipped past a flock of bird Pok¨¦mon that lasted until we hit the sea border. By then the most I could expect to see was the occasional pelipper or wingull.


    ¡®I should really try to catch a flying type big enough to carry a human around if I want to see views like this more often.¡¯


    ¡°I can help you fly!¡±


    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t that be exhausting to keep up for long periods of time though? Maneuverability would also be an issue¡­ the only fire types capable of carrying humans around are those of the Charizard line and of those the only ones big enough to carry me when I am fully grown are those giant ones that are being bred in the Charicific valley. Granted size doesn¡¯t account for much when it comes to Pok¨¦mon, but it would still be an awkward ride.¡¯


    ¡°Zzzzzzz.¡±


    ¡®Not that I am ungrateful! It¡¯ll be a very long while before I can come even close to catching even a glimpse of a charmander. The indigo league is very finicky on who is allowed to have one of their three starter Pok¨¦mon and the location of their established breeding grounds is a state secret. Even Mr. Moore doesn¡¯t have one and not for a lack of trying on his part.¡¯


    As I was busy pandering to Victini inside the confines of my mind. Two stewards pushed along the food trolley far enough as to be directly next to my seat.


    ¡°And what will the two sirs be having for dinner?¡±


    The gentleman sitting next to me spoke first.


    One medium poison type meal set and the green curry buddha bowl.


    ¡°And for you young man?¡±


    I flashed him my three vouchers.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have 3 fire type meal sets and one flying one and uhmm¡­ the pumpkin soup. Make one of those fire type sets a large one please. Also, are there any open spaces on the aircraft where my Darmanitan can eat? He¡¯s about as tall as a grown man but quite a bit wider.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what passed for a nutritious enough meal set according to the airline company, but I knew my team could bear with substandard meals if only for the remainder of this flight tonight.


    The steward took my meal vouchers and teared them in half giving me one half to hold.


    ¡°Certainly sir. For larger Pok¨¦mon we have set up a rotation to come and eat inside the worker¡¯s cantina. We will inform you when the space is available for use.¡±


    ¡®Now how to have Victini eat without our seat neighbor growing suspicious¡­ Eh, I¡¯ll just release her inside the overhead compartment while no one is looking.¡¯


    I released my Pok¨¦mon in order since it would get too crowded if we all had dinner at the same time. The man sitting next to me released his partner as well, a springy looking Croagunk. Not a Pok¨¦mon you would expect to see on an intercontinental flight between Unova and Hoenn.


    ¡°Excuse me, do you mind If I scan your partner with my Pok¨¦dex? This is the first time I have seen a croagunk they¡¯re like super rare outside of Sinnoh.¡±


    The man seemingly amused by my request assented to having his Pok¨¦mon recorded.


    ¡°Go ahead young trainer.¡±


    Croagunk, the Toxic Mouth Pok¨¦mon. A Poison and Fighting type. It is popular as a mascot. No further information available.


    ¡°My Unovan Pok¨¦dex has little to no information on this species. I¡¯d wish they hurry up and release the international version already¡­¡±


    ¡°Croaaa?¡±


    ¡°Pix! Pix!¡±


    It was currently Rena¡¯s turn to eat. She was out on my lap not enjoying the current meal she was having. Anything that came reheated wrapped up in plastic wrap was too low brow for her to enjoy, not that I blamed her. I wasn¡¯t looking forward to taste testing that pumpkin soup either.


    Croagunk and Rena seemed to hit it off with each other. From my understanding they were both gossiping about their trainers¡¯ weird antics. Rena was telling Croagunk about my torchic print pajamas after she heard the toxic mouth Pok¨¦mon complain about his trainer¡¯s penchant for playing dress up. I only understood Rena but got the gist somewhat through inference.


    ¡®Wait a minute¡­¡¯


    ¡°Rena¡­! Stop telling Croagunk about my sleeping wear! It is no one''s business what kind of manly pajamas I wear to bed!¡°


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    <hr>


    The rest of the flight was more of the same. I couldn¡¯t get comfortable enough to fall asleep, so I released Orin at some point to get some more bonding time in with him. It was dark out, so the little candle was perfect company when trying to read inflight magazines. However, at some point another passenger who didn¡¯t have the same sleeping problem started complaining about the flickering light and I was forced to return him into his pok¨¦ ball.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, we have begun our descent into Slateport City. Please turn off all portable electronic devices and stow them until we have arrived at the gate. In preparation for landing in Slateport City, be certain your seat back is straight up, and your seat belt is fastened. Please secure your carry-on items, stow your tray table, and pass any remaining service items and unwanted reading materials to the flight attendants. Thank you.¡±


    As we landed, I made sure all my Pok¨¦mon were recalled inside their pok¨¦ balls to spare them from the drop in air pressure. Victini with those sensitive big ears of hers would certainly feel the sting of a sudden descent. Personally, the descent was my favorite part of commercial air travel. Knowing that the nightmare was almost over did much to alleviate the stress from having been cooped up for so long.


    The flight ended the same as all long-distance flights do. With the passengers giving the pilot a standing ovation for landing the aircraft safely. A great system to keep pilots feeling motivated and appreciated lowering potential mishaps brought on by the creeping danger of complacency.


    ¡®I can¡¯t wait to get out there! The first thing I¡¯ll do is reward my team for putting up with this hellish flight, and the best way to do that is by getting us some real food!¡¯


    The moment the airline workers gave the green light for the passengers to leave I immediately took my backpack from the overhead compartment and zipped past the rest of the passengers exiting the plane. I was helped by the fact that my small stature allowed for some tactical maneuvering that would otherwise not be possible. As soon as I got out, I was greeted by a most unwelcome sight. Hoenn customs, what I experienced going through Unova¡¯s airport was about to be repeated here. Worse, in this case I wasn¡¯t friends with anyone in a position of authority who would be able to call off zealous customs officers. Victini¡¯s protected status granted by the Unovan regional professor didn¡¯t mean squat in another region. Using the technical machine gifted to me and putting Victini through a teleportation crash course would get me in legal trouble, since I was still on the passenger list together with the number of Pok¨¦mon I was carrying on me.


    ¡®There¡¯s only one way out of this¡­¡¯


    After passing through the first checkpoint where I got to skip the crowded lines since I was a Hoenn citizen. While the rest of the passengers were waiting for their bags to appear on the conveyor belt, I got to work skimming through my contact list again. Although I didn¡¯t have anyone on there in a position of authority with the Hoenn league association, I did know someone who had familiar ties with one. I was just hoping that she didn¡¯t forget to bring her pok¨¦gear along with her to trainer¡¯s school.


    ¡°Yah? This is Flannery.¡±


    ¡°Flannery, it''s me Egon! Could you skip school and get your grandpa for me? this is an emergency.¡±


    ¡°Egon you idiot! I am in the middle of class, I can¡¯t afford another write up!¡±


    ¡°Please!¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­ but you owe me! You are lucky that gramps came home last night. I¡¯ll call you back.¡±


    Flannery being a year older than me already received her trainer¡¯s license. Since her grandpa had forbidden her from traveling alone and with nothing else to do, she was stuck taking extra classes at the local trainer¡¯s school.


    ¡®I just hope she¡¯ll get to Mr. Moore fast enough. If she doesn¡¯t get delayed for some odd reason, I should be able to get through this without making the airport personnel suspicious.¡¯


    The wait following that phone call was a tenuous experience. I was stuck in the baggage hall not being able to get past airport security. The other passengers finally caught up to me fussing around trying to find their suitcases and rucksacks. Eventually finding them and heading through customs without worry. Since I was familiar with the route between trainer¡¯s school and the Lavaridge Gym I knew it would take Flannery somewhere between 15-20 minutes to get to her grandfather.


    I eventually got that all important call back.


    ¡°Egon it¡¯s me Flannery here¡¯s grandpa.¡±


    I instantly recognized the cracked voice from Mr. Moore. He was forgetting to keep himself hydrated again. ¡®He¡¯s not a fire type pokemon, he still needs water every now and then.¡¯


    ¡°Flannery tells me it¡¯s an emergency knowing you it probably is. you¡¯ve always been a responsible boy. So tell this old man what this is all about.¡±


    ¡°So, I have just recently arrived back in Hoenn and am at the Slateport City airport, right in front of customs. Uhmm¡­ while I was traveling through Unova I made a very special friend. So special in fact that we¡¯ll both be in a heap of trouble if it became widely known that I caught her. Unova¡¯s regional professor was kind enough to give me a sanctioned unregistered pok¨¦ ball to keep her safe, but his authority doesn¡¯t extend past Unova¡¯s borders. So, I was wondering if you could maybe call someone to lead me through the security checks?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm how special are we talking here?¡±


    ¡°Can we not do this over the phone?¡±


    ¡°That special? Sure, I know a guy who is currently holed up in the bay area over there. He should be able to get you through customs. He will be expecting you to give him a full explanation though.¡±


    ¡°As long as he¡¯s earned your trust it should be fine Mr. Moore.¡±


    With that our telecommunication session ended. My heart was lightened by the fact that Mr. Moore is covering for me. As an elite four member there should be plenty of high-level officials he can send my way. His ranking in military terms was equivalent to a five-star general; it was expected of him not to use his powers during peace times, but he could choose to use them if he wished to.


    My Pok¨¦mon getting antsy from the delay popped out of their pok¨¦ balls except Victini of course.


    To avoid having them lay down on the marble tiles I fished out a blanket from my backpack and laid it down in the south-western corner of the baggage hall. Feeling more secure with my surroundings left me free to act like an airport hobo. I was too tired to care overly much for the staring passersby¡¯s. With my team of fire types surrounding me and a blanket I felt warm and cozy for the first time since I entered that blasted airplane.


    ¡°Just a few seconds of shuteye, wake me up if something happens, okay?¡±


    Just like that I fell asleep, my back propped up against Glove¡¯s own. Numsy and Rena each pressed up against one of my pants legs and Orion sitting comfortably on my shoulder, The egg incubator secured between my open legs. Even Tranquill took the time to perch on a nearby windowsill.


    <hr>


    An undetermined amount of time later*


    ¡°Wake up kid.¡±


    I groggily opened my eyes. I couldn''t discern the identity of the person rudely disturbing my midday nap. The sun casting a shadow over the person¡¯s facial features blocking me from profiling his distinct attributes. His only recognizable feature was this old timey captain¡¯s hat the person was wearing. Realizing that the time I spent sleeping was longer than I intended, I hastily stood up and, in the process, woke up my entire team except Tranquill who was watching us flounder around from up high.


    Looming over me was the most recognizable person in all of Hoenn. The crowds giving him a wide berth out of respect. Some of them even pulling out cameras to capture this rarest of moments when this man could be found on dry land there was usually some sort of trouble afoot. Champion Drake was wearing his usual maritime outfit with no undershirt on showing off his trained physique earned from spending decades hoisting and pulling sails.


    ¡°Sorry! Champion Drake sir.¡±


    ¡°Just call me captain Drake kid, I am just holding on to the Champion¡¯s title until someone worthy of it comes along. Now my old friend Tim says you needed some help getting through customs without being asked a lot of questions?¡±


    ¡°Yessir captain Drake sir! I met someone special on my first journey and would like to keep her identity private.¡±


    ¡®That old man¡¯s first name is Tim? Why does everyone keep calling him Mr. Moore at the gym? Some of the staff members are just as old as him!¡¯


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s it then. Come along now, if you stick with me those guys shouldn¡¯t bother you overly much.¡±


    ¡°Right away captain!¡±


    I recalled all of my Pok¨¦mon before hurrying along to keep up with his walking pace. The customs officers tried to stop me from following him through a side exit but just a few words from him convinced them otherwise.


    ¡°This youngling is with me.¡±


    Those words alone were all that was required to get them off my back. Being a person of such renown and skill that the local law enforcement bended to your whims. As much as I was in awe of captain Drake¡¯s bending of the rules, I felt a smidgen of dissatisfaction with myself.


    ¡®I who has promised myself not to rely on others to make my way is now enjoying the benefits of knowing people in high places. Rules that I¡¯d like others to follow and flaunting them when it comes to my own person¡­¡¯


    ¡°For me?¡±


    ¡®Yes, you are more important than my ego. Someday I¡¯ll be able to flaunt the rules on my own merits.¡¯


    Following Drake landed me in some sort of employee parking lot. The man wasting no time threw out a scratched up almost ancient looking pok¨¦ ball. A quick flash and his Salamence materialized in front of us.


    ¡°Kid, we''ll be going back to my ship to talk in private. It¡¯s just off the coach from route 109.¡±


    ¡°I get to ride with you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s funny kid, Salamence here only lets people he acknowledges ride on his back. You could give it a try though I won¡¯t stop you.¡±


    I was very tempted to pull out my Pok¨¦dex and scan this dragon Pok¨¦mon, but that might be considered disrespectful. Dragon types were a prideful lot as are champion level Pok¨¦mon. This Salamence being both at the same time didn¡¯t bode well for my chances of getting on his back. Still somehow, I felt like this was a test of some sort. The dragon Pok¨¦mon was staring me down, giving me the opportunity to make a fool out of myself.


    ¡®This is why I dislike dragon types¡­ always feeling like you are walking on eggshells. With Captain Drake so close by, the odds of me getting eaten are quite low, might as well shoot my shot.¡¯


    ¡°Salamence, you are big and scary, would you let me ride on your back please?¡±


    The dragon¡¯s expression told me he was a tad surprised by my approach but ultimately not particularly impressed.


    ¡°Hmm seven points. You did the correct thing by acknowledging this one¡¯s might, but he dislikes those that pander to him. Don¡¯t you worry I have a Pok¨¦mon with me that doesn¡¯t mind carrying little ones like you.¡±


    Drake released a second Pok¨¦mon, this one being a flygon. The slightly insectoid-like dragon Pok¨¦mon gave me a once over before offering his back to me. I was very tempted to scratch its scales, so I did. The dragon Pok¨¦mon giving me a cat-like purr.


    ¡®Zinnia should totally catch one of these. They are so much more well behaved than the bagon line. Pok¨¦mon that do not initially start off as a dragon type are safer to train and a tad less prideful.¡¯


    The scales made for good footholds and as soon I got into a comfortable position on its back we took off. I half expected to hear the vaunted singing noise produced by a flygon¡¯s wings, but this Flygon seemed to be able to fly around soundlessly. I was completely unaware of my mild fear of heights before we took off but now, I was reminded that there was no rope or anything to hold onto. Hoping that I didn¡¯t suddenly develop a muscle cramp in my arms I held on a little tighter.


    All the people and buildings in slate port city looked like ants from this high up and at the speed we were going I suspected we¡¯d be on route 9 in just a couple of minutes. Not being able to start a conversation or do anything else but hold on the best thing for me to do was stew in my own thoughts.


    ¡®Hopefully he¡¯ll let us off without too much trouble. Dragon type trainers are almost as prideful as the Pok¨¦mon themselves. Don¡¯t try to look like you could put up a good fight, Tini. He¡¯ll probably want to challenge you.¡¯


    ¡°Eep!¡±

 Chapter 30 - Captains Challenge

    Chapter 30 ¨C Captain¡¯s Challenge


    We reached route 109, or what we people in Hoenn like to call it, the number one tourist hotspot in the entire region. At any point in time, you could find ongoing beach parties and family barbecues littering the vast stretches of beach inside the route. From our vantage point in the sky, I could also pinpoint the famed Seashore House where small daily tournaments were held for passing trainers. The rewards were not all that impressive; the winner got to pick out six soda cans of their preferred flavoring. It was all in good fun though trainers entered more for bragging rights than anything else.


    ¡®It would be a nice way for my team to gain some extra experience. Since there aren¡¯t any stakes, we could just focus on having a good time and experimenting with new moves.¡¯


    ¡°We should totally enter!¡±


    Victini was giddy by all the new sights as she could glimpse the world through my eyes with our shared mental link. Naturally as a fire type she also preferred the warmer climate. Going from Unova during winter times to the tropical paradise that is Hoenn was a big upgrade. As we were psychically conversing, I noticed she was mentally salivating at the ice cream stand next to the Seashore House.


    ¡®Maybe if we have enough time. We still need to stock up on supplies and register for the Ever Grande conference.¡¯


    ¡°Mmmm!¡±


    Captain Drake¡¯s sailing yacht eventually came into view; it was a massive ship completely capable of housing all his Pok¨¦mon manned by a small crew. We landed on deck without any issues, his crewmembers making space available for us to do so. I hopped off Flygon giving the good-natured dragon a quick hug as thanks for carrying me all the way over without complaint.


    ¡°You are the coolest dragon type I¡¯ve ever met. Keep staying awesome, okay?¡±


    ¡°Goooooon!¡±


    ¡°You have a keen eye, being able to notice how special my Flygon is. This bodes well for your prospects as a trainer. Come follow me, we will talk further inside the ship¡¯s stateroom.¡±


    With that Drake recalled his two Pok¨¦mon and motioned me to follow him below deck. The crew didn¡¯t question the reason why he invited a tween to come on board. Showing the trust that has been cultivated among his subordinates. Because I needed both hands to hold on while being carried by Flygon I squeezed my incubator inside my backpack. My trusty old backpack looked to be bursting from the seams with the egg inside it so I pulled the incubator out and started carrying the egg in my arms again.


    I gingerly followed Captain Drake below deck. It was not everyday that I received praise from a Champion level trainer. We entered his office room in short order after which he closed the door behind us. I took a seat at his desk and observed the room. The walls were decorated with trophies and plaques showing off his successes as a trainer, but there were also some wall decorations that had little to do with Pok¨¦mon battling. Most notably one given to him by the Oceanic Museum for uncovering a sunken vessel filled with historically significant artifacts. Captain Drake took a seat opposite to mine ready to start our conversation.


    ¡°Alright then, start from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Well uhmm Captain Drake sir. It all started when I came across a seemingly abandoned lighthouse during my stay in the Unova region.¡±


    <hr>


    Couple of minutes later*


    ¡°So eventually Victini decided to stick with me. We really hit it off and eventually she decided to be part of my team. The region¡¯s professor advised us to only reveal her existence to people we absolutely trust. We¡¯ve had some fun times together journeying through that region, even though she had to hide herself whenever we were in a public setting.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ I understand your situation now. There aren¡¯t many trainers walking around with a Pok¨¦mon of legendary status. A rookie like yourself would be an easy target for the more nefarious members of our society. Still¡­ I want to meet this Pok¨¦mon! Call her out and let me test the bond you two share.¡±


    ¡®I figured as much¡­ Are you ready to face his Salamence Tini?¡¯


    ¡°Nooo! Please don¡¯t send me out, I don''t want to get eaten!¡±


    ¡°That is what I would like to say, but such a battle would most definitely attract attention. So, for now a meet and greet as you youngsters say will suffice.¡±


    ¡®That seems reasonable enough right Tini?¡¯


    ¡°¡­Okay¡±


    I unclasped her pok¨¦ ball and activated the release mechanism. The little rabbit Pok¨¦mon materializing on my lap right in front of Captain Drake.


    ¡°Hmm a bit small for a legendary Pok¨¦mon. I believe this one would do better in contests as opposed to heated battle. At least the little girls who watch those shows would get an adequate amount of entertainment out of her.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°I am not small! Everyone else is just big!¡±


    ¡°And capable of telepathic communication. Victini is of the psychic type, correct?¡±


    ¡°And fire.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, she does exhibit the typical outwards display of passion, archetypal of a fire type. Well then, my curiosity has been satisfied. I am expecting you to offer me a worthy challenge this year.¡±


    ¡°Wait?! You expect me to win in the upcoming Ever Grande conference with only six months to spare and subsequently beat your elite four? I don¡¯t even have a full team yet.¡±


    ¡°That kind of talk is for quitters! When I was your age that would be the minimum one would expect of a prospective champion! Ah, forget it! I¡¯ll have better luck relying on Joseph¡¯s son or perhaps that effeminate youngster from Sootopolis.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to a billionaire¡¯s heir like Steven Stone or that part time lackadaisical battler Wallace! I am serious about battling and we¡¯ll make it to the top even if it takes a while longer!¡±


    ¡°Ho Ho! Now you are showing me the fiery spirit I was hoping to see! Just keep your ambitions burning like that and you¡¯ll reach the same stage as me!¡±


    ¡®Wait a minute¡­ Did that old man just trick me into taking over for him? I don¡¯t want to be a Champion, that''s too much pressure!¡¯


    ¡°Well, that¡¯ll be all. Make sure to become strong enough so you can openly display the bond you two share and be sure to offer a proper challenge to this old man so he can retire.¡±


    That was it I could stand up now and just walk out onto the pier and enjoy the rest of my day, but something drove me to remain seated though. This was the champion and a dragon type specialist to boot. If anyone could help me out with Zinnia, it was this person.


    ¡°Captain Drake sir? Can I get some advice concerning wild dragon types?¡±


    ¡°Ask away, when it comes to dragon types there are only a few people in this world who know more than me.¡±


    ¡°Say for example if one were to enter Meteor Falls but wants to avoid confrontation with the dragon types living on the mountain. Is there some kind of method that would allow for safe passage?¡±


    Drake¡¯s expression turned serious for a moment.


    ¡°The first question that I¡¯d want to ask that person before giving out such information is what business would necessitate venturing out to such a remote and dangerous place. The salamence living on that mountain show little mercy to trespassers.¡±


    ¡°My little sister, she was living with me and our grandparents when I set out on my journey. I couldn¡¯t take her with me since she was still too young. Her father came back while I was gone and took her with him to the Draconid village. I want to bring her back home!¡±


    Drake let out a long-exasperated sigh. Suddenly seeming like he aged decades.


    ¡°Kid, I won''t tell you to stop trying to get your sister back. Arceus knows I have pulled off some foolhardy stunts of my own, when I was a young whippersnapper like yourself. I am guessing you are not a part of the tribe? And your sister told you of the hidden village¡¯s location?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have different fathers and no I figured that out by myself.¡±


    ¡°If you were a member of that tribe then this would have been much easier for you. The Draconid tribe doesn¡¯t tolerate outsiders. Even I can only visit that village on appointment and never for longer than an hour at most.¡±


    ¡°But you are the champion surely¡­!¡±


    Drake cut me off with a single hand gesture.


    ¡°Even though I am not part of the tribe they hold a certain amount of respect for me, which gives me some leeway. Initially I became champion just to stop the rampant poaching of eggs and hatchlings. Dragon types are powerful, especially those of the salamence line. Making them a worthy prize in the eyes of numerous no-good scums. Many a poacher still try their luck from time to time and get killed for their troubles. Heed my words, nothing in the Hoenn region is more dangerous than a nesting dragon type Pok¨¦mon. Those of the Draconid tribe get special privileges, their ancestors made a pact long ago that is still upheld. Dragon types live for a long time and their memories go deep.¡±


    ¡°So, I can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm this is a conundrum. There¡¯s only one solution to your problem.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Become strong! Strengthen the bonds between you and your Pok¨¦mon. Dragons respect strength as does the Draconid tribe.¡±


    Those words managed to trigger something primal within me. The same part of the brain that urges you to try stupidly dangerous stunts like running with a herd of tauros or deep diving into a school sharpedo, just to see if you could. Victini experienced something similar, tiny sparks blasted out of her ears she could barely contain her excitement and she was not the only one affected. The pok¨¦ balls on my belt started wiggling my partners obviously listening in on our conversation also wanting to prove their strength. With my team as excited as this naturally there was only a singular response, I could give to our current reigning Champion.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it! Keep that throne over at Ever Grande city nice and warm for me, because soon I¡¯ll be sitting on it!¡±


    My counter reaction caused the pok¨¦ balls on my belt to spin out of control; they all opened up my team materializing inside the room. Naturally this had consequences.


    ¡°What are you gu¡­ Oof!¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    ¡°Pix Pix Pix!¡±


    ¡°Nitan!¡±


    ¡°Lit Lit!¡±


    ¡°This is a sight that truly warms an old man¡¯s heart.¡±


    There I was still sitting on that same chair but now crowded by my overeager Pok¨¦mon. I could handle most of them just fine when they get excited like this. However, Glove, the big monster that he is, was in the process of crushing my spine with a powerful gorilla sized hug. I would¡¯ve probably broken a few ribs if the hug continued. Luckily that¡¯s when it happened, while the group feelings were running high. The egg which I laid down on the table showed its first signs of life. A single twitch but that was all it took to get the team off of me and now surrounding the egg.


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°The egg! It moved! That means it¡¯ll hatch soon!¡±


    Each member of my team aside from Orion had babysat the egg at some point. The egg showing activity now meant we¡¯d soon have a little one to look after. Glove was the most excited of us all. The Blaze Pok¨¦mon¡¯s temperature ran so high that I thought he was going to start a fire right here in captain Drake¡¯s fancy office.


    ¡°Calm down Glove! We are all happy, no need to burn Captain Drake¡¯s nice wooden flooring. The same goes for you Numsy!¡±


    Normally I wouldn¡¯t care to limit such showings of deep emotion, but I was pretty sure everything in this room was irreplaceable and I wasn¡¯t looking forward to a life of indentured servitude to pay everything off. Fortunately, the man seemed to take their near burning of his belongings in good stride, not even taking the effort to give us a warning.


    My reprimanding words did little to stifle the cheery atmosphere in the room. Although Glove was disciplined enough to ease up on his flames a little. With that I had one final request for Captain Drake.


    ¡°Sir, if it isn¡¯t too much trouble the next time you visit that village could you pass along a message to my little sister or mother if you see them? I know now that going to the village like this will change nothing even if I did make it to the village safely, they¡¯d just as likely turn me away.¡±


    ¡°Sure, kiddo but better to write it down. I am terrible at remembering minute details. Here let me get you some paper and a quill.¡±


    ¡®A Quill? How old is this geezer?¡¯


    After mucking about in his drawers, the captain handed me some worn looking parchment and a quill pen adorned with a single silvery feather that seemed to sparkle even within this dim lighted room. I recognized the feather¡¯s extraordinary origin but didn¡¯t wish to make a big deal out of it.


    ¡°I got this beauty on Silver Rock Isle during my stint working as a swabby on a merchant ship. It took an entire month¡¯s wages to buy but it¡¯s still one of my best investments to this day. My old captain even pitched in a little extra since profits were high that season. Those were the days¡­ We sold grapefruit in ports all over Hoenn for a decent markup. Do be careful with it, it''s one of a kind.¡±


    I accepted the quill and parchment and started writing down my personal message for Zinnia. Knowing that there was a good chance this letter would be read by non-affiliated parties I didn¡¯t include everything that I wanted to say to her but in the end, I was reasonably satisfied with what I did manage to write up for her.


    ¡°So, my sister¡¯s name is Zinnia. She is two years younger than me with black hair. If you can¡¯t find her, the next best person to look for would be Willow, my mother. She is a bit ditzy at times, but she¡¯ll make sure Zinnia receives my message.¡±


    With that I left Drake¡¯s office returning to the top deck to take in the beach front sight with my whole team behind me. Victini managed to get the message out about the Seashore House and now they all wanted to compete. Since the place was so close we declined the offer for a ride back to the city and opted to walk instead.


    ¡°You feel that guys? That¡¯s the heat of the Hoenn sun, nice and toasty. Way better than Unova right?¡±


    The senior members of my team who were already used to the tropical climate didn¡¯t respond but Glove, Orin and Victini who started enjoying the warmth gave positive responses. Victini hovered around us, invisibly enjoying the beach with us. People from all over the world came to this spot so it wasn¡¯t strange to see foreign Pok¨¦mon. My team hardly got any attention from other beachgoers. Still all pumped from earlier we resolved to get to the seashore house and see if we could still get a spot competing in their daily tournament.


    <hr>


    20 minutes later*


    Seashore House


    May hot battles rage on hot sands! The place for hot Trainers!


    The house¡¯s sign was oddly fitting for me and my team. This place also doubled as a seaside restaurant. A place where people could cool off from the hot sun and watch trainers duke it out with each other. A brilliant market strategy with the trainers entering the tournament providing free entertainment for paying customers.


    I tried talking to the first waitress who entered my field of view.


    ¡°Excuse me miss, is there still a spot open for today¡¯s tournament? Oh, and could we get some menu cards? My team is starving.¡±


    ¡°For sure, and of course we still have spots left for today¡¯s tournament. The tournament listings are only finalized in the last few minutes, so everyone gets to enjoy hot battles. We¡¯ll bring you your write in ticket, just fill it in and post it on our wall. Your name will be called when it¡±


    I went through their specials with glove, I still hadn¡¯t rewarded him for learning confusion, so he got to pick what type of food we¡¯d be enjoying at the restaurant. Eventually he decided to order us five bowls of congee with seaweed toppings. He couldn¡¯t read the menu card himself, so it took some coordinating together with Victini to get him through all the dining options. We skipped ordering something to drink since fire types rarely needed to hydrate themselves preferring to instead acquire what little moisture they did need from their food. As a human I still needed to hydrate myself regularly, but I was counting on winning the tournament and getting myself that six-pack of soda cans. Just as we finished eating our meals the tournament began.


    Most of the trainers who participated in this tournament are amateurs. Youngsters eager to prove their wingull was a top percentage wingull. The seagull Pok¨¦mon being the most popular family pet in Slateport City. Naturally you could find them all over this beach along with krabby and the odd wailmer who sometimes strand themselves on these shores.


    Most of the Pok¨¦mon being entered in this tournament weren¡¯t even caught Pok¨¦mon. The children not being old enough to get a trainer¡¯s license, but still managing to form bonds of friendship with the wild Pok¨¦mon in the area. Since the beach was so close to their homes, they could come out to play with them every day.


    ¡°This reminds me of how you and I first met Numsy. Just goofing around until we set out on our own journey. Let¡¯s give these kids a good show.¡±


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    Normally these battles would not be all that interesting except for the fact that most of these beach goers brought water types with them. These matches would be a perfect introduction to the world of Pok¨¦mon battling for Orin. I planned on having him battle the first few rounds. That meant I needed to go through all our possible battle strategies with him. Surprisingly the little Litwick knew a good amount of useful battling moves. His most powerful one being hex.


    ¡°Orin, you see that girl with the shellder?¡±


    ¡°Lit lit!¡±


    ¡°She is a ringer, which means we¡¯ll most likely be facing her in the later stages of the tournament.¡±


    ¡°Lit?¡±


    ¡°Her Shellder is obviously well trained. It used rock blast to defeat its first opponent. Shellder don¡¯t normally learn rock type moves until after they evolve which means the girl must have trained very hard with her Pok¨¦mon to win this tournament. She¡¯ll be our real competition.¡±


    My name was called, and I made my way to the battlefield. Sand arenas were easy and cheap to maintain, especially so on a beach like this. The restaurant staff only had to paint the outline of the battlefield each day with dye that dissolved in water and the tide would handle the rest of the cleanup.


    ¡°Tommy versus Egon, Trainers please call out your Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go Orin!¡±


    ¡°Go Krabby!¡±


    Our competitor put down the krabby he was holding in his hands. Probably a stray he picked up on the beach. The crustacean was menacingly pinching its claws at the sight of my little candle Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Let the match begin!¡±


    ¡°Smog!¡±


    ¡°Bubble!¡±


    Orin started dispersing exhaust gasses spreading them over the battlefield. The gas was heavy enough that it didn¡¯t immediately dissipate in the wind. Meanwhile at the same time the boy¡¯s krabby harmlessly produced a stream of bubbles, clearly the attack wasn¡¯t even powerful enough to hit the other end of the battlefield where my Litwick was standing.


    Smog was an interesting attack; the discharge was weak and often not powerful enough to poison targets who knew not to inhale the gas. Clearly this krabby was not such an opponent. The crab pokemon was already being weakened by the gas¡¯ poisonous nature.


    ¡°Krabby go vicegrip!¡±


    ¡°Orin, wait until after Krabby closes in and go for a hex!¡±


    Krabby charged at us sideways rearing its right claw to get a hold of Orin and just like instructed my candle Pok¨¦mon held still until after Krabby got a hold of him. Krabby clamped down but noticed my ghost type phasing through its claws like nothing even happened. Both the trainer and his Pok¨¦mon looked stumped, obviously not knowing what was going on. Orin took advantage of this opportunity to punish their mistake. Dark flames surrounded Krabby targeting the toxins inside his body to deal exponentially more damage. The little crab Pok¨¦mon not being able to tough out the blow fainted directly afterwards.


    ¡°And the winners are Egon and his Litwick!¡±


    ¡°Krabby! Are you alright?¡±


    The boy raced towards his downed Krabby, obviously distraught by the outcome of their battle together.


    ¡°Hold on. Use these.¡±


    I held out an antidote and potion spray for the boy to use.


    ¡°Your Krabby has been poisoned by my Pok¨¦mon¡¯s smog attack. This antidote will dissipate the poison running through his body. When that¡¯s done you help him recover his stamina with this potion. Do you know how to use these?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Just pull off the cap, right?¡±


    The boy went to work trying to screw open the antidote bottle. Not knowing how to work around the child safety lock. He looked so lame that I decided to impart some of my wisdom to him.


    ¡°No, like this.¡±


    I held onto his hands and showed him the proper way to disengage the safety lock.


    ¡°Now what you want to do is see to it that Krabby here imbibes the contents of this bottle. For some Pok¨¦mon that becomes impossible, once they¡¯ve fainted, so in case you need it the pok¨¦mart also sells a topical antidote.¡±


    The boy swiftly brought the antidote bottle to Krabby¡¯s mouth, pouring the contents inside. Krabby¡¯s slight discolored exoskeleton quickly regained its original color. Anticipating the boy¡¯s inability to use the potion spray I also advised him how to properly use the medicinal spray.


    ¡°For the potion you need to twist the nozzle.¡±


    ¡°I knew that!¡±


    After Tommy applied the potion Krabby woke up his claws scissoring in frustration of the loss. The kid was also disappointed that they got knocked out in the first round like that.


    ¡°You want me to share some trainer¡¯s secrets? I have been in your position once too, you know. Having to hide my starter Pok¨¦mon from my grandparents because they wouldn¡¯t allow me to keep him.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡±


    ¡°Yep, we got it sorted out eventually though. The local gym was kind enough to take him in until I earned my trainer¡¯s license. Since Slateport doesn¡¯t have a gym, I¡¯d recommend looking around for an aquarium to take care of him until you two can start your own journey. Now do you still have time? We can talk about how to improve your battle strategy.¡±


    <hr>


    Tommy was a decent kid, a bit na?ve though. I had to explain to him why normal type moves like vicegrip don¡¯t work on ghost type Pok¨¦mon. He didn¡¯t even know what Orin¡¯s typing was. He just assumed only a singular fire typing; the kid never having seen Pok¨¦mon from Unova compete in the tournament. The tournament continued in a similar way Orin beat three more trainers after that with similar issues. Our second opponent was a kid with a wingull convinced that his Pok¨¦mon was the strongest one living on the beach and our third opponent was a girl with a skitty. The kitten Pok¨¦mon made decent use of attract and sing but hadn¡¯t learned any moves yet to deal with ghost type Pok¨¦mon, making the battle completely one-sided. As I predicted, the ones entering the finals were me and the shellder girl. She was a tad older than most trainers entering the tournament so it was possible that she was on her journey like me. We were both called up to enter the battlefield at the same time. Passing her I decided to give her my well wishes.


    ¡°Good luck and may the best competitor win.¡±


    ¡°Like totes you too.¡±


    ¡®A valley girl accent?¡¯


    ¡°In the right corner we have Egon from Lavaridge town and on the left coming all the way from the Kanto region we have his opponent Violet from Cerulean City.¡±


    ¡°Let the match begin!¡±


    ¡°Go Shelly!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wow ¡®em Numsy!¡±


    Both of us released our Pok¨¦mon at the same time.


    As this was the last round the referee started acting a bit more formal. Probably seeing us as two serious trainers. Her mollusk Pok¨¦mon up against my little camel. Numsy was all fired up, emitting a plume of smoke out of his hump.


    ¡°Lava Plume!¡±


    ¡°Protect!¡±


    Numsy doused the area where Shellder was standing in hot scarlet flames. The shell Pok¨¦mon, being the pre-evolved form of a part ice type, wouldn''t withstand fire type attacks as well as some of the other water types more commonly found on this beach, but it didn¡¯t matter. Before we could get our hit in, the bivalve Pok¨¦mon clamped up and surrounded itself with a crystalline green energy and was completely protected from Numsy¡¯s move.


    ¡®Shellder are not known for their ability to dodge it will stay put and keep going on the defensive if we let it.¡¯


    Now the normal thing to do here would be to let Numsy release a yawn attack, but I didn¡¯t want to win that way and Numsy wouldn¡¯t either. We needed to overcome challenges in order to grow and this would be our first one after coming back to Hoenn.


    ¡°Num num!¡±


    ¡°Really you mastered it?¡±


    ¡°Num!¡±


    ¡°Tini showed you huh? Fine, let''s do it! Use flame charge!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s like totally douse those flames, use water gun!¡±


    Numsy not being able to stop mid charge weathered the cold-water jet stream coming his way. Whether it was because it was sunny out or because Numsy was already coated in flames, but he didn¡¯t falter this time. His fire burned hot enough to properly execute the move. With considerable force Numsy bashed heads with Shellder flinging the little mollusk Pok¨¦mon to the edge of the battlefield. Shellder was resilient though, what the shelled Pok¨¦mon didn¡¯t have in weight it more than made up for with its defense. Numsy wasn¡¯t looking too fine either, the water type attack scoring a direct hit taking a toll on him.


    ¡°Whirlpool!¡±


    ¡°Firespin!¡±


    Both of our Pok¨¦mon sent whirling cones of their respective elements racing towards the other. The moves clashed against each other, Shellder¡¯s whirlpool winning out against our fire spin. What was left of the whirlpool crashed into Numsy, further lowering his core temperature.


    ¡°Num¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Numsy, let¡¯s go in for one final blow!¡±


    ¡°Nuuuum!!¡±


    Suddenly Numsy started glowing brightly, the light overwhelming the crowd of spectators. His form changed drastically from that of a barely over two feet tall little camel to one that dwarfed me in size. Another hump formed on his back, his back growing two rocky volcanoes. The amount of heat Numsy started putting out left the sand he was standing on completely glassed.


    ¡°Numsy¡­?¡±


    ¡°Cameeeruupt!¡±

 Chapter 31 - Size isnt Everything

    Chapter 31 ¨C Size isn¡¯t Everything.


    ¡°Numsy you¡¯re giant!¡±


    ¡°Ruupt¡±


    The crowd was suitably awed, it¡¯s not everyday that you get to witness a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s evolution live and in person. Shellder, who was already diminutive in size compared to my previously unevolved Numel, was now completely dwarfed. The battle was put to a halt, a common courtesy during evolutions that happened mid battle.


    ¡°Where am I going to put you? You can¡¯t jump on my lap anymore, that''s for sure. You¡¯ll have to be the one giving the rides from now on.¡±


    My newly evolved Camerupt was about six feet tall in height and that wasn¡¯t even mentioning the rocky volcanoes on his back.


    ¡°Hey, did you get a feel for it?¡±


    ¡°Cam!¡±


    One of the gym¡¯s staff workers, knowing I¡¯d be starting out on my journey with Numsy, gave me a crash course on proper husbandry if my Numel ever evolved as well as a few other things regarding camerupt physiology. That included the information that at the moment of evolution their species gained an instinctive knowledge of rock type TE and more specifically the move rockslide. After Numsy was done testing out his new body I addressed our competition.


    ¡°Thanks for waiting. Are you ready to finish this battle?¡±


    ¡°Like totally. We still won¡¯t lose, right Shelly?¡±


    ¡°Sheeell!¡±


    Her Shellder bravely stood against Numsy pushing through any pressure it must feel facing a Pok¨¦mon so much larger than it.


    ¡°Rock Slide!¡±


    ¡°Water Pulse!¡±


    Our Pok¨¦mon clashed again but this time Numsy was faster. White rings of energy surrounded Numsy and he launched a barrage of large stones and boulders. Shellder was still in the middle of charging up its water pulse when the mollusk Pok¨¦mon was hit by the falling debris.  Shellder¡¯s clam-like shell closed up for a few seconds and reopened revealing its fainted occupant.


    ¡°Shellderrrr¡­¡±


    ¡°Shellder is unable to battle, Egon and Camerupt are the victors! The winner of this competition is Egon from Lavaridge town!¡±


    I rushed up to Numsy for our customary victory rub down and to inspect for any issues that may have risen from having ballooned up to his massive size in the span of a single minute.


    ¡°Great job Numsy! Now, let me have a look at you.


    "Hmm looking good, no obvious issues¡­ Open your mouth and say aaaaah.¡±


    His fur was all red and matted now much more difficult to maintain than his former short curly hairs. Not even mentioning the extra surface area.


    ¡®I can¡¯t even reach his back properly, how am I going to straighten out all that unruly fur. That means extra groomer expenses.¡¯


    Numsy gave me this mildly amused look. As if the fact that I was now smaller than him made him somehow more mature than me. No words needed to be said on his part. I lived with him for long enough to know what¡¯s going on in that mind.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think just because you are bigger than me now things are going to change! I am still the big brother of this relationship. Age is what matters not size!¡±


    ¡°Ruupt.¡±


    ¡°Like you would know how! Who is the one that has to feed and clean you? Not to mention wake you up when you are having nightmares. If you can do all that by yourself maybe, I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    ¡®Seriously! Five minutes after evolving and he is already getting uppity.¡¯


    Despite how this might seem to onlookers. This was a common occurrence in newly evolved Pok¨¦mon. They didn¡¯t just rapidly develop physically but also spiritually. Acting like rebellious teenagers was kind of the norm after evolving. In more extreme cases they might not even acknowledge their trainer¡¯s authority anymore. However, deep down I knew that Numsy was just playing at being rebellious. Just to see if I would still treat him the same way and to gauge my reaction.


    So, I did something I used to do to him whenever he made a mess of my bedroom floor.


    ¡°Pffffffffff!¡±


    ¡°Came!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯ll blow in your nose again if you don¡¯t show some manners!¡±


    That seemed to do the trick. The look in his eyes quickly returned to its normal state.


    ¡°Come on, I need to go shake hands with our opponent, you say something nice to Shellder as well.¡±


    It was customary for finalists to shake hands in Hoenn even at low brow little tournaments like this. Violet seemed patient enough to wait for me, probably understanding my need to settle things with Numsy. I approached her and offered my hand which she shook.


    ¡°Hey, your shellder almost got us with that whirlpool. It¡¯s really well trained.¡±


    ¡°Like totally, your Pok¨¦mon is bitchin¡¯ as well.¡±


    ¡°Rupt.¡±


    ¡°Sheeell.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but notice you are from Cerulean City, and you have a water type Pok¨¦mon with you. Might you perhaps be a trainer affiliated with their local gym?


    ¡°Bingo! My family runs the gym, like it¡¯s totally rad but I felt like all cramped up over there so me and Shelly are on vacation with some of my girlfriends.¡±


    ¡°Well route 109 is a great choice. Though I do recommend checking out Sootopolis as well. It¡¯s the place to be for water type trainers. They have this scuba dive tour over there where they let visiting trainers encounter all sorts of water type Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    <hr>


    We left the Seashore House but not before cashing in our winnings; a six pack of any flavoring of soda cans that I wanted. I picked the obvious choice: sitrus berry with ginger extract. The soda cans in this world are more than just carbonated drinks, they actually had the ability to revitalize a Pok¨¦mon after it¡¯s been fainted. so having these on me was a blessing in emergency situations. Not that I wasn¡¯t planning on sneaking at least one out for a sip, sitrus berries are my favorite.


    Numsy was back in his ball, cooling off from all the excitement, while I went to the Slateport Market, the best place to buy and sell goods in all of Hoenn. Slateport City was the place in Hoenn where all the interregional freight barges harbor first. Which makes the Slateport market the best place to find exotic goods on the cheap. Naturally I was here to stock up on supplies. I was fresh out and Numsy now being a camerupt would now require an even higher caloric intake. Camerupt weren¡¯t all that hard to feed under normal circumstances being a species that could survive subsisting off of grains for the most part, but since mine was a battler, I had to feed him the good stuff. Rena was out of her ball surveying the various stalls for bargain prices. She was quite shrewd with money and since this market was always crowded it was good to have an extra pair of eyes looking for good deals. Even if that pair of eyes had a tendency to get distracted by the flash of jewelry.


    ¡°Pix Pix!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too expensive Rena, we''re here for food.¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    ¡°We are a tad low on funds... How about after a gym battle or two I¡¯ll let you pick something out again?¡±


    My offer of compromise seemed to do the trick, the little fox Pok¨¦mon huffing turning around and leading the way towards the nearest berry dealer. I couldn¡¯t entirely fault Rena for liking shiny rocks. My eyes were also drawn to the dusk stone laying inside the glass casing on a velvet cushion. The price tag reads 12.000 pok¨¦dollars. Completely out of our budget of course and I¡¯d seen cheaper in Unova.


    ¡®Now if only I could convince Rena that darkish purple is her color.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t in that much of a rush to get a dusk stone for Orin. Firstly, he had to evolve into a lampent which wouldn¡¯t take as long as my more living Pok¨¦mon, seeing as his growth is not constrained by biology. Secondly and the more important reason I felt it was essential to take evolution more gradually. Letting Orin experience the full breadth of what it felt like to be a litwick and a lampent before he assumed his final form would get him used to fighting with the tools he had on and keep him creative.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    We skipped the gem salesman and went straight for the berry vendor. I was planning on buying a good amount of low to mid end priced berries and throwing in a handful of high end ones if the price was reasonable. Which in fact it was, the final price tag probably eased up since we were only two routes removed from the berry master¡¯s farms.


    ¡°Hello little customer, what can I get you for today? The pecha berries are nice and ripe this season and our persim berries are freshest on the market.¡±


    ¡°What do you think Rena?¡±


    I picked up my Vulpix and let her sniff the man¡¯s produce. The ability to pick out berries was a skill she and Numsy managed to develop over the course of our journey. We wanted to avoid berries on the verge of spoiling and the ones who hadn¡¯t ripened yet. There was a sort of middle ground where the berries were just ripe enough to make a good meal but not too ripened where they had to be consumed right away for fear of spoilage. I couldn¡¯t trust Numsy to do this reliably without him failing to resist the urge to eat what was in front of his nose, especially since he just evolved. Rena wasn¡¯t as food driven as my other Pok¨¦mon, so she made for a perfect partner in this venture.


    ¡°Pix Pix.¡±


    ¡°Too ripe¡­ but the Orans are good?¡±


    ¡°Vuuuuul!¡±


    ¡°Okay, Give me forty orans. Twenty of each aspear and Rawst. Ten lum, bluk and wiki. Also add in five of those pinap, tamato and custap berries each.¡±


    ¡®Thank you, Mr. Moore, for paying for all of this.¡¯


    Mr. Moore giving me carte blanche to use the gym¡¯s card for food has really been a blessing so far. Making me able to afford major expenditures like my Xtransceiver and the flight ticket back home. I kind of felt bad taking advantage of his generosity, so I committed myself to paying him back at some point in the future.


    ¡°Here you go young man, is that all?¡±


    ¡°Do you also have some of the dry stuff? Grains, vitamin supplements and the like?¡±


    After a bit of haggling, which was the norm for open markets like this one. Me and the salesman agreed upon a price we could both live with. I wasn¡¯t the most adept at negotiating but at least I got the total price down somewhat.


    ¡®Hmm next up is registering for the Pok¨¦mon league, and after that...¡¯


    As I was contemplating my next course of action my Xtransceiver went off. I looked at the screen and it was revealed to be an unknown number.


    ¡®Strange, only a handful of people know my number. All of them are already registered in my contact list¡­¡¯


    Eventually deciding to accept the call I tapped the green button flashing on my screen. The face that appeared on screen was a scruffy looking one. The man clearly didn¡¯t bother trying to look presentable, sharing features with those who have been stuck off route for long periods of time. What I did notice though were the similarities shared between the both of us. The same shade of hair and the thick eyebrows although his were even larger than mine due to the age difference. I recognized him from the posters and league advertisements spread all across Unovan cities. This person was Alder, the current reigning Champion of Unova.


    ¡®Darn Shauntal! At least wait a while before deciding to give your boss my number! No¡­ Calm down Egon, maybe he just wants to say hello.¡¯


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Hello there¡­ What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Are you happy?¡±


    ¡®Straight into the difficult part of the conversation¡­¡¯


    ¡°Well¡­ I am currently on a journey with my Pok¨¦mon team trying to qualify for the Ever Grande conference. We train, compete and sometimes goof off. What I am trying to say is¡­ Yes, I am.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, When I was your age I only endlessly pursued strength, as does my son still. That our flawed mindset has not been passed on to you is a blessing. Shauntal told me you grew up in Lavaridge Town tell what was life like, growing up over there?¡±


    ¡°My mother dropped me off at my grandparents¡¯ house shortly after I was born. Lavaridge is¡­ a quiet town full of experienced people. There is lots of volcanic activity going on in the surrounding area, so fire types love it there. As do the tourists who come visit our local hot springs.¡±


    ¡°Any friends or hobbies?¡±


    ¡°I work at the local gym; I am pretty good friends with the gym leader¡¯s daughter. That¡¯s how I got started training fire types.¡±


    ¡°Fire types, my first partner was also a fire type¡­¡±


    For a second the old man was trapped in his nostalgia before snapping out of it and readdressing me. In a more resolute tone.


    ¡°I want you to know that you¡¯ll always be welcome here back in Unova. You have a little brother who would enjoy getting to know his new older sibling. Beyond that I want to make clear that I keep my private and professional life private. Not many people in Unova even know that I have a family, so you won¡¯t have to worry about suddenly being subjected to the spotlight. I¡¯ll be cheering you on of course and am buying all your gym match footage to show to little Benga. More than anything I want you to enjoy your first journey together with your Pok¨¦mon friends. Strength doesn¡¯t last forever but those feelings will.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll also be cheering you on too, gramps..¡±


    ¡°That makes me happy¡­ Now, I won¡¯t be wasting any more of your time. Having to listen to this old man ramble about the good old days. Go make a splash! And enjoy every second of making new memories with your partners.¡±


    With that the geezer hung up on me.


    ¡®This was emotionally exhausting, that¡¯s why I prefer Pok¨¦mon over most people I guess¡­¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t like your new grandpa?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­ I am sure he¡¯d make for a great grandfather figure. Just that I am already done with developing as a person¡­ spiritually at least. I don¡¯t really need any sort of parental figure. If he wanted to just be friends and hang out from time-to-time things would be so much simpler. For now, I just want to focus on what is directly ahead of us.¡±


    I still needed a sixth member for my team since it was a no go to reveal Victini to the public. The earlier I caught another fire type the better. Lavaridge had plenty of slugma crawling around, but even if I had gotten over my innate fear of snail and slug Pok¨¦mon it just didn¡¯t feel right with me to have one on my team. This being Hoenn my other options would be to ask for one of the gym¡¯s Pok¨¦mon or chance the safari zone.


    The first option wounded my pride as a trainer, not only relying on gym funds but also to plead for an extra Pok¨¦mon went a step too far for me. As for the second option¡­


    Hoenn¡¯s safari zone was basically a revolving door for foreign Pok¨¦mon. If rangers came across nonnative Pok¨¦mon they would be caught and swiftly relocated, eventually ending up inside that place. I had little to no knowledge of what kind of Pok¨¦mon were currently in there. The safari keepers didn¡¯t keep a log for others to peruse. Seemingly convinced that a sense of wonder was important for the visiting experience.


    ¡®Whatever, let¡¯s just register first.¡¯


    <hr>


    Over at the Pok¨¦mon center*


    ¡°Welcome to the Pok¨¦mon center. How may I help you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like to register for the Evergrande conference.¡±


    ¡°Registering this late in the season... Are you sure you''re up for the challenge, young man?¡± Just the travel times alone will make this extra challenging.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay I am sure that if I work fast enough, I¡¯ll have enough time to qualify for the Hoenn league championship. I¡¯ve already caught most of my team.¡±


    ¡°In that case, may I have your trainer¡¯s license please? Also there are some forms you will have to fill out.¡±


    I handed over my license and nurse Joy in return gave me a set of registration forums. It was mostly standard stuff like; emergency contact details, sponsorship details, a waiver of liability form and morbidly enough who gets responsibility for my Pok¨¦mon in the case of my death.


    ¡®Arceus! Does that last one really need to be put in there? I¡¯ll be perfectly safe as long as I have my team with me. I wasn¡¯t planning to go off route in any case.¡¯


    After I was done filling in all those documents I handed them back over to nurse Joy, who after checking the legitimacy of my trainer¡¯s license handed my ID back to me.


    ¡°All finished, I hope to see you competing in the Ever Grande Conference this year.¡±


    ¡°Nurse Joy, could I also book a room for tonight? Also, my Numel just evolved today, could you give him a once over and look to see if there were any complications?¡±


    I left Numsy with nurse Joy and went to use the computers in the media room. I still had to fulfill a promise I made to someone important. After sitting down I logged on the official league website and looked up the contact details for the Fortree City gym. Apparently, they didn¡¯t accept calls; the only thing listed was an email account.


    Dear Gym staffer who reads this,


    Recently I journeyed through Unova and while there I picked up competitively minded Tranquill on one of the routes. She challenged any passing trainer she could spot in the hopes of finding a partner, but sadly none were interested because her species is so common there. After being convinced by one of my own partners, I brought her along with me back to Hoenn. She is still looking for a trainer. Would anyone working at the Foretree gym be interested?


    Thank you for your consideration.


    Sincerely,


    Egon from Lavaridge Town


    P.s. I specialize in fire types otherwise I¡¯d have caught her for myself in a heartbeat.


    ¡®It¡¯ll have to do. I hope this works.¡¯


    ¡°Of course, it will! Tranquill is the best!¡±


    After shutting down the computer I planned on doing something else that I have been staving off since the landing back in Hoenn.


    ¡°Let¡¯s practice teleportation Tini!¡±


    <hr>


    Moments later inside a center dorm room*


    After using the technical machine on Victini I threw it away. These older models from Silph Co are one time use only. Not like my Sunny Day TM which I still had stuffed in one of my backpack''s hidden compartments. Victini was doing some mental gymnastics to process the sudden influx of information while me and the rest of the team minus Numsy watched on with mild bemusement.


    ¡°Okay, according to this pamphlet short range teleportation is easier so let¡¯s start with that. You need to strongly visualize the place where you want to teleport to. Hmmm¡­ Try going from here to the adjoining bathroom.¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Easy!¡±


    Victini completely disappeared in an instant leaving only sparkles behind. To check to see if it worked, I opened the bathroom door to look for Victini. At quick glance was all it took to confirm she didn¡¯t manage to get herself inside the bathroom.


    ¡°You guys, come help me look for Tini, she shouldn¡¯t have gotten far.¡±


    Just like that we got to work looking for our errant rabbit. Pok¨¦mon had much keener senses than humans and since my team was intimately familiar with this specific scent, I was hoping that Glove and Rena could find her before she got into any trouble. I was completely forgetting one fact before committing to this line of action. Teleportation didn¡¯t leave any scent trails behind to follow. After twenty minutes of not finding her, I started freaking out.


    ¡®What if she accidentally teleported herself inside someone¡¯s home? Her cover will be blown, she¡¯ll be captured, kidnapped and experimented upon! Her genetic material will be used to manufacture some kind of battle clone, which will eventually shake off the leash of its enslavers and try to take over the world!¡¯


    ¡°Dar!¡±


    ¡°What is it, Glove?¡±


    My Darmanitan was pointing its finger towards the backpack sitting at the other end of the room.


    Somehow, every few seconds or so it wobbled a bit. Already growing suspicious I made my way over quietly moving on so as to not produce any sounds. Slowly I pulled down the zipper and my eyes leveled at large blue ones looking up at me playfully. Through some weird psychic type shenanigans instead of teleporting to the bathroom Victini managed to cram herself into the cooler box where I kept my freshly bought custap berries.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Woops??¡±


    ¡°Tini...¡±


    ¡°Sorry! I was hungry. I was planning on going to the bathroom¡­¡±


    ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡±


    I picked her up and placed her on my lap. Absentmindedly stroking her fluffy ears.


    ¡°You know I bought those custap berries for you right? Eventually you would have gotten to eat them. If you do it early you won¡¯t have any to eat later, I am not going to buy any extra just for you. That¡¯d be unfair for the rest of the team.¡±


    ¡°I only ate two.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to be frugal with the remaining three. Until we get back to Lavaridge. Aside from that¡­ congratulations with your first ever use of teleportation. I knew you could do it.


    ¡°I am amazing right?¡±


    ¡°Yep, I am especially proud of you for teaching flame charge to Numsy on your own initiative. That''s what great team members do.¡±


    It was getting dark outside. Today has been an eventful first day back in my home region. I was still suffering from jetlag. So, it¡¯d be best to fix my sleeping schedule keeping a sharp mind for tomorrow¡¯s trek through route 110.


    Since I couldn¡¯t afford to rent a bike, we would have to go through the tall grass to reach our destination. Entering the seaside cycling road without a bike is prohibited. Wild Pok¨¦mon tended to avoid the cycling road, and because of the relative safety it was the hang out spot for biker gangs. The gangs challenged passing trainers to Pok¨¦mon battles and if you didn¡¯t accept, they¡¯d block you from advancing. By the time authorities got word of these forced challenges it had become a permanent fixture of the cycling road. Biker battles being the main reason trainers visited the bridge. Also, the biker gangs did avoid pressing their luck, only targeting young trainers leaving children and the elderly in peace. I wasn¡¯t as interested in battling those hooligans since I was once again on a tight schedule.


    After practicing teleport some more with Victini I was reasonably sure she mastered short distance teleportation. I went back downstairs to the reception desk to retrieve Numsy from nurse Joy¡¯s care. She informed that he was perfectly healthy and in great condition. She did caution me to not let him walk around the city unsupervised. Camerupt were slow to anger but if it did happen while I wasn¡¯t there to return him to his ball the city council would hold me personally liable for any injuries and property damage caused by the species signature move eruption.


    Technically speaking Numsy should be capable of performing that move with only little training, but I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to let him do so while inside the confines of a city. Even on the routes you still had the danger of unintentionally hitting wild Pok¨¦mon or passing strangers. The magma shooting out of a camerupt could travel as far two miles out. The only actual safe place to practice would be at the Lavaridge gym. Mr. Moore had a special area solely for that purpose.


    ¡°Tomorrow, we set out for Mauville city through route 110 and after winning a dynamo badge, we¡¯ll head back to Lavaridge. For now, let¡¯s go to bed early. There is a 12-hour time zone difference between Hoenn and Unova so we need to go to sleep even if we don¡¯t feel like it. Our bodies need time to adjust to a different time zone.¡±


    After a quick shower I crept inside one of the bunk beds provided by the Pok¨¦mon center. All my other Pok¨¦mon either chose to rest inside their pok¨¦ balls or sleep on top of the bed with me.


    ¡®Normally Numsy would be laying on top of my feet. It¡¯s weird that he¡¯s now too big to sleep outside of his ball. Eh, hopefully he won¡¯t get too lonely stuck inside of his ball all by himself¡­¡¯

 Chapter 32 - Trick or Treat

    Chapter 32 ¨C Trick or Treat


    The next day we finally made it to route 110. The route was right next to one of the very few freshwater rivers in Hoenn. Naturally it made for a great view only blemished by the large seaside cycling road built on top of the river. The river¡¯s meandering ended up creating a landpassage straight to Mauville city. Of course, during the rainy season this passage was too dangerous to travel over therefore necessitating building the cycling road in the first place. I had Numsy and Tranquill out with me. Tranquill was eager to stretch out her wings and Numsy was much the same since he didn¡¯t get to sleep outside his ball last night.


    ¡°Okay you guys, this route is known for the many electric types living here. The plusle, minun, electrike and magnemite are harmless, but we have to watch out for any voltorbs. If we accidentally step on one, we could be in for a nasty surprise.¡±


    ¡°Rupt?¡±


    ¡°Quill?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right they are like living grenades extremely prone to self-destruct at the slightest stimulation. Numsy you¡¯d probably be fine, but I am squishy. Experiencing a self-destruct up close would probably send me to the hospital for at least a few weeks. That¡¯s why if at some point we need to traverse tall grass we¡¯ll be relying on you Tranquill to keep us appraised of what type of Pok¨¦mon are nearby. Just give me a squawk and we will stop moving forward. For now though the route is just open road so go ahead and enjoy yourself.¡±


    With that our bird friend took off. Probably to pick a fight with one of the local Pok¨¦mon. She didn¡¯t get nearly enough time battling with us. Being a battle maniac, it was completely understandable that she left to pursue her interests once in a while.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s just us Numsy? Traveling from this route to Mauville shouldn¡¯t take long, five to six hours tops. This is the shortest route in all of Hoenn after all.¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    Just like that we walked for around an hour until we got to see an especially interesting sight. An active construction site, right between the river and a closed off forest. Groups of machop and machoke running around with construction materials and safety helmets. My curiosity peaked, I ruffled Numsy¡¯s head to signal for him to take a break while I checked out what was going on. Luckily there was a sign imbedded into the ground which did just that.


    Welcome trainers! To the marvelous and enchanting Trick House! Currently the trick house is under reconstruction for our next showing, to amaze and dazzle the viewers back home is our mission. To that end we kindly ask you passerby to not disturb our hard-working construction crew and to refrain from entering the premises without permission. If the need to enter the trick house contest overwhelms you then that¡¯s too bad! We don¡¯t take admissions and to preserve the integrity of the show all our participants are random passerby. The trick house show is hosted at undisclosed dates and intervals.


    Yours truly,


    The Trick Master


    ¡°NUMSY, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS! We missed it! Our second lifelong dream of winning a trick house contest and we didn¡¯t get to participate ARGHH!¡±


    At the mention of the word trick house Rena popped out of her pok¨¦ ball. Every single person and Pok¨¦mon living in our family home are avid fans of the show. My grandfather had taped every single episode ever aired since its inception. At the start of a new season, you could find our little family gathering together to watch the show.


    ¡°RUUUPT!¡±


    ¡°Pix Pix Pix!¡±


    My old-time partners were similarly disappointed. With our experience watching the shows, we would become an unstoppable force leaving all the other participants in the dust.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let it end like this! Rena, go ask one of those machop how many days it will take to finish the new obstacle courses. We¡¯ll come back to this route after they finish.¡±


    ¡°Now hold on just one second, aspiring challenger!¡±


    I turned around in the direction where that mysterious voice was coming from, but I couldn¡¯t see anything. Aside from the break area where the worker pokemon had access to some snacks and an office water cooler. Suddenly one of the couches sprouted arms and legs but not much more than that. The person masquerading as furniture had difficulty shedding his disguise.


    ¡®No wait could that person be¡­!¡¯


    ¡°Yes, it is I! Behold! For I am the greatest living mystery of a man in all of Hoenn! They call me¡­ The Trick Master! Wahahaha! Glad to meet you!¡±


    ¡°Arceus it¡¯s really you! The famed Trick Master! Rena Numsy it¡¯s really him! It¡¯s an honor to meet you sir!¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    ¡°Came!¡±


    ¡°The pleasure is all mine boyo. It is always a joy to encounter true fans of the show! Now would you do me a kindness and pull down the zipper of this, my newest prototype designer chair disguise? To keep my workers on their toes I¡¯d figure a good scare ought to rouse their spirits, but they just left me to languish as a chair. Ah! The perils of show business, I have been stuck like this the entire morning.¡±


    Quickly assenting to his request, I walked around this famed figure to reach the zipper on his back. A quick pull down did the trick as the costume came down and The Trick Master¡¯s flamboyant figure was revealed.


    That¡¯s better, now then what did my ears hear just now? You want to be on the show?


    ¡°Yes! My entire family are big fans of yours Trick Master! It would be such a pleasant surprise to them if I suddenly showed up on T.V. while they are watching the newest episode of your show.¡±


    ¡°Challenge accepted! Or I would say that, but we are still in the middle of constructing all the d¨¦cor, traps, and obstacle courses. We won¡¯t be done until the end of this year¡¯s Ever Grande Conference. If only you would¡¯ve been here a month earlier, but fret not! To recompense you for your total disappointment I the Trick Master will give you a personal tour on what we are cooking up for next season¡¯s Slam dunk of a show! Come to my office, we''ll sign the non-disclosure agreement and you can bask in my genius stage designs!¡±


    ¡®Getting to go backstage on the set of one of my all-time favorite shows is certainly a great opportunity, but on the other hand¡­¡¯


    I looked towards my Pok¨¦mon¡¯s facial expressions trying to read their current state of mind. While they did the same. If one of them really wanted to go, I¡¯d give up my chance to be selected for this year¡¯s trick house competition. Words were unnecessary and after some silent communication with my long-time friends. The three of us made up our minds simultaneously.


    ¡°I am sorry Trick Master, but we can¡¯t. We would really enjoy getting an early sneak peek at the show¡¯s production, but then we¡¯d be giving up the chance to be selected for the show¡¯s next season. As true trick house fans, we can¡¯t give up that 1% chance of making it on the stage of Hoenn¡¯s greatest show ever!¡±


    The man crumpled a bit as if struck by lightning. But then inflated back up even bigger in size then before.


    ¡°THIS is why I do it! For fans like you! Young trainer, you have given me enough motivation to produce at least another eight seasons. We will never go off the air with fans like you still supporting us! Excuse me! I feel so energized I have to get back to work. Please come around after the conference finishes and maybe you¡¯ll be one of the lucky stars of my show. Ciao Ciao!¡±


    Just like that one of the most dazzling celebrities in Hoenn left to rejoin his personnel behind the yellow tape. I wasn¡¯t too disappointed though except for the fact that he stormed off before I could ask him for an autograph. I couldn¡¯t help but admire someone like that who had it all figured out.


    ¡°Hmmm that sure was something. At least we know roughly when they will be scouring the route for new contestants. If I have anything to say about it, we¡¯ll be there. Now let¡¯s head out hopefully Tranquill hasn¡¯t forgotten about us.¡±


    We trekked on until finally we started only seeing tall grass and hearing the sound of the river meandering through. It was around midday so I pulled out a blanket so we could all have something to eat while waiting for Tranquill to show up again. The rest of my team appeared out of their balls to eat my premade meals together.


    ¡°Calm down Numsy, the food¡¯s not running away.¡±


    ¡°Pix Pix!?¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    ¡°His portions are bigger now because he¡¯s larger. The more body mass the more energy you need for upkeep. Don¡¯t worry, when you evolve, I¡¯ll let you have bigger bowls as well.¡±


    The only one on my team who remained stoic despite us having a picnic in an unfamiliar location was Glove. He kept eating while keeping close to the egg, occasionally letting out a sound of joy each time the egg moved. Give or take twelve days and we¡¯d be having a new partner on the team even Numsy and Rena put a halt to their food disagreement each time the egg moved. We spent time like that until I heard the sound of wings flapping and a familiar squawk. The bird Pok¨¦mon returned with company, a flock of wingulls flying behind her.


    ¡°Tranquill you are back, and it seems you made some new friends.¡±


    ¡°Wing gull!¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°She beat their leader in a match and now he wants to become adult friends with her.¡±


    ¡°No! ¡­Sorry I meant to say we don¡¯t really have the time for that. There are lots of responsibilities that come with raising chicks. I¡¯ve already sent out feelers for getting you a good trainer.¡±


    ¡°Quill?¡±


    ¡°Gull Gull!¡±


    ¡°He is now offering her to come to their super-secret spot to eat delicious berries together!?¡±


    After hearing Wingull make the proposition, Victini popped out of her ball. Already eager to take up the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s offer instead of Tranquill who had shown little interest up until now.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡±


    ¡°Gull?¡±


    ¡°Vi VI?!¡±


    ¡°Egon, they have apple and pink colored banana berries! I haven¡¯t tried those before!¡±


    ¡®Those should be Leppa and Nanab berries, it''s rare to find them in the wild. Ask if we could have a few of those for dinner.¡¯


    ¡°Vi Vi?¡±


    ¡°Gull Gull!¡±


    ¡°He says that I may come with but only if Tranquill comes along.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm this is a dilemma. Obviously, we are not going to force Tranquill on a date if she doesn¡¯t like this Wingull. Besides, if both of you leave, who is going to lead us through the tall grass?¡±


    My inference caused the little wingull to droop down on the ground in sadness. Obviously, this seabird was completely smitten with Tranquill. Feeling sorry for the little bird I walk up and started petting his head.


    ¡°Gull¡­?¡±


    ¡°There There¡­ That is life Wingull. Romantic interests come and go but friendship is forever. You still have your loyal subordinates with you. They wouldn¡¯t want to see their leader mope all day. How about we as men go out, talk smack about the girls who rejected us and eat some fresh delicious berries while we¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°Gull!¡±


    ¡°No, I am not just saying that to make you feel better, I too had my heart broken once¡­¡±


    ¡°Liar!¡±


    ¡®Shhh! Do you want to eat those berries or not?¡¯


    The threat of not getting to taste new varieties of berries quieted down her mental protest. Of course, I could just buy those berries from a vendor but nothing beats berries picked straight from the tree.


    Wingull dusted himself off and hopped onto my outstretched arm. Squawking sadly while he did so. Now being so close to this cute seagull I felt my heart pang with compassion for his predicament. Resolving myself to truly give him some heartfelt advice.


    ¡°Wingull¡­ Pok¨¦mon like Tranquill love battling so the first thing you need to do is become strong enough to give her a decent fight. Love is a battlefield and in this situation that is literally the case. How often do you have sparring matches with the other Pok¨¦mon living on this route?¡±


    ¡°Gull¡­¡±


    ¡°Not at all huh? It¡¯s understandable really. Electric types are the most common type on this route. A water and flying type like yourself is going to have a bad time picking fights with the likes of them. There should still be some battle opportunities though. Gulpin are also known to live here as do the occasional stray zigzagoon or poochyena. Make sure to get some battling sessions in with them.¡±


    While I was giving the little Wingull some more advice I signaled Victini to let Tranquill know we are ready to move on. She did and with her help we slowly moved further along the route.


    <hr>


    A couple of hours later*


    ¡°And that¡¯s about it, make sure to change it up from time to time. If you are nesting together, it¡¯s important to keep a lady on her toes. If she can predict your every move and reaction, the relationship grows boring and stale.¡±


    ¡°Gull?¡±


    ¡°Like say for example, You like Oran berries, right?¡±


    ¡°Gull!¡±


    ¡°Well, the next time she brings some along, having come back from an afternoon of foraging. Do a complete one eighty. Instead of praising her for bringing you your favorites, put one in your mouth, spit it out and demand Pecha.¡±


    ¡°Gull!?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she will knock you over the head but that¡¯s all part of the game. Keep doing the unexpected. When a woman has you all figured out, making the choice to leave you is far easier. There is nothing wrong with keeping a bit of intrigue in the relationship.¡±


    ¡°This is terrible.¡±


    Victini wasn¡¯t exactly wrong, this type of approach to relationships worked for me since I hadn¡¯t truly fallen in love with anyone in my previous life as an adult. For short-term coupling likely until the children are out of the nest which was typical for Pok¨¦mon this could work out just fine. My techniques would start failing a year and a few months into the relationship. Victini¡¯s reminder did prompt me to add a little caveat to my advice.


    ¡°Wingull if you truly love your next partner with all your heart. Throw everything I have been saying to you this past hour into the garbage bin.¡±


    ¡°Gull!?¡±


    ¡°True love is mutual if you find the right Pok¨¦mon all these extra techniques are not necessary. Just keep showing your affection and give her plenty of kisses that¡¯ll do just fine.¡±


    ¡°Gull!¡±


    We were walking along the raised land mass stretching out all the way to the outskirts of Mauville City. Wingull let us know that the berry trees were just on the other side so we were going in the right general direction. We made it across and as we did so Wingull flew off my arm and emoted me and the rest of our group to follow him and his buddies into a thicket of bushes. Completely trusting the veracity of Wingull¡¯s claim about the rare berry trees I covered my face while following him and his crew into the tangle of thick flora.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see much from my position! Wingull, could you make some noise so I know where to go?¡±


    ¡°Gull! Gull!¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡±


    Like that we navigated the thick brush. I recalled Numsy inside his ball, he was much bigger and only one of us had to endure the thick spines, nettle, poison ivy and all the other rage inducing foliage I would encounter inside. Victini was in the air following around the group of wingull. I had Tranquill retire to her ball after promising her some of the leftover berries. She didn¡¯t care much for Wingull but no Pok¨¦mon would refuse to partake in some interesting new berries. The egg was still in my arms protected from the spiny environment by the thick polycarbonate glass. Things continued on like that for a while, me being stung by the occasional plant I brushed past while trying to follow wingull¡¯s voice until we entered a clearing.


    There they stood four nanab berry trees and two Leppa berry trees standing in a closed circle formation. My group and the wingulls weren¡¯t the only ones present in the clearing. A pack of six electrike seemed to be enjoying themselves munching on some fallen berries, that is until we came into the picture.


    ¡°Grrr¡­.¡±


    ¡°Easy there, we just came to visit, no need for things to get violent... Wingull, you know these Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    It seems that he did, Wingull flew up close to the biggest one, probably the leader of this pack and they exchanged a few barks and squawks together.


    ¡°Electrike is upset because Wingull brought in newcomers to their secret berry spot.¡±


    ¡®How come these electrike are willing to share this spot with a bunch of wingull? They could easily scare them off with a few sparks of lightning.¡¯


    ¡°Hold on¡­ It seems that these electrike are poor climbers and using shocks to shoot down the berries ruins the taste. So, they made a deal with the wingull. An even split if their group agrees to bring down berries that have finished growing.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating, normally Pok¨¦mon of diametrically opposing types don¡¯t associate with one another but in this case, they have decided to form a mutually beneficial relationship. Wingull!¡±


    ¡°Gull?¡±


    ¡°Let me try something.¡±


    I pulled out the cooler box from inside my backpack, opened it and pulled out some of my more low-end berries.


    ¡°Electrike?¡±


    ¡°Ruff?¡±


    ¡°Me and my team would really like to taste some of these berries. Nanab berries are hard to find in human markets; even leppa that hasn''t been sealed in a wax layer to preserve them should taste totally different. How about we trade you some of our own berries in exchange? We have oran, persim, chesto and cheri berries.¡±


    I showed Electrike some of the goods hoping he¡¯d go for it. Electrike in turn seeing as I wasn¡¯t just going to mooch off of them for free calmed down somewhat. A quick bark and I was surrounded by his pack they sniffed some of my wares to check the quality. Seemingly satisfied with my peace offering they each took a single berry out of the container.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Sharing is caring Tini. At least this way we get to taste test those Nanab berries.¡±


    The pack leader gave us his tacit assent to go berry picking from their trees. Emboldened Victini floated off into the canopy to go help wingull and his crew pick ripened berries.


    ¡°Remember! Nanab berries need to be pink and soft on the inside. If they¡¯re still green don¡¯t pick them!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    ¡®I wonder how Zinnia is doing?¡¯


    <hr>


    POV Change - Zinnia


    Being all alone in the house was boring! The only time mommy has time for me is when I have to read boring school books. After that she leaves me alone to go gossip with the other mommies. Dad says that everyone in the village is family, so he doesn¡¯t have much time to spend with me.


    Horsea sticks with me at all times. We have a blast playing at the local river together. I don¡¯t have many other friends here since I am still considered an outsider, but that¡¯s going to change real soon. Mommy says the villagers just have to get to know me.


    At home we only had a single fishbowl for Horsea. The bowl gets really uncomfortable and he prefers his pok¨¦ ball, but he puts up with it just to stay close with me. Brother really got me the best Pok¨¦mon ever! Whenever I mention digging out a pond so horsea would be more comfortable, daddy says he¡¯ll think about it. I am sure one of these days when I get home there will be a pond there waiting for us.


    ¡°Sea Sea!¡±


    We were playing at the river like usual Horsea painting images on the water with his ink, while I tried to guess their meaning. Horsea lived in the ocean all his life so that¡¯s what most of his paintings are about.


    ¡°Uhmm Coral?¡±


    ¡°Sea¡­¡±


    ¡°No uhmm¡­ Corsola?¡±


    ¡°Sea Sea!¡±


    ¡°Yay! I got it. Brother taught me all about Pok¨¦mon!¡±


    ¡°That looks fun, can I play too?¡±


    A gentle looking big sister is standing next to us near the river¡¯s shore. I think I have seen her before joining a meeting with all those grumpy old people my daddy calls elders. She was wearing a big cloak with cool looking ornamental shoulder pads.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, pretty lady, me and Horsea are outsiders. I don''t want you to get bullied too.¡±


    Suddenly I felt really comfortable and before I noticed what was happening, I found myself being hugged by the mysterious lady.


    ¡°There there, you¡¯ve been feeling very lonely, haven¡¯t you? From now on you¡¯ll be my little sister and it¡¯s a big sister¡¯s responsibility to look after the little one. The name¡¯s Aster but you aren¡¯t allowed to call me that.¡±


    ¡°Big sister Aster¡­ My name is Zinnia!¡±


    ¡°Wrong! Say it better.¡±


    ¡°Big sister.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, now let¡¯s start playing. What do you call this game of yours?¡±


    ¡°My big brother calls it Pictionary. We take turns drawing and the other player has to guess what it is. Usually, it¡¯s just Horsea using his ink on the water¡¯s surface to draw the pictures, I don¡¯t have any crayons to make drawings so I use this stick that I found to make an image in the sand.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your turn now, right? Give it a go.¡±


    ¡°Hmm Okay!¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll draw a Pok¨¦mon! One she won¡¯t know anything about.¡¯


    I started drawing the round shape of an apple in the sand with two eyes popping out of the stem and a small lizard-like tail. When I was done, I turned around to let big sister appreciate my work of art.


    ¡°Wooow what an amazing drawing! This is an Applin right? To think you¡¯ve seen one before. They aren¡¯t really that well known outside of the Galar and Paldea regions.¡±


    ¡°No way! Big brother taught me all about different dragon types. Do you know big brother?¡±


    ¡°The clan keeps records that go back as far as 2000 years ago. Naturally we keep track of all the different dragon types you can find across the globe. We even keep a few of these exotic types ourselves. Your brother must be very well traveled to have seen this species of Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Brother says he read it in a book somewhere listing numerous foreign species. He told me Applin hides itself from bird Pok¨¦mon who want to eat it by burrowing inside an apple. Then it evolves based on what type of apple it picked. Up to three different branching evolutions! My brother is really smart right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you must be just as smart being able to remember all of that. I am pretty sure I haven¡¯t heard mention of your family having another member. Is your brother not part of the tribe?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ daddy and mommy came back while my brother was out on his journey and now, I live with them here in the village. Brother caught Horsea for me and send him back to Hoenn so I wouldn¡¯t be lonely.¡±


    ¡°Sea!¡±


    ¡°Well then that means your big brother must be pretty cool thinking ahead for his little sister like that. Do you want to be a Pok¨¦mon trainer when you grow up?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I want to be the best dragon type specialist around. I¡¯ll go catch lots of friends and become Champion. Big brother is too lazy to become one, so I¡¯ll just do it for him. For now, it¡¯s just me and Horsea but we''ve been training really hard!¡±


    ¡°Really? What moves does Horsea know?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ water gun, leer, and smokescreen. We are super close to him learning twister! Horsea just doesn¡¯t really understand dragon type energy yet.¡±


    ¡°Sea¡­¡±


    ¡°How about I help you two out then? Big sis knows all about dragon type energy. My Dragonair can show your young Horsea here how to expertly perform twister.¡±


    ¡°Really?! You¡¯ll help us?¡±


    ¡°Fufufu. Of course, everything for my cute little sister. Just hand over Horsea I¡¯ll teach him how it feels to channel dragon energy.¡±


    With that big sister stood up and stretched out her open palms in the direction of Horsea. Hesitantly I handed over my Pok¨¦mon to her hoping this wasn¡¯t all just some prank. While big sister held Horsea in her hands her hands and arms started glowing turquoise startling Horsea.


    ¡°Calm down little one. Can you feel it? This is what a dragon¡¯s energy feels like.¡±


    ¡°Sea¡­!? Sea!¡±


    ¡°Wow, cool! Can you teach me how to do that too? The glowy thing?¡±


    ¡°It is a gift. I was born with the ability to do so.¡±


    ¡°Ow okay then! I guess it¡¯s like being extra smart or really tall. We all have advantages or disadvantages compared to others.¡±


    Big sis released Horsea back into the river before turning to face me again. Meanwhile my Pok¨¦mon, delighted to be back in the water, sprayed some celebratory bubbles in our direction.


    ¡°That is a very mature way of thinking about it. I am proud of you little sister. Now then, Horsea should be acclimatized to dragon energy. Have him attempt to perform twister once more.¡±


    ¡°Okay Horsea like we practiced. Flap your dorsal fin really hard using dragon energy!¡±


    ¡°Sea!¡±


    Horsea tried really hard but all he managed to do was create a pleasant breeze. Disappointed, he stuck his head underwater to embarrassed to face us. This was when big sister came up with the solution to our problems.


    ¡°He was using dragon energy during this latest attempt. Now he just needs instruction on how to form a tornado and I have the perfect partner for that. Go! Dragonair.¡±


    ¡°Wooow pretty! Can I touch her scales?¡±


    ¡°You may, just don¡¯t touch under her chin she dislikes that.¡±


    I moved my hand up and slowly rubbed one of dragonair¡¯s belly scales.


    ¡®Soft? But though as well. What if I do it like this?¡¯


    ¡°Preeee!¡±


    ¡°Dragonair for sure likes you! Not even fellow clan members get her approval. You surely are my little sister Zinnia!¡±


    "Aste¡­. Uhmm Big sister, My brother says you can¡¯t find Dratini in Hoenn."


    ¡°Indeed, these are some of the exotic dragons I talked about. One of our tribe members visited Johto once years ago to exchange pleasantries with the blackthorn clan, our many times removed sister clan. Once he decided to come back, he brought along with him a female dratini. Who after maturing eventually decided to grace one of our more unruly Salamence with her attention. Once a dragon type chooses a mate they bond for life and they reproduce very slowly. This one came out of one of the few eggs that happy couple produced. As an aquatic dragon type this one will be able to help your Horsea with mastering twister.¡±


    ¡°Thanks a lot, big sis!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s give them a demonstration Dragonair!¡±

 Chapter 33 - Small City Goodness

    Chapter 33 ¨C Small City Goodness


    ¡°Thank you! for showing us the way to the city. If we are ever back in the area again, we¡¯ll come visit you and the pack for sure!¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    After sharing a pleasant meal with the electrike pack I decided it was time to head into Mauville city. The pack¡¯s leader decided to escort us to the City¡¯s borders in exchange for the pleasant meal and conversation we had. Not to mention the copious amount of ear scratches I gave him. Canine Pok¨¦mon really are man¡¯s best friends.


    ¡®I should totally catch a growlithe, houndour or a flareon someday. Rena does her best, but she has too much self-respect for belly rubs.¡¯


    ¡°This is it Tini, Mauville the region¡¯s capital and also the largest city in all of Hoenn. There are CCTV cameras everywhere so make sure to stay invisible at all times. We probably won¡¯t be here for long; the gym should be swamped with matches. We¡¯ll make an appointment of our own and be back in a couple of weeks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s small.¡±


    Mauville wasn¡¯t as big as Castelia, not by a long shot. Unova had a much bigger population size for starters not to mention having the available landmass to accommodate that growth. Hoenn, just being an archipelago, a region consisting of a set of small islands circling around on a larger mainland, didn¡¯t have that advantage. Victini, being used to the sight of Castelia and Virbank City from the perch of her lighthouse, wasn''t particularly impressed by the opulence of our capital city.


    I found out that I wasn¡¯t much of a city person anymore after visiting Castelia. The crowded streets and the polluted air didn¡¯t do it for me. Overall pollution wasn¡¯t really much of an issue in this world. The league even left some contaminated zones dirty just so poison types had somewhere to feel at home. The koffing line were universally employed in all factories. Those little balls of joy loved taking in fumes and gasses filtering them inside their bodies and expelling it as clean air. You could find members of the koffing line in industry areas but also in places where volcanic gasses are naturally expelled like Lavaridge and its surroundings. It wasn¡¯t weird to spot a koffing inside Lavaridge just wandering around looking for a sulfur vent.


    The city¡¯s gym leader Wattson had big redevelopment plans. A good chunk of the changes were already underway. Most of the older single-family buildings have been replaced by condominiums and most of the city¡¯s amenities were being placed inside the large sprawling shopping complex. Rumor has it that leader Watsson was inspired after visiting Kalos on one of his journeys as a trainer.


    Ignoring the hub and bub of this medium sized city I made my way towards the gym. A good chunk of the population roomed somewhere else while the city was being reconstructed so I had an easy time of it.  The gym¡¯s entrance was located in the shopping complex on the ground floor. Walking in I immediately made my way to the receptionist to make an appointment.


    ¡°Excuse me sir, is the gym still open for making match appointments?¡±


    ¡°You are lucky kid, just one more minute and we¡¯d have closed up for the day. Trainer¡¯s license and ID please.¡±


    I handed over my personal documents to the receptionist and he got to work tapping on his keyboard. After half a minute or so he came back to me to work out an appointment date.


    ¡°We can squeeze you in sixteen days from now.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you make it any earlier?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like I was too impatient to wait, but I still needed to earn all eight badges. If I had to wait for over half a month for each gym match plus all the additional travel times getting from one town to the next, I would never make it in time to qualify for the conference.


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad, we are booked solid for the next two weeks. It¡¯s the middle of the season kid, what did you expect?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it. Could you book me for a fourth level badge match?¡±


    ¡°I am seeing here that you haven¡¯t earned a single badge yet. Isn¡¯t it a bit foolhardy of you to assume you are at that level?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, me and my team are ready.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the boss, just make sure to bring at least four Pok¨¦mon to compete. If you want an edge, I suggest catching a ground type from the desert in route 111.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine I already have a ground type on my team. Does that type of advice actually work for any matches higher than second level?¡±


    ¡°Usually, it doesn¡¯t. Having ground types on your team definitely makes it easier on the challengers though. Wattson only has a few ways of dealing with ground types at the fourth level.¡±


    I thanked the guy manning the reception for his sage advice before making my way out of the gym.  With my appointment being made I followed the signs pointing me towards the Pok¨¦mon center. We didn¡¯t get any serious battling done on the route since all the trainers looking to battle take to the cycling road, so there was no need for my Pok¨¦mon to get a checkup. I did however want a Nurse Joy to check on my egg¡¯s progress, not to mention getting access to a computer and a warm bed.


    I was walking with Glove out of his ball. He did garner some interested looks from Mauville¡¯s local residents because of his status as a foreign Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°You can¡¯t wait for the egg to hatch as well, right Glove?¡±


    ¡°Dar!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be so cool taking pictures of the baby¡¯s first moments out of the egg. Or seeing him or her fire off her those first sparks of ember. We need to get a video camera to record the hatching for sure.¡±


    ¡°Nitan!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be the best uncles ever!¡±


    Just then the Larvesta inside the egg moved again, the egg slightly getting tilted to the side.


    ¡°It seems like Larvesta agrees with me. When we get to the center, I¡¯ll ask nurse Joy for a checkup. And to see what options that Pok¨¦mon centers have for this one¡¯s special day.¡±


    Our excitement didn¡¯t lower one little bit and actually grew bigger as we saw the distinct silhouette of the center building appearing into view. This center was placed right inside a large shopping mall squared around the middle plaza with a large fountain sporting a pok¨¦ ball motif.


    ¡°Last one there is a rotten exeggcute!¡±


    We both raced to get to the center¡¯s doors first. Naturally being a Pok¨¦mon Glove overtook me quite easily. Even having to wait for me at the finish line. The passersby were easily startled by the six feet tall flaming gorilla sprinting in their direction. After I got there, I had to explain myself and offer an apology for our antics to one particular lady who stumbled over almost dropping her grocery bag.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡±


    ¡°I am sorry miss we were just too excited. You see my Pok¨¦mon egg is close to hatching.¡±


    Showing her my incubator seemed to do the trick. She let me off without calling an officer Jenny to report me for reckless endangerment.


    ¡°Phew¡­ that was too close Glove. Let¡¯s just get inside before that lady changes her mind.¡±


    Glove, having also been chastised during the dispute, gave me a soundless nod of his head before following me inside the center. This center was much larger inside than the typical storefront inside this mall. Being large enough to accommodate traveling trainers and all the medical equipment the staff might need. We wasted no time getting in line to speak with the local nurse Joy.


    ¡°Excuse me, Nurse Joy? Could you take a look at my egg please to check how it¡¯s coming along?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, young man! We have screening equipment available to test the overall health of the Pok¨¦mon inside. Free of charge of course! If you would please hand over the egg to my assistant.¡±


    ¡°Chansey!¡±


    A large round pink blob walked on over with open arms ready to receive our precious bundle of joy. I handed the incubator over to chansey, completely confident that this egg-bearing Pok¨¦mon would take great care of our little one.


    ¡®You know I am pretty sure a chansey helped deliver me when I was born. If I were to ever catch a Pok¨¦mon that isn¡¯t a fire type I am sure it would be a chansey.¡¯


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡®They are such joys to have around always nurturing and caring to those around them and I hear their eggs are super delicious.¡¯


    ¡°Delicious eggs¡­?¡±


    ¡®You probably wouldn¡¯t know this since they don¡¯t have chansey over in Unova, but their species grows a nutritious egg every day. In the wild they share that egg with Pok¨¦mon who are sick or injured. I don¡¯t know how they developed that way in nature, but most Pok¨¦mon will refuse to attack a chansey.¡¯


    While I was having a mental conversation about chansey trivia with Victini and having left the egg secure with nurse Joy I made my way towards the computer room. I still needed to check for a response from the Fortree City gym and look at cute baby Pok¨¦mon videos with Glove. Luckily the computer room wasn¡¯t overcrowded.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s see if they¡¯ve had time to respond to my email¡­¡±


    Salutations Trainer Egon,


    We at the Fortree city Gym would be happy to take care of Tranquill. However, due to our busy schedule we can¡¯t go pick up the special lady ourselves. That¡¯s why we would like for you to come visit us at the gym. Included within this email is a voucher for a single use teleportation service. We understand that as a traveling trainer you will most likely have other responsibilities so feel free to come visit us at your leisure.


    Hope to see you soon,


    Leader Winona


    ¡°Come on out Tranquill!¡±


    I activated the release mechanism of my pok¨¦ ball releasing our feathery friend in order to share the good news. Tranquill  was quite miffed, being released from her ball while she was resting having flown around on route 110 all day.


    ¡°You see this girl?¡±


    ¡°Quill?¡±


    ¡°No, the letter on the computer screen.¡±


    Her gaze shifted to the screen where the email was displayed. Before looking back eying me like I was an idiot.


    ¡°Oh yeah, sorry forgot that most Pok¨¦mon can¡¯t read human script. Anyways, Winona THE gym leader of Fortree city is very interested in having you! She is the foremost expert on flying types in our entire region. If you manage to impress her, she might just make you a permanent fixture on her team!¡±


    ¡°Quill! Quill!¡±


    ¡°I know right, that''s awesome! You¡¯ll receive the best training hands down.¡±


    ¡°Quill¡­?¡±


    ¡°She is asking when we¡¯ll be going.¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Hmm, we still have to go back home to Lavaridge first. After finishing my business there, we¡¯ll need to come back to Mauville for my gym match. When that¡¯s done, I¡¯ll be free to go to Fortree City. So, in about two weeks.¡±


    ¡°Quill?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine she said that they¡¯ll be waiting for you. Which reminds me¡­ I¡¯d best print out that voucher before I forget to. In the meantime, how about I put on one of Winona¡¯s gym matches on screen. That way you¡¯ll have an inkling on what type of trainer she is.¡±


    Before visiting the Fortree gym¡¯s webpage I clicked print on the email containing the free voucher. Then I made the effort of finding a battle demonstration video showing off Winona in a higher-level match and left Tranquill to it.


    ¡®It¡¯s good that we found a trainer for Tranquill. Now I can rest easy knowing she will be taken care of by the experts of the Fortree gym.¡¯


    After watching the match together with Tranquill I had to quickly return her to her ball. The bird Pokemon couldn¡¯t keep still getting all pumped up from viewing the televised battle. With that concluded I made my way back to the reception desk. Nurse Joy and Chansey are already waiting for us with the egg placed on the counter.


    ¡°Young man, the little one inside the egg is completely healthy but could you answer a couple of my questions? This is the first time any nurse in Hoenn has come across this particular species of Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­?¡±


    <hr>


    The following morning*


    This Pok¨¦mon center¡¯s nurse Joy was very eager to learn all there was to know about the egg and didn¡¯t want to let me go to bed even after complete sundown. Naturally I could have refused her inquiries into the subject but so far, every Nurse Joy I¡¯ve come across has been nothing but helpful and professional leading me to give her some slack in this regard. Since all nurse Joy share information freely between each other they were not limited to the usual interregional restrictions. This is what led her to look up the little ones information after confirming the species wasn¡¯t Hoenn native. She finally left me to my own devices after extracting a promise from me that she would be allowed to see my Larvesta after it hatches. I was planning to come back to Mauville City in any case so it wouldn¡¯t take much effort from me to fulfill that promise.


    After having breakfast at the center dorms I wasted no time in setting out for Lavaridge Town. Seeing as we¡¯d have to wait a bit more than two weeks to get that gym battle. The best use of my time would be spending some training hours at my hometown¡¯s gym. I was also looking forward to seeing my grandparents again and meeting back up with some of the locals.


    ¡°Tini are you sure that you¡¯ll be able to teleport us back all the way over from Lavaridge?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­? I think so.¡±


    Victini got to practicing long distance teleportation last night while it was dark out and not as many people were wandering the center corridors. She managed to teleport from the center dorms all the way over to the nanab berry tree on route 110. Trained psychics usually need to acclimate to their teleport destination for a long time to make sure there weren¡¯t any accidents, but Victini got the gist of it quite quickly. Wherever and whenever there¡¯s food involved, she could get really focused. Having spent time under that tree enjoying berries might have fastened the acclimatization process.


    To get from Mauville city to Lavaridge town one needed to cross both route 111 and 112. The former route had a completely paved road which wild pokemon tended to avoid. The route featured a lake but more importantly a permanent artificial desert in the northern parts of the route. Rumor has it that a colony of vibrava and flygon forcefully keep the desertified area in its current state with liberal use of the move sandstorm. When Pok¨¦mon came together like that to accomplish a single goal nature tended to bow to their whims. For this trip I wasn¡¯t planning on entering the desert area of route 111 since it would take a significant chunk out of our training time. The overall trip towards Lavaridge would take us about two whole days if we didn¡¯t get distracted.


    ¡®I¡¯d really like to check out that desert sometime though. It is a man¡¯s dream to go digging for fossils and having an amazing story to tell afterwards.¡¯


    ¡°Me too, I want to meet Regirock!¡±


    ¡°How long have you been snooping around in my brain for!? Nevertheless, the five legendary giants have been sealed by humans for a very long time. I don''t think they''d be all too happy seeing me. Maybe if we get a bit stronger, we can come back to see if Regirock is actually living in that desert cave.¡±


    Just like that we entered route 111, similar to all other route entrances this one had a warning sign informing passing trainers not to go into the desert without proper equipment and a pok¨¦gear. All pok¨¦gears had a mapping function helping the user navigate himself out of hazardous terrain like the perpetual sandstorm desert found on this route.


    We made some good time traveling on the route until we came upon a large homesteading. The ambient heat from the nearby desert and Mt. Chimney makes it almost impossible to grow crops here, making me wonder what type of produce this farm churned out.


    ¡®Summer squash, Sweet potatoes, maybe Okra?¡¯


    ¡°You are making me hungry!¡±


    ¡°Oops! Sorry, let¡¯s have a picnic right here. This farm makes for a very welcoming sight.¡±


    Victini got out of her ball and helped set up the picnic blanket and bowls while I fished out the Tupperware boxes each labeled with the name of one of my team members. The only one who didn¡¯t have his own labeled box was Orin on account of him not needing to eat. To keep my body in tip top shape for his twice per day feeding sessions I started eating slightly bigger portions. Nonetheless I called him out with the rest of my Pok¨¦mon to share in the pleasant weather and good company.


    ¡°Okay gang let¡¯s eat!¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°Nitan!¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡±


    ¡°Wick!¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, young fella!¡±


    I turned around to spot an elderly lady watching us from the windowpane of a nearby farm shed. Victini froze up and quickly turned invisible, while the peeping tom made her way outside to confront us. I quickly tried to diffuse the situation anticipating a reprimand for trespassing.


    ¡°Uhm sorry ma¡¯am we didn¡¯t know this was private property we¡¯ll be sure to leave immediately!¡±


    ¡°Naw, I ain¡¯t calling you out for that. As long as you are not damaging our family¡¯s crops there¡¯ll be no need for you to pack up and leave. Young¡¯un how¡¯s about you come inside our home and tell us all about your adventures. You are a Pok¨¦mon trainer, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±


    ¡°My oldest grandchild is set to leave for his own journey soon. Would you care to give him some advice?¡±


    ¡°Sure? I am not an expert or anything like that. I¡¯ve only earned two badges so far.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll do. Your team seems happy and well cared for. Although¡­ I am pretty sure I saw six of you just now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s strange I only have four Pok¨¦mon plus this little one. No extra Pok¨¦mon over here that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm if you say so. The name¡¯s Vicky Winstrate and this is our family¡¯s farm.¡±


    ¡°Egon from Lavaridge Town. Representing the Lavaridge Gym this year at the conference. Hopefully.¡±


    ¡°Aww shucks young man this is your first year as a trainer, right? Most firsties don¡¯t make it in their initial seasonal conference. Buck up and show some confidence!¡±


    Vicky moved to sit down with us while I hurriedly try to hide Victini¡¯s half eaten bowl behind my back.


    ¡°I see you have some unusual Pok¨¦mon with you. I don¡¯t recognize most of these.¡±


    My team, seeing as the old lady just wanted to have some casual conversation, went back to enjoying their meals. Victini went around my back and started eating from the bowl I had hidden from the nice old lady¡¯s sight.


    ¡°Well, yeah there aren¡¯t enough different native fire types in Hoenn to form a team. So, I set out to the Unova region. I just now made it back to Hoenn to start my actual conference run.¡±


    ¡°Good for you, not many trainers would have wasted their conference time trying to catch a full team first.¡±


    ¡°Since I am sponsored by the gym, if I ever were to catch more than six, my benched Pok¨¦mon would have to be taken care of by the gym. They only have the proper facilities to house fire types. So, I figured why not specialize since I was interning there.¡±


    ¡°Smart thinking boyo, my own grandson can just leave any extra Pok¨¦mon here to live with us on the farm and he doesn¡¯t have any typing preferences either.¡±


    Like that we started finishing up our meal with Grandma Vicky asking all sorts of questions about my Unovan team members. She was a retired trainer herself, most of her team members passing on or leaving to start their own families. The only Pok¨¦mon that was technically hers was the family Camerupt whose job it was to scare off any Pok¨¦mon looking to scavenge the farm¡¯s crops.


    Her mentioning their family¡¯s own Camerupt made me think that It¡¯s been a while since Numsy had the opportunity to graze and make merry with his same species members. I''d rectify that as soon as we made it to the Lavaridge gym. Cleaning up after breakfast was very simple. Each member of my team was responsible for cleaning up their own bowls arsonist style to conserve our drinking water while traveling. The bowls being made out of porcelain are a pain to carry but a totally worthwhile investment for easy cleaning. Rena didn¡¯t mind helping Tranquill with her own bowl since she couldn¡¯t produce any flames of her own. Once that was done and I stuffed the picnic blanket together with the clean bowls and Tupperware in my backpack we were ready to follow Grandma Vicky into her house to meet the rest of the family.


    ¡°So, my grandson just celebrated his tenth birthday, and my granddaughter is six years old. She is not old enough yet to be responsible for taking care of her own Pok¨¦mon. We¡¯ve been looking to catch her something from the lake situated behind the farm. A water type would be real useful to have during the dry season.¡±


    We walked through the front door and immediately came upon the family having breakfast at their dinner table. The only adult man was the first to greet me. Victor was his name after shaking the man¡¯s hand he introduced me to the rest of the family. His wife Victoria, their eldest son Vito and their youngest a peppy little girl named Vivi.


    The family quickly bade me to take a seat and encouraged me to tell of my experiences traveling as a trainer. I decided to regale them with the story of my stay in the relic castle. Leaving the sensitive information out of the tale.


    ¡°And that giant Cofagrigus was like really chill. Sure, it must have killed quite a few tomb robbers back in its day but as long as you make it clear that you aren¡¯t looking to steal his treasure, you¡¯ll be fine. Not that I¡¯d encourage any novice trainer to enter such places alone. I had the benefit of having a more experienced trainer looking after me while doing so.¡±


    As a useful visual aid, I pulled out my Pok¨¦dex and showed the family what a Cofagrigus looks like.


    ¡°Woooow¡­¡±


    Vito was the one to get fired up the most by my story.


    ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll do it! Me and Abra are going to find the mirage tower and¡­¡±


    Before he could finish that sentence, he got clobbered over the head by his mother.


    ¡°Young man didn¡¯t you hear Egon telling us he had a more experienced trainer looking after him?! When the season starts next year, you will be sticking to the official routes, no wandering around and getting yourself into any sticky situations!¡±


    ¡°Abra can just teleport us out if things get dangerous!¡±


    I decided to back his mother in this argument. I wouldn¡¯t recommend any other trainer my age pulling off any reckless stunts the way I have.


    ¡°Vito, ancient ruins like the relic castle or mirage tower surely have ghost types living in them. One mean look and you and Abra will be prevented from teleporting out. Ghost types are still one of the more dangerous types out there. My childhood friend¡¯s family runs Mt. Pyre she can tell you that entering such places without a medium or spirit channeler by your side is a bad idea.¡±


    Suitably chastised Vito let the subject drop before he got into any more trouble with his mother. I was also interested in finding the mirage tower for myself. So, to make sure Vito wouldn¡¯t run off into the night I decided to make a deal with him.


    ¡°How about after this season ends, I¡¯ll take you along with me to take a look around in the desert? I¡¯ve heard rumors that there are fossils buried deep beneath the sands. Instead of braving dangerous detritus we could dig around the sands for fossilized remains. Fossils are just as cool as any other type of buried treasure.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I guess¡­ Can you show me some of your Unovan Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    Seeing as Glove was a tad too big for this crowded dining room, I released Orin instead. The litte Litwick hopping around the table for a bit obviously confused by the unfamiliar people seated at the table.


    ¡°This is Orin my Litwick. A ghost and fire type.¡±


    ¡°Lit¡­!¡±


    Orin jumped on top of my left shoulder and waved to the rest of the family showing off his people skills.


    ¡°Now the thing about the Litwick species as a whole¡­¡±


    <hr>


    A good while later*


    After having a pleasant conversation with the family. Vito still wanted to show off his abra to me and Victor invited me to come fishing at the lake with him. I agreed to one of the proposals since it wouldn¡¯t take much time away from my schedule. Abra were known for sleeping eighteen hours a day at least and at this stage they couldn¡¯t do much except project emotions. Seeing Vito fuss over the sleeping psychic type was a gratifying experience.


    ¡°Abra aren¡¯t known to live on this route. Where did you two meet?¡±


    ¡°Our family went on vacation to Dewford town. Dad wanted to go fishing as always and mom had to watch Vivi, so grandma took me on an expedition tour inside the Granite Cave. Have you seen the large mural depicting those two giant Pok¨¦mon battling it out? That was an amazing experience. Even more amazing was meeting up with Abra. He was sleeping on the stone staircase leading up to the mural. Grandma had a spare pok¨¦ ball with her and she allowed me to use it to bring abra along. We have been bestest buddies ever since then, isn''t that right Abra?¡±


    ¡°Aaaabra¡­¡±


    I wasn¡¯t really sure if that response was Abra agreeing with him or just random murmurings the Pok¨¦mon made while still asleep.


    I eventually bid the pair goodbye to continue on my journey. The Winstrates are a pleasant lot, and I wouldn¡¯t mind going spelunking with Vito once he and Abra are a bit more experienced. Their family home was right near the desert so it would take no time at all to bring him along. Grandma Vicky was there to see us off.


    ¡°Now you come visit any time you like dearie. I am sure a trainer like you has lots more stories to tell.¡±


    ¡°Sure! Whenever I am traveling on this route again, I¡¯ll come by to visit you nice folk. If any of you are ever in Lavaridge Town just give my name to the nice lady manning the lava cookie store and she¡¯ll give you ten percent off.¡±


    With that I continued on my journey through route 111. I spent a good chunk of the afternoon at the Winstrates so I still had plenty of ground to cover on my way to Lavaridge.


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go fishing?¡±


    ¡°Not really, Victor told me that the magikarp in that lake are real sweethearts but with my horrendous luck fishing up water types¡­ I¡¯d probably manage to agitate one enough to induce an evolution.¡±


    ¡°Phooey!¡±

 Chapter 34 - Home Sweet Lava

    Chapter 34 ¨C Home Sweet Lava


    Camping out on route 111 was a treat. The closer we got to Mt. Chimney the more the ground around us started heating up. Sleeping on this soil felt like taking a nap on an electrically heated blanket. I knew for sure that, just like me, my team appreciated feeling nice and toasty. The ranger corps route 111 recommendation to sleep during the daytime and travel at night seemed a tad over exaggerated.


    The upcoming route 112 consisted of the entire base of Mt. Chimney. The route used to be off limits for travelers due to a local population of geodude, graveler and golem living on the slopes of the mountain. That species'' favorite pastime is rolling down mountain slopes making the entire route seriously dangerous. The corps intervened and relocated all of them to the safari zone a long time ago. Nowadays you can still find a few geodude here and there but nothing coming even close to their previous numbers. The rangers¡¯ justification for the whole ordeal was since the species aren¡¯t technically native to Hoenn that they should be relocated to create more space for native Pok¨¦mon.


    It did work somewhat but not like the corps intended. The mountainside was now being used by fighting types to live and train on. Specifically, machop but you had a few tyrogues and mankey in the mix as well. None of them being native to the Hoenn region like the rangers originally intended.


    ¡°Tini when we get to route 112 could you levitate me past the steep cliffs separating the route from Lavaridge town? I really don¡¯t feel like taking the cable car all the way up to Mt. Chimney and hiking back down the other end.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me!¡±


    It was a blessing that I had Victini with me for this. Since Tranquill wasn¡¯t big or strong enough to carry me all that far. As we got closer to the mountain and route 112 the vastness of the mountain range became clearer and clearer. Mt. Chimney being a massive active volcano it wasn¡¯t strange to see vast clouds of soot drifting along the passing north wind. Route 113 was permanently caked in layers of soot which acted great as a fertilizer but left that landscape permanently gray and dour.


    We finished trekking through the last part of the route finally ending up at the base of Mt. Chimney and the start of route 112. From here we were only around an hour¡¯s walk away from Lavaridge Town.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait! Just a bit of walking left and we¡¯ll get to eat grandma¡¯s cooking again!¡±


    After hearing the words ¡°Grandma¡¯s cooking¡± my oldest partner popped out of his ball.


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    Numsy was also a big fan of her cooking recipes. It¡¯s been a while since anyone on my team had her Lava cookies. A few days after Victini joined the team we completely ran out of that fermented Pok¨¦mon snack. The folly of the old me thinking I could trust her to save some of the cookies for the rest of my team.


    ¡°We¡¯re not there yet Numsy! But¡­ since you are out you can accompany me the rest of the way. Julie¡¯s ranch should be quite close and it¡¯s around the time where she lets out her herd of Numel to graze. It should be fun showing off your new size over them.¡±


    Julie is an ex-coordinator who recently took up ranching to pass the time. The league association pays her to keep this side of the mountain clear of weeds and bushes. Numsy was familiar with her herd of Numel, the two of us running into them quite a number of times while living in Lavaridge.


    Just as expected about a hallway through our trek we came across a large grouping of Numel chowing down on some grassy leaves. The small camels acting starkly different from my own partner even before he evolved. Because these Pok¨¦mon weren¡¯t being trained to battle and their diet consisted mainly of low energy foods like grass and weeds with the occasional berry gifted to them for good behavior, they were always either sleeping or eating.


    Numsy, excited to meet up with his old friends again wandered off to give them a good scare. While he did his own thing I looked for a nearby rock to sit on. I¡¯ve been walking all day so far and could use a bit of rest.


    ¡°Fuuuurrrett!¡±


    ¡°Hello to you too Furret, don¡¯t mind the Camerupt Numsy evolved.¡±


    Furret¡¯s job was looking after the herd and making sure none of them wandered off. With how absentminded the typical Numel is Furret has to pay attention twentyfourseven.


    ¡°Heya Egon, we haven¡¯t seen you in a while.¡±


    Furret¡¯s trainer followed behind her overly energetic Pok¨¦mon to come greet me.


    ¡°Is that Numsy? He¡¯s gotten so big!¡±


    ¡°Yep, he recently evolved. We''ve decided to come back and visit Lavaridge while on our journey.¡±


    Julie sat down with me to observe Numsy interacting with her herd of Numel. Numsy was showing off his stuff by play-wrestling with the little Pok¨¦mon. He used to be even smaller than them so now he was milking the situation for all it¡¯s worth.


    ¡°The townspeople will be so happy to see you again. They might have complained about you and Numsy messing up their gardens, but your presence brought some liveliness into our quiet town.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ he¡¯s too big now to sneak into anyone¡¯s garden unnoticed.¡±


    Julie used to live in Lavaridge town until she set off on her own journey. Nowadays she just visits occasionally to pick up supplies and gossip with the locals.


    ¡°Are you ready to make the walk down Jagged Path? Or did you manage to finally catch a flying type to carry you over the cliffs?¡±


    ¡°Something like that, one of my partners is a psychic type who is skilled enough with telekinesis to carry me aloft.¡±


    ¡°Hmm I figured you would exclusively train fire type Pok¨¦mon since you worked for Mr. Moore for such a long time.¡±


    ¡°I still do, I went overseas for a bit to look for team members abroad. Hoenn¡¯s native fire types aren¡¯t even enough to fill a standard team of six, and no way was I getting a professor issued starter. Mr. Moore did the same thing in his younger years he didn¡¯t catch his Thyplosion in Hoenn you know.¡±


    ¡°Hooo¡­ So, you are ready to amaze and astound the crowds with all your exotic Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°I am not a coordinator like you but pretty much yeah. At least my opponents¡¯ ignorance on foreign Pok¨¦mon should help us in the qualifying rounds if we make it to this year¡¯s conference.¡±


    Numsy seemed to have had enough from all the brown nosing and decided to come say hi to Furret and Julie.


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    ¡°Hello to you too, Numsy!¡±


    ¡°Furreeeett!¡±


    Furret and Numsy touched noses for a while before the long-bodied Pok¨¦mon ran off to resume its duties.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be around Lavaridge for another two weeks before setting off again. If you want to catch me beating Mr. Moore for a gym badge you should come visit at the last day.¡±


    ¡°If I have someone to babysit the Numel by that time I¡¯ll come and cheer you on with Furret.¡±


    We said our goodbyes to Julie before setting off again. Numsy escorting me the rest of the way, the eruption Pok¨¦mon looking awfully pleased with himself after getting praised by Julie¡¯s Numels. All Pok¨¦mon admire strength, even the non-battlers.


    ¡°So¡­ Did one of those pretty Numel ladies catch your eye?¡±


    ¡°Came¡­ Rupt!¡±


    ¡°No need to get defensive, it¡¯s perfectly natural. After evolving your body¡¯s hormones are all out of whack and you finally started noticing girls. Aaaack!¡±


    Numsy¡¯s retaliation for me teasing him was swift. Expelling soot from his nostrils and covering me in it. His surprise attack left me completely disoriented, not to mention ruining the set of clothes I was wearing.


    ¡°No need to mess up my clothes! Numsy! That was just some good-natured ribbing. Great! There¡¯s no flowing water around here, I¡¯ll have to walk into Lavaridge looking like this. Let me use your fur coat to wipe off!¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    ¡°No way buddy! You can just scorch yourself clean. As a human I would suffer second degree burns if I tried that. This is your doing, just let me get the worst of it off of myself.¡±


    Our disagreement turned into a racing match seeing as Numsy was not willing to let me wipe myself off of him.


    ¡°Stop running! I just want to give you a hug my friend!¡±


    ¡°Rupt Rupt!¡±


    We kept racing like that until we finally hit the steep cliffs separating route 112 from Lavaridge town.


    ¡°Now what are you going to do Numsy¡­? There¡¯s nowhere for you to run anymore!¡±


    ¡°Came!¡±


    Numsy started covering himself in flames as if to warn me that any further attempts from me to cover him in soot would end up with me getting burned.


    ¡°Fine you win pansy. Return!¡±


    I pulled out his pok¨¦ ball and activated the return mechanism, placing him back inside his ball to give him a timeout. After which I quickly surveyed my surroundings noting that no one else was watching us. I called out Victini to come out of her ball and enact my master plan.


    ¡°Just like this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, be careful though, this is the only body I got after all.¡±


    Following my directions Victini levitated me off the ground and over four sets of increasingly steep hills. I was deathly scared since we¡¯ve never done this before and also because I am afraid of heights. Being picked up telekinetically was a weird experience. Unlike being pulled up by my collar or other singular places on my body it was more like an all over type of bodily experience. Victini was psychically strong enough to crush me, but not once did I feel discomfort from her gripping me too strongly.


    ¡°You are doing great, Tini. You¡¯ll be sure to get some extra lava cookies today when we arrive at my grandparents¡¯ house.¡±


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    After helping me get over the final cliff she retreated back inside my backpack. Eagerly awaiting the time of our arrival feast. The town¡¯s main entrance was right in front of us. With a spring in my step I returned to the place of my birth.


    <hr>


    We were waiting in front of Lavaridge¡¯s trainer school. When I entered my old town, I noticed it was around the time that the students would be let out. Since a friend of mine was currently taking extra curricular classes and it was a school day, I figured I might as well wait outside to surprise her. The school bell rang and one by one the students slowly exited from the school¡¯s main gate to return back to their homes. This lasted for a while before I finally spotted my childhood friend¡¯s signature red hair. She didn¡¯t notice me at first probably due to the amount of soot marring my features. That lasted until I called her out.


    ¡°Flanny, wait up!¡±


    ¡°Egon¡­? You look terrible!¡±


    ¡°Why it¡¯s nice to see you too. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Miserable thanks to you! Grandpa wouldn¡¯t let me go on my journey alone since he thinks I am too immature. I finally struck a deal with him to let me go if you accompanied me and then you bailed to go adventuring on your own!¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­ sorry about that, but hey I caught a lot of new friends, and I am even looking after a Pok¨¦mon egg I received. Pretty cool huh?¡±


    I showed her my incubator. Luckily glass is easier to clean than clothes, so it was easy to see through the glass and watch the red flecked egg within. I knew my distraction worked since Flannery temporarily stopped shouting at me. The timing was perfect as well since the egg started twitching a little as we looked at it.


    ¡°You¡­! It isn¡¯t faaaaair!¡±


    ¡°Sorry! I¡¯ve decided to come back to Hoenn and participate in the Ever Grande conference. You can still come with me I suppose. Do you want to come visit my grandparent¡¯s place? I still need to clean myself up, me and Numsy had an argument and he sneezed over me.¡±


    ¡°Fine! But you¡¯ll have to help me convince grandpa!¡±


    Just like that we walked over to my grandparents¡¯ house. Flannery kept asking questions about the egg the entire way over. How I got it, how long it¡¯ll be until the egg hatches and more annoyingly. If she could catch the Pok¨¦mon for herself once it did. I was sincerely hoping she was just joking with that last one. I told her almost everything except for the species of Pok¨¦mon this little one belongs to. Since I was planning on having the egg hatch while in Lavaridge she could discover that for herself. That didn¡¯t stop Flannery from trying to tease the truth out of me.


    ¡°C¡¯moon Egon be honest! It¡¯s a tepig right? The egg comes from Unova so it must be!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough, and please take your shoes off before exiting the hallway. You know how my grandma gets.¡±


    We walked up to the front door. I dug up the house key buried in grandma¡¯s flowerbed for situations like these. I trusted Flannery well enough not to blab about our secret key hiding place. After turning the key over inside the lock, I stepped inside my childhood home.


    ¡°Grandma, Grandpa, I am back home!¡±


    For a second, I thought both of them were out manning the store but then I heard gramps call out to me from the garden.


    ¡°Egon! We are in the garden!¡±


    I rushed back out to the other side of the house and there they were, lounging about on lazy chairs. This would usually be around the time that at least one of them was taking care of the store. To see both of them here was highly unusual.


    ¡°Grandma¡­!¡±


    ¡°Now look at you this is no way to walk out and about. Go upstairs and clean yourself up, we''ll talk after you look more presentable.¡±


    Being told off like this was heartwarming and embarrassing at the same time especially so in front of Flannery. Grandma seemed set to destroy my mature image in front of the eleven-year-old girl.


    ¡°Can I leave my Pok¨¦mon here? I caught lots of friends and they¡¯ve been excited to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Fine but then it''s bathtime for you. Trekking all that soot across my pristine living room floor just what were you thinking?¡±


    Having gained the tacit permission from my grandmother I unfastened my belt and dropped my backpack before individually prying off the pok¨¦ balls latched onto my magnetized belt.


    ¡°Come on out everybody!¡±


    In a flash of light my entire team materialized. Inside the small garden of our home. Numsy immediately bolted towards grandpa to say hello while Rena jumped on my Grandma¡¯s lap eager to receive some female attention. Both of them had their own favorite grandparent and it showed. The rest of my team were eager to explore their new surroundings. Having heard much about this place from my night time stories. I assumed they would each try to introduce themselves after Numsy and Rena were done reacquainting themselves but before they had a chance to do anything Flannery jumped them.


    ¡°Oh my gosh is that a Darmanitan. You CAUGHT a Darmanitan! We don¡¯t even have a single one at the gym!¡±


    Flannery, who I had temporarily forgotten about, was standing at the garden¡¯s backdoor when I released my Pok¨¦mon. Naturally she had to get all close up and personal with my newer teammates. She didn¡¯t seem as impressed by Numsy¡¯s evolved form but that was sort of understandable seeing as the gym took care of a dozen or so camerupt.


    Victini remained in my backpack still a bit too shy at the prospect of meeting my family and friend. She would probably attempt to introduce herself once Flannery calmed down a bit. This was the first time I saw Flannery fangirling and it was a very odd sight. She kept poking her finger into Glove¡¯s flaming eyebrows like she¡¯s never seen anything similar before. I happen to know for a fact that she goes ponyta racing every weekend.


    ¡°Flanny, can you calm down a bit? And properly introduce yourself before you go touching. If Glove was a wild Pok¨¦mon you¡¯d be in a heap of trouble.¡±


    Properly chastised Flannery gave an apologetic bow before introducing herself.


    ¡°I am sorry! The name¡¯s Flannery, future gym leader of Lavaridge Town. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    Glove who was allowing Flannery to manhandle him up until this point just gave her a quick pat on the head to let her know that he was agreeable with her overenthusiastic ways. Glove has been working on his patience in preparation for the egg hatching, a scant minute of Flannery using his body as a playground was nothing to him.


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°Orin also says hello.¡±


    Flannery turned around to watch my ghost type waving at her from the garden table.


    ¡°You also caught a Litwick?!!¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s going to take a while before she calms down. Do you want to go up to my room?¡¯


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I left Flannery in the garden with Grandpa and Grandma while I set out to clean myself in the upstairs bathtub. I figured Grandma would keep Flannery from going too far with her antics, so I also decided to leave my team with them. Quickly undressing I slipped inside the warm water while Victini explored the rooms upstairs.


    <hr>


    After I was done washing myself, I opened my old closet and fished out some casual wear. Even without Numsy dousing me in nostril soot I would have taken a bath on the first opportunity regardless. Camping out in the wild with no flowing water in sight would make anyone have bad body odour. With me now finally presentable enough so that even my grandmother wouldn¡¯t complain I made my way back downstairs. Victini floating behind me holding on to the back of my shirt.


    The scenario I encountered in the garden was oddly quiet. Flannery was indulging Litwick by playing cards with him and grandma. Somehow or another grandma got Flannery to calm down enough to focus on playing the game without making too much noise.


    I sat behind Litwick, on a lawn chair, content by quietly observing the game. The little candle Pok¨¦mon drew a good hand he should be able to win from here. Grandpa was busy combing out Numsy¡¯s fur. It was his favorite pastime before we left on our journey, it reminded him of how he used to take care of his old Arcanine.


    ¡®Darn now I am feeling sad, well there is one way to get myself out of this malaise¡­¡¯


    ¡°Uhmm Flannery, grandma, grandpa there¡¯s still one member of my team you haven¡¯t met yet.¡±


    ¡°Nooo¡­¡±


    I pulled out the floating bunny from behind me and presented her to my family and friend.


    ¡°This is Victini, she was feeling a bit shy before but now she wants to get along with all of yo¡­ Wait.. where¡­?¡±


    I looked around and Flannery was no longer sitting at the table playing cards.


    ¡°Victini is mine now!¡±


    I turned around and somehow Flannery managed to grab a hold of Victini at such speeds that it didn¡¯t register quick enough for my brain to comprehend what was happening in time. Flannery stood triumphantly behind the garden door holding Victini in both arms. Stroking her ears every way I thought imaginable and then some ways even I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Vi Vi¡­!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let her steal me!¡±


    ¡°Now calm down Flanny. Of course, Victini wants to be friends with you but firstly I have to explain some things about her circumstances.¡±


    ¡°What kind of Pok¨¦mon is this Egon? Grandpa told me all about fire types from different regions. He never mentioned anything about Victini.¡±


    ¡°Just come sit down and I¡¯ll explain everything.¡±


    A few moments later which involved following Flannery up the stairway because she refused to hand over her new bestest cuddle Pok¨¦mon. I finally got her to agree to sit down with Victini in the garden to listen to my story. Grandma was quite smitten with Victini as well but not exaggeratedly so like Flannery. She offered Victini one of her special surprise Lava cookies which Victini was now in the process of munching on as I tried to start this important and serious conversation.


    ¡°So, what do you know about mythical Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    ¡°Like Entei? Grandpa caught a glimpse once during his first year traveling Johto. He says feeling that Pok¨¦mon¡¯s presence is what inspired him to only specialize in fire types.¡±


    ¡°Well yes and no. Scientists and the higher ups of the league association know that legendary Pok¨¦mon exist as they are oftentimes documented in old texts, and there are brief sighting reports. The distinction between mythical Pok¨¦mon and legendary ones is that the former have almost never been documented and there have been no sightings of them. Their existence is mere hearsay. Victini is such a Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    Victini, now done with her cookie, started ballooning up with pride, obviously pleased with me acknowledging her specialness. I made it a point to always treat her as I would any of my other partners. Indeed, in my mind each and every one of my partners was just as special.


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Acknowledge my Amazingness!¡±


    This time the message wasn¡¯t sent only to me but to Flannery and my grandparents as well.


    ¡°She is a psychic type?!¡±


    ¡°Well yes partly, she¡¯s really good at levitating and she¡¯s an expert at turning herself invisible but don¡¯t let her play cards with you she cheats.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t! Egon is just a sore loser!¡±


    Flannery was obviously stumped by the knowledge that this little rabbit she was holding was that unique of a Pok¨¦mon. She quickly got over it though after stroking Victini¡¯s ears some more.


    ¡°Egon we¡¯ve got to show my grandpa! He¡¯ll want to know that you caught such a special Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°About that Flannery¡­ I am fine with showing your grandpa but it¡¯s important that you don¡¯t go around telling other people about Victini. If it becomes known that I am traveling around with her, bad people will show up and come to take her away forcefully.¡±


    It was at this point that my grandpa injected himself in this conversation.


    ¡°That is true little lady. I''ve dealt with my fair share of Pok¨¦mon thieves while working for the police. The things they¡¯ll do to little Victini here if they were to get their hands on her won¡¯t be a pretty sight. Egon, who else knows?¡±


    ¡°Unova¡¯s regional professor and his daughter, Phoebe, Phoebe¡¯s friend Kira, a strange old hermit living in the woods, Champion Drake and now you three.¡±


    ¡°Hmm Champion Drake is known to be an honorable man and Phoebe knows how to keep secrets, but how come you told those other three?¡±


    ¡°Phoebe invited me to stay over at Kira¡¯s house but it¡¯s impossible to keep any sort of privacy living in a haunted house. The old hermit could sense Victini¡¯s unique presence using some form of aura sight and I needed the professor¡¯s help to conceal Victini. He gave me a legal unregistered pok¨¦ ball but in return called in his daughter to come and observe Victini for a couple of weeks.¡±


    ¡°Also, I want Victini to be able to make more friends. She has lived a very lonely life. To make up for that I want her to make friends with as many people and Pok¨¦mon as possible.¡±


    At my declaration the tension in the room eased. Victini was so embarrassed at my declaration that she pulled her ears over her eyes so that nobody could look her in the face. Naturally, that endearing sight had the exact opposite effect.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry , Egon, Victini and I will be best friends!¡±


    ¡°Oh, dearie of course we already consider Victini as part of the family, isn¡¯t that right Ralph?¡±


    ¡°Sylvia, let''s not use our first names in front of the children we discussed this, but yes any Pok¨¦mon belonging to our grandchildren are automatically part of the family.¡±


    Flannery automatically being considered friends with Victini has allowed her to do away with even more of her scruples. The eleven-year-old was now openly planning to go do all sorts of girly stuff with Victini. She didn¡¯t get to act like a girl most of the time since her abrasive personality combined with the constant smell of sulfur surrounding her scared off most potential female friends.


    ¡°First, we¡¯ll go clothes shopping and then we can play dress up in my room. I am sure grandpa won¡¯t mind you staying over for a slumber party!¡±


    Normally Flannery would never admit to strangers that she was into girly stuff too. The bonding process was happening alarmingly quickly in front of my eyes. In the end I considered this a good thing. I hadn''t even thought about letting my female Pok¨¦mon have a classic girl¡¯s night out. We were always roughhousing it in some part of the routes or training for upcoming battles.


    ¡®I should probably send Rena along with them. She likes these sorts of things as well.¡¯


    I glanced at the sleepy vulpix still resting on my grandmother¡¯s haunches. Her ears twitching a bit every time Flannery used the words dress up or shopping.


    ¡°Egon you might think that you have moved past me in terms of capturing more Pok¨¦mon but you¡¯d be wrong! I have also gotten more additions to my team. Grandpa gifted me with two more Pok¨¦mon as well while you were gone.¡±


    ¡°Wait, does that even count as catching?¡±


    ¡°Shut up! When you see my new team members, you¡¯ll be sure to die of jealousy. Come on out!¡±


    Flannery hurled two pok¨¦ balls out into the garden. One formed the all too familiar silhouette of a Ponyta I knew personally. It was the one Flannery used to prance around with, through town rubbing my face in the fact that I couldn¡¯t have one. The other Pok¨¦mon that materialized was truly a surprise and not something I expected Flannery would be able to get a hold of.


    ¡°Chic?¡±


    ¡°Flanny, have your grades suddenly so drastically improved that Professor Birch decided to take you on as a fellow in his research projects?¡±


    ¡°Oh no not at all. Grandpa bought Torchic for me from the breeder who also gifts them to the lab every year. He said that if I earned my trainer¡¯s license, he¡¯d give me something special as a reward.¡±


    ¡°¡­unfair. I am sorry little Torchic you¡¯ll have to put up with her for the unforeseeable future.¡±


    ¡°Tooor Chic!¡±


    Regional starter Pok¨¦mon like this Torchic would cost an arm and a leg to any native Hoenn citizen looking to buy one instead of earning them the traditional way. This little one should be a boy. The league association kept a close eye on any trainer permitted to train a female starter Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t my little Torchic just the cutest? She is just as cute as Victini!¡±


    ¡®She!? Well as the daughter of an elite four and gym leader of the region the chances of Flannery suddenly deciding to start breeding torchics for rival regions was little to none, but still¡­ The power of money is fearsome indeed.¡¯


    ¡°Now I have four Pok¨¦mon to your five Egon! Don¡¯t think you are that far ahead of me!¡±


    Unlike their trainer the released Pok¨¦mon calmly walked up to my team to introduce themselves. Mr. Moore must have picked out the more even tempered Pok¨¦mon for his granddaughter to balance out her hotheadedness a bit. It was starting to get a bit crowded inside the garden with the extra newcomers joining in and I still had some things to talk about in private with my grandparents. So, I gave Flannery the signal that it was time for her to head back to the gym.


    ¡°Why Egon? We are having a good time!¡±


    ¡°Your grandpa doesn¡¯t know where you are right? It¡¯s best to get back to the gym before dinner time. I¡¯ll meet up with you shortly. I still have some things to do around here.¡±


    ¡°Can I bring Victini with me? I want to be the first to show her off to grandpa!¡±


    ¡°You can but only if I am there. Just wait for a bit, okay? How about giving Victini a tour of the gym? I don¡¯t think she¡¯s ever been on the inside of a volcano before. Just make sure the gym staff don¡¯t spot her accidentally.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Without much preamble Flannery took Victini along with her out the front door. It was strange that she didn¡¯t also want to show off some of my other Pok¨¦mon to her grandfather as well. The power of those big blue eyes must have distracted her by my estimations.


    ¡®Such a kid¡­¡¯


    ¡°Egon, she is rubbing me against her forehead now¡­¡±


    ¡®Hold on I¡¯ll come along just wait ten more minutes.¡¯


    I felt comfortable leaving Victini with Flannery because our mental connection could be maintained by her over long distances. If anything, untoward happened Victini could inform me within a second¡¯s time.


    I was left alone with my grandparents and the rest of my team. Talking about Zinnia in front of Flannery would put unnecessary stress on the girl. This was a matter that only concerned family members.


    ¡°Grandpa, Grandma, I want to take Zinnia back home.¡±

 Chapter 35 - Trial by Fire

    Chapter 35 ¨C Trial by Fire


    My grandparents lounging in their garden, instead of managing the cookie store, set red bells ringing off in my head. Grandma loved that store and badgering passing trainers to buy from her. I was afraid that with Zinnia gone they¡¯d feel too out of sorts to continue managing their passion project.


    ¡°Egon, we can''t do anything about it. Even if we disagree with Willow¡¯s handling of the situation, Zinnia is still her daughter.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust that man, grandma. I am sure he only took Zinnia with him for selfish reasons. If he didn¡¯t care for her the eight years prior, I don¡¯t see him being all that interested doing so now.¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Rena. I spoke to Champion Drake, he confirmed my earlier speculations of that tribe living inside Meteor Falls. All I need to do now is grow stronger with my team, if we can beat back the roaming dragon types surrounding that place, I¡¯ll demand they release Zinnia back to our care. Don¡¯t worry about anything, I''ll take care of it I promise.¡±


    My grandparents were clearly exasperated by my bold claim but in a good way. Although they couldn''t help but fuss over me in their own way.


    ¡°Are you crazy? No grandchild of mine will go anywhere near that place without at least earning himself eight badges!¡±


    ¡°Egon let grandpa handle it. I¡¯ll talk some sense into that whippersnapper!¡±


    I gave both of them tight hugs of appreciation before letting grandma know I wasn¡¯t suicidal and telling grandpa that he was too old to get into a fight with my stepfather.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be staying in Lavaridge for the next two weeks. I know that I am officially emancipated but could I still stay here during that time?¡±


    I knew what their answer would be, but I still asked for propriety¡¯s sake. After getting their consent for my continued stay. I left them to enjoy the rest of their afternoon while I set out to join Flannery and Victini at the Lavaridge gym. After asking for volunteers to keep an eye on the elderly couple Rena and Numsy opted to stay to keep them company. Leaving Glove and Orin to accompany me to the gym. Glove insisted on keeping the egg close during this crucial time in its development, so I brought my incubator along with us as well.


    ¡®How are you holding up over there?¡¯


    ¡°Flannery¡¯s bed is really comfy!¡±


    Getting confirmation that she was being treated well I continued my leisurely walk towards the gym. We passed by the sand baths at some point, and I was eager to greet my old master but not without Numsy. My first partner would be distraught if I tried to get one up over him by going to see master Quagsire first without including him.


    The townsfolk didn¡¯t have a particular reaction seeing me walking the streets again. Maybe three months and some odd weeks wasn¡¯t enough time for them to notice me missing. Old lady Greta was still giving me the evil eye though, probably expecting us to go rampaging through the communal gardens again.


    Walking past the sand baths I could already see the gym¡¯s entrance and the Pok¨¦mon center. Which reminded me to meet up with our nurse Joy later to clue her in on the impending birth of my newest Pok¨¦mon. She has been a long-time family friend and an adept hand at delivering newborns. Nurse Joy was there for both mine and Zinnia¡¯s births so having her there to welcome Larvesta into this world seemed appropriate.


    I made it to the front gate. It was still during the gym¡¯s opening hours. Although Lavaridge gym was the most unpopular gym of the circuit, people still needed to come here to earn their heat badge. Seeing as it was still opening hours there was a good chance I could watch a gym battle going on by just walking in. Naturally since I was a familiar face to the gym¡¯s staff, I had free reign to walk around unsupervised.


    Walking past the reception desk the first familiar face I met was Keegan the charcoal maker. Obviously on his way to bring any injured gym Pok¨¦mon to the center next door.


    ¡°Egon! It¡¯s been a while, how have you been doing on your journey? And I see you¡¯ve brought an egg with you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I just came back from Unova, and I have some interesting new partners to show for it. I see you are busy, so I won¡¯t hold you up.¡±


    ¡°Egon, Leader Moore already heard from Flannery that you¡¯re back. He¡¯s waiting for you inside the volcano¡¯s main chamber. Finish up what you were planning on doing and head out to meet him. The gym¡¯s been sponsoring you for quite a while and he¡¯ll surely want to measure your progress.¡±


    ¡®Okay now I am worried! No wait, calm down I¡¯ve clearly made some progress filling up my team and earning two badges. That¡¯s completely respectable.¡¯


    Not wanting to keep Mr. Moore waiting any further I telegraphed in my mind to Victini that I made it to the gym and that I was looking to meet back up with Flannery. Clearly, I wasn¡¯t planning on barging inside a preteen girl¡¯s room. So, the only other option was to wait for the two of them to come out. I knew roughly where Flannery¡¯s room was situated. The gym had a side building meant for the leader and his family to live in. From an early age I¡¯ve done all I can to avoid that part of the gym. I didn¡¯t want to invade Mr. Moore¡¯s personal space and lose my prospects of a sponsorship from the gym. Thus, I waited until Flannery finally appeared from a side entrance.


    ¡°Egon! You ready to meet up with grandpa?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I hope I¡¯ve done enough to impress him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay Egon! Grandpa likes you.¡±


    ¡°Liking me doesn¡¯t matter. Being a sponsored trainer means that I represent the gym. If I do well in the circuit that shows the rest of the region that the Lavaridge gym raises competent trainers. Inversely if I perform poorly that will reflect badly on the gym. In the worst-case scenario, they might even pull the gym¡¯s license. Arceus knows the gym hasn¡¯t been offering competitors high level matches for a while.¡±


    ¡°Geez Egon! Now I am getting worried too, stop being such a sour meowth.¡±


    Having invisibly followed the two of us through the hallway, Victini took that moment to reappear at my side followed by a quick activation of her ball¡¯s return mechanism. The two of us agreed it would be wisest for her to stay in her pok¨¦ ball for now. I knew for a fact that the gym housed a good number of security cameras. This could also be the reason why Mr. Moore requested for us to join him in the gym¡¯s caldera battlefield. That being the only place where cameras couldn¡¯t be mounted due to the ambient temperature. The battlefield was mostly just used in gym advertising since most non fire type Pok¨¦mon couldn¡¯t handle the heat, especially grass and water types. If at some point in the future the gym started doing fifth level badges and higher again, this battlefield could be seeing some use.


    Me and Flannery entered the gym¡¯s deepest sanctum. The ambient torridness grew stifling. No matter how much I liked sweltering heat this went a bit overboard. The air surrounding us was bone dry which would normally help but not at these temperature levels. The volcano we were in was directly adjacent to Hoenn¡¯s biggest most active one Mt. Chimney and it showed. Consequently, this was also the place where all the slugma, magcargo and magmar were kept. The kinds of fire types who did very well in extreme environments. Normally you wouldn¡¯t see them since they liked staying inside the magma.


    ¡°Grandpa! I brought Egon!¡±


    There standing in the center of the raised battlefield was Mr. Moore waiting for us. He seemed sharper than usual, completely different from the usual doting Pok¨¦mon poetry obsessed man. Flannery as usual couldn¡¯t read the atmosphere and walked up to Mr. Moore waiting to get praised by the old man like usual.


    ¡°Flannery dear not now. Why don¡¯t you go sit over at the bleachers? Egon and I have some important business to go over.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, Egon¡¯s been really good! And he brought all these cute Pok¨¦mon over from Unova. Please don¡¯t fire him!¡±


    ¡°That depends on the outcome of this ¡­Flannery. Now go do as grandpa says, if you are good, we¡¯ll all go out for ice cream later.¡±


    Unbeknownst to Mr. Moore those magic words triggered a reaction from a certain Pok¨¦mon currently inside her ball.


    ¡°Ice cream?¡±


    ¡®Sure, after this you can have some too. For now, we¡¯ll have to put on a strong united front.¡¯


    Flannery appropriately cowed did as Mr. Moore said and vacated herself to a nearby spectator seat. Now it was just me and the old man.


    ¡°Egon, I have heard you experienced some success all the way over in Unova. However, I also know that you haven¡¯t earned even a single badge here in our home region where it matters most. As your sponsor I am curious, how do you intend to rectify this matter?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have already scheduled a match at the Mauville gym. And I was hoping to earn my Lavaridge gym by the end of my stay here. After that I¡¯ll go to Fortree city and book an appointment with the gym leader there. My team is strong! and we are planning to go all the way this season.¡±


    ¡°If you are that confident, I suppose I¡¯ll have to test you¡­ Bring out your strongest Pok¨¦mon against one of mine. If you manage to impress me, I¡¯ll let you keep your sponsorship.¡±


    With that Mr. Moore retreated to the other side of the battlefield. Waiting for me to take a position on the opposing end of the arena to start the battle. Before taking him on I had to secure my egg. It was quite common for attacks to veer off course and accidentally hit one of the trainers. I had to make sure the egg was kept safe. So I bolted to Flannery¡¯s spot on the bleachers.


    ¡°Can you look after my egg? Mr. Moore wants to test me in a battle.¡±


    I also released Victini and Orin to stay with her just in case.


    ¡°You two watch my battle from over here, okay? If I know Mr. Moore, he¡¯ll probably want to test me with a higher-level Pok¨¦mon. I have to bring out Glove just to stand a chance.¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡±


    Rushing back down to take my position on the field I faced what would probably be my toughest battle yet.


    ¡°Standard rules! We won¡¯t be needing a referee for this. Go! Rapidash!¡±


    I recognized the Rapidash Mr. Moore brought out. It was one of his personal Pok¨¦mon he used when teleportation or a flying type wasn¡¯t available. Even though this Rapidash was mostly used for transport it still had a spot on his personal team. Making it at least an eighth badge level Pok¨¦mon.


    As luck would have it, I had my own unfairly powerful Pok¨¦mon to call on in situations like this.


    ¡°Glove let¡¯s do this!¡±


    For the first time I released Glove to do battle. The Blaze Pok¨¦mon materializing on my side of the field.


    ¡°Dar?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry for calling you out like this without notice, but would you engage in battle with me? Our opponent this time is too strong for the others.¡±


    ¡°Nitan!¡±


    My Darmanitan knew all the higher level moves his species can learn naturally. This meant that before he got stuck in his other form he could be classified as an elite level Pok¨¦mon. I didn¡¯t know how much of his old strength remained, but this would be as good of a time as any to find out.


    I mainly battled with the others on my team to help them catch up to Glove as fast as possible. Glove didn¡¯t mind overly much not having to battle for a while since he was kept busy with looking after the egg most of the time.


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    ¡°Work up!¡±


    ¡°Agility!¡±


    Both Mr. Moore and I called out our commands at the same time. He opted to increase his Rapidash¡¯s maneuverability while I intended to increase Glove¡¯s power. I figured it was meaningless to expend energy chasing after a Pok¨¦mon known to move faster than any top-of-the-line car. If we had to wait for Rapidash to get close we might as well prepare in the meantime.


    Smoke wafted off Glove¡¯s body signifying the successful execution of the move. Mr. Moore¡¯s Pok¨¦mon even while restricted in the finite space that was the battlefield was hard to keep track of with just my eyesight. Blurring slightly at the speed it was going.


    ¡°Once it gets close Hammer Arm!¡±


    ¡°High horsepower!¡±


    Rapidash jumped up intent on crashing down from above with its full body weight. The problem was Rapidash couldn¡¯t take any evasive maneuvers while in the air making Glove¡¯s hammer arm sure to hit. Their bodies collided into each other; Gloves arm imbued with fighting type energy struck Rapidash¡¯ exposed midriff at the same time that the horned Pok¨¦mon¡¯s hooves hit Darmanitan on his exposed head. The blowback from Glove¡¯s fist alleviated the power of Rapidash¡¯ strike somewhat but those hooves got a solid hit in while imbued with ground type energy.


    Glove was left reeling the concussive force combined with the type effectiveness taking its toll. I knew he was just one blow away from changing forms. Meanwhile Rapidash looked to be the winner from their exchange but not by a whole lot, the horse Pok¨¦mon panting slightly.


    ¡°Thrash! Don¡¯t let it build up speed again!¡±


    ¡°Double edge!¡±


    Thrash was a risky move. The Pok¨¦mon using it would abandon the entire notion of self-preservation and keep slamming into its target with reckless abandon. Once the move ended it left its user in a confused daze. However, I couldn¡¯t afford for Rapidash to keep on with its harrying tactics.


    The two Pok¨¦mon collided again. Mr. Moore, seeing as I wouldn¡¯t let up, gave the Rapidash¡¯ instructions to close in with a full body blow. Rapidash¡¯ reach being slightly better due to its long neck and horn impacted first blowing Glove away the only thing my Pok¨¦mon could do in that time was give a glancing blow to Rapidash¡¯ head.


    That¡¯s when it happened, Glove¡¯s body petrified and turned blue, his rapid change into his alternate form. Greatly surprised Mr. Moore momentarily giving me an advantage. Confusion was too weak a move to deal much damage to an experienced Pok¨¦mon like Mr. Moore¡¯s Rapidash pushing me to rely on what we in the Lavaridge gym call the good old classic.


    ¡°Flamethrower!¡±


    The short surprise was all we needed to get that singular move to hit. Glove, now empowered by his other form, no longer relied on his breath to execute the move. Using pyrokinesis on the flames his body can naturally generate. The blast of fire caught Rapidash head on. Naturally the thermal energy or Fire TE of the move wouldn¡¯t do much against Rapidash but the blast could still knock her over for a short spell which it did in short succession.


    ¡°Very interesting Egon. I¡¯ve never heard of a Darmanitan capable of switching forms! Let¡¯s see how you deal with this. Megahorn!¡±


    Somehow Mr. Moore accurately guessed that a bug move would now deal more damage. I knew for sure that Glove was on his last legs taking one more hit would result in our loss.


    ¡°Levitate! Don¡¯t let Rapidash catch you!¡±


    While in this state Glove should be able to move in the air to evade that attack. This was why I was adamant on him learning confusion first. Not for its use as an attacking move but for its other application.


    Glove¡¯s eyes started glowing blue and he managed to swiftly float high up in the air. I was very impressed with his quick mastery of this skill. As was Victini who was cheering from the sidelines.


    ¡°I taught him that!¡±


    ¡°You think my Rapidash can¡¯t reach up there?! Bounce!¡±


    Again, Rapidash showed its impressive range of learned moves. Bounce allowed normally landlocked Pok¨¦mon to imbue their legs with flying type energy to jump great heights. Managing to make her Megahorn connect even at such a high altitude. My Pok¨¦mon immediately fainted once the move connected and started falling down to the ground.


    ¡®At this height he could seriously injure himself!¡¯


    ¡°Glove!¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me!¡±


    Glove¡¯s descent slowed down instantly as if he had an invisible parachute wrapped around him. He slowly moved down until he gently landed back onto the arena.


    ¡°Glove return!¡±


    I activated the return mechanism of my pok¨¦ ball sucking up Glove inside. I addressed him briefly the adrenaline in my body slowing down enough to allow for my mind to judge the battle¡¯s conclusion.


    ¡°You did great. I¡¯ll give you plenty of berries after dropping you off at nurse Joy¡¯s. With some extra training we are sure to beat that Rapidash no problem.¡±


    After the battle¡¯s conclusion Mr. Moore moved to address me his Rapidash trailing along at his side. Before he had the chance to speak his first words. Mr. Moore got heckled down by the singular spectator at the bleachers.


    ¡°Unfair! Don¡¯t be a meanie grandpa! You sent out Rapidash while Egon doesn¡¯t have a single badge yet! Don¡¯t fire Egon he did really well!¡±


    ¡°Flannery dear, let me talk with the boy, I haven¡¯t even said anything yet.¡±


    ¡°Uhmm I could always come back later? Glove still needs to be cared for at the Pok¨¦mon center.¡±


    ¡°Hush, that Darmanitan is tough enough to wait the entire evening if it has to. Now as for your sponsorship¡­ It can continue but with certain requirements.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll at least earn yourself seven badges this circuit. With Darmanitan¡¯s strength that should be easily doable. As for the second requirement¡­ You¡¯ll accompany Flannery here to catch her own Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Really, you¡¯ll let me go out grandpa?! I love you!¡±


    ¡°As she is now, she won¡¯t be able to complete the circuit in one go, but she also desperately needs the experience in order to grow as a trainer. Flannery is my heir so I can¡¯t have her fail the circuit on her first attempt. And as an elite four I have too many duties. She wouldn¡¯t grow as much while stuck under my care. I want you to accompany her. Let her catch a Pok¨¦mon or two on her own. Have her get some practice battles in with wandering trainers. While making sure she doesn¡¯t do anything reckless or crazy.¡±


    ¡®Looking after Flannery as a side gig? Hmm I don¡¯t know¡­ this could be even more exhausting than trying to survive off prize money.¡¯


    As if she knew what was going on inside my head. Flannery preemptively tried to use her baby-doll eyes on me.


    ¡®Fool! that move only works on Mr. Moore.¡¯


    ¡°There is also of course an increase in your allowance since you¡¯ll have to take care of Flannery and her team as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, I can take care of myself, you know! Just give me that money!¡±


    ¡°Flannery dear, you are liable to get scammed. Egon has more experience in this. Let him handle the money issues while you focus on training your Pok¨¦mon. Now¡­ Since that is settled, I would like to hear all about your experiences in Unova. Mayhap you can introduce me to that ¡®special¡¯ Pok¨¦mon you described during our phone call.¡±


    <hr>


    Sometime later*


    It had been decided that Mr. Moore and Flannery would come over for dinner where I would regale them with all of my Unova adventures. Before that happened though, I needed to drop by the Pok¨¦mon center.


    ¡°Nurse Joy!¡±


    ¡°Oh my! Egon, how good to see you again.¡±


    ¡°Can you restore the health of my Darmanitan? He¡¯s been in a tough battle back at the gym.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, just place his pok¨¦ ball on the counter. Chansey, we have another patient.¡±


    ¡°Sey!¡±


    The pink ovoid Pok¨¦mon picked up the tray containing my singular pok¨¦ ball and brought it with her into a side room.


    ¡°So how have you been? We have been worried about you and Zinnia since the day your parents came into the center to have that talk with you. I haven¡¯t seen her around since.¡±


    ¡°Our mother and her father thought it best that she live with them. I¡¯ve come back early from Unova to convince them otherwise.¡±


    ¡°How unfortunate that you had to cancel your journey early¡­ Did you at least have a good time?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve made lots of Unovan friends. One of them even gave me her egg to take care of.¡±


    I showed Nurse Joy the insides of the incubator I was carrying. The egg was at a stage where it twitched once every hour or so.


    ¡°The Nurse Joy in Mauville city said my egg would hatch somewhere within the next two weeks.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great news Egon! It¡¯s always a special time when a new life comes into this world.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ I was thinking that I¡¯d like you to be there for the hatching. At this point it''s tradition for my family to have you be there for the deliveries.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to! During medical school I specialized in Pok¨¦mon obstetrics. You know the species of the mother?¡±


    ¡°Uhmm yeah, the mother is a Volcarona.¡±


    ¡°Such a rare species of Pok¨¦mon! There are so few left that scientists speculate they are close to extinction. Then certainly I¡¯ll have my work cut out for me. Now I¡¯ll be twice as motivated! To provide this little one with the best healthcare.¡±


    I thanked my lucky stars that she left it at that and didn¡¯t start grilling me about the egg¡¯s origins like the nurse Joy from Mauville city. While we were busy talking, she grabbed a medical chart and started scribbling on it and asking questions only pertinent to the egg¡¯s overall health. She was surprised when I told her that the egg was probably decades old. That it only started showing signs of activity after putting it into the incubator.


    ¡°You are being really helpful, Egon. Would you mind if I shared this information with the rest of my family? The specific incubator settings alone could help other joys when they encounter similar cases.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, I don''t mind. Does the center have any recording equipment? I also made a promise to tape the hatching for the ranger who helped me by gifting me this incubator.¡±


    ¡°We sure do! I¡¯ll ask Chansey to record the whole process. Speaking of¡­ We printed out that photograph of Zinnia¡¯s reaction after receiving her Horsea. Would you like to have it?


    ¡°Yes please!¡±


    In the end I left the Pok¨¦mon center with a new addition for the family scrapbook and Glove attached back to my belt with the recommendation to let him rest for the next twelve hours. Coupled with some sage advice about the egg hatching process.


    If the egg starts twitching as frequently as three times per hour it means that the egg would hatch within twenty-four hours. This is a golden rule among all the different species of Pok¨¦mon with few exceptions. Nurse Joy recommended to come stay at the center with her as soon as that happened.


    With my business at the center finished I finally headed back home for the final time this day. Mr. Moore and Flannery should have already made it over. Re-entering my grandparents¡¯ home I already found the two of them sitting at our dinner table together with grandpa and grandma. It seemed that grandma made her special region famous falafels with sitrus berry glaze, my absolute favorite.


    ¡°Egon, come sit quickly, your dinner is getting cold!¡±


    ¡°Coming grandma!¡±


    <hr>


    Nearing the end of the regaling*


    I decided on telling my family and friends most if not all of the noteworthy events that I experienced while in Unova. Including the fact that it turned out that I was their champion¡¯s grandson. If my grandparents suddenly got a surprise visit from anyone on my father¡¯s side of the family, I wouldn¡¯t want them to be left flatfooted.


    ¡°You are a Champion¡¯s grandson?! How come you are still mooching off grandpa then?¡±


    ¡°I am not mooching off of Mr. Moore! Sponsoring trainers to represent a gym, company or other organization is common practice.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? Are you sure that champion grandfather of yours didn¡¯t gift you that Darmanitan? No way could a nerd like you catch such a strong Pok¨¦mon on your own!¡±


    ¡°Says the girl who got gifted all the Pok¨¦mon she ever owned! Every member of my team chose to come with me on their own volition!¡±


    ¡®Wait, why am I arguing with an eleven-year-old girl?¡¯


    The other adults in the room were bemused enough to watch our verbal sparring play out. Content to nurse a drink while doing so. Alcoholic beverages made from fermented berries were quite popular in this world. I wasn¡¯t much of a drinker even in my heyday, but it still would have been nice if I got offered one. Seeing as I was technically considered an adult. Mr. Moore was the first to break the gap in our conversation.


    ¡°Now then can I finally meet this so called ¡°Victini¡± at this point I am questioning if my granddaughter¡¯s descriptions of the Pok¨¦mon are even real.¡±


    Victini was at this moment busy having dinner with my other Pok¨¦mon. I made it a point to have breakfast and dinner with them during those moments. Sadly there wasn¡¯t enough space inside the house for Numsy to come eat with us. So we collectively decided to have my team eat dinner together with Numsy so he wouldn¡¯t feel left out.


    ¡°Victini was eating dinner outside. They should be about done. I can ask her to come back inside if you¡¯d like?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯ll be fine, this is the man who is paying for all the food you¡¯ve eaten so far. Just a quick paw shake and you can spend the rest of the conversation on my lap.¡¯


    Victini was unused to being introduced to multiple people in a single day. Meeting my maternal grandparents and Flannery was still doable for her. Since I know the three of them very well and she could experience their personality types through my memories. Mr. Moore was a bit of an unknown factor since we generally didn¡¯t speak with each other.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Victini turned visible right in front of Mr. Moore, her paw extended in an attempt to get the handshake and fly off as quickly as possible. Naturally Mr. Moore was quite surprised. He wasn¡¯t as slow witted to not understand the gesture though. Using two fingers to grab her tiny paw for a shake.


    ¡°Why it¡¯s nice to meet you as well, Victini. My name is Tim Moore, but everyone just calls me Mr. Moore.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi.¡±


    Having done her due diligence, she floated off the table and right onto my lap. Her two ears still sticking out from under the tabletop.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that she was cute grandpa? Not as cute as Torchic though!¡±


    ¡°Egon, now that I have had her in front of me. I could sense the great power she holds, why didn¡¯t you choose her to face me in battle with? I have no doubt you could have defeated Rapidash with her by your side.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Tini has never been in an actual battle before.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Yes, I was!¡±


    ¡°That Litwick doesn¡¯t count! The poor thing just got blasted away. A proper battle is more than that.¡±


    ¡°Hmmmm¡­ You find yourself in a precarious situation. She has the power but not the skills to use them in battle. It would be best if you and Victini trained at the gym for a while under my supervision.¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡±


    The opportunity to study under an elite four like Mr. Moore was something most trainers would shell out a truckload of pok¨¦dollars for.


    ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t have you walking around with a Pok¨¦mon that valuable who doesn¡¯t know how to defend herself. I¡¯ll ask Drake to give me a week¡¯s leave but during this time I expect you and Victini to give it your all.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll happily accept! But ehm¡­ Asking Victini to give it her all is kind of dangerous for her sparring partners.¡±


    ¡°You think this old man¡¯s team is that brittle? I¡¯ll have you learn the true meaning of firepower!¡±

 Chapter 36 - Cracking an Egg

    Chapter 36 ¨C Cracking an Egg


    The following days were quite hectic, Mr. Moore being determined to turn Victini into a competent battler by his definition. The military style no nonsense training didn¡¯t mesh well with her personality type.


    ¡°Give me twenty flamethrowers within ten minutes or you can go to bed without dinner!¡±


    ¡°Vi!?!?¡±


    He didn¡¯t deign to spare me from his extreme ministrations either. According to him, great trainers were always mobile. This meant that he had me running laps inside the volcano while his Pok¨¦mon were taking potshots at me. His Magcargo was acting all gingerly about it and luckily for me the Lava Pok¨¦mon was restricting itself by only using rock throw and ember attacks. The first few days I went to bed bruised and mildly singed leaving me with torn up and burnt clothes.


    ¡°Egon! If you don¡¯t finish those three miles, it¡¯s no dinner for you either!¡±


    ¡®Like hell you are convincing my grandma into letting me go to bed starved. If worse comes to worst, I¡¯ll just sneak out to get dinner at the hot springs¡¯ inn.¡¯


    ¡°Me too?¡±


    ¡®Of course, what kind of trainer would I be if I didn¡¯t sneak in some extra for you. Starving ourselves won¡¯t make us grow stronger.¡¯


    The rest of my team had it much easier. Each one gained a friendly mentor which they couldn¡¯t stop raving over. Especially Rena¡¯s mentor, Mr. Moore¡¯s own Ninetales took a shine to my little fox. When she was not teaching Rena new tricks the two could often be spotted together grooming one another.


    Numsy also had a same species mentor this time an older gym Camerupt not on Moore¡¯s personal team, picked for seventh level badge fights and up. Since the Camerupt had nothing else to do except graze and look after the gym¡¯s numel this was a nice change of pace for him. I stressed the importance of learning earth power to Numsy. So hopefully he has been focusing on that instead of grazing and lazing about with the rest of the gym¡¯s herd Pok¨¦mon.


    Only Orin and Glove didn¡¯t receive a mentor, both of them, especially the little Litwick had trouble finding a proper mentor. While Glove just exercised once in a while with most of his attention being focused on the egg. I figured it would be pretty awkward for him to start receiving advice from Pok¨¦mon close in strength to himself. Orin for the most part just watched on from the sidelines as we got abused into being capable battlers. Or if he wasn¡¯t then Flannery probably took him along to have fun elsewhere.


    Tranquill, being absolutely bored out of her mind, has been picking fights with the weaker gym Pok¨¦mon. In the wild that wouldn¡¯t be an issue, but gyms had to make sure that they have Pok¨¦mon of appropriate level strength for every challenge. If a first badge level Pok¨¦mon got too strong, they¡¯d be moved up and used against 2nd badge level fights and so on. If a gym¡¯s Pok¨¦mon got too strong too quickly, they could face a shortage of Pok¨¦mon to use for challengers. Luckily there was a limit to the number of battles Tranquill could start before growing tired.


    The training was rough and often times Mr. Moore and I had disagreements on how to engage with Victini. The only way to convince him to ease up on the training when he was stuck in one of his moods was to have Victini tell on him to Flannery. The red head was quick to berate her grandfather for ¡°bullying¡± her cute new friend. Whenever Flannery involved herself, he turned back into the overly spoiling, kind-hearted, Pok¨¦mon poetry obsessed grandfather.


    Mr. Moore was old enough to have experienced the interregional war between Kanto and Johto and being that his family originally came from Johto I figured he must have some leftover mental demons and I couldn¡¯t help but compare the training we were doing with army drills. Curiosity alone was not enough to have me start asking questions about such a sensitive subject. There was a widely agreed on consensus between old people to never talk about the war. To prevent the youth from holding on to old grudges.


    Although we didn¡¯t agree with his methods, they did produce some results. Since power was never an issue for Victini we skipped past moves that relied too heavily on technique. The focus would be to train her up to be able to use flamethrower, fire punch, psychic, and thunder punch. Mr. Moore didn¡¯t have any psychic types of his own but the Magmar on his elite team was skilled at using the move.


    After each personal session with Magmar the little rabbit Pok¨¦mon usually walked away with new insights. Even though Victini had a childlike disposition the smarts inherent to psychic type Pok¨¦mon shined through. She quickly learned to use three of the four moves on the first try. The only move the rabbit Pok¨¦mon had some difficulty learning was thunder punch, requiring the remainder of our first week to get the basics down. I attributed her difficulty learning the move with the fact that she had never in her life tried to channel typed energy that was neither psychic nor fire type.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ My everything hurts, and spending too much time in that Volcano ruined my traveling boots.¡±


    It was after another one of our training sessions with Mr. Moore when it happened. Me and the team were walking back home, myself sweaty and with a growing bruise on the side of my head where I got hit by my Magcargo¡¯s rock throw. The Pok¨¦mon was limiting himself in order to not to hurt me too badly, I knew that, but getting hit still stung. We met glove on the way back home, he was carrying the incubator in his arms looking especially harried. This was a strange occurrence since Glove never went outside the house without being accompanied by me or my grandparents.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Glove? Did Flannery try to ride on your back again?¡±


    ¡°Nitan!¡±


    ¡°Glove says the egg twitched three times one shortly after the other!¡±


    ¡°Really?! Okay! Glove you head on over to the Pok¨¦mon center with the egg. I¡¯ll let Grandma and Grandpa know in case they want to watch the hatching. Tini, can you let Flannery know?¡±


    ¡°On it!¡±


    Flannery kept bugging me about my egg, since I declined to disclose the specific species inside of the egg to her. I figured it would be fun for her to find out the traditional way. Our Nurse Joy Mary told me the hatching process could take a whole day, but I hoped my immature friend could stay for long enough to witness that special moment.


    <hr>


    Seven hours later*


    ¡°Egooon!!! How much longer is this going to take? I am hungry!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll hatch when it is ready and not a moment sooner. Maybe if you calm down the little one in the egg will come out sooner.¡±


    ¡°Oh my¡­ We have some rice crackers in the back if you¡¯d like some?¡±


    The people inside the delivery room at the center consisted of just me, Flannery and nurse Joy. My grandparents visited for a spell but quickly left after making a token appearance. As did Mr. Moore here to drag Flannery back home since it was past her bedtime. Nurse Joy managed to convince him to let Flannery stay here for the birth. It was just an hour past midnight and we spent most of our time waiting by sharing stories. Our local nurse Joy, being very well traveled, had a few juicy escapades to share. During her younger years she used to be a trainer just like us competing in four regional circuits. Her being from the Joy clan meant that she had unrestricted access to almost any region. She wasn¡¯t really all that successful never qualifying to enter the championship tournaments but for her it was more about the experience traveling around meeting new Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Mary, has anyone from the Joy clan ever won a championship tournament?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my niece twice removed, if I do recall, she won one here in Hoenn. Before taking up a job as a PIA agent in Kanto.¡±


    ¡°PIA?¡±


    ¡°The Pok¨¦mon inspection agency. They are responsible for making sure gyms and other league associated facilities are being run according to the rules established by the Pok¨¦mon association. Making sure they keep up with the latest safety standards and provide the correct level of challenge for each individual challenger. Each year they shut down a few minor gyms for poor practices.¡±


    Minor gyms were quite common in every region. Technically speaking if a village, town, or city doesn¡¯t have an official gym a resident was free to open one. Naturally the badges awarded by such a gym weren¡¯t worth much. It was tough for any trainer to run a gym without significant backing from their community. The successful ones out of these small timers kept the big gyms on their toes, always eying their position and ready to take over when their leaders proved themselves inadequate.


    Our time spent watching the egg has been quite draining to me and Flannery, our young bodies not yet used to staying up past our usual bedtimes. Mary offered to let us go sleep in one of the center¡¯s bunkbeds while she would keep watch, but I felt it was important to observe the entire process.


    The rest of my team were out of their pok¨¦ balls, except for Victini who was counting on me to inform her when the hatching commenced. It¡¯s not like we didn¡¯t trust nurse Joy to keep Victini¡¯s existence a secret but there were multiple camera¡¯s set up inside the room and we planned to share those recordings with a number of people.


    To pass the time Flannery started goofing around with her team and my Pok¨¦mon. Playing hide and seek, tic tac toe and tag. Naturally running through the Pok¨¦mon center¡¯s hallways was completely against the rules but Mary allowed it this one time since it was past visiting hours and the girl clearly needed to let off some steam.


    Then it happened. The egg had been wiggling for a while now, but it seems like its occupant decided to finally take escaping seriously. Marked by the fact that for the first time we heard a loud thwump emanate from inside the incubator.


    ¡°Mary, it''s happening!¡±


    ¡°Dar! Dar!¡±


    The family¡¯s nurse Joy with practiced precision unscrewed the incubator¡¯s top open before carefully picking up the egg and placing it on a collection of old wet towels. She let me know beforehand that fire types tended to come out dry with the eggshell pieces bursting out in every direction like a small grenade explosion. This tended to scorch up the surroundings real bad hence the need for wet towels.


    The first visible crack was made at the top of the egg splintering into multiple lines which glowed red hot. As if the occupant inside sought to blast their way out. And eventually it did pelting me and Flannery with the remains of its egg shell. Luckily it being a newborn Pok¨¦mon the power behind the blast wasn¡¯t at all dangerous.


    ¡°Veeeees!¡±


    We could finally see the baby Pok¨¦mon¡¯s true appearance. Larvesta looked similar to other first stage bug type Pok¨¦mon sporting a segmented body with the upper half of its body enveloped by a fuzzy white mane. Having three pairs of legs with one pair front facing so it could hold grab things its most distinctive feature however was the five whorled horns distributed equally alongside its head.


    ¡®Oh, right! My Unovan Pok¨¦dex will probably have this one on record let¡¯s see¡­¡¯


    Larvesta, the Torch Pok¨¦mon. When battling opponents, it sprays fire from its five horns. The max temperature of the flames can reach nearly 5,500 degrees Fahrenheit. In ancient times, Larvesta was worshiped as the emissary of the sun. However, it was also viewed as a burden since it often caused forest fires.


    ¡°Aww it¡¯s so cute! And look at those horns!¡±


    Flannery as always was quick to comment on the perceived cuteness of a Pok¨¦mon. Meanwhile Mary was eager to give baby Pok¨¦mon a physical exam slowly inching closer to the newly hatched Larvesta.


    ¡°Vesta!¡±


    It seemed Larvesta was having none of it. Dangerously flaring up its horn towards the nurse¡¯s incoming hand.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Wait! Larvesta will only trust a human or Pok¨¦mon who has been designated as its caretaker.¡±


    It has been around two months since I received that pheromone mark. I¡¯ve showered and bathed multiple times since then so I didn¡¯t know for sure if this would work. However, it had a better shot of working than whatever Mary was planning to do.


    Un-sleeving my right arm I presented my bare skin to Larvesta. The mark had almost completely faded, but if you looked closely you could still barely see a faint white outline. I was hoping Larvesta wouldn¡¯t burn my arm off in an attempt at self-defense. Thankfully the little guy or girl seemed to be distracted by something in the air. The torch Pok¨¦mon crawled over to my offered appendage and started rubbing its fuzzy white head across the length of my arm.


    ¡°Your mother chose me to take care of you. Do you want to come with me, Larvesta?¡±


    ¡°Veeees!¡±


    Somehow, I knew that I had gotten a positive reaction from the newborn Pok¨¦mon. Evidenced by the fact that Larvesta was now crawling up my arm on its direction towards my shoulder eventually making its way up there. The feel of Larvesta up there wasn¡¯t altogether unpleasant. Yes, the horns were poking me but they weren¡¯t sharp in any way.


    ¡°Larvesta, would you mind letting the nice Nurse Joy have a look at you?¡±


    ¡°Veees¡­¡±


    ¡°If you are really brave, I am sure she¡¯ll give you a tasty treat afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Can I have a tasty treat too?¡±


    ¡®Yes, in a bit. First let me work my child rearing skills on Larvesta.¡¯


    With some further cooing and head rubs I finally managed to convince Larvesta to let Mary have a look at her. The nurse Joy took Larvesta off my shoulders and placed the torch Pok¨¦mon on a nearby weight scale.


    ¡°This is the first time I have done this with a Larvesta so please bear with me. We don¡¯t have a medium for what is considered a healthy amount of weight or anything really. So, the only thing I can do is to take all Larvesta¡¯s measurements and document them for any future references.¡±


    Mary proceeded to test Larvesta pupillary light reflex as well as the reflex-arc on each of her six limbs. Before turning Larvesta over and examining the other parts of the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s body.


    ¡°Egon, I am pleased to inform you that this Larvesta is a healthy baby girl.¡±


    ¡®Ughh... now Dianne is surely going to hound me to play matchmaker in the future.¡¯


    ¡°Larvesta for being such a brave Pok¨¦mon you can have your pick out of any of these Lollipops.¡±


    Mary offered several choices from candied fruit peels to sliced berries. Eventually Larvesta settled on a honey flavored lollipop. Mary seemed quite pleased with the bug Pok¨¦mon¡¯s choice for some reason.


    ¡°All bug type Pok¨¦mon that end up visiting our center for treatment, just love my special combee honey lollipop. it¡¯s a bug type favorite.¡±


    ¡°Mary, I didn¡¯t know you made Pok¨¦mon confections in your spare time.¡±


    ¡°Fufufu, visiting trainers don¡¯t stay in Lavaridge for long so me and Chansey end up with a lot of free time.¡±


    ¡°Grrr¡­!¡±


    ¡®Calm down! I¡¯ll get you one of those lollipops later.¡¯


    While Larvesta was enjoying her candied treat, someone else in the room couldn¡¯t contain their eagerness any longer.


    ¡°Dar Dar!¡±


    ¡°Yes, go ahead Glove this is the perfect time for introductions.¡±


    My Darmanitan stood ramrod straight which wasn¡¯t easy since his species tended to lean forward using their arms for additional support. Just like that Glove slowly walked up to Larvesta who was still situated on top of the medical exam table.


    ¡°Dar Dar¡­¡±


    ¡°Vesss?¡±


    ¡°Nitan!¡±


    ¡®What did he say?¡¯


    ¡°Glove is swearing his loyalty to the princess.¡±


    ¡®Wait why? I thought we were going to be cool uncles?!¡¯


    ¡°Lar!¡±


    ¡°She appointed him as her personal knight.¡±


    ¡®This is getting out of hand real fast! I am going to try something.¡¯


    ¡°Glove, how are you going to be an uncle and a knight at the same time? Knights can¡¯t play horsey or do whoopey cushion pranks!¡±


    ¡°Dar¡­¡±


    ¡°It was all just in my head? You are a retainer first and foremost?¡±


    To his credit Glove did seem slightly ashamed of going back on his words. To get my mind off this grave betrayal I gave Flannery and the rest of my team the go ahead to make their own introductions. Fervently wishing that none of my other Pok¨¦mon felt the need to swear allegiance to Larvesta.


    First up was Numsy, the eruption Pok¨¦mon seemed the most disinterested of those who were present in the room. Which was still quite fond as a numel he spent a good number of nights reclined against the egg looking after its well-being.


    ¡°Rupt.¡±


    ¡°Ves?¡±


    ¡°Came?!¡±


    Larvesta hopped off the table and landed squarely on top of Numsy¡¯s neck.


    ¡®Wait what just happened?¡¯


    ¡°Larvesta deemed Numsy to be a part of her royal procession¡­ as her steed.¡±


    ¡®Please Acreus! Don¡¯t let this happen to me. I can''t handle eccentricities of this magnitude.¡¯


    Numsy eventually recovered from the initial shock of being categorized as Larvesta¡¯s beast of labor. Not bothered by Larvesta¡¯s implications he carried her around the room to the other Pok¨¦mon of my team who hadn¡¯t had the time to introduce themselves yet. Each time Larvesta giving them some sort of made-up court position. Rena became her lady-in-waiting while Orin received the honor of becoming her antiquarian. Tranquill oddly enough also was deemed worthy enough to receive a position in this faux court. Victini translated her job title as Keeper of the Swanna. When it was time for Flannery to make her introductions, the smooth procession seemed to run into a few snags.


    ¡°Heya Larvesta my name is Flannery. Let¡¯s be friends!¡±


    What sounded to me like a completely normal start to a healthy relationship seemed to somehow offend Larvesta. Evident by the small plumes of fire shooting out of her horns.


    ¡°Vess! Vess!¡±


    ¡®Wait that seemed completely normal to me what happened?¡¯


    ¡°Larvesta says only family can deign to speak to her so casually.¡±


    Before things got out of hand, I intervened by pulling off Larvesta from Numsy¡¯s back and giving her a stern talking to.


    ¡°Flannery is a family friend be nice to her, okay? She might come off as a bit too forward but give her some slack for my sake.¡±


    ¡°Vess¡­¡±


    ¡°Now as a token of reconciliation you should shake hands together.¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    ¡°She says that¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s okay, even I can figure that last one out.¡¯


    ¡®Taking care of this one is going to be a chore, I just know it.¡¯


    <hr>


    Later that night*


    Mary didn¡¯t want us to go out after dark, so she let us stay in the center dorm rooms. Numsy couldn¡¯t stay out and had to be put back in his ball, but the rest of the team kept on without sleeping for a spell longer to get to know Larvesta a bit better. She seemed tolerant enough of those who she deemed to be her servants. Seeing as I was to look out for her, and she hadn¡¯t decided to give me a court title yet I seemed to be in the clear.


    Larvesta went into great detail on what was to be expected of each member. As her knight and personal champion Glove was permitted to take her place in any trial-by-combat duels and was to put a stop to any assassination attempts. Rena was the only one permitted to be candid to her, her duties as a lady-in-waiting was to be Larvesta¡¯s playmate and keep her up to date with any courtly gossip. Orin¡¯s job entailed the protection and maintenance of any artifacts or valuable items our party manages to acquire. After which she promptly demanded to inspect our ¡°coffers¡±. Orin being completely out of his depth looked at me hoping I¡¯d take over for him.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright Orin you don¡¯t have to play along with her antics if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Lit¡­¡±


    ¡°Fineeee¡­¡±


    I grabbed my trusty backpack and turned it over letting all its contents spill out on my bed covers. Besides the obvious clothes, camping supplies and tupperware filled with Pok¨¦mon food and berries there were a number of items that didn¡¯t fall into the before mentioned categories. To make it as simple as possible for Orin I lined up any of the unusual items.


    One Mega stone, Safety Goggles, Rena¡¯s ruby tiara, calling card from Geof the secret CEO/ janitor, one fire stone, Pok¨¦dex, five soda cans, Xtransceiver and the disassembled remains of Dianne¡¯s egg incubator which I planned to return to her at some point. It wasn¡¯t much but hopefully Orin will be let off with just this.


    Larvesta paced around the bed painstakingly inspecting the goods. She seemed happy enough with the firestone and unidentified mega stone. Dismissing all the supplies and clothes, when her eyes landed on the tiara her eyes started shining.


    ¡°Ves! Ves!¡±


    Before Larvesta had the chance to go grab the tiara Rena swiftly body blocked her claiming the tiara to be her personal property.


    ¡°Pix Pix!¡±


    ¡®Oh boy this is not going to end well if I don¡¯t do something. Gotta distract Larvesta quickly.¡¯


    ¡°Hey, Larvesta, we haven''t gotten to naming you yet. Your mother has a beautiful personal name. How about I come up with one for you?¡±


    ¡°Lar?¡±


    ¡°Your mother¡¯s name is Sunny, so I was thinking something sun related.¡±


    ¡°Ves Ves!¡±


    ¡°Excellent, hmm how about Halo? The way your horns crown your forehead looks similar to old petroglyphic art depicting the sun.¡±


    It seemed like I¡¯ve gotten better at naming since Larvesta seemed blown away by my name suggestion. Eagerly bobbing her head in agreement and also completely forgetting the ruby tiara which Rena was at this moment sneakily trying to hide behind her six tails.


    "Perfect! It''s nice having you on the team Halo. Hey, would you mind me capturing you in this net ball? I don''t want anyone else to try and run off with you."


    My proposal to capture her passed scrutiny and she gave me a single nod with her head. Not wasting any time and with most of my backpack emptied I grabbed the singular empty net ball which was not latched to my belt but acted as the hood ornament of her incubator. Sitting in preparation for today''s events and sparing me the effort of buying a regular one from the local pok¨¦mart. Gingerly I gently bopped Halo on her head, the capturing device opening up and sucking the bug type Pok¨¦mon inside. The ball wiggled only once before producing that familiar clicking noise to confirm a successful capture.


    ¡°I caught a Larvesta!¡±


    ¡°Pix Pix!¡±


    ¡°Dar!¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°Egon shut up!¡±


    ¡°Whoops, Let¡¯s keep quiet you guys. Flannery needs her beauty sleep.¡±


    Since Flannery was a bit upset after being shunned by Larvesta like that. I made a deal with Victini to keep her company for the night. My fellow redhead was sleeping in the next room over and was not in the mood to entertain my antics.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to bed as well. Tomorrow will surely be a hectic day.¡±


    <hr>


    The following morning*


    Since we stayed awake for a good portion of the night, we only got out of bed at around ten in the morning. Naturally this being Larvesta¡¯s first day out of the egg, she looked at every surrounding building and tree with a sense of wonder and delight.


    ¡°The building you were born in is called a Pok¨¦mon center. It''s where injured and sick Pok¨¦mon go to be healed.¡±


    ¡°Ves.¡±


    ¡°You can always identify a Pok¨¦mon center by the distinct red coloring of their rooftops. So, if you ever get lost in a big city that¡¯s the place, I¡¯ll look for you. There¡¯s also the(a?) Pok¨¦mart. These buildings have blue tiled roofs. It¡¯s where trainers like me buy supplies, like pok¨¦ balls or medicine.


    Halo being very eager to learn all there is to know about all the buildings and Pok¨¦mon walking around Lavaridge. It made teaching her a pleasant experience not mentioning the fact that her fuzzy mane felt nice brushing up against my neck. It is good that her birthplace is my hometown, if she was born in a big city all the noise and crowded streets might have been a bit overwhelming for her. I was late for my daily training session with Mr. Moore, but I was sure he¡¯d understand the importance of showing Halo around town.


    ¡°Ves?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the gym, the place where me and a few other fire type specialized trainers work at. We offer challenges to passing trainers at differing skill levels and if they do well, they earn a badge. Badges are what trainers like me aim to collect in order to earn a spot at this big yearly tournament.¡±


    ¡°Can we go now?¡±


    Victini had to suffer through being smothered like a stuffed toy for the whole night. Cheering up Flannery took a whole lot of effort on Victini¡¯s part. The girl went back home a bit earlier than I did in order to have breakfast with her grandfather on time.


    Arriving through the front entrance, Halo got a whole lot of attention from one of the three people that worked at the gym full time.


    ¡°Why look at that, a Larvesta! I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever get the chance to see one in person. You are one lucky trainer Egon. So, that is the Pok¨¦mon that was inside the egg you were logging around the whole time?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my first time raising a newborn Pok¨¦mon so any advice you could give me would sure be helpful Keegan.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve raised a lot of the gym¡¯s newborn Pok¨¦mon. We don''t exactly plan for it but when love happens someone¡¯s got to take care of the Numel and Ponyta once they¡¯ve been weaned off. They make for excellent challenges against fledgling trainers.¡±


    The gym trainers did have to take care of some extra unplanned Pok¨¦mon from time to time. Slugma, Ponyta and Numel mostly. If the newly hatched Pok¨¦mon didn¡¯t have any interest in battling, they would be relocated to a place more suited to them. Those ponyta and numel usually ended up at a ranch or reserve. The ponyta especially were a big hit with riding schools since all those girls tended to want their own personal ponyta to ride on. However, there was a strict rule that parents and their calves/foals were not to be separated unless they both gave the gym their consent. Magcargo typically didn¡¯t have much parental instinct. For them it was enough just knowing the egg would be cared for by a diligent trainer.


    ¡°The people working here are all trainers with way more experience than me Halo. So be sure to pay attention when they give out suggestions.¡±


    ¡°Vess¡­!¡±


    ¡°Hoho! Got yourself a spitfire I see. That sort of personality type is well suited for a fire type. Well, I¡¯ll leave you two to it. There is a Magby just waiting to be prepped for today¡¯s challengers. If you are looking for Mr. Moore, he¡¯s at the usual place inside the caldera.¡±


    ¡°I am sure Mr. Moore would love to meet the only Larvesta ever to be found outside the Unova region.¡±

 Chapter 37 - Birthday Girl

    Chapter 37 ¨C Birthday Girl


    ¡°See Halo? These are all fire type Pok¨¦mon just like you.¡±


    ¡°Vess.¡±


    As we were walking through the gym¡¯s hallway on our way to the caldera, I couldn¡¯t help showing off some of the interesting sights most challengers don¡¯t get to see when visiting the gym. The gym had everything. From personal use hot springs gym trainers sometimes used to dehumidifying heat pipes. Some of the fire type Pok¨¦mon living here are more comfortable living in dry heat as were their trainers.


    The more even-tempered Pok¨¦mon had free reign to use the gym¡¯s facilities as they saw fit. It wasn¡¯t all that strange bumping into a magmar just done bathing inside one of the gym¡¯s more hazardous spa treatment options only available to volcano dwelling Pok¨¦mon. Naturally they had to make sure after they were done bathing in magma that there weren¡¯t any loose globs of it sticking to their bodies. Dripping spots were still visible from all the times some of the fire type Pok¨¦mon forgot to clean themselves off properly.


    ¡°Ah! Here we are, this is the deepest part of the gym connecting to one of the smaller volcanoes adjacent to Mt. Chimney. We are kind of late but seeing as today is your birthday I bet Mr. Moore won¡¯t mind.¡±


    At this distance we could already see Mr. Moore waiting for us. He didn¡¯t look all that happy, but a quick explanation should straighten things out.


    ¡°Mr. Moore! My egg hatched! This little one decided to join up with me and the team. Isn¡¯t she the cutest?¡±


    ¡°Ves!¡±


    ¡°A Larvesta¡­ and a female one at that. Victini was one thing but now you also have a Pok¨¦mon widely recognized as one of the strongest fire types around? Did you manage to make a wish upon a passing Jirachi by chance?¡±


    ¡°Well, no¡­ I just have a sixth sense for finding interesting Pok¨¦mon I guess.¡±


    ¡°Never mind then. I don¡¯t expect you to tell me all your secrets. In any case since today is such a special day I guess I can let you off for being late. Leave your Larvesta at the stands. It will be good for the little lady to observe our training. That way she will be mentally prepared to face the same rigors as Victini does.¡±


    With that I released Victini from her ball. The little rabbit seemed to have gotten a taste for battle lately since she loved having sparring matches with Mr. Moore¡¯s Magmar. The kindly spitfire Pok¨¦mon was exhausted after every bout the two had while Victini was still full of energy.


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Bring it!¡±


    ¡°Ves!?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hmm indeed. Halo you haven¡¯t gotten the chance to meet Victini yet. She is also one of my partner Pok¨¦mon. You just haven¡¯t met her yet since Victini was busy cheering up Flannery last night. Go say hello.¡±


    I put Halo down on the ground, the heat from the arena didn¡¯t faze her at all as she crawled up to Victini to make her acquaintance.


    ¡°Vi Vi?¡±


    ¡°Ves!¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡±


    My rabbit Pok¨¦mon moved in enthusiastically giving the larva Pok¨¦mon a hug.


    ¡°Ves?!¡±


    ¡°Victini here is over a hundred years old and she¡¯s really smart. If you ever need someone to give you a byplay of what¡¯s happening at any given moment you can rely on her.¡±


    ¡°Ves!¡±


    ¡°Vi?!¡± ¡°You want me to be your court scholar?!¡±


    ¡°Ves!¡±


    ¡°Vi¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Egon knows a lot more about this world than I do¡­¡±


    This was the moment I decided to butt into their conversation.


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea! You can teach Halo all sorts of stuff. Also, Tini you can just take a peek through my mind whenever you need to look up some piece of trivia or the like.¡±


    I was starting to feel more positive towards all these ¡°court positions¡± Halo was giving to my team. She must have picked up a thing or two from those claydolls and her mother even while in the egg. We just had to make sure she regarded her ¡°court¡± more akin to a family as opposed to Pok¨¦mon or people subordinate to her.


    ¡°Make sure to teach Halo all the important stuff; Like how to use her adorableness to score discount berries at vendors or the ability to read a map.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to do any of those!¡±


    ¡°Well, you better start learning. The haggling for berries part you can practice on my grandma during closing hours.¡±


    With that I released the rest of my team to start practicing with their respective mentors. Tranquill seemed eager to leave the caldera arena. Not being a fire type meant she wasn¡¯t as immune to the heat as the rest of my team. I didn¡¯t know where she flew off to during our training hours but I bet she had a lot of exploring to do being in a unfamiliar region and all of that.


    ¡°Make sure not to pick fights with any tailow! Those little guys don¡¯t give up on a battle until they are grievously injured even against superior opponents.¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°Glove, your job is to look after Halo for the day. If at any point she grows bored of watching our drills she is free to wander the gym. Go help her make some new friends and bring Orin along if you can.¡±


    ¡°Dar!¡±


    ¡°The rest of you know where to find your mentors. So, let¡¯s make this a fruitful day!¡±


    <hr>


    A few hours later*


    ¡°Ugh¡­ my everything hurts.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t get hit this time!¡±


    ¡°That felt more like Magcargo was just having a slow day than me being faster.¡±


    Mr. Moore now finished with tortu¡­ ehem I mean training me. Came down from the stands himself. He liked drinking iced tea while watching me make a fool of myself. Mr. Moore wasn¡¯t the type of drill sergeant who intermingled with his cadets all that much during training time.


    ¡°You have finished this day¡¯s training, come with me to my office. I have a private matter to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but ehm¡­ Could you give me a moment to round up all my team members? It¡¯ll take a while to find them all.¡±


    Halo scampered off at some point having grown bored from watching me run around. I didn¡¯t mind as much since today was her birthday after all. Orin and Glove went with her so there wasn¡¯t a need for me to worry about her safety.


    ¡°This won¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°Yes Mr. Moore sir.¡±


    Deciding not to argue with the man I followed him into his personal quarters. The moment my feet crossed the threshold into his office his stern attitude was dropped. Replaced with something more akin to the attitude of a chiding senior at work after you have made a mistake.


    ¡°Egon, how long have you been working with us at the gym?¡±


    ¡°Around three years give or take a few months.¡±


    ¡°After all that time would you consider Flannery and the rest of the gym¡¯s staff as a second family?¡±


    ¡®This type of talk usually ends up with the person revealing he¡¯s some kind of criminal mastermind. I am sorry Tini from now on Boss Moore will lead us through the dark underbelly of society.¡¯


    ¡°Viii!¡± ¡°Nooo!¡±


    ¡°What is happening with Victini? Will she be a problem Egon?¡±


    ¡°Not at all Boss Moore! We will follow your orders faithfully!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no problems boss!¡±


    ¡°Boss? Well yes, I guess you could call me that since you are on the gym¡¯s payroll after all. Regardless, there is a matter that needs to be dealt with.¡±


    ¡°Dealt with? Has someone been missing out on their payments boss Moore? No problem! You can send us to scare ¡®em straight. We can be pretty menacing when we need to be.¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Rawr!¡±


    ¡°Stop acting the fool, Egon! This isn¡¯t some two-bit mafia tv show. This is about the implications of you being that Larvesta¡¯s trainer.¡±


    ¡°What implications? I know her species is pretty rare, but I know of at least two other trainers who have one.¡±


    ¡°For one this might land the gym in trouble if Larvesta ever decides to mate and rear offspring. Egon¡­ having Unovan nationality protects you personally but if their league association ever started to suspect my gym is aiming to start up a breeding program the Hoenn league association and myself would have a diplomatic issue on our hands.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine she is a couple of years away from maturing. By the time it happens we¡¯ll have figured something out. One of their higher ups was really excited to help me hatch Halo¡¯s egg. Which reminds me¡­ I still have to send her the video recording.¡±


    ¡°There is another reason why I called you to my office¡­ If your Larvesta ever does decide to have progeny of her own, could you let my Flannery have a chance at obtaining one of those eggs?¡±


    ¡®This old man¡­! First, he warns me that I might make the gym look bad by having Halo with me and now he wants a Larvesta egg for his daughter.¡¯


    ¡°My head hurts¡­¡±


    ¡°The first time I watched one of Champion Alder¡¯s matches, I was enchanted by the beauty and strength of his partner Pok¨¦mon Volcarona. Since then, I¡¯ve always wanted the opportunity to train one of their line for my own team. Age caught up to me and now I am no longer in any position to do so. I want to give my granddaughter that same chance which I missed out on.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Moore¡­ I am not in any position to decide who will or will not receive any hypothetical eggs. I firmly believe Halo should decide such things. If Flannery manages to charm her in the future¡­ Well, she has my blessing to give it a try.¡±


    ¡°That is all I can realistically ask for. Now then you are free to spend the rest of your day however you wish.¡±


    ¡°Great! There is someone in Lavaridge who I haven¡¯t seen in a long while and since I am finally presentable, I¡¯ll be sure to pay them a visit.¡±


    With that said we left to go gather up the rest of my team.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Tini, do you know where the others are?¡±


    ¡°I think so...? Glove is up in Flannery¡¯s room so the other two should be there as well. Our remaining members are at their usual spots.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ you know my aversion to barging into a growing girl¡¯s room. How about you pick up those three and I¡¯ll go get Numsy and Rena?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡±


    With that Victini seemingly flickered out of existence completely disappearing without a trace. Ever since she mastered the use of teleportation Victini started using the move as an easy shortcut for even the smallest of distances. At first, I was thrilled that she put so much effort into mastering the move I picked out for her, but now I couldn¡¯t help but feel that she started to neglect the development of her bodily attributes.


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s not like she ever walks to places like a regular Pok¨¦mon. Levitation also can¡¯t be that good for muscle development.¡¯


    ¡°Hey!!¡±


    ¡®What? It¡¯s true.¡¯


    As I was engaging in a mental battle of wits with Victini I got closer to the target of my first round up. My Vulpix tended to keep hanging out with Mr. Moore¡¯s Ninetales even after finishing their training session. Ninetales being the personal Pok¨¦mon of the gym leader could spend as much of Mr. Moore¡¯s money as she liked which meant the two of them could often be found getting spoiled by a call in Pok¨¦mon groomer and her skittish assistant. This caused me to worry that Rena would slightly resent me for pulling her out of the lap of luxury after she and I went back to competing in the circuit again.


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°Hello there Egon, we were just about to finish up as usual. How have you been?¡±


    The professional Pok¨¦mon groomer who just greeted me was quite the charmer. I figured being part of the grooming business required a certain amount of social grace to keep making your customers call you back. The number of times she has been called in to spoil Mr. Moore¡¯s Ninetales alone must have set the gym back a pretty penny.


    Rena was attended to by her assistant in training. The assistant being only slightly older than myself was running after my overly excitable little fox Pok¨¦mon. The girl had that type of face where you felt the urge to bully her just to gauge her reactions. My Pok¨¦mon was currently in the midst of hazing the newcomer just like a high school diva would. Naturally I had to tell her off for being a menace.


    ¡°Bad Rena! Bad!¡±


    ¡°Pix?!¡±


    ¡°If you start acting like a child, I am going to treat you as one. Keep doing what you are doing and it¡¯s a boop on the nose for you. Do you see Ninetales here running around giving her groomer a hard time?¡±


    ¡°Aww it¡¯s okay Egon. We asked This darling Vulpix here to simulate what it would be like handling a loath customer. It¡¯s important for Pok¨¦mon groomers to be able to handle all types of clienteles.¡±


    Rena was looking at me like she was expecting an apology. Which I did, I was never one to shy away from admitting fault especially since Rena was just being helpful.


    ¡°Sorry Rena, my bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°Did you at least have a good time with your senpai?¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for looking after her. I know that she can be a handful and we really appreciate the time you spent tutoring her.¡±


    ¡°Nineeee.¡±


    There was a good chance Mr. Moore¡¯s Ninetales and my vulpix were related to each other in some way. If not siblings than maybe as an aunt and her niece or cousins. The species was known to live up to a thousand years and their fertility wasn¡¯t the greatest.


    Breeding Ninetales in captivity almost never seemed to work out so there were very little of their number living at the gym. Something about bad feng shui or the like. Ninetales only become fertile when they lived in spiritual places like shrines, old ruins, and graveyards. Which was probably for the best due their species¡¯ longevity. If Ninetales could produce eggs as easily as other Pok¨¦mon we would be swarming with them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we still need to pick up Numsy at the numel enclosure. Tini will meet up with the three of us with the rest of the gang at the gate¡±


    <hr>


    We eventually made it out of the gym. We caught Numsy as he was busy trying to impress the smaller Numel with a few of his learned moves. His mentor managed to doze off while looking after him which didn¡¯t inspire much confidence in me that he learned anything new while out of my care. I wasn¡¯t one to nag him about the details of his training, so I just recalled him inside his pok¨¦ ball and left to meet back up with the others.


    ¡°Egoooon!¡±


    Flannery accompanied by my Pok¨¦mon met up with me just as I was idling around the entrance. Halo, not being as mobile as some of my other Pok¨¦mon, was hitching a ride on Glove¡¯s back while Orin seemed content riding on Flannery¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°What¡¯s up Flanny?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided I¡¯ll make Larvesta like me no matter what!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great and you¡¯ll have plenty of chances to do so while we are traveling together.¡±


    Somehow Halo ended up in Flannery¡¯s room of all places. It was a good thing Glove was there to somehow keep things from escalating while Flannery wisely decided to limit her playful banter to Orin alone. I clapped Glove on the back showing my appreciation for his efforts.


    ¡°You must have worked hard¡­ I know the perfect place to get all that stress out of you.¡±


    ¡°Dar¡­?¡±


    ¡°You see, my old master works at a nearby Inn¡¯s sand baths. He''ll give us the VIP treatment.¡±


    ¡°They offer special deals to trainers traveling with a full team. He¡¯ll get all those stress knots right out of your body. Being petrified for thousands of years must have been tough on your back.¡±


    ¡°Dar.¡±


    ¡°If I ask him, he¡¯ll keep quiet about Victini, So we can all enjoy an afternoon at the spa!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°I want to play ping pong!¡±


    ¡°Yes, they have that too.¡±


    Just like that we set off to our next destination. I recalled most of my team except for Halo, the birthday girl obviously deserving deferential treatment having to wait for all of us to finish training.


    ¡°Hello, did you enjoy your time in Flannery¡¯s room?¡±


    ¡°Ves Ves¡­¡±


    ¡°The girl tried touching her again.¡±


    ¡°Hmm I feel you, but it¡¯s important to give people and Pok¨¦mon second chances. Not everyone can make good first impressions. Flannery just wants to be your friend. How about you give her a temporary court position and see how things work out. Something simple¡­ How about a food taster or musician? I know for a fact that she has a pretty good singing voice.¡±


    ¡°Ves! Ves!¡±


    ¡°Only very special humans get court positions!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ I am not special?¡±


    That response got Halo to quiet down by a lot. She wiggled around some in my arms until finally giving me a muffled response.


    ¡°Larr¡­ Vess¡­¡±


    ¡°You are my adopted father, it''d be weird¡­¡±


    just hearing that response got my heart to grow bigger by three sizes. I rotated Halo in my arms so she could see my elated expression.


    ¡°Aww! I¡¯ll be the best dad ever I promise!¡±


    ¡®Thank you, Tini for translating. I¡¯ll set aside extra lava cookies for you tonight.¡¯


    ¡°And a custap berry!¡±


    Our conversation finished just as we entered the Wooper Inn. It was a small-time business inherited by this nice young lady after her grandparents passed away. She finished her own circuit run to come and run this place. I didn¡¯t have much of a relationship with her but there was another esteemed personage helping her run this inn.


    ¡°Master! I have returned!¡±


    ¡°You again?! Shoo! Shoo! My Quagsire is not some mystical sage giving up worldly secrets to starry eyed brats like yourself.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry! It has been a long while since I have met with the master. I have run in some good fortune during my travels, and I¡¯d like to catch up with him!¡±


    ¡°If you want to waste his time, you¡¯ll have to book for a timeslot at the sand baths just like everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Of course! I wouldn¡¯t ever dare dream about taking advantage of my master¡¯s kindness! I¡¯d like a booking for myself and the six Pok¨¦mon on my team.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be tight but I guess we could fit you in¡­ That¡¯ll be a thousand pok¨¦dollars. I am assuming you want to take our special offer?¡±


    ¡°Indeed! Thank you for taking us on! As the trainer who raised such a stellar example of a Quagsire we¡¯ll make sure not to disappoint you during our stay!¡±


    ¡°Quiet down, will you?! You¡¯ll disturb the other guests. Just go to the changing room, you know the way.¡±


    <hr>


    After changing*


    ¡°Halo you¡¯ll be able to learn a lot from my old master. He has much wisdom to share.¡±


    ¡°Ves¡­?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°No this isn¡¯t some long con to poke fun at the sand bath lady!¡±


    ¡°Vi¡­?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t say that¡­?¡±


    ¡°Uhm well anyways let¡¯s get in. You¡¯ll feel like a completely new Pok¨¦mon after resting under the hot sand for a while.¡±


    I opened up the sliding door leading to the sand baths just like I expected my master was already waiting for us outside.


    ¡°Master Quagsire! your disciple has returned!¡±


    ¡°Quaaaaag¡­!¡±


    Unlike with some of my newer Pok¨¦mon I didn¡¯t need any help understanding what Quagsire was saying.


    ¡°We¡¯ve missed you too! Let me introduce you to some of my new friends. We also ordered the special so there shouldn¡¯t be any complaints coming from Loren at the front desk.¡±


    ¡°Quaag.¡±


    ¡°Perfect, Come on out everybody!¡±


    My team materialized sans Halo who was already out of her ball lounging on my shoulders and Tranquill who volunteered to taste test a new experimental batch of cookies for my grandparents for the day. The first thing Numsy did after recognizing where we were was to give out proper respects to his old master.


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    ¡°Quaaaaag.¡±


    Their difference in stature didn¡¯t affect the respect in my first partner¡¯s voice. He was still the same old Numsy after evolving. His student teacher relationship with Quagsire being unassailable with deference.


    ¡°Master, we''ve earned two badges while on our journey. Let me introduce you to some of my new partners. This is Glove, the stalwart protector of our group.¡±


    ¡°Dar.¡±


    ¡°Sire.¡±


    ¡°Due to reasons outside of his control he was petrified thousands of years ago. Naturally this was hell on his ligaments. Could you give him the extra special treatment?¡±


    ¡°Quaaag!¡±


    Quagsire pulled my Darmanitan along motioning for the Pok¨¦mon to lie down on a nearby massage table. I was planning to introduce the rest of my team first, but my old master tended to focus on the here and now and wasn¡¯t easily distractible once he got going.


    ¡°Daaaaaaarr¡­¡±


    ¡°Yep, it seems like they¡¯ll be busy for a while. How about me and Numsy help bury the rest of you in the sand? They even have these fun little resting bags for Pok¨¦mon in case you don¡¯t want to get your fur dirty with sand.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    ¡°Ves!¡±


    ¡°Lit¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah as a ghost type you don¡¯t really benefit from all of this. How about the two of us play some games instead? I am pretty sure they have a wide selection to choose from.¡±


    Numsy helped the others bury themselves in the sand while blocking Victini from view with his body. This was a personal sand bath but at any point the proprietress could walk in and accidentally spot Victini sand bathing. During this time, I decided to teach Orin how to play solitaire with a single deck of cards I found in a cubby. Halfway through our hour the proprietress decided to walk in and check on Quagsire.


    ¡°I am sorry Egon; you know that I love to have you around. It''s just that running an Inn is stressful especially during the circuit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright Miss Ami, running the inn by yourself must be a lot of work.¡±


    She came close enough to get a good view of all my Pok¨¦mon and Quagsire who was still beating the stress out of Glove.


    ¡°I see you have made some new friends while off on your journey; would you care to introduce me?¡±


    ¡°Well, this is Orin. A Litwick he¡¯s also part ghost type, Glove is a Darmanitan I encountered in this dust bowl the Unovans call the desert resort, Halo is my newly hatched Larvesta who was just came out of the egg last night ¡­oh! And she¡¯s a bug and fire type.¡±


    ¡°Really? a bug and fire type. She does look a bit like a wurmple. Which reminds me I still have to order a new batch of silk masks.¡±


    ¡°The inn¡¯s face masks are made out of wurmple silk?¡±


    ¡°Yes, silk is really the best material for face masks. Some people are allergic to mareep wool or cotton or just have really sensitive skin. The only bad quality of wurmple silk is that the masks tend to fray apart after a year¡¯s use since they can¡¯t stand long exposures to heated steam from the hot springs.¡±


    Something went off in my brain giving me an idea.


    ¡°How about you give Halo¡¯s silk a try? She¡¯s also a fire type so her strings should resist higher temperatures. It would save the Inn some money in the long run.¡±


    ¡°Would you do that for me really!?¡±


    ¡°Sure, she¡¯s never performed the move before though so it might take a while. Also, I don¡¯t know how to knit masks out of silk string.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright I can send the silk she produces to the company I usually buy masks from. I am sure they can handle the manufacturing process.¡±


    Halo was still sleeping inside her baggy while covered in sand so even though I was eager to try out my idea I was wise enough to let her keep enjoying her birthday before talking about business opportunities with her.


    We made use of the full two hours and by the end of it Glove was like puddy on the massage table. The accumulation of stress locked up in that stone form for thousands of years got to him more than I initially figured. My old master was really the best masseuse in all of Lavaridge. Miss Ami was content to let us languish for a while and went back to managing the Inn after I assured her that I was going to meet up with her later.


    ¡°Did you guys enjoy the sand baths?¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    ¡°Ves!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Yes, but it could have been hotter.¡±


    ¡®Well, you guys are all fire types after all, the heat might not seem as impressive to you.¡¯


    ¡°Hey Halo, I was wondering can you use the move string shot?¡±


    ¡°Ves?¡±


    ¡°Like shoot out silk strings to slow down and constrict opponents.¡±


    ¡°Ves!¡±


    ¡°You can? That¡¯s great! So, I was wondering if you could produce a spool of silk for me. This Inn has been having trouble relying on wurmple silk masks and I thought it would be nice to help them out. The silk that you produce should be of a way better quality.¡±


    In response to my inquiry Halo started blasting in my direction with a sticky white thread that loops around my figure and binds my arms and knees together. I tried breaking free but was unable to do so on the first three tries.


    ¡°Argh! This is amazing Halo! You got it down perfectly on your first try. You¡¯ll make for a fearsome battler for sure! Now let¡¯s get this stuff off me and onto a stick of some sort.¡±


    ¡°Laar!¡±

 Chapter 38 - Lost and Found

    Chapter 38 ¨C Lost and Found


    The proprietress of the Wooper Inn was excited at the prospects of using Larvesta silk for her face masks. She went ahead and sent the batch we gave her to the silk manufacturing company she usually buys from. Since larvesta silk had a different texture and make up than regular wurmple silk the company let her know that it would take a while until they¡¯d have all the kinks worked out. Not to mention all the product testing they still had to do to make sure the product functioned as intended. If the Larvesta silk ended up being a big deal, we would stand to make a pretty penny. Especially since there weren¡¯t any Larvesta living in Hoenn.


    My final week in Lavaridge came to a close with Mr. Moore giving me the last day off to prepare myself for my first Hoenn gym battle later that day. I wasn¡¯t particularly anxious since I¡¯ve watched Lavaridge gym battles play out for years. Keegan or Eli would be my opponent and since I¡¯ve studied under them, I knew what was expected of a fourth level gym badge challenger. Mr. Moore may have forbidden me from using Glove during this upcoming battle, but it would make very little difference in the end.


    ¡°Okay you guys for this battle I¡¯ll be sending out Orin first to let him get some experience battling serious opponents. After that I¡¯ll be relying on Numsy and Rena to clean up the rest of our opponent¡¯s team of Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Are you up to the task Orin?¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°Now going into this I want you to know that I am not expecting you to perform a miracle. Since we¡¯ll be facing off against other fire types, burning our opponents won¡¯t be possible. The steam battlefield is set up in a way that your smog attack will be mostly ineffective. Without a status condition your hex won¡¯t be at full power. Whatever happens after this you¡¯ll be going through some extra training to catch up with the others.¡±


    ¡®Phoebe should be back in Hoenn. I''ll ask her for tips on training ghost types.¡¯


    We still had a good chunk of the morning and afternoon left before our gym battle and not wanting to tire my Pok¨¦mon out before their debut in the Hoenn circuit I decided to help the family business by picking berries on Jagged Pass. The grounds around Mt. Chimney are extremely fertile due to the non stop volcanic activity in the area. My grandparents would usually hire passing trainers to do the picking for them but since I am now qualified to take the job I figured I would do it by myself this time.


    ¡°Okay gang my grandparents shop relies on a steady stream of berries to keep doing business. So, let¡¯s head out! Anything that can¡¯t fit in our bags is for us to eat.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°No more diet!¡±


    ¡°Today is your cheat day Tini, you get one every month. Still¡­ don¡¯t go too overboard, okay? If you feel bloated or full, stop eating.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°I always have room for berries!¡±


    Jagged pass was hard to traverse if you didn¡¯t have a flying type Pok¨¦mon or decent hiking equipment. My plan was to rely on Victini to bail me out of sticky situations like if I had to climb over steep edges, or a loose rock gave in under me. The Pok¨¦mon living on the mountain¡¯s edge were mostly peaceful although the fighting types living there were known to initiate battles against traveling trainers. Luckily almost all fighting type Pok¨¦mon wouldn¡¯t immediately jump you like some dark types would. Their innate code of ethics demanded they first announce themselves before issuing a formal challenge, fighting types are cultured like that.


    The trek to the mountain¡¯s edge was a short one. From my grandparent¡¯s garden door to the jagged pass only takes ten minutes if you keep an even pace. Most of my Pok¨¦mon were out with me following along. Halo hitching a ride on top of Numsy while Orin was standing on the top of my head. My Larvesta made it a point to ride on Numsy while both of them were out. She felt it important that her retainers did the jobs she assigned them to.


    ¡°Mt. Chimney, the biggest volcano in the entire region, maybe even the world. A prime location for hikers looking to challenge themselves and us berry scavengers of course. Now keep your eyes open and your noses clear, this is prime berry territory.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t planning to go to the top of Mt. Chimney mostly because the best places for berries to grow are at lower altitudes. My grandparents handed me an old-fashioned paper map depicting a nature trail that we should follow for the best berry picking results.


    ¡°Okay so we should head left past this rock there we should come across our first berry tree.¡±


    ¡°What kind?¡±


    ¡°Aspear. Most berries that can be found on this trail aren¡¯t that exotic it''s great for filling up my quota though. Grandma is an expert at making even cheap berries taste great when incorporated into her lava cookies.¡±


    Just like the map said we did come across an aspear berry tree. What I didn¡¯t expect was the Pok¨¦mon trying its hardest to jump high enough for a bite to eat.


    ¡°Spooink!¡±


    The bouncing Pok¨¦mon was startled by our group¡¯s arrival was already making a move towards the nearest bush in an effort to disappear.


    ¡°Wait! We are not here to pick a fight with you Spoink. You need help reaching those berries, right?¡±


    ¡°Spoink?¡±


    Encountering a spoink in the wild was pretty rare. These little piglet Pok¨¦mon were quite elusive and rarely found on the routes. To say I was interested in its backstory would not be an exaggeration. Usually, psychic type Pok¨¦mon like Spoink would use confusion to dislodge edible berries from the treetops meaning that this one was either very young or sick and injured. My guess was the former since the psychic type didn¡¯t appear to be suffering from any visible wounds.


    ¡°You are a hungry little fellow, aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t worry we¡¯ll share some of the berries with you.¡±


    ¡°Spoink!¡±


    I pulled Halo off of Camerupt¡¯s back and placed her in front of Spoink. The bug type obviously confused at my actions turned a questioning gaze at my direction.


    ¡°Halo will you keep Spoink company with Rena while the rest of us pick some of the ripened berries off this tree? It¡¯s important for royalty to know how to connect with the common Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Vess¡­¡±


    Lately I have been using that line of reasoning to get Halo to do stuff she normally wouldn¡¯t be inclined to. Like socializing with other younger Pok¨¦mon and washing her bowl clean with ember. Stories of her mother also generally worked to motivate her to pursue healthy practices.


    ¡°Spoink, I want you to know that you can tell us if something is bothering you. We are all good listeners.¡±


    Hoping that Spoink would open up to Halo I proceeded to direct the rest of my team to pick some of the berries on the tree. Numsy couldn¡¯t help much in this regard, but he was the one carrying all the saddlebags where the berries would eventually end up in, so it all evened out in the end. The rest of my team got to work, Tranquill keeping watch from the skies just in case we ticked off any territorial Pok¨¦mon with our berry picking ways.


    ¡°Only the mature ones! They should be bright yellow and smell stronger than the unripened aspear berries. The other berries should be left on the tree for future passerby.¡±


    My best berry picker is Victini since the rest of my team didn¡¯t have a way to get high up the tree and inspect the goods themselves. Orin managed to learn confusion through osmosis with the rest of my team and Glove was just tall enough when standing on his hind legs to get to the lower hanging fruits. The little ghost type was having a tough time of it, but she managed to spry one loose after some encouragement. Meanwhile Victini was cleaning house, getting the group nine ripened berries against Glove¡¯s two and Orin¡¯s one.


    ¡°Great job guys. We can set aside five for our own consumption and the rest of them can go to grandma. Here you go, spoink, you can have one as well.¡±


    ¡°Spoink!¡±


    Spoink was having some trouble getting past the berry¡¯s skin as was Halo, so Rena was peeling the berries for them with her claws. Laying out the sliced pieces on a clean piece of rock for all of the little ones to enjoy.


    The psychic type managed to come out of his shell after some sideways banter with Rena and Halo. As we were eating, Victini listened to their conversation with one ear. Informing me that spoink is waiting for his parents to come pick him up after a teleportation accident. Mt. Chimney was some kind of safe haven for his species in case something went awry or if they were at risk of being discovered by poachers.


    Which reminded me that their species¡¯ circumstances weren¡¯t the best. Spoink and grumpig pearls were quite valuable to the criminals in Hoenn society. On the black market Spoink pearls fetch quite a pretty penny. It was also very hard to distinguish between legit clamperl pearls and those stolen from a spoink since the two types of pearls were literally the same.


    Spoinks aren¡¯t born with their pearls, their parents somehow manage to get wild clamperl pearls to give to their progeny. How they do it remains a mystery since clamperl can only be found deep within the ocean¡¯s depths and grumping aren¡¯t known for being good swimmers. When asked a grumpig will refuse to answer any questions on the topic treating it as its most important secret and they will defend that information to the death.


    Spoinks without their pearls are unable to use any of their psychic powers and will quickly grow sickly and lethargic if the pearl is not returned in a timely fashion. The clamperl pearl trade is heavily regulated for this reason. When one gets caught with a clamperl pearl without the right documentation they best be prepared for a long stint in prison. It is rumored that grumpig do share the secret with their human trainers when their shared bond becomes strong enough. Naturally there was no way to verify these rumors.


    ¡°A teleportation accident¡­ and you need to stay in this spot? That¡¯s a tough one¡­ would you parents be able to find you anywhere on the mountain? If so, you can come with us for a bit. We are on a berry run and will walk by this same tree on the way back.¡±


    ¡°Spoink!¡±


    Quick to give his assent the psychic type hopped behind us as we were walking to the next berry tree on my preplanned route. It was rough for the little Pok¨¦mon to keep following us across the uneven terrain, but he managed it. The energy provided by the berries sustaining him as we walked further along the mountain trail.


    The second tree we came across bore oran berries. It wasn¡¯t until we came across the third tree on our route that we encountered another Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Chop!¡±


    ¡°A Machop and it seems to have marked this figy berry tree and the surroundings as its training hub.¡±


    The tree had sustained significant damage as there were multiple knuckle indentures spread across the bark. This of course was a sad sight to see, trees that had their bark significantly damaged would slowly die out. The bark was a vital part of a tree since it protected the vascular tissue underneath from environmental factors.


    ¡°Hey you! Stop that!¡±


    ¡°Maaaachop!¡±


    The Pok¨¦mon who was busy punching the figy tree seemed miffed that I interrupted his training exercise, but I wasn¡¯t in a mood to humor him.


    ¡°Machop, trees need their bark to hold up against the heat and cold. Also there¡¯s a thin layer of phloem under the bark that transports important nutrients up the tree. Pok¨¦mon rely on that berry tree for their survival. So please, from now on avoid practicing your punching moves on berry trees.¡±


    ¡°Chop!¡±


    ¡°He says that he¡¯ll stop if you give him a good fight.¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°So, you want to do this the hard way. Too bad for you I have an important gym battle coming up. Anyone on my team who is qualified to give you a proper fight needs to save their energy.¡±


    Normally I wouldn¡¯t mind indulging this wild Machop for a bit. He¡¯d make for an excellent opponent against Orin. ¡®Hmm how do I resolve this issue¡­¡¯


    ¡°Machop, how about a punching contest? You can choose any of my Pok¨¦mon who are able to perform a punching move and if they leave a bigger mark on this slab or rock. You will stop punching berry trees from then on. Spoink here is a wild Pok¨¦mon. He will be our impartial judge.¡±


    ¡°Spoooink!¡±


    ¡°Chop!¡±


    ¡®Okay it seems like that worked.¡¯


    Machop took his time deciding which of my Pok¨¦mon he felt comfortable challenging until his eyes landed on Victini¡¯s small frame.


    ¡°Chop Chop!¡±


    ¡°Victini? Well, okay I guess¡­¡±


    ¡®Are you confident in your fire punch?¡¯


    ¡°I am the best! Magmar praised me for having the best punch out of all the Pok¨¦mon living at the gym!¡±


    Looking at Victini I kind of figured why Machop would choose her as his opponent. Those scrawny arms and small paws didn¡¯t inspire much confidence in her ability to punch. What Machop didn¡¯t know was that he just picked out one of the strongest members on my team.


    ¡°Spoink Spoink!¡±


    ¡°Machop will go first.¡±


    The small superpower Pok¨¦mon briefly flexed his muscles before standing in front of his punching target. His dominant arm glowing white before unleashing his attack.


    ¡°Chop!¡±


    A large crater the size of a melon was left behind once the dust cleared. Machop, feeling supremely confident, flexed his punching arm aggressively towards Victini.


    ¡°That was rock smash, a move specifically designed to clear out rock debris left behind during tunnel excavations. You must have quite the knowledgeable master having learned that move in the wild Machop.¡±


    ¡°Maa Chop!¡±


    My earnest praise for his skills caught the fighting type off guard. Conflicted by my generous praise Machop quickly offered up another proposal for our contest of strength.


    ¡°Maa¡­¡±¡°Machop is offering to let Glove take my place in the competition.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, Machop, Victini is stronger than she looks. Besides, it wouldn''t be fair of us to back out of the agreement.¡±


    Victini took her place in front of a second slab of rock. Doling out some air punches with her tiny paws to warm up her muscles. She gave me a quick nod to let me show she was ready.


    ¡°Tini use fire punch!¡±


    ¡°Viiii!¡±


    Boooooom!!!*


    Instead of cratering the rock, Victini¡¯s fire punch hit with such force that shards of half molten rock went flying everywhere. I didn¡¯t need to look at the target to know the results of our friendly punching competition.


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°I did it! We won!¡±


    ¡°Spoink!¡±


    ¡°Maa¡­.¡±


    Machop was completely blown away. His expectations for the match obviously leant towards him winning against my one feet tall rabbit. I took this opportunity to pad the musclebrain on the back.


    ¡°Victini is pretty strong right? Looks can be deceiving.¡±


    ¡°Chop.¡±


    ¡°Anyways¡­ Machop have you seen any grumpig around? This little one is looking for his parents.¡±


    ¡°Spoink?¡±


    ¡°Maaa chop chop!¡±


    ¡°Spoooink!¡±


    ¡°He did!¡±


    ¡°Really you did?! Can you point us in the right direction?¡±


    The superpower Pok¨¦mon obliged me by pointing at a gathering of bushes whose branches had snapped. This direction clearly led to a recently used Pok¨¦mon trail.


    ¡°Thanks a lot Machop! If you ever feel the need for a rematch, me and my family live in Lavaridge town. Let¡¯s go guys, we are hot on their trail!¡±


    ¡°Spoink Spoink!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°Ves!¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°Nitan!¡±


    My team, just like me, was eager to reunite Spoink with his parents.


    ¡°Rena, you have the best nose out of all of us. Can you track spoink¡¯s parents? They should smell similar to our little friend here.¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    With Rena leading the way I was sure we would find the wayward couple. Rena¡¯s nose has only gotten better over the years at this point I would put her only one step below dedicated tracker Pok¨¦mon used in the ranger corps.


    As we waded through bushes and the difficult terrain, I made the tough but fair decision to recall most of my team. The only ones staying out were Tranquill who was keeping a look out from the air and Numsy and Rena the former still carrying saddlebags loaded with berries. Rena was quick to pick up the scent of the Pok¨¦mon that had waded through these bushes.


    ¡°Pix Pix!¡±


    ¡°You got it? Lead the way girl.¡±


    The next part of our chase was why I was always reluctant to leave established routes and beaten paths. I was wading through the underbrush without shin protection seeing as my khaki brown pants only went down to my knees. If I was unlucky enough to brush past some poison ivy or hogweed my entire day would be ruined.


    ¡®Reuniting children with their parents has higher priority than your comfort, focus Egon!¡¯


    Since none of us was interested in wasting time we ignored any wild Pok¨¦mon and kept following Rena. Numsy was big and intimidating enough to keep us from having to deal with any riffraff looking to prove their mettle. We passed by a family of Mankey swinging from the treetops, which would normally be a very bad idea. The species of Pok¨¦mon being well known for their temper tantrums at the slightest provocation and if one does become enraged so do the rest of its colony. Luckily these ones seemed to be in a benign mood letting us pass without much fanfare.


    After passing a lone Tyrogue who was in the middle of a workout session Rena finally led us to the origin of the scent.


    ¡®Man, I didn¡¯t know so many exotic fighting types lived on this mountain. The rangers are going to have a field day with these ones. It¡¯s a wasted effort really. These Pok¨¦mon have been living in Hoenn for long enough to have completely adapted to the environment. But since I am on a spree anyway¡­ Arceus please let the next fighting type we come across be a monferno.¡¯


    Contrary to my prayers the next group of Pok¨¦mon we saw were our intended targets. A pair of worried looking grumpig. Our temporary travel companion excitedly bounced up and down after finally seeing his parents again, hopping with crazy amounts of newfound energy.


    ¡°Spoink Spoink!¡±


    ¡°Piiig!¡±


    ¡°Aww look at that. Truly this is a heartwarming scene.¡±


    Victini, unable to control herself, forcibly released herself from her pok¨¦ ball to enjoy the moment with us. Spoink was in the middle of regaling his parents about his short adventure without their supervision. After the kid was done elucidating his parents on his acts of bravery the pair of grumpig addressed us to give our group their thanks.


    ¡°Gruuum?¡±


    ¡°They want to give us a gift for helping their child find his way back.¡±


    ¡°Well, refusing any gift would be rude. Ask them if they know of any super special berry spots inside the jagged pass. We still need to fill up our saddlebags after all.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi?¡±


    ¡°Piig¡­¡±


    ¡®What¡¯d they say?¡¯


    ¡°Their family doesn¡¯t live on the mountainside, so they don¡¯t know. The father did offer us to have a look at his secret stash of valuables and pick one object.¡±


    Victini didn¡¯t sound as enthused at the prospects of picking up a shiny marble or piece of quartz, but I didn¡¯t mind. At least it would make for a cool souvenir. After agreeing to the couple¡¯s proposal, the male grumpig lifted up an unassuming rock with his psychic powers. The hole underneath held some of the family¡¯s collection of shiny objects.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­¡±


    The most numerous items inside the secret stash were clamperl pearls of various sizes the family must have collected in case the little Spoink ever got a new brother or sister. Those pearls would net me a pretty penny if I picked one but since I didn¡¯t have any documentation that would prove to be a most foolhardy idea.


    ¡®Seashells, shards of various colors, a small nugget of gold, a sapphire Wow they even have a moonstone tucked inside here. A marble the size of an adult fist with a strange helix pattern inside.¡¯


    ¡°Is that¡­?!¡±


    ¡®Yep, that should be a mega stone, I wouldn¡¯t know for which Pok¨¦mon it is intended though.¡¯


    After completing my survey of Grumpig¡¯s treasure hole the first thing I did was praise him for his expert shiny collecting skills.


    ¡°This is quite the collection Grumpig. For a good number of these items human collectors would go crazy over. Especially the differently colored shards you know, there is speculation that those shards are leftovers from an ancient civilization.¡±


    ¡°Piig!¡±


    ¡®This is a difficult choice hmm. On the one hand if I pick the moonstone, I¡¯ll have no problems selling it to a shop in Mauville. The only place you can find buried moonstones in Hoenn is inside Meteor falls, so there¡¯s a pretty large markup for them. On the other hand mega stones should be even rarer although their worth hasn¡¯t been established yet. What do you think Tini?¡¯


    ¡°Do we need money?¡±


    ¡®Well not right now, Mr. Moore is going to start providing extra funds to take care of Flannery. You are right¡­ let¡¯s pick the mega stone at least this way we¡¯ll hold onto their gift instead of selling it immediately for some quick cash.¡¯


    ¡°Can we have that large green marble with the red and black swirly pattern inside?¡±


    <hr>


    After returning to Lavaridge*


    Spoink and his parents saw us off when we left the Jagged pass. I offered them an open invite if they ever wanted to try my grandmother¡¯s famed Lava cookies. The family could visit our store if they ever passed by the area again although my grandmother would be pretty miffed if the grumpig tried paying her in goods instead of pok¨¦dollars.


    ¡°Hopefully grandma can make do with only aspear, oran and figy berries. We could have stayed longer if we didn¡¯t get sidetracked.¡±


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all thanks to you that we found that wayward couple. This achievement is going on your good deed list.¡±


    We put the mega stone inside my own backpack right next to the one I bought at Mt. Pyre.


    ¡®At this rate I might start a collection. Trainers all over the world are going to badger me for mega stones after the mega evolution phenomenon becomes public knowledge.¡¯


    After making it to Grandma¡¯s store I dropped off my half-filled saddlebags on the counter and quickly sped off to the Lavaridge gym. We still had that gym battle scheduled for today and it¡¯d be best not to leave the gym trainer who was picked to face me waiting.


    ¡°At this rate we won¡¯t make it. Tini, would you mind teleporting me to the gym?¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me!¡±


    Victini clamped onto my arm before using the move. Instantaneously I found myself standing on top of the gym¡¯s caldera battlefield. Luckily, Mr. Moore wasn¡¯t there to see us appear out of nowhere or else I would¡¯ve gotten the scolding of a lifetime.


    ¡°Why here? We are scheduled to battle on the steam battlefield.¡±


    ¡°This is the place inside the gym where I spent most of my time.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I guess that does make it safer to teleport to this location. Let''s meet up with today¡¯s receptionist to let them know we are present.¡±


    The caldera¡¯s gate is almost always locked up for safety reasons, but it didn¡¯t take much effort on Victini¡¯s part to wiggle the lock open with a dash of telekinesis.


    ¡®Make sure to lock up behind us after this. We don¡¯t want to get into trouble for sneaking around.¡¯


    ¡°What about the Pok¨¦mon living inside the magma?¡±


    ¡°They have their own tunnels that lead outside.¡±


    After closing the gate behind us we walked at a brisk pace towards the reception desk. The staff member manning the hallway today was Keegan. That meant that my opponent would most likely be Eli.


    ¡°Hey Egon, are you ready for your gym battle? Our leader is busy helping Flannery pack up for her journey. So, it will be just you and Eli duking it out.¡±


    ¡°My team¡¯s all fired up! I have seen all of Eli¡¯s tricks. We got this in the bag.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure if I was you. He might decide to swap in higher leveled Pok¨¦mon based on what you are deciding to field.¡±


    After some more bantering while Keegan was putting me in the system, we left for the steam battlefields. Keegan would have come with us, but he was stuck behind that desk for another two hours. As we entered the giant room containing most of the gym¡¯s battlefield we spotted a familiar face.


    ¡°Heya Egon, I could take the day off.¡±


    ¡°Julie! It¡¯s good that you could see me win my first Hoenn gym badge.¡±


    ¡°You are all fired up. I like it! Hey, did that egg of yours hatch yet? I bet it did and that it¡¯s a cutie.¡±


    ¡°Furreeet!¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is, I won¡¯t be having her fight in gym battles for a while yet. Hey, how about she stays with you while watching the match?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to, but Eli asked me to referee the match since the gym¡¯s short on personnel. How about leaving the little cutie with Furret?¡±


    Not needing any further encouragement I released both Glove and Halo. Since glove made it a sticking point to always be allowed out his ball at the same time halo was.


    ¡°Woow! You weren¡¯t kidding about her cuteness. I don¡¯t recognize her species at all.¡±


    ¡°Halo here is a Larvesta, a bug and fire type Pok¨¦mon from Unova.¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    ¡°Furrreeet!¡±


    After a quick meet and greet where Julie¡¯s Furret attempted to make nice with my Larvesta by casually introducing herself to both Glove and Halo. The three Pok¨¦mon climbed up the stands to have a good view. This was Halo¡¯s first time watching an official gym battle so it would be important for her to observe the proper procedures of sending out and recalling during league officiated matches.


    I took my designated place on the battlefield. Eli was already there waiting for me at the other side. Our local ranger that also doubled as a gym trainer was someone who liked to test visiting trainers'' preparedness by surprising them with unknown variables.


    ¡°You ready for me, Egon?¡±


    ¡°Bring it!¡±

 Chapter 39 - Battle Frenzy

    Chapter 39 ¨C Battle Frenzy


    The battle between the gym trainer Eli and his challenger Egon from our own Lavaridge town will now begin! This will be an elimination match with each trainer using three Pok¨¦mon, only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pok¨¦mon during the match.


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin, Magby, I choose you!¡±


    ¡°Orin show your stuff!¡±


    Both of us called out our respective Pok¨¦mon at the same time. Eli choosing to lead off with one of the gym¡¯s magby. This one in particular was known for being lackadaisical with training, the Magby having stayed unevolved for a good number of years making her the perfect gym Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Heya Maggie, this time it¡¯s me trying to earn a badge don¡¯t go too soft on us, okay?¡±


    ¡°Maaagby!¡±


    Maggie¡¯s repertoire mostly consisted of fighting and fire type moves. So, this would be the best time for Orin to show off.


    ¡°Confuse ray!¡±


    ¡°Smokescreen!¡±


    My attempt at dazzling our opponent is immediately stopped by a cloud of black billowing smoke expelled from Maggie¡¯s mouth. Using smokescreens to block a visually transmitted status move like confuse ray is par of the course in a fire type gym. Since Eli was not allowing me to win by using slyer means, this fight would devolve into a straight up brawl. The kind of situation which would spell bad news for my little candle Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡®Sadly, Litwick¡¯s move pool is not expansive enough to do anything more than this.¡¯


    ¡°Night shade!¡±


    ¡°Flame wheel!¡±


    Night shade was a nifty attacking move, the more battle experienced a user is the more the illusionary mirages brought about by the move sap the victim¡¯s vitality. Move tutors theorized that a more battle-hardened Pok¨¦mon can conjure up more lifelike threats to use against their opponent¡¯s psyche.


    Eli¡¯s decided to close the gap between his Pok¨¦mon and mine. Litwick weren¡¯t known to be capable of any sort of physical brawling so this would be the correct course of action for Eli to follow. While the only thing Orin could do would be to punish the charging Magby as much as possible. Orin¡¯s eyes grew dark and out of them sprang two beams of dark energy accurately hitting Maggie¡¯s physical form.


    As expected, the laser didn¡¯t hinder Maggie as much as I hoped it would. My Litwick was at most only around three months old, the images he could conjure not being much of a hassle for a more experienced Pok¨¦mon like Maggie to overcome.


    The flame wheel connected, pushing back Orin a fair bit but not by much. The reduced effectiveness of a same type attack showing itself.


    ¡°Thunder Punch!¡±


    ¡°Minimize dodge!¡±


    As Maggie¡¯s electrically charged fist closed in on Orin the candle Pok¨¦mon drastically reduced in size. Minimize reduces the user¡¯s size so that the air pressure from the incoming attacks helps you avoid taking a direct hit. The decrease in size only lasted briefly but that was more than enough for Orin to get out of harm¡¯s way.


    ¡°Night shade again!¡±


    Having gained the opportunity to capitalize on Maggie¡¯s loss of momentum Orin and myself got the chance to retaliate with an attacking move of our own. Once more twin jet-black lightning crashed into Maggie¡¯s body. Sapping another dose of her vitality.


    There was a limit to how many times a Pok¨¦mon could use minimize and now that Maggie knew what to look out for it would be harder to pull off that trick again.


    ¡°Psychic!¡±


    Maggie¡¯s eyes glowed and Orin¡¯s form was enveloped with psychic energies. Lifting the little Litwick up from the arena floor and slamming him back onto the ground with great force.


    ¡°Lit¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine you did great, let¡¯s go out with a blast alright? Use Night Shade one last time!¡±


    ¡°Thunder Punch!¡±


    Once more Maggie got hit by Orin¡¯s Nightshade but shortly afterwards successfully KO¡¯d my Pok¨¦mon with her lightning wreathed punching move. Orin toppled over completely out of it.


    ¡°Litwick is unable to battle! Magby wins!¡±


    ¡°Return!¡±


    Activating Orin¡¯s pok¨¦ ball¡¯s return mechanism a beam of redlight shot out and absorbed my Litwick back into its confines. I briefly addressed my downed team member as he was recovering in his ball.


    ¡°You did great out there Orin. The others have multiple years of age and experience on you. Even being able to keep up is praiseworthy. Just leave the rest to them.¡±


    ¡°Come on out Numsy!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t planning to drag out the match any longer than I had to. After evolving Numsy was one of my strongest competitors, and I knew the gym couldn¡¯t start fielding its own camerupt against fourth badge challengers. My eruption Pok¨¦mon took the stage ready to earn another gym badge. Maggie on the other hand was weakened enough that Numsy wouldn¡¯t have to do much to faint her. This was a good opportunity to see how far along Numsy had gotten to mastering his newest move.


    ¡°Earth Power!¡±


    ¡°Low kick!¡±


    Numsy¡¯s body glows gold, and the ground all around him starts to shake, with glowing gold cracks causing ground type energy to erupt from underneath Maggie. Maggie didn¡¯t have enough time to get close enough to execute her low kick attack, which would have been very effective on a Pok¨¦mon as heavy as Numsy. The golden energy took its toll and Maggie collapsed on the ground defeated.


    ¡°Magby is unable to battle! Camerupt wins!¡±


    ¡°It seems Numsy did learn a thing or two while staying with that old Camerupt. Well now he¡¯ll have to contend with this guy. Go Torkoal!¡±


    A familiar looking tortoise Pok¨¦mon appeared on the field. Torkoal¡¯s appearance caused the ambient temperature in the room which was already fairly high to rise explosively. This particular Torkoal was proficient in the use of its ability drought, the only known Pok¨¦mon in the world with access to this ability. Eli hand raised this Pok¨¦mon by himself and was very secretive on how his tortoise Pok¨¦mon became able to use this amazing ability. He was part of this secret club of Torkoal trainers who kept mum about how to train up this fabled ability.


    I was fairly sure this Torkoal¡¯s strength was on par with fifth or maybe even sixth badge gym Pok¨¦mon. Eli calling out his personal Pok¨¦mon now was indicative of him not wanting to let Numsy give me free and easy wins.


    ¡°Is this still a gym battle?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely Egon! But I am going to have you work for it!¡±


    ¡°Fine but if we win, you¡¯ll have to give me some training advice!¡±


    ¡°Earth Power!¡±


    ¡°Protect! Follow that up with Solar Beam!¡±


    Numsy¡¯s move proved ineffective against the shield conjured up by Torkoal. The tortoise Pok¨¦mon, directed by Eli, seemed intent on using defensive tactics to deal with any super effective moves coming his way. Before coming out of its shell to pelt my Pok¨¦mon from range.


    ¡®With the effects of sunny day active Torkoal won¡¯t have to let its guard drop to gather energy. We¡¯ll have to close the distance.¡¯


    ¡°Flame charge through the Solar beam!¡±


    ¡°Ruuupt!¡±


    Torkoal, after dropping its crystalline shield, immediately fired off a solar beam in Numsy¡¯s direction. At the same time Numsy wreathed himself in flames in order to muscle through the incoming hit and close the gap between him and the tortoise Pok¨¦mon. Naturally a fire type¡¯s solar beam wouldn¡¯t be as strong as one coming off a grass type Pok¨¦mon, but it would still pack a wallop.


    Numsy blazed through the oncoming solar ray packed with grass type energy. His toughness had significantly improved since his evolution since normally a blast like that would¡¯ve sent him flying. This time his added weight and strength was enough to withstand the impact and give Torkoal an equally powerful body blow to his face. The artificial sunlight acting as a double-edged sword empowering Numsy¡¯s flame charge to be more powerful than it ought to be.


    ¡°Withdraw!¡±


    ¡°Yawn! Gas him out!¡±


    Eli made a tactical error in assuming my Pok¨¦mon didn¡¯t know any gas attacks yet. His Torkoal was now surrounded in a cloud of gas. Withdraw being unable to block against these kinds of attacks. Just like me Eli must have figured out that the gas from Numsy¡¯s yawn attack would soon kick in bringing torkoal to sleep since he wasted no time calling on Torkoal to launch another attack.


    ¡°Earthquake!¡±


    At this level of proximity there was no way for Numsy to avoid that attack. I was preparing myself to have Numsy faint from the point zero quakes when my long time friend surprised me for the first time in a long while. Without my instruction Numsy covered himself in a turquoise force field very similar to the one our opponent used earlier, halting the earthquake from doing any more damage.


    ¡°Numsy, you learned protect in secret?!¡±


    ¡°Came.¡±


    Not having much time to praise him since we were in the middle of a battle the earthquake eventually subsided. Eli¡¯s Torkoal coming out of his shell asleep. The yawn having finally shown its effects.


    ¡°Now Numsy hit him with¡­!¡±


    Before I could give the command to victimize our defenseless opponent, Eli withdrew his Torkoal back into his pok¨¦ ball.


    ¡°Gym Trainer Eli has chosen to withdraw his Pok¨¦mon from the battle! According to the rules of a league endorsed gym battle this makes Camerupt the winner!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve certainly kept up with your training since traveling abroad Egon. Are you ready for my final Pok¨¦mon? Go Flareon!¡±


    Another one of Eli¡¯s personal Pok¨¦mon materialized on the field. This time it is his work partner Flareon. Rangers like Eli are frequently sent on search and rescue missions. Flareon was used to suss out the location of missing trainers and also doubled as a therapeutic Pok¨¦mon able to calm down emotional and traumatized people. I knew from personal experience that Eli¡¯s Flareon was a tricky Pok¨¦mon to beat.


    ¡°Keep light on your hooves Numsy! Flareon is strong.¡±


    ¡°Charm!¡±


    ¡°Bulldoze!¡±


    Before Numsy had the chance, Flareon channeled what I would presume to be fairy type energy through its eyes. The effect was immediate lulling Numsy into a sense of complacency and adoration. I wasn¡¯t the recipient of the attack but suddenly Flareon seemed more helpless giving me the urge to protect the floof even against my better judgment.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Numsy¡¯s half hearted attempt at using the move bulldoze still managed to deal an effective amount of damage turning the battlefield into hazardous terrain. Making me flinch involuntarily since usually it was my job to repair the damaged terrain after gym battles.


    ¡®Sorry! Poor sap who has to clean up this mess afterwards.¡¯


    ¡°Earth Power.¡±


    ¡°Copy Cat!¡±


    ¡®Tch.¡¯


    Normally Flareon would have no way to perform any sort of ground type moves. Eli must have waited for this chance to turn the tables on me. Copy Cat was a move that duplicated the type of energy inside the opponent¡¯s body giving his Flareon access to the last move Numsy performed.


    Both Pok¨¦mon had to endure the offensive ground type energy bursting out from underneath their feet. Flareon being light on her feet managed to come out harmed and exhausted but still on her feet. Numsy on the other hand¡­


    ¡°Rupt¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay you did well. Numsy return! Go Rena!¡±


    Numsy wasn¡¯t very maneuverable and with him being hurt from his last fight with Torkoal I figured now would be a good opportunity to withdraw him for my other partner who was still full of energy.


    ¡°The challenger has chosen to substitute his Pok¨¦mon. Let the battle recommence!¡±


    ¡°Quick attack!¡±


    ¡°Charm again!¡±


    Again Eli was using the same strategy to cripple my Pok¨¦mon''s incoming offensive by artificially lowering my Pok¨¦mon¡¯s will to fight. However, this time I was ready with a trick of my own.


    ¡°Encore!¡±


    This is the move Rena has been working on with Mr. Moore¡¯s Ninetales. Encore forced the opposing Pok¨¦mon into only using the same move over and over again.


    ¡°Flareon on your feet!¡±


    Normally trainers would command their Pok¨¦mon to avoid clashing until the effects of encore ran out, but I wasn¡¯t letting him go that easy.


    ¡°Follow it up with a disable attack!¡±


    Rena released blue rings of energy from her body that made our opponent unable to move.


    This was my grand strategy. With Flareon¡¯s body being forced to keep performing the same move a disable attack would mess up the Pok¨¦mon even further forcing its body into a struggle. Flareon had no choice but to damage itself hopelessly.


    ¡°Now finish it. Use flamethrower!¡±


    We had to follow it up quickly encore usually only lasted for less than half a minute. Rena fired off an intense blast of fire strengthened even further by the effects of the sunny day Torkoal left behind. However, before the move could connect, Eli just like before withdrew his Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Gym trainer Eli has chosen to withdraw his final Pok¨¦mon. Vulpix wins the battle making Egon from Lavaridge Town the victor!¡±


    ¡°You did it Rena! Our very first gym badge from Hoenn.¡±


    ¡°Vuuuuul!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°That was some fine strategy there at the end Egon. I haven¡¯t seen the old encore into disable ploy in a long while. In my role as an official gym trainer for the Lavaridge Gym I award you the Heat badge.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, we couldn¡¯t do it without help. Rena has learned a lot from Mr. Moore¡¯s Ninetales.¡±


    ¡°Say what kind of advice were you looking to get from me?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have theorized that those of the vulpix line could develop the drought ability as well. So, I started off training Rena how to use sunny day. Although she has become proficient in the use of that move there¡¯s still something that prevents her from obtaining that ability.¡±


    ¡°Hmm I see¡­ and you want to learn the training method I used to have Torkoal learn how to do it?¡±


    ¡°Yes please!¡±


    ¡°At the moment the method is taught amongst those in the ranger corps. To light up dimly lit caves and the like during rescue operations in situations where the use of flash is too directional, and there is a need for a wider field of view. Seeing as the corps is apolitical it would be bad for me to give trainers running the circuit the means of training up this ability. Since technically speaking all trainers doing the circuit are running for public office in a way.¡±


    ¡°You can say that this is for science¡¯s sake. If my Vulpix manages to develop the ability, I¡¯ll even accredit you on my research paper. What do you say? I can also give you a guarantee that I won¡¯t catch any Torkoals or spread this information around.¡±


    ¡°Research paper? I didn¡¯t know you had lab sponsorship.¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, Professor Juniper from Unova. It¡¯s just free-lance though, he pays me for discoveries that result in scientific breakthroughs.¡±


    ¡°Tell you what¡­I¡¯ll lend you a hand with this, but you will also have to give over any relevant data to a lab in Hoenn. I can¡¯t have the Unovans getting one over our local professors.¡±


    We shook hands and a deal was struck. With Eli promising to mail me a ranger instruction guide on training up the ability as soon as he got off work. Since Eli was cheating by using higher leveled Pok¨¦mon than what was allowed for a fourth level badge match, I figured I would have also earned a technical machine but that was not the case. Mr. Moore had given him specific instructions to not give out any additional award aside from prize money, since according to the boss a fire type specialist would never take the easy way out on teaching fire type moves.


    After dropping off my three partners at the Pok¨¦mon center, I went back home to pack my things. Tomorrow morning I had a battle appointment with the Mauville gym. In the unlikely case that Victini¡¯s teleport didn¡¯t work out, we''d have to buy teleportation services locally on short notice, so it was best to already be on our way today. I also had to say goodbye to my grandparents.


    <hr>


    Later at home*


    ¡°This is it, if you want to contact me Nurse Mary next door has my number. I¡¯ll visit you guys as often as I can. Since Victini learned teleportation, she has been familiarizing herself with the town so it should be doable for her to get us back home on short notice. If I qualify for the Ever Grande conference, I¡¯ll make sure to reserve two tickets for you so you can come and watch me live.¡±


    ¡°Ever Grande Conference that¡¯s all the way over at ever Grande city. That¡¯s way too far for these old bones of mine.¡±


    ¡°Shut it you old codger! If our grandson qualifies, we are going.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Grandma. I am off, wish me luck!¡±


    With my family matters settled I set off to pick up Flannery at the gym. Before having Victini teleport the both of us to Mauville. I was hoping she got all her affairs in order because I was not looking forward to having to help her pack up for a long journey.


    ¡®Who am I kidding this is Flannery. I¡¯ll have to double check the supplies she is bringing just to make sure. You will have to be the one to help her pack her things, Tini.¡¯


    ¡°Why me?!¡±


    ¡°You are both girls, it''d be less awkward. I am not going into that room unless I absolutely have to. Just make sure she brings two extra set of clothes and a weeks¡¯ worth of socks and undergarments. Anything else we can just shop for in Mauville. Oh, and also make sure she picked up her Pok¨¦mon partners out of the gym¡¯s corral. Knowing her she might leave one behind by mistake.¡±


    At this point of the conversation the bargaining usually begins where I have to promise some kind of feast for making Victini go out of her way to lend her assistance. Oddly enough, that didn¡¯t happen. Instead we made an unspoken promise that she could make me do something unreasonable in return.


    As we walked inside the gym which was closed to the public we noticed Mr. Moore standing at the lobby desk probably waiting to see his little girl off.


    ¡°Heya, Mr. Moore I am here to pick up Flannery.¡±


    ¡°Egon, I¡¯ve heard about you earning our gym¡¯s badge today. Good, Eli appraised your skills to be around your average sixth badge challenger. Naturally this means that I will expect you to challenge all subsequent gym leaders at that level.¡±


    ¡®Ughh¡­ Orin and Halo aren¡¯t at that level yet. How does he expect me to shore up their skills while not letting them participate in any gym battles? And sixth level gym challenges are usually four versus four Pok¨¦mon too. Maybe I can worm my way out of this.¡¯


    ¡°Sir¡­ Halo is only a week old, and Orin should only be around three months old. They aren¡¯t ready yet for the sixth level.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what gym trainers are for! You might not know it because you worked with us, but every other gym makes timeslots available for trainers on the circuit who want to train up their younger and more inexperienced team members. They only pay as much as regular challenges, but the quality and know-how of your opponent is guaranteed.¡±


    As we were busy talking, I let Victini out of her ball to check up on Flannery. Since the gym was closed for the day and all the staff members were off work, she could have her run of the place without being noticed.


    My conversation with Mr. Moore continued.


    ¡°How far have you planned out your travels with Flannery so far?¡±


    ¡°First Victini will teleport the both of us to Mauville where I have a challenge lined up for my second badge. After which we will leave again for Fortree City. The gym leader there has invited me to come over in order to vet Tranquill¡¯s adoption there as a gym Pok¨¦mon. I¡¯ll challenge her for my third gym badge.¡±


    ¡°Fortree¡­ after which you will be going through Hoenn¡¯s archipelago?¡±


    ¡°Not immediately. I want to check out the safari zone with Flannery and see if they have relocated any fire type Pok¨¦mon there for me and Flannery to catch. Then we¡¯ll set off to Mt. Pyre, Rena hasn¡¯t seen her family in a while... This will also give Flannery the chance to see if any Vulpix living over there are interested enough to partner up with her.¡±


    ¡°A Vulpix yes that could work¡­and afterwards?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t think there are any other native fire types except for numel and camerupt. But if she was looking to catch one of those, she could have done so by just walking around Lavaridge.¡±


    ¡°Hmm fine if you two can¡¯t find anything in the safari zone I will take measures to ensure she has a full team for next season¡¯s circuit.¡±


    Just like that our conversation came to a close. What ensued was awkward silence, to alleviate the tension a little bit I released Halo. She hasn¡¯t gotten any chance to battle yet and she made for a nice distraction. Mr. Moore being eager to know more about her species and their personality traits in general, was quickly distracted by my limited knowledge of the larvesta line.


    ¡°So, the Claydol who was responsible for looking after her mother also shared an accounting of the species¡¯ past with me. Sometime in our planet¡¯s history the sky darkened due to some sort of cataclysmic event. The absence of sunlight caused the crops to start dying out. The renowned ancestor of little Halo here was powerful enough to act as the sun¡¯s replacement, saving the ancient people of that time.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating.¡±


    ¡°Larr Vess!¡±


    Little Halo was as pleased as Mr. Moore to hear about her heroic ancestor maybe even more so. The bug type puffing up just hearing about the grand feat.


    ¡°Did they tell you what the species of the father is? This could also be relevant to any future training plans.¡±


    ¡°Well, no I didn¡¯t ask¡­ but the ranger who helped me out with her egg told me that her species only couple with other bug types that manage to beat them in battle. That would be a tall order for any wild bug type to accomplish.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but some species of Pok¨¦mon are near enough related to bug types that they can interbreed without any issues. You mentioned that her mother lives near a desert environment, right? I can imagine that a hardy enough Flygon could pose a challenge to her.¡±


    ¡°Flygon aren¡¯t native to Unova. I¡¯ve traveled through that desert multiple times there were no signs of any trapinch pit traps.¡±


    Halo was as absorbed into the conversation as me. She seemed to place some amount of importance as to the identity of her father. Eventually I got the mental signal from Victini to let me know Flannery was done packing up and she was coming down to meet up with us in the lobby.


    ¡®Did you make sure she packed all the essentials?¡¯


    ¡°She didn¡¯t need any help¡­¡±


    ¡®Wait¡­? Why is she just now deciding to leave her room?¡¯


    ¡°She is scared. This is her first time leaving home.¡±


    ¡®You know what must be done¡­¡¯


    Victini could double as therapeutic support Pok¨¦mon in a pinch. Of course, she doesn¡¯t have the official certification granted by the league, but the power of her fluffy ears was enough to help any person out of their malaise. We tested her efficacy on my grandparents, and they¡¯ve been back at it with the lava cookie store ever since.


    ¡®It¡¯s understandable leaving home for the first time can be scary. Just let her know she¡¯s but a teleport away if the homesickness becomes too much for her.¡¯


    Eventually footsteps could be heard coming from the gym¡¯s empty halls until Flannery finally came into our line of sight. She was cradling Victini in both arms a large backpack strapped to her back. Streaks of dried tears lining her face. Mr. Moore became very protective at the sight of his granddaughter¡¯s current state.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go if you don¡¯t want to sweetheart. Grandpa can just buy you a new partner Pok¨¦mon. There¡¯s this growlithe breeder that¡­¡±


    ¡°No!! I want to do this. It¡¯s just that¡­ I am going to miss everyone while I am gone.¡±


    I felt like I shouldn¡¯t be watching this vulnerable moment between family members. So, I decided to get gone while the two worked out their emotional affairs.


    ¡°What about me?!¡±


    ¡®You are her support bunny. She is supposed to be vulnerable with you. Just stick with it and afterwards you¡¯ll get to choose our dining spot in Mauville city.¡¯


    <hr>


    A short while later*


    I was standing outside the gym for what felt like half an hour before eventually Flannery showed up together with her grandpa. To my relief she looked much more confident now after getting some private time to work things out with her grandfather.


    ¡°I am ready, Egon! Grandpa says I have to call him thrice a day or else he won¡¯t let me go with you. Pffft, it¡¯s a hassle but that¡¯s the price of freedom I guess.¡±


    ¡®Who does she think she¡¯s kidding? This grandpa¡¯s girl¡­¡¯


    ¡°Okay¡­? We¡¯ll first be teleporting over to route 110. Victini and I really got along with this pack of electrike living over there, so don¡¯t get startled if we suddenly pop out in front of them. From there it¡¯s only a ten-minute walk over to Mauville where we¡¯ll stay for the night.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi.¡± ¡°Hold my paws.¡±


    Both of us did so.


    ¡°Bye grandpa, I¡¯ll call you later tonight!¡±


    Lavaridge town disappeared, and we found ourselves facing that very same nanab berry tree. The pack¡¯s secret berry spot was deserted but I had no doubt they would sniff us out before long.


    ¡°This is it, route 110. Now then Flannery, how would you navigate us in the direction of the nearest town?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t an educational trip, Egon! I¡¯ve done enough of those during trainer¡¯s school.¡±


    ¡°Just pretend that I am a completely clueless person.¡±


    ¡°Hmpff, I don¡¯t have to pretend to believe that.¡±


    ¡®Is this how it¡¯s going to be? Did I just shoot myself in the foot by taking this little hellion with me?¡¯


    ¡°Ruff!!¡±


    Out of the tangled bushes came a group of familiar faces. The pack¡¯s noses must be better than I thought, noticing our presence not even a minute after we teleported.


    ¡°Hey you guys! It¡¯s us, how have you been? Don¡¯t mind the extra person, she''ll keep your hidden berry spot a secret, promise.¡±


    ¡°Puppies!!¡±


    ¡°Arf!?!¡±


    Seeing Flannery warming up immediately to the wild pack of electrike assuaged my worries somewhat.

 Chapter 40 - Meeting of the Minds

    Chapter 40 ¨C Meeting of the Minds


    Our meeting with the pack of electrike went smoothly as far as I could tell. Although Flannery¡¯s penchant for dog Pok¨¦mon was a surprise to me. My fellow red head gleefully rubbing their bellies and scratching behind their ears, and even more surprisingly the canine Pok¨¦mon letting her do as she wished. She attempted to do the same to the pack leader but he rebuffed her advances.


    ¡®Understandable, he needs to save face in front of his subordinates. Electrike can¡¯t shamelessly submit to the whims of an excitable young girl.¡¯


    Since we already filled up on supplies at Lavaridge there was no need to imposition the pack by haggling for their berries this time around. Not that Victini didn¡¯t give it her best shot.


    ¡°Vi¡­? Tini!¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    The pack leader wasn¡¯t having any of it unless she offered something of equal worth. While the routes weren¡¯t nearly as cutthroat as the unexplored wilderness, giving away free food would surely negatively impact this pack of electrike as a whole.


    ¡°Electrike is bullying me!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple, why don¡¯t you offer him some of grandma¡¯s homemade lava cookies?¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi¡­¡± ¡°No! Those are my ahem¡­ I mean ours.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, when is the next time you¡¯ll get the chance to eat fresh nanab berries? Sharing is caring and I bet you these electrike would love the taste of Lava cookies.¡±


    ¡°Tini!¡± ¡°Okay, but no more than one cookie per berry!¡±


    ¡°What do you think Electrike? Is the deal acceptable?¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    The trade being consented to by both parties, I opened up my backpack to retrieve a plastic cookie container. Pulling out two cookies to trade for two of those berries one for Victini and the other for Halo. The little bug type, unlike the rest of my crew, hadn''t had the chance yet to taste fresh nanab, so I was determined to trade one for her. Presenting the two lava cookies to the pack leader was followed by an investigative sniff from him. Our goods apparently passed the smell test since the leader motioned for Victini to go ahead and pick two nanab berries from the tree. The leader placed the two offered cookies inside his mouth and wandered off probably to share one of those cookies with his mate.


    ¡°Flanny, we are set to leave. Can you wrap it up over there?¡±


    ¡°Fineee, just a minute.¡±


    Just like that our time in this part of route 110 was coming to a close. Remembering our way back to Mauville from last time we didn¡¯t need one of electrike to escort us to the city¡¯s edge. Not that some of them didn¡¯t offer though the pack seemed quite fetched with Flannery¡¯s demeanor. I was quite sure that a number of them would be quite willing to partner up with her.


    ¡®Alas the path of a specialist is a lonely one sometimes.¡¯


    Flannery finished up roughhousing with a particularly eager electrike and picked up her backpack ready to follow me into the city. I was starting to feel better about our arrangement. Being able to make friends with wild Pok¨¦mon on the first meeting was the sign of a talented trainer. Raw charisma could get you far in this profession.


    ¡®Now if only she could overcome her klutziness...¡¯


    ¡°Hey?! Tini save that second nanab berry for Halo!¡±


    <hr>


    Ten minutes later*


    ¡°What do you think? Mauville city is located in the heart of Hoenn. It¡¯s the place where all traveling trainers pass by at least a couple of times while on their journeys.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been to Mauville plenty of times, Egon! It¡¯s only one route removed from Lavaridge.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I figured that you didn¡¯t get to go out much.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa takes me on plenty of trips when he is off from work.¡±


    My image of Flannery being the sheltered princess type took a glancing blow. Aside from her tomboyish inclinations she tended to be quite shy during first meetings with strangers that weren¡¯t Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Anyway¡­! As your official minder I¡¯ll show you the basics of a traveling trainer¡¯s dos and don¡¯ts. The first of them being reserving a room at a local Pok¨¦mon center. Follow my lead apprentice, you have much to learn indeed.¡±


    ¡°Stop acting all high and mighty Egon. I am older than you!¡±


    Despite her failed attempt at undermining my authority by pulling the age card, she obediently followed me through the busy and darkened streets of Mauville city. To reduce our chances of someone or something accidentally bumping or crashing into us I released Orin from his ball. The ambient light of his flame doing much to lighten our path forwards. Since I¡¯ve already been to Mauville two weeks ago I wasn¡¯t as lost as the last time, and we made an accurate beeline towards the nearest Pok¨¦mon center.


    ¡°Okay so, when we step in, take out your trainer¡¯s license which also serves as your ID and ask the nurse Joy or chansey at the reception desk if you can book a room at the center. The league association will cover the cost of our stay here and you are free to use the amenities like showers and stalls for some of your bigger Pok¨¦mon partners. There are some trainers who get so enamored by the free living on the routes that they often forget that living like a hobo in the wilderness is bad for your personal hygiene. Don¡¯t become one of those trainers.¡±


    ¡°Really?!~There are trainers that don¡¯t take regular showers?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, I met this hermit in Mistralton city who by the smell of him only uses soap once a month. Kooky old men like him can get away with it but strapping young trainers like us have an image to maintain especially since we are representing the Lavaridge gym. Now sometimes you don¡¯t have a choice, like say if you are stuck in an arid desert encampment with no running water. Then the best you can do is ask a fellow trainer¡¯s water Pok¨¦mon to hose you down once in a while.¡±


    As I was sharing my worldly experience with Flannery, we got to the front desk where this center¡¯s chansey was waiting for us to state our business with the Pok¨¦mon center to her.


    ¡°Good evening Chansey. We¡¯d like to book two dorm rooms please. Separate.¡±


    ¡°Sey Sey!¡±


    We both handed over our trainer¡¯s licenses and while Chansey was busy looking us up in the computer this center¡¯s nurse Joy finally revealed herself. She appeared from a backdoor nursing a cup of coffee. As our eyes met I recognized this specific nurse Joy as the same one that I met here exactly half a month ago.


    ¡°You!¡± ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°The trainer with that special egg! Did the hatching go smoothly? Can you show me the baby Pok¨¦mon please?!¡±


    ¡®The same overly eager nurse Joy from the last time. I just know she is going to be overly touchy with Halo, maybe I can shake her off.¡¯


    ¡°Uhm yeah, the newborn Pok¨¦mon is perfectly healthy. The nurse Joy at the Lavaridge center was there to assist with the delivery. Chansey here is almost done helping us out with booking a room and I am kind of getting tired. Maybe we can talk further in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Hold it! The journey from Lavaridge to Mauville must have been a long one. Why don¡¯t you leave your Pok¨¦mon with me for a while?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite alright we teleported over so none of us are fatigued.¡±


    Chansey finished up registering us into the computer and took off two keys from the wall before handing them over to us.


    ¡°Alright then but be sure to meet up with me in the morning. I want details, young man.¡±


    After receiving our keys, I guided Flannery to the center dorms, while giving her my final lecture for the day.


    ¡°Since this is a Pok¨¦mon center there are no guarantees that you won¡¯t have to share rooms with other girls. In that situation it is common courtesy to not make loud noises after ten pm, and if you wake up early try to be as quiet as possible when sneaking out of the room to get breakfast. Of course, this is also a good opportunity to make friends, if it seems like the both of you aren¡¯t anywhere near close to falling asleep. If you don¡¯t know what topics to talk about to initiate a conversation just keep it simple and talk about how cute your Torchic is. That should get the ball rolling.¡±


    ¡°You think my Torchic is cute?¡±


    ¡°Is that the only thing you take away from my sterling words of wisdom? Whatever, this is my assigned room. I''ll see you at eight in the morning, don''t make me come get you.¡±


    ¡°Even cuter than Victini?¡±


    ¡°¡­Good night.¡±


    With that I closed the door behind me, and A certain member of the team didn¡¯t waste any time by popping out of her ball to question me on my life¡¯s choices.


    ¡°Vi Tini?¡± ¡°I am the cutest right?!¡±


    ¡°Has this become a competition¡­? You are my partner Pok¨¦mon that alone automatically makes you the cutest. Plus, your fur¡¯s all soft and you make for a way better sleeping companion. Flannery¡¯s Torchic¡¯s grasping talons don¡¯t facilitate for a good long-time bedrest.¡±


    Due to tomorrow¡¯s hectic schedule, I was adamant that we all go to bed a bit earlier than usual. Since we had a gym battle with leader Wattson first thing in the morning. Halo took the second pillow on the bunkbed next to my own as a nestling spot while Glove the ever vigilant protector laid down on the remaining section of that bed. Victini was content just cuddling me to sleep as if to prove my point.


    <hr>


    The following morning*


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Wake up!¡±


    ¡°Whaaa¡­ What time is it?¡±


    ¡°Ten minutes before you have to wake up Flannery.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Tini, I forgot to set the timer on my Xtransceiver.¡±


    One surveying glance around the room informed me that only the two of us were awake at the moment. Careful as to not wake up the baby bug type that was still sleeping like a cute little loaf of bread. I tippy topped my way to the adjoining bathroom to brush my teeth and wipe my face with a moist towelette. I didn¡¯t know how many sleeping hours an infant Pok¨¦mon needed each day, but I tended to prefer erring on the side of caution.


    As soon as I was done with that I made my way out of the room bringing most of my team with me except for Glove and Halo whom I decided to wake up after being finishing preparing our breakfast. It was forbidden for men to enter the female part of the dormitory so I released Rena from her ball and asked the fox Pok¨¦mon if she could wake up Flannery for me.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Pix Pix?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know which number, but you can track her scent right?¡±


    ¡°Vuuuuul!¡±


    ¡°Sorry I know¡­ How about after we beat that gym, we all go shopping and you can pick out something shiny from the market stalls?¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    My attempt at bribery seemed to have worked since Rena darted off immediately into the women¡¯s section without having to be asked twice. My next course of action was to head on over to the communal kitchens. The centers didn¡¯t provide breakfast like some other trainer hostels, but they did have a fully equipped kitchen free for anybody to use as long as they cleaned up after themselves.


    Over the course of my journeys, I have become a practiced hand at preparing meals for my Pok¨¦mon. All my team members had a particular flavor which they preferred. Just like Victini, Halo also seemed to prefer sweet tasting dishes with a particular leaning towards honey. Combee honey directly imported from Sinnoh; anything else wouldn¡¯t satisfy her unnatural cravings. Strangely enough the cost of raw ingredients directly correlates to her enjoyment of my dishes. Being frugal with the amount of honey I incorporated into her food bowl was one way I managed to keep down costs. As long as it was in there, she would eat the whole dish with gusto. I blamed Mary for offering her that combee honey flavored lollipop on her birthday. There were plenty of wasp and ant Pok¨¦mon capable of producing honey, but the woman just had to give her the most expensive and exotic variety.


    ¡®When my sponsorship with the Gym ends, I really have to look for alternative means of financing our expenditures¡­ I should be grateful actually if by some chance Mary kept a stock of royal vespiqueen jelly I would become bankrupt within the same day.¡¯


    ¡°Vespiqueen jelly?¡±


    ¡®No! Bad bad!¡¯


    ¡°Heyo Egon, what are we having for breakfast today?¡±


    ¡°Vuuul.¡±


    ¡°Great job bringing the sleepy head here Rena. Just take a seat, breakfast will be ready soon.¡±


    Suddenly an unfamiliar voice rang out from behind Flannery.


    ¡°Is there room for one more at your table?¡±


    An elegant looking brunette wearing a schoolgirl outfit who was following Flannery through the hallway cut into our conversation. This was my first time seeing the girl so I assumed Flannery must have been bunking with her at the girls¡¯ dorms last night.


    ¡°Oh yes! Egon, meet Roxanne. She is a nerd just like you but better looking and stylish.¡±


    ¡®Calm down Egon, Flannery is making friends just focus on the positive.¡¯


    ¡°Of course there¡¯s room at our table. Did you bring your own meal?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t have to worry; I¡¯ll eat together with my Pok¨¦mon later.¡±


    With that Roxanne took a seat at the nearest table together with Flannery and my Vulpix. I was planning to start Flannery on part two of my curriculum. How to make nutritious food for your Pok¨¦mon partners, but seeing as she was socializing, I figured I could let her off the hook for today. When I was around halfway done with the food the door leading to the hallway opened and Glove and Halo popped out. Glove scanned the crowd for a moment before finally spotting me and walking over with Halo cradled in his arms. As he did so he and Halo garnered a good amount of curious looks from all the other trainers making use of the cafeteria. It wasn¡¯t every day that you see two unusual nonnative Pok¨¦mon, especially not ones from Unova.


    ¡°Dar?¡±


    ¡°Ves?¡±


    ¡°Food¡¯s almost done, just take a seat at that table over there. Don¡¯t mind the newcomer, she seems like a good girl.¡±


    Giving me a quick nod Glove walked over to where the trio of gossiping girls were sitting Rena included, and placed Halo on the tabletop. Flannery was quite used to seeing the duo and gave them an enthusiastic morning greeting, but Roxanne seemed to be struck from left field not expecting to encounter such rarely seen Pok¨¦mon.


    I wasn¡¯t standing close enough to understand what they were saying but Roxanne seemed to be eagerly firing off a series of questions at Flannery probably pertaining to the duo. Halo from a distance looked a tad bored as if it were a natural thing that she should be the center of attention.


    ¡®This is the first time Halo is surrounded by a crowd of people I¡¯d best hurry along and finish up.¡¯


    It took another ten minutes before I finally finished everyone¡¯s breakfast. It took me longer than usual since I needed to make food for Flannery and her team. Mr. Moore passed along the dietary information of Flannery¡¯s four Pok¨¦mon. Torchic just required the usual Pok¨¦mon feed, Torkoal needed extra coal in their diet, Ponyta required extra grains and Slugma didn¡¯t eat regular food at all, only requiring a steady supply of minerals to keep himself going. Since I only had two hands I signaled Flannery to come help bring everyone¡¯s food to the table.


    ¡°Here we go this is for you three, make sure to eat it while it¡¯s still hot else you¡¯ll have to heat it up yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°Nitan.¡±


    ¡°Laaar.¡±


    With that I released the rest of my team as well sans Victini of course. In situations like this we¡¯d bring her filled bowl back into the room with us afterwards. Orin liked to come out in situations like these to set the atmosphere; his flickering flame did wonders for the d¨¦cor, and he enjoyed all the extra attention as well. Seeing as I haven¡¯t fed him, yet I gave him leave to suck up some of my energy while we were busy eating.


    Roxanne took this moment to satisfy her curiosity regarding my team.


    ¡°Your name is Egon, right? Flannery told me all about you. You must have caught lots of interesting Pok¨¦mon like these two while abroad.¡±


    ¡°Yes, fire type specialists like me and Flanny basically have to. The variety of fire types available for capture inside Hoenn is too little to form a proper team. Glove here is a Darmanitan, a species native to Unova and Orin is a Litwick I caught while staying near the Celestial tower."


    ¡°Hey Egon, get this. Roxxanne has already earned six badges so far! That¡¯s way better than your one even if you count the two you earned while in Unova.¡±


    To say I was impressed was an understatement. That meant she had five months¡¯ time to train up her team for the conference. With only two remaining badges to earn. Roxanne seemed to be around the same age as me which meant she was a first-time trainer like myself. For a ten-year-old to get this far she must be a generational talent.


    ¡°That¡¯s really impressive Roxanne. I still have a lot of catching up to do it seems. Which major gyms are still left on your shopping list?¡±


    ¡°The Mossdeep city gym and the Sootopolis gym. Although I am not confident of my odds at beating the latter one. You see, I specialize in rock type Pok¨¦mon. The Sootopolis gym insists on having their challengers battle on a water battlefield the floating platforms not being nearly enough foothold for my team members to use their better moves.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a hassle¡­ my fire types probably won¡¯t be able to beat leader Juan¡¯s challenge as they are now. Have you considered adding some rock and water type Pok¨¦mon to your team?¡±


    ¡°You mean a Corsola?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard tales you can fish them up in the waters surrounding Ever Grande City. There¡¯s also relicanth, although I believe they live deep beneath inside the ocean¡¯s trenches. You¡¯d have to be extremely lucky finding one in surface waters. Of course, the best way to add variety to your team will be fossil hunting.¡±


    ¡°Fossil hunting¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard rumors that a Kanto lab located on Cinnabar island has been making impressive breakthroughs in regards to fossil revivification. I estimate that sometime next year they will have their first successful experiment and their machine needs fully intact fossils to work. Can you imagine flying around on an aerodactyl you dug up yourself? Not even mentioning the fact how much you could learn about ancient Pok¨¦mon by training them yourself.¡±


    My story seemed to have firmly gripped Roxanne¡¯s attention. The girl entering an euphoric state probably imagining all the things she would do with a posse of extinct Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Most fossil Pok¨¦mon are rumored to be coastline predators and those would all share a common rock typing. The best future investment for rock type specialists like yourself would be acquiring as many fossils as possible. Well, I think so at least¡­ don¡¯t just take my word for it.¡±


    Our conversation from that point went very smoothly, mostly speculation on how a revivification machine would work. My personal theory consisted of lab grown ditto stem cells building up the fossil based on the genetic material already present within the fossils themselves. While Roxanne on the other hand believed that such a machine would work based on extracting the genetic material inside the bone marrow and fusing said material with infertile Pok¨¦mon eggs.


    Halfway through our conversation Flannery just dozed off not finding the topic discussed all that interesting. Flannery was more of a doer than a dreamer like the two of us, so it was understandable that she found speculation on fossil revivification boring.


    It was nearing the time for my appointment at the Mauville gym so I sadly had to cut our engrossing conversation short. I gathered up all the bowls, which my team had already cleaned up, stuffed them in my backpack and recalled my entire team. Before I left the cafeteria Roxanne still had something left to say to me and Flannery.


    ¡°Thank you, Egon! I¡¯ll be sure to use all the advice you gave me. How about we all exchange numbers? You too Flannery.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, Flannery has my number she can give it to you.¡±


    I turned around to address the supposed oldest at the table.


    ¡°Flanny, how about you go do your own thing for a while? I¡¯ll be right back as soon as I finish up at the gym. Maybe you can spend some time with Roxanne here? She can teach you loads of stuff about being a travelling trainer.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like more fun! Roxanne, do you have any plans today?¡±


    ¡°Well actually I have come to Mauville in order to evolve my Nosepass. As you know a Nosepass can only evolve if they are in close proximity to special magnetic fields. Hoenn¡¯s magnetic field intensity pattern is strongest here in Mauville but so far, I am not having any luck triggering his evolution.¡±


    Not wanting to leave her guessing I decided to help the girl out with her short-term goal.


    ¡°Well, the strong magnetic field in Mauville can¡¯t be a natural one¡­ This could have something to do with leader Wattson¡¯s scrapped new Mauville project. Wattson had an entire underground city built some time ago but discovered that the place served as the perfect habitat for wild electric type Pok¨¦mon. Not having the heart to take away their new home he scrapped the new Mauville project. Rumor has it that before the project got scrapped, leader Wattson built a giant reactor in the heart of new Mauville. Maybe if you could bring your Nosepass closer to that reactor and the magnetic field it generates that would be sufficient enough for him to evolve.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s brilliant Egon! Do you have any idea where the entrance to new Mauville is located?¡±


    ¡°Well, no but I am heading towards the Mauville gym to have a match with Wattson. Maybe you could ask him yourself?¡±


    <hr>


    At the entrance of the Mauville gym*


    It wasn¡¯t in my plans to take these two with me to the site of my oncoming gym battle, but Roxanne was not the type to waste time. After she made the decision to go with me Flannery decided to follow the both of us.


    ¡®Maybe Flannery can learn a thing or two about how to operate a gym facility by watching how other leaders handle the day-to-day operations.¡¯


    Our little band walked past the automatic doors. The first thing that I noticed was a major difference between the Mauville gym and Lavaridge¡¯s gym design choice. Whereas Lavaridge kept the gym¡¯s interior simple aside from the many amenities for trainers the Mauville gym had multiple pylons that resembled tesla coils supporting the building¡¯s high ceiling. My fervent hope was that they were not meant to be used to shock the challengers. One of the gym¡¯s trainers walked up to us presumably to welcome us to the gym.


    ¡°Hello there young trainers, I presume you are here to challenge the gym leader?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have an appointment for a gym battle. The other two are here for a quick chit chat with leader Wattson.¡±


    ¡°Electrifying! Just follow me, leader Wattson is all set and ready for the first challenge of the day.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t remember Mr. Moore making his staff use theme appropriate puns. Maybe it¡¯s something to look into to increase the gym¡¯s popularity. I am hoping Flannery is taking notes.¡¯


    One quick look behind informed me that this wasn¡¯t the case. Flannery seemed to be more interested in talking about girl stuff with Roxanne as we were being led through to the gym¡¯s battlefield. With the duo busy I figured I could ask the gym¡¯s staffer for any tips or tricks.


    ¡°So, any advice for a fourth badge battle?¡±


    ¡°Yes, bringing a team of ground types won¡¯t work. At this level Wattson has numerous strategies at his disposal to circumvent a ground type Pok¨¦mon¡¯s innate advantage.¡±


    ¡°Do people actually catch a load of ground types just to win a badge?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, we do have the occasional ground type specialist coming through. Ah! We have arrived.¡±


    The hallway he escorted us through ended up leading to the gym¡¯s battle facilities. We saw multiple battlefields lined up right next to each other. An old man in a brown aviator jacket was sitting on a bench polishing off a Magnemite.


    ¡°Leader Wattson, today¡¯s first challenger is this young man here. The two young ladies with him wanted to ask you something¡­?¡±


    Roxanne stepped forward to inquire about the reactor, but before she had a chance to Wattson addressed her first.


    ¡°Hahaha! Little Roxanne, this year¡¯s top graduate from Rustburo¡¯s trainer school. Didn¡¯t you already earn your gym badge here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Leader Wattson this time I came here for a different reason. I am looking to enter the underground city of New Mauville but I don¡¯t know how.¡±


    ¡°New Mauville¡­ and why would the smartest young girl in all of Hoenn want to enter my failed project.¡±


    ¡°Yes, after some discussion with Egon here I decided to chance my luck at evolving my Nosepass near New Mauville¡¯s reactor. The special magnetic field it puts out might just be able to trigger his evolution.¡±


    ¡°Brilliant! To have come up with that all by yourself. Yes, Pok¨¦mon needing special magnetic fields to evolve could make use of the reactor room in new Mauville. However, evolving a Pok¨¦mon before its ready could lead it to having problems later on. Are you sure that your Nosepass is sufficiently prepared?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Fine then far be it from me to question such an ambitious young lass like yourself. After I finish battling this youngster, I¡¯ll lend you the key required to open up the underground entrance. Now, you two young ladies go sit on the spectator seats over there. We''ll finish up soon enough.¡±


    Doing as they were told Roxanne and Flannery each took a seat on the bench Wattson pointed out. The bleachers at this gym were covered by a thin protective film made of rubber probably to protect the audience from any stray electrical attacks. Screening the battlefield, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the grounding rods impaled into the ground flooring on each of the battlefield¡¯s corners. Wattson and I took our positions on opposite ends of the battlefield.


    ¡°Wahahahah! Coming up with new innovative construction designs and testing young trainers like yourself are the things I live for now! Then I, Wattson, the Leader of Mauville Gym, shall electrify you!"

 Chapter 41 - An Electrifying Battle

    Chapter 41 ¨C An Electrifying Battle


    ¡°And now the Mauville gym battle will begin! Each trainer will use three Pok¨¦mon; the battle ends when all three of either trainer¡¯s Pok¨¦mon are unable to continue.¡±


    ¡°Go! Magnemite!¡±


    My finger hovered over Numsy¡¯s pok¨¦ ball, but eventually shifted to Orin¡¯s.


    ¡®I could lead off with Numsy and attempt to sweep his team, but Orin needs the experience.¡¯


    ¡°Go! Orin!¡±


    The little candle Pok¨¦mon materialized on the field. His little stubby arms raised as if he were preparing to engage the Magnemite in a fist fight.


    ¡°Thunder wave!¡±


    ¡°Will-O-Wisp!¡±


    Blue flame darted towards the floating screwball while at the same time streams of electricity connected the little candle Pok¨¦mon with Wattson¡¯s Magnemite.


    Will-O-Wisp came as easy as breathing for the ghost and fire type Pok¨¦mon. I didn¡¯t even have to ask Rena to teach him the basics. The move was crucial in my strategies until Orin learned some stronger fire type moves.


    Magnemite having to keep up the connection to my Pok¨¦mon in order to paralyze him didn¡¯t have the reflexes to dodge the blue flame. Similarly, Orin wasn¡¯t the most mobile of Pok¨¦mon. Until their evolution the Litwick species had to rely on awkward hopping to maneuver during a battle which basically made them sitting ducklett. That¡¯s why, until that special time, Orin basically had to spray and pray during our battles.


    The will-o-wisp was taking effect leaving Magnemite with a perpetual ghostly burn which sprang up and hurt him every time the magnet Pok¨¦mon executed a move.


    ¡°Hex!¡±


    ¡°Electro ball!¡±


    Magnemite charged up an orb of electricity and launched it towards my Pok¨¦mon. Electro ball was a nifty move that increased in power the faster the user was in comparison to the target. Magnemite in general weren¡¯t all that fast, but it was in comparison to my Litwick especially since the little candle Pok¨¦mon was now also paralyzed.


    The attacks made contact hex acting more like a curse following its target everywhere. While the electroball hit Orin straight in the face. Electric currents raged through his small body damaging the candle Pok¨¦mon from the inside out. While simultaneously the hex¡¯s dark flames did substantial damage to our opponent.


    ¡°Liiiiit!¡±


    ¡®Orin can¡¯t take much more than that, our next attacks will decide this round.¡¯


    Magnemite wasn¡¯t looking too hot either. The burns and Orin¡¯s last move taking a toll on its steely exterior providing none of its usual defense. Unless Orin suffered from a bout of paralysis this would probably turn into a double knockout.


    ¡°Night Shade!¡±


    ¡°Mirror Shot!¡±


    Orin¡¯s bright green eyes were already darkening up in preparation for the attack, but before he could perform the move a flash of energy shot out from Magnemite¡¯s body. The flash of light blinding my little candle and resulting in his eyes being forced shut. The invasive steel type energy took its toll from Orin¡¯s body.


    ¡°Lit¡­¡±


    ¡°Return!¡±


    ¡®Temporarily blinding his opponent when faced with gaze attacks. Wattson isn¡¯t a gym leader for nothing.¡¯


    ¡°Sorry for having you face two gym battles in a row Orin. When we get back on the road we¡¯ll slowly build up our strength again.¡±


    ¡°Magnemite return!¡±


    ¡°The leader has chosen to withdraw his Pok¨¦mon. According to the gym¡¯s rules this means the score is evened out at one to one!¡±


    ¡°Huh!? Why?¡±


    ¡°Magnemite here was on his last legs as well. That Hex attack really packed a wallop! Now let us field some of our stronger competitors. Go! Electrode!¡±


    ¡°Numsy you¡¯re up!¡±


    We both called out our stronger competitors. His choice of an electrode made things really simple on our side. Electrodes have a fairly hard time learning any other moves beside electric ones. We¡¯d have this in the bag as long as the sphere Pok¨¦mon didn¡¯t try to blow up on us. Numsy using the protect at the right time would be the key factor for us making it out of this unscathed.


    ¡°Bulldoze!¡±


    ¡°Magnet Rise!¡±


    My Camerupt tore up the battlefield turning the entire terrain into a series of nooks and ridges. Wattson¡¯s Electrode would surely have trouble using its superior mobility on uneven ground. However, before the ground shocks could reach Wattson¡¯s electrode its use of Magnet Rise lifted up the spherical Pok¨¦mon completely avoiding our attack. Using its magnetic powers to float a few inches above the ground left Wattson¡¯s Pok¨¦mon safe from our attack.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think using ground type moves will work on us! Here at the Mauville gym we pride ourselves on dealing with ground types! Swift!¡±


    ¡®Even in the air electrode¡¯s speed is incredible, so we just have to use moves that hit everything in their vicinity.¡¯


    ¡°Lava plume!¡±


    Stars formed by normal type energy hit Numsy on the side, but I wasn¡¯t too bothered about that. As long as Electrode couldn¡¯t hit us with electric type moves Wattson could pelt us with weak attacks all he liked.


    Scarlet flames erupted from the miniature volcanoes on Numsy¡¯s back dousing the entire field in flames. Electrode was fast but not fast enough to avoid getting hit. The impact resulted in the ball Pok¨¦mon being covered in soot sagging back onto the ground. Heat weakens magnetic fields so I was sure turning the ground molten hot would also ruin Wattson¡¯s strategy of staying afloat.


    ¡®Now there¡¯s only one strategy left available to him¡­¡¯


    ¡°Selfdestruct!¡±


    ¡°Protect!¡±


    Electrode glowed bright for a split second before exploding like a frag grenade tearing up the battlefield even further and forming a small crater at the explosion¡¯s epicenter. The crystalline shield protecting my Pok¨¦mon held firm, blocking Electrode¡¯s final attack. The dust settled down and Numsy reappeared from the smoke a bit dazed but relatively unharmed.


    ¡°Electrode is unable to battle! The match stands at two to one!¡±


    ¡°You were anticipating our last move, well done challenger! Return Electrode.¡±


    ¡°Go! Manetric!¡±


    ¡®A Manetric this guy¡¯s way bigger than the wild Electrike on route 110.¡¯


    The Pok¨¦mon had a big blonde mane that seemed to be in a frizzy state as if it held an electrical charge which considering the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s species it probably did.


    ¡°Earth Power!¡±


    ¡°Double Team!¡±


    Manetric moved so fast that he left after images in his wake. Numsy now confused as to which one to hit whiffed on hitting his target. The Earth Power erupts harmlessly under one of the after images.


    ¡®Speed is the only thing they have over us but as long as the battle is confined in an enclosed space, we¡¯ll be able to pull through no problem.¡¯


    Not wanting to waste our time tearing up the field with a bulldoze and giving the gym staff extra work to do, I resorted to what worked the last time.


    ¡°Lava Plume!¡±


    ¡°Rain Dance!¡±


    Just as the lava plume was about to impact the battlefield again a cloud of rain was summoned inside the building lowering the ambient temperature and reducing the effectiveness of our attack. Manetric still took a wave of fire to the face though the effectiveness of the move had been reduced significantly.


    ¡°Switch to ground moves Bulldoze!¡±


    ¡°Magnet Rise!¡±


    ¡®Rain Dance and Magnet Rise? Ugh¡­ I¡¯ll have to dry my clothes after this.¡¯


    Just like with Electrode, Manetric floated up from the ground dodging the ground quakes rocketing the arena. Water filled all the crevices on the cracked land forming small puddles, the largest of which was the hole Electrode left behind after using Selfdestruct.


    ¡®I refuse to believe Manetric can maintain its speed after floating off the ground. Unlike Electrode or Magnemite, animal type Pok¨¦mon using Magnet Rise to float must come with some drawbacks. If ground based moves don¡¯t work anymore and my firepower is weakened I¡¯ll have to try something different.¡¯


    Indeed, as I speculated, Manetric slowed down a fair bit and its maneuverability was gutted. The Pok¨¦mon only being able to move in straight lines. Being a four badge Pok¨¦mon, I wouldn¡¯t expect it to be proficient at everything.


    ¡°Rock Slide!¡±


    ¡°Hyper Beam!¡±


    ¡®Going all in? If Numsy can withstand this attack, we¡¯ll have a clear shot to finish this.¡¯


    The hyper beam impacted Numsy first, blowing him backwards, the beam forming faster than we both anticipated. Still Numsy being in relatively fine condition it wasn¡¯t enough to knock him out. He retaliated by forming large boulders made out of rock type energy and the surrounding materials and blasted those stones outwards towards the now prone Manetric. The attack hit its target pushing Manetric on its side, the effects of magnet rise now broken. The canine Pok¨¦mon is still active but now a sitting duck for a follow up attack.


    Hyper beam¡¯s drawback was that it used too much of the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s energy all at once, leaving them vulnerable for a counterattack. When they inevitably had to remain still to catch their breath an opponent¡¯s Pok¨¦mon would get a free shot at them if they hadn¡¯t fainted by then.


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this¡­¡±


    ¡°Earth power!¡±


    ¡°Return!¡±


    Before the ground ripple had a chance to reach Manetric, Wattson decided to forfeit the match by returning his Pok¨¦mon.


    Having your Pok¨¦mon be needlessly injured when the outcome of the match has become apparent was the last thing a responsible trainer should do and I respected his decision to spare his Pok¨¦mon from any unnecessary pain.


    ¡°Wattson, the gym leader, has chosen to withdraw his last Pok¨¦mon. That means Camerupt wins. the victory goes to Egon from Lavaridge Town!¡±


    ¡°You did it buddy!¡±


    ¡°Ruupt!¡±


    ¡°Now let¡¯s get you out of this rain, make sure to take it easy for the rest of the day. That Hyper Beam attack was no joke. Return!¡±


    Numsy dematerialized into the beam of red light, having gotten my fire type out of this cold and clammy rain I walked in the direction of the bleachers where Flannery and her new friend Roxanne were waiting for me and Wattson. The gym leader did the same even though he just lost the match he didn¡¯t seem to mind at all still being his old cheery self.


    ¡°Wahahaha! That was some battle youngster! As the gym leader I hereby award you with the Dynamo badge. Your Camerupt is a tough customer. Make sure to train up that cute little ghost of yours so he can compete at the same level as his teammate.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    He didn¡¯t seem to find the battle deserving of an additional technical machine award. Not that I minded, out of all my Pok¨¦mon only Victini was capable of learning electric type moves. Her being able to use thunder punch was enough for now.


    ¡°Thank you, leader Wattson, for a great battle. And my apologies in advance for tearing up the field with my repeated use of the move bulldoze. I''ve worked as a gym intern before and fields like that are always a hassle to clean up afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Lavaridge gym right? So, Tim must be your sponsor. Are you the one that¡¯ll be taking over for him in the future? The rest of us gym leaders have to accept many more high level challengers since his gym is only half operational.¡±


    ¡°Ehem no that would be¡­¡±


    ¡°Egon! Finish up quick! Roxanne is inviting us to go with her to that New Mauville place.¡±


    At Flannery¡¯s prompting Wattson got reminded that he promised to lend Roxanne the key to his failed project.


    ¡°Right, yes! The key, just wait one second...¡±


    Wattson pulled out a ridiculously oversized keychain with at least 20 other keys hanging from the center ring. It took him a while, but he finally identified the key that opened the underground city of new Mauville. He removed that particular one from the keychain before handing it over to an eagerly waiting Roxanne.


    ¡°Wahahaha! We just have way too many keys! Watt! Note down that we¡¯ll have to completely transition over to digital locks as soon as the budget frees up.¡±


    The young man who acted as the referee during our match caught up to us before engaging in a heated debate with his boss.


    ¡°But sir we spent an entire two years of our budget on the fake Raikou mecha! You wanted it to be able to fire off real thunderbolts!¡±


    ¡°That investment will pay off for us big time in the long run! Just imagine how much people would be willing to spend on a theme ride featuring a legendary Pok¨¦mon. Electrifying!¡±


    Flannery couldn¡¯t help but butt into that conversation.


    ¡°No way! An Entei ride would be way better! Just the rumor of being able to see that Pok¨¦mon¡¯s likeness will have all the hottest magazines raving about it! Egon! Remind me when I take over the gym to put in a Entei themed rollercoaster!¡±


    ¡°What?! I am your minder not your assistant! And you are not the boss of me, yet!¡±


    ¡°Wahahahaha! So, you are our esteemed elite four¡¯s heir? When will I be accepting your challenge?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa says I¡¯ll have to wait for next year to start my first circuit run. Something about me not being ready yet. I am older than Egon and he gets to do whatever he likes, not fair!¡±


    ¡°Well well missy, I¡¯ll be looking forward to it. Your Grandpa is a stick in the mud during meetings, but I can already tell you¡¯ll be an electrifying colleague to have!¡±


    With that the three of us were escorted out of the gym by Leader Wattson¡¯s overworked employee Watt. Being the one that has to manage the gym¡¯s finances in addition to having all the other regular gym duties must be taking a toll on him. Not to mention having to curb some of the eccentric behavior of his enigmatic boss made me feel like he was a kindred spirit. He also explained how to get to New Mauville while we were walking to the exit.


    ¡°New Mauville can only be accessed from a cave underneath the cycling road on route 110. It used to be a natural one until Wattson decided to expand the cave¡¯s interior in order to house all the new prospective residents. You will have to have a water or flying type Pok¨¦mon carry you over the river.¡±


    Roxanne was the first to despair at hearing that news.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have any on my team¡­ Flannery Egon, you wouldn¡¯t happen to have any?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t! Egon has that a gray colored bird Pok¨¦mon on his team though!¡±


    Exasperated, I decided to expand Flannery¡¯s knowledge on Unovan Pok¨¦mon.


    "That Pok¨¦mon is called a Tranquill. You''ve met her a bunch of times, don''t tell me you can¡¯t remember her name?"


    ¡°Sorry! I only remember fire types.¡±


    ¡°Haaaa¡­ in any case she is too small to ferry us over that river. We could try bribing some of the local water type Pok¨¦mon to transport us over. They¡¯ll probably demand a good number of berries though. I know some wingull that live on that route. They could negotiate a better deal for us. Do you girls mind if I drop off Numsy and Orin at the Pok¨¦mon center before we go?¡±


    Roxanne seemingly approved of my plan perking up at the mention of trading for wild Pok¨¦mon¡¯s services. This is the one area where generalists have us specialists beat having members of your team suited for each type of terrain and it could be a real hassle traveling safely over Hoenn¡¯s sharpedo infested waters with only fire type or in Roxanne¡¯s case rock type Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea Egon! We are lucky that you made some Pok¨¦mon friends on route 110.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really have much interest in going spelunking, but Mr. Moore would have my hide if I let Flannery go alone in an underground complex filled with voltorb and electrode. She was terrible at lying to her grandfather so the truth would come out eventually. The upside to all of this is that I would get to watch how one of the more obscure methods of evolving Pok¨¦mon worked.


    <hr>


    Half an hour later on route 110*


    We were gathered outside the hidden nature trail that led to the manetric¡¯s territory. I¡¯ve spent the last five minutes looking at the skies trying to spot the wingull flock we¡¯ve gotten familiar with half a month ago. I sent out Tranquill to survey the areas where she met up with them the last time and to convince them to come meet with us for this important matter.


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°Win Gull!¡±


    ¡°There she is Egon! She brought the flock of wingull over just like you asked.¡±


    The wingull led by Tranquill landed on the branches of a nearby tree while tranquill herself landed on my shoulder eager to receive her payment, one whole crushed up Lava cookie.


    ¡°Here you go girl you¡¯ve earned it.¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°Gull? Win?¡±


    ¡°Wingull is asking what he can help you with. He also wants more of our Lava cookies¡­!¡±


    ¡®Relax I¡¯ll ask Grandma to send over another batch when we arrive in Fortree city. We are in Hoenn now, shipping anywhere within the same region will only take a few days.¡¯


    ¡°Heya old buddy, these are my friends Flannery and Roxanne.¡±


    ¡°Gull Gull!¡±


    The girls and Wingull exchanged their well wishes before I got down to the brass tacks.


    ¡°So do you know the cave that¡¯s situated underneath the cycling road?¡±


    ¡°Gull!¡± Wingull gave me a quick affirming nod.


    ¡°You see, we need to get over there. It¡¯s a bit complicated since we don¡¯t have any water or flying Pok¨¦mon big or strong enough to carry us over. Do you happen to know any such Pok¨¦mon living nearby? And could you maybe convince them to help us? We can pay in berries or cookies as you can see.¡±


    I opened up my Tupperware displaying the various type of berries I¡¯ve collected or bought in preparation for our journey.


    ¡°Winnngull!!¡±


    At the reveal of my stash of berries large enough to feed me and flannery¡¯s pok¨¦mon for a couple of days, wingull and the rest of his flock got a bit overeager, throwing what I imagined to be offers of cooperation in exchange for my food supply.


    ¡°Okay hold up, calm down! How about this? you each get half a berry now and after you¡¯ve completed the job, you¡¯ll get the other half.¡±


    ¡°Gull!¡±


    Not needing to have Victini translate their acceptance of the deal. I fished out six oran berries dividing them in half before laying them in row on a nearby tree stump jutting out of the ground. There were seven wingull in this flock, but the leader and my erstwhile friend demanded to be fed the same thing as his romantic interest Tranquill. So, I measured out half a Lava cookie, crushing it and giving that to him instead.


    The Wingull greedily munched on the half berries put on display, their feathers getting all rumpled up as a consequence of their eagerness while me and the girls looked on. Eventually they finished up each of their respective meals squawked loudly at each other and flew up in the direction of route 110¡¯s meandering river.


    Roxanne was the first to speak up.


    ¡°They are heading towards the direction of the river. That means they¡¯ll be likely to ask the local water Pok¨¦mon to give us a ride.¡±


    ¡°Egon, I don¡¯t want to get wet! Tell them to ask one of their flying type friends to carry us over!¡±


    ¡°Flannery¡­ you do realize that there aren¡¯t many flying types living in Hoenn big enough to give you a comfortable ride. Skarmory live up to the north in route 113 and Tropius live in the areas surrounding Fortree City. Not to mention the impossibility of flying on any wild Salamence. More than likely the wingull will ask a group of wailmer or a singular gyarados to ride us over.¡±


    ¡°Gyarados!?¡±


    ¡°Relax, if there is a wild Gyarados living in the river that could be swayed by a flock of wingull to come and meet us it would most likely have a docile temperament.¡±


    While Flannery was panicking about the possibility of having to hitch a ride on a wild Gyarados. Roxanne was impressed by something else entirely.


    ¡°You really are knowledgeable Egon, we should compare notes sometime.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, before setting off on my journey I researched the wild Pok¨¦mon commonly encountered on each route. You must have done something similar in preparation for your journey right?¡±


    ¡°At the Rustburo¡¯s trainer¡¯s school we don¡¯t spend much of our study time on pok¨¦mon habitats. Which is a shame but I did manage to study up on the ecological backgrounds of most rock type pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Are you aiming to become Rustburo¡¯s gym leader? I¡¯ve heard that the city¡¯s gym leader is elected based upon academic merits. In contrast to the position being decided based on the previous gym leader¡¯s familial relations.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯ve even undertaken an internship at the gym when I was just seven years old. Our gym leader is holding on to the position despite her reaching retirement age until I¡¯ve further proven myself by reaching the top sixteen at this year¡¯s Ever Grande conference!¡±


    Our talk about academic achievements and Rustburo¡¯s meritocratic system seemed to have unnerved Flannery a bit. The redhead shuffling her feet and not having much to add to the conversation. Feeling bad for Flannery I decided to extend her an olive branch.


    ¡°There is something to say about keeping a gym in the family though. There is never a struggle to find a worthy successor and the leader¡¯s family usually grow up inside the gym itself, gaining much needed experience just by being around daily goings-on of a gym.¡±


    We reached the river¡¯s shore and while we were waiting, Roxanne and Flannery decided to call out their teams and relax. Having no idea on how much time the wingull flock would need to try and convince wild water Pok¨¦mon to help us reach the other side of the river, I decided to kick back and watch how Flannery would interact with another trainer¡¯s Pok¨¦mon.


    Roxanne¡¯s team composition surprised me with some of her more exotic partner Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Hello everyone, say hi to my new friends.¡±


    ¡°Noseee¡±


    ¡°Leeem!¡±


    ¡°Lair!¡±


    ¡°Shuck¡±


    ¡°Woodo!¡±


    ¡°Cargo!¡±


    Roxanne had a total of six Pok¨¦mon with her. The Nosepass which we already knew about but also a Golem, Lairon, Shuckle, Magcargo and strangely enough a Sudowoodoo. I wasn¡¯t knowledgeable enough to determine the strength of most of her Pok¨¦mon, but that Magcargo was keeping active even though we didn¡¯t find ourselves in a volcanic environment. This meant she had trained it well even Flannery was impressed.


    ¡°Your Magcargo is looking great Roxanne! I can¡¯t wait for my Slugma to evolve as well!¡±


    Flannery decided to show off her team as well minus her Slugma who didn¡¯t like being out of his ball in river country like this.


    ¡°Your Ponyta and Torchic are the cutest Flannery!¡±


    Flannery¡¯s Ponyta walked up to Roxanne and gave her a playful nuzzle to the face. Which the girl reciprocated by stroking its fiery mane.


    ¡®This is discrimination! I¡¯ve fed that Ponyta dozens of times and even cleaned out her stall and she won¡¯t even let me pet her without burning my hand!¡¯


    ¡°Calm down Egon!¡±


    ¡®Okay count to ten¡­ and move on. That Ponyta is clearly biased against boys.¡¯


    ¡°Say Roxanne I didn¡¯t know Sudowoodo lived in Hoenn. Did you catch it while on a trip to Sinnoh or Johto?¡±


    ¡°They do actually, I caught him while on a school trip to Metallica island.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the place where they are building up the battle frontier facilities?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the league hired professional trainers to remove the local bonsly and sudowoodo population. This one was in the process of being caught and relocated but I managed to convince the frontier¡¯s hired personnel to gift him to me. We¡¯ve been best friends ever since, isn''t that right Woody?¡±


    ¡°Woodo!¡±


    ¡°Did you know some professors in indigo are still convinced that Sudowoodo is a grass type? As they say you shouldn¡¯t judge a book by its cover.¡±


    <hr>


    30 minutes later*


    We were starting to get worried that the wingull might not come back, when finally we saw the lot of them streaking across the water with their new friends in tow. A trio of jolly looking wailmer followed behind the seagull Pok¨¦mon bouncing up and down the river¡¯s waves. What came as an unexpected surprise was the Hoenn Pok¨¦dex that Roxanne pulled out to scan the trio of whale Pok¨¦mon.


    Wailmer the Ball Whale Pok¨¦mon. Wailmer''s nostrils are located above its eyes. This playful Pok¨¦mon loves to startle people by forcefully snorting out seawater it stores inside its body out of its nostrils. It swims along with its mouth open and swallows down seawater along with its food. On sunny days, it lands on beaches to bounce like a ball and play.


    In hindsight it was pretty obvious that this year¡¯s most accomplished trainer school graduate would be a Pok¨¦dex holder as well. The three bouncy pok¨¦mon beached themselves on the river¡¯s edge and bounced up and down on the ground in front of us, each of them as tall as a professional basketball player.


    ¡°Waaaail!¡±


    ¡°Keep your distance Egon! Wailmer love dousing people in seawater!¡±


    ¡°Calm down Flannery, a little spray of seawater won¡¯t kill you.¡±


    ¡®Feeding these three is going to be expensive, unless they¡¯d be satisfied with only a handful of berries each.¡¯


    ¡°Why hello there I take it Wingull here has informed you of our plight to cross this river?¡±


    The middle one who I supposed was their leader came forward to discuss terms.


    ¡°Waaaail!¡±


    ¡°What a beautiful dream¡­¡±


    ¡®Wait¡­ what did Wailmer say?¡¯


    ¡°Wailmer¡¯s goal is to taste every kind of berry in this world at least one time. Being relegated to stay inside the water makes it tough for him to achieve his dream. If you have a berry with you that he has not tried before he¡¯ll let you ride on him and his subordinates¡¯ back.¡±


    ¡°Okay Wailmer here says that if we give him a berry he hasn¡¯t tried before that he¡¯ll help us cross the river.¡±


    ¡°Amazing Egon! Do you understand pok¨¦speak?¡±


    ¡°Well uhmm¡­ something like that.¡±


    Not wanting the direction of this conversation to come to its natural end point I quickly tried to focus Roxanne¡¯s attention on the matter at hand.


    ¡°Anyway! let¡¯s open up our supplies and see what we got.¡±


    It turned out that Roxanne by virtue of being a rock type specialist had little to no berries with her. Rock types rarely needed to ingest organic food since their diet mostly consisted of minerals scrounged up from underneath the earth. The only Pok¨¦mon on her team that needed to eat berries was her Shuckle. Which fermented them inside its shell to convert into berry juice before sipping from it throughout the day.


    ¡°It¡¯s got to be this one.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡®You just told me that his dream was beautiful. The chances of Wailmer coming across a custap berry is slim to none. Besides with the extra money incoming from Mr. Moore I''ll be able to afford all kinds of expensive berries. I¡¯ll just buy cheap grains for that darned Ponyta to make up for the difference.¡¯


    ¡°Okay¡­ for his dream.¡±


    ¡°Wailmer try this one. I bet you haven¡¯t tasted a custap berry before.¡±


    Placing the custap berry in the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s mouth we watched as Wailmer slowly chewed his mouth¡¯s new contents intent on savoring and analyzing the flavor for as long as possible.


    ¡®Truly this Pok¨¦mon is a gourmet enthusiast.¡¯


    Having finished tasting the most expensive berry I had on hand the wailmer was bouncing around energetically. Spraying seawater all around him in pure joy.


    ¡°Waaail!¡±

 Chapter 42 - The Evolution Solution

    Chapter 42 ¨C The Evolution Solution


    ¡°Egon, how do you control this thing?!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t, just hang on tight! This isn¡¯t a wide river by any means we¡¯ll be there within a minute or two!¡±


    It was obvious that these Wailmer have never ferried humans before in their life. They kept bouncing up and down. I was lucky that my grandparents bought that hippity hop for me when I was little else I¡¯d be having the same difficulties that Flannery was experiencing. Roxanne was having no problems at all balancing on top of her Wailmer; she actually looked pretty cool while surfing on top of the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s back.


    ¡°How come you are so good at this Roxy!?¡±


    ¡°I spent a lot of time playing on top of my golem, this isn¡¯t much different from that, Flanny.¡±


    ¡®They are already close enough to start calling each other by their nicknames? Maybe I should be learning how to make friends from her instead of the other way around.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, I think I can hold on with this thing!¡±


    ¡°Waail!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Wailmer¡¯s blowhole he needs that to breathe!¡±


    ¡°Waaah! I am sorry!!¡±


    Getting wet was inevitable in this sort of situation. I just hoped that we could avoid getting soaked. One dip in these turbid waters and we would have to waste time undressing, drying off and changing into new sets of clothes not to mention being at risk of developing a cold. Luckily there were no wild water type Pok¨¦mon eager to pick a fight with us. Wailmer were pretty much the strongest Pok¨¦mon to be found in this route¡¯s river except for the rare stray gyarados.


    The wailmer trio eventually beached on the other side of the river right underneath the cycling road. We stepped out on dry land, one of us more grateful than the others that our voyage on the waters of route 110 is finally over.


    ¡°Wailmer, can you and your friends stick around this side of the river for a bit? We¡¯ll need you to ferry us back when we are done with this place.¡±


    ¡°Meeer¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, I still have some figy and aspear berries. Have you ever tried one of those?¡±


    As me and the wailmer trio tried working out another deal the oldest person in our group seemed to be vehemently against taking the wailmer for another ride across the water.


    ¡°No! I won¡¯t survive another round of that!¡±


    ¡°Do you know of another solution aside from going across that river?¡±


    ¡°We can teleport right? I am sure that Vic¡­?!¡±


    ¡°Ssshhhhh!¡±


    Before she made the mistake of revealing Victini¡¯s existence to Roxanne I closed the gap between us and held my finger over her mouth. It was too late though Roxanne was eying us weirdly, but by some miracle she didn¡¯t seem to be invested to press us on the subject.


    Before leaving I paid the wailmer in advance with my final berries disappearing in their mouths. This time I made it a point to have the leader¡¯s followers paid as well for doing such a good job. The trio of wailmer whose diet consisted mainly of microscopic organisms were very happy with the taste of juicy berries.


    ¡°Waaail!¡±


    ¡°Now now, this won¡¯t take long unless somehow we run afoul of the Pok¨¦mon that have made this place their home.¡±


    We walked inside the cave and the first thing I noted was that the insides are completely furbished. There wasn¡¯t a trace of nature¡¯s natural beauty to be seen. New Mauville looked to be some kind of underground residential complex, the exact inverse of a high-rise building going down instead of up. Our first obstacle was a steel fence covered with red warning signs meant to keep out trespassers. Roxanne pulled out the key she got from Wattson to unlock the gate and the three of us walked inside.


    Roxanne and I started having a casual conversation as we made our way further into new Mauville.


    ¡°We are fortunate that Wattson keeps the reactor running so all the lights are still on. Do you think Pok¨¦mon like living in such an unnatural environment like this?¡±


    ¡°Only electric types that can live solely off of the power grid. Voltorb, magnemite and the like. If we are really lucky, we might be able to spot a rotom.¡±


    ¡°Rotom?¡±


    ¡°Ghost types that like to live inside mechanical appliances and wreak havoc. You could compare them to off brand porygon. It¡¯s going to be a hassle to navigate through this upper floor. Do you think your Nosepass would be able to feel the general location of the reactor?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea Egon! Come on out Nosey!¡±


    ¡°Passss!¡±


    Her Nosepass materialized in front of us and immediately its front facing nose adjusted itself facing away from one of the side corridors. Roxanne gave us a heads up of what was going on with her Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Nosepass¡¯ nose works like a compass always facing the north pole. When in proximity to a stronger magnetic field his nose can¡¯t directly face its source.¡±


    ¡°So, we just need to head in the direction where Nosepass¡¯ nose can¡¯t point to?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Just follow me and Nosey.¡±


    Just like that we as a group braved the well-lit halls of the new Mauville underground complex. With Nosepass¡¯ help we were quick to figure out that the reactor was on the upper floor which was great news. That meant we didn¡¯t have to brave six stories of treacherous voltorb infested territory and possibly get crushed by falling debris from the resulting explosions. Strangely enough the first corridor we traversed was free of any wild electric type Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Nose!¡±


    ¡°Nosey says it¡¯s inside this room.¡±


    ¡°The reactor rooms must be filled with all kinds of electric type Pok¨¦mon. My Camerupt is still at the Pok¨¦mon center could you¡­?¡±


    ¡°No problem! Go Golem!¡±


    Roxanne in addition to her nosepass who was already out but incapacitated by what the magnetic fields influence called out her Golem. Having her Golem out put me at ease. Their rocky exterior are tough enough to withstand dynamite blasts. We now had a ground type on our side if things started going downhill.


    The automated doors slid open, and the interior of the reactor room was revealed. There floating in the air was a group of magnemite being guarded by a single magneton. It was obvious what they were doing seeing as the group of magnet Pok¨¦mon were clamped on to the reactor¡¯s core. While the magneton kept a watchful eye.


    ¡°Flanny, now it¡¯s your turn to shine.¡±


    ¡°Eh?! Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, learning how to get along with wild Pok¨¦mon is part of being a successful trainer. We just need Magneton to let Nosepass get close enough to that reactor to induce his evolution. If these were voltorb and electrode I¡¯d try to handle this myself but magnemite and magneton aren¡¯t known for being aggressive.¡±


    ¡°Uhmm okay¡­ Roxy will you¡­¡±


    Luckily Roxanne was with me on this also determined to see Flannery use her social skills on this Magneton.


    ¡°You can do it Flanny, I believe in you!¡±


    Having lost her last exit strategy, Flannery gathered up her wits and confronted the Pok¨¦mon standing guard over its brethren.


    ¡°Uhm hi there Magneton.¡±


    ¡°Ton?!¡±


    Magneton, not having spotted us before, was startled by Flannery¡¯s unexpected approach but quickly found its measure, giving my red haired protegee a questioning gaze.


    ¡°My friend¡¯s Pok¨¦mon needs to get close to that reactor. Can you please allow Nosepass to pass you by?¡±


    ¡°Ton¡­¡±


    The magneton looked like he had a hard time deciding whether or not we would pose a threat to his kinsmen if allowed to get closer to their source of food.


    Roxanne, being a witness to magneton¡¯s indecision, came up with a genius plan to convince the electric type Pok¨¦mon to let Nosepass have a go at the reactor.


    ¡°Psst! Flanny try asking Magneton if he would like his body polished.¡±


    <hr>


    A short while later*


    ¡°Tooon! Ton!¡±


    ¡°Like this Roxy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, circular motions.¡±


    Somehow or another Roxanne had the insight required to notice Magneton¡¯s body was coping with rust spots. An affliction some steel types might experience when living in areas with high amounts of humidity. Naturally it would take ages for any type of corrosion to form on a steel type¡¯s body but eventually it would. The condition wasn¡¯t life threatening by any means but not even a wild Pok¨¦mon could tolerate having their body cooked in rust.


    ¡°I am really impressed that you can accurately gauge Magneton¡¯s bodily problems with just a look Roxanne. And to be carrying a steel wool sponge and vinegar solution at the same time.¡±


    ¡°This is nothing for someone who has been interning at the Rustburo gym and it¡¯s only appropriate that I carry a steel type brushing kit for my dear Lairon.¡±


    Flannery gave an affirming nod to the notion that being an intern at a gym helped you spot early onset of corrosion.


    ¡°Wait, how would that help?¡±


    ¡°Egon silly! Everyone knows Rustburo¡¯s gym specializes in steel type Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Really not rock types? I figured with Roxanne¡¯s typing preference¡­¡±


    ¡°I do plan to change the gym¡¯s specialization when I take over. It wouldn¡¯t be that difficult to do. Even now the gym¡¯s stables are filled with a good amount of Onix and Aron and I am sure that Wattson and Winona would love to take care of our gym trained skarmory and magnemite.¡±


    ¡°What about the mawile and beldum?¡±


    All the mawile living in the gym are personally owned by their respective trainers. Those Pok¨¦mon are just too temperamental to train them any other way. The same goes for any beldum although only Mrs. Stone holds the privilege of training that particular Pok¨¦mon species. Their family is famous for training up award winning metang and metagross.


    ¡°Mrs. stone¡­? That must be Steven¡¯s mother.¡±


    ¡°You know Steven as well? He was my upperclassman at Rustburo¡¯s trainer school. I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s been preparing himself to beat this year¡¯s Ever Grande conference and to personally challenge our reigning champion.¡±


    ¡®Not if I have anything to say about it, damn rich kid.¡¯


    ¡°Egon!¡±


    ¡®What? He is one!¡¯


    ¡°Language!¡±


    ¡°Sorry you are right but it¡¯s still weird that I have to be mindful of my own thoughts.¡±


    Flannery finally finished giving Magneton his much-needed sponge bath. The Pok¨¦mon now positively glowing and having grown comfortable with our group allowed Nosepass to touch the reactor.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°This is it Nosey¡­ are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Nose!¡±


    The rock type Pok¨¦mon awkwardly shuffled his short and stubby legs into the direction of the reactor before giving the massive hunk of machinery a light but decisive tap with his nose. Like magic his evolution into his final form started. The glow was so bright I had to shield my eyes from the spectacle but one side glance in Roxanne¡¯s direction told me that the girl was braving having her retinas burned just to save the picture of her Pok¨¦mon¡¯s evolution into her memory. The light subsided and standing in the place where her Nosepass first touched the reactor stood a brand new Probopass.


    ¡°Probo!¡±


    ¡°You look amazing, Nosey!¡±


    Roxanne pulled out her Pok¨¦dex to record the newest addition to her team. While her Golem walked forward to clap Probopass on the back and congratulate its teammate on achieving his new form.


    Probopass, the Compass Pok¨¦mon, and the evolved form of Nosepass.                                                                                                                                                                                                       Its body acts as a powerful magnet. It controls three smaller units called Mini-Noses. No further information available.


    ¡°Probopass aren¡¯t naturally found inside Hoenn. It¡¯s no wonder the Pok¨¦dex holds so little information about them. You¡¯ll have better luck asking Sinnoh professors for details about the species.¡±


    ¡°You are right, Egon, but this is also an opportunity for me to fill my own discovery journal. Professor Birch will surely be interested to know how I managed to evolve him inside our region¡¯s borders. This place could offer amazing opportunities to trainers wanting to evolve Pok¨¦mon who need special magnetic fields to do so.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me and my expert Pok¨¦mon handling skills!¡±


    Both me and Roxanne praised the older technically more mature girl, who was pining for attention and feeling left out with all our ¡®sciency nerd talks¡¯. Seeing as me and Flannery were on a tight schedule I let the girls know that it was time to get back to the wailmer pod waiting for us outside the compound.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to Mauville. If we are fast enough, we can still buy some traveling supplies and make use of the center¡¯s teleportation services.¡±


    ¡°Are you leaving Mauville already?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have an outstanding appointment with the Fortree City gym. They even emailed me a voucher for a one-time teleport to the city. What are you planning on doing once we get back to Mauville Roxanne?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be following your advice and heading on over to Sootopolis City. Catching a relicanth will surely help me earn a gym badge at the Sootopolis gym. If I look around long enough, finding a water type specialist able to help me catch one should be a possibility.¡±


    Flannery was not a big fan of Roxanne¡¯s plan.


    ¡°No way! Roxy you got to stick with us. We could be having so much fun together!¡±


    ¡°Flanny¡­ I am flattered but I have to fulfill the expectations Mrs. Stone has for me. We can still exchange numbers, and I am sure we can hang out again if we meet up while on our respective journeys.¡±


    I threw in my own two cents into the conversation.


    ¡°How about we all meet back up later? Roxanne still needs to earn her mind badge and rain badge, right? If you and I hurry up, we can book a boat and catch up with her later. Training up a wild relicanth for a seventh badge gym match will take up loads of her time. We can see her again in a month tops.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Back in Mauville*


    We made it back to Mauville, the wailmer dutifully bringing us back to the other side of the river. The trio giddily splashing up and down as they did so much to Flannery¡¯s chagrin. After entering the city proper Flannery hugged Roxanne goodbye having exchanged numbers with her new BFF. I was not looking forward to Flannery discovering the personal messaging application of her pok¨¦gear and losing focus during lesson time. The two of us made it back to the Pok¨¦mon center where I was busy sending videos of Halo to both Burgh and Dianne while Flannery was getting bored watching me work.


    ¡°Flanny, we''ll have to visit the market after this. I¡¯ll show you how to pick the best tasting berries from the local vendors.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just order Pok¨¦mon food online?¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Berry picking is the most important skill!¡±


    ¡°We could¡­ but what I am about to teach you will also be useful when you find yourself alone in the wilderness. Picking fresh berries is a skill most trainers will have learned by the end of their first journey. Now follow me, my young apprentice.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I am older than you! You should be listening to me; I went through all of the extracurricular courses in trainer¡¯s school!¡±


    ¡°They let the students go berry picking at the Lavaridge open market?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ but we had several bushcraft expeditions. I know how to spot ripened berries.¡±


    ¡°Perfect, we will be relying on you to buy our supply of berries. After all, it is ultimately Mr. Moore¡¯s money we use to purchase our groceries.¡±


    ¡°Hmpfff! I¡¯ll pick out the tastiest berries you¡¯ll see.¡±


    I finished up my business in the center¡¯s computer booth and together we walked in the direction of Mauville¡¯s open market. Mauville¡¯s marketplace was much more sterile and professional compared to what could be found in Slateport City. The stall owners set the price and there was no haggling, the commerce culture being completely regulated in contrast to any other city in Hoenn. This would delay my lesson on haggling with the only upside being that there was no chance that Flannery would get duped into overpaying.


    The first stall we visited was manned by an elderly lady who looked kindly upon the two of us. This stall would be Flannery¡¯s first step into food budgeting.


    ¡°See here Egon. These Tamato berries are just perfect for eating. Torchic will love these for sure.¡±


    ¡°How many berries does Torchic eat each day and how many days¡¯ worth of food do you think we should buy?¡±


    I guided her through the required calculations adjusting for her Pok¨¦mon¡¯s size and needed caloric intake. Smaller Pok¨¦mon didn¡¯t need to eat as much, especially if they didn¡¯t need to battle. Flannery wouldn¡¯t be competing this year so all the battles she¡¯d experience would be with unruly wild Pok¨¦mon and passing trainers looking to challenge her. Eventually we both agreed Torchic would only need half a berry¡¯s worth per day together with the usual vitamin supplements and premixed pellets. Flannery¡¯s Torkoal, Slugma and Ponyta all had differing requirements; the one who would ultimately be the most expensive to feed was her Ponyta. The fire horse Pok¨¦mon would be riding her trainer around while we traveled, and she quite enjoyed the occasional racing game. Her stellar pedigree ingrained into her the need for speed. Mr. Moore never explained which breeding facility sold Flannery¡¯s prized partner, but I was sure that she didn¡¯t come cheap.


    ¡°Most Pok¨¦mon also tend to prefer one flavor while disliking another. Making sure not to put in the type of berries that they dislike will actively endear you to them. Have you ever discussed this with the gym¡¯s staff?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Torchic likes spicy food and dislikes sweet tasting berries. That¡¯s why I am buying Tamato berries for her. Ponyta likes sweet berries but dislikes sour ones, Torkoal has no preferences and Slugma doesn¡¯t eat berries but needs way more mineral supplements.¡±


    Impressed by her knowledge so far, I left Flannery with the responsibility of buying berries for her own team. Which I determined was about a week¡¯s worth of food after eying the number of purchases she made. When she was done picking out all of her own purchases it was finally my turn to make a few of my own. Naturally I had my handy berry picking assistant help me out.


    ¡°Rena come on out!¡±


    My Vulpix materialized on the market¡¯s paved road actively looking around and taking in her surroundings. It was the norm to walk around with at least one of your Pok¨¦mon out so the surrounding people barely even gave her a glance.


    ¡°Rena, I need you.¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    ¡°Yes, afterwards. We are in the market right now, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Rena tried to remind me of my promise to let her pick out something for waking up Flannery this morning. Naturally with two fourth badge gym challenge payouts and Mr. Moore continuing to fund our food expenditures I was currently flush with pok¨¦dollars. Enough money that I didn¡¯t mind indulging my little fox Pok¨¦mon.


    Picking up Rena in my arms I hovered the little Diva¡¯s nose over the fresh produce. Her expert sniffing skills working their magic yet again.


    ¡°Pix Pix!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all good? Even the Kelpsy berries?¡±


    ¡°Young man, I pride myself on my work. Mauville isn¡¯t like those other cities, we have rules in place. If you are looking to buy my store¡¯s stock of berries that are closer to expiring, I could come up with a more favorable pricing. We keep them in the back for customers looking to get berries on the cheap.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm how cheap are we talking here?¡±


    ¡°Egon!?¡±


    ¡°Relax Flanny, we still need to eat dinner for today. It doesn¡¯t negatively impact the taste of said berries if we eat them the same day.¡±


    ¡°30% off¡±


    Not wishing to test the store¡¯s no haggling policy I accepted the price as is. Buying all the foodstuffs my team needed in addition to shoring up our supply of Custap berries for Victini¡¯s sake. The little sneak tried to stealthily smuggle a few extra berries into the shopping bag with her expert use of confusion. I didn¡¯t know she could control targets outside of her line of sight but it seemed staying inside my backpack proved no hindrance to Victini at all. We thanked the storefront owner for the goods and made our way further into the market this time with Rena eagerly leading the way. The little Vulpix was amazed at the sight of all the storefronts that had their wares on display. Before she had the chance to walk into one I took her aside for a short moment.


    ¡°Now I said you could pick out something nice for yourself but keep in mind that we only have around 15.000 pok¨¦dollars to spend, okay? So, don¡¯t go too overboard.¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    She huffed in annoyance before walking into the nearest jeweler¡¯s store. The fancy establishment had glass cases showing off every type of evolutionary stone known to the masses. As well as a standard inventory of precious gems used for rings, necklaces and bracelets. Naturally mundane jewelry wasn¡¯t as expensive as evolutionary stones so I should be able to afford all the moderately priced trinkets.


    ¡°Egon, what are we doing in this place? Don¡¯t think for a second that I¡¯ll let you use grandpa¡¯s card to buy all of this expensive stuff!¡±


    She reprimanded me while at the same time eying a set of firestones being displayed near the


    ¡°Naturally I am using my own money for this. Besides Rena knows the limits of our spending budget.¡±


    The fox Pok¨¦mon swept through the store¡¯s wares eager to pick something that she could wear in combination with her tiara. The other customers coming in as well as the store owner were bemused by Rena¡¯s actions, content to let her wander about freely.


    ¡°Egon, why don¡¯t you buy a nice fire stone for her? They are beautiful as well as useful.¡±


    ¡°We already have one. We decided together that she would tell me when she feels ready to evolve. Maybe she can buy an adjustable necklace or ankle bracelet that can be resized after she does so.¡±


    At the mention of all the different jewelry pieces in the store, another one of my Pok¨¦mon decided to pop out of her ball, lured by the promise of luxury goods.


    ¡°Veeeesss!¡±


    ¡®Oh no, the worst thing has happened.¡¯


    The errant bug type took one look around the store and excitedly hoisted herself atop of the counter table. By the look of Halo¡¯s flaring horns she was undoubtedly preparing to order  up the store owner¡¯s most expensive piece of jewelry.


    ¡°Mommy what kind of Pok¨¦mon is that? It looks really pretty.¡±


    The customers inside the jewelry store took the liberty of taking pictures of Halo with their Pok¨¦gears. In part due to their scarcity Larvesta was not a widely known species of Pok¨¦mon even inside of the Unova region. And as most people tended to do when coming across something novel, they wanted to make recordings of the unknown Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Come on down Halo it''s Rena¡¯s turn to pick out something nice. She¡¯s earned this.¡±


    ¡°Ves!¡±


    Halo¡¯s response must have ticked off Rena because the aggravated fox Pok¨¦mon jumped on top of the store counter and butted heads with the bug type in retaliation. I was thankful that they weren¡¯t resorting to using actual moves. Even in this situation Rena knew to limit her strength in consideration of the hatchling Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Halo, how about this? You¡¯ll be the next one that gets to pick out something when budget allows.¡±


    ¡°Vess¡­¡±


    Victini now awake due to all the commotion helpfully translated this last sentence.


    ¡°How can I a Pok¨¦mon of royalty not have a treasury deserving my status.¡±


    I picked up the frustrated bug type and swaddled her inside my arms.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the small stuff. Your mother has a whole sunken kingdom to herself, but I bet she didn¡¯t start off with that right out of the egg. Once you grow up a bit You¡¯ll be able to start earning yourself some winnings in tournaments. I am sure you can save up even more than her with enough dedication.¡±


    Rubbing her fuzzy mane in combination with some encouraging words seemed to do the trick. The flames produced by her horns simmering down and eventually being extinguished. The little girl visiting the store with her mother took this opportunity to ask me for permission to be allowed to touch the calmed down Larvesta in my arms.


    ¡°Can I touch your Pok¨¦mon? She looks really pretty and soft.¡±


    The lass was about my age and didn¡¯t seem to suffer from the bug type phobia that was all too common from other girls in her age range. Halo registered the request and assented by wobbling her head up and down mollified by girl¡¯s earnest remarks. With an outstretched hand she patted Halo on her white fuzzy mane, apparently enchanted by the softness of the bug type¡¯s fluff.


    ¡°What kind of Pokemon is she? I¡¯ve never seen one like this before.¡±


    ¡°This is a Larvesta, a bug and fire type from the Unova region.¡±


    Having satisfied the girl¡¯s curiosity the mother took it upon herself to distract the girl so we could complete our shopping in peace. Flannery wasn¡¯t all too happy though.


    ¡°How come you let a complete stranger pet you but not me? You¡¯ve known me for way longer!¡±


    ¡°Ves!¡±


    Not having the patience to sort out their rocky relationship I left Halo on a chair to be watched by Flannery while I went to help Rena pick out something nice for herself.


    The fox Pok¨¦mon had narrowed it down to two choices: an elegant silver necklace sporting a gilded flower or an anklet made out of the same material with an empty socket where a gemstone could be inserted. Both were in the same price range. I waved at the store¡¯s owner to let him know we were ready to make a purchase.


    ¡°What can you tell me about these two items?¡±


    ¡°Both excellent choices shipped straight out from our supplier in Kalos. Both are made out of sterling silver. The flower is actually gilded bronze and the anklet came to us as is and can be resized to fit any Pok¨¦mon. If you are looking for the setting to be filled, we have various options.¡±


    ¡°Pix Pix!¡±


    ¡°The anklet? Fine¡­ but without the setting.¡±


    ¡°Vuuuuul!¡±


    Rena¡¯s amber eyes started watering while holding my gaze.


    ¡°Ugh¡­! Baby-Doll eyes!? When did you learn that move? Okay, but no more buying new jewelry until you have worn out your current ones.¡±


    The owner, having seen my first hand defeat at the hands of my overtly manipulative pok¨¦mon, spared my dignity by acting as if the embarrassing interaction with my Vulpix never happened.


    ¡°What are some of the cheaper options?¡±


    ¡°We have a wide range of gemstone fittings in all price ranges.¡±


    The store owner showed me all the options their store had on offer. Not buying into his claim of his store offering gemstones in all price ranges I requested to see the cheapest he had on offer.


    ¡°Dear customer, we do have some alternatives that we don¡¯t show to the public. Some reasonably priced quartz or piece of citrine could be what you are looking for.¡±


    ¡°Show me.¡±


    The store owner did so, he opened up one of the drawers inside it were trays each filled with a different looking gemstone. Scanning its contents my eye was immediately drawn to a clear looking marble with a yellow and red pattern inside.


    ¡°This is?!¡±


    ¡°Is everything okay sir?¡±


    ¡°I am alright can you show me that one please?¡±


    I pointed at the now fully revealed mega stone.


    ¡°This one? We¡¯ve been sitting on it for a while¡­ this piece of quartz was shaped into a marble with an interesting looking pattern inside. If you want this one, I¡¯d be happy to give it to you for free. The fitting will still cost a bit extra though.¡±


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°It''s fine I¡¯ll pay the extra fee.¡±


    ¡°Excellent! The total cost of the anklet and the extra fitting will be 16.399 pok¨¦dollars will you pay in cash or card?¡±

 Chapter 43 - Fortree Skyline

    Chapter 43 ¨C Fortree Skyline


    ¡®Another megastone¡­ Well at least I know I wasn¡¯t wasting my money.¡¯


    Having paid the store owner extra for the setting the man had his assistant manage the counter for him, while he went in the back to resize the fitting and set the megastone inside the anklet. The man assured us it would only take around twenty minutes to do so. Here I was sitting with Flannery, Rena and Halo on the sidewalk outside the store waiting for my number to be called. Halo was kind of excited to be let out, so I didn¡¯t mind her tagging along on top of my left shoulder taking in the sights of the busy street life of Mauville City.


    ¡°After this we¡¯ll head on over to the Pok¨¦mon center and have them call in a teleporter who will bring us along to Fortree City.¡±


    ¡°Egon, that''s lazy! A journey is supposed to be done traveling the routes!¡±


    ¡°You are right Flanny, but I am kind of on a time crunch here. The journey from Mauville to Fortree usually takes five days and on foot it¡¯s the longest land route in all of Hoenn. In order to qualify in time for the Ever Grande Conference I¡¯ll have to take shortcuts like this on occasion. Don¡¯t you worry though after this there will be no more teleporting for at least a while.¡±


    ¡®Purchasing the anklet for Rena has set me back monetarily. I just hope buying the extra teleportation voucher for Flannery isn¡¯t going to be too expensive.¡¯


    ¡°Excuse me sir? Your anklet is ready for pickup.¡±


    Our conversation was interrupted by the assistant coming to get me. The resizing and setting of Rena¡¯s anklet not taking as long as expected was a small and pleasant surprise. Rena yipped happily at the chance of getting to wear the anklet for the first time and I followed the excitable little fox Pok¨¦mon back inside the store. The owner was waiting for us behind the register with Rena¡¯s new accessory, so I picked up my Vulpix and placed her on top of the counter.


    ¡°This anklet is a great piece. If you ever need to have it resized be sure to visit us again!¡±


    The anklet did indeed look quite fetching with the megastone sparkling in the store¡¯s natural lighting. Rena held still as the store owner wrapped the silver anklet around her paw and clasped it shut.


    ¡°Pix Pix!¡±


    The anklet snugly fit around one of Rena¡¯s front paws and unlike the tiara she could walk around without it falling off at the slightest touch or tremor. Looking more fashionable than ever Rena strutted around with her head held high much to Halo¡¯s chagrin.


    ¡°Ves!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay she won¡¯t be getting anything else for a long while.¡±


    Flannery decided that this was the perfect moment to put an extra helping of oil on the fire.


    ¡°That anklet looks very cute on you Rena. Unlike some other Pok¨¦mon who can¡¯t afford to have nice things.¡±


    ¡°Veeees!¡±


    Halo retaliated with a swift string shot to the face wrapping Flannery¡¯s head in a cocoon of silk. While the comedic effect of such a thing was not lost on me, the fact that we were in a crowded area meant that having Flannery walk around blind was not conducive for her safety. Flannery¡¯s following outburst was expected but not helpful to deescalate the situation.


    ¡°Why you¡­!¡±


    ¡°Halo return!¡±


    I made the decisive decision to recall Halo back inside her ball before Flannery had the chance to retaliate. Before walking over to Flannery to help her scratch off the impromptu face mask.


    ¡°Just stay still, I''ll get it off. Haaa¡­ why did you feel the need to start bickering with my one-week-old Pok¨¦mon? You know she is going to remember this right? I am pretty sure Mr. Moore instructed you to get along with her.¡±


    Having calmed down somewhat due to the absence of Halo she finally relayed to me some of her worries.


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair... Everyone likes me and when that little girl got the go ahead to pet her straight away¡­¡±


    ¡°All Pok¨¦mon have their own quirks and idiosyncrasies. Maybe that girl did something you didn¡¯t think of. Why not try complimenting Halo once in a while just like she did? Whatever the case, both of you need a cool down period.¡±


    We finished up the conversation at the same time that I scratched off the last wad of silk off Flannery¡¯s face. With our business finished it was time to head back to the center and cash in that teleportation voucher.


    <hr>


    Back at the center*


    ¡°Your Pok¨¦mon are now healed. We hope to see you again.¡±


    I picked up the two pok¨¦ balls stuck on nurse Joy¡¯s tray. Having left my two Pok¨¦mon here to recover from this morning¡¯s gym battle. This was the same Nurse Joy who I had check up Halo¡¯s egg the first time I visited Mauville city.


    ¡°Excuse me nurse Joy I¡¯d also like to schedule for a teleportation timeslot. A two people one way to Fortree city. This voucher should cover half the cost.¡±


    I gave her the teleportation voucher I received from the Fortree gym. She scanned it and ripped it in half before handing one of the halves back to me.


    ¡°The cost of having one extra person come with you amounts to 2000 pok¨¦dollars. Please choose your preferred choice of payment.¡±


    ¡°Card. Isn¡¯t the going rate for a one-way teleport usually around 6000?¡±


    ¡°For one of our more experienced psychic type Pok¨¦mon the added mass of one extra person is very doable. That¡¯s why the league only charges a third of the price. Young man before you go¡­ would you allow me to examine that Larvesta on your shoulder?¡±


    ¡°Ves!?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we have this discussion a couple of weeks ago?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ you see I specialized in Pok¨¦mon entomology back in nursing school. It would really help my independent research if I could take a closer look at Larvesta.¡±


    ¡°You should ask the nurse Joy back in my hometown of Lavaridge. She helped me out during Halo¡¯s hatching, and she¡¯s had multiple opportunities to observe and study her. Doesn¡¯t everyone from the Joy clan share the same medical records?¡±


    ¡°Please? it will only take an hour tops.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­What do you think?¡±


    Not wanting to give in that easily I asked Halo who was lounging on top of my shoulder what she wanted to do. She had previous experience being Mary¡¯s guinea pig so if she didn¡¯t mind going through that whole ordeal again, I could let her do so. Also, it was never a bad idea to have a nurse Joy be indebted to you.


    ¡°Ves¡­¡±


    ¡°No needles, only measuring tape.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you got needles inserted into you at Mary¡¯s!?¡±


    The nurse Joy in front of us elaborated further.


    ¡°That is common practice for newborn Pok¨¦mon. During the first stages of their life, they are quite vulnerable to pathogens.¡±


    My first reaction was to reassure Halo by giving her an extra tight hug. Followed by not a minimal amount of cooing and praise. Victini¡¯s bond with me let me know that she was embarrassed by me baby talking to Halo. I myself was not ashamed at all, speaking in parentese to a week old Pok¨¦mon seemed more normal to me than not doing so.


    ¡°That must have hurt right? You really are the bravest bug type of them all aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Ves!¡±


    ¡°Hmmm Okay, but we refuse the taking of any samples and what have you. She¡¯s had enough of all the poking and prodding.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for this opportunity! We¡¯ll have her ready to go back with you before the teleportation Pok¨¦mon arrives.¡±


    Halo crawled over from my arm to the empty tray ready to face this nurse Joy¡¯s scrutiny. I took off quickly hoping that Glove wouldn¡¯t wake up and realize that Halo was no longer inside her ball. The day¡¯s journey had left me weathered, and I looked forward to getting in a quick shower to get all the river sediment out of my hair. Flannery similarly went off to do the same as soon as we entered the center dorms.


    While I was occupied back in the bathroom taking a shower Victini popped out of her ball and released the rest of my smaller team members to goof around with. She had recently taken a shine to a card game the people from Indigo named Go Magikarp. Back in Lavaridge Town the younger Pok¨¦mon in my team led by Victini also liked to involve Torchic in their games since they were all age mates. So, it wasn¡¯t a surprise to me that when I stepped out of the bathroom that Torchic was participating in their activities as well. The little chick Pok¨¦mon was using Numsy¡¯s old cardholder due to her lack of forelimbs.


    ¡°Hi Torchic, does Flannery know you are here?¡±


    ¡°Chic Tor!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°We told her!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine but try to finish up your game the teleportation Pok¨¦mon will arrive any minute now.¡±


    I proceeded to put on my clothes and gather the rest of my stuff. Most of the things I owned are water resistant up to and including my backpack so our little trip across route 110¡¯s river only required me to hang them up to dry for a short while. After I was done collecting all my stuff I sat on the bed and watched Victini handily beat every participant. Orin proved a tough opponent for her to beat but eventually he too succumbed to her psychic shenanigans.


    ¡°Okay gang let¡¯s head off!¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    ¡°Flannery¡¯s really bad at keeping track of time, Torchic can you go get her?¡±


    ¡°Tor!¡±


    With that I recalled all of my team members inside their pok¨¦ balls. Even Victini had to since she needed to be small and portable for the teleportation. I went back to the center¡¯s guest hall to pick up Halo being slightly worried that this nurse Joy might be too excitable for the bug type to handle. As a trained nurse she must have had some experience dealing with uniquely tempered Pok¨¦mon but that could all be forgotten in her pursuit of new discoveries. Nurse Joy couldn¡¯t be found at her usual spot behind the computer and her Chansey seems to be filling in for her.


    ¡°Excuse me Chansey?¡±


    ¡°Sey?¡±


    ¡°I left my Larvesta for the nurse Joy to look after, can we get her back?¡±


    With a knowing sigh the egg Pok¨¦mon walked away from her post and into one of the backrooms presumably to let her trainer know that it was time to give Halo back to her owner. As I was waiting around Flannery finally showed up with Torchic in tow, fresh faced and ready to be seen in public again.


    ¡°Heya Egon! When are we going?¡±


    ¡°Soon I am just waiting for nurse Joy to return Halo back to me. She was quite adamant about getting a closer look at her.¡±


    A quick glance around the room was sufficient enough for me to spot our teleportation service Pok¨¦mon. A dopey looking Slowbro unattended by any trainer was standing right outside the designated teleportation arrival area which was previously vacant.


    ¡°It seems like our ride is already here. I wonder why nurse Joy is taking so long¡­?¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Sey Sey!¡±


    ¡°Please just a minute more!¡±


    ¡°Chanseeey!¡±


    There seemed to be some type of commotion in the backroom facilities. Eventually Chansey walked out with Halo in her arms. The bug type looking positively miffed while directly behind them a battered looking nurse Joy was following the duo into the main hall. Upon seeing me Halo jumped into my arms clinging onto my shirt as she did so. I didn¡¯t need an explanation to guess what happened back there.


    ¡°Ves! Ves!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay this happens sometimes not all nurse Joy are the same. You won¡¯t have to come back here anymore.¡±


    Afraid of the implications that my words had, Nurse Joy took this moment to profusely apologize to Halo.


    ¡°I am sorry! I didn¡¯t think she would mind the treadmill test!¡±


    ¡°Lar!¡±


    ¡°She is upset because there were no candied berry peels or honeyed lollipops as reward for her brilliant physical performance.¡±


    ¡°Nurse Joy, does this Pok¨¦mon center give out some kind of reward after a stressful procedure? I think a sugary snack would help alleviate some of Halo¡¯s discontentment.¡±


    ¡°No, the only thing we have in stock right now that comes even close to what you are describing is the berry juice we keep in the vending machine.¡±


    ¡°Sey!¡±


    Without having to be asked, Chansey withdrew the egg from her pouch and offered it Halo.


    ¡°Really?! Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Sey!¡±


    Chansey eggs are special in that they were regarded as some kind of superfood. The kindhearted Pok¨¦mon species only shared their eggs with individuals who are sick or injured. Chansey doing so to make up for nurse Joy¡¯s unprofessional attitude seemed to be a bit of an overreaction.


    ¡°Ves!¡±


    Perhaps disregarding the significance of Chansey¡¯s offer my Larvesta was eager to try this new type of food. Taking a small hesitant nibble at first but then voraciously without care starting to take large bites out of the egg. Now that it had come to this, I had to profusely articulate our gratitude towards nurse Joy¡¯s Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Thank you very much Chansey! I¡¯ll be sure to visit this Pok¨¦mon center whenever we are in the area! Halo, stop eating and let Chansey know how grateful you are to her.¡±


    ¡°Vessta!¡±


    She got one single word out before going back to munching on the egg. She was like a hellion and in a matter of seconds the rest of the egg was completely devoured. Halo wasn¡¯t what I would describe as Pok¨¦mon motivated by food so that egg must be truly delicious for drawing this kind of reaction from her. I returned Larvesta to her ball and gave the egg Pok¨¦mon some last words before departing.


    ¡°Well¡­ we¡¯re off. We appreciate the hospitality Chansey.¡±


    ¡°Chaaan Sey!¡±


    With that I turned around and walked into the direction of the teleporter area with Flannery in tow. The Slowbro hardly reacted to our presence but I knew that just like master Quagsire its wisdom must be deeply hidden, shown only to its trainer and those that had earned its trust.


    ¡°Excuse me, are you the Pok¨¦mon on staff that facilitates teleportation to and from Fortree city? We are the ones that made the reservation. My name is Egon and this is Flannery.¡±


    It took around half a minute before Slowbro responded to my enquiry.


    ¡°Sloooooow.¡±


    ¡°Yes, nice to meet you too. Do you need us two to hold on to you?¡±


    The shelder stuck on its tail finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and started to take charge of the conversation.


    ¡°Sheeelldeer!¡±


    ¡°Yes, now hurry up!¡±


    ¡®Thanks Tini Flannery was already at her limits.¡¯


    I signaled Flannery to hold onto Slowbro¡¯s left paw while I grabbed onto the right one. Just like that we waited for Slowbro to realize that we were both ready for teleportation. Slowbro was about the same height as Flannery which meant that the Pok¨¦mon was slightly taller than myself. Since this would take a while I started nerding out about Slowbro to Flannery.


    ¡°Flanny, did you know that Slowpoke and Slowbro are one of only three water type Pok¨¦mon species that can learn to use fire type moves? That makes them great to use against any unsuspecting grass type Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°That only makes them slightly better compared to other water types hmpff!¡±


    ¡°When in a dangerous situation the shellder on his tail bites down extra hard giving Slowbro the clarity of mind to speed up its reaction time. Naturally that isn¡¯t the case right now.¡±


    ¡°For real!? Shellder can you help us please?¡±


    ¡°Sheeeell!¡±


    It seemed Flannery¡¯s plea moved Shellder since the mollusc Pok¨¦mon started clamping down harder on Slowbro¡¯s tail.


    ¡°Slooow?!¡±


    Before we had a chance to say another word our surroundings blipped out of existence and simultaneously got replaced by the insides of another Pok¨¦mon center. The interior of this building was completely made out of tropical hardwood. A giant tree trunk took up most of the space inside the room, a circular reception desk was manned by multiple chansey and a singular nurse Joy.


    ¡°Welcome to Fortree city¡¯s Pok¨¦mon center. Your time of arrival is 14:56. We thank you for making use of our teleportation services. Slowbro Return!¡±


    A guy wearing the distinctive red ranger jacket recalled his partner Pok¨¦mon before continuing his conversation with the nurse Joy sitting behind the counter not paying us any further attention.


    ¡°Flannery before we head out, I need to remind you that we are not allowed to have any fire type Pok¨¦mon out of their balls while inside league owned buildings.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°You see, Fortree city is made up out of mostly tree houses. The giant trees that grow here are large enough that the city¡¯s first settlers decided that it would be a waste of time and energy to cut them down and make room for brick-and-mortar houses. Their solution was to build tree houses. Their innovative idea quickly became the norm and now most of the town¡¯s people live atop the trees. In fact, the majority of foot traffic doesn¡¯t happen on the ground but in the city¡¯s complex maze of rope bridges.¡±


    ¡°Nerd¡­! What are we supposed to do now?¡±


    ¡°I am headed for the Fortree city gym. You can tag along if you want.¡±


    ¡°Fine but no more lectures!¡±


    We exited the center building and stared in wonder at our surroundings everywhere we looked we saw tree houses attached to giant conifers. Based on first impressions I¡¯d say that Fortree city should have a medium population size of around five thousand people, which was huge for a region as small as Hoenn. All the residential buildings were built onto the large trees while the city¡¯s larger buildings, which couldn¡¯t fit on a tree, were built on ground level. This would make it easier for us to locate the city gym since there were only so many facilities that needed to be built on solid ground. I had the perfect Pok¨¦mon with me to scout ahead.


    ¡°Go! Tranquill!¡±


    The singular flying type who traveled with me materialized into the air already flapping her wings to maintain a steady altitude.


    ¡°Tranquill guess where we are?¡±


    ¡°Quill? Quill!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Fortree city! Can you scout ahead for us? We need to walk on the correct rope bridge that eventually leads to the gym. Just give us a squawk if we are walking the wrong way. You¡¯ve seen plenty of the gym¡¯s battle video¡¯s so try to look for a building with sky battle facilities.¡±


    I didn¡¯t need to say anything else Tranquill excitedly flew off in search of a building matching my descriptors. I wasn¡¯t worried that she would take a long time, there were only a dozen or so ground level buildings that needed to be checked and from the air that wouldn¡¯t take longer than a minute or two.


    ¡°Egon, let''s just pick a rope bridge and go!¡±


    ¡°Fine but you asked for this.¡±


    And off we went, I figured that Tranquill would be able to find us no matter where we ended up. Tranquill were famed for always finding their way back to their trainers no matter how far the distance. After taking the first step on the rope bridge nearest to us, I suddenly remembered my irrational fear of heights. It wasn¡¯t at the level where I would be paralyzed in fear, but I tended to get lightheaded when looking down from higher altitudes.


    ¡®Just keep looking forward. Nothing to see down below.¡¯


    I felt the sensation of one of my pok¨¦ balls opening from the belt strapped to my waist and the distinct sound of my backpack¡¯s zipper opening and closing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll catch you if you fall!¡±


    ¡®Thanks, let¡¯s just keep talking like this to distract myself.¡¯


    Mental communication with Victini got me through most of the journey without having to let my mind wander. Thinking logically these rope bridges should be extremely safe but the animal part of my brain still railed against the fact that we were three to four stories up. It got better as we got further along though. Foot traffic was scarce since most residents that lived in Fortree used flying types to get around. We saw multiple Skarmory and Tropius flying around carrying people from place to place. Altaria weren¡¯t big enough to support the weight of adult humans but we did see them carrying around small children. Eventually Tranquill returned, the bird Pok¨¦mon taking way too long to get back. In hindsight she was probably distracted by the novel sights and all the new flying types she hadn¡¯t seen before flying around.


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°You spotted the gym?¡±


    ¡°Tranq!¡±


    ¡°Then lead the way, oh fearsome leader.¡±


    ¡®You know I¡¯ve always wondered if there were really wild kecleon living on top of these bridges. Do you think that if you concentrated hard enough you could sense any?¡¯


    ¡°¡­? There are. One of them is right behind us.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡±


    ¡°Egon what are you getting all excited for?¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ve always wanted to play hide and seek with a real kecleon. The ability to track one down is one of the qualifying tests that trainers, wishing to join the corps, must complete before being accepted as ranger trainees.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t we have to follow Tranquill?¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­ I guess we can do so later.¡±


    ¡°Egon stop being rude and let me join in on the conversation!¡±


    ¡°Ah yea sorry Flanny. You see there¡¯s a Kecleon following us around and I wanted to play hide and seek with it.¡±


    ¡°Kec?!¡±


    A startled sound came from the empty space behind Flannery. Confirming Victini¡¯s observation of there being an invisible Pok¨¦mon following behind the two of us. Flannery was as excited as I was, being able to spot a Kecleon was the hallmark sign of having superb eyesight. Hoenn newspapers always put in a: Where is Kecleon? print in every puzzle section.


    Flannery was quick to turn around eager to meet one of the all time favorite Pok¨¦mon residing in Hoenn. Kecleon¡¯s camouflage all shared the same weakness, the zig zag pattern on its belly could never be completely hidden. The most skilled of kecleon could only have the red pattern fade for a bit, dulling out its distinctive color, the only glaring weakness of what would otherwise be perfect invisibility. Now that I had a better look I could vaguely see the distinctive zig zag pattern. Flannery was the first to attempt communication.


    ¡°Hi there, I¡¯ve always admired kecleon. Do you want to come play with us? We can even share some of our berries with you.¡±


    This Kecleon by virtue of living in the city must know that humans are not a threat. So after hearing Flannery¡¯s generous offer of to play and eat berries it undid its camouflage.


    ¡°Leon!¡±


    ¡°Oh! We are going to have so much fun, let''s go play hide and seek first!¡±


    ¡®Hey that was my idea! She stole it!¡¯


    ¡°I can turn invisible and even better than that Kecleon can! You can play hide and seek with me!¡±


    ¡®Bending light is not the same as being able to adjust the cells of your skin to perfectly adapt to the background in real time. Turning invisible completely goes against the spirit of the game.¡¯


    It was at this time that my feathery friend came back to check up on us. Confused as to why we were wasting time.


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah the gym¡­ but you see this Kecleon just showed up and we were going to play hide and seek with it.¡±


    ¡°Tranq!¡±


    Tranquill landed on top of my head and gave me pecking noogie. The blasted bird wasn¡¯t willing to wait one more day to meet her new prospective trainer.


    ¡°Ow! Ow! Okay! I am going! Flanny, do you still want to come with us to the gym?¡±


    ¡°Did you say anything Egon? Me and Kecleon are going back to the Pok¨¦mon center to play.¡±


    ¡°Leon!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ already abandoned. Fine! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    <hr>


    At the Fortree gym*


    The Fortree gym was about as big as the Lavaridge gym but instead of being built into a volcano this gym had no visible roofing. The building was completely made out of the same type of giant tree that commonly grows inside the city. Wind turbines were strategically placed all around to generate as much electricity as possible. In Fortree city they took every precaution to avoid despoiling nature. Walking inside I immediately noticed that the entire gym¡¯s interior was designed with flying types in mind. There were no doors or glass windowpanes, and the entire place had that distinct bird Pok¨¦mon smell which I have grown familiar with while traveling around with Tranquill.


    Walking inside I had Tranquill perched on top of my arm. She was skilled enough not to leave marks with her talons. Her appearance caught the attention of one of the gym trainers lounging around in the guest hall.


    ¡°Welcome to the Fortree city gym, are you here to make an appointment?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that too but leader Winona extended me an open invitation to further talk about this girls gym adoption.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she told me all about the Tranquill who couldn¡¯t find a trainer. That email you sent to her has been making rounds inside the gym. It was a beautiful thing you did bringing her along with you. You can call me Jared. I keep this place running when Winona is out of town or otherwise occupied. It¡¯s nice to meet you and this special little lady.¡±


    ¡°Quill Quill!¡±


    ¡°So, is she available?¡±


    ¡°Not at the moment, no. She took the day off to spend time with her boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Tranq?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry though I am sure she won¡¯t mind you two giving her a personal visit at her home here in Fortree. In fact, I can call in one of her personal Pok¨¦mon to give you two a ride over right now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be great! This is our first time visiting Fortree city and this city¡¯s layout is very confusing.¡±


    With that the gentleman pulled out a whistle and blew it rapidly in succession. The whistle¡¯s sound echoed through the hall before its call was heard and responded to by a particular flying type who was now flying to our location.


    ¡°Skaaar!¡±


    A massive Skarmory, the biggest one I¡¯ve ever seen. Typically, skarmory would average out at about the height of a grown man but this one exceeded that by being at least twice their usual size. The armored bird Pok¨¦mon landed in front of Jared ready to listen to his request.


    ¡°Skarmory these two are the ones Winona has been talking about. Could you go ahead and fly them over to her place?¡±


    ¡°Skarrr!¡±


    Skarmory were not well known for having well-adjusted personalities, but this one seemed pleasantly mild mannered.


    ¡®A skarmory of that size must have nothing to prove to anyone.¡¯


    Tranquill was completely awe stricken. If it were possible I wouldn¡¯t be surprised to spot stars in her eyes. The Skarmory stretched out its wing motioning me to get on top. Sadly, I wasn¡¯t tall enough to make the leap and embarrassingly had to signal Jared for help with getting on Skarmory¡¯s back. Which the gym trainer helpfully provided without making a mention of my ¡­ in the height department. I clung onto Skarmory¡¯s neck hoping that I could avoid cutting myself on its swordlike feather during the flight over.


    ¡°This is actually the first time I¡¯ve flown on top of a flying type Pok¨¦mon. Is there anything I should keep in mind?¡±


    ¡°Yes, try to avoid plucking out any feathers they hate that. Don¡¯t worry about falling off, Skarmory here is an expert at giving first timers like you an accommodating ride.¡±


    ¡°Tranquill, do you want to follow Skarmory in the air or would prefer returning to your pok¨¦ ball?¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°Okay then let¡¯s set off for Winona¡¯s house!¡±

 Chapter 44 - Flying Off

    Chapter 44 ¨C Flying Off


    ¡°I am the king of the wooorld!¡±


    ¡°Skarr?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯ve always wanted to try that.¡±


    Strangely enough I wasn¡¯t experiencing bouts of acrophobia even though I was high up in the air. It probably had something to do with being carried aloft. I never had any problems flying inside commercial airplanes either. The only thing that made me nervous about this situation was that I knew for a fact that a skarmory¡¯s feathers were extremely sharp, one false move and my pants or even my underpants would get cut to ribbons. I didn¡¯t want Winona¡¯s first impression of me to be that of a shameless streaker.


    Being high up in the air gave me an unrivaled sense of freedom. Seeing all the trees and small houses pass us by made for a breathtaking view of Hoenn¡¯s natural landscape. Tranquill was enjoying herself as well but had to pace herself a bit in order to keep up with Skarmory¡¯s travel speed.


    ¡®This view is the major benefit of having a flying type on your team. Being able to span the entire breath of the whole region within one- or two-day¡¯s worth of flight. If I ever visit Indigo, I will be sure to catch myself a charmander.¡¯


    Skarmory didn¡¯t have to take us far since Winona¡¯s house was located in the center of town. The armored bird Pok¨¦mon gently landed us on a custom-built landing platform attached to a medium sized tree house. Now it was my job to get off Skarmory¡¯s back with as much grace as a bloated trapinch.


    ¡°Okay... here I go¡­¡±


    Skarmory tried to lower its center of gravity to make sure I didn¡¯t cut myself, but I could not avoid having my left pantleg cut. To avoid embarrassment, I now had to pretend this was a deliberate fashion choice for the rest of the day.


    ¡°Skarrr¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay kids as short as me shouldn¡¯t really be riding around on large Pok¨¦mon in the first place.¡±


    ¡°I could¡¯ve helped you get here!¡±


    ¡®Yes, but trying out new things is fun besides¡­ people would start asking questions.¡¯


    ¡°Are you ready, Tranquill?¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°Skarrr!¡±


    Skarmory poked its head into the open windowsill and called for its trainer with apparent success. A woman¡¯s voice responded back to the Pok¨¦mon mildly surprised judging by the tone of voice the person was using.


    ¡°Skarmory is that you? Shouldn¡¯t you still be at the gym¡¯s rookery?¡±


    To avoid surprising the house¡¯s residents I announced myself.


    ¡°Excuse us! I am Egon from Lavaridge town, and this is Tranquill. I exchanged emails with you regarding her possible adoption by the Fortree gym.¡±


    ¡°Tranq!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you two! I was wondering when you would show up. Wait just one second!¡±


    Various rumbling noises could be heard, the hallmark of an impromptu clean up. Figuring that this would take a while I started interviewing her Skarmory for all sorts of gym scoops.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know sky battles were a thing in Hoenn. Do you two often battle against trainers who bring their own team of flying types or levitate using Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    ¡°Skaaaarrr.¡±


    ¡°Not that many but her trainer insists on switching the format of their gym battles when challengers substitute into a flying Pok¨¦mon of their own.¡±


    The league¡¯s official battlefields restrict how much of an advantage flying types have since the battle is confined to a small area.  Flying and Water type specialists often rail against these rules because it mitigates their Pok¨¦mon¡¯s innate advantage of being able to move in three dimensions as opposed to their landlocked opponents. The league found a compromise with the water type specialists stipulating that battlefields with drifting platforms were fit for use. Flying type specialists never received that same luxury.


    ¡°What kind of polish do they use to keep your armor plates that shiny? ¡±


    Before Skarmory had a chance to respond the door opened and a woman¡¯s voice answered the question for her.


    ¡°Wet sandpaper, mother¡¯s magnemite aluminum polish and lots of elbow grease. We only need the polish if she hasn¡¯t been cleaned up in a while.¡±


    The person who answered my question was obviously the Fortree city gym leader Winona. She was wearing her trademark set of clothes. A leather cap with sewn in aviator glasses and a baby blue jumpsuit with stylized feathers at the edges.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you Egon and Tranquill. My name is Winona and I am the Fortree city¡¯s gym leader.¡±


    ¡°Quill Quill!¡±


    Tranquill immediately hopped off my arm and landed on top of the woman¡¯s shoulders giving her lots of loving head bunts.


    ¡°Awww I like you too! Such a well-behaved girl. All those trainers who didn¡¯t want to catch you were complete idiots.¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t the two of you come in? Don¡¯t mind the mess though I almost never get the chance to clean up.¡±


    ¡°Sure! I¡¯ve always wanted to see the insides of one of these tree houses.¡±


    Winona guided us inside her home and unlike some of the bigger buildings this one wasn¡¯t centered around a tree but attached to one. If I had to describe Winona¡¯s place in a few words I¡¯d say small and cozy. This wasn¡¯t the kind of building where you could keep large Pok¨¦mon thus explaining why she kept her Skarmory at the gym. The walls were decorated with posters of numerous flying type Pok¨¦mon from different regions. She even had a large cabinet where her numerous trophies and accolades were displayed. She had the key to the city but also a silver medal for being the runner-up at last year¡¯s Ever Grande Conference. The mess as she described it wasn¡¯t as terrible as I anticipated but it wasn¡¯t a minor one either. This house seemed more like a place to sleep at night than a home. Winona¡¯s trainer career probably took precedence over keeping this place sparkly clean. Which I couldn¡¯t fault her for, being familiar with a gym leader¡¯s busy schedule during the circuit.


    ¡°Just sit anywhere, do you want anything?¡±


    ¡°Water please.¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°And some berry juice for the lady.¡±


    Winona left for the kitchen trying to be a good host while I went through all my mental preparations in order to deal with the emotional turmoil of saying goodbye to a trusted friend and companion. Me and Victini had ruminated on this topic a lot seeing as how she was the one to suggest bringing Tranquill along with us in the first place. In the end I decided that I was okay with it so long as I knew that she would be left with a person that would take good care of her and helped her with achieving her goals as a battler. Victini took this opportunity to float out of my backpack and hug the bird Pok¨¦mon to let her know that she would be missed.


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡±


    ¡°Quill¡­¡±


    Both Pok¨¦mon being fast friends said their tearful goodbyes to each other. Unlike the rest of the team Victini always made sure to spend some extra time with her feathery friend. The two of them would often fly around together and pull off hijinks.


    ¡°Now now¡­ You two can see each other as much as you like when Victini figures out how to teleport to Fortree city. Just because you are not traveling with us doesn¡¯t mean that we are no longer friends.¡±


    My passing observation calmed the two down somewhat. Before they could properly sort out their feelings with each other, we heard footsteps coming out of the kitchen. Victini quickly turned herself invisible dove down in between two pillows.


    ¡°One glass of water and for you and for the prettiest bird Pok¨¦mon in the room a bowl of berry juice.¡±


    ¡°Tranq!¡±


    Tranquill happily took sips from the offered berry juice bowl while I did the same to my glass of water.


    ¡°Thanks, Are you particularly familiar with her species? My Unovan Pok¨¦dex has all of the relevant information compiled by their regional professor. Diet, habitat, potential abilities, known moves and the like.¡±


    ¡°I have a passing familiarity with all flying type Pok¨¦mon but reviewing verified research done by a Pok¨¦mon professor is always worth it. We can go over all the relevant information if you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°Great, I was also wondering if we could visit from time to time? One of my other partners and Tranquill have gotten really close, and I¡¯d hate to break the two up.¡±


    ¡°Of course! You wouldn¡¯t even have to visit my house since we keep most of our Pok¨¦mon at the gym. Still if Tranquill is as ambitious as you say she is I am sure that she will become an eighth badge gym Pok¨¦mon in no time.¡±


    ¡°Uhmm I haven¡¯t seen Tranquill battle as often but based off some of her clashes with Pok¨¦mon living in the wild I¡¯d say she is about as strong as fourth badge Pok¨¦mon at least.¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°Okay, maybe fifth badge level. She¡¯s also really good at getting along with other Pok¨¦mon. However, she will pick fights with Pok¨¦mon she believes to be at around her level or stronger.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect! There¡¯s a rambunctious Pelliper that¡¯s always causing trouble at the gym which I am sure she will get along with. Flying types like her who are extra feisty just love duking it out with similarly minded Pok¨¦mon. Now¡­ What¡¯s her favorite type of berry? Where did you find her? I want to know everything.¡±


    ¡°She found us on route 7 in Unova near the Celestial tower, Tranquill likes any sort of spicy berries but hates sour tasting ones. If she hasn¡¯t battled in a while, she will fly off to have sparring sessions with wild Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Does she do well working as part of a team?¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the best. When I am not available Tranquill keeps watch over our newly hatched team member.¡±


    ¡°Last question; why did you choose to ask my gym to take care of Tranquill?¡±


    ¡°Fortree city gym staff are the foremost experts in regard to flying types. Naturally the best place for her to develop her skills as a battler would be here. If she was just looking for companionship I would¡¯ve kept her as my own Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    Now feeling more certain about Winona¡¯s character I let her know that I was ready to start the adoption process.


    ¡°So¡­ should we head on over to the center to finalize the adoption process? My other companion got sidetracked playing with a wild Kecleon and we decided to meet up later at the Pok¨¦mon center.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the Pok¨¦mon center is just a minute¡¯s flight away. We should probably finalize the adoption process before my boyfriend comes back from doing groceries.¡±


    Before I had a chance to get up from my seat Skarmory who was still waiting outside cawed loudly to let Winona know somebody was at the door.


    ¡®That must be Winona¡¯s boyfriend. I wonder which guy was lucky enough to bag a dime like her?¡¯


    The front door opened and standing there was none other than Wallace, master coordinator and winner of last year¡¯s Ever Grande conference.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Winny darling I¡¯ve come back to astound your Pok¨¦mon with a helping of my handmade pok¨¦blocks!¡±


    All my preconceived notions about Wallace were shattered at that moment. A man¡¯s choice of clothes shouldn¡¯t be taken as an indicator for his orientation, but I had fallen into that same fallacy.


    ¡®The navel t-shirt and barret threw me for a loop. Tells me what I know about preferences there¡¯s still a lot I have to learn it seems¡­¡¯


    ¡°Now who is this dashing young trainer? And what a gorgeous Tranquill!¡±


    ¡®And now I am confused again¡­ best not to think about it.¡¯


    <hr>


    *At the Pok¨¦mon center


    Wallace decided it was a good idea to come along with me and Winona to the Pok¨¦mon center. Both Wallace and Winona are famous figures in Hoenn but the citizens of Fortree city have grown used to having Winona around acting as their gym leader. Wallace on the other hand still had that novelty about him that dazzled passersby and he had the charisma to back up his fame. After taking his first steps inside the center he was already being crowded by groupies. Which in hindsight wasn¡¯t too bad since it meant me and Winona could go about our business undisturbed.


    ¡°Welcome to the Fortree city Pok¨¦mon center! What can we do for you?¡±


    ¡°Adoption papers for Tranquill please. From now on she¡¯s going to follow her dream of being a professional battler at the Fortree gym.¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    The adoption process of Pok¨¦mon was similar to how trading worked. The latter just being more automated and streamlined. All trades happened under the watchful eye of a licensed third party usually this meant a nurse Joy. After the signing you have three days to ask for a cancellation. Naturally this also requires the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s consent, it used to be that the Pok¨¦mon being traded or given away had no rights at all but that had changed in the last decade. This could be regarded as a positive change, but it did enable a lot more black-market trading and poaching.


    ¡°Here you go. You need to fill out this form in its entirety and have the gym¡¯s representative and Tranquill sign at the dotted line. We have an ink pad so Tranquill can leave an imprinting on the bottom of the document.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, nurse Joy.¡±


    I went ahead and filled out the document under the auspices of Winona and Tranquill. As I was filling in my personal information Winona couldn¡¯t help but get curious while reading the document.


    ¡°You only have two badges at this point in the circuit?¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­ We were traveling through Unova to catch some more team members. There aren¡¯t a lot of fire types in Hoenn.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have any problems with their league association?¡±


    ¡°Figured out that my dad, who I have never met before, is an Unovan national. I took the opportunity to travel there and catch the native Pok¨¦mon without all the red tape.¡±


    ¡°All alone? You must be a very adventurous ten-year-old trainer.¡±


    When I finished writing in all of my personal information Tranquill and Winona followed that up by signing the document with a signature and claw print respectively. Having not had the opportunity to give my own farewell to the wild pigeon Pok¨¦mon I took the chance to do so now, releasing all my team members to do the same.


    ¡°Come on out everyone!¡±


    My entire team minus Victini materialized on the center¡¯s tiled floor. At first they were a bit confused why they¡¯ve all suddenly been called out like this but then recognition flashed their eyes as they saw Tranquill being held by an unknown trainer.


    ¡°Tranq¡­¡±


    It only took them a couple of seconds to react to Tranquill¡¯s nervous well wishing. The entire team grouped up around Tranquill and by extension Winona as well.


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°Dar!¡±


    ¡°Vess¡­¡±


    The one among them that took the news of Tranquill¡¯s departure the hardest was Halo. The newborn being mentally unprepared to say goodbye to a ¡°court¡± member. Tranquill hopped off Winona¡¯s arm to give the little bug type some extra attention. Wrapping her inside a warm feathery embrace. My release of the team brought about onlookers that were giving me looks. Technically speaking I wasn¡¯t supposed to release any fire types outside of their balls in Fortree, but I was certain nurse Joy would look the other way for special moments like this one. After Tranquill finished hugging it out with the baby of my team I handed over her pok¨¦ball to Winona who recalled her newly received Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Vess?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Halo, we can go see Tranquill from time to time. This way she¡¯ll be doing what she loves; kicking ass and taking names.¡±


    With that I quickly recalled all of my fire types except Halo who I kept aloft within my arms. Letting her process the first time she had to say goodbye to a trusted friend.


    ¡°My¡­ what an interesting looking bug type Pok¨¦mon. Have you ever considered entering her into any contests?¡±


    Wallace showed up after having finished dealing with his fans. The national championship winner took an unusual interest in Halo.


    ¡°Maybe eventually, Halo¡¯s only around a week and a half old. She seems to be mainly interested in battling at the moment.¡±


    ¡°She has the talent, a diamond in the rough I can tell. If you as a trainer ever become interested in participating in Hoenn¡¯s number two past time, she¡¯ll be sure to shine on stage. Winona dear let us depart.¡±


    Taking her hand in his Wallace and Winona were about to depart when I suddenly remembered my other purpose for coming here.


    ¡°Leader Winona! I¡¯d really like to schedule a gym battle with you!¡±


    ¡°With me!? Sure, but you only have two badges, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but could you schedule a fifth level badge match please?¡±


    ¡°Hmm I am full for the next three weeks so our battle can only take place at the end of the month. If you are fine with that, I¡¯ll put you in our battle appointment schedule.¡±


    ¡®Three weeks!? Well at least it''s better than nothing I guess¡­¡¯


    ¡°Yes please.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll put you in first thing tomorrow morning. The exact date and time will be sent to you in an automated email.¡±


    Just like that Winona left the center building with her boyfriend in tow. Gaining jealous glares from female onlookers for being the girlfriend of Hoenn¡¯s most eligible man.


    ¡®Well at least until Steven Stone makes his public debut. Now where in the reverse side is my flakey protegee?¡¯


    Flannery told me she would be playing with Kecleon in the center. Which meant she must have already booked a dorm room for herself. Not wanting to go the extra mile of exploring the girls¡¯ dorm by myself I resolved to just call her pok¨¦gear. Scrolling through the contact list of the Xtransceiver mounted on my wrist I quickly found her name and gave her a call.


    ¡°Egon? Are you done playing around at the Fortree gym? Kecleon and my team are getting hungry.¡±


    ¡°Flanny, are you planning to catch Kecleon? Being the one that led a wild Pok¨¦mon inside the center you¡¯ll be the one responsible if Kecleon breaks anything.¡±


    ¡°No¡­? Well maybe if Kecleon really wants to.¡±


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s all go and eat out at a restaurant. That way there¡¯s no chance of Kecleon accidentally breaking into any room he isn¡¯t supposed to be in.¡±


    <hr>


    It took a while but eventually Flannery made her way out of the dorms together with the mischievous Chameleon Pok¨¦mon. Now that I was actively looking for the signs of the invisible pok¨¦mon I could spot a faint red line following behind Flannery. I motioned for the two of them to follow me outside of the center. Once we got out we had a semi-serious discussion on the topic of which dining place to choose from.


    ¡°All I am saying is that as a local Kecleon probably knows which places serve the best food.¡±


    ¡°Leon!¡±


    ¡°He knows the best places to lift food maybe. I still say we should have gone to the all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant two rope bridges over that way. They have cold noodles and 12 different flavors of ice cream.¡±


    ¡°Kecleon knows what he is talking about!¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡±


    We approached the dilapidated looking dining place. The building looked abandoned with boarded up windows and several foreclosure notices posted on the front door. Even Flannery could not argue against the fact that this place looked shady.


    ¡°This is it¡­?¡±


    ¡°Kec Leon!¡±


    The small creature motioned us to come inside using his tongue to turn the doorknob and then walking inside.


    ¡°Flanny, we still have time to go to the place I recommended.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, I trust Kecleon.¡±


    Choosing to have faith in Flannery¡¯s ability to discern the trustworthiness of her new friend I entered the abandoned building. There was no way to discern my surroundings, so I released Orin to illuminate our path forwards.


    ¡°Come on out!¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°Hey buddy can you stick outside with me for a while? The lights of this place don¡¯t seem to be functional.¡±


    After hearing my request Litwick¡¯s flame started shining with more intensity than usual lighting up the entire room in shades of pale blue.


    Now finally getting a clear look at our surroundings we noticed multiple red zig zag patterns surrounding Flannery¡¯s Kecleon friend.


    ¡°This must be some sort of safe house for their kind. No wonder the city council hasn¡¯t removed or refurbished the place.¡±


    ¡°Egon be polite Kecleon has invited us to his home.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, excuse me for my lacking manners. My name is Egon from Lavaridge town and this is Orin. We are pleased to be invited into your lovely home.¡±


    ¡°Leon!¡±


    With the encouragement of Flannery¡¯s friend the rest of their gang slowly dispelled their own camouflage making us able to recognize just how many kecleon were living inside this abandoned building.


    ¡°Egon, there are six of them!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t all that interested in their number. The one thing that held my attention at the moment was my hungry stomach.


    ¡°Just ask them what¡¯s on the menu I am starving and so is my team.¡±


    At my mentioning of a prospective meal. Flannery¡¯s Kecleon started a heated debate with the rest of his friends.


    ¡°Leon!¡±


    ¡°Leon? Kec!¡±


    Seeing as this building only housed these kecleon I felt that it was safe enough to let Victini out of her backpack. She slept through almost the entire trip to this place so after a few pokes from me she woke up already knowing what we needed her to do. The floating rabbit stretched her sleeping muscles a bit before engaging with the group of Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Vi Tini?¡±


    ¡°Leon!¡±


    ¡°Flannery¡¯s friend wants to have a picnic together with us as thanks for all the berries she fed to him. The group is concerned that we will empty them out of their stockpiled food.¡±


    ¡°Ehh that¡¯s a reasonable concern. We are with a lot of Pok¨¦mon that also need to eat. This place was somebody¡¯s home once. If they have a table that¡¯s clean enough we can prepare today¡¯s dinner.¡±


    The gathered Kecleon collectively let out a sigh of relief. Before their leader the one Flannery took up with guided us to a disused kitchen. Checking out all the drawers and cabinets I noted that these Kecleon must be scavengers since their hoard was filled with knick-knacks you would most commonly find on traveling trainers.


    ¡°You know you guys could ask local rangers for help with providing your group with a safer living environment. There¡¯s nothing wrong with staking it out in a league managed corral. There¡¯s free food and lots of other Pok¨¦mon to interact with. I am sure a lot of regional professors would be interested to study your kind.¡±


    ¡°Leon!¡±


    ¡°Freedom! We can¡¯t become lazy!¡±


    ¡°Hmm then how about helping me cut up these berries?¡±


    <hr>


    Now that Victini was awake and able to translate for us we slowly came to understand more about these Kecleons¡¯ circumstances. Their main method of survival relied on pickpocketing tourists and afterwards selling the proceeds of their ill-gotten gains for berries and the like. They wouldn¡¯t mention the man who facilitated all of this, and we avoided asking. The populace surely knew what these Kecleon were up to, and they hadn¡¯t deemed it necessary to intervene. Mayhaps those pilfered items would find their way into the lost and found bin at the Pok¨¦mon center. We really didn¡¯t have enough information to properly judge their dealings as good or bad. I finished preparing our meals and since all of the kecleon offered to help with the food preparation I didn¡¯t mind letting them have a berry or two for themselves. They supplemented those berries with some generic store-bought Pok¨¦mon food fit for normal types and made a proper meal out of it.


    ¡°Are there any interesting secret spots to be found around Fortree? Any other groups of Pok¨¦mon that live in the city perhaps?¡±


    ¡°Leon!¡±


    ¡°They say the eastern route has a beautiful lake that they visit whenever the weather is nice. There¡¯s a tiny cave right at the center where rumors say a dangerous Pok¨¦mon lives but all they could find was a colony of zubat and golbat.¡±


    ¡®That must be the scorched slab¡­ then that Pok¨¦mon should be¡­¡¯


    My errant thoughts being picked up by Victini resulted in a heated one on one debate within the privacy of my mind.


    ¡°No way!? We got to check it out!¡±


    ¡®Absolutely not! That particular Pok¨¦mon species is known to be dangerous. The one inside Stark Mountain was sealed for a reason. Besides, we don''t even know if that rumor is true or not.¡¯


    ¡°Scaredy meowth!¡±


    ¡®Look¡­ if after this circuit you still want to go explore that place, I¡¯ll be right behind you. For now, we are incapable of dealing with the consequences if that Pok¨¦mon turns out to be a raving lunatic.¡¯


    ¡°So beside that particular lake have any of you guys spent time at the Weather institute? I hear it¡¯s at the forefront of new meteorological breakthroughs in Hoenn and they even created a manmade Pok¨¦mon named castform. Their ability to change forms based on the weather seemed to have garnered much interest in the scientific community.¡±


    ¡°Egon, stop trying to change the subject into a boring one. I want to hear more about this dangerous Pok¨¦mon! Besides, no normal wild Pok¨¦mon would visit something a mind-numbingly boring as a weather institute.¡±


    ¡°Kec!¡±


    ¡°The older Pok¨¦mon living there say that the rumored Pok¨¦mon used to be active but that it went into a comatose state after the cave¡¯s lower levels filled up with water.¡±


    ¡®Filled up with water, eh? Guess we aren¡¯t getting down there any time soon.¡¯


    After hearing that the cave¡¯s lower levels were flooded, Flannery''s interest in the topic seemed to have faded. Underwater exploring was best left to trainers traveling with water type Pok¨¦mon. The kecleon continued on mentioning the numerous sightseeing spots surrounding the city. Interesting from a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s perspective; like where to find the best tasting berries or good hiding spots. They eventually mentioned something that did gain my interest.


    ¡°Leon!¡±


    ¡°Just off the route in the northern mountainside live a pack of absol. They are kept from living on the route proper by the league because the local humans believe seeing one is a bad omen.¡±


    ¡°Baseless stereotyping is still a thing? Just to prove those people wrong when we visit route 120 we¡¯ll keep our eyes out for any local absol and spoil it rotten.¡±


    ¡°Egon are you crazy!?¡±


    ¡°Flannery, not you too?!¡±


    ¡°Well Grandpa always told me that when you meet an absol in the wild you make a run for it, because something bad is going to happen to you.¡±


    ¡°Absol are just warning people! You wouldn¡¯t beleaguer any wild psychic type using their divining ability to give you a warning. Ugh.. whatever we¡¯ll find a wild absol and I¡¯ll prove without any doubt that Absol are not deserving of their bad reputation.¡±


    We finished up our meal with the kecleon and wished them well before setting off to the Pok¨¦mon center. It had been a long day and I was eager to get to bed. Flannery wanted to stay for a little while longer, but I convinced her that we had to get up early tomorrow. Reaching the end of route 120 would take about two and a half day¡¯s travel on foot and the route was famous for its packs of wild mightyena. We needed to have our wits about us when traveling and camping out in a potentially hostile environment.


    ¡°Egon, how much does diving equipment cost?¡±


    ¡°Hush you!¡±

 Chapter 45 - Pack Attack

    Chapter 45 ¨C Pack Attack


    ¡°Egon we are not going off route to find a wild Absol just so you can prove some crazy nerd theory of yours!¡±


    ¡°We won''t, but to travel on foot from the beginning of route 120 to the connecting route 121 will take us around two and a half days. I am betting we¡¯ll come across one in that timeframe.¡±


    This morning I prepared breakfast as usual for each of our respective teams and then I went off to the center¡¯s computer room to check on my emails. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Eli had sent me a ranger corps¡¯ manual on how to train up a torkoal to develop the drought ability. Once I got past all the irrelevant information pertaining to the raising of Torkoal I got the instructions down to the bare tacks.


    Firstly, the Pok¨¦mon in question had to be proficient in the use of Sunny Day and secondly The Pok¨¦mon in question has to spend over a month at high altitudes in a place that¡¯s extremely sunny. The rangers had a base camp up on the peak of Mt. Chimney where they discovered this interaction.


    When the torkoal finally leave that sun spot their bodies instead of adapting back to the regular amount of UV radiation instinctively intensify the sun¡¯s rays in their surroundings. The torkoal could suppress this instinct when in human settlements but it does make them uncomfortable having to hold back their bodies¡¯ now natural ingrained reaction.


    ¡°Vi?¡± ¡°Do you know any places with high altitudes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s a long shot. Mt. Pyre extends up into the clouds. However, the mountain side doesn¡¯t get consistent sun, when a cloud drifts on over, the whole area fogs up. There could be a good spot right at the summit, but they don¡¯t just let anybody up there.¡±


    ¡°Because of the orbs?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ they haven¡¯t told me, but I am guessing that Phoebe¡¯s family keeps them there on some sort of altar.¡±


    ¡°Egoooon! It¡¯s rude to have conversations when I can only hear half of it. Now¡­ who is Phoebe and why do you want to go to Mt. Pyre?¡±


    We were situated at the border between Fortree city and route 120. Nearest to us was a ranger outpost covered with flyers warning people of all the dangers present on the route. I made it a point to show Flannery all the dangers we could encounter on our days-long trek through the route.


    ¡°My grandpa goes to Mt. Pyre every year to pay respect to our family¡¯s deceased Arcanine. He usually takes me along and I made friends with the granddaughter of the people who run the place. As for the reason why I want to go there¡­ Eli finally revealed the secret of how to train up drought.¡±


    ¡°Really?! But what¡¯s the secret then?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you I made a promise. Just know that going up the mountain is one of the requirements.¡±


    ¡°Unfair! You don¡¯t even have a torkoal! He should¡¯ve told me first!¡±


    ¡°I am trying to prove that vulpix also have the aptitude for developing this ability. He shared the method with me for scientific purposes. Also, I promised him that I wouldn¡¯t try to catch any torkoal  in the future.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy!? Torkoal are the best!¡±


    As we were busy arguing, the sole ranger manning this outpost stepped out. Obviously miffed by Flannery¡¯s shouting.


    ¡°Quiet you! I work night patrols, this is the only time I can get some sleep in!¡±


    I moved quickly to diffuse the situation. Staying in the rangers¡¯ good books is imperative for any aspiring trainer.


    ¡°Sorry! From now on I¡¯ll be sure to properly admonish my companion if she gets too loud again.¡±


    ¡°Ahem, I guess it¡¯s fine. You kids heading up to route 120?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are heading for the safari zone.¡±


    ¡°Hmm that¡¯s about five days¡¯ worth of travel on foot, are you sure that you have brought enough supplies? These routes aren¡¯t like the rookie zones around Littleroot. You do have a chance of coming across hungry predator Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay if we do manage to get ourselves into a dangerous situation, I¡¯ll just bribe the hungry Pok¨¦mon with some berries.¡±


    ¡°Mightyena groupings can grow to be as large as twenty individuals per pack. I highly doubt you¡¯ll have enough food to satiate them all. Of course, the wild Pok¨¦mon around here know that any sort of hunting on the routes will have consequences but there¡¯s always a small chance that you come across a pack that just migrated southwards and have never seen a human in their life.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else we should look out for?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is a small chance you might come across a wild absol. Now normally absol don¡¯t show themselves to humans but if you catch more than a glimpse of one just take the quickest path out of there. Absol sightings have been linked with natural disasters like mudslides, earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires. Seeing one always means you are about to be hit with a streak of bad luck.¡±


    ¡°Wait wait! Aren¡¯t absol just warning humans what¡¯s about to happen? They could have precognitive abilities.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t make much of a difference to me, either way just run for it when you see one.¡±


    With that last statement the ranger turned around and walked back inside the outpost probably eager to catch up with his sleeping schedule.


    ¡°Let¡¯s set out, Flanny. If we are quick, we can pass the on-route swamp before nightfall.¡±


    <hr>


    After four hours walking*


    ¡°Egon, my feet hurt!¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess we can take a short break.¡±


    We were nearing the great bridge spanning the entire length of the largest lake on route 120. Up here we had a clear view of the entire reservoir together with the flooded cave system the people passing by aptly dubbed the scorched slabs. This used to be the site of an active volcano, but centuries of inactivity and rain caused the entire caldera to fill up forming a picturesque lake.


    Both me and Flannery released our entire teams to enjoy the view with us. I had set clear guidelines on what each member of our traveling group needs to do when we stop for breaks or when preparing to go to sleep while in the wilderness. Having Flannery with us forced me to redistribute each of our roles on the fly.


    ¡°Tini, can you get down by the lake and fill up this bucket with water?¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Glove you set up the picnic blanket and look after Halo. The rest of us will go foraging for some herbs and berries.¡±


    ¡°Dar!¡±


    ¡°Now remember to only pick up edible plants and berries that have already fallen on the ground. We don¡¯t want to get into any legal trouble with the rangers or Arceus forbid any angry territorial Pok¨¦mon. Let¡¯s split into two groups. Numsy you look after Flannery¡¯s group. If you guys encounter a strong Pok¨¦mon, send out a distress flare with lava plume, ok?¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    ¡°Flannery, since you¡¯ve earned your trainer¡¯s license, I will assume you know how to differentiate between poisonous plants and the ones that are safe to eat. Just to make extra sure we¡¯ll inspect anything you bring back so don¡¯t start nibbling on unfamiliar mushrooms on your own. We will reconvene after half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t boss me around Egon! Come along Numsy, our group is much cooler than his.¡±


    ¡°Came¡­?¡±


    Like that, Rena and Orin went north while Flannery¡¯s group started their search in the south. We didn¡¯t really need much, only just enough so we could have something to snack on. The real reason I pushed the idea to go foraging is so I could have the chance to look around for any wild absol. That and Flannery needed some experience foraging if she ever ran out of food while in the wilderness.


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°You are my best sniffer, Rena. Can you smell any large feline Pok¨¦mon in the area? We won¡¯t go off route into the mountainous area but if you can smell any that are close we can go check it out.¡±


    My Vulpix positioned herself in an upwind position and smelled the air blowing towards her. After a good minute she turned to me to share her findings.


    ¡°Pix Pix!¡±


    ¡°Too faint to tell¡­ that¡¯s too bad I guess we¡¯ll just go ahead and gather some herbs and mushrooms.¡±


    After twenty minutes of looking around we got a fair amount of edible mushrooms and even some wild mint and yarrow for a nice cup of tea. I was about to head back to our meeting place when I spotted a bulbous plant with leaves sticking out of the ground that closely resembled a mandrake¡¯s. Naturally these plants were poisonous, but you could still use them as painkillers or laxatives when properly diluted. When I was in the middle of pulling the plant out of the ground I heard a loud wailing noise.


    ¡°Oddd!¡±


    ¡®Wait this isn¡¯t any ordinary plant?!¡¯


    The ¡°plant¡± glared at me fiercely, obviously upset that I disturbed its sleep and rudely pulled on its head.


    ¡°I am sorry little Oddish I mistook you for an actual plant.¡±


    ¡°Dish¡­¡±


    ¡°How about you come and have lunch with us as an apology? We have some berries and do you like mint tea?¡±


    The word berries seemed to be Oddish¡¯ trigger word because the little grass type hopped out of its hidey hole obviously eager to have a go at our food supply.


    ¡°Odd!¡±


    ¡°Here let me pick you up. It must be tough moving around on those little legs.¡±


    The Oddish didn¡¯t resist as I picked it up and held it in my arms. While I was holding on to the little weed Pok¨¦mon Rena guided us back to our basking spot in front of the bridge. Halo and Victini were playing around while glove dutifully watched over them. Flannery hadn¡¯t returned yet but seeing as we arrived back ten minutes early there was no cause for concern.


    ¡°Heya guys this is Oddish he is going to be having lunch with us.¡±


    ¡°Odd!¡±


    ¡°Oh sorry! She is going to be having lunch with us.¡±


    The bucket of water I asked Victini to bring was filled to the brim and the water inside was clear enough to see through. Now I just needed Numsy to come back so he could heat it up for tea making purposes. None of the others were as proficient as him when it came to boiling water and Numsy took a certain level of pride in that, so I was loath to give his job to someone else. Usually for lunch it was just straight up diced berries in a bowl, no kibble whatsoever. So, I unloaded my cutting board and the tupperware container holding all of my berries and got to work preparing the food.  Victini used telekinesis to deposit the diced berries into the appropriate bowls. While we were busy doing that I started talking to Oddish who was distractedly looking at the berry filled bowls.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°What kind of flavor do you prefer Oddish? We have Spicy, Sour, Sweet and Dry tasting berries.¡±


    ¡°Odd¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s never had the opportunity to taste a berry before?!¡±


    The rest of my team was also flabbergasted at Oddish¡¯ surprise reveal. I was under the impression that wild Pok¨¦mon got to eat wild berries on occasion especially since most berry trees grew throughout the year.


    ¡°Is competition for food on this route that intense?¡±


    ¡°Dish¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay little gal. I¡¯ll give you a bit of everything and you can find out what you like.¡±


    It was at that moment that Flannery returned from her scavenging trip. She seemed pleased with herself for some reason, the pep in her step being unmistakable for anything else.


    ¡°Egon, I had my first battle with a wild Pok¨¦mon. It was a blast!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine and all but did you gather any herbs?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ but this Poochyena was really fierce! Not like a regular poochyena at all. In the end my Slugma had to pull out his best moves to win the battle.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­ but don¡¯t get distracted next time. Come sit, lunch is almost done.¡±


    ¡°Numsy can you do the usual?¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    With his bigger size it was kind of awkward to heat up the teakettle over his back, but he made it a bit easier for me by crouching down. The kettle was held aloft over one his volcano humps by use of a rope and a long stick struck deep into the ground. While I was waiting for the water to start boiling I distributed everyone¡¯s bowls to their respective recipients. They all started eating with much gusto, especially oddish was over the moon with the wide selection of different berries placed inside her bowl which used to be Tranquill¡¯s.


    ¡°Dissh!¡±


    ¡°Slow down a bit Oddish we still need to figure out which berry is your favorite. Now take a small bite of each and tell me what you think.¡±


    ¡°Odd!¡±


    She did as instructed taking a small bite each time before moving on. When she first tried tasting a slice of aspear her face sported a short grimace before moving on to the other flavored berries.


    ¡°Dish!¡±


    ¡°So, you dislike sour tasting berries hmm but the rest you liked in equal measures. Next time I should remember to buy bitter tasting berries.¡±


    Seeing as Oddish started getting comfortable with us I decided to ask it some questions regarding the route she called home.


    ¡°Hey Oddish, have you ever seen any absol around here?¡±


    ¡°Dish?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s an Absol?¡±


    ¡°Large mountain cat Pok¨¦mon with white fur and a horn on the right side of their faces.¡±


    ¡°Dish! Odd!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s seen those before, but they don¡¯t live in these parts only coming down the mountain on occasion to warn everybody if something bad is about to happen.¡±


    ¡°Drat! Well at least I confirmed my suspicions.¡±


    The mint tea was served to those who wanted to try it. All of my fire type Pok¨¦mon declined to try the hot leaf water except for Victini who took hers with extra sugar. As we were about to finish and head on deeper into the route a distinct howling sound was heard all around us.


    ¡°Awoooo!¡±


    The bushes started shaking until eventually the group of Pok¨¦mon who were eying us revealed themselves. A pack of seven full grown Mightyena and limping behind them a Poochyena with burn marks all along his fur coat.


    ¡°Flannery¡­! What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, we were just battling it out like normal! Poochyena is just being a sore loser...¡±


    Flannery whispered that last part in my ear. At least she was smart enough not to agitate the pack of angry Pok¨¦mon any further.


    ¡°Grrrr!¡±


    ¡®I am asking for a raise after this.¡¯


    ¡°Hello there, lovely weather we are having today... How can we help you fine group of Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    ¡°Is that all you got!?¡±


    ¡°Well sorry that I don¡¯t make a habit out of riling up packs of dangerous Pok¨¦mon!¡±


    I knew instinctively the reason that we haven¡¯t gotten jumped yet was because we were fielding a large grouping of trainer owned Pok¨¦mon ourselves. That being the case I was hoping this could be resolved with a spritz of burn heal and some lava cookies. The biggest Mightyena, which was also probably their leader, stepped forth to voice out their demands.


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi.¡± ¡°They want enough berries for all of them or else.¡±


    ¡°Mightyena this must all be because of some misunderstanding on my companion¡¯s part. How about we get Poochyena all cleaned up and send you and yours off with a helping of my grandma¡¯s specially crafted patent blended Lava cookies?¡±


    The Mightyena seemed to think about it for a moment. Giving out another cursory glance to all our Pok¨¦mon who were now in a battle-ready state in case the negotiations went sideways. Even the little oddish seemed to be ready to lend out a helping hand.


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    Mightyena relented, easing up on their demands and accepting my counter proposal. Having been picked as their leader this one could weigh the cost and benefits of my proposal would still slant in their favor and they could avoid expending their energy on fighting with us and eventually the rangers if things got really out of hand.


    ¡°Little one come closer. Let me take care of all those nasty burn marks on you.¡±


    The Poochyena first looked to the pack¡¯s leader for permission. After receiving a slow nod from that Mightyena he walked forward and stood still near me waiting to be treated.


    ¡°Now Flannery since you were the one who left this Poochyena with these marks you are going to fix him up. Grab the burn heal spray from my backpack. You know how to use it right?¡±


    Flannery was still not convinced that the Poochyena was actually hurt and reluctantly grabbed the burn heal before starting to apply it to the soot covered canine Pok¨¦mon. The girl couldn¡¯t stop herself from trying to get just one last lick in.


    ¡°I won fair and square, and you know it!¡±


    ¡°Grrr.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind this one, she has a problem admitting fault. How about you try a Lava cookie?¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    My container containing all of our Lava cookies emptied out till I only had about half of my original supply remaining. The Mightyena pack seemed to appreciate my peace offering well enough giving me yips of appreciation. Numsy and Victini on the other hand were giving me sour looks over the whole ordeal. Those two did not appreciate me expending their future treats on costly shenanigans like these. I reminded myself to call up grandma for an extra order the next time we settled someplace for a longer period of time.


    ¡°Dish?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for wanting to help out even if you didn¡¯t need to. My team is strong, you know?¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    Having finished my peace offerings, the pack was about ready to set off. Their leader calling the Poochyena to come back home with them. Before leaving the little rascal wanted to let Flannery know that this is what happens when you mess with him. He did so by blowing a raspberry in her direction.


    ¡°Why you¡­!¡±


    ¡°Calm down Flanny. Do you want to start this thing all over again? Just give that adorable pugger a kiss goodbye.¡±


    ¡°That Poochyena is the worst! I¡¯d sooner kiss my Slugma.¡±


    ¡°Maaa?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong with you Mag. It¡¯s just to keep your body from hardening the minerals need to be above melting point. That¡¯s too hot even for me. As soon as I figure a way around that I¡¯ll give you all the smooches you could want!¡±


    ¡°Maaa!¡±


    As the last of the pack left our vicinity, I addressed Flannery to find out if she¡¯s learned anything from this encounter.


    ¡°You know what you did wrong?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is the last time I am trusting a dark type not to go back crying to its mommy!¡±


    ¡°Not that, battling wild Pok¨¦mon is fine, I''d encourage it even. Though there is a certain protocol I stick to whenever the battle¡¯s finished to make sure there are no hard feelings. A half berry or some encouraging training advice goes a long way. Pok¨¦mon have feelings too you know? None of us like to lose and have the opposing party gloat afterwards. The next time you get into a fight, call me so I can make sure that you show proper battle etiquette.¡±


    ¡°Ugh stop babying me!¡±


    ¡°Nope, your grandfather is paying me too much money to half ass this mentorship. Now let¡¯s quickly get out of that pack¡¯s territory while we still have the chance. Camping anywhere close to them when they know that we have a large food supply is a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°Dish!¡±


    ¡°Oddish, do you want me to bring you back to your sleeping spot? I know that your kind only really becomes active at night.¡±


    ¡°Dish¡­¡±


    ¡°She wants to stick with us for a while longer.¡±


    The little grass Pok¨¦mon seemed to have come to enjoy our company. The free food and companionship probably beats out sleeping inside a hole in the ground.


    ¡°Sure, you can be our guide while we are on this route. Feeding a Pok¨¦mon of your size isn¡¯t a burden at all.¡±


    After recalling most of our Pok¨¦mon we hit the road again crossing the giant bridge that stretched out over the lake. While we were walking over the bridge, I couldn¡¯t help but look down. The grotto housing the supposed legendary Pok¨¦mon was the only thing sticking out of the water¡¯s surface.


    ¡®Someday¡­ though it is strange that the ranger corps hasn¡¯t fully explored the scorched slabs. Those preppers live for that kind of thing. Maybe the apocalypse event set to happen in a few years will dry out the cave¡¯s tunnel systems revealing the Pok¨¦mon hidden inside.¡¯


    ¡°With the help of everyone I am sure that we can desiccate the entire cave system on our own!¡±


    ¡®Where¡¯s the vapor supposed to go? It will only hit the cave¡¯s ceiling and recondense into water again. We need some kind of strategy¡­¡¯


    While me and Victini were busy exchanging ideas I didn¡¯t notice that we already crossed the bridge and entered the swampy area. In places like this where the water could get up to knee height the most important thing to have would be a set of well insulated rubber boots. Luckily, I had the foresight of bringing a pair of those with me.


    ¡°Flanny put on your boots we entered swamp country. Any puddle we come across could have a barboach just waiting for a chance to bite at our ankles. Oddish, do you know what other kind of Pok¨¦mon live in this here swamp?¡±


    ¡°Dish Dish!¡±


    ¡°Surskit and Masquerain, sometimes the marill from the lake come here to play as well.¡±


    ¡°You hear that Flannery? Ya better get those muckboots on unless you want to develop a case of trench foot.¡±


    ¡°Egon stop using that fake Unovan farmer accent!¡±


    ¡°It fits the theme! Just go with it Flanny! This is how us Unovans speak when in swamp country.¡±


    <hr>


    POV - ???


    ¡°Are you sure that son of yours is up for the challenge? I ain¡¯t holding back my punches for anyone Joseph.¡±


    ¡°You can rest assured that my son will be the top contender this year. Our battle analysts have crafted strategies to counter every possible strategy you and your elite four could come up with. Barring any unforeseen technicalities Steven will be crowned champion.¡±


    ¡°All these fancy strategies of yours won¡¯t mean anything if the bonds between your son and his Pok¨¦mon are untested. Only trials filled with hardship can do that. From what I hear, that son of yours has more of an interest in being a spelunker than to go through the life of a hardened trainer.¡±


    ¡°We hired the finest of tutors for both Steven and his Pok¨¦mon. We are confident that all of them are at the elite level, especially Steven¡¯s Metagross.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see¡­ If this doesn¡¯t pan out, I have two others that could replace me in the future.¡±


    ¡°Two?¡±


    ¡°Wallace of course but there¡¯s a new kid trying out his luck this circuit.¡±


    ¡°This child¡­ Can you tell me more about him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been learning under old Tim for the last few years. On first glance there¡¯s nothing remarkable about him but the brat has managed to earn himself the allegiance of a mythical Pok¨¦mon. If he doesn¡¯t mind revealing that Pok¨¦mon to the world, I could see him getting to the conference finals and facing off against that son of yours.¡±


    ¡®All my plans¡­!¡¯


    ¡°Joseph, do not interfere in that boy¡¯s journey. I only told you this because you would¡¯ve found out eventually. There¡¯s not much that goes on in Hoenn without your lickspittles finding out about it. The kid¡¯s a good seed, my dragons liked him well enough on their first meeting and you know how rare that is.¡±


    ¡°Does anyone else know?¡±


    ¡°From my reckoning a handful of higherups in the Unovan league. Usually in cases like this the boy would have not been allowed to leave the region. Somehow the kid¡¯s got preferential treatment from them.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, when are you going to come out of that dusty office of yours and join me and Briney for some old-fashioned exploration? Briney¡¯s been faring trainers between his home on route 104, Dewford, Slateport and Lilycove for fun. He says there¡¯s a good chance the King Neptune sank somewhere near Wazoo Island.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t all have the free time to do whatever we want Drake. Devon has never been more profitable than it is now. From a small company that mined rocks and smelted iron sand to what we are now. Our specialized pok¨¦ balls are used worldwide beating out those Johtonian apricot balls in usage and we are this close to creating a viable prototype of a revival machine.¡±


    ¡°Fine, maybe next time. See you later, old friend.¡±


    *Click


    ¡®For now, it¡¯s best to observe this possible future hindrance. I¡¯ve put in too much time and effort to have my family¡¯s bid for hegemony put into jeopardy.¡¯


    ¡°Kennedy!¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    ¡°Have one of our private eyes look into a rookie trainer who is participating this year. He¡¯s supposed to have studied under Moore from the elite four. Narrow it down and have someone privately investigate the kid. I want to know everything from his favorite food to the color of his socks. Make sure they are discreet and let them know there¡¯s a bonus in it for them if the kid doesn¡¯t find out.¡±


    ¡°Will do, sir!¡±


    ¡°Has our spy inside Cinnabar Labs gotten any closer to obtaining those blueprints yet?¡±


    ¡°Sir! The last time he managed to send a message out our spy let us know that he¡¯s about a month away from getting the position that would allow him to take a copy home with him.¡±


    ¡°Excellent, let him know that the agreed upon bonus is doubled when he delivers. Devon corporation needs to be at the forefront of all scientific innovation. We can¡¯t have those upstarts in Kanto get even an inch ahead of us. How¡¯s our fossil acquisition coming along?¡±


    ¡°Three completely intact root fossils and two armor fossils. We have been unable to purchase any overseas fossils without abiding by the strict budget you gave to us.¡±


    ¡°Good. Having Devon corporation buy up more fossils in that short a time frame makes us look suspicious. Our detractors must have no grounds upon which to sully our reputation.¡±


    ¡®So much to do, When Steven finally becomes champion I can grow this company without limitations. Drake won¡¯t allow any apparent favoritism but with my own son leading the league association those pesky environmental regulations won¡¯t be a hindrance anymore. With the league¡¯s backing I will finally be able to start project Delta Emerald.¡¯

 Chapter 46 - Interlude Rite of Passage pt1

    Chapter 46 ¨C Interlude Zinnia undergoes draconid trial pt1.


    Living in the village got better once big sis Aster started taking care of me. The bigger kids now kept away to avoid getting on big sister¡¯s bad side, daddy compromised with me by replacing Horsea¡¯s old fishbowl with a nice big aquarium that he asked the village¡¯s glass artisan to build, all so my little dragon could comfortably sleep together with me in my room. He even told me that if I said nice things about him to Aster, he¡¯d eventually have a pond built in the yard.


    ¡°Mommy we are going out to play!¡±


    ¡°Sea!¡±


    ¡°Be back before dinner!¡±


    Horsea and I went back to the river to practice our moves again. With big sis¡¯ help Horsea managed to learn a bunch of cool moves. Dragon breath, Twister, Agility and even without big sis¡¯ help Horsea managed to learn Bubblebeam all on his own. The last three weeks have been way more fun with big sis coming to see us every day. Sometimes the old grumpy men in weird robes keep her busy for a long time and she can¡¯t come that day. Being alone again during those times was bad but at least Horsea was there to keep me company. The other children still wouldn¡¯t let us play with them, but we¡¯d show them how cool we are someday soon.


    ¡°Horsea¡­ we can make more friends right? Brother always says having lots of friends fixes all your problems.¡±


    ¡°Sea¡­!¡±


    ¡°Little sister, I am back!¡±


    It was around afternoon time. Big sis aster usually had to spend most of her time with the village leaders called the elder council. They made sure that the traditions of the tribe are upheld, but big sister had big plans to open up the village for any prospective dragon type specialist looking to learn more about dragon types. She believed by closing up our borders we were also closing off our hearts to the world surrounding us. I usually don¡¯t understand what she¡¯s talking about, but I would really like it if my brother is allowed to visit the village.


    ¡°Big sis! Can we ride around on Dragonair again?¡±


    ¡°Of course, but first I have some exciting news for you. Do you want to guess what it is?¡±


    ¡°We got invited to become participants in the trick house contest?!¡±


    ¡°Nooo! Silly! I got you a spot in tomorrow¡¯s coming of age rite.¡±


    ¡°But I am already really big! Horsea thinks so too!¡±


    ¡°Sea!¡±


    ¡°Not like that! Although I do think you are more mature for your age compared to the other children living in the village. The coming-of-age rite is an event that our tribe holds every year. All the tribe¡¯s children who are deemed to have developed a suitable temperament are allowed to participate.¡±


    ¡°Can we not go? Every time me and Horsea draw too much attention I get scolded at home...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll have a talk with that father of yours. If he gives you any more trouble he can kiss that position on the elders¡¯ council goodbye.¡±


    ¡°You can do that big sis?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that your big sister is a bigshot around these parts. Anything I say goes and none of those old fogies can do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so cool! Can I become a bigshot as well? That way everyone has to play with me!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ my position is already filled. However, you can be my successor that way you¡¯ll be the little bigshot.¡±


    ¡°You must be the best battler in the whole tribe big sis! That¡¯s how you got your position right?¡±


    ¡°No, there are many people who are more skilled in battle than I am, especially the elders. Their Pok¨¦mon are in a completely different league. The reason that I got elected is because of my sky friend.¡±


    ¡°A sky friend¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he visits me on occasion and everyone in the tribe thinks he¡¯s the best. I met him during my own rite of passage, and we¡¯ve been friends ever since.¡±


    ¡°The rite of passage is for making friends?¡±


    ¡°Exactly, tomorrow you and the tribe¡¯s other younglings will be allowed to enter a very special place. Inside you¡¯ll get the chance to make a lifelong partner who will stick with you through thick and thin.¡±


    ¡°Like me and Horsea?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just like you and this little cutie.¡±


    ¡°Seaa!¡±


    ¡°This is a unique opportunity reserved for the children of our tribe. The parents of your new potential partners won¡¯t tolerate grown adults making the attempt to bond with their hatchlings.¡±


    ¡°Oh! You mean Pok¨¦mon friends! I can do that. Back in my old home all the Pok¨¦mon really liked me! Our household¡¯s Vulpix always let me touch her tails whenever I wanted, and my brother¡¯s Numel shared his berries with me whenever I forgot to eat my lunch at school.¡±


    ¡°There are differences, fire types are overly passionate while dragons tend to be a bit more prideful, especially the younger ones who are not yet secure in their own power. Therefore, the process of forming bonds also tends to differ. Dragons usually decide to bond with humans based on their adherence to what being ¡°strong¡± means to them. So, for today¡¯s lesson I¡¯ll teach you all I know about how to get along with wild dragon types.¡±


    ¡°Brother always says that making friends with any wild Pok¨¦mon is easy as long as you give it berries and lots of head pats!¡±


    ¡°Sea!¡±


    ¡°See? Even Horsea agrees.¡±


    Big sis Aster suddenly closed in on me to give me an uncomfortable suffocating hug. She did this a lot for some reason.


    ¡°Zinnia, you saying that has reassured me that you are ready for the rite. There¡¯s no way a cutie like you wouldn¡¯t walk away with an extra friend with that kind of attitude. Still¡­ there are also the circumstances of the other party to consider. In the wild a Pok¨¦mon might be hurt and scared prompting it to lash out at you even though it would love to eat a berry and receive head pats. This is why it¡¯s important to be able to discern a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s state of mind before you approach. Dragon types have numerous tells not all of them obvious. Be prepared my disciple! Today I¡¯ll give you a crash course on how to read a dragon¡¯s body language.¡±


    <hr>


    The next morning*


    ¡®Today¡¯s the day! I hope Horsea can get along with the Pok¨¦mon I¡¯ll bring back with me.¡¯


    Daddy told me that showing up at the rite also shows the rest of the village that the council has already accepted me as an official member of Meteor village. Then he went on about our family¡¯s history and that partnering up with strong dragons is important for our family¡¯s standing in the village. Even Mommy forced me to take a bath last night so I could make a good first impression.


    ¡®I swim together with Horsea in the same river every day. I don''t need to shower! If it¡¯s good enough for the Pok¨¦mon living here it¡¯s good enough for me also!¡¯


    This was the first-time mommy and daddy both made time for me. Holding their hands as they walked me to the yearly festival made me feel like the happiest girl in the village. If there was one thing I¡¯d say that was missing it would be the presence of my nerdy brother and his ramblings.


    Today all the villagers grouped up in front of the big tunnel grownups say we aren¡¯t allowed to be in. This event according to Big sister was one of the events the entire village looked forward to celebrating. A kindly older looking lady in antiquated garbs holding a staff with a rainbow-colored stone inserted at the tip was leading the procession. She was currently giving a lecture about letting hatchlings leave the nest.


    ¡®A keystone¡­ brother said you need those to mega evolve a Pok¨¦mon.¡¯


    Me and two boys were lined up in front of the crowd while the old lady commenced the event with a speech.


    ¡°Villagers! Today we gathered here to witness the forming of new bonds. Three of our own have been deemed worthy of taking on this year¡¯s rite of passage. Taking their first steps on their journeys to become dragon masters. Hopefuls come forward!¡±


    ¡®This is the perfect opportunity for friend making. First to introduce myself by saying something nice to the other party just like Egon taught me.¡¯


    ¡°I like your cape, it makes you look like a superhero. My name is Zinnia. What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Nicolas, don¡¯t talk to me so casually. This is a competition between us three.¡±


    ¡°Competition why¡­?¡±


    ¡°My goal is to partner up with the strongest dragon inside the nesting grounds. Father already told me which one I should be aiming for. If you know what¡¯s good for you, stay away from the Salamence nesting grounds. A larger than normal hatchling Bagon has revealed itself. My aim is to claim that dragon for my own.¡±


    ¡°My brother says size doesn¡¯t matter in Pok¨¦mon battles! All Pok¨¦mon can be trained up to be just as strong!¡±


    ¡°Your brother is a fool obviously.¡±


    ¡°Take that back! My brother is a genius, he knows everything there is to know about Pok¨¦mon!¡±


    ¡°Fine, I accept your challenge.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±


    ¡°You and me a Pok¨¦mon battle. After the rite is concluded, together with our new partners of course.¡±


    ¡°Hmpff! You are on! If I win you have to take back the words you said about my brother.¡±


    ¡°Fine and if I win you will relinquish any dragon you manage to acquire over to me.¡±


    It was at this moment that the other boy tried stepping into our conversation.


    ¡°Nicolas isn¡¯t that a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut it, Dray! I don¡¯t care what the Lorekeeper says. This girl was not born inside the village, that makes her an outsider.¡±


    Big sis was watching us from the crowd not stepping in to tell those meanies to behave. She was putting her faith in me to stand up for myself. We made a promise that she would convince the adults and that it would be my job to win over my age mates. The grand elder finally finished giving out her speech and now turned to the three of us.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Before being granted access to the nesting grounds you must traverse this tunnel without help. You will be watched by an unbiased overseer while doing so. We will leave it up to fate to decide who will gain the privilege of entering first.¡±


    A big grumpy looking man walked up to us holding a covered box. It was similar to the ones they used in flashy game shows.


    ¡°Pull your lots. the number denoted on your piece of paper determines in what order the three of you will be setting off.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go first!¡±


    Nicolas stuck his hand in the box first without asking and with a smirk on his face revealed the number he pulled to the rest of us.


    ¡°Number one as expected.¡±


    The kind boy Dray went next, pulling out the number two slot. Which left me with number three. The caped granny readdressed us now that the ordering had been determined.


    ¡°Nicolas as number one you will go first. When you are ready to enter, make your way to the tunnel¡¯s entrance. The rules are as follows; you are not allowed to use a pok¨¦ balls, after you¡¯ve entered the nesting grounds proper the next waiting participant will be sent in after you, when the sun starts to go down all participants will be removed from the nesting grounds and brought back here even if they haven¡¯t managed to find a willing partner. The ones that can¡¯t find a partner are allowed to try again next year. If you kids have any questions now is the time to ask.¡±


    ¡°Old lady, are we allowed to bring food with us? And can I bring Horsea with me?¡±


    ¡°Zinnia, you can just call me granny. And no, we don¡¯t want you children trying to bribe a hatchling into going with you. As for your Horsea¡­¡±


    Big sister moved in close and took the pok¨¦ ball containing Horsea from my hands.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look after Horsea, little sister, don¡¯t worry about him. He can spend his time playing with Dragonair while waiting for you. Just make sure that you find yourself a cute partner. You do remember all the different dragons the clan keeps right?¡±


    ¡°I knoooow big sis!¡±


    ¡°You are still disappointed we don¡¯t have any Hydreigon?¡±


    ¡°My brother didn¡¯t want to get me a deino either! Even though I¡¯d take really good care of it and when it evolves it would be like having two friends in one Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°I am sure you would be an excellent deino trainer but for now keep your focus on the task at hand.¡±


    Nicolas was now standing in front of the tunnel¡¯s entrance waiting eagerly for granny¡¯s go ahead. The meanie was giving me what my brother would call the stink eye, overly confident that he would win our bet. Eventually when the sun broke through the horizon, he did receive confirmation from granny that he was allowed to enter inside.


    ¡°Nicolas you can go now.¡±


    The bully gave me one last sneer before running into the tunnel. After his departure, time seemed to slow down making every extra minute I had to wait for my turn seem to take even longer. Mommy came closer to hold my hand whispering words of encouragement in my ear. While daddy was busy trying to start a conversation with big sis Aster. She didn¡¯t seem to be interested enough to engage with him. Her Dragonair wrapping itself around her fending off daddy¡¯s unwanted advances.


    Dray¡¯s turn came and after he left the jitters got to me. This would be my first time trying to get a partner of my own. What if I picked the wrong Pok¨¦mon and we had to break up afterwards? Egon was much better at choosing partners, Horsea and I fit perfectly together.


    ¡®Egon says that I should pick partners who I share aspirations with. So, a Pok¨¦mon who loves battling for sure.¡¯


    Dray¡¯s time in the tunnel was comparatively shorter than Nicolas¡¯ and soon my name was called by Granny letting me know it was time to enter the tunnel.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry child, I am sure you¡¯ll find your destined partner inside. When this is over, come visit my house for tea. I want to get to know my youngest grandchild.¡±


    ¡°Granny¡­ you are really my granny?!¡±


    ¡°I have many children and grandchildren. My work on the council keeps me busy on most days but I just love it when one of my grandkids comes for a visit. Aster has told me so much about you. To think my no-good son only just recently brought you back with him into the village. When you come and visit me, I¡¯d sure like to hear what living outside was like for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I can¡¯t believe I now have two grannies!¡±


    ¡°Now hurry along dear we can¡¯t have your new partner waiting all day.¡±


    Excited, I ran inside the tunnel leading to the dragon nesting grounds. Meteor falls has numerous little tunnels like these. Big sis and I explored a few of them, most housed a lunatone and solrock pair. The ones hiding dragon types are usually shallow ones situated on the sunny side of the mountain range because dragons enjoyed feeling the sunlight directly on their scales. This tunnel seemed to go way deeper, and the walls had funny looking script painted on. Looking closer I recognized the shapes to be Unown.


    ¡®Brother says that Unown are harmless and likable by themselves but when in groups they grant transient wishes to children experiencing strong emotions. They dwell in ancient ruins pretending to be wall script but also live in their own separate dimension.¡¯


    As I walked further along light started streaming into the tunnel from the other side leaving the lettering completely exposed. My hand traced the shapes on the walls leaving me disappointed. The letters showing no signs of activity.


    ¡®Would¡¯ve been so cool if they were the real thing¡­ Wait! I have to get to the nesting grounds. I can''t waste my time here!¡¯


    For the rest of the way I ignored my surroundings no matter how colorful the inscriptions got. Finally, the tunnel¡¯s exit became visible and I rushed out with all the speed I could muster.


    ¡°Amazing¡­!¡±


    The nesting grounds now being fully visible. I saw all kinds of different dragon types. Some of them wild, others belonging to a tribe member. Big sis said that about half of all the dragons living on meteor falls belong with or have been partners to a tribe member. Dragon types on average lived three or four times longer than humans so it was a good chance some of these dragons partnered up with an ancestor on my father¡¯s side of the family.


    ¡°Hold on there for a second young lady. I get that you are all excited to be entering this place for the first time, but I am going to have to inform you on the dos and don¡¯ts as well as help you navigate the grounds layout. Can¡¯t have you upset any of the matriarchs by accident you know.¡±


    ¡°Matriarchs?¡±


    ¡°The mother dragons are watching everything that plays out in the nesting grounds during the rite of passage. If you manage to convince one of their hatchlings to come with you the next step would be to ask for permission from the parent. Although rare, there have been cases where a parent has refused to let their child go.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so sweet! Their mommies must love them very much. Please tell me more, Mr. overseer.¡±


    ¡°The nesting grounds are divided into four areas each corresponding with one of the dragon species that are currently nesting here. The biggest area belongs to the bagons, further along you can find a collection of caves housing a colony of noibat, the big lake in the middle accommodates a single dratini if you want to try out your luck. We also have a bunch of Goomy taking up the eastern side of the nesting ground if you don¡¯t mind getting all slimed up. Lastly our newest addition to the nesting ground is a triplet of gible. We haven¡¯t had the time to set up a desert environment for them so try to avoid any moist habitats and you might run into them. They can usually be found playing in the large sandboxes we set up around the outer perimeter. All of the hatchlings living here have an interest to be trained by one of the tribe¡¯s members. It will be up to you to convince them that you are the right trainer for them. I wish you good luck¡±


    With that the overseer left, releasing a perky looking flygon and flying off in(on?) its back. Now having the freedom to choose I thought hard about what kind of dragon type Pok¨¦mon would best suit me.


    ¡®Now to pick one and go for it. Noibat are cute, and daddy has a Noivern¡­ we could have training sessions together!¡¯


    Having made up my mind I decided to head towards the caves but before I had a chance to even get close my eyes landed on a particular scene.


    ¡°Goooom!¡±


    A pale purple blob was being chased by a large thuggish looking Bagon. At first, I didn¡¯t recognize the amorphous shaped Pok¨¦mon until I remembered my brother mentioning a Kalosian dragon type who looked just like this one.


    ¡®A Goomy, brother says they start out as the weakest of all dragon types but evolve to become fairly strong. This one must be playing tag with his friend, that''s nice.¡¯


    ¡°Gooon!¡±


    The Bagon finally caught up to Goomy and started planting its feet on top of Goomy¡¯s head. Instead of the game being finished and Goomy getting to be the one that chases Bagon. The rock head Pok¨¦mon kept bashing down on Goomy making the Pok¨¦mon slowly lose its shape. The expression of fear on Goomy¡¯s face was harrowing.


    ¡°Stop it you bully!¡±


    ¡°Gon?!¡±


    I rushed up to the two and tackled Bagon off his victim. Giving Goomy a chance to escape from the nefarious Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t your mommy teach you that it¡¯s wrong to hurt others?! That¡¯s a bad dragon BAD!¡±


    ¡°Gooon!¡±


    Ticked off Bagon prepared to blast us with an ember attack judging by the flames flickering out of its mouth. Brother says the best strategy to employ when facing off against a wild Pok¨¦mon while you have none of your own is to¡­


    ¡°I am not afraid! I¡¯ll show you the secret battle strategy I learned from my brother!¡±


    ¡°Gon¡­?!¡±


    ¡°Running away!¡±


    I turned around and instantly made a run for it. Goomy, who was in the middle of her own exit strategy, was too slow, so I closed the distance between us in a few seconds and lifted the Pok¨¦mon into my arms.


    ¡°Gooom!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay I¡¯ll carry you. Let¡¯s escape together, Goomy!¡±


    Picking up Goomy was like getting a tongue bath from an overly eager growlithe. The mucus began covering my entire upper body as I carried Goomy away in my arms. Bagon, who overcame his surprise, started chasing us. Luckily, I am faster than him due to his stubby legs. We heard him shouting behind us, probably telling me to turn around, but I didn¡¯t stop running until Bagon was completely out of sight.


    ¡°Pheew! That was a close one, are you alright Goomy?¡±


    ¡°Goom Goooom!¡±


    Goomy¡¯s face held a happy expression as the soft tissue Pok¨¦mon buried itself further into my chest.


    ¡°There there¡­ I know what it¡¯s like living with bullies. That¡¯s why I had to step in. Does that Bagon do that to you a lot?¡±


    ¡°Goom¡­¡±


    ¡°I see, did you try telling on him? I know for sure that if his mother was around, he¡¯d be getting scolded for sure!¡±


    ¡°Gooom¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you just said but I feel like it would hurt your pride as a dragon. Am I right, Goomy?


    ¡°Goom!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay then you¡¯ll just have to train a bunch and surpass that Bagon! I know you can do it, Goomy! You may start out as the weakest dragon type but you can become one of the strongest if you put your mind to it!¡±


    ¡°Goom!¡±


    ¡°You like leaves, right? Let¡¯s go eat some and then we can play as much as we want!¡±


    <hr>


    Some time later*


    Goomy led us to one of her favorite spots in the nesting grounds. The area resembled a swamp with the ground was(being) moist with lots of different kinds of leaves spread around all over the soil. I¡¯ve never heard about naturally occurring swamps on big mountains like this one. This area must be specially made for the Pok¨¦mon living here so Goomy and her kind can live comfortably.


    ¡°And that¡¯s how I came to live in Meteor Falls. My goal is to become the champion.¡±


    ¡°Goo?¡±


    ¡°The champion is the best battler in all of Hoenn. He protects all of Hoenn from bullies who do bad stuff to the Pok¨¦mon and people living here. That¡¯s my dream!¡±


    ¡°Goom! Goo!¡±


    ¡°You like that too? Do you want to become partners with me? That way we¡¯ll be stopping meanies all over from doing bad stuff!¡±


    ¡°Gooooom!¡±


    Goomy was as excited as me at the notion of stopping evildoers.


    ¡®We are going to be just like Zubatman! Noibat are cute but Goomy has a heart of justice!¡¯


    ¡°Since we are now partners, I want to know everything about you. What¡¯s your favorite type of berry? What is your family like? Oh! you have to introduce me! Your mother must be a beautiful and kind Goodra!¡±


    ¡°Goom! Goom!¡±


    Goomy motioned me to follow with her antenna. This place must also be home to the rest of her kind and judging by her actions Goomy''s mother must surely be living inside this artificial swamp.


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll like me? I usually don¡¯t get along with grown-ups.¡±


    ¡°Goom!¡±


    Now that we found ourselves in the swamp, Goomy turned into a little speedster, her body perfectly adapted to the living environment. The little dragon type was brimming with excitement bouncing up and down the whole way over to her home. Eventually we came upon a bog filled with mosses and shrubs covered by giant evergreen trees. I looked around for a bit but I didn¡¯t see any other Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Goomy, are you sure your mother lives here? I don¡¯t see anyone.¡±


    As if responding to the sound of my voice a giant figure surfaced out of the water¡¯s edge. Standing as tall as the largest man I¡¯ve ever seen, a large dragon closely resembling my little goomy stepped forward to greet us.


    ¡°Dra? Goo!¡±


    Goodra spoke to us in a questioning tone. As if wondering why me and Goomy came to her nesting spot. Gathering up all my courage I addressed the great she-dragon.


    ¡°Hello Ma¡¯am! My name is Zinnia. It''s really nice to meet you!¡±


    Goomy made some squeaky noises before touching horns with her mother, an intimate act. Aster¡¯s are lessons finally paying off. Goomy would only touch horns with Pok¨¦mon and people they truly trust. Goodra seemed to be accepting of my presence here and waved one of her antennae in my direction encouraging me to go on.


    ¡°So¡­ ahem. Me and Goomy like each other so I was wondering if we could get your permission to become partners. I¡¯ll treat her like my best friend! She can stay with me in my home if she wants to and I¡¯ll train her up to become the strongest goomy around! And we¡¯ll have slumber parties here and maybe if my Horsea can come over as well and¡­!?¡±


    Goodra used her big hind horns to pull me in for a big hug. It felt warm¡­


    ¡°Goooo!¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you! Me and Goomy will visit you every time we get permission.¡±


    Goodra gave me a knowing smile as she bowed down picking up goomy and deposited the little dragon into my arms. By now I was completely covered in slime, but I didn¡¯t care I was too happy from making another friend. While all of this was going on I saw a small shadow watching us from behind a nearby tree before quickly retreating into a nearby shrub.


    ¡°Do you also feel like we are being watched?¡±


    ¡°Goo?¡±

 Chapter 47 - Interlude pt2

    Chapter 47 - Interlude pt2


    ¡°Thank you again! We¡¯ll be sure to visit you lots!¡±


    ¡°Draaa!¡±


    Me and Goomy waved her mother goodbye as she retreated back into the swamp. Now that Goomy is officially my partner, I can tell her all my secret plans. Egon always says it''s ok to keep secrets from anyone, but not the partners who trust you to lead them into battle. So, as we walked back to the agreed upon gathering area I did just that.


    ¡°The Fairy type is going to be revealed to the rest of the world soon. To keep my edge as a trainer of dragons we¡¯ll have to come up with a new stratagem. You¡¯ll be my secret weapon, Goomy.¡±


    ¡°Goo?¡±


    ¡°Yes you. Brother told me that Goomy can evolve into an alternate form. Now that I have you as my partner, we are going to work towards turning you into a steel type.¡±


    ¡°Goo?!¡±


    ¡°Long ago the Goodra and Sliggoo living in the Sinnoh region used to be partial steel types. Egon mentioned something about iron rich water helping your species develop shells for extra protection.¡±


    ¡°Goo!¡±


    ¡°Yes! We¡¯ll ask big sister Aster for help. She is the smartest person I know except for my brother of course.¡±


    Just like that I kept exchanging ideas with Goomy. Unlike daddy, Goomy was a great listener, even getting excited by some of my brilliant plans. I couldn¡¯t help but feel like we were being followed by someone though. Every time we turned around to the sound of the grass rustling behind us we couldn¡¯t see anyone there.


    ¡®The area surrounding the tunnel leading back to the village is empty of hiding places. We¡¯ll see if this stalker will dare to show his face in front of us hmpff!¡¯


    Me and Goomy finally made it to the edge of the swamp reentering the nesting ground¡¯s middle area. Now free from the thick foliage I expected our stalker to reveal himself at any time.


    ¡°We know that you have been following us! Show yourself!¡±


    ¡°Gooom!¡±


    From behind a nearby tree a stubby little claw showed itself and little by little the entire figure emerged. It was the same Bagon that had been bullying my cute little Goomy earlier this day.


    ¡°Gon¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you following us? You meanie!¡±


    ¡°Baaaagon!¡±


    Goomy, still traumatized by the previous event, tried to hide herself behind my legs.


    ¡°Goo¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I''ll protect you, Goomy. We can just use our secret battle strategy like last time.¡±


    ¡°Gon Gon!¡±


    ¡°Goo?!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­? Is Bagon trying to tell us something Goomy?¡±


    The cute little blob lacking hands tried her best emoting in an attempt to relay Bagon¡¯s message to me. Brother says it would take at least a couple of months before trainers start understanding even the very basics of their Pok¨¦mon¡®s body language.


    ¡®I can understand Rena, this shouldn¡¯t be that different. Come on Zinnia, you can do this!¡¯


    ¡°Goo!¡±


    ¡°Bagon wants¡­ to take our berries?¡±


    ¡°Gon!¡± ¡°Goom!¡±


    The two Pok¨¦mon simultaneously deny my claim. Bagon, frustrated with my confusion, closes the gap between us. I was about to make a run for it but somehow the little dragon type sped up enough to close in on me before I had a chance to turn around. I felt Bagon¡¯s scale brush up against my shins. The rock head pok¨¦mon clamped onto me without showing any of the tell-tale signs of aggression big sister told me to watch out for.


    ¡°Bag!¡±


    ¡°You want to come with me?¡±


    This time the Pok¨¦mon nodded visibly pleased that I finally correctly guessed his intentions.


    ¡°Sorry but I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Bag?!¡±


    ¡°Goomy is the partner I¡¯ve chosen. Her feelings are the most important thing to me right now. If she accepts your apology then you can come with us.¡±


    ¡°Gon! Gon!¡±


    I was hoping to see Bagon change his ways and honestly apologize for picking on my new friend, but it seemed the little dragon hadn¡¯t learned his lesson yet. Judging by the aggressive tone of his voice.


    ¡°Come on Goomy, let''s get back to the exit point.¡±


    ¡°Goooooon!¡±


    ¡®Is Bagon crying? He must have been even lonelier than me. Maybe if¡­¡¯


    I looked back at Goomy and the two of us exchanged gazes. Somehow, I knew we were both feeling the same thing. Even after having been bullied by Bagon my partner was also feeling sorry for him.


    ¡®Brother always says bullies come from a broken home. Maybe there¡¯s a reason Bagon is like this.¡¯


    ¡°Okay you can come with us¡­ But no more bullying! If I hear about you picking on anyone else again I¡¯ll ask big sister to bring you back to the nesting grounds.¡±


    ¡°Gon!¡±


    ¡°So where is your mommy? We have to get her permission first.¡±


    ¡°Gon¡­¡±


    Bagon shook his head as if to say he didn¡¯t have any older Pok¨¦mon looking after him.


    ¡°She¡¯s not here? Did she leave with her human partner?¡±


    Bagon nodded his head agreeing with my previous statement. Before gripping the edges of my shorts even tighter.


    ¡°It must¡¯ve been tough on you right? Okay! When we get back, I¡¯ll ask around for the whereabouts of your mommy. Even if she doesn¡¯t come back, you can always rely on big brothers, grandmas, and grandpas. They will surely want to take care of you!¡±


    ¡°Gon!¡±


    Since we left the swamp, it was only a ten minutes¡¯ walk back to the tunnel leading back into the village. I was already looking forward to kicking Nicolas¡¯ butt and making him apologize for saying bad stuff about my brother. Goomy would trash any Pok¨¦mon he could possibly scrounge up. While we were walking Bagon insisted on sticking close to me which forced me to hold onto Goomy. The little cutie was still scared of her fellow dragon type and I didn¡¯t want her to panic. To calm her down I continued our conversation from before.


    ¡°So¡­ once we get back, I¡¯ll introduce you to my other Pok¨¦mon. Horsea is very sweet and a water type. He can douse you in water when it gets too hot and you two can play in the backyard pond together when daddy says it¡¯s okay to dig one out.¡±


    ¡°Goom!¡±


    ¡°Gon?¡±


    ¡°He can play with you too¡­ but he¡¯s a fully aquatic species of Pok¨¦mon. So, you¡¯ll have to learn how to swim.¡±


    ¡°Gon¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can teach you. Brother taught me how to swim using the hot springs behind the Lavaridge Pok¨¦mon center. Big sister told me that most dragons can learn water type moves. Horsea is the oldest, so he can teach the both of you.¡±


    We finally arrived at the spot and I was super happy seeing Dray together with his own Pok¨¦mon. The Noibat he kept with him was perched on top of his head using its leathery wings to shield its eyes from the sunlight now that it was out of its natural habitat. The boy¡¯s clothes were all rumpled up like he¡¯d been hit by a twister.


    ¡°Your Noibat is super cute, Dray! Can I pet it please?¡±


    ¡°Nooooi?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay I guess¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but go off on a tangent as I scratched the little Noibat behind the ears.


    ¡°Unlike zubat noibat can live solely on eating fruits and berries. I want to catch one too in the future.¡±


    Dray couldn¡¯t help noticing the two pok¨¦mon following behind me.


    Which one of these two is yours?¡±


    ¡°Goomy¡¯s mother gave me her approval. I don¡¯t know if I can bring Bagon with me but he really wanted to come along for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Gon!¡±


    ¡°Hmm I¡¯ve never heard about participants bringing out two dragons at the end of the rite. The rest of the tribe members hoping to catch a second partner aren¡¯t allowed inside the nesting grounds. After they¡¯ve bonded with their first partner.¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡±


    ¡°The nesting grounds exist exclusively for nesting parents and their offspring. Once the hatchlings get too old, they are relocated somewhere else on the mountain range.¡±


    ¡°Even the dragons that originally come from other regions?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, those are encouraged to find a human partner. If they aren¡¯t satisfied with the available trainers, one of our members discreetly relocates them back to their natural habitat.¡±


    The man who had spoken that last sentence came out of the tunnel entrance. We recognized immediately as the man that was responsible for looking after this place.


    ¡°Mr. Overseer!¡±


    ¡°I see that you managed to pick up another additional friend on the way over and that it¡¯s the troublemaker.¡±


    ¡°Troublemaker?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this Bagon has been acting out because its mother and her trainer have been gone for quite a while. I was planning to pair this one up with a group of Shelgon after the rite¡¯s conclusion. Seeing as Bagon followed you all the way here I guess we could make an exception this time. If you can get one of the council members to agree.¡±


    ¡°Yay! My grandma is on the council. I am sure she¡¯ll agree.¡±


    ¡°Almost everyone¡¯s grandmother or grandfather is on the council. Ask anybody, they don¡¯t play favorites.¡±


    It was at this point that the last participant showed himself. Nicolas otherwise known to me as the meanie was walking back with a gregarious looking Gible by his side. The land shark Pok¨¦mon looked like the oblivious sort not that concerned with what¡¯s going on around it as long as it got fed and properly taken care of.


    ¡°You!¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°No! That¡¯s the Bagon I was looking for! Which of you managed to convince him to come along? I called dibs!¡±


    ¡°Gon?¡±


    ¡®This is the perfect time to gloat like a Roserade!¡¯


    ¡°Bagon followed me and Goomy out of the swamp. He likes me better than all the other trainers.¡±


    ¡°Wrong! I never even saw him. Bagon, how about joining up with me? This outsider doesn¡¯t even know the first thing about training dragon types.¡±


    ¡°Bag?¡±


    The overseer took this moment to intervene.


    ¡°Nicolas quit it. Even though you are my nephew it''s bad form to proposition another¡¯s Pok¨¦mon even outsiders frown upon that kind of behavior. Still¡­ I see you have brought along one of the Gible, just be satisfied with that. Their line is well known for their speed and power.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ uncle Damian¡±


    ¡°Someone told me that you started a wager with the little miss over here. Which if she loses would result in her having to give up the Pok¨¦mon she just managed to partner with?¡±


    ¡°So¡­?! The rule of not wagering Pok¨¦mon only counts for tribe members.¡±


    It was at this point that the nice overseer smacked him over the head.


    ¡°Bonded Pok¨¦mon are not to be wagered, that''s common sense! When we get back your mother is going to hear about this! And you!¡±


    ¡°Yes?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give in to societal pressure! You still have a lot to learn before you can even begin to scratch the surface that is the art of training dragon type Pok¨¦mon. Now come along, you guys have been gone for most of the afternoon, the festivities are winding down and villagers are waiting for you to finish up.¡±


    The nice overseer led us back through the tunnel and as we did so I couldn¡¯t help but ask him all sorts of questions.


    ¡°Mr. Overseer, how come this place is filled with unknown symbols?¡±


    ¡°Heck, I don¡¯t know. Just be glad these aren¡¯t the actual Pok¨¦mon. Supposedly this is what they used for lettering back in the old days. Now only a single person in the tribe is trained up to read them somewhat accurately. The tribe is old, and we keep a lot of secret training methods and ancient lore to ourselves. If a thief ever manages to sneak in here, they¡¯d also have to be able to translate their stolen knowledge into regular script.¡±


    ¡°Goom?¡±


    ¡°How come the tribe gets to keep Kalosian dragon types here in the nesting grounds?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s complicated. Most of our tribe members forgo participating in the Ever Grande conference because of our inability to field foreign dragon types while participating in televised tournaments. The Hoenn league association and our tribe would face massive political pressure for keeping foreign Pok¨¦mon. As for how we managed to get Kalosian dragon types¡­ A descendant of our tribe lives in the region with his family keeping some of the old traditions alive. On occasion he discreetly sends us some Pok¨¦mon that are of interest.¡±


    ¡°Wow! I can¡¯t wait to go see Kalos for myself!¡±


    ¡°Gon!¡±


    ¡°You younger ones will get that opportunity someday in the future once the restrictions have been lifted. Of that, I am sure.¡±


    We finally reached the cave¡¯s exit. The villagers were already forming a crowd in anticipation of our arrival. Big sister told me that it was tradition to show off your new partner to the village and then have a battle between those who managed to find a partner. Mr. Overseer walked off to talk to granny and some of the other elderly people wearing strange robes. I kept walking around until I finally spotted big sister inside the crowd.


    ¡°Big sis!¡±


    ¡°Little sis! Don¡¯t hug me! What happened to you? You are covered in mucous.¡±


    ¡°Goom!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Now I know what happened. You managed to befriend this little cutie. That¡¯s amazing I knew you had it in you to make a new friend. Goomy are known to be the most even tempered of all dragons, a great choice of partner.¡±


    ¡°Gon¡­¡±


    ¡°And who is this? Which contestant managed to snag this big handsome fellow?¡±


    ¡°Ahem, I did¡­ Bagon kept following us and Mr. Overseer says I might be able to keep him as well if the funny looking old people agree.¡±


    ¡°You know taking care of an extra Pok¨¦mon is a big responsibility. Are you sure that you are up to the task of taking care of three at the same time? Bagon especially are difficult to care for. Their instinctual desire to fly requires you to never let him out of your sight. They have a tendency to throw themselves off of cliffs because their bodies tell them that they should be capable of flight.¡±


    ¡°I can do it! Brother managed to take care of two Pok¨¦mon at my age and he¡¯s a lazy bum!¡±


    ¡°There there. Dragon types are a lot harder to keep around than your brother¡¯s Pok¨¦mon. Except for Goomy of course, they are known to be loving and good natured.¡±


    ¡°Goom!¡±


    ¡°You do have to get used to being covered in slime and cleaning up after them can be a hassle.¡±


    ¡°Goom¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh no no! Not that that¡¯s a bad thing, Goomy. I¡¯ve heard your mucus does wonders for the skin. I know that even some of the elders collect and use it to keep looking young for longer. If you are certain that you will be able to handle the extra responsibilities I¡¯ll help you convince the council to let Bagon stay with you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d do that for me? Thank you, sis!¡±


    ¡°Before I forget here¡¯s Horsea¡¯s pok¨¦ ball. We left him to swim in the river. You can find him over there when the rite of passage is concluded.¡±


    With that my big sister left our side to join up with the council members and Mr. overseer participating in their heated debate.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait for you two to meet Horsea! He¡¯ll be your big brother taking care of you just like big sis Aster takes care of me.¡±


    <hr>


    Half an hour later*


    ¡°This will be a one versus one battle between Dray from Meteor village and Zinnia from Lavaridge town. Let the match begin!¡±


    It was decided that Dray and Nicolas would square off first. Noibat was a fierce battler zipping around using super sonic and screech to overwhelm Nicolas¡¯ Gible. The ground type had no way to land a direct hit on its faster and more agile opponent. Now that I myself was up against the same opponent we got very nervous.


    ¡°Go Goomy!¡±


    ¡°Noibat let¡¯s show ¡®em!¡±


    Dray¡¯s Noibat took center stage while my own cutie was still hiding behind my legs.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Goomy?¡±


    ¡°Goo¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about winning or losing. This is also my very first battle. Just as long as we''ve tried our best no one is going to laugh at us.¡±


    Hesitant but willing Goomy crawled up to his side of the battlefield. The soft tissue Pok¨¦mon clearly not being at ease being watched by so many people.


    ¡°Sorry! We are ready now.¡±


    Our referee Mr. Overseer was kind enough to wait for my peptalk to finish. He motioned for us to start the battle.


    ¡°Okay let¡¯s start off with bubble!¡±


    ¡°Gust!¡±


    ¡°Goo¡­!?¡±


    The gust blew away our bubble attack and at the same time brought Goomy off balance. She didn¡¯t get blown away though Goomy was sticky enough to hold her ground. Right away I knew we faced the same problem as that meanie Nicolas and his Gible. Noibat was too agile for us, the only thing I could think of that could maybe help us pull this off was a certain move. My brother told me not to try in a real match.


    ¡°Hold on and bide your time, Goomy!¡±


    Our opponents noticed that we were not planning on doing anything. So, they kept up with their long-distance attacks.


    ¡°Keep using gust blow them all the way out of the battlefield!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate Goomy¡¯s stickiness! Let¡¯s show them your determination, Goomy!¡±


    Goomy kept on holding his ground until he eventually started giving off a red light. Goomy looked back at me flailing his right antennae to let me know he was done charging.


    ¡°Gooooom!¡±


    ¡°Blast away Goomy!¡±


    Goomy opened her mouth and unleashed a beam of pure white light. With impressive speed the beam found its target and before the little Noibat could react he was shot out of the sky and crash landed on the battlefield.


    ¡°The battle is over, Goomy and Zinnia win!¡±


    ¡°Noi¡­¡±


    Dray ran up to Noibat to check up on the cute little bat Pok¨¦mon before picking him up and walking away to have him get checked by one of the village¡¯s medicine ladies.


    ¡°Yay we won! I knew you could do it, Goomy!¡±


    ¡°Goom!¡±


    ¡°You were lucky that Dray didn¡¯t know how to recognize the moment a Pok¨¦mon uses bide. Else you would¡¯ve lost that match.¡±


    Nicolas the meanie stepped out of the crowd acting the sore loser. Still I knew that there was some truth to his words.


    ¡°Nu-Uh! Even if bide hadn¡¯t worked we still would¡¯ve won. Goomy and I are the perfect team!¡±


    Instead of accepting our position as the most promising up and coming battler in this village. Nicolas decided to be his usual self.


    ¡°Enjoy your moment in the sun once Gible and I get some training in we¡¯ll wipe the floor with you!¡±


    ¡°Bring it on! We are faster, smarter, and stronger than you!¡±


    Now that our moment of victory had passed and Nicolas backed off to go back home. Big sis Aster and granny walked up to us together with Bagon who was waddling behind them.


    ¡°Good job little sister! We also have some good news to share. The council has agreed to let Bagon stay with you on one condition. If or when his mother comes back, she must give the two of you her blessing. When that Salamence does so Bagon can officially become your third Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great news big sis!¡±


    ¡°Gon!¡±


    This time granny had something to say to the three of us.


    ¡°We have also brought you these... They are brand new, bought from a pok¨¦ mart in Rustburo city.¡±


    Granny presented me with two empty pok¨¦ balls to keep my new friends in.


    ¡°Thanks a bunch granny!¡±


    Granny didn¡¯t seem as excited for me as Aster was. Giving me a curt nod before walking off again.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with grannny?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her, she was born at a time where pok¨¦ balls were just invented. Her generation thinks it''s unnatural to keep their bonded partners inside fancy round little balls.¡±


    ¡°Brother always says that you should spend as much time with your Pok¨¦mon outside of their balls, but that they are a requirement for traveling trainers that need to visit the big cities.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true also some Pok¨¦mon prefer the comfort of a ball to regular bedding when it¡¯s nighttime. Anyway, me and the council members have a lot to do so why don¡¯t you go and check out some of the stalls. They have a wide selection of cool stuff to buy that you can¡¯t find anywhere else in Hoenn. Just make sure to ask your mother for some pocket money.¡±


    After giving my big sister a hug, I hurriedly left in search of my parents. They must have been watching me kick butt in the arena. Daddy especially must be very proud of my achievement, always telling me not to embarrass him. Surely his face must be glowing with pride from having his daughter win her first battle ever. After searching for him in the crowd together with Bagon and Goomy we eventually found him. Daddy and mommy seemed to be busy talking to some other grown ups.


    ¡°Daddy! Mommy! I want you to meet my two new friends!¡±


    Daddy was the first to respond.


    ¡°Not now, Zinnia. Daddy is busy. Go play at the river some more.¡±


    ¡°Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Daddy is busy right now. How about you go visit the stalls together with your Pok¨¦mon? Every year the village¡¯s merchants bring some interesting things with them. Hurry along now daddy is busy with an important meeting.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Something about the situation set Bagon off. Flames were leaking out of his mouth, and it seemed daddy was the target of his anger. Before he had the chance to fire off a pot shot full of embers. I braced his head with my body putting a halt to his outburst.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have you, Goomy and Horsea as my friends not to mention a big sister that looks after me.¡±


    ¡°Goom¡­¡±


    ¡°Gon¡­¡±


    Goomy joined in on the hug, his fear of Bagon not being enough to dissuade him from wanting to cheer me up.


    ¡°I have the bestest friends. We¡¯ll show daddy that he missed out today by becoming the greatest battlers in the whole village!¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll get us the most expensive thingy on the market, make daddy pay for it and act out like that pair of eevee sisters on that tv show Egon won¡¯t let me watch.¡¯


    <hr>


    POV ¨C Change Egon


    ¡®Why do I suddenly feel like hitting someone?¡¯


    ¡°Everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just that all of a sudden I feel this bout of aggressive energy¡­¡±


    ¡°Egoooon! Help me!¡±


    ¡°Just wait a second Flanny! I am working through something here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s got me by the leg! This Barboach is eating me!¡±


    ¡°I am the one leading! If you followed my footsteps as you should have, then this would not be happening! The Barbroach is probably miffed that you stepped on his little sister or something. Just give up your leg as compensation!¡±


    ¡°Never!¡±


    ¡°Ugh... fine I am coming!¡±


    I retraced my steps back until I was faced with a peculiar scene. Flannery¡¯s left leg was being pulled down further and further into a deceptively shallow looking puddle. The Pok¨¦mon who was orchestrating this impromptu leg napping was completely covered by the murky water, but common sense dictates a barboach to be the one responsible. The resulting threshing spat out filthy swamp water all over Flannery¡¯s previously clean clothes.


    ¡®Tini, can you lift up Flannery with telekinesis? Barboach are deceptively strong so if it looks like her body can¡¯t handle being pulled from two directions, we¡¯ll try another method.¡¯


    Victini who was half-asleep taking a powernap inside my backpack was now fully awake. The rabbit Pok¨¦mon floated out of her semi-permanent home and tried to solve Flannery¡¯s problem as I instructed. Flannery floated up in the air together with the entirety of the shallow pool¡¯s content which included the one Barboach a whole lot of water and debris and eerily enough the exoskeleton from what looked to be the remains of a small surskit.


    ¡®Arceus! I hope this catfish Pok¨¦mon wasn¡¯t planning to eat Flannery. I always knew that water types tended to be more predatory since most berries don¡¯t grow underwater but having this realization put on display for Flannery like this must be traumatizing for a girl her age.¡¯


    ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡®Try to cover up the remains as much as possible, I¡¯ll dig out a grave for them later.¡¯


    It was always disheartening to be confronted by the realities of nature. My job was to protect Flannery from such things for as long as possible.


    ¡°Barboach, human legs are not fit for eating. How about you calm down for a bit?¡±


    ¡°Baaaar!¡±


    That response told me all I needed to know. Their species was well known for being extremely territorial. First claiming the pond that they¡¯re born in and once they¡¯ve evolved a large body of freshwater. Scaring away all living beings they judge to be potential threats with massive earthquakes.


    ¡°¡­Psychic¡±


    Victini lifted the struggling Barboach even further before launching him away with a considerable amount of force. We weren¡¯t about to punish a Pok¨¦mon for just following its instincts, but it did chew on my childhood friend for a while. Having barboach be thrown in a lake where it would soon discover it was not the biggest predator was karmic justice in my book.


    ¡°You alright Flanny?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Barboach don¡¯t have teeth, just a series of rough pads to grab a hold of their prey but that didn¡¯t prevent it from tearing up that pant leg. In retrospect I should have taken her predicament a bit more seriously.


    ¡°How about we get you a change of clothes as soon as we get out of this marshland. You can use up all the freshwater we have to clean yourself.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡®A strange mood swing and mucking it through a barboach filled bog. Not all days as a trainer are glamorous.¡¯

 Chapter 48 - Haunting Escape

    Chapter 48 ¨C Haunting Escape


    It had been four days since we entered route 120. After the Barboach incident Flannery insisted on riding her Ponyta for the remainder of the trip. Naturally this meant she had excess energy left over, which she helpfully used to motivate me to walk faster. Ponyta was only big enough to carry one of us and I didn¡¯t have the faintest idea how to ride the fire horse Pok¨¦mon. So even asking for a ride was a waste of energy. Having Oddish traveling with us had been a boon so far, the weed Pok¨¦mon had an excellent sense of direction and she made for great company. I was trying my best not to get too attached since eventually we would have to part ways with the quirky little grass type.


    ¡°Are we there yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet we are still around a full day¡¯s travel removed from reaching route 121¡¯sSafari Zone.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ are you sure we are getting closer?¡±


    ¡°Positive, the Safari Zone is situated on the northern side of Mt. Pyre. Haven¡¯t you noticed that giant mountain on the horizon getting closer with each day? Being able to spot natural markers like that is basic 101 for traveling trainers.¡±


    ¡°Odd!¡±


    ¡°See? Oddish agrees with me.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know what she is saying! And how come Oddish is still traveling with us?¡±


    ¡°Once we get to the Safari Zone, Oddish here will make it much easier for us to find a bunch of wild Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t even make any sense!¡±


    ¡°If you paid attention during trainer school classes you would know that all Oddish learn the move sweet scent. The move subtly lures wild Pok¨¦mon to the user¡¯s location. We just have to camp out in the Safari Zone, locate the area most suitable for fire types to live in and wait.¡±


    ¡°Odd!¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm we are getting kind of close to Mt. Pyre. I could ask my friend to come with us. She should¡¯ve arrived back in Hoenn weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°Egon¡­ You have friends?!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Just because I don¡¯t have any human friends living back in Lavaridge except for you doesn¡¯t mean I never socialize!¡±


    ¡°Prove it!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get enough credit. Maybe I should''ve gone for the academic route¡­¡±


    Grumpy that she didn¡¯t believe me capable of making connections I turned on the Xtransceiver on my wrist and went through my entire contact list showing off all the different trainers and Unovan league staff I managed to befriend during my time abroad.


    ¡°See? I made lots of friends!¡±


    ¡°Liar! Those are trainer career relations. I bet you never take the time to call any of those people just to catch up!¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s got me there¡­ I should at least give Marlon a call and see if he managed to evolve that Feebas of his.¡¯


    ¡°Well anyway see this name here? That¡¯s the person I am going to call right now to prove you wrong.¡±


    I initiated the call hoping that Phoebe wasn¡¯t asleep. Being a ghost type trainer made her as nocturnal as the Pok¨¦mon that she trained for a living. Phoebe usually slept through the entire morning period to catch up on sleep from her midnight training sessions so I hoped she wouldn¡¯t get angry with me for disturbing her beauty sleep. The call connected and my long time friend¡¯s groggy voice came out from the other end.


    ¡°Whosssiz?¡±


    ¡°Phoebe it¡¯s me Egon.¡±


    ¡°Egoooon you¡­ IDIOT!¡±


    ¡°Wha?!¡±


    ¡°You just now decided to call? I¡¯ve been back in Hoenn for weeks! Why is it always me who has to maintain this friendship?¡±


    ¡°Wait wait! I invited you over to Unova, we delved an ancient ruin together and I visited you at the Celestial tower. I am on my journey too, you know that. I¡¯ve already earned two Hoenn badges and prior to that Mr. Moore my sponsor made me go through a two week long hellish training schedule.¡±


    ¡°Hmpff only two badges? Spit it out, why have you only just now decided to call me?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Moore wants his granddaughter to get some real traveling experience before she starts her journey for real. Catch a few Pok¨¦mon, get some practice in and learn what to look out for when you are going at it alone on the routes. The next stop on our sightseeing list is the Safari Zone and since that place is basically in your backyard, I thought we could all hang out.¡±


    ¡°You want me to climb all the way down the mountain just to lounge around in the Safari Zone?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still a day¡¯s travel away. So, we¡¯d arrive around the time the sun goes down. Besides, when have you ever actually walked down like a regular person? Your grandpa¡¯s Xatu teleports you to wherever you need to go.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ fine I¡¯ll be there tomorrow morning. If that¡¯s all I¡¯d like to hang up now and get some sleep in.¡±


    ¡°Actually, could you assist me with something else? The person I am escorting believes I am incapable of making friends. Can you let Flannery here know the error of that notion?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ making new friends? What are you talking about? The only reason we started hanging out is because your grandpa is friends with mine.¡±


    It was at this moment that Flannery decided to join the conversation. Much to my own chagrin


    ¡°Ha! I knew you didn¡¯t have any friends other than me.¡±


    ¡°Just wait a minute there young missy! He might be a social reject, but we are good friends.¡±


    ¡°Can the both of you stop being so hurtful?! If anything, you girls are the ones not fit for polite discourse. I am hanging up now¡­ I¡¯ll send you a text tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Sorr¡­click*¡±


    ¡®If the two of them meet it¡¯ll be non-stop riffing on me. Maybe I should have declined Mr. Moore¡¯s proposal to take care of Flannery.¡¯


    Oddish encouragingly patted my arm with her head leaves in an attempt to cheer me up.


    ¡°Odd¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you Oddish. Who needs human friends when I can exclusively hang out with Pok¨¦mon like you. Flannery, we ought to get going so we can make it there before the sun completely sets.¡±


    ¡°We would have already gotten there if you bothered to catch a riding Pok¨¦mon for your team.¡±


    ¡°All of my team members have unique and handy skillsets I just didn¡¯t get the chance to capture a riding Pok¨¦mon yet... Not all of us had the luxury to go to a fancy riding prep school and have their grandfather special order a well-bred Ponyta.¡±


    ¡°Numsy is big enough, why don¡¯t you ask him?¡±


    ¡°Numsy¡¯s entire back is a fire hazard, one accidental sneeze and I am cooked. Besides the bones in his body mineralized making for an extremely unpleasant ride.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a coward Egon, a little magma never hurt anyone!¡±


    ¡°Do you hear yourself talking? Whatever, I do concede to the point that having a riding Pok¨¦mon would shorten down my travel time significantly. Disappointingly there are none native to the Hoenn region that are also of the fire type. I still might get lucky finding one at the Safari Zone though.¡±


    ¡®At least traveling with Flannery means I never have the time to get stuck in my own head.¡¯


    <hr>


    Late afternoon*


    We kept up a brisk pace letting most of our team members shuffle in and out so that they wouldn¡¯t have to stay stuck in their pok¨¦ balls all day. Halfway through the day¡¯s travels we came upon a sign notifying us that we officially left route 120 and entered route 121. Underneath that sign the rangers posted a short but concise explanation on what to expect from the route we were about to enter. Seeing as the next route was close to Mt. Pyre, they mostly warned trainers about the wild ghost types inhabiting the area and ways on how to avoid or placate them should you come across dangerous specters.


    Wild shuppet seemed to be the most numerous on this route. They generally left travelers alone unless they exhibited a large amount of negative emotions which shuppet consider a delicacy especially those emotions that are linked to vengefulness. Next on the list are wild duskull these ghosts love consuming the vital energy of children, which is a demographic Flannery and I are a part of unfortunately.


    ¡°Egon this noticeboard says we shouldn¡¯t be on this route when night falls. Are you sure that we can make it to theSafari Zone before the sun sets?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we¡¯ll skip our planned dinner break. I¡¯ve already calculated our required travel time in my head. Try staying positive for this last stretch. We can deal with a handful of ghosts on our own but it¡¯s best to avoid their attention in the first place. Orin come on out!¡±


    Seeing as we are about to traverse ghost country, I called out my spooky friend to assist us. The little candle Pok¨¦mon would most likely be better at sensing oncoming specters than Victini.


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°Hey pal, can you keep an eye out for wild ghost types? There is only one ghost type Pok¨¦mon allowed to drain my vitality and that¡¯s you.¡±


    The cute little guy having been informed of the task at hand was now sporting his serious face. Based on my previous experiences at the celestial tower I knew that ghost types disliked having to share the person responsible for feeding them. So, my Litwick was plenty motivated for the task at hand.


    ¡°Alright let¡¯s go. We should be able to get there by keeping to the path.¡±


    We kept moving forwards, Flannery riding Ponyta and myself carrying Orin on my shoulder. Keeping our eyes out for wild ghost types all the way. About halfway through a shadow came out of the bushes picking Flannery as its target. The girl was acting nervously the whole way, which must have been what attracted this particular ghost type to come out of its hiding spot.


    ¡°Pett!¡±


    Naturally I didn¡¯t give this Shuppet the chance to make a meal out of my friend. Orin was already ready and prepared to ward off any ghosts.


    ¡°Confuse Ray!¡±


    The incoming Shuppet was exposed to a multicolored flash of light. The disorientation took effect immediately making the eager ghost type veer away from my friend and fall into a nearby bush.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here before the confusion wears off. Wait! I just remembered that I still have that cleanse tag in my backpack that wards off ghost type Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°What! Why don¡¯t you stick that tag on you at all times?¡±


    ¡°Obviously the tag also affects Orin. I just keep it sealed so that he can actually focus during our training sessions. I¡¯ll let you use it just wait a second.¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡®Tini, can you scrounge up my cleanse tag? It should be inside a wooden box.¡¯


    ¡°The one wrapped in duct tape?¡±


    ¡®Yeah, that one. You can just tear it open if you have to. I won¡¯t be needing it anymore after this.¡¯


    While all of this was happening, I kept running trying to keep up with Ponyta¡¯s brisk but modest pace. The fire horse Pok¨¦mon started galloping with my maximum speed in mind. I was thankful we were walking on a nature trail and not on city concrete else her clip clopping would have informed all the wild Pok¨¦mon of our whereabouts.


    In preparation for my journey I¡¯ve long since worked on building up my stamina. Having gone through Mr. Moore¡¯s hell training I was somewhat confident I could keep up this brisk jog until we arrived at the Safari Zone¡¯s main entrance. My backpack flipped open and the cleanse tag floated out and affixed itself on top of Flannery¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Victini didn¡¯t know where to put the tag. It should be effective as long as you stick it to a visible spot on your body.¡±


    ¡°Dus skull!¡±


    Once again, another specter revealed itself, this time the more dangerous of the native species a Duskull. It completely disregarded the cleanse tag wearing Flannery and tried it¡¯s best to lock its singular red glowing eye with mine. I started feeling sleepy when all of a sudden my rabbit partner gave me a mental prod to keep me awake.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall asleep!¡±


    ¡°Orin, use Nightshade!¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    Victini managed to keep me awake and I quickly took the opportunity to fend off this hostile actor. Orin¡¯s eyes lit up and fired off twin beams of dark crimson impacting the wild Duskull¡¯s body and flinging it backwards. I wasn¡¯t planning to drag this altercation into a full scale battle; the Nightshade was intended to convey that we were willing and able to defend ourselves. We quickly took this opportunity to dash past the confused ghost types not sparing the Duskull another glance.


    ¡°Egon the building over there! Could that be it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but let¡¯s not wait to find out!¡±


    We rudely dashed through the front entrance relieved that the double glass panel doors weren¡¯t locked. This seemed to be some sort of transit building judging by the interior design. With a large lounging area snack machines and a green carpet trailing towards the back. We weren¡¯t alone however seeing as there was a figure in one the corners which we quickly assessed not to be another wild Pok¨¦mon.


    The man who was sitting in the corner on a lazy chair and was wearing a stereotypical cowboy outfit introduced himself. He seemed to be oddly relaxed for someone tasked with running a Pok¨¦mon sanctuary.


    ¡°Welcome to the Safari Zone. The name¡¯s old man Jack, I am the warden of this here nature reserve.¡±


    The man seemed disinclined to get out of his rocking chair, so I took this opportunity to introduce myself and my companions.


    ¡°Good evening, sir. My name is Egon from Lavaridge town, and this is Flannery also from the same town and these are our companions Litwick, Oddish and Ponyta.¡±


    ¡°Why are a bunch of young¡¯uns like you lot out on the routes this late? You should know it¡¯s dangerous out there when the sun starts to fall.¡±


    ¡°Because Egon here thought we could make it from the end of the previous route to here before drawing the attention from the local ghost types!¡±


    ¡°Things worked themselves out in the end, did they not? We¡¯re inside the safari entrance building, probably safe from further ghost attacks. Besides you weren¡¯t the one who got beleaguered by that Duskull! It almost had me under hypnosis.¡±


    ¡°Well, that would make for an interesting tale. You kids want to stay over for the night?¡±


    We both eagerly agreed to accept the man¡¯s generous offer.


    ¡°Yes please!¡±


    <hr>


    Old man Jack was a gracious host filled with much wisdom and experience. He told us his life¡¯s story while I was busy prepping our meals. When the old warden neared retirement age, he wanted to keep performing his duties as a ranger. However, the league association forced him into retirement due to safety concerns. Not willing to stop working with Pok¨¦mon he came to a compromise with the league and started working here at the Safari Zone. His job entailed feeding all of the Pok¨¦mon that lived in the safari everyday, looking out for poachers and trespassers and also giving trainers like us the byplay of how to conduct themselves inside the reserve.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you two inside first thing tomorrow. So, what kind of Pok¨¦mon are you two looking to capture?¡±


    Flannery answered for us.


    ¡°Fire types! You got any of them living inside the preserve?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm yes but those particular fire types are a bit too much to handle for your average trainers.¡±


    ¡°Old man Jack, I¡¯ll have you know that we are both experts when it comes to dealing with fire types. Me a bit more than Egon though.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°My grandpa is a big shot trainer and he taught me how to handle all kinds of fire types.¡±


    ¡°Young lady you might not have realized this but most of the Pok¨¦mon we keep here are ones that have been abandoned by their former trainers. Having been caught and subsequently released by irresponsible trainers you can expect these ones to be untrusting of humans. That¡¯s why this Hoenn Safari Zone enforces a strict no forceful capturing policy.¡±


    ¡°What?! How are we supposed to capture a Pok¨¦mon without weakening them first?¡±


    ¡°The Safari Zone provides visiting trainers with treats, and we also require you to leave your Pok¨¦mon and pok¨¦ balls behind in this here facility. You get them back after returning from your tour through the zone.¡±


    ¡°No pok¨¦ balls?¡±


    ¡°We provide trainers with our specially made safari balls. Unlike regular balls these ones only work when the capture is completely consensual.¡±


    Old man Jack went back behind one of the counters and retrieved a box filled with green rimmed pok¨¦ balls. Showing them to us before putting them away and walking back to sit back in his rocking chair.


    ¡°Green?! That¡¯s the worst color, don''t you have any red ones?¡±


    ¡°Young lady you can always paint them red afterwards but if you are going inside theSafari Zone tomorrow it will only be with green ones. It¡¯s a rule we set up after some scoundrels tried to smuggle in regular ones. This way the safari personnel can easily spot what kind of balls you are using from a distance.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­ hey old man Jack can you please tell us which fire types live inside safari grounds?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t, you¡¯ll have to find out on your own. We have strict rules to keep the identities of the Pok¨¦mon we take in a secret.¡±


    Flannery seemed to be mollified enough not willing to question the retired ranger any further. Seeing as I was almost done with preparing our meals I gave her the signal to help me with plating up.


    ¡°Hey old man Jack, do you mind the two of us releasing our teams inside your home?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, this here facility was built to accommodate all sorts of Pok¨¦mon. It can even house larger sized ones like Onix and Aggron with ease.¡±


    Me and Flannery simultaneously released our teams in front of the old man. Flannery¡¯s team didn¡¯t surprise him as much but when mine materialized he took an interest. Giving the non-native Pok¨¦mon like Halo, Glove and Orin a once over.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be... Young man you must have visited Unova for a spell and somehow gotten around their iron clad no catching policy against foreign trainers. How did you manage that?¡±


    ¡°My dad¡¯s Unovan so I applied for dual citizenship. The paperwork and testing were a hassle, but it allowed me to bring along my new friends.¡±


    ¡°A Darmanitan, Litwick and I don¡¯t know what kind of Pok¨¦mon this little missy is, but I can hazard a guess.¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    Ignoring Halo¡¯s fake outrage from being called missy by a stranger I eagerly questioned old man Jack about his experiences with foreign Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Not many Hoenn trainers are able to recognize my team members. You must be very well traveled sir.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but not to Unova. I did however get the chance to visit the Galar region to train up some of their ranger trainees during an exchange program. The Darmanitan over there didn¡¯t look anything close to this one.¡±


    ¡°Oh right! The Darmanitan living in Galar are ice types. In fact, they are the only ice types that can learn fire type moves. They must have retained species¡¯ specific traits from their Unovan cousins.¡±


    To stop me from going off on a tangent, Flannery, who had just finished filling up all the food bowls, loudly announced that it was time to eat.


    ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready! Stop nerding out and come eat Egon.¡±


    The rest of my pok¨¦mon except for Litwick eagerly sprang up and gathered around the lined-up bowls of food. Eager to fill their bellies with food pellets and sliced berries. Just like that we all started enjoying my well-prepared meals bathed in the candlelight our fire types naturally produced. That is until old man Jack asked a singular question.


    ¡°You kids, which Pok¨¦mon is that last bowl meant for?¡±


    Flannery, not paying enough attention, filled up Victini¡¯s bowl as well. Drawing an odd look from our wizened host. Flannery scrambled to come up with a good excuse.


    ¡°That ehm¡­! I forgot Litwick don¡¯t eat regular food.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine I believe we can trust old man Jack. Besides, she is also getting tired of staying in my backpack all the time. You can come out now, Victini.¡±


    The first thing the rest of us saw was a pair of rabbit ears sticking out of my trusty backpack which was followed by the rest of her body. Victini, now finally getting the chance to enjoy her meal levitated to her food bowl and started munching on one of the sliced berries keeping a close eye on the old man who seemed intrigued by the victory Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°That¡¯s a funny looking Pok¨¦mon kid. I take it Victini are an uncommon find even in Unova?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ she¡¯s been hiding out in my backpack whenever we visit places with people in them. One of our immediate goals is to prove our strength in this circuit so thieves are less inclined to target her when Victini¡¯s existence becomes public knowledge.¡±


    ¡°I understand one of my colleagues has had a similar problem.¡±


    ¡°One of your colleagues?¡±


    ¡°Kaiser the warden running the Kanto Safari Zone. Decades ago, it became known that a dratini had made its home there. Trainers all over the region visited that place to get a chance to catch that elusive Pok¨¦mon. Unlike the Hoenn Safari Zone, Kanto''s was made with the intent to preserve some of the rarer native species. So naturally the massive increase of visiting trainers became a problem for them. Not one of those trainers managed to catch a dratini so things went back to normal after a while but still¡­ I understand wanting to keep your little friend here a secret for as long as possible. You kids won¡¯t have to worry I¡¯ll keep this encounter to myself¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Thanks a bunch mister!¡±


    Victini expressed her gratitude by projecting her thoughts outward in a way that everyone in the room could understand.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, little gal. Rangers like me have a duty to protect endangered species of Pok¨¦mon like yourself.¡±


    Mythical Pok¨¦mon like Victini were one of a kind and not endangered like the old man was assuming but I wasn¡¯t in a rush to more accurately explain our circumstances.


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed you two carrying around an Oddish. Did you meet this little one on the route outside the Safari Zone?¡±


    ¡°Yes route 120 I mistook Oddish for an herb and tried to pick her. She¡¯s been showing us around since then.¡±


    ¡°Odd!¡±


    ¡°Hmm Oddish aren¡¯t native to the Hoenn region and seeing as the two of you are both fire type specialists, I reckon this one is still uncaught. If you want, I could take her in. We have a great number of her species living inside the Safari Zone.¡±


    I exchanged looks with Oddish. Her body language suggested that she wasn¡¯t against the notion of leaving behind living inside the routes for a safer environment like this nature reserve.


    ¡°Odd!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? You could crash at my grandparents¡¯ home.¡±


    ¡°Dish!¡±


    ¡°Okay then, we are going to miss you once we leave this place.¡±


    Oddish gave me some more leaf pats as if I was the one who needed comforting. The grass type was the first Pok¨¦mon who had me almost breaking my self-spun limitation of only using fire types. I knew for a fact that grass types could work really well with fire types in a competitive environment especially once I got Rena¡¯s drought working properly.


    ¡°You young ones are about my grandkids¡¯ age so be sure to go to sleep early. I¡¯ll wake you up during opening time so you guys can have the whole day tomorrow looking for fire types. Oddish are active at night and sleep during the day so I could help her settle into the native colony tonight if she is feeling up to it.


    ¡°Odd!¡±


    ¡°Stay here huh? That¡¯s fine by me. You can accompany these two to the safari in the morning.¡±


    Jack put down a tarp for any Pok¨¦mon who preferred sleeping outside their pok¨¦ balls and left us to go back to his personal quarters. The rest of us huddled up to discuss our plans for tomorrow.


    ¡°You guys can¡¯t come with us into the reserve, so you¡¯ll have to stay here tomorrow. I am thinking this facility probably has some sort of recreation room for Pok¨¦mon that have to wait for their trainers. And also¡­ a training area to practice moves in. Numsy try to work on your bulldoze you are now strong enough to learn earthquake the natural progression of that move, Rena and Glove you two need to work on familiarizing yourself with psychic type moves Tini can help you further along and Orin can you start helping Halo with ember practice?¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, when we make it to Mt. Pyre, you¡¯ll have lots of experienced ghost types to give you personal training. Now let¡¯s rest up, we''ve got a busy day tomorrow.¡±


    <hr>


    The following morning*


    We were sleeping peacefully inside our sleeping bags when we got rudely woken up by a cacophony of screeching sound probably made by a large grouping of bird Pok¨¦mon in the nearby area.


    ¡°First time being woken up by a dodrio?¡±


    Old man Jack was watching over us sipping a mug of coffee. I guess it was true what they say about old people waking up much earlier than the rest of us. I was mildly distracted by his figure nonchalantly drinking his morning beverage before realizing the issue at hand.


    ¡°Wait¡­ that was a Dodrio!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we have three herds of them living inside the safari. The alpha males like to announce the coming of the morning every day at the first glimpse of sunlight.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bother for the rest of the Pok¨¦mon living inside the reserve?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, at first but they got used to it. Now the lot of them can just sleep on through.¡±


    I knew that I would not be able to go back to sleep, so I packed up my sleeping bag and started preparing early morning breakfast. Most of my team was already up and ready to tackle the day but it seemed that Flannery was used to sleeping through.


    ¡°Old man Jack, a friend of ours is coming to visit. She lives nearby so I thought it would be a good idea to include her in the activities.¡±


    ¡°You know someone living on this ghost type infested route?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you might have heard of her. Her grandparents run the cemeteries on top of Mt. Pyre.¡±


    ¡°Haha! You are talking about little Phoebe. Yes, I know her. She used to come around often playing pranks on the Pok¨¦mon inside the safari. She and her posse of ghosts got so bad we had to temporarily ban them from entering.¡±


    ¡°Really!? But she¡¯s not banned anymore, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm I don¡¯t know. She is actually the main reason why we don¡¯t allow trainers to bring in their companions inside the safari anymore. Those ghosts of hers lost all control of themselves for a hot minute and started badgering our rhyhorns and ursaring. Let me tell you, that little girl is packing a whole lot of guts to be confident enough to offend those temperamental Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Egon! Where are you!!!?¡±


    Gulp!*

 Chapter 49 - Exploring the Safari

    Chapter 49 ¨C Exploring the Safari


    Before I had the chance to properly mentally prepare myself the 14 year old girl burst through the main entrance ready to cause all kinds of mischief. She seemed energetic enough, probably having gone to bed early to conserve energy for this morning¡¯s meetup. She took one look at the lounging area before darting over to be her usual rambunctious self.


    ¡°Egon.¡±


    ¡°Hi there¡­ Phoebe how¡¯s it been?¡±


    ¡°As if you care. In any case I¡¯ve been in a non-stop training frenzy ever since Shauntal showed me a few of her tricks. Just a little bit more polishing on what we already have, and I¡¯ll make my bid for a position on the elite four.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! You are finally getting closer to landing your dream job. So, who among the four are you thinking about challenging? I know it¡¯s not Sidney that¡¯d be crazy even for you.¡±


    ¡°Hey! My ghosts can wipe the floor with his dark types any day of the week! But no, I am thinking about challenging one of the older ones and Elite Moore¡¯s position seems ripe for the taking. It is about time that old man retired.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa?!! As if he¡¯d let some upstart floozy like you take away his position!¡±


    The mentioning of her grandfather seems to have woken up my traveling sidekick. She awkwardly tried getting out of her sleeping bag in one go but failed then not minding the fact she looked ridiculous hopping on over to join in on the conversation.


    ¡°Egon, is this the spoiled heiress you have to look after?¡±


    ¡°Spoiled!? At least I am better than a menace who goes around ruining everybody¡¯s good day!¡±


    ¡°Now now, let¡¯s all calm down before something gets said that cannot be taken back.¡±


    The two of them were eying each other up like two meowth vying for contested territory. Any sensible guy would make for the hills until the situation calmed down. Sadly enough, I didn¡¯t realize that until it was too late. Luckily, I had someone in my corner who was an expert at drawing a lady¡¯s attention away.


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Phoebe!¡±


    Victini flew in between the two girls who seemed to be about ready to start brawling. Using her natural fluffiness she successfully managed to derail their ongoing dispute.


    ¡°Aww, hello to you too Victini! Let this big sister get a good look at you.¡±


    Phoebe took the rabbit Pok¨¦mon and started fuzzing over her.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it? I hope Egon has been treating you right. If not, I¡¯ll set him straight.¡±


    ¡®Can you distract Phoebe while I¡¯ll go through today¡¯s planned activities with Flannery? She hasn¡¯t met Halo, yet I bet you could get a good hour¡¯s worth of distraction just by introducing her.¡¯


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Sunny¡¯s egg hatched. Do you want to go see?¡±


    ¡°Of course I want to meet your newest friend. Let¡¯s go right away!¡±


    Victini led Phoebe back into the lounging room where most of our Pok¨¦mon were shaking off the last dredges of drowsiness while I turned back to face my childhood friend.


    ¡°She knows¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but Phoebe won¡¯t tell. She might be a menace to society, but she won¡¯t actually deliberately harm anyone. After we are done here her old folks¡¯ home is next on our visiting list. Mt. Pyre is the place where I originally caught Rena. The gym doesn¡¯t have any vulpix so I thought it¡¯d be a good opportunity for you to catch a new partner Pok¨¦mon. So please try to avoid starting a fight with her.¡±


    ¡°Hmpff! As long as she keeps her comments about my grandpa to herself.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll eat a light breakfast and then we¡¯ll set off. Since Oddish isn¡¯t a caught Pok¨¦mon I am pretty sure she¡¯ll be allowed to come with us into the safari.¡±


    The both of us went back to the lounge room and witnessed a peculiar scene. Phoebe was attempting to get onto Halo¡¯s nice list by telling her the story of our underground adventure together.


    ¡°Egon had this crazy notion that there was a camouflaged passageway down into the ruins, and he was right! My guess is that he just didn¡¯t want those expedition bozos to get all the credit for discovering your mother¡¯s nesting room.¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ First of all, that¡¯s not the reason why and I haven¡¯t shared any details of our little adventure together with anyone afterwards aside from my grandparents. Sunny and the Claydol would most likely prefer not to be poked and prodded by eager scientists looking to make a name for themselves.¡±


    ¡°I was just telling this little princess all about the buried castle she stands to inherit. Isn¡¯t that right cutie?¡±


    ¡°Ves!¡±


    It seems like Phoebe¡¯s way of making friends with Halo was more effective than Flannery¡¯s method. Since the bug type didn¡¯t seem to mind the shower of attentions and head pats, she was receiving. Flannery watched on, clearly jealous of Phoebe¡¯s success at mollifying Halo¡¯s queenly temperament in contrast to her own failed attempts at making nice with Halo. Not wanting things to escalate further I quickly got out the bowls and cooking supplies to start making breakfast. Listening in on the conversations while pretending not to be a busy body.


    ¡®Good Phoebe seems busy with her regaling. Now to distract the other hellion in the room.¡¯


    ¡°I am on it!¡±


    Victini flew across the room bumping head first into Flannery. After which she gave the girl her trademark wink and victory sign pose.


    ¡°You are so adorable Tini!¡±


    Being mildly miffed that Flannery stole my nickname for Victini, but glad that she successfully took Flannery¡¯s attentions onto herself, I continued preparing breakfast. After about an half hour had passed I finally finished up doing so and served each member of my team and that of Flannery¡¯s the usual serving of sliced berries and pellets. Old man Jack had at some point returned to his rocking chair seemingly content at just watching the girls interact with the Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Old man Jack, as soon as we finish these bowls we¡¯ll be ready to head into the safari. But I have to ask, shouldn''t you be at the counter assisting visitors?¡±


    ¡°The safari isn¡¯t as popular as it used to be. The only ones who come to visit us are trainers looking to capture themselves a specific type of Pok¨¦mon. About a quarter of all trainers are specialists and seeing as we are located inside the distant route 121 far away from any towns or cities¡­ We only get around two visitors a week at best.¡±


    Phoebe nodded as if she had expected this kind of revelation, but Flannery had a much different reaction.


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible! I¡¯ll ask all of my friends to come visit even if they don¡¯t intend to catch a new partner.¡±


    ¡°It is what it is. We get our funding mostly from the league association and concerned trainers who donate whenever they can. Since the safari zone is classified as a charity organization we don¡¯t have to pay any taxes on our income. So, we aren¡¯t in any financial troubles at least. It¡¯s just that this place used to be very lively¡­¡±


    Right there and then I started brainstorming ideas to help the old man out. If all of it came down to trainer visitation rates, then the question to be asked was: what would attract more trainers to come visit the safari zone? There was just one simple answer: rare and powerful Pok¨¦mon. With that in mind, I asked a series of hypothetical questions.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just ask the Stone family to relocate some of their beldum to the safari? That would increase visitation rates for sure.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve met Joseph Stone. He won¡¯t ever grant the right to capture a beldum to someone who is not affiliated with his company. Besides that, it would do more harm than good just like that story I told you from before about the Kanto safari zone.¡±


    ¡°The Pok¨¦mon living in this safari still have to agree to be captured right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but there are various nefarious ways to manufacture consent. If the safari gets swarmed with eager trainers, I can¡¯t vet everyone who comes in and out of the reserve.¡±


    ¡°Hmm another angle... How about¡­?!¡±


    Before I could come up with another scheme the warden interrupted me by promptly standing up from his rocking chair.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it youngsters, this is a problem for old folk like me to resolve. Just recommending the safari zone to your friends and family already helps out a lot. Now let¡¯s get you set up with all the things you need for a fruitful safari zone tour.¡±


    Old man Jack went inside the backroom before returning with boxes filled with green safari balls and Pok¨¦mon treats before depositing the lot of them on the coffee table inside the lounging room.


    ¡°These here items are what trainers are allowed to bring with them inside the safari. You have your standard safari balls and treats best used to let the wild Pok¨¦mon warm up to you. Each trainer can at most bring thirty balls with them on each run.¡±


    Flannery and I eagerly started taking out the treats and safari balls from their respective boxes. To not be bogged down by the added weight I passed on taking more than ten safari balls. I figured that if I couldn¡¯t convince a Pok¨¦mon to come with me within ten tries that I might as well give up on catching them. Contrary to my rational decision Flannery took as many safari balls from the box as she was allowed.


    ¡°Flanny, we need to venture across various types of terrain. Thirty balls put together is still quite hefty.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I won¡¯t catch anything if I bring all thirty balls with us, Egon. What if there are lots of different fire types that want to come with us?¡±


    I highly doubted that the safari zone was flooding with fire types for us to catch but I kept quiet, not willing to debate on the issue. After packing enough treats to feed dozens of Pok¨¦mon we followed old man jack to the counter to pay for entry.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be 1500 pok¨¦ dollars in total.¡±


    I gingerly moved to pay the man, but before I could get Mr. Moore¡¯s card out of my pocket, Phoebe being quicker on the draw paid for all three of us. She insisted on paying our way since we would be staying as guests at her place afterwards. Flannery, seeing that Phoebe wasn¡¯t all bad, mellowed out a bit.


    ¡°Old man Jack, would it be ok to bring Oddish with us? She¡¯s going to be living at the safari and since technically Oddish isn¡¯t a caught Pok¨¦mon¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be fine. However, do note that while she is traveling with the three of you, she won¡¯t be allowed to engage in battle with the other Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    With that said the three of us said goodbye to the Pok¨¦mon and made our way out to the safari proper but before we had the chance to step a single foot over crossing line old man Jack stopped Phoebe in her tracks.


    ¡°Missy, your Pok¨¦mon has to stay here.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about old man? I handed over all of my pok¨¦ balls.¡±


    ¡°Save it for the rubes lassie. Here at the safari zone we have come to learn about all of your tricks. Let me inspect that shadow of yours or do you want me to bring out the Noctowl again?¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Phoebe acted outraged until she couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and started snickering.


    ¡°Can¡¯t blame a girl for trying right? Banette sweetie, the mean old man caught on to us. Just go ahead and play with Egon¡¯s darling Litwick over there.¡±


    Phoebe¡¯s shadow started molding into the shape of her most devious Pok¨¦mon. The marionette Pok¨¦mon zipped open her mouth for a quick cackle before heading on over to the rec room to join the rest of our Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Still can¡¯t get one over you old man.¡±


    ¡°The same methods won¡¯t work twice in a row sweetheart. We¡¯ve updated our security measures since your last visit.¡±


    Mildly concerned about Phoebe¡¯s penchant for mischief even in the face of a league backed facility I decided to quickly move out of the building before becoming an accessory to her crimes. Flannery must have been thinking the same thing because she followed me out of there in quick succession.


    ¡°Woooow!¡±


    Our first view of the safari zone was a stunning one. Long patches of grass were being kept short by the many grazers who lived in this part of the safari. Giving us an unobstructed view of the various species of Pok¨¦mon who¡¯s combined efforts kept the grasses from growing out of control. Having gone over the reserve¡¯s map I knew this must be Area 1 where most of the completely harmless Pok¨¦mon were being kept. Phoebe didn¡¯t seem all that excited, probably having come here on a regular basis during her childhood.


    A large herd of doduo led by a dodrio and a smattering of girafarig populated this zone and if my eyes were not mistaken the blue blob sticking out from behind a tree should be a wobuffet. The urge to interact with these Pok¨¦mon was overwhelming but I managed to hold off from going over there and acting like a crazed loon. Flannery asked a reasonable question while pointing at one of the girafarig.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    Phoebe was the first one to take this opportunity to answer her.


    ¡°Girafarig is a psychic type. They are gentle in nature but anyone who approaches them from behind without warning is bound to get bitten by the second head attached to their tails.¡±


    I was about to approach one of them to start making a new friend before remembering Victini¡¯s reaction the last time I got cozy with another psychic type. I was pretty sure that even at this distance our psychic link was not completely severed. So even though I really wanted to, it would probably be best to move on. Although I couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of disappointment at the lost opportunity.


    ¡°Good boy.¡±


    ¡®¡­!¡¯


    Just like that we passed on mingling with the herd Pok¨¦mon and made our way east. According to the map, area six is where the supposed fire type Pok¨¦mon reside. At the northeastern edge of the reserve where a steep mountain separated the safari zone from the rest of the route. It made sense really, fire types tended to prefer rockier areas with less greenery. Other Pok¨¦mon tended to not appreciate their forests burning down even if it was done by accident.


    ¡°Odd!¡±


    Oddish got pumped up all of a sudden and ran off into the tall grass. Worried that we might lose her I ran after the little grass type with Flannery and Phoebe following right behind me. Oddish seemed content with just following us around the safari so suddenly changing course just like that meant that she must have sensed something important enough to warrant her going off the visitor¡¯s path like that. We eventually stumbled across a clearing with multiple holes filled with Oddish leaves sticking out of the ground being tended to by a singular gloom.


    ¡°Odd!¡±


    ¡°Gloom?!¡±


    ¡®Oddish must have picked up on the distinct floral scent of her peers. Although to a human¡¯s nose these Pok¨¦mon smell particularly foul¡¯


    Me and my companions had to do our utmost not to start gagging from Gloom¡¯s stench. This Pok¨¦mon odor was well known for causing selective amnesia to those who stayed in its presence for longer periods of time.


    The Gloom walked up to Oddish and gave the smaller Pok¨¦mon a once over smushing Oddish¡¯s face with her forelimbs. The evolved Pok¨¦mon then decided that it was a good idea to dig out a hole for Oddish motioning for the little weed Pok¨¦mon to get inside the hole just like the rest of her fellows.


    ¡°Odd?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine If you want to take this opportunity to hang out with the other Oddish. If you want, we can come visit you on our way out before we have to leave this place.¡±


    ¡°Odd¡­¡±


    I started petting her leafy head. Somehow, I knew that this would be the last time that I¡¯d get to assuage her worries.


    I switched from addressing Oddish to Gloom.


    ¡°Now you take care of this little Oddish okay? She¡¯s very special, a top percentage Oddish for sure.¡±


    ¡°Gloom!¡±


    Hearing me describe one individual of her own species in a positive light allowed the Gloom to subconsciously ease up on us somewhat. The stink lessened to a degree where me and Flannery could start talking without making gagging sounds.


    ¡°Egon, are we going to stay around for much longer? Although I don¡¯t mind Gloom¡¯s wonderful aroma, we should really hurry up and complete our objective.¡±


    Being without her Pok¨¦mon forced Flannery to stay polite to Gloom. Without protection there was a good chance to get doused in stun spore for saying the wrong thing and offending Gloom by mistake. My lessons seem to have worked. Usually the hothead would openly declare the first thing that came to her mind. Phoebe being the more experienced trainer didn¡¯t need any of my lessons on propriety. Naturally spending most of her time around corpses Phoebe¡¯s sense of smell was abnormal to begin with so she didn¡¯t mind staying around for longer either way.


    Me and Oddish exchanged on last look before the grass type hopped inside the hole Gloom dug out for it. Hiding inside holes while the sun was up is a common practice that all Oddish adhered to. The sun¡¯s light being too intense for them, especially the younger ones. They did most of their growing under the moon¡¯s light.


    Now that my reason for being here was safely sleeping underground with the rest of her kind I waved the Gloom standing guard goodbye and headed back to the path leading to area five. I was still rather conflicted letting Oddish go like that but same species Pok¨¦mon tended to look out for each other so I couldn¡¯t have asked for better custodians. Phoebe gingerly patted me on the back curious about the nature of our relationship.


    ¡°Looks like that Oddish and you were pretty close. You want to talk about it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only known Oddish for a couple of days and I wasn¡¯t all that serious about keeping her. We both knew that it would come to this. I just figured I would still have the rest of the day to say goodbye.¡±


    ¡°There there¡­ At least you know where she is.¡±


    ¡°I guess so, let¡¯s head out catching a new team member should help cheer me up.¡±


    <hr>


    20 minutes later inside area 5*


    ¡°Egon¡­ what do you think you are doing?¡±


    ¡°Just wait a minute, let me rest like this.¡±


    ¡°Baaaaa?!¡±


    After the three of us made it to area five I was struck by the sight of these four-legged fluff balls. Their warm fluff looked so inviting that without wasting any more time I gave the closest one a full body hug not even spending a single second calculating if it was prudent to do so.


    ¡°I knew it! A mareep¡¯s wool coat is the most inviting; it''s like being enveloped in a warm cloud.¡±


    ¡°Egon, I don¡¯t think this is a good idea¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Mareep are known for their kindness even when facing complete strangers.¡±


    ¡°Baaaa¡­.¡±


    ¡°Ssshh it¡¯s okay Mareep, just let me restock my supply of flufftonium.¡±


    Suddenly I felt a rubbery paw poking me on the back. Knowing that this was not the feel of a human hand I looked up seeing an annoyed Flaaffy looming over me giving me a minacious glare. My shenanigans attracted the attention of the rest of the herd. As well as the herd¡¯s protector an even fluffier looking Flaaffy came forward to see what I was up to.


    ¡°Flaaaafffy!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, I wanted to experience the softness of a mareep¡¯s fleece for myself. Please allow me to recompense you and this adorable fluff monster with some treats.¡±


    ¡°Baaaa!¡±


    ¡°Flaffy!¡±


    The Mareep seemed to be offended by my choice of words but Flaaffy seeing that I was not a threat gave me leave to continue my ministrations. I motioned for the duo of girls to pull out the treats from the bag  that I dropped on the ground when I first spotted these woolie wonders. The treats old man Jack gave us all seemed uniform, and the nutritional values displayed on the wrappers left much to be desired. The retired ranger informed us that we weren¡¯t allowed to bring our own snacks with us since there¡¯d be the chance that Pok¨¦mon could be tempted to come along with visiting trainers for the wrong reasons if they got a taste of better-quality food.


    ¡°There there, you should be proud Mareep. This fluffy coat would make for an amazing headrest. Not to mention all the practical uses it has during a battle.¡±


    ¡°Baaa?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of good moves only Pok¨¦mon with a luxurious fleece like yours can learn. Like for example Cotton guard. Hey, you girls should totally stick your head in here, a minute of this and you¡¯ll be sleeping like a snorlax.¡±


    Flannery was the first to retort.


    ¡°You should stop bothering that cute little Mareep and buy a mareep wool pillows and clothes like a regular person.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone has rich grandparents. Mareep only shed their woolen fleece once a year. Do you know how expensive the genuine product actually is? It costs more than gold by weight.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never been in my room before! How would you know what kind of pillows I sleep on?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious that Mr. Moore dotes on you! Besides the fact that you just casually mentioned buying mareep wool products is a dead giveaway.¡±


    Despite her complaints she did eventually cave in and touch Mareep¡¯s wool coat with her hand. Which inevitably led to her mushing the wool in between her hands and playing with it. Phoebe on the other hand seemed content just watching us from the side. Phoebe, being the most senior of us three, probably didn¡¯t want to lose her dignity in front of us by playing with Mareep¡¯s coat like the two of us. She did however help out our endeavor by giving Flaaffy and Mareep the treats I promised.


    ¡°Baaa!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for allowing us the honor of touching your coat. My little sister would just love to have a Pok¨¦mon like you on her team. I¡¯ll be sure to visit the safari zone in the future together with Zinnia. Perhaps she¡¯ll be the one that manages to convince you to give the life of a trainer owned Pok¨¦mon another go.¡±


    ¡°Egon, I thought you told me that Zinnia wants to become a dragon type specialist?¡±


    ¡°Ahem, well regarding Mareep I¡¯ve read a paper somewhere that Mareep are distantly related to dragon types. They also learn a bunch of dragon type moves.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­? They don¡¯t have any scales or fangs.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s totally true. Mareep give us your fiercest dragon roar!¡±


    ¡°BAAAA!!!¡±


    ¡°See? Totally like a dragon.¡±


    Finally, after a half an hour or so of messing around with the mareep our little group continued on to the last and final area. Which coincidentally also housed the fire types we were looking for. Area six was mountainous terrain, once one crossed past the warning signs and fences one would find oneself off route and outside the rangers¡¯ jurisdiction. Naturally the Pok¨¦mon living here were keenly aware of that fact. The benefits of staying inside the Safari zone had doubtlessly been made clear to them at the time of their arrival. Seeing as the Pok¨¦mon living here were fed regularly and didn¡¯t have to compete with their wild counterparts most of them would opt to stay inside the reserve. Only battle hardened Pok¨¦mon assured of their own strength would seek to leave the comforts of the safari behind.


    ¡°Egon, how are we supposed to find the fire types living here? Without Oddish our original plan is in shambles!¡±


    ¡°We can just ask around. Let¡¯s ask the first Pok¨¦mon we cross paths with. By the way Phoebes, since you¡¯ve been inside the safari multiple times, why don¡¯t you show us the way?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been four years since the last time I¡¯ve come here. The last time I was in this particular area there were only a handful of growlithe living here and those must have already been caught by other trainers.¡±


    Flannery hearing the word growlithe seemed to be enough to stoke the girl¡¯s enthusiasm.


    ¡°Growlithe!? Catching one of them would be amazing. I¡¯ve always wanted one of my own, but grandpa couldn¡¯t get one for me. The Jennies get special privileges inside and outside our region. Grandpa says because it¡¯s league policy to give civil servants priority on all purchases with league certified breeders, but I think those ladies just don¡¯t want to share!


    ¡°Well that makes sense, growlithe are great in all sorts of roles. Transport, search and rescue, detecting contraband, herding and security. They are easy to train and fiercely loyal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I want one! Oh, I hope there¡¯s still some left.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on it growlithe are hugely popular.¡±


    As we were making small talk, we eventually came upon a Hoothoot who was just chilling looking down at us from a high up tree branch. Seeing as the Hoothoot was already aware of our presence I saw no reason to delay and tried communicating with the owl Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Hey there, Can I have a moment of your time Hoothoot?¡±


    ¡°Hoot?¡±


    ¡°You see we¡¯ve heard that there are fire types living inside this area and we wanted to see if we could try and catch one. Would you mind pointing us in the right direction?¡±


    ¡°Hoot Hoot!¡±


    Sadly, none of us was proficient at communicating with flying type Pok¨¦mon. So, I had to completely rely on the bird¡¯s body language to guess what it was trying to convey to us.


    ¡°Can you use your wing to point in their general direction?¡±


    ¡°Hoot?¡±


    It seemed like the Hoothoot was waiting for something that¡¯s when Phoebe figured out the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s intentions.


    ¡°Egon, all the Pok¨¦mon living here know that all the visitors carry treats with them. I think it wants to get paid for the information.¡±


    ¡°Is that true Hoothoot?¡±


    ¡°Hoot!¡±


    The bird confirmed Phoebe¡¯s reasonable conclusion with a series of head nods. Naturally I wasn¡¯t opposed to paying for Hoothoot¡¯s valuable information but I was sort of running low. Our earlier encounter with the mareep herd set me back by quite a bit. At this rate I might not have enough for the fire types living here. Reluctantly I fulfilled Hoothoot¡¯s request, tearing open the snack¡¯s wrapper and offering the exposed treat to the bird Pok¨¦mon. Hoothoot swooped in, grabbed the snack with its talons and landed on Phoebe¡¯s shoulder. Giving the teenage girl an affectionate nibble on the ear.


    ¡°Aww stop it you.¡±


    ¡®Seems like this one prefers girls over boys. We could work this to our advantage.¡¯


    Phoebe didn¡¯t seem to mind as Hoothoot started devouring the treat spreading crumbs everywhere. Hoothoot eventually finished up and I felt him eying me measuring if he could get away with extorting another snack from me in all likelihood. Before he got the chance to pull a fast one on me Flannery jumped and used her patented pout to try and convince Hoothoot over to our cause.


    ¡°Can you please help us find the fire type Pok¨¦mon Hoothoot?¡±


    ¡°Hoot!¡±


    Hoothoot pointed his right wing in the direction of the rocky cliff side near the mountain¡¯s edge. The owl Pok¨¦mon now finally having delivered on his side of the deal didn¡¯t want to leave us and stuck around for the free female attention. I was not looking forward to climbing the steep cliffside, but the mountain most likely had a path carved out for staff and visiting trainers. It was just a matter of finding it. Without saying anything else we departed guided by the occasional hoot from Phoebe¡¯s new feathery friend.

 Chapter 50 – Man’s best Friends

    Chapter 50 ¨C Man¡¯s best Friends


    ¡°Are we there yet Hoothoot?¡±


    ¡°Hoot!¡±


    It¡¯s been a while since Hoothoot had agreed to guide us. The little owlet made us hike up and down the cliffs in search of a particular cave. The owl Pok¨¦mon knew that the local fire types lived in one of these caves but he didn¡¯t know which one. Leading us to have a few close calls with the Pok¨¦mon who were using the caves as their private living spaces. After an encounter with a particularly aggressive momma Ursaring I got fed up.


    ¡°Are you sure that you know where we are going, Hoothoot? By my reckoning there are at least fifty caves here. Going through them all will take hours.¡±


    ¡°Hoot!?¡±


    ¡°Hey stop bullying Hoothoot! He¡¯s just trying his best to remember.¡±


    Somehow the owlet had managed to endear himself to Flannery. Phoebe on the other hand seemed to be immune to Hoothoot¡¯s wiles but seemed amused enough by the situation to let this spiel drag on.


    ¡°I swear if the next cave doesn¡¯t¡­ OW!¡±


    I tripped and stubbed my toe against an inconspicuous rock. In my frustration I kicked against the large rock but to my surprise and everybody else¡¯s there was a Pok¨¦mon hiding underneath.


    ¡°Shuck?¡±


    ¡®Oh my¡­! What are the chances that I meet two of its kind within the same month?¡¯


    The girls also got a good look at the Pok¨¦mon hiding underneath the errant rock. After getting a good look at the hole¡¯s occupant they were surprised but not particularly ecstatic.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just a shuckle. Egon put that rock back and let¡¯s keep looking for those fire types.¡±


    ¡°Just wait a second Flanny. My grandma has always wanted to catch one of these for her shop. The unique bacteria present inside a shuckle¡¯s shell would give her fermented Lava cookies a certain oomph.¡±


    ¡°Fermentation?¡±


    ¡°The process by which bacteria or fungi convert organic compounds into lactic acid or alcohol. However, the bacteria living inside a shuckle¡¯s shell are wholly unique and can convert berries into a juice which produces special effects in Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Only you can make Pok¨¦mon sound boring! Whatever, go ahead and try to convince Shuckle into coming with us if you can.¡±


    ¡°Hey there Shuckle. You have a very pretty shell, you must take very good care of your home.¡±


    ¡°Luckle?¡±


    I knew that most shuckle are extremely timid which made sense from a biological point of view. The species didn¡¯t have any natural weaponry to protect themselves and suffered from a debilitating lack of speed. Once caught their best shot was to just hole up inside their shells until any would be predator gives up or gets bored. The only time they appeared out in the open was to scrounge for berries and once they collected enough, they would go back inside their hidey holes for another month or two. This one''s eyes seemed to follow me from inside the safety of its shell.


    ¡°How would you like the opportunity to come work for my grandma¡¯s store? We offer full benefits, medical insurance, paid time off and an intern who will wax and keep your hard-shell home in pristine condition. We can also give you all kinds of different berries so you can master the ancient art of berry mixology. The only thing that would be required from you is a certain percentage share of your berry juice. The exact specifics of our deal being completely renegotiable at any point.¡±


    ¡°Egon! Shuckle is a Pok¨¦mon there¡¯s no way he¡¯d be interested in paid time off or a slav¡­ oops I mean cleaning intern!¡±


    Contrary to Flannery¡¯s false assumptions my proposal got the mold Pok¨¦mon interested enough to come out of its shell. The bug type gave me a stern look as if pondering to determine my trustworthiness as a person.


    ¡°Uckle¡­?¡±


    ¡°How about I catch you now and afterwards we can call my grandparents back at old man Jack¡¯s place. If you are still not satisfied after talking with my grandmother, we can cancel our deal.¡±


    ¡°Shuck!¡±


    After much ruminating Shuckle assented to be caught in one of my safari balls. Communicating his acceptance with a small nod. Naturally I couldn¡¯t be any happier, especially since this is the first time I was in a position to give my hardworking grandmother a meaningful gift.


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you! You won¡¯t regret this I promise!¡±


    I presented one of my safari balls and Shuckle bumped heads with the capturing device immediately being sucked in with a flash of red light. Twirling around I presented my now filled safari ball to my other traveling companions.


    ¡°I caught a Shuckle!¡±


    My posing naturally got the attention of ladies traveling with me.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know you.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­?¡±


    ¡°Keep your distance, we don''t want the Pok¨¦mon living here to think we are associated with a poser.¡±


    ¡°From Phoebe I¡¯ve come to expect this kind of behavior but Flannery you are the last person I would suspect of not appreciating a good pose. Don¡¯t most gym leaders have their own catch phrase and unique opening stance at the start of every official gym battle? Wattson did the exact same thing when I challenged him. You were there sitting at the bleachers when it happened!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for the cameras to keep the gym relevant!¡±


    Their misconception about the importance of posing couldn¡¯t dampen my mood. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve managed to catch a new Pok¨¦mon. I almost forgot the thrill of convincing an intelligent living being to partner up with me. Shuckle was a great Pok¨¦mon in my opinion not directly powerful but in the hands of a skilled trainer could become a hassle to deal with. Too bad I wouldn¡¯t be training it for battle.


    ¡°What do you girls think? Shuckle are an amazing species of Pok¨¦mon, right?¡±


    ¡°Never mind that! Now I really want to catch a Pok¨¦mon of my own! March! We are not stopping until I¡¯ve caught myself a new partner.¡±


    Under the duress of my red-haired slave driver we went back to exploring caves. Most of those caves were empty, their occupants probably out foraging for food most likely. We eventually did come across suspicious paw print marks going in and out of the latest cave we decided to venture into.


    ¡°The paw prints closely resemble those made by canine Pok¨¦mon. Judging by the sheer amount of prints left behind all over the entrance I am judging there to be at least six Pok¨¦mon living inside but there could be as many as nine occupants. Hoothoot you think this is the place?¡±


    ¡°Hoooot!¡±


    ¡°The last one to catch a Growlithe is rotten exeggcute!¡±


    After getting a positive confirmation from the little owlet Flannery couldn¡¯t help but run inside out of excitement without regard to her personal safety. Phoebe, getting more used to the red-head¡¯s actions sighed in exasperation before addressing me.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to chase after her?¡±


    ¡°Just let her run out of steam. Growlithe are not known to lounge around in caves during the middle of the day like this. If my hunch is correct, then there¡¯s another species¡¯ of Pok¨¦mon that have made this cave their home. Besides¡­ this is the safari zone. Old man jack would not admit Pok¨¦mon dangerous to humans inside the reserve. At most they might rough her up for a bit. Just like that Ursaring from before.¡±


    ¡°Eeeeeeek!¡±


    ¡°You care saying that again!?¡±


    We both sprinted inside trying to catch up with Flannery in time before whatever trouble she found herself in decided to put teenage girl on the menu. Unlike Flannery I was prepared enough to have prepared torches beforehand. I always kept them inside my backpack in case I¡¯d ever come across mysterious caves that needed exploring. This cave wasn¡¯t mysterious but using up my torches now was better than tripping and falling because I couldn¡¯t see anything. Not to mention my team being all fire types this was probably the only chance I¡¯d ever get to use them non frivolously.


    ¡°Here take one of these.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, this would have been so much easier if that stupid old man allowed trainer owned Pok¨¦mon inside. My Sableye or Lampent would make for a great addition to any cave exploration team.¡±


    Now safe from accidentally falling off an extra slippery piece of sediment we moved onward to the direction the initial sound came out of. It didn¡¯t take long before we were greeted with the sight of Flannery who was now surrounded by a group of cranky canine Pok¨¦mon who didn¡¯t like being disturbed while asleep.


    ¡°Grrrrr.¡±


    ¡°I knew it! A pack of houndour would be one of the only fire types still resting inside caves like this one during daytime hours.¡±


    ¡°Egon¡­ help!¡±


    ¡°They might seem intimidating, but these Pok¨¦mon are one of the most social creatures around. Try offering them some of those treats you¡¯ve been lugging around with you. That¡¯ll get you on their good side.¡±


    Slowly without making any sudden movements Flannery pulled out a treat from her pocket, unwrapped it and presented the food to the houndour closest to her as a peace offering. The canine Pok¨¦mon sniffed it before taking the morsel inside its mouth, making some distance between him and Flannery and chowing down. I knew the Pok¨¦mon was male based on the fact that the boney protrusion on its head was a bit larger than that of a female¡¯s. Mr. Moore did have a houndoom on his team, so it seemed weird to me that Flannery got spooked the way she did. The rest of the pack started lazing about while still keeping an eye on us.


    ¡°Flanny, how come you freaked out like that? I am pretty sure I¡¯ve seen you ride on Mr. Moore¡¯s Houndoom as a kid.¡±


    ¡°Houndoom is a sweetie, but grandpa has always warned me that their species'' fire moves leave a wicked burn that lasts for months even with the right treatment.¡±


    Our mentioning of a Houndoom seemed to have garnered the interest of the whole pack. Most of them coming closer to listen in on our conversation. I pulled out my own remaining treats to distribute among the pack evenly figuring that I wouldn¡¯t be needing them anymore after this. So far, I had my sights set on the second biggest houndour of the pack. With pack hunters like these it was always a good idea to get in good with every individual in the group even if you wanted to endear yourself to only a single one of them. After throwing my unwrapped snacks to all eight of them. I decided to approach the female one with an open hand.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Hey, do you mind getting your ears scratched?¡±


    ¡°Ruff¡­¡±


    Her response told me I could go ahead but that she wasn¡¯t expecting much from me. Unbeknownst to her I¡¯ve gotten in a lot of practice with Rena. If her fox ears were anything like other canine ears this one would be in for a pleasant surprise.  On the other end of the cave Flannery was attempting to get in good with the leader of the pack.


    ¡®She always was an ambitious one. Let¡¯s see if she has what it takes to convince their pack leader to part with his subordinates.¡¯


    In the meantime, the Houndour I was working with seemed content with the ear scratches until my fingers reached a particular spot.


    ¡°Arf?!¡±


    ¡®Her sweet spot is right behind the skull cap, good to know.¡¯


    ¡°Say, me and my team are looking for a strong battler to win this year¡¯s championship circuit. Do you have any interest in duking it out against the strongest competitors?¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d be traveling around Hoenn seeing the sights, having the occasional battle and training for the upcoming conference. You see I specialize in fire type Pok¨¦mon like yourself. I have a bunch of companions waiting near the safari¡¯s entrance, but we still need a sixth competitor in order to challenge the eighth gym and eventually compete in the Ever Grande conference.¡±


    ¡°Ruff...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just hang out for now and see if we have chemistry. Maybe watch some more of my friend¡¯s failing attempts at getting the big guy to join up with her.¡±


    And we did just that it was amusing to watch Flannery desperately try to convince the pack leader to join her team. That Houndour seemed to be receptive enough to Flannery¡¯s attempts at bribery and head petting but leaving its pack to wallow alone inside the safari seemed to be a nonstarter for him. That was until Flannery gave the dark type a strong counteroffer.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring along everyone who wants to come! My grandpa runs a gym, and we always have herd Pok¨¦mon that need looking after. Grandpa¡¯s Arcanine and Houndoom are off with grandpa when he¡¯s out on league business so they can¡¯t be around to keep watch most of the time.¡±


    ¡°Arf?¡±


    Her counteroffer seemed to have garnered the interest of the entire pack. It made sense really, Houndour living in these conditions are pitiable. In the wild their diet consisted mostly of berries and the occasional prey items such as a nice juicy sentret or the like. Being stuck inside the safari zone forced them to suppress their natural instincts. A houndour was happiest when it gets to battle or hunt whenever it wants. Naturally most visiting trainers would not be able to afford housing and food for all eight Pok¨¦mon in order to keep the pack together.


    Their leader was now giving Flannery his full attention. Flannery, picking up on the increasing amount of interest, quickly gave a hasty sales pitch on all the gym¡¯s amenities available to the entire pack if they agreed to be caught by her. Up to and including better quality food stuffs, health care, training to become one of the gym¡¯s battling Pok¨¦mon and lots of tummy rubs.


    ¡®The last offer was a nice touch I should¡¯ve led with that one myself.¡¯


    The entire houndour pack except for the one who was currently enjoying my own ministrations huddled up together to discuss the redhead¡¯s proposal. Judging by the heated barks and yips there were quite a few houndour in the pack who wanted to join up with the Lavaridge gym. While there were some others who were skeptical about the veracity of her claims. Their leader who has been eyed by Flannery all the while kept his silence content with letting his subordinates decide for themselves.


    ¡°What do you think? Will they go for Flannery¡¯s deal?¡±


    ¡°Arf¡­¡±


    ¡°She needs to show some kind of proof¡­? And if she wants the big one to accept her as his trainer, she¡¯ll need to show her competence in battle?¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    I could still sort of guess what houndour was talking about seeing as I¡¯ve been Rena¡¯s trainer for multiple years now. Their body language was oddly similar and it¡¯s not like I had zero experience interacting with fire type canines back at the gym.


    ¡°Well, Flannery probably has some photos of the gym saved on her Pok¨¦gear. Still¡­ she is a rookie trainer Flanny doesn¡¯t have much battle experience and the rules of the safari prevent trainers from battling while inside the reserve.¡±


    I signaled Flannery to come our way so that we could discuss and improve her attempts at persuasion. The timidly eager girl came close to the three of us seemingly eager to hear my sage advice.


    ¡°You are doing well. Just show them some pictures of the gym from your pok¨¦gear to prove that you are telling the truth. If you want their pack leader on your personal team you¡¯ll have to demonstrate your competence as a trainer.¡±


    ¡°A demonstration battle against you?¡±


    ¡°When we get back to the main entrance you can show off some of your skills in a practice match. It could work¡­ but I don¡¯t think the big guy would be impressed by you winning against a hatchling like Halo.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯ll have you know that my Pok¨¦mon are just as strong as yours!¡±


    ¡°Doubtful. My team has more experience battling. Unless you¡¯ve been moonlighting as an underground battler while I was off in Unova.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it! When we get out of here you and me! One on one bringing our strongest competitors!¡±


    Phoebe who has up until now been content with just watching us work our magic on the houndour came forward with her own proposal to have Flannery show her worth.


    ¡°Would that really prove your skills as a battler? Ask Houndour to place himself under your command for a single battle against me. I too managed to catch a few new additions for my circuit team that still need to be trained up. Having them learn how to deal with dark types early would be of help in their training.¡±


    ¡°You are an Ace trainer who has already won all eight gym badges and made it to the top sixteen on her first circuit run. There¡¯s no way that¡¯s a fair fight even with type advantage!¡±


    My reprimand seemed to just stoke Flannery¡¯s competitive spirit.


    ¡°Bring it on! I¡¯ll show her how we do things back at the Lavaridge gym.¡±


    Our little exchange caught the attention of the Houndour in charge. Flannery¡¯s fiery declaration seemed to have caught his interest. With a few barks he commanded his entourage to clear the way and communicated his interest in participating in Phoebe and Flanerry¡¯s standoff.


    ¡°You¡¯ll battle with me, Houndour?¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    Somehow, I felt like Flannery was upstaging me in front of my own prospective team member. So, without further ado I issued my own challenge in front of the most senior trainer in our group.


    ¡°Phoebes you want to make that a double battle? I¡¯ll field my own competitor against your Lampent.¡±


    ¡°Are you that confident Egon? I¡¯ll have you know that Lampent was already strong the moment she decided to join my team.¡±


    ¡°Not as strong as one of mine. You haven¡¯t seen my Pok¨¦mon in action.¡±


    The Houndour who was lounging next to me seemed to enjoy the show that¡¯s been put on in front of her. She didn¡¯t bother to stand up, but the wagging of her tail was an unmistakable sign of excitement. It didn¡¯t matter what kind, but most Pok¨¦mon tended to enjoy heated battles. I figured that letting the pack witness a friendly match would be enough to convince them to join up with the Lavaridge gym.


    ¡°Still, we would need to capture these houndour to get them off safari grounds and there is a legal limit set on how many Pok¨¦mon a trainer is allowed to carry on them at all times¡­ The moment we exit the safari zone with more than six occupied pok¨¦ balls we¡¯ll get in trouble with the Jenny¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy, the safari zone has a machine set up for transporting any excess Pok¨¦mon. The houndour can immediately be sent to your sponsor¡¯s corral.¡±


    ¡°Hmm so that means any extra houndour would have to be sent to Mr. Moore¡¯s place. The gym has enough space to house many more fire type Pok¨¦mon, but it would probably be best if we call in to let them know so they aren¡¯t caught unawares.¡±


    Before I even finished talking Flannery already pulled out her pok¨¦gear and selected her grandfather¡¯s number for a personal call. She even put her pok¨¦gear on speaker so all the houndour could listen in.


    ¡°Sweetheart? What¡¯s the matter? Your daily call is usually a tad later than this.¡±


    ¡°Geez! Grandpa, you''re on speaker. Stop saying embarrassing things!¡±


    ¡°Speaker? Sorry this old man didn¡¯t know pok¨¦gears could do that. For any who might still be listening in on this conversation let it be known that I am the only one allowed to call my granddaughter a sweetheart!¡±


    ¡°Anyhow! Egon has taken us on a tour of the safari zone, and we came across this pack of cute houndour who all want to stay together. So, I was wondering if I could capture seven of them to and have the aunties and uncles at the gym take care of them for me?¡±


    ¡°Seven?! Sweetie¡­ you do know taking care of that many extra Pok¨¦mon is a big responsibility and with you and that boy Egon gone I would have to hire an extra hand to make up for the additional work.¡±


    ¡°Pleaaase! You¡¯d be the bestest grandpa ever! Doomy can teach them all about being a gym Pok¨¦mon and I¡¯ll come right back after I catch a second Pok¨¦mon to help out at the gym!¡±


    A weary and deep sigh could be heard from the other side of the line.


    ¡°Okay, I guess I can move some stuff around to keep things running for a bit. When will you be sending them over?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, grandpa, you¡¯re the best! We are still deep in the safari zone so maybe at the end of the afternoon. See you later bye!¡±


    Flannery wasted no time and poured out the contents of her own backpack. Revealing her stash of safari balls to the small crowd of Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never done this before so¡­ who wants to be caught first?¡±


    ¡°Just hold on a second Flannery. I still have to do some catching of my own.¡±


    I addressed the now excitable canine Pok¨¦mon who was trying to stay perfectly still at my side. The only indicator of her emotional state was her treacherous tail.


    ¡°Houndour, would you grant me the honor of becoming my partner Pok¨¦mon?¡°


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    <hr>


    Afternoon¡¯s end*


    The entire pack of houndour was now situated on Flannery¡¯s waistline. She couldn¡¯t help but squeal in excitement every time another individual of the pack got sucked into the capturing devices. I tried encouraging her to strike a pose seeing as she was in the proper emotional state but the girl wasn¡¯t having it. Since Hoothoot¡¯s job was done and we were all out of treats the flying type flew off but not before nuzzling the two girls and giving me the evil eye. I suspected the Hoothoot was eager to be caught by a female trainer and was hoping that his usefulness would land him a spot on the girls¡¯ team. I wasn¡¯t all that concerned about the owlet. Hoothoot were well known for being superb at dealing with ghosts and seeing which route we were on the little fellow should have no problem finding a partner eventually. And as for my own chosen partner¡­


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait for you to meet the rest of the team. We have a few younger ones and one little one that¡¯s only been out of her egg for two weeks. Having another role model to look up to will surely be a boon to her upbringing.¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    ¡®My own Houndour! Having a dark type on the team will give me an edge when going up against ghost or psychic types.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help myself and started poking the white bands enveloping the back of her spine. They actually felt warm to the touch like the marrow inside them had fire running through instead of regular blood.


    ¡°Arf!?¡±


    ¡°Are your exterior bones sensitive? I¡¯ve always been curious about houndour physiology. I don¡¯t think that there are any nerve endings in bone.¡±


    ¡°Ruff.¡±


    ¡°Light touches are fine, but they are sensitive to strong blows?¡±


    While I was getting to know my new partner. Flannery had decided to emulate me by walking with her own newest acquisition. Her Houndour was still a bit standoffish as if the girl hadn¡¯t yet earned the right to act overly familiar with him. Seeing as it was probably the strongest in the pack and considered their leader for a long time, I wisely avoided trying to get that one to partner up with me. Catching strong Pok¨¦mon was a fine strategy for most trainers but I was quite certain adding him would have messed up my team¡¯s friendly dynamic. The Houndour I picked was patient and the big sister type and would certainly get along fine with the rest of the team. I didn¡¯t envy Flannery for the hassle that the addition of the pack leader would surely bring to her rookie team.


    We were getting closer to the main entrance having already passed the previous areas. Now that we were no longer looking for any additional Pok¨¦mon to capture, the trek back was fairly straightforward although I was still tempted to go play with the mareep some more. Before the sun turned orange the three of us plus all the newly captured Pok¨¦mon got back to the main hall.


    ¡°Old man Jack we¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Why hello there youngsters. Did you have a good time inside the reserve?¡±


    We found old man Jack lounging in his usual corner spot on the rocking chair. Most of my team was resting in the lounging area with him. Old man Jack glanced at the two Pok¨¦mon traveling with us before standing up and walking over to his work desk probably looking to get the paperwork done to officiate our captures.


    ¡°Old man I also caught a Shuckle and Flannery captured the rest of the pack. She¡¯s planning on sending them to the Lavaridge gym.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, are you two Tim¡¯s sponsored trainers?¡±


    ¡°I am, but Flannery¡¯s his granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, she does sort of resemble that old coot¡¯s wife. The girl¡¯s lucky she didn¡¯t inherit his facial features.¡±


    While we were having small talk with the old man the rest of my team walked up to me curious about the new Pok¨¦mon tagging along with me. Rena especially seemed to be interested in her fellow canine Pok¨¦mon. Since the old man was still busy with paperwork I took this opportunity to introduce houndour to the rest of the gang. Flannery did much the same, taking her Houndour and the rest of the team into a sideroom to make the proper introductions.


    ¡°Guys this is Houndour she¡¯ll be tagging along with us from now on. Since she¡¯s now our newest teammate Halo will be the one responsible for showing her the ropes.¡±


    ¡°Vess?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. You can ask the others for help. Since I will be preparing dinner soon you can ask Houndour about her favorite berries and the like. Learning how to conduct small talk with regular Pok¨¦mon is an important step towards becoming proper royalty.¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±

 Chapter 51 - Facing a Friend

    Chapter 51 ¨C Facing a Friend


    Larvesta shyly tried to butter up the newest addition to the team. Her and Houndour exchanged clicks and yips with each other. The bug type seemed to get along with Houndour well enough judging by the cadence of her words. Houndour seemed to realize early on in their conversation that she was communicating with a child and showed the appropriate amount of care not to upset the little tyke. I had no clue what the two were busy talking about since my usual translator seemed to be preoccupied with something else.


    ¡°This is weird! I can¡¯t feel her.¡±


    ¡®Houndour is a dark type, it''s only natural that telepathy doesn¡¯t work on her. That trait is also what will make her a great asset to our team.¡¯


    ¡°How would I find her if she ever gets lost?¡±


    ¡®Just use your other senses. You have a working set of eyes, and those big fluffy ears are useful for things other than relieving people¡¯s stress.¡¯


    Halo and Houndour¡¯s conversation winded down and it seemed she got a good impression of our little princess and by extension the rest of the team. The Houndour waddled over to me before resting her body on my lap. Tacitly giving her approval towards being added to the team.


    ¡®Rena used to do this all the time. Now she only cares to lie on my lap when nobody else is watching. Having a dog Pok¨¦mon around is going to be great.¡¯


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you are the bestest girl!¡±


    ¡°Pix Pix!¡±


    I was busy giving my newest teammate some well deserved ear scratches when Rena decided to start pulling on my sleeve. Berating me for not paying enough attention to my older team members. I could already see the first signs of jealousy forming and now would be the best time to assuage Rena¡¯s unfounded concerns.


    ¡°You are right, I should start paying more attention to you and Numsy. Onboarding our new teammates has taken much of my attention but I promise that I¡¯ll make it up to the both of you starting today.¡±


    ¡°Pix¡­¡±


    ¡°Me and Flannery agreed to have a double battle with Phoebe. How would you like the opportunity to throw paws with one of her newly caught ghost types?¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    The matter of me not being able to pay enough attention to her seemed to have been resolved. I¡¯ve always wondered how other trainers managed to deal with issues like these. I knew for a fact that most professional trainers had at least a dozen teammates. Six on their person and depending on their needs at the time another six or even more at a corral. I wanted to avoid becoming one of those irresponsible trainers that caught a full team and once the season was over have them be taken care of at a lab or breeding facility. Each and every Pok¨¦mon partner made a conscious choice to be the companion of the person who caught them. Having them be wined and dined but feel emotionally neglected seemed borderline abusive to me. Technically with Houndour joining the team I crossed the six Pok¨¦mon carry limit but seeing as Victini never got registered with the Hoenn league association I could probably continue as is. Drake knew about our situation and I highly doubted that he was the type of person who was a stickler for rules.


    Halo had somehow managed to position herself on top of Numsy¡¯s neck again. He was the only member of the team who was large enough to carry around Halo without becoming uncomfortable. Unlike many other newborn Pok¨¦mon Halo was definitely a chunker already at the size of an average raticate and she was expected to grow even bigger until she reaches the size of a medium sized donphan. I thanked my lucky stars that she was still small and cute now, but it wouldn¡¯t even take a year before she attained her full size. Pok¨¦mon on average grow up much faster than humans doubly so in the case of bug types.


    While I was trying to settle matters with my team, Flannery was busy rehearsing moves with her newest addition. Personally, I found it a bit foolhardy to be that confident in facing off against an ace trainer like Phoebe, with a first day capture like that Houndour, but losing didn¡¯t necessarily mean that her gambit to win his loyalty wouldn¡¯t pay off. The way I saw it, this would be an excellent chance for the both of them to discover how far they¡¯d have to go to be counted amongst the best of the best. That was why I decided to join the duo together with my temperamental fox, leaving the rest of my team to come and get to know my own Houndour.


    ¡°Egon this is going to be a cinch! Houndour here knows lots of fire type moves!¡±


    ¡°Hmm that¡¯s fine and all, but make sure to not neglect his other typing. Dark type moves are particularly effective against Phoebe¡¯s Pok¨¦mon. Have you gotten a good handle on those?¡±


    ¡°Just bite right?¡±


    ¡°Ruff¡­¡±


    ¡°No not just bite¡­ a Houndour of his size and experience would most definitely know beat up and taunt. Not even mentioning all the moves he managed to learn on his own. Isn¡¯t that right big guy?¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s beat up do?¡±


    ¡®This is going to take a while¡­¡¯


    ¡°Beat up is a move that most if not all dark types who live in large groupings learn naturally. The move gets more powerful the more members of your team Houndour here considers to be part of his pack. The only requirements are that they are close enough and in a conscious state. In the wild this is the most powerful move that he can learn on his own. Especially considering the size of his pack.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Since this is an unofficial battle Phoebe might slip up and let his entire pack come and watch. The resulting exchange would make for a memorable and teachable moment.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how we¡¯ll win! Your smarts are finally paying off Egon.¡±


    ¡°Uhm yeah sure¡­ I wouldn¡¯t bet on an ace trainer like Phoebe not knowing how beat up works. Besides, Houndour here must have a decent repertoire of dark type moves to show us. Taunt alone would already be very helpful to try and put a stop to Phoebe¡¯s usual tactics. She isn¡¯t a straightforward battler; most ghost type specialists aren¡¯t. They like to make liberal use of status moves and pull all sorts of mental tricks to put their opponents on the backfoot. If Houndour here manages to execute a successful taunt on one of her Pok¨¦mon that would make the upcoming battle a lot easier.¡±


    My advice seemed to have helped Flannery widen her perspective just a bit since she asked Houndour which other moves it had managed to learn by itself. Surprisingly he knew quite the number of moves. He first demonstrated his sound-based attacks like howl, roar and snarl and finally closed out his performance with an admirable smog attack. The only move in his repertoire that a houndour wouldn¡¯t learn naturally was snarl. Wild Pok¨¦mon rarely managed to learn moves on their own but the ones that did could be said to be at least fairly talented. The leader¡¯s performance made me look forward to finding out what my own Houndour had managed to learn during her time in the wild.


    ¡°I can tell what you are thinking but these puppers ain¡¯t wild Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    Old man Jack came out of the building to watch Flannery and her Houndour practice moves. All the howling and snarling must have gotten him out of that rocking chair to make sure everything was on the up and up.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Nah, we got them from a breeding facility that went bankrupt. The CEO had this lotad brained idea to have these houndour trained as security Pok¨¦mon who could stand watch at night. He didn¡¯t factor into his plans on how unpopular houndour are around these parts. Not one company or institution would take these sweethearts out of his hands. Dark types are a bit unruly by nature and by extension making them more difficult to train. The fool would¡¯ve done better selling these to individual trainers, but he didn¡¯t have the heart to break them up.¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes sense. Any person would get emotionally attached to any Pok¨¦mon he has cared for since they hatched out of the egg. How is their old human doing nowadays?¡±


    ¡°That guy is a regular around here. His latest pet project is breeding Gulpin. He¡¯s been thinking of trying to sell them to factories that need an environmentally friendly way to clean up any scrap iron or harmful chemicals.¡±


    ¡®That doesn¡¯t sound like a bad idea to me. Grimer are still technically treated as an invasive species. So, there wouldn¡¯t be much competition around these parts.¡¯


    Having satisfied the old man¡¯s curiosity I took Flannery aside to go over the do¡¯s and don''ts while battling against ghost types. This being the only opportunity to discuss strategy with her without any overt onlookers. I knew Phoebe well enough to know that there was always a chance that one of her teammates was spying on us, nonetheless some things had to be discussed.


    ¡°Flannery is bringing out her Yamask and Lampent for this fight. Since you are probably not familiar with Unovan species, let me be the one to come up with an appropriate strategy.¡±


    <hr>


    Ten minutes later*


    Strangely enough the safari zone didn¡¯t have any battle facilities. So, we had to face off against Phoebe outside near the front entrance. She was standing there in the trainer¡¯s box we drew in the sand with the help of most of our teams. I recognized that look on her face, one filled with supreme confidence and a bit of glee since this was the first time the two of us actually engaged each other in battle. I always put it off with the excuse that I still hadn¡¯t received my trainer¡¯s license. Since I was now officially licensed it was only a matter of time until this happened.


    ¡°Are you two ready?¡±


    Instead of replying enthusiastically I gave Phoebe a non-descript grunt. High level battles all had a psychological aspect to them and I wasn¡¯t giving our more seasoned opponent any more ammunition to use against us. Flannery¡¯s reaction differed ever so slightly from my own¡­


    ¡°Yeah! We practiced our secret strategy and are ready to beat the competition! Isn¡¯t that right Houndy?¡±


    ¡°Arf¡­¡±


    ¡®Poor doggo even the nickname she¡¯s given him sounds juvenile¡­¡¯


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you do the same thing with Numsy?¡±


    ¡®This and that are different! Besides, Numsy has never complained a single time about his given nickname.¡¯


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    Noticing that I was distracted Rena gave me a warning to stay focused on our upcoming battle. She was responsible like that although there was a hint of trepidation on her face at the prospect of having to participate in a double battle with Flannery.


    ¡°Come on out you two!¡±


    Phoebe released her Yamask and Lampent the two Pok¨¦mon hovering over our makeshift battlefield.


    ¡°Egon knows these two cuties already but these two will be joining my quest to dominate the ace rankings. Any fan of mine would be totally jealous of you two for getting a premier scoop like this.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Yaaa!¡±


    Yamask recognizing me gave me an excited wave of his shadowy hand. It was good to see Phoebe hadn¡¯t been able to subvert his childlike innocence. Lampent was much more stoic, ready to follow her trainer¡¯s instructions.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too Yamask! How has Hoenn been so far?¡±


    ¡°Ya Ya!¡±


    The little ghost type gave me a thumbs up. A human gesture he must have picked up while living on Mt. Pyre.


    ¡°I am sure you¡¯ve made lots of friends who want to play with you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get overly friendly with MY Pok¨¦mon!¡±


    Phoebe didn¡¯t appreciate me being so taken with her team member. The teenage girl didn¡¯t like sharing friends even if it was with her other friends. She had developed quite the scarcity mentality over years of being widely considered a menace to society.


    ¡°I am protecting him from being turned into a no-good rogue like the rest of your team! This little angel needs positive reinforcement and good role models.¡±


    ¡°My ghost friends are the perfect role models! Smart, experienced and excellent battlers.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that¡­ You can always stay with me if they make you do things you don¡¯t want to do, okay Yamask?¡±


    ¡°Ya!¡±


    ¡°Hmpfff! I was planning on holding back a little bit but just for that I¡¯ll give the two of you a full hazing.¡±


    Old man Jack who had promised to referee our match was patiently sitting in an outdoor chair until we were done bickering with each other. Seeing as all three of us were ready to commence the battle he stood up and walked up to the sideline.


    ¡°This will be a modified double battle. No Pok¨¦mon substitutions are allowed by any trainer during the match. We won¡¯t keep time, the contest will thus be decided only when one of the contestants finds both his or her Pok¨¦mon are unable to battle further. Let the battle begin!¡±


    ¡°Agility!¡± ¡°Howl!¡±


    ¡°Imprison and Fake tears!¡±


    ¡®Imprison?! She¡¯s not pulling any punches. Once Lampent executes that move we¡¯ll be locked out of a good deal of our fire type attacks.¡¯


    Imprison was a psychic type move that made an opposing Pok¨¦mon temporarily forget how to execute any shared move between the user and the target Pok¨¦mon. In double battles this was powerful since it meant both Pok¨¦mon from the opposing party no longer had access to common moves like protect or helping hand. Now I was fairly sure that Lampent, not being a psychic type and probably only having a single month to practice, would not be able to mentally block moves from a dark type like Houndour. Not even mentioning the fact that blocking higher skill ceiling fire type moves like fire spin and incinerate, which there are no technical machines for, would have required Phoebe to hire a move tutor, in this short a time frame that¡¯d be impossible.


    A pink glowing hue enveloped both Rena and Houndour but just like I suspected Houndour easily shrugged it off. Sadly, the same could not be said about my vulpix. While that was going on Rena increased her speed while Houndour let loose a howl. Howl was an interesting move in that it gave an adrenaline boost to the users allies, a staple tactic for pack hunting Pok¨¦mon like houndour.


    ¡®No more using protect and flamethrower basically. I can work with that.¡¯


    Yamask started making crying sounds and I could even see droplets forming from its childlike mask. Its attention was mainly focused on Houndour softening up the dark type for any incoming attacking moves. With Rena¡¯s physical prowess boosted it would be a waste not to make use of her extensive move pool especially since we were locked out of using ranged fire type attacks. The only two physical moves I bothered having Rena learn were dig and flame charge seeing as her normal type attack were useless in this matchup.


    ¡°Flame charge!¡± ¡°Bite!¡±


    ¡°Shadow Ball, Night Shade!¡±


    With pinpoint precision Phoebe¡¯s Pok¨¦mon targeted Houndour first. As a dark type he could usually weather through any incoming ghost type attacks with ease but since he was still affected by Yamask¡¯s fake tears these attacks would now damage him with their regular strength. Rena managed to collide first. Her agility boosted speed surpassing Yamask¡¯s charge up time slamming into the little ghost with a modicum amount of force. While at the same time Houndour who was busy trying to get close to Lampent for a bite attack was pushed back when the Shadow Ball slammed into him staggering the canine Pok¨¦mon by a fair bit.


    ¡°Rena what are you?!¡±


    ¡°Haha! Do you like that? Yamask has already been taught how to activate its signature ability!¡±


    Rena after colliding into Yamask was half wrapped into a fox burrito with a fabric that closely resembled linen. I immediately recognized what this was. Yamask and Cofagrigus only have the potential to develop one signature ability: Mummy. When making physical contact with other Pok¨¦mon they could choose to release their ¡°curse¡± wrapping the other Pok¨¦mon in an ability suppressing cloth which could spread further to other Pok¨¦mon under the right conditions. Too bad for her that we didn¡¯t have her ability trained up yet, so it made no difference. She did look pretty cute all wrapped up. I reminded myself to take a few pictures once the battle was finished.


    ¡®Yamask seems to be the weak link. If I could take care of him quickly, we''d be able to support Houndour against Lampent.¡¯


    Somewhat reluctantly I ordered Rena to target Yamask again. In my mind liking a Pok¨¦mon became a secondary concern while in the midst of battle.


    ¡°Incinerate!¡± ¡°Snarl!¡±


    ¡°Curse! Shadow Ball again!¡±


    My assumptions that Lampent didn¡¯t know some of the more technical fire type moves proved correct when Rena managed to unleash twirling balls of flame in the direction of the mask wearing ghost type. What I didn¡¯t expect her to do was to basically give up on her Yamask to ensure that Houndour got taken out as quickly as possible. She must have figured that Rena wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything against Lampent on her own. I¡¯ve never witnessed a Pok¨¦mon making use of curse in the high level matches I frequently watched before earning my license. It was considered a low brow move trainers were loath to order their Pok¨¦mon to use curse for two reasons. In a format where switching out was allowed the move did more harm than good since the opposing trainer with the cursed Pok¨¦mon could always just recall the affected team member and secondly most trainers believed that using such a move was basically telling the world that you didn¡¯t believe your Pok¨¦mon could win on their own merit. Since this was a single elimination battle, switching out wasn¡¯t an option and Phoebe didn¡¯t particularly care what random faces in the crowds thought of her, so I wasn¡¯t surprised that she taught her Pok¨¦mon how to use this move.


    While my fox Pok¨¦mon let loose a barrage of fire balls Houndour combined dark type TE with his impressively strong voice box to unleash a wave of dark type energy which covered Phoebe¡¯s side of the field. Both ghosts were hit with super effective damage which also reduced their ability to perform special based attacks. Yamask having just used curse was on its last legs combined with the effective snarl and the incinerate colliding into him the ghost was done for. Yamask bravely tried to keep going but the small explosion caused by the last fireball did him in the ghost type slowly floating to ground having completely expended his energy. Meanwhile Lampent retaliated with a swift shadow ball to houndour¡¯s face. Having taken significant damage from the earlier exchange Houndour was also on his last legs.


    ¡°You did great Yamask return! Lampent, we''ll finish this up easy.¡±


    ¡°Why you! It¡¯s now two on one no way Lampent is going to win!¡±


    As Flannery was talking smack Houndour collapsed on the ground. His energy reserves expended. Turns out only a couple of seconds under the curse was enough to knock the big guy out. Flannery, ignoring her verbal scrap with Phoebe, rushed up to the panting dog to comfort him.


    ¡°Ruff¡­!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything! You did amazing Houndy.¡±


    Flannery returned Houndour to his safari ball and ran off. Probably to pamper the big boy some more. Meanwhile it was just me against Lampent. Common sense told me I had no chance of beating this evolved fire type especially because Rena¡¯s moves were still imprisoned but I didn¡¯t want my team to adopt a quitter¡¯s mentality, so we had to push forward.


    ¡°This is the first time we¡¯ve ever had ourselves a standoff, Egon. You ready to lose?¡±


    ¡°Rena isn¡¯t some standard vulpix you can just find anywhere. Even if the odds are against us we¡¯ll pull through!¡±


    ¡°Shadow Ball!¡±


    ¡°Dig!¡±


    Naturally my little fox was faster so before that shadow ball had a chance to slam into her, she dug a tunnel underground to escape the blast. Now the problem was Lampent are naturally buoyant using hot air to levitate from place to place. Which meant Rena would have no idea where and when to come up in order to hit the ghost type with a wallop of super effective damage.


    ¡°I can help with that.¡±


    ¡®No that¡¯s cheating. We¡¯ll just have to improvise somehow¡­¡¯


    Just like that I was stuck trying to figure out what to do. Rena was positioned underground waiting for me to give her the sign to come back up. While Phoebe was impatiently staring at me.


    ¡®Next time I¡¯ll have my Pok¨¦mon learn some dark type moves. For now I¡¯ll have to go all in on a gamble.¡¯


    ¡°Come out and use Fire Spin!¡±


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    My little fox burst out of the ground and quickly repositioned herself to unleash a torrent of flames in Lampent¡¯s direction. Strangely enough Phoebe seemed content enough to let this happen without commanding her Pok¨¦mon to defend or retaliate. When the small fire tornado hit the ghost type the flames somehow got absorbed making the eerie flame in the middle of its body glow brighter.


    ¡®Lampent has already learned how to use its Flash Fire ability. That means we have no effective means to hit it while Rena is still stuck under Imprison.¡¯


    ¡°Lampy use Sha¡­!¡±


    ¡°We forfeit!¡±


    Before Lampent had the chance to unnecessarily harm my Pok¨¦mon I forfeited the match. Fighting for that small chance at victory was one thing but I wouldn¡¯t have Rena fight a battle where her odds at winning are zero percent.


    ¡°Pix?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay next time we¡¯ll be ready.¡±


    ¡°Mwuhahaha! You little kids had no chance from the start right Lampey?¡±


    ¡°Pent!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t concerned about Phoebe¡¯s fake gloating. I knew she meant well. All she was trying to do was to stoke the fires of our competitive spirits.


    Now that the match was over, I was eager to know if Flannery performed admirably enough to impress her Houndour. The one that I picked out for myself didn¡¯t seem all that concerned about my competency as a trainer but having Flannery¡¯s chosen partner refuse to come with her might force my own partner to remain in the safari zone out of concern for her pack mates.


    ¡°Everyone return!¡±


    I activated the return mechanism of my Pok¨¦ balls recalling Rena and the rest of my team sans Houndour who were watching from the sidelines before walking in the direction where Flannery sped off to. By my estimations she should have returned to the safari¡¯s lounging area where the rest of the pack was dozing off. Phoebe was sensible enough to forbid the rest of the pack to come and watch our battle anticipating the beat-up shenanigans that would surely follow.


    After walking inside the building I spotted a distressed Flannery doing everything in her power to pamper her Houndour. The canine Pok¨¦mon had already recovered from his fainting spell and was now acting standoffish while having Flannery fussing over him. The slight wiggle in his tail was a dead giveaway to Houndour¡¯s true feelings.


    ¡°I know that I am still a novice as a trainer, but I¡¯ll try my best to become the toughest gym leader in the whole region! Will you please stay with me as my Pok¨¦mon Houndour?¡±


    The Houndour inspected her face for a bit before replying.


    ¡°Ruff¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you! You won¡¯t regret it!¡±


    Flannery proceeded to stroke Houndour¡¯s backside while I tiptoed my way around the gathering of canine Pok¨¦mon until I joined back up with my own chosen Houndour. She was busy amusedly staring at the duo who had just confirmed their bonds with each other.


    ¡°Pretty cute right? Flannery might be rough around the edges, but her heart is in the right place.¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    ¡°Say I haven¡¯t yet had the chance to confirm your feelings but are you sure you want to travel with me and the gang? You¡¯ll be separated from your pack aside from the occasional visit to the gym.¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    ¡°Houndour wants to experience everything the world has to offer and she knows that she won¡¯t get that chance by staying with her dummies.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! We''ll be traveling a lot visiting all sorts of new regions and unexplored areas. We might even encounter a legendary Pok¨¦mon or two. Thank you for choosing me. Just like Flanny I don¡¯t have any intention of letting you down.¡±


    Houndour gave my offered hand a quick lick before plopping down next to me content to spend our time together in peace.


    <hr>


    Some time later*


    ¡°Are you two ready to go? My grandpa¡¯s Xatu is ready to pick us up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t wait to see what the top of Mt. Pyre is like!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up Flannery, the view is incredible but staying there for a prolonged period of time is bad for your heart. Even Phoebe has no control over all the wild ghost types that live up on the mountain top.¡±


    ¡°Wild ghosts?! Haven¡¯t the mediums over there caught all the stray ones by now?¡±


    Phoebe was the one to answer Flannery¡¯s follow up questions.


    ¡°Naturally the wild ones that we keep up there know not to suck out the life force of any visitors. They are of no threat to anyone¡¯s health.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie! Even the captured ghosts that live in her family¡¯s mansion will at every turn try to scare the pants off you. Just wait and see, do not hesitate to use that cleanse tag I gave you. It will be your only defense against being harassed at night. Also do not drink out of any receptacle whose contents you have not poured in yourself. The ghosts living in the mansion like to put laxatives and hot sauce into any unattended glasses or teacups.¡±


    Flannery¡¯s face grew paler with every accounting, but I didn¡¯t stop until I was sure that she knew we were about to walk into a battle zone.


    ¡°Xaaaa!¡±


    Looking up we saw Phoebe¡¯s family Xatu perched on a nearby tree branch. He was looking at us without any visible emotions on his face. I was the first to initiate a conversation with him.


    ¡°Long time no see Xatu. How are things working out on the mountain?¡±


    I felt that the bird was trying to form a mental connection with me. Seeing as we were about to meet up with my old acquaintance Xatu, I forewarned Victini to make some space in my skull cap so I could have casual conversation with the most interesting precognitive flying type that I¡¯ve met so far.


    ¡°I stand watch over my master¡¯s roost, nothing more or less.¡±


    ¡°Hey, did my observations from our last conversation closely resemble your visions of the future?¡±


    We might have an interesting conversation on our hands.

 Chapter 52 - Back Again Mt. Pyre

    Chapter 52 ¨C Back Again Mt. Pyre


    Xatu are an interesting species of Pok¨¦mon. Their precognitive abilities trumped those of any other psychic type. They had the ability to see past and future events with amazing clarity. Naturally all of them without a single exception completely refused to share any of their findings, not even to their trainers. Though the species as a whole agreed to loosen up some of their self-imposed rules for benign things like weather forecasting and love fortunes. Basically, anything humans could find out on their own with a little bit of effort. I managed to find a loophole in Xatu¡¯s logic by accurately predicting a handful of future events, making the bird believe I had some precognitive abilities of my own which allowed me to join their exclusive club. After joining I was quite baffled by the fact that Phoebe¡¯s family Xatu just loved gossiping about future events but couldn¡¯t partake in its favorite hobby due to the species¡¯ strict rules. Now every time the two us met up; we ended up talking about major global events.


    ¡®That giant meteoroid is still set to crash five years from now?¡¯


    ¡°Indeed, but ever since we had that talk three years ago, events surrounding that time period have become blurred. With the falling meteor being the only constant. I must ask thee¡­ has thou told anyone of our conversations?¡±


    ¡®No, although they say just a single flap of a beautifly¡¯s wing can drastically alter the course of history. Just the two of us talking about what lies ahead might have changed future events.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t planning to elucidate Xatu on all the changes I had planned for the future. Doing that would probably get me into trouble with all the precognitive psychics the world over. For some reason or another as long as it wasn¡¯t an extinction event, they all agreed to take a hands-off approach regarding any major events. They did not want to risk derailing the world¡¯s safe future no matter how many tragic events that could have been prevented.


    ¡°Before we met it was widely agreed upon that the orbs would be stolen but now even that has come into question.¡±


    ¡®This is all really interesting, but I think the two girls over there are starting to get impatient. I¡¯ll be staying up on Mt. Pyre for two weeks we¡¯ll have plenty of chances to catch up.¡¯


    ¡°That is acceptable.¡±


    Flannery and Phoebe were experienced enough with Psychic type Pok¨¦mon to notice the signs of mental communication. Xatu and I, staring silently at each other for a hot minute, did not pass scrutiny and they were starting to lose their patience. Especially since Xatu was supposed to be our ride to the top of Mt. Pyre.


    She left six of her newly caught houndour with old man Jack counting on him to send them over with the safari¡¯s transfer machine. I myself was inclined to keep Shuckle with me until we were situated on Mt. Pyre so I could have a lengthy and private conversation with my grandparents. They didn¡¯t have a phone and I didn¡¯t want to make the girls wait until nurse Mary could get grandma out of her cookie store.


    In the meantime, my newly acquired safari ball would stay minimized and inert leaving Shuckle in stasis. To discourage and prevent trainers from walking around with more than six team members the Hoenn league association kept tabs on the amount of Pok¨¦mon you had with you in real time. Since old man Jack had to register those safari balls to my person before we took off into the reserve, the league now knows how many Pok¨¦mon I have on me. When we got back to the main entrance, I had to choose whether to lock up Shuckle or Houndour¡¯s pok¨¦ ball and since one of them was going to be a permanent stay on my team the choice was made obvious.


    Xatu flew down from his tree branch and gracefully landed on top of the soil in front of us. The bird Pok¨¦mon assertively motioned for the three of us to hold onto one of his offered appendages. Phoebe, having grown completely comfortable with the act of teleportation, nonchalantly grabbed hold of Xatu¡¯s left wing while the two of us gingerly touched the bird Pok¨¦mon¡¯s right wing not wanting to accidentally pull out any feathers. Once the psychic type confirmed that we were all holding onto him our surroundings radically shifted from the haunted forests surrounding the safari zone to the base of Mt. Pyre. The exact same spot that me and my grandpa come to visit every year.


    ¡°Wait, why didn¡¯t Xatu take us all the way to the top!?¡±


    ¡°The air gets staler the higher up you go, usually the body needs time to adjust to the lack of oxygen. That¡¯s why the two of us will be climbing all the way to the top. If we get teleported there as we are right now there¡¯s a chance, we might faint from oxygen deprivation.¡±


    ¡°How far is it¡­?¡±


    ¡°About six hours by foot.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°See you two at the top! Bye bye!¡±


    Phoebe, whose body was already well adjusted to living on top of the mountain, could just have Xatu teleport her all the way to the top without going through the hassle of climbing the mountain. By the time that me and Flannery finished up our conversation the ghost type specialist had already gotten Xatu to teleport her back home.


    ¡°Egon¡­ All we do is walk. Isn¡¯t there some kind of elevator service?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­? I have seen some of the older visitors make use of flying type Pok¨¦mon to get where they need to go. Honestly the climb is much easier compared to the one you have to do to get all the way to the top of Mt. Chimney.¡±


    ¡°But Mt. Chimney has a cable car!¡±


    ¡°And Mt. Pyre has a fully paved stairway at a medium incline. Best of all, the Pok¨¦mon living here do not mess with any of the visitors that are here to pay respects to their loved ones. Besides¡­ when we get to the upper levels, I can show you where I met Rena for the first time. Her family must still be living in the area so having her with us will surely raise the chances of you getting a Ninetales¡¯ approval.¡±


    That casual remark mollified Flannery somewhat. Now that she had gotten herself a taste of what it was like to capture a Pok¨¦mon on her own, I could imagine that she would be eager to repeat the process. Nothing beats gaining a new companion and starting the bonding process I knew that from experience.


    ¡°There are a bunch of tourist traps at the bottom and each stall has unique merchandise you can¡¯t find anywhere else in Hoenn. You want to go have a look before starting our climb?¡±


    <hr>


    I acted as a guide while showing Flannery around the various stalls. The only items I was interested in were those delicious ragecandybars I bought the first time I visited this place. The stalls had a wide variety of wares for sale their most prominent products being incense and talismans Flannery didn¡¯t have much interest in the latter, but she was interested in buying some incense. While my fellow redhead was haggling with the incense seller, I couldn¡¯t help but eye up one of the many dusk stones being sold.


    ¡®I¡¯ll eventually need one for Orin but those pricings¡­ I can¡¯t afford it. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have bought that silver bracelet for Rena.¡¯


    ¡°Egon! Look at what I bought! The kind saleslady says that when I light this pure incense near our camp during bedtime wild Pok¨¦mon will leave us alone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great Flanny, the quality of these products are second to none. This¡¯ll be a great investment for your own solo journey through the routes. Let¡¯s get going. I am also done looking around.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t buy anything!¡±


    ¡°I was just browsing for any future purchases I am planning to make. Now that I know what they have I¡¯ll be sure to come back when I have accrued the required funds.¡±


    ¡°If the stuff you want to buy is Pok¨¦mon training related you could always use grandpa¡¯s money.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry besides he¡¯s already paying for my team¡¯s supply of food. That¡¯s already more than what most sponsored trainers get.¡±


    After Flannery got done buying all the knickknacks she was interested in I led her to the mountain¡¯s grand staircase. The thousands of steps closely resembled the sceneries from those kungfu movies where hopeful initiates had to prove themselves by endlessly climbing in order to demonstrate their willpower. Naturally this staircase wasn¡¯t endless and most trainers have developed a great deal of stamina by trekking through the routes. Usually, the only ones interested in making the climb are trainers who want to catch a specific Pok¨¦mon and people who are visiting a specific grave.


    ¡°So, this whole place belongs to Phoebe¡¯s family?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the Hoenn league association made a deal with her ancestors a long time ago giving her family the right to manage this place in perpetuity. With a few caveats of course.¡±


    ¡°Caveats? Like what?¡±


    ¡°The mountain needs to be open for all visitors and they can¡¯t charge them entry fees. Naturally the visitors must also be kept safe from any wayward and hungry ghost Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°How!? There must be thousands of them living here.¡±


    ¡°The family has a bunch of old Pok¨¦mon who belonged to their lineage at some point living on the mountain. They keep the younger ghosts in check and as a matter of fact I am pretty sure Rena¡¯s mom was bonded to Phoebe¡¯s great great grandmother. Ninetales can live up to a thousand years and that¡¯s not even mentioning all the ghost types the family must have trained over the years.¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    Rena happily joined in on the conversation when the topic switched over to her mother.


    ¡°So¡­ Rena¡¯s mom is actually a granny!? There must be a bunch of vulpix and ninetales living on Mt. Pyre if she is that old.¡±


    ¡°Not as much as you would think. Like all canine Pok¨¦mon, mating season occurs only once a year and coupled with the fact that she lives on a remote mountain surrounded by ghosts that would surely lessen the odds of her finding a suitable mate.¡±


    My adorable fox Pok¨¦mon was suddenly less enthused to let us continue on in our conversation.


    ¡°Pix Pix!¡±


    ¡°Procreating is a perfectly natural biological process. There¡¯s no need to act squeamish Rena.¡±


    ¡°Vuuuuuul!¡±


    ¡°Alright, I guess it is different when we are talking about your own mother. Still¡­ you need to know this stuff later on. Picture this scenario: you are out on a nightly stroll and suddenly come across a very mysterious Zorua. You share a tree stump with only a single bowl of berries. Obviously, he¡¯s going to try to swipe all those berries for himself but instead he takes one of the berries and roles it over to your side of the stump offering you the first morsel. A classic bad boy dark type he¡¯s rough around the edges but you know with just some slight tweaking he¡¯d make for the perfect prince charming.¡±


    As I was playing out the scenario from lady and the tramp, Rena¡¯s breath got hitched obviously vividly imagining the scenario in her mindscape. Her escapade with that Zoroark gave me some insight into the type of Pok¨¦mon she liked. Strangely enough my story also seemed to have stoked Flannery¡¯s imagination. The girl was keenly listening in on my made up bogus story.


    ¡°Finish the story! How does it end?¡±


    ¡°Pix! Pix!¡±


    ¡°When the two of you are older. This story¡¯s ending is for a more mature audience.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    ¡°Fineee¡­ at the end of this romantic evening a bombirdier brought the two of them lots of little kits to look after. The End.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a cop out! Give us the true ending!¡±


    Despite the excessive nagging from both my little fox and Flannery I resisted the urge to give them a satisfying ending. Rena wasn¡¯t a little cub anymore and by Pok¨¦mon standards she could be considered a budding young lady. That however wasn¡¯t the case for Flannery, and I¡¯d be damned before I was picking up any angry phone calls from her grandfather.


    The three of us continued on like that for another couple of hours until it was time for our lunch break. We were getting closer to our destination. By my estimates it¡¯d take another hour or two until we arrived at Phoebe¡¯s family mansion. Coincidentally we were closer to Rena¡¯s family home than to Phoebe¡¯s old folks¡¯ home. Which led to certain disagreements within our traveling party.


    ¡°Pix! Pix!¡±


    ¡°I know but we¡¯ll be staying here for at least the next two weeks, maybe even longer. You¡¯ll have plenty of time to visit them.¡±


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°Egon what¡¯s this all about¡­?¡±


    ¡°Rena insists on visiting her family first before we make our way to Phoebe¡¯s place.¡±


    ¡°No way! I want to shower! All this exercise has made me all sweaty.¡±


    ¡°You are capable of sweating? You live adjacent to a volcano I haven¡¯t even seen you perspirate once.¡±


    ¡°I lived there my entire life. Of course a little bit of heat doesn¡¯t faze me!¡±


    ¡®Strange¡­ external heat doesn¡¯t affect her the way it should, but exercise does? Is her skin made from some kind of isolation material?¡¯


    ¡°I think¡­ we should visit Rena¡¯s family first. We¡¯ll get in a quick meal and make the proper introductions. This will only take us another hour at the most.¡±


    Our next course of action having been decided, we left the staircase and went off the beaten path. Rena acting as our guide, she more than anyone else, would be able to show us the proper path without intruding on another Pok¨¦mon¡¯s territory. Having spent a good chunk of her life living on this mountain made her an expert at recognizing territorial marks. The Pok¨¦mon that lived here would not bother anyone who stuck to the staircase and surrounding graveyards, but our tacit protection would be brought into jeopardy if we intruded a wild Pok¨¦mon¡¯s home. We continued venturing through the tall grass for a while before encountering a familiar looking Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Ling¡­.!¡±


    There in a small clearing resting on a flat piece of rock stood a bell-shaped Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Whoa! A Chingling what a remarkable find. Do you know how rare it is to find one of these in the wild? Their species are known for living in old temples and the like, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange encountering one on the mountain, but only on the top of the mountain¡¯s shrine. This one must have accidentally wandered off.¡±


    Before I had the chance to interact with the bell Pok¨¦mon Flannery did something unexpected.


    ¡°No! We can¡¯t waste any more time gawking. I know how you operate Egon! You are going to bring this one along and grow attached!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense! I just have a healthy appreciation for Pok¨¦mon. You should be more like me and stop to sniff the roselia from time to time!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡°She isn¡¯t wrong¡­but I do like that part about you.¡±


    ¡®I guess she¡¯s right but that won¡¯t stop me from finding out what¡¯s up with this stray Chingling.¡¯


    ¡°Heya little buddy. How come you aren¡¯t with the rest of your family at the summit?¡±


    ¡°Ching! Ching!¡±


    Chingling didn¡¯t seem powerful enough to communicate with me telepathically which led me to believe this one was either pranked by a ghost type or was undergoing some kind of self-imposed trial.


    As expected the bell Pok¨¦mon gave off behavioral ticks similar to a child that had lost their mother inside a large crowd half confirming my suspicions.


    ¡°Me and my companions are off to visit a skulk of vulpix and ninetales. You are welcome to join us and we can take you to the summit after we finish.¡±


    The little bell Pok¨¦mon got all excited rattling the clapper inside its body. It wasn¡¯t the loudest of sounds but we were still off the beaten path so free game for any ghost types that wouldn¡¯t mind messing with us upon discovering our location.


    ¡°Let¡¯s calm down, Chingling, this is still ghost country. We wouldn¡¯t want to attract the attention of any mischievous specters.¡±


    ¡°Ching¡­¡±


    With that I used my one free hand to lift the Pok¨¦mon before depositing Chingling on the top of my head.


    ¡°Just stay there for now, this way you¡¯ll be the first to spot any incoming ghost types.¡±


    ¡°Ching Ling!¡±


    We continued on our way but I quickly realized that it was quite hard to keep Chingling from making any sounds. The species¡¯ whole biology was centered around performing sound-based moves. Just moving too quickly would force the passenger on my head to produce jingle noises. Luckily judging by Rena¡¯s current emotional state we weren¡¯t that far off from reaching her mother¡¯s residence. Just as we passed a familiar looking Medicham who was minding his own business being stuck in a meditative state. We spotted the outline of a very well kept and sunlit cave. Rena dashed forward yipping loudly without any heed.


    ¡°Pix! Pix! Pix!¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long before the cave¡¯s residents took notice of my excitable little fox Pok¨¦mon. Out came Ninetales accompanied by two little cubs. This exact same scene caused my nostalgic brain to think fondly on the first time I met Rena at this place. While I was thinking about past events Rena and Ninetales collided into each other, the both of them eager to reconfirm their parental bond.


    ¡°Nineee!¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    Rena was in the middle of getting an impromptu tongue bath not wanting to interrupt her special time. I began setting up the picnic blanket and cutting board while my fox Pok¨¦mon was kept busy. Flannery on the other hand tried to sneakily endear herself to the two grown vulpix who watched on as their mother poured affection on their long-lost sister.


    ¡°Ssshhh hey there cuties my name is Flannery.¡±


    ¡°Pix?¡±


    I was determined to stay out of her way even though she gave off serious predator vibes. After I finished setting up the picnic blanket and all my empty bowls I was ready to begin dicing my final stash of berries. I was expecting this to be the last day before we ran out due to the fact that we had extra mouths to feed. Regrettably Shuckle was still stuck in his ball but before the bug type had to be locked up I made sure to give him an ample supply of berries to house inside his shell.


    ¡°Hey Rena, ask your mom if it¡¯s okay for me to bring out the rest of the team. I could use the extra hands to make lunch.¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    My own fox Pok¨¦mon complied asking for her mom¡¯s permission with a series of yips. Ninetales, being naturally curious about her daughter¡¯s teammates, consented to my request with a single nod of the head. Without further ado I unlatched the six other pok¨¦ balls strapped to my waist with a flick of my wrist minus the inaccessible safari ball.


    ¡°Come on out everyone!¡±


    Bright flashes of light revealed my other partners. Since this area of the mountain belonged solely to Ninetales I was confident enough to let Victini roam freely out of her ball. The chances of us running into another person at this height was vanishingly rare.


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°Nitan!¡±


    My ever-sociable teammates quickly introduced themselves to Ninetales and her kits. Trying to leave a good impression on the ancient Ninetales. Numsy gave her a single glance, let out a huff and moved to the other side of the picnic blanket, content to rest until lunch was served. Glove picked up Halo and presented her to Ninetales before respectfully standing aside letting his charge work out the minutiae of socialization herself. My bigger team members seemed to have developed less eager personality types settling for watching over the little ones on my team. Houndour was the rowdiest, recognizing the elder Ninetales¡¯ might but still wanting to touch noses with her little ones. Just to make sure her continued overeagerness wouldn¡¯t offend Ninetales I called her to lay by my side as I prepared our food. The rest of my team members were young enough so that I was fairly sure that Ninetales¡¯ motherly instinct wouldn¡¯t perceive them as a threat no matter what they got up to.


    ¡°Vi Vi?¡± ¡°Those tails, can I touch them?¡±


    ¡°Nine¡­?¡±


    I have become fluent in Vulpix after taking care of Rena for so many years. So, I could for the most part understand what Ninetales was saying. She seemed perplexed rather than offended by Victini¡¯s request.


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Rena lets me touch hers. Can I? Can I?¡±


    I was fairly sure Victini was making a faux pas by asking to touch Ninetales¡¯ tails on their first meeting. The species was very peculiar about who was allowed to touch their tails. There were numerous tales of people getting cursed by a Ninetales for pulling on one of their tails without permission. Weirdly enough this Ninetales seemed fine with letting my overly rambunctious Pok¨¦mon do as she pleases. One yip was all it took for the rabbit Pok¨¦mon to be head deep inside one of her luxurious tails.


    ¡°Vi¡­¡± ¡°Bliss¡­¡±


    Rena showed signs of being embarrassed for her friend. Understandably not many friends would go out of their way to dive headfirst into your estranged mother¡¯s fur. While I was busy preparing everybody¡¯s food plus some extra depending on whether or not Rena¡¯s family wanted to eat along with the rest of us. I kept thinking about possible nicknames for Houndour, I liked selecting quirky names for my Pok¨¦mon and after contemplating for a while I decided on the perfect one.


    ¡°Houndour I was thinking that I should give you a nickname. Everybody else on the team has one and I¡¯d like to think of you as more than just another member of your species. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    ¡°Perfect! What about Ginger?¡±


    She thought about it but ultimately decided that she didn¡¯t like the name letting me know by shaking her head sideways.


    ¡°You want a more serious sounding name? Hmm¡­ how does Raven sound?¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    The more edgy sounding name seemed to have gained her approval.


    ¡°That¡¯s great! From today onwards you shall be known as Raven.¡±


    <hr>


    20 minutes later*


    The picnic started off on a positive note. Everyone gathered around the blanket to start enjoying their meals. Before Rena had a chance to take her first bite her mother Ninetales insisted on checking the quality of food. Rena¡¯s bowl was a mix of dry tasting berries, special ordered food pellets designed for fire type canines and a cut of mystery meat. Ninetales sniffed the bowl before taste testing it by taking a small bite from every component.


    ¡°Nineee!¡±


    Judging by her elated expression it seemed my cooking skills have gained her approval. This was the same recipe I swiped out of Mr. Moore¡¯s ledger; tailor made for his own Ninetales. Naturally I was confident that it tasted good. Ninetales, obviously satisfied by the food I was offering, yipped to her other two children to come join us around the picnic blanket. The extra portions of food I prepared now coming in handy. One of the two I recognized as the same little sister I previously encountered back then, she was still cream colored with only a single tail just having been born. Now she had a full coat of red fur with a vulpix¡¯ trademark set of tails. The other one wasn¡¯t quite as mature as her two older sisters only having three tails cream colored with patches of red fuzz growing in.


    ¡®Flannery has no chance with the younger one. Ninetales wouldn¡¯t let her immature brood out of sight.¡¯


    The two Vulpix also started sniffing the makeshift bowls. We didn¡¯t have any extra so Glove helpfully smashed two large rocks until they had bowl shaped indents to put the food in.


    ¡°Say what do you normally eat around here? Aside from berries I mean.¡±


    ¡°Nine!¡±


    ¡°Wow that¡¯s ehm¡­ I presume only the ones who are about to pass away from natural causes?¡±


    ¡°Nineee tales!¡±


    That last part was a tad harder for me to translate so Victini helpfully clarified the situation for me.


    ¡°Pok¨¦mon come here when it¡¯s their time. They make the trek and wait for one the local dusclops to ferry their souls over to the spirit world. Ninetales is usually the one who is responsible for cleaning up their mortal remains.¡±


    Was it strange that I felt a sense of relief knowing that Ninetales wasn¡¯t the type to actually hunt her own food. The species dietary requirements necessitated that they eat meat on occasion, but it felt weird to me picturing Rena or the rest of her kin jumping hapless zigzagoons from the bushes.


    Eagerly jumping towards another topic I filled ninetales in on my plans for the next two weeks.


    ¡°Me and my team are staying here for a couple of weeks. I am trying to train up Rena so she can develop a special ability. Do you know of any places on the mountain where the sun¡¯s rays are unrelenting?¡±


    ¡°Nine!¡±


    ¡°Further up but humans aren¡¯t allowed to visit the summit.¡±


    ¡°Ching! Ling!¡±


    At the mention of her home Chingling started getting excited making ringing sounds.


    ¡°What do you think Chingling? Do you think I¡¯ll be able to get permission to train up at the summit? Maybe you can put in a good word for me with the Pok¨¦mon living there.¡±


    ¡°Ling!¡±


    ¡°The loud one says that the Pok¨¦mon do not get involved in the decision making. A pair of elderly humans ultimately decide who is allowed up at the summit.¡±


    ¡®Those people should be Phoebe¡¯s grandparents. Maybe I can get up there if I swear not to go near the area where the two orbs are being safeguarded.¡¯


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    ¡°You want to stay over at your mother¡¯s tonight? You must have missed her very much, come here you!¡±


    ¡°Pix! Pix!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but give her a few ear scratches. Rena was acting very adorable and childlike. Being in close contact with her mom for the first time in a year must have triggered the part of her brain that still wants to be pampered.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine I¡¯ll come pick you up when it¡¯s time to train. I am betting your little siblings must be curious what their big sis has been up to this last year.¡±


    We finished up dinner and both me and Flannery recalled our teams. Leaving Rena behind felt weird but I knew I would see her again on the morrow. After stuffing the last bowl in my backpack, we set off.


    ¡°See you tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Vuuuuul!¡±

 Chapter 53 – Uncovering Secrets

    Chapter 53 ¨C Uncovering Secrets


    ¡°Woooow! Her house is bigger than grandpa¡¯s gym!¡±


    Phoebe¡¯s home was indeed of an impressive size being an ancient castle which could double as a defensible strategic asset during war times and has probably been used as such in ancient times. The mansion rested comfortably underneath a solid stone foundation centered around a large field which was nowadays being used to practice battling. Having visited this place in the past hadn¡¯t dampened my admiration for the old architectural design of the building. It wasn¡¯t as large as some of the other buildings I¡¯ve seen during my travels, but it was up there. The place had dozens of rooms for guests to stay at but was now only being occupied by Phoebe, her grandparents and the multitude of ghost types who are associated with the family.


    ¡°Keep focused! The ghosts that live with the family are experienced enough to disregard the protection my cleanse tag offers you. Have you ever been given an Alolan sunburn by a haunter?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Good me neither. This is all just to get you mentally prepared. The ghost type Pok¨¦mon living here take advantage of the fact that we can¡¯t fight back without setting the castle on fire. They likely won¡¯t get physical with us, but the ghosts will interfere with our sleep by wailing into the night or rearranging the furniture inside our sleeping quarters.¡±


    We finally made it to the front entrance. The wooden gate had a pair of old fashioned door knockers which I promptly used to announce our arrival and because the castle was mostly empty the acoustics helped carry the sound along. The door immediately opened but just by a smidgen with our prospective hosts nowhere in sight. No doubt the ghosts of this place were planning to play another prank on me.


    ¡°Oh! The door opened, let''s go inside.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t! This is obviously a water bucket prank. You push that door open and try to walk in, you''ll get soaked with cold water.¡±


    ¡°Stop being so paranoid, Egon! I¡¯ll show you!¡±


    Flannery attempted to open the front gate but before she had a chance to do so I blocked her grasping hand. She gave me an offended glare before I properly demonstrated the dangers Phoebe¡¯s home represented to all visitors. I had the perfect partner ready to help me spring this trap. I unclasped the sole white pok¨¦ ball latched to my belt and released my psychic friend. She always takes powernaps after meals, but she¡¯d forgive me for waking her up in this case.


    ¡°Go Tini!¡±


    The sleepy rabbit materialized outside of her ball. Still groggy and slightly annoyed that I released her without a proper wake up call.


    ¡°Vi¡­?¡± ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Can you use your telekinesis to open up the gate for us?¡±


    ¡°¡­Vi.¡± ¡°¡­Mkkkaay¡±


    Tini sensing my intentions opened up both halves of the gate wide open and in the process a bucket filled with sawdust fell down on the floor right where Flannery would be standing if she had carelessly opened the door.


    ¡®Hmm sawdust they¡¯ve upped their game.¡¯


    ¡°You know how dangerous that is!? Someone could¡¯ve gotten a splinter in their eye!¡±


    ¡°Geng Geng!¡±


    We couldn¡¯t see the ghost but guessing by the sound it made I could make a fairly accurate guess as to which one of them was the one responsible for this prank.


    Gengar was one of the family¡¯s ancestral Pok¨¦mon. And by my estimation also the one who was responsible for being the first to encourage Phoebe in her pranking ways. This specter loved nothing more than to evoke laughter from the other occupants living inside the castle spending most of its time practicing his stand-up comedy routine. Manzai style sadly for Gengar no one in the mansion was sane enough to play a decent straight man. According to Phoebe his act had gotten fairly good over the centuries, too bad for Gengar only a handful of humans in the world could understand pok¨¦speak.


    ¡®I am fairly certain this prank was only meant to hit intruders who would just waltz in without waiting for someone to answer the door. I can go easy on him this time.¡¯


    ¡°Gengar try sticking with water next time it¡¯s less of a health risk. Could you go see if Phoebe or one of her grandparents is available?¡±


    Seeing as there was no need to keep up the ruse the ghost materialized from the gate¡¯s shadow and gave us a wink before floating off to go get one of the castle¡¯s living residents.


    ¡°What was that?!¡±


    ¡°See? You can avoid being a victim by staying vigilant. This type of awareness would be a boon to you when participating in a circuit run.¡±


    As I was going through all the common hijinks these ghosts get up to, the castle¡¯s mistress finally made her way to the front gate to receive us. Phoebe¡¯s grandmother was in excellent shape for someone in her twilight years. Probably the result of having to climb up and down the mountain as part of her day job. Victini sensing her arrival stuffed herself inside my backpack.


    ¡°Little Egon! How good of you to come visit Phoebe told me all about what the two of you got up to during her little venture into Unova. Oh! And you brought back our dear little Chingling.¡±


    ¡°Ling! Ling!¡±


    ¡°We found Chingling some ways down the mountain and I figured she must have somehow gotten lost. I didn¡¯t know this one belonged with you.¡±


    ¡°As you know my husband and I each own a Chimecho. This little one is the fruit of their love.¡±


    Chingling over the course of our conversation hopped down off my head and ran into the castle probably intent on rejoining its parents. It was at this moment that the elderly lady noticed Flannery standing right behind me.


    ¡°Oh! And who is this vibrant young lady?¡±


    ¡°Hello Ma¡¯am! My name is Flannery Moore from the Lavaridge gym. I am accompanying Egon here on his journey.¡±


    ¡°Moore? You must be Tim¡¯s granddaughter! The last time I saw him he couldn¡¯t stop raving about you! Come inside I¡¯ll make the both of you some hot coco.¡±


    Very much unlike the ghosts living with them, I found Phoebe¡¯s grandparents to be very warm and hospitable. Their only major character flaw was not disciplining their Pok¨¦mon to not harass their guests. I¡¯d imagine that loads more people would come visit this historical site if it weren¡¯t for their Pok¨¦mon having free reign to prank their guests. Usually just sticking close to either the grandfather or grandmother kept you safe enough from the castle¡¯s other inhabitants; too bad you couldn¡¯t follow them into their bedrooms at night.


    As we followed the enigmatic lady inside Flannery couldn¡¯t help but shout Oooh¡¯s and Aaah¡¯s out now and again. The interior was kept in pristine condition by the various Pok¨¦mon living here with no spiderwebs or a lick of dust in sight and the hallways were also decorated with a great collection of art depicting the family¡¯s historical figures, great battles and league champions of the past. Basically Phoebe¡¯s family was filled with noteworthy figures. Her parents were still out there on some great spiritual journey or the like. Leaving Phoebe to be raised by her grandparents which was kind of the norm for trainer families living around these parts.


    We were eventually led onto the same engawa overlooking the castle¡¯s training grounds. Both grandparents made it a habit to overlook their granddaughter¡¯s training sessions and offered up the family¡¯s Pok¨¦mon for sparring matches. She motioned for the both of us to sit down while excusing herself to get us refreshments. Phoebe was coincidentally still in a training session when we arrived working on some new moves with Yamask while facing off against a hauntingly familiar looking Misdreavus.


    This was an appropriate place to release my team members. A wide open space where there is almost zero chance of them scorching the wooden castle by accident.


    ¡°Come on out everyone!¡±


    My team materialized close to the porch, their bellies filled with lunch eager to just bask in the sun. The sudden flash of light did catch Phoebe¡¯s attention earning us a quick glance before she continued her training session.


    ¡°My¡­ what a unique looking Litwick. In all my years I¡¯ve never seen one quite like that one. Its flame¡¯s coloring is slightly off and those glowing green eyes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the staff working at the celestial tower were all excited. Even Unova¡¯s elite four Shauntal made the trip over to come see him. Strangely enough, no one I¡¯ve met in Hoenn makes a big fuss about seeing him for the first time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because your average person living here has never seen a regular Litwick before. Make sure to look after him properly. Poachers and thieves wouldn¡¯t mind snatching him up if you made it easy for them.¡±


    My team, curious of their new surroundings, were eager to explore the castle grounds. Being a responsible trainer, I made sure to remind them to behave while we were staying under another¡¯s roof.


    ¡°Okay guys we¡¯ll be staying here for a couple of weeks. Numsy is familiar with the castle¡¯s residents so if you have any questions, you can always ask him. Stick together if you wander off on your own the ghost types living here may take one of their pranks too far.¡±


    The word castle seemed to set off the youngest member of the team. Halo¡¯s eyes were shining with glee as she took in her surroundings. In all likelihood the little bug type was already planning to claim dominion over this place and start her regency over the archipelago of Hoenn.


    ¡°No bad! This is Phoebe¡¯s home. If you want your own castle, you¡¯ll have to save up money just like everybody else.¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to save up enough to afford something like this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you could. I¡¯ve heard that a league champion¡¯s salary is quite lucrative not to even mention all the money they make from sponsorship deals. Just be patient, you¡¯ll get there eventually.¡±


    I took my agitated bug type and placed her on top of my lap gently stroking her white fuzzy mane in an attempt to calm her down. I was quietly amazed at her growing size. It wouldn''t be long from now until she had outgrown the size of my lap.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what. Once you¡¯ve grown big enough, I¡¯ll schedule some practice matches for you with some of the gyms on my visiting list. Those gym trainer battles pay out decently and you will get to keep all of the winnings.¡±


    ¡°Vess¡­¡±


    It was at this point that Phoebe¡¯s grandmother came back carrying with her two cups of coco and an assortment of cookies and candied fruit peels to enjoy them with.


    ¡°My¡­ is this little one feeling down?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Fuchigami. Yes, this one has only recently hatched and aspires to have her own castle one day just like her mother.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a stellar dream! I am sure she will manage to do it in the future. There are many obstacles to owning a home like this. The upkeep costs alone are significant and that¡¯s with all our Pok¨¦mon pitching in to help out.¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Vess Larr!¡±


    ¡°If mother can do it so, can I!¡±


    ¡°Even your mother has issues in that regard. Most of relic castle is buried in sand not even mentioning all the wild ground types who keep digging holes in the ceilings and floors. If you do manage to get a castle, I¡¯ll bet it¡¯ll be much tidier under your supervision.¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    Hearing us talk about a foreign castle seemed to have garnered the elderly lady¡¯s interest in the subject.


    ¡°The place you and our Phoebe went to during her stint in Unova?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ She also managed to catch her Yamask there. Her expertise on ghost types really saved the expedition. The native Unovan mediums and channelers are only obliged to help out during emergencies.¡±


    ¡°A sensible policy. Unless the ghost types living inside the ruin turn completely feral it is best to leave such places alone. Still¡­ you managed to convince my granddaughter to disregard common sense and fly twelve hours over to a foreign country.¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s too old for you. You have my permission to try again once you turn sixteen.¡±


    ¡°WHAT!?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t me that acted flabbergasted at this granny¡¯s innuendo. Flannery who has been contently sipping from her hot coco and casually listening in on our conversation almost lost control of her cup splashing a sizeable amount of its contents on her attire.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t invite her with the intention of cultivating a romantic relationship. The professor I was traveling with noted the expedition¡¯s lack of ghost specialists and I figured why not ask my friend who is an expert on such matters. Besides, she has always wanted to expand her team¡¯s depth by including some foreign species.¡±


    ¡®If this granny thought she could catch me flat footed by making outrageous claims, she has another thing coming.¡¯


    While Phoebe¡¯s grandmother and I were busy having a stare off. The sounds of Pok¨¦mon moves being rehearsed in the training yard quieted down. Signifying that Phoebe would soon be joining us. The change in atmosphere was enough for the two of us to cancel our standoff and we pulled our focus back to the surroundings. The elderly lady eventually noted Flannery¡¯s state of dress and beckoned the young girl to follow her along so she could switch attires somewhere more private.


    Tini took this chance to do away with her hiding spot joining the rest of my team who were enjoying the sun¡¯s rays while lazily strewn about on the porch.


    ¡°Do you like Phoebe?¡±


    ¡®Sure, she¡¯s a great friend to have. Who else would allow us to stay over for weeks on end in her family¡¯s private castle without compensation?¡¯


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that!¡±


    ¡®I know, and no I don¡¯t like her that way. My past experiences make me immune to the charms of teenage girls. I am attracted to ladies with a more mature appeal coincidentally this ten-year-old body makes this entire topic of conversation a moot point. For now, my focus is on training Pok¨¦mon. We can revisit this topic once I am out of puberty¡¯s cruel clutches.¡¯


    Phoebe walked up to us with her Yamask following closely behind her. The little ghost type seemingly tired from the training session he has just been put through.


    ¡°Heya Egon you finally made it! And not a single woodchip on you. I guess you learned a thing or two from your previous stays here.¡±


    ¡°So, you knew about Gengar¡¯s plan¡­ just make sure his pranks stay harmless, okay? Can¡¯t have visiting guests be pierced by sharp edged splinters.


    ¡°Gengar is old school; he doesn''t keep up with more modern pranks. I¡¯ll convince him to join our monthly think tank so he can come up with some safer ones.¡±


    I was a tad doubtful but if there was any chance that Gengar¡¯s pranks could be downgraded to the level of whoopie cushions or stink bombs I¡¯d be content. I quickly glazed over my concerns to discuss my future stay here.


    ¡°Just like we agreed, me and my team will be staying here for at least the following two weeks. After that I need to leave for a gym battle appointment in Fortree city.¡±


    ¡°Great! Now that you have your own team, I can have my Pok¨¦mon battle yours during our sessions. I can¡¯t wait to discover how strong Victini is!¡±


    ¡°Ahem yeah¡­ We sort of figured that out with Mr. Moore. She regularly manages to knock out Pok¨¦mon that are on his personal team. Ghost types are on average a bit on the frail side¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate my team Egon! This is perfect for us if my Pok¨¦mon manage to beat Victini we¡¯ll be sure to take Moore¡¯s spot on the elite four when I qualify to make a personal challenge.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to battle Yamask, he''s our friend!¡±


    I decided to share Victini¡¯s concerns about battling other Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°At the start Victini accidentally overdid it with several Pok¨¦mon looking for a friendly spar. Now she only wants to battle Pok¨¦mon strong enough to at least be able to take a single move of hers.¡±


    ¡°My Dusclops is the toughest around!¡±


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t found an appropriate size reaper cloth to match his figure?¡±


    ¡°I am working on it! Grandpa says he finally found a seamstress confident enough to work the material.¡±


    ¡°I guess we could give it a try but¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°I want you to help me train Orin in exchange. He¡¯s been having trouble performing at the same level as some of my older teammates. Learning a thing or two from a ghost type specialist like yourself will surely help boost his confidence.¡±


    Having heard his name being mentioned drew the little ghost type¡¯s attention. We had already planned out beforehand on how to convince Phoebe to personally train him. If trading favors didn¡¯t work out, I instructed him to play the cuteness angle.


    ¡°Lit Lit!¡±


    Orin hopped off the porch and in short order gave Phoebe a full body leg embrace. Quietly fake crying to keep her attention.


    ¡°Awww, of course I¡¯ll help out! Don¡¯t you worry cutie, by the end of these two weeks you¡¯ll be just as strong as any of Egon¡¯s team members.¡±


    ¡°By the way Phoebe, have you told your grandparents about Victini yet? Living inside this place for two weeks means they are bound to find out about her eventually.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t! Not yet anyway¡­ can I tell them now? My grandpa¡¯s a huge history buff. He¡¯ll be so excited to meet a Pok¨¦mon only recorded in myths.¡±


    ¡°Maybe after dinner¡­? just make sure to let them know that we are still keeping Victini¡¯s existence on the down low. Otherwise, they might feel inclined to tell the other old people inside their circles of confidence.¡±


    Halo was starting to puff herself up in annoyance. This was one of the rare times that she wasn¡¯t the center of attention. To ease her concerns, I started feeding her some of those candied fruit peels Phoebe¡¯s grandmother left behind as well as giving her some statutory head pats. When Halo was on my lap her expectations to be lauded with attention was what made her extra adorable.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start right away! Victini against my Dusclops. I¡¯ll be demonstrating a few moves Litwick will be learning while training under my supervision!¡±


    ¡°You up for a quick battle Tini?¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Okay! Just let me have some of those fruit peels first!¡±


    <hr>


    10 minutes later*


    Both me and Phoebe eventually ended up standing on opposite ends away from one another on the castle¡¯s training grounds. After Victini finished nabbing what remained of the fruit peels we got dragged off by an overly excited Phoebe eager to compare the difference in power between a regular Pok¨¦mon and a mythical one. Her Dusclops was already out of its ball ready and waiting for an upcoming battle. The beckoning Pok¨¦mon was one of the scarier looking members of her team with its blood red singular vacant eye. The species was completely incapable of making any sort of facial expressions making it hard to judge its moods or intent putting any opponent on the backfoot right from the start.


    ¡°Are you ready Egon?¡±


    ¡°Ready as we¡¯ll ever be. Bring it!¡±


    ¡°Shadow Punch!¡±


    ¡°Flame Charge!¡±


    Seeing as both me and Victini were telepathically linked there was actually no need to issue verbal commands, but I still did so for the benefit of our onlookers. Raven and Halo both still needed to get used to my style of battling.


    Dusclops upon hearing its trainer¡¯s command quickly formed an ethereal fist that sped towards Victini¡¯s position. Knowing that shadow punch was one of those moves that would follow and connect with its target no matter what, Victini and I agreed that pushing through the attack was our best option. Strangely enough, sharing mind spaces made it easier to share intention with one another without having to explain details to the other party.


    Victini darted forward wreathed in white hot flames colliding with the imaginary first heading her way. Even though its effectiveness as a ghost type move was beyond a reasonable doubt Victini managed to shrug off the damage with little effort and kept moving forward at the same speed hitting Dusclops with a fiery head bash. Normally this would KO any regular Pok¨¦mon but Dusclops while clearly suffering from the move persisted ready to take on more beatings.


    ¡°Fire Punch!¡±


    ¡°Phantom Force!¡±


    Dusclops wasn¡¯t quite fast enough to slip into the shadows resulting in Victini¡¯s tiny clawed paw pummeling him. Unlike what her small physique might suggest, Victini''s punches packed quite a wallop capable of crushing large boulders with ease. Still at this point most half trained Pok¨¦mon would be down on the ground passed out. That Phoebe¡¯s dusclops was still standing albeit with some difficulty was praiseworthy.


    Dusclops took this opportunity to create more distance between itself and Victini before disappearing into a mass of shadows.


    ¡®He¡¯ll come up when we least expect it in the meantime, we¡¯ll get even stronger.¡¯


    ¡°Work Up!¡±


    Steam started wafting out of Victini¡¯s large ears as the Pok¨¦mon enhanced her physical and mental abilities. I was sure with Victini¡¯s power enhanced even further that the following exchange of moves would be the last one. It was at that point that Phoebe surprised the both of us.


    ¡°Pain Split!¡±


    Forgoing the chance at coming out of Victini¡¯s own shadow to assault her physically. Phoebe and Dusclops opted to use another strategy. Dusclops materialized at a distance behind Victini and Phoebe quickly took this chance to turn the tables on us. Pain Split was an insidious move that acted more like a curse forcing its target to share half of the user¡¯s wounds and fatigue. Victini who was perfectly hale was quickly becoming exhausted while Dusclops on the other hand who was struggling and one blow away from being floored started looking much better. I couldn¡¯t allow Phoebe to set the tone for the battle like this so we decided to quickly and decisively end the match.


    ¡°Psychic!¡±


    ¡°Protect!¡±


    Before Victini got hold of Dusclops form the ghost type enveloped itself in a translucent shield that however didn¡¯t stop Victini from trying to break through this protective bubble. Instead of enveloping Dusclops¡¯ form she did so with the shield bouncing the ball up and down like a basketball. Dusclops was still protected but would probably be disoriented for a short while after the bubble¡¯s protection faded. Eventually the normal type energy empowering Dusclop¡¯s protective bubble faded unveiling the wobbly looking ghost type.


    ¡°Dusc¡­lops.¡±


    I needed no more confirmation and quickly decided to end the battle before Dusclops could slip away a third time.


    ¡°Flamethrower!¡±


    ¡°Come on Dusky! Use shadow sneak!¡±


    Astoundingly Dusclops managed to snap out of its mental haze and quickly following its trainer¡¯s command slipped back into the shadows. The flamethrower which was headed it¡¯s way landed with a bang on the open field generating a small explosion. Producing a copious amount of slag that rocketed off in every direction. Not caring overly much about the collateral damage we were already prepared for Dusclops¡¯ retaliatory strike. Shadow Sneak wasn¡¯t a move where the user slipped into the surrounding shadows. The move involved a ghost type extending its own shadow to fling itself behind the intended target which had to be done in quick succession. So, both me and Tini weren¡¯t surprised when Dusclops reappeared behind her to deliver a quick blow.


    ¡°Stored Power!¡±


    This was a move Victini had learned on her own. It grew more powerful the more augmented the user¡¯s body became during the battle and since Victini was still steaming from the work up I¡¯d figure it would be powerful enough to finish off the fatigued Dusclops. We opted to use this move over others because stored power acted like a small scale psychic energy explosion centered around the user. This way Victini wouldn¡¯t have to turn around to immediately retaliate against Dusclops¡¯ attack.


    Violet energies exploded outwards centered around Victini¡¯s small frame. Dusclops who was in close proximity to her received the full brunt of the attack but refused to go down before he got his own licks in weakly punching Victini before slumping down in defeat.


    ¡°Dusclops can no longer continue to battle; the winners are Egon and Victini!¡±


    Before me and Victini could make use of this rare opportunity to gloat. A girly excited voice coming from the porch where the rest of my team was watching boldly declared our victory. Flannery was back together with Phoebe¡¯s grandmother and grandfather wearing a new clean shirt. I was expecting the grandmother to make it back in time to witness our battle but somehow we made enough noise to lure her husband to come out and watch as well.


    Before we had a chance to explain ourselves Phoebe recalled dusclops and walked up to me with a determined expression on her face.


    ¡°Before you have to leave me and my team will beat you! So be prepared to accept challenges from me every day from now until then!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Bring it on! Dusclops is strong. I want to battle him again!¡±


    Victini¡¯s candid admittance of her Dusclops¡¯ strength seemed to have put the teenage girl in a better mood. It wasn¡¯t everyday that a mythological Pok¨¦mon praised her team¡¯s power.


    ¡°That¡¯s so sweet of you to say Victini! We¡¯ll be sure to give you an even tougher challenge the next time.¡±


    Victini was also roughed up from the battle but nothing a few oran berries and some grooming couldn¡¯t fix. The three of us returned back to porch where my team was waiting for me. The younger ones being starry eyed at Victini¡¯s capabilities and were sure to fawn over her. While my older team members acted like this was the norm for a Pok¨¦mon who was on the same team as them. Victini mixed back in the group pridefully boasting to the more impressed members of my team while Phoebe and myself had to face her grandparents'' inquisitiveness. The grandfather was first to speak up.


    ¡°That was a great battle between you and my granddaughter. We are quite curious though; in my long life I¡¯ve never laid eyes upon such a unique Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    Phoebe was the one who spoke up first keeping to our agreement that she would ease her parents into the secret that is Victini.


    ¡°Egon managed to find Victini while on his journey in Unova. She¡¯s a super rare Pok¨¦mon from myths and legends!¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s not how you ease others into shocking revelations!¡¯

 Chapter 54 - Familial Antics

    Chapter 54 ¨C Familial Antics


    ¡°Victini looks so normal¡­ not what one would expect from a Legendary Pok¨¦mon. It¡¯s also missing that distinct aura that puts one on edge when faced with a powerful being. However¡­ Yes, I do sense the vastness of its aura. It''s way beyond any ordinary Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi!¡± ¡°I am strong! Bring me more candied fruit peels!¡±


    That bout of adorableness was rewarded with a copious amount of head pats from me. I was already reassured that Victini wouldn¡¯t let other people¡¯s awe get to her head. She might be the match of a good deal of elite level Pok¨¦mon, but I was fairly sure she¡¯d lose against champion level ones the way she currently is.


    We were all sitting on top of the engawa enjoying the afternoon breeze. Flannery, who hadn¡¯t bothered to come watch Victini¡¯s training sessions with Mr. Moore, had now for the first time experienced her battle prowess firsthand. As to be expected she now kept trying to paw her off of me. Most eager to shower her with attention and praise for beating an opponent she couldn¡¯t defeat herself. Phoebe, who was already familiar with the story of how I first met Victini, regaled her grandparents with the story. The knowledge that she came out of an egg just like any other regular Pok¨¦mon seemed to be the piece of news they were most interested in. The fact that she was over a hundred years old didn¡¯t seem to surprise them at all. I figured being surrounded by ghost types who could easily match her age and exceed it wouldn¡¯t seem all that special even though she was a living biological Pok¨¦mon.


    After Phoebe finished telling the story both me and Victini were put under scrutiny from the grandparents. Phoebe¡¯s grandpa who seemed awfully invested


    ¡°What are your plans for the future Egon?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I was wondering if I could perhaps make use of the castle¡¯s transfer machine? I caught a Pok¨¦mon who agreed to help my grandma with her storefront business. He¡¯s been locked inside his ball since this morning.¡±


    ¡°Of course, but that wasn¡¯t what I was asking you about. What are your plans now that you¡¯ve become a trainer partnered with a mythological Pok¨¦mon. If you wanted to, you could have a real shot at the champion¡¯s title in a couple of years.¡±


    ¡°¡­I want to beat Drake, but I don¡¯t want to be the Champion. I told Champion Drake that I would be coming for his title, but I don¡¯t see myself sitting in a fancy office telling other people what to do. I want to travel the world and see all sorts of interesting sights. I¡¯ll start worrying about my career prospects after I¡¯ve turned eighteen.¡±


    ¡°You know Egon, beating the champion doesn¡¯t mean that you have to take the job. Challengers have the option to just take the prize money and walk away after winning.¡±


    That sounded a bit better, just because a ten year old can become the reigning Champion doesn¡¯t mean that he or she should. However, having the reigning Champion lose to a minor would most likely result in a loss of respect that would be difficult to overcome if the runner-up held fast to his position.


    ¡°Don¡¯t the people living in Hoenn want the strongest trainer to reign?¡±


    ¡°I think they¡¯d rather have someone old enough to watch an R rated movie. Still, you would be allowed to hold office if you should choose to do so even at your current age. You can just ask the elites to fill in for you until you¡¯ve grown comfortable enough to wield such authority. Still¡­ let me give you one piece of advice.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do not rely solely on Victini¡¯s power to win the upcoming Ever Grande conference. There have been multiple instances in the past where a trainer managed to befriend a powerful Pok¨¦mon and earn himself a top spot in the ace circuit. Before falling off the rankings because the Pok¨¦mon of his peers eventually managed to catch up in age and power.¡±


    I didn¡¯t foresee any kind of regular Pok¨¦mon managing to catch up to Victini whether it be either of those two attributes, but Phoebe¡¯s grandpa was giving good general advice. I have seen this phenomenon myself. This usually happened to young trainers who sort of inherited an older family member¡¯s Pok¨¦mon. This happens because some species of Pok¨¦mon had lifespans far longer than that of a human and it would make sense that such a Pok¨¦mon wished to remain together with its deceased partner¡¯s children or grandchildren. In those situations, you¡¯d often see those trainers lack the necessary skill to guide and instruct weaker less experienced Pok¨¦mon which resulted in them eventually washing out of the ace circuit.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to. Having Victini battle against first time circuit trainers wouldn¡¯t teach me anything and halt my growth as a trainer. We¡¯ve already decided to just wash out if I can¡¯t make it to the top 16 without her help.¡±


    That comment seemed to put Phoebe¡¯s grandpa at ease. The conversation quieted down after that, the grandparents seemingly content to just ruminate on what me having Victini would mean for the future of the region as a whole. I was about to ask the elderly couple about my initial request to use their transporter when Phoebe helpfully motioned me to follow her deeper into the castle. When we walked far enough to be out of earshot Phoebe spoke up continuing our previous conversation.


    ¡°So, I was thinking of having each of my Pok¨¦mon spar against Victini on rotation. Tomorrow we¡¯ll find out if she has what it takes to take on Banette.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine and all but I want pranking immunity for my Pok¨¦mon and Flannery while we stay here in exchange.¡±


    ¡°What?! Not for yourself?¡±


    ¡°I am used to it and after seeing how Flannery reacted to Gengar¡¯s door prank I am quite sure she isn¡¯t mentally prepared to handle the endless barrage of hijinks I know this castle¡¯s Pok¨¦mon are capable of. Halo is just a baby and needs her sleep while still in her formative age, also I am quite sure Glove will destroy the castle in anger if any of the ghost types try anything with her.¡±


    Hearing about the possible threat of a rampaging Pok¨¦mon prompted Phoebe to quickly release one of her own Pok¨¦mon from the eight or so pok¨¦ balls latched to her belt.


    ¡°Fross?¡±


    ¡°Could you please inform everyone to not bother Egon¡¯s little hatchling?¡±


    ¡°Lass!¡±


    Froslass disappeared. Phasing through the nearest wall and on its way to inform all the ghostly residents that Halo was not to be messed with. My Pok¨¦mon were still safe lazing around that porch with Phoebe¡¯s grandparents but that wouldn¡¯t be the case for long. My worries eased a bit as my little Larvesta would not be troubled while staying in this place. Phoebe led me all the way to the castle¡¯s PC room, odd enough as it was that a traditional family like hers had one.


    ¡°It¡¯s still crazy to think that your family could afford a transporter not even mentioning a cable line long and resistant enough to safely connect with the ones on the adjacent routes.¡±


    ¡°Hmpff! We didn¡¯t have to pay for it the league association helped us set it up.¡±


    ¡°How come?¡±


    ¡°Technically speaking we are obligated to provide telecommunication services to people who are stuck without, while high up on the mountain.¡±


    ¡°So, strangers can just knock on your doors and ask to use your PC room?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we don¡¯t advertise that, and this place has a certain reputation...¡±


    That made sense not many trainers would risk getting beleaguered by ghosts just to use this equipment. If I were a trainer that needed to make a quick call I¡¯d rather climb back down the mountain than risk going inside a haunted castle.


    The machine was standing right there but I figured it would be better to inform the Lavaridge Pok¨¦mon center first before sending Shuckle over to nurse Joy. The transfer machine did allow you to leave digital posits with each transmission but since I had nurse Joy¡¯s personal number I figured it wouldn¡¯t hurt calling her directly.


    ¡°Hello? Who is this?¡±


    ¡°Nurse Mary, it''s me, Egon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hi Egon! It¡¯s nice to hear from you again. Did something happen? You usually only call this line to talk with family members.¡±


    ¡°Ahem yea¡­ So, I managed to spot a Pok¨¦mon grandma Willow has been wanting for a while now while traveling through the safari zone and I figured I¡¯d catch it for her. Would it be possible to transfer Shuckle over to the Pok¨¦mon center and let my grandma know?¡±


    ¡°But of course! That fits right into my job description. Do you wish me to invite her over, so you can tell her the good news yourself?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay but I know that it¡¯s been a while since grandma had a Pok¨¦mon of her own. Could you give her a crash course of dos and don¡¯ts on taking care of a bug and rock type like Shuckle? Also, before I forget Shuckle has been registered as my Pok¨¦mon, are there any sort of forms I need to send to the league administration to have her ball unlocked? While I was at the safari zone I managed to catch my final team member for this season¡¯s circuit run, reaching my carrying capacity.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, how have things been coming along with Halo? Is she eating properly?¡±


    ¡°I think so? I have been giving her the portion sizes you recommended. Halo¡¯s been growing pretty fast. She¡¯s up to my knees in size and is showing no signs of slowing down.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful! I can¡¯t wait to see her again when she¡¯s all grown up.¡±


    Just like that we continued to exchange pleasantries while the machine was powering up. It took a while for these older models to start up unlike the ones at the Pok¨¦mon centers, but they are just as safe and easy to use as the newer ones if you didn¡¯t mind waiting for a short spell. Mary was a delight. We traded tidbits of obscure Pok¨¦mon information while we waited. Her knowledge of Pok¨¦mon physiology edifying me while my layman¡¯s common sense surprised her from time to time. Eventually I had to hang up on her so I could work the machine, so I gave her my well wishes and promised her to call more often in order to give updates on Halo¡¯s rapid development.


    The transporter machine technology was created based upon the fundamentals of teleportation. The person who developed it was a genius scientist based in Kanto called Dr. Akihabara coincidentally he was also the one who created the first line of porygon, the very first artificial Pok¨¦mon made completely out of programming code.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The transporter had a very simple interface allowing one to choose out of a list of fifty or so Pok¨¦mon centers scattered around Hoenn to send one¡¯s Pok¨¦mon to. Being already familiar with the process I scrolled down the list until I picked the center inside Lavaridge Town as a destination target. I gave the green safari ball one last look before placing the capturing device inside the appropriate slot and activating the transportation process. A white laser enveloped Shuckle¡¯s ball and in a matter of seconds my family¡¯s new bug type was safely transferred over to lavaridge¡¯s local Pok¨¦mon center.


    ¡®The little guy had plenty of berries stockpiled in that shell of his so Shuckle shouldn¡¯t go hungry even if he doesn¡¯t get home on time for dinner.¡¯


    I was distracted from my inner musings by a pat on the back from Phoebe.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back, I''ll help you write up a good training schedule for Litwick.¡±


    <hr>


    Just before dinnertime*


    Phoebe had been most helpful by walking me through her own approach of training newly caught ghost types. According to her, ghost types were most suited to use tricks and status moves to keep their opponents on the backfoot. This was also reflected in her training schedule. Her first training goal was to teach Orin how to use the move Curse. Of course, Phoebe had her own stockpile of secret maneuvers that she kept to herself but anything Phoebe would consider basic or mid-level knowledge she freely shared with Orin and me.


    ¡°Curse is not my style. Can¡¯t we start on something actually useful like shadow ball or maybe destiny bond?¡±


    ¡°We can teach Orin how to shoot off Shadow Balls, but Destiny Bond is a very high-level move that only the most powerful ghost types can learn. Besides, Curse is what many trainers in my specialization consider a bread and butter move. If a Pok¨¦mon can¡¯t even inflict such a basic level condition, there¡¯s no way they¡¯ll be able to curse an opponent enough to share in a mutual defeat.¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes sense¡­ Curse is very physically draining though I don¡¯t want Orin to have to keep hurting himself to learn how to do the move.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry we¡¯ll start off slow and if he gets weakened you can just feed him some more of your vitality that¡¯ll bring the cutie back up to stuff!¡±


    While we were talking about training methods the rest of my team was playing hide and seek in the castle. With Halo being the only one that hid herself from the others. Her prank immunity made me feel like it was safe enough for her to do so while the rest of my team was looking for her. The castle had lots of hiding spots, so it was a very enjoyable activity for the lot of them. To keep things fair, I kept Raven and Victini with me. Victini could just psychically scan for the presence of Halo¡¯s mind and Raven¡¯s nose was too much of a cheat to use and still have the game be fun for everyone. It was quite a sight to see my Pok¨¦mon all working together to find Halo. Seeing them like that made me ponder upon the training schedules for each of them.


    Raven was the simplest since she was my newest companion. The canine Pok¨¦mon still had to brush up on her fire type moves to be on par with the rest of the team. At the moment she only knew the standard fare Ember and Incinerate. In contrast she did know quite a few dark type moves Bite and Beat Up for one but also Snarl and Taunt. Especially that last one would come in handy against psychic and ghost type Pok¨¦mon who oft preferred using status and or set up moves.  Still I was planning to have her learn Protect and Flame Charge during our stay here if she proves to be a fastidious learner we could even try to have her learn Fire Fang.


    Numsy being the most experienced on my team had a fully kitted out array of moves to use. The only thing he needed now was to grow in strength and experience his species'' naturally learned Earthquake by themselves so the only thing I could do for him was to scour the markets for technical machines he could learn or have him stay at specialized move tutors. Me and him already went over this and we decided it was best that he spends most of his time helping the others polish their moves against him.


    Trying to come up with a schedule for Glove was tough. The blaze Pok¨¦mon was a veteran who probably participated in actual warfare and his proficiency with the physical aspects of battle were top notch but he still needed to work on his psychic capabilities. He only knew how to perform Confusion at the moment so there was still much to work on. Victini could help shore him up on the basics and maybe help him learn the move Psychic at the same time. Glove couldn¡¯t just stop and Meditate while in zen mode all day long. He took his guarding duty quite seriously, not willing to leave Halo on her own for even a single hour¡¯s worth of time. I knew I had to come up with some way to help him develop his mental abilities in a way that simultaneously allowed him to babysit Halo at the same time. Victini could probably be persuaded to fill in for Glove in that regard with her periodically projecting mental images of Halo directly to the Blaze Pok¨¦mon¡¯s mind.


    Rena was still at her mother¡¯s but to train up Drought she would have to remain at the mountain¡¯s summit for over a month. This would require me to spend a good deal of my time over there. She had to be fed and cared for during the entire process. The fact that I had to leave to participate in a gym halfway through the process made me realize that I had to compete without Rena at my side this time around. Luckily Victini was capable enough to teleport me all the way to the bridge overlooking the scorched slabs. She was majorly fixated on that spot making teleporting there a feasible option. From that point the walk all the way over to Fortree city would only take a couple of hours. After which we could just teleport back to the castle, having us stay over for two weeks basically guaranteed that Victini would be able to come back to this place whenever we wanted to.


    ¡®Still staying here for an entire month is a bit too much if I want to get all eight badges on time¡­ maybe I can book a match long distance? I know that gyms only accept appointments from trainers who come in person but there must be some exceptions to the rule. Lilycove City is home to one of the minor gyms and it¡¯s only about a day¡¯s worth of travel removed from route 121.¡¯


    To make it on time I was planning to skip at least one of the major gyms. Dewford Town was situated in the middle of nowhere and the old man who was running the gym was close to retirement. The only point of interest on that island was Granite Cave. It is said that the ancient murals depicting the region¡¯s legendary Pok¨¦mon are truly stunning to behold. The only reason I¡¯d be going there would be to satisfy Victini¡¯s curiosity regarding other legendary Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t skip Granite Cave!¡±


    ¡®I would like to visit as well but getting there and scheduling for a match would likely set us back a whole month. We only have a little more than 4 months left to qualify for this season¡¯s championship league.¡¯


    ¡°Noooo!¡±


    ¡°After we are done visiting Lilycove City we¡¯ll head straight for Sootopolis with a bit of luck sneaking into the Cave of Origin shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ there¡¯s no legendary Pok¨¦mon in there¡­¡±


    ¡®Yes, but every time those two awaken they fight at that exact spot. They have a hankering for those crystals formed out of the planet¡¯s natural energy without those they¡¯d be unable to revert into their primal forms. In any case we¡¯d be sure to learn something new just by surveying that place.¡¯


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    While I was busy mentally communicating with Victini and going over our training schedule with Phoebe. The ghosts were busy cooking up a feast for the entire family and their guests. A good chunk of the ghostly residents in this castle behaved just like working staff. Cooking, cleaning, defense and even carpenting were all included into their daily activities. Phoebe tells me that the ghost types exhibiting those behaviors used to be this castle¡¯s former human staff while still alive and that even in death their habits hadn¡¯t changed. Still willing to serve their master¡¯s living relatives after all this time. The family¡¯s oldest known ancestor who originally had this castle built was a warlord hailing from the Ransei region who eventually came to live here after she retired from a life of conquest.


    Just as I finished up my private conversation with Victini, an old enemy of mine phased through one of the castle¡¯s walls  giving me a wink before whispering a message in Phoebe¡¯s ear. Misdreavus was one of the scariest ghost types inhabiting the castle. Not because of her devious pranks although she dabbled with those from time to time but because of her incessant wailing. She¡¯d wake you up the first time and afterwards kept quiet until you were back asleep again before giving you another dose. It seemed this time she had another purpose for showing up in front of us.


    ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Tugged along by a ravenous Phoebe she led myself, Raven and Victini through the castle¡¯s halls until we came by a luxurious dining room. The long wooden table placed in the center of the room only came up to my knees, so we had to sit seiza style on the floor luckily each position at the dining table had a soft and fluffy pillow to stop the inevitable knee chafing. Flannery was already present as was the rest of my Team minus Numsy on account of being too heavy for the wooden flooring. He was munching grains inside the castle¡¯s stables together with Ponyta. Orin loved being the center of attention during mealtimes, so he placed himself on top of the table between the plates and bowls lighting up the room in his signature teal lighting. Ghost types generally didn¡¯t need to eat so the only ones in the room were the ones busy plating up so us living folks could eat.


    Phoebe¡¯s grandparents were seated at the head of the table in animated discussion while they waited for the two of us to join them. They seemed to have taken a liking to Flannery¡¯s exuberant personality type, willing to indulge the girl¡¯s open scheming to catch one of the mountain¡¯s vulpix.


    ¡°Egon already told me the story of how he managed to convince Rena¡¯s mom to let him catch one of her kits. If I prove myself an able battler, I am sure she¡¯ll also allow me to partner up with one of her children!¡±


    ¡°My my¡­ how energetic. That old Ninetales is keen to see her children partner up with capable trainers. I am sure that if you put your right foot forward tomorrow she would be willing to have you make an attempt at bonding with one of her older ones.¡±


    After all of us had taken a seat at the table the conversation continued between the three of them. The elderly couple often asking how things were going with her grandfather or his planned retirement. Usually I would be content to let this topic of conversation continue on but I had my own plans. I still had to get permission to use the mountain¡¯s summit as a training ground for Rena.


    ¡°Uhmm excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You see I was wondering if it would be possible to gain permission to train on the mountain¡¯s summit? I recently received a training method that requires one¡¯s Pok¨¦mon to be exposed to intense sunlight for a long period of time in order to develop a unique ability.¡±


    The elderly couple seemed to be taken aback by the sudden change in topic. The convivial atmosphere turned serious as the husband and wife mentally processed my innocuous request. After the couple exchanged a quick glance they seemed to have come to a consensus.


    ¡°Yes¡­ although you are only allowed to stay within the limits of the lower levels of the summit. You are not to go anywhere near the steps leading up to our family¡¯s sacred altar. Is that agreeable to you?¡±


    ¡°Sure, you can count on us!¡±


    ¡°Ehh!? He gets to stay up there? I thought for sure you would say no grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Egon has been visiting us every year since he was seven. To be giving him this much trust is only natural.¡±


    I knew what the family was hiding up there and I¡¯d obviously be watched by their Pok¨¦mon living on the summit, but I wasn¡¯t interested in the orbs either way. Having those on me would surely lead to me getting involved with the legendary ancient Pok¨¦mon. This wasn¡¯t a game where you could just throw a master ball at the problem and be done with it.  Just merely being around those two was bad for your health.


    The rest of the dinner went off without a hitch Phoebe and her grandparents doted on Orin a bunch even giving him small requests like heating up a teapot even though the temperature was already at an appropriate level for drinking purposes. Before wrapping up and sending us off to bed the couple told me that Xatu would be accompanying me to the summit in the morning after I was done picking up Rena at her mother¡¯s place. I was assigned my old guest room which I previously stayed at during my past visits with grandpa, but before I was ready to go to sleep there were still a few things I had to handle first.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re there Misdreavus! Phoebe told you guys that Halo was not to be messed with, right? How are you supposed to scare me with her resting in the same room as myself? Just give up, you have already lost!¡±


    ¡°Vess¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, cutie. Just a scoundrel phased in between the walls who has troubled me in the past.¡±


    Most of my Pok¨¦mon took my warnings seriously and were now resting inside their balls. The only one I took exception to was Halo who was now acting as my aegis against the castle¡¯s residents. The ghosts within this place obeyed the family without question so the only way they were getting to me tonight was with some undue trickery that even Halo wouldn¡¯t be able to notice. Off the top of my head there were only a few angles the castle¡¯s residents could take and I was prepared for every eventuality. I took to wearing gloves to avoid the hand in warm water trick and made sure to lock the door and close the windows so they couldn¡¯t attempt to kidnap me without making a sound. Before falling asleep I mentally patted myself on the back for my first successful attempt at getting a full night¡¯s rest while staying over at Phoebe¡¯s.


    ¡®Perfect¡­¡¯


    ¡°Miss¡­ Miss¡­¡±

 Chapter 55 - Evolution Solution

    Chapter 55 ¨C Evolution Solution


    ¡°Waaaaah! Good morning, everyone! Best sleep ever!¡±


    I was feeling great. Making it through the whole night without being victimized by Misdreavus left me enough time to enjoy a full night¡¯s rest. Judging by the amount of sunlight falling in through the windowpanes I figured it was almost time to get out of bed and get started with my first task of the day picking up Rena at her mother¡¯s.


    Most of my team was scattered around the room having made full use of the castle¡¯s complementary pillows and blankets to build themselves a makeshift fort. The rascals were using Numsy¡¯s body as a tent pole. The big guy didn¡¯t seem to mind judging by his lackadaisical body language but I couldn¡¯t help but worry about the possible fire hazard this careless use of amenities posed.


    ¡°Numsy you alright there?¡±


    ¡°Rupt¡­¡±


    ¡°Numsy, you do not have to act as their pilaster if you don¡¯t want to, we could just get a table or bench¡­ wait why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    My trusty bovine friend was making a weird face as if to suppress a bout of laughter. The rest of my team roused from sleep were also now staring at me as if I had grown a second head followed up by a bout of sniffling coughs as if they¡¯ve seen something funny. I was quite quick to catch on though.


    ¡°Guys¡­ did something happen to my face?¡±


    I hastily got out of bed and made my way into the ensuite bathroom. To get a look at my appearance in the bathroom mirror. The visage that looked back at me in the mirror was reminiscent of how one might appear after a kid¡¯s birthday party. My face looked like it was victimized by a juvenile delinquent, a pirate¡¯s eyepatch covered my left eye, I had big cartoony cat whiskers and worst of all I had the word dummy spelled across my forehead. Instinctively I immediately realized who was responsible.


    ¡°That darned Misdreavus! I¡¯ll need some kind of alcoholic solution to get this stuff off.¡±


    ¡°Miss! Miss!¡±


    The ghost type fazed through the bathroom mirror eager to let me know that she got one over me despite my numerous precautions. She was zipping around me eager to rub her pranking success in my beleaguered face.


    ¡°Mark my words Misdreavus¡­ by the end of my stay here you will be the one that has the wool pulled over your eyes!¡±


    ¡°Dravus!¡±


    Misdreavus wisely chose to exit the ensuite bathroom before suffering the full force of my wrath unbeknownst to the ignorant specter I was quietly gleeful. Permanent marker on my face was the mildest prank I¡¯ve experienced up until this point. If she kept it to this level I might even forgive her for past transgressions. Still, it was important to keep up the ruse so that things wouldn¡¯t escalate out of control.


    After washing my face in the sink I¡¯d gotten the worst of it off my face. You could still see faint black lines which I resolved to fix at a later date. My skin¡¯s natural oils would in time remove the lines entirely but that would take a few days. This could be resolved quicker if Phoebe¡¯s family kept some high proof alcohol in stock but I didn¡¯t have my hopes up. The ghosts living here used acid diluted in water to keep the floors clean and I was not willing to take the risk using that on my delicate face.


    ¡°I am heading out to pick up Rena from her mother¡¯s place. Does anyone want to come with me?¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    I didn¡¯t have many takers. It was still early in the morning and only a half hour¡¯s time removed from when we usually woke up as a team. Orin did offer to come with me, the little ghost type not being bound to the ever-present circadian clock like us living creatures are. He is always in the mood to hang out no matter what time of the day it is. I picked up the little ghost type before placing him on my left shoulder. This way he could enjoy the mountain¡¯s picturesque views as the rising sun slowly illuminated the surrounding area.


    ¡°That sounds good! I am coming along as well!¡±


    Victini sluggishly levitated herself out of the makeshift blanket fort to join us. Landing on top of my head and wriggling around until she finally made herself comfortable. The little rabbit previously content to laze about was now doing so while using me as her personal mode of transport.


    I walked out of the room and into the adjoining hallways which eventually led us to the main gates of the castle. The ghost types seemed content to leave the three of us alone for now probably slightly disoriented by the morning¡¯s sunlight. Orin wasn¡¯t affected by the sun in the slightest probably due to being part fire type. Luckily the guest room which I stayed at was situated close to the castle¡¯s gates, so we were out in a matter of minutes.


    Mt. Pyre being bathed under the morning sun was a sight for sore eyes and best of all there were no stray ghost types in sight. The only Pok¨¦mon in sight were the flocks of wingull who were known to make their nests on the cliffs overlooking the sea. In fact I felt safe enough that I started to hum the tunes of an old song I once heard in my youth whose name I¡¯ve long since forgotten. Orin cheerfully hummed alongside me as I walked down the steps leading away from the castle and towards Ninetales¡¯ cave.


    ¡°Lit Lit!¡±


    <hr>


    At the cave*


    After some mild hiking and a run in with a wild Meditite practicing their morning Tai Chi, we finally made it to the cave. I didn¡¯t feel comfortable barging in without being invited to, so we stood outside for a while before I deigned it proper to call out Rena¡¯s name.


    ¡°Renaaaa!!¡±


    The response was immediate. We heard some loud yips before seeing my little fox Pok¨¦mon dash out of the cave¡¯s opening gracing us with her presence. For some reason, my fox companion had a weathered look to her as if she had been emotionally drained. Being a man with experience I recognized the look of a kit that¡¯s been dealing with rambunctious younger family members all night long.


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    ¡°Calm down Rena, what¡¯s wrong? Did you miss me that much?¡±


    ¡°Pix Pix!¡±


    ¡°You got pestered by your own siblings?!¡±


    ¡°Ninee!¡±


    Ninetales walked up to the two of us with her own clarification of yesterday¡¯s events. It seemed like her siblings were expecting their sister who was a couple of years older than them to have already evolved by this point and couldn¡¯t help but tease her for acting mature despite her diminutive stature.


    ¡°Pfft¡­! Maturity is not measured by size if it were I¡¯d be buckling under both Flannery and Phoebe¡¯s antics. The only thing that¡¯s important is experience. That''s why I am only deferential to trainers who have proven their mettle in the big leagues. Your little brother and sister are just too young to realize the difference between the three of you.¡±


    ¡°Pix?¡±


    ¡°We still have that fire stone tucked away in my backpack, right? You could at any point decide that you are ready to evolve.¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul¡­¡±


    Rena was sporting a conflicted expression on one paw she had a desire to evolve and show up her younger siblings on the other the fear of assuming a much larger form.


    ¡°You still think evolving is scary?¡±


    ¡°Pix Pix!¡±


    ¡°What!? Of course you can sit on people¡¯s lap afterwards. Frankly some trainers prefer larger Pok¨¦mon that way there¡¯s more fluff to enjoy.¡±


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s not wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°Numsy can still get on my lap if he wants to. Well¡­ maybe not. He¡¯d probably break my bones during the attempt. But a ninetales weighs less than a tenth of a fully grown Camerupt so you have nothing to worry about and I still try to do stuff with him from time to time. It¡¯s just that working in all our new team members is taking a lot of my attention right now. When Flannery¡¯s done with catching the sixth member of her team she¡¯ll go back to Lavaridge town leaving me available to spend some more time with you all.¡±


    ¡°Pix!¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. We¡¯ll show up those siblings of yours at the end of our stay here. You can only evolve once so we will make it extra special by having your entire family come and watch.¡±


    Rena darted back into the cave probably to share the big news with her younger sister and brother. Victini growing curious followed her inside as if she was a playmate who had a tacit permission to come and go whenever she pleased, leaving me alone with Rena¡¯s mother.


    ¡°Nineee.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mind? We¡¯ll be staying here for a month, training for our upcoming gym battles. I already received permission from Phoebe¡¯s grandparents to let us train on the summit so the three of you can come visit us anytime you want.¡±


    The ancient fox Pok¨¦mon seemed to be amused by the notion that a Pok¨¦mon who has left the nest would not be welcome to stick around for longer periods of time. I knew for a fact that hatchlings usually had around a year or so to strike out on their own. That grace period fluctuated depending on their parent¡¯s breeding cycle but seeing as Ninetales were especially long lived I could safely assume the regular rules didn¡¯t apply to this species.


    ¡°You must know lots of other vulpix and ninetales right? Has any one of them ever developed an ability other than flash fire? Like say for instance their mere presence on the battlefield causing the sun¡¯s rays to grow more intense as if the move Sunny Day had been used?¡±


    ¡°Nine!¡±


    ¡°You do!?¡±


    ¡°Tales Nine Nine!¡±


    ¡°Your sire who has long left these lands? Too bad¡­ I would have loved to ask him all about his experiences while developing that ability. Torkoal are also known to develop this ability called Drought making them staples for fire type specialists like me. I long suspected that your line was capable of doing so as well. That¡¯s why we¡¯ll be training on the mountain¡¯s summit. Torkoal need harsh sunlight for long periods of time in order to learn this ability and I thought to put Rena in the same conditions to see if that also works for a vulpix.¡±


    ¡°Nine¡­¡±


    ¡°In any case we¡¯d best be going, the sun has almost reached its zenith. We need to be at the summit before that happens.¡±


    ¡®Can you let Rena know that it¡¯s time to go?¡¯


    ¡°On it! You¡¯ve gotta see this place! Ninetales has everything, even a bouncy house!¡±


    The surprising revelation that a wild Pok¨¦mon took the time to have her cave furnished came as a shock to me until I realized that Ninetales used to be a trainer owned Pok¨¦mon. It made sense that she would grow accustomed to the perks of living in human society and would try to combine free living with modern amenities. It did make me wonder which human handyman she cajoled into coming up here to spruce out her cave though.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Eventually the duo came back out of the cave¡¯s entrance and this time Rena seemed to be filled with newfound confidence having probably taken the time to show up her siblings with the knowledge of her impending evolution. She gave her mother a few head bumps and a playful lick on the cheek before taking off with me obviously in a much better mood.


    ¡°Okay we¡¯ll make a quick stop at the castle to drop off Orin at Phoebe¡¯s for his scheduled training sessions and then we¡¯ll go straight up to the summit.¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°Vi? Vi!¡± ¡°We are in a hurry, right? I¡¯ll teleport us!¡±


    Without waiting for an answer Victini grabbed a hold of both me and Rena and just like that we found ourselves back inside the guest room startling my team members with our sudden appearance. Teleportation didn¡¯t come with any side effects but the sudden shift in surroundings could make one experience vertigo if one¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t properly prepared. Orin didn¡¯t experience any dizziness of the sort which could be explained away by his ghostly nature but Rena didn¡¯t get off so easily. The little fox was scolding Victini in a series of heated yips while the rest of my team got woken up by the sudden commotion.


    ¡°Pix! Pix! Pix!¡±


    ¡°Vi¡­!?¡±


    While Rena was busy establishing her boundaries the rest of the team got up and ready for the day. I still needed to make breakfast for them to give them all the energy they needed to go through a day¡¯s worth of training. That meant our next destination would be the castle¡¯s kitchen.


    ¡°You guys ready for breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Alright! Now I just need to figure out where I can find one of the castle¡¯s kitchens.¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    ¡°Halo knows. She hid inside the kitchen pantry during yesterday¡¯s hide and seek game.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect! you can lead the way then.¡±


    My excitable little bug type clambered onto Numsy¡¯s back intent on having the big guy walk in front of the rest of our group while she busied herself giving him directions to the closest kitchen. Because all my teammates were out of their balls the castle¡¯s hallway got a little bit too crowded, but we managed to successfully navigate our way through until we reached our destination without upsetting any of the other residents. I was also quite sure most of the ghost types living here didn¡¯t actually use the hallways preferring to phase through walls to get where they were going. Before we could make headway into our short journey the commotion being produced by my hungry team did wake up the other guest in the castle whose room was directly opposite to ours.


    ¡°Egon, wait for me!¡±


    Standing behind the opened doorway was Flannery who had just gotten dressed, her crazy bed hair bunched up by a single elastic band.


    She quickly joined our procession walking next to me as we were being led around by my eager Larvesta.


    ¡°Halo¡¯s leading us to the kitchens so I can prepare breakfast. I am betting the kitchen is fully equipped so this would be an excellent opportunity for you to learn how to cook your own team¡¯s meals.¡±


    Thus far I¡¯ve been letting her help me with prep work but not trusting the clumsy teenage girl with a sharp knife. We do have a first aid kit but being stuck on the routes with an open knife wound while constantly having to change her bandages seemed like a bad idea. This wouldn¡¯t be an issue if one of our team members was able to use life dew or heal pulse but thus far, I haven¡¯t known a single fire type able to use those moves.


    ¡°Just you wait! I¡¯ll master Heal Pulse in no time!¡±


    ¡®Just because you are a psychic type doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll be able to learn every psychic type move, it doesn¡¯t work like that. Every species of Pok¨¦mon has an innate aptitude¡­¡¯


    ¡°I will!¡±


    This was the first time Victini got excited after hearing about a new move. Not even learning teleportation got her excitement levels running this high.


    ¡®Well, we¡¯ll need a specialized move tutor to check if you are compatible with the move¡­ It¡¯ll take a while before we have enough money to afford hiring one, not even mentioning the fact that we also need to find a tutor we could trust to keep your existence a secret.¡¯


    While I kept mentally conversing with Victini, the baby of my team had managed to lead us to our destination. Unlike what one would expect from an old landmark like this castle, the kitchen was fully modernized while at the same time being the largest kitchen I¡¯ve ever seen. It even beat out the ones lodging trainers had to share while staying at a city¡¯s Pok¨¦mon center. To avoid overcrowding I directed the rest of our group to lounge inside the nearby dining area while me and Flannery got busy prepping(preparing the meal. Unlike the hall''s guest rooms which were made to handle his weight the dining room floor was not constructed to hold up such a heavy Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    ¡°I know this sucks, but I¡¯ll give you an extra diced berry to make up for it. I just don¡¯t want you to be stuck in the stables all by yourself like last time.¡±


    I gave the big lug a much-needed hug. Being the size of your average ten-year-old meant that it devolved into me just wrapping my arms around his large head, but it was the thought behind it that counted. After returning him to his ball I started out by opening my backpack to lay out our cookware on a kitchen counter while Flannery went out to look for a kitchen apron. However, I was startled by the sight of multiple specters phasing through the wall giving me and my female cohort the evil eye. I recognized some of these ghosts as the servants who made us a welcome dinner last night. A Haunter, Duskull and Banette strangely enough the Haunter was wearing a large white hat marking him as the head chef.


    ¡°Haaaunt!¡±


    ¡°Oh, excuse us. We were looking to make breakfast for our teams. Would you guys terribly mind the two of us using the kitchen counters to make meal sets? We have our own ingredients and everything.¡±


    ¡°Duuuussk!¡±


    ¡°They do mind!¡±


    ¡°Uhmm you see, each of my team members are on very specific diets. Yesterday¡¯s dinner was kind of an exception. I can¡¯t have them pigging out each and every day. The meal itself was an amazing feat of culinary expertise though! I especially liked the cold noodles!¡±


    My last comment seemed to have mollified the ghostly kitchen staff somewhat, but this group of specters was still insistent on us not being in their work area.


    ¡°Nette!¡±


    ¡°Banette says that visiting guests are not allowed to prepare their own food. Tradition dictates that the castle¡¯s staff takes care of their every need.¡±


    ¡®Hmm¡­ I never figured ghost types to be such lawful creatures. These servant Pok¨¦mon must have had some type of obsession with the rules while they were still alive.¡¯


    Eventually we managed to come to an agreement, we would not be allowed to prepare our own meals, but the ghost types would follow our directions while making the food for each of our Pok¨¦mon. They were very set in their ways but luckily most of my recipes were made up out of mixing a portion of food pellets with sliced berries, so they got done cooking food for us at a fairly rapid pace.


    <hr>


    Nearing the summit*


    After finishing breakfast and going for another round of sparring with Phoebe my entire team, minus our little candle buddy, went up the mountain to take in the sights of the summit. Despite not being allowed near the altar housing the two orbs I was still eager to experience what the mountain¡¯s peak looked like. In my experience places like Mt. Pyre¡¯s summit where the celestial bodies could be clearly observed with the naked eye are a hotbed for psychic type Pok¨¦mon aside from the expected meditite and chimecho who I was sure to meet there I was also looking forward to finding out what other Pok¨¦mon made that place their home. Flannery decided to head off on her own instead of going up the mountain she decided to descend. No doubt planning to woo one of Rena¡¯s siblings into partnering up with her.


    Luckily the mountain¡¯s summit wasn¡¯t that far removed from the castle and after what felt like only ten minutes walking, we reached the mountain¡¯s peak. At the end of the mountain¡¯s grand staircase, we were warmly welcomed by a familiar face.


    ¡°Ching!¡±


    ¡°Chingling! How have you been, little buddy?¡±


    ¡°Ling!¡±


    The sound of the little psychic type¡¯s ringing caught the attention of Victini who was taking a powernap inside my backpack after having exchanged blows with Phoebe¡¯s Dusclops this morning. Used her telekinesis to unravel the zipper she came out to see where the chiming noises came from.


    ¡°He¡¯s happy to see us again and wants to show us around! Can we go?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Hey, little guy, do you know a spot that gets lots of sun?¡±


    ¡°Ling!¡±


    ¡°He wants to introduce us to his family first.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be fine too. They say a Chimecho¡¯s cries are as beautiful as they are dangerous. It¡¯d be an interesting experience at the least.¡±


    The entire summit was made out of tiled temple grounds with small shrines and gravestones dotting the landscape. I knew we weren¡¯t allowed to go further up, and it seemed Chingling knew as well since the little bell Pok¨¦mon was leading us to a well-maintained shrine. I knew each shrine was dedicated to specific legendary Pok¨¦mon and with this place being inside Hoenn it wouldn¡¯t be hard to figure out which. Before I had the chance to discover more about the shrine¡¯s origins we were greeted by the sound of melodious wind chimes. I was deeply moved by this sound just hearing it eased out all the stress I had accumulated while trekking through route 120¡¯s dangerous swamps.


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Egon look!¡±


    The small shrine which was decorated with various charms was also sporting a pair of Pok¨¦mon which I hadn¡¯t noticed before since they didn¡¯t stand out from all the other talismans and paper lanterns drifting in the wind.


    ¡°Chimeeee!¡±


    ¡°Amazing¡­! Just listening to the two of you is very calming. My name is Egon, me and Chingling met a while back and he wanted to show off his home. Sorry for intruding.¡±


    ¡°Chimeeee!¡±


    ¡°We are welcomed and are invited to stay for as long we like.¡±


    ¡°So which Pok¨¦mon is this shrine dedicated to?¡±


    ¡°Chimeeee.¡±


    ¡°Two Pok¨¦mon which she calls the travelers. They favor humans and Pok¨¦mon who are on their journey and love observing those that intrigue them from afar.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like Latios and Latias. Do they ever visit shrines dedicated to them though? I know for a fact that they tend to keep clear from humans.¡±


    ¡°Chimeee?!¡±


    The two Chimecho seemed startled by the fact that I knew which Legendary Pok¨¦mon they were speaking of. I have done my fair share of research on all publicly available information regarding Hoenn¡¯s legendary Pok¨¦mon. The Eon duo were not known by their proper names but there are stories of trainers claiming to have seen the two of them from time to time. Usually describing them as blue and red blurs streaking across the skies.


    ¡°They are surprised that you know their names.¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ It¡¯s not a big deal. This little girl here might also have a shrine or two dedicated to her back in Unova.¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi?!¡± ¡°I do?!¡±


    ¡°Hey since this is a shrine what would be an appropriate offering?¡±


    ¡°Chimeee!¡±


    ¡°Food preferably something that doesn¡¯t spoil.¡±


    ¡°Okay! just let me check what I have on hand.¡±


    I combed through my backpack while being glared at jealously by my fire rabbit companion. She wasn¡¯t a fan of me frivolously offering up food to other Pok¨¦mon but I felt it only right to do so since we¡¯d be staying on the summit for up to a month. After a while I finally decided to crank open the old cookie jar and fishing out two of my grandmother¡¯s famed Lava cookies.


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Those are mine! Ehm, I mean ours!¡±


    ¡°Relax, these ones will stay fresh for up to three days in open air. If the Eon duo hasn¡¯t eaten them by then I¡¯ll put up some fresher ones and you¡¯ll get to eat these before they expire. The odds of them actually visiting this shrine should be pretty low.¡±


    Victini¡¯s grumbling eased up a bit. The realization that she¡¯d be getting extra desserts as long as the two of them didn¡¯t show up eased her worries. Unbeknownst to the fact that I would make her skip that day¡¯s desert in the event that she got to eat those two cookies.


    After placing the two cookies on top of the altar I thanked the two Chimecho for their hospitality and their beautiful singing. Whereupon Chingling excitedly guided us to a spot suitable for Rena¡¯s special training. The ambient temperature was fairly warm, not unlike the Lavaridge gym¡¯s volcano.


    ¡®My sense of warmth is all messed up if I can¡¯t even distinguish the massive difference in temperature between the sun¡¯s rays and the inside of a volcano. I should really have myself looked over by a professor when I get the chance.¡¯


    Unlike the geothermal heat from the volcano all the tiles here are warmed by solar radiation. The sun¡¯s light is of a similar intensity comparatively to when a Pok¨¦mon uses the move, Sunny Day. I immediately realized that this spot would perfectly suit our training needs.


    ¡°Come on out everyone!¡±


    With one sweeping motion I released everyone from their pok¨¦ balls. In one bright flash my team materialized onto the white tiled temple grounds.


    ¡°This is the place where we¡¯ll be training every day for the next two weeks. You all know what to do so for the next four hours we¡¯ll be getting used to the benefits of fighting under intense sunlight.¡±


    <hr>


    *Four hours later.


    Our practice went smoothly by the end of it Halo even managed to successfully perform her first learned move. Victini¡¯s psychic imaging helped Halo get the basics of Flame Charge down pat. While we were all busy enjoying our lunch something peculiar happened. Victini started zipping around frantically searching for something.


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°It¡¯s gone!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s gone?¡±


    ¡°The last sliced custap berry I was saving for tonight¡¯s dinner!¡±


    ¡®That¡¯d mean something, or someone got inside my backpack while my back was turned. All of my team was busy enjoying their meals so it must have been a wild Pok¨¦mon. This¡¯ll be an excellent opportunity to test out the nose of my newest partner.¡¯


    ¡°Raven! Come here girl, we need your assistance.¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    Raven who was busy basking in the sun¡¯s glows while digesting her meal trotted up to me tail waggling. Eager to know what all this commotion was about.


    ¡°Tini lost her special berry and is very upset about it. Could you sniff this container here and follow the lingering scent?¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how reliable her nose was in comparison to Rena¡¯s but this was as good of a time as any to find out. At least Raven didn¡¯t bother haggling with me for a reward in exchange for her helping to track down the thief. Raven stuck her nose inside the now empty container and with a few rapid sniffs got all the information she needed.


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    ¡°That way? Okay let¡¯s go.¡±


    Raven led me and Victini towards the nearest headstone as soon as we got close to it we started hearing munching sounds.


    ¡°Wy Wy! Naut!¡±

 Chapter 56 – Training Blues

    Chapter 56 ¨C Training Blues


    ¡°What am I looking at?¡±


    The diminutive blue figure seemed to be in a state of bliss as it was eating Victini¡¯s very last custap berry with its earlike fingerless arms. I recognized the Pok¨¦mon, but I always figured the species could only be found on the elusive mirage island.


    ¡°Ahem excuse me there Wynaut. I don¡¯t remember there being any custap trees growing on this mountain. Where did you manage to find such an exotic berry?¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi!¡± ¡°We all know where! Let me at ¡®em!¡±


    ¡°Wy Wy Naut!¡±


    ¡°Vi!? Vi?¡± ¡°Really!? You haven¡¯t eaten for days?¡±


    ¡°How come you are living here all the way up on Mt. Pyre instead of with your family Wynaut?¡±


    ¡°Wy Wy!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi?¡± ¡°Your makeshift-raft broke down while attempting to leave your home island?¡±


    ¡®Hmm what to do¡­ there aren¡¯t enough sources of food up here at the summit. I could probably ask Phoebe¡¯s grandpa to take care of him. I know he trains psychic type Pok¨¦mon.¡¯


    While I was ruminating on a solution, Victini, while not as hangry as before, has still not forgiven Wynaut¡¯s thievery.


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t steal even if you are hungry! All you had to do was ask nicely and we would have shared!¡±


    ¡°Wy Wy!¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Humans and trainer owned Pok¨¦mon are different. We have plenty of food to share!¡±


    It seemed that this Wynaut was under the impression that Pok¨¦mon don¡¯t share food with strangers. Certainly, your typical wild Pok¨¦mon wouldn¡¯t. Since they had to spend a lot of time gathering edible plants or go hunting. I figured that the other Pok¨¦mon on Mt. Pyre weren¡¯t as accommodating to hungry Pok¨¦mon with no skills to make it on their own. Not even mentioning the fact that ghosts didn¡¯t even have food since they typically don¡¯t need to consume berries for nourishment.


    ¡°Vi¡­¡± ¡°My special berry¡­¡±


    Seeing Victini close to tears I immediately took the appropriate steps to lift up her spirits.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Tini, we can always ask our gracious host to take some extra berries with them when they inevitably have to go grocery shopping to resupply the castle¡¯s pantries. If you are still hungry you can go ahead and take another kind of berry out of my tupperware containers.¡±


    ¡°Vi¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the same custap tastes the best¡­¡±


    Victini wasn¡¯t the kind of Pok¨¦mon who got violent when provoked but a small part of me was still fearful of what she might do to Wynaut while blind with anger. So, I opted to berate the little blue furred scoundrel some more in her stead as well as make use of this opportunity to have Wynaut make up for his mistake.


    ¡°Wynaut¡­ what you did hurt Victini real bad. What do we say when one unintentionally hurts another?¡±


    ¡°Wy¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Now to make up for your mistake I want you to teach Raven here how to perform the move counter. We got a big gym battle coming up and if you agree I¡¯ll set aside a bowl of food for you to eat.¡±


    ¡°Wy?!¡±


    Just because you did something bad doesn¡¯t mean you also aren¡¯t hurting yourself. I can¡¯t imagine what it must feel like to be stranded and without any food for days.


    ¡°Wy! Wy!¡±


    Raven who was watching all of this play out was surprised when Wynaut suddenly used its earlike appendages to drag her back to our chosen training spot. I could tell she was properly miffed about getting dragged along by the strange Pok¨¦mon, but I was betting that Wynaut was cute enough to be quickly forgiven once the little tyke got the chance to get under her skin.


    ¡°Why¡­?¡±


    ¡°Wynaut instinctively know all sorts of useful moves. Their physiology makes them completely incapable of directly harming others, so nature has helped them out in other ways. I remembered that Raven is capable of learning counter so I thought Wynaut could make up for the stolen berry by teaching her a new move.¡±


    ¡°Can we go get new custap berries now? I¡¯ll get us to Fortree city in a jiffy!¡±


    ¡°Once the sun starts going down Rena needs as much sunlight as she can get and I don¡¯t feel particularly comfortable leaving the team alone like this.¡±


    ¡°Can I have something to do? Halo knows how to do a flame charge on her own.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Wynaut can teach you how to use Safeguard. It¡¯s a handy move to prevent yourself from getting poisoned, confused or sedated. But for now, Raven needs all the help if she wants to learn counter before the end of these two weeks. Having to learn fighting type energy and afterwards the move itself will take up most of our allotted training time before facing Winona. Afterall, she¡¯ll be a participant in most of our gym battles from this point on.¡±


    I was planning to start Raven on some advanced fire type moves during these two weeks but just the thought of her being able to perform Counter got me all giddy. Returning an opponent¡¯s physical attack with twice the power was a gamechanger. I figured not many trainers or even gym leaders realized that a houndour could use the move. Turning Counter into Raven¡¯s secret trump card was a no brainer.


    <hr>


    At the Castle*


    It was around dinner time when my friends and I returned to the castle. Having engaged in some rigorous wrestling with Glove, I seemed to have worked up a major sweat. Seeing my Pok¨¦mon put down their best foot forward inspired me to start conditioning my body as well. Glove had witnessed many ancient humans engaging in martial arts and having nothing to do except overseeing my team¡¯s spars and meditating, he offered to give me some basic self-defense training. Naturally I grasped this opportunity with both hands. I didn''t know if the ancient human fighting style could stand up to modern martial arts but I figured learning it wouldn¡¯t do any harm. All Mr. Moore had me do was exercising my spatial awareness by dodging projectiles while running. So, learning how to defend myself against other humans would probably be useful down the line. After getting back to the castle I took the liberty to make use of the showers before joining the rest of the family and Flannery at the dining table.


    Wynaut had decided to come with us after enjoying a few of the more common berries which I kept inside my backpack. The little guy seemed so helpless that I just caved in hoping Phoebe¡¯s grandparents wouldn¡¯t mind feeding and housing another freeloader.


    ¡°So I was wondering if Wynaut could stay here for now? He¡¯s been a really helpful sparring partner and teacher.¡±


    The couple took a moment to exchange glances until Phoebe¡¯s grandpa gave us his response. I didn¡¯t know if the elderly man was psychic but that glance seemed to have been enough for the couple to come to a decision.


    ¡°And you say Wynaut has no idea on how to get back to Mirage island?¡±


    ¡°Naut!¡±


    ¡°Vi.¡± ¡°He says he has no idea.¡±


    ¡°That may be for the better. Mirage Island has long been sought out by many a seafarer looking to make their fortune. The Island is the only place in all of Hoenn or maybe the whole world where one can find naturally growing Liechi berries.¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°You know about the Liechi berries!?¡±


    ¡°Of course! There are many tales of seafaring captains stranding on the mysterious island and being hosted by the overly friendly population of Wynaut. The ones that successfully managed to escape the island have recounted their experience for the wider public. Many an expedition were launched by those same captains but all of them ended in failure. Something hides the island from the perception of outsiders. Hoenn¡¯s premier berry master has even offered a 250.000 pok¨¦dollar reward for anyone able to bring him a fresh Liechi berry.¡±


    ¡°Vi!!!¡± ¡°That¡¯s 5000 oran berries worth of human money! We¡¯ve got to find that Island Egon!¡±


    Even Wynaut was amazed by the importance that mainland people attached to his home island. Pok¨¦mon in general didn¡¯t care too much about human money but Victini¡¯s outburst managed to translate the worth of even a single Liechi berry fairly well not even mentioning what a whole island full of them could get you. My own team was getting all excited at the prospect of visiting the mysterious island which was in stark contrast to Flannery¡¯s Pok¨¦mon. Her team had all been acclimated to living in the lap of luxury aside from her newest addition. Houndour¡¯s wagging tail was reminiscent of a speedboat¡¯s propeller indicating what the dark type thought about .


    ¡°Vi! Vi!¡± ¡°Wynaut all you have to do to pay me back for stealing my precious berry is leading us to mirage island. We won¡¯t tell anyone else of the island¡¯s whereabouts I promise!¡±


    ¡°Wy Wy¡­¡±


    Before the situation got out of hand I pulled my overeager rabbit away from the startled Wynaut. I wouldn¡¯t lie to myself by claiming that I wasn¡¯t interested in the berry master¡¯s most lucrative reward. Zinnia¡¯s college fund wasn¡¯t going to be magically delivered to grandpa and grandma¡¯s doorstep but pressuring Wynaut into revealing Mirage Island¡¯s secret location didn¡¯t sit right with me even if Wynaut was faking his amnesia.


    ¡°In any case, me and my wife are happy to host little Wynaut here. I myself am quite experienced at raising psychic type Pok¨¦mon so if this little one doesn¡¯t mind he can join my old partners who are also living on the summit.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t they live here with you inside the castle?¡±


    ¡°This place is filled with ghost types. It makes for a poor meditation environment to those who are repelled by their naturally emitted energies.¡±


    ¡°Miasma dear.¡±


    ¡°Only specialists call it that.¡±


    ¡°Vi?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they lonely up there without you?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. When you¡¯ve been partners for as long as we have distance becomes obsolete. Our minds are always linked in and I am only one teleport¡¯s distance away.¡±


    The awe of meeting and housing a mythical Pok¨¦mon seemed to have already waned some. The elderly man especially seemed almost relieved to see Victini behaving just the same way any curious psychic type would. The couple seemed all too eager to educate her in the ways of the world.


    Phoebe sensing a lull in the conversation brought up another topic of interest.


    ¡°I am up for another rating battle. We¡¯re this close to breaking into the top ten. If I win this battle we will be taking the ninth spot on the ladder.¡±


    Impressed I didn¡¯t hold back my praise for her team¡¯s hard work.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing Phoebes. You are this close to getting your dream job.¡±


    Flannery obviously confused as to what we are talking about pried further,


    ¡°Ninth spot on the ace circuit? Is that good?¡±


    Before Phoebe had a chance to blow a gasket I hastily explained how the ace circuit worked.


    ¡°One can only enter the ace circuit by breaching the top 16 at the Ever Grande conference. Getting the ninth spot means Phoebe could be considered to be in the top fifteen most skilled trainers in all the region. After the Champion his elite four and the 8 trainers ranked higher than Phoebe if she wins her next battle. She would be taking her opponents current ranking were she to win.¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Whaaat? Really? So if I  get into the top sixteen and challenge the current trainer at the top of the ace circuit I¡¯d get that spot?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no, Trainers that are participating in the ace circuit have to accept at least one challenge every two weeks. Those that are ranked higher get their challenges prioritized. You can challenge the number one but I doubt he has the inclination to waste his time with a trainer ranked dead last. Usually the right to have a battle with the number one is reserved for trainers who made it into the top ten. And before you ask if one is incapable of accepting a challenge, before those two weeks are over, he automatically loses his spot to his highest ranked challenger.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm seems like a hassle, you can¡¯t go on vacation for longer than two weeks?¡±


    ¡°Yes but making it to the top is worth it. At the end of the ace circuit the trainers who are ranked in the top four get the right to challenge one of the elite four. If they manage a win they get to replace that member.¡±


    ¡°Wait?! Grandpa has been a member of the elite four since forever.¡±


    ¡°It is rare for an elite four member to get replaced or even challenged. The top thirty ace trainers are no joke. They have numerous gym leaders amongst their number. Frontier brains, hidden masters who want to keep up their skill but have no interest in replacing our current elites. I am fairly sure our current number one could replace one of the elites if he chose to do so.¡±


    ¡°Who is the number one!?¡±


    ¡°Brandon, He is always eager to test challengers but his true passion is going from region to region excavating old ruins. He does make the effort to hold onto his ranking inside Hoenn though.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t stop the admiration I felt from leaving my voice. Me and Brandon shared the same interests. If I was a little bit older and wealthier I¡¯d probably be doing the same thing he¡¯s doing. Excavating old ruins, making friends with the legendary Pok¨¦mon living within them and donating all the odds and ends I dig up to noteworthy museums. At this point Brandon was the only one that I knew of to have managed to catch one of the regi trio. He was known to have caught a regirock. Where he managed to find one was still a mystery but I was eager to find out. There have been some amateur attempts at stealing the rock titan but the big time criminals like (hunter J) have not made any attempts to do so yet. Brandon was a trainer respected for his skill in battle even before he first showed off his vaunted companion.


    ¡°Glacia¡¯s already managed to take the third spot so that leaves number two and four for the taking.¡±


    ¡°You are not going to challenge her?¡±


    ¡°She may be my rival but we both promised to make it in this year. Besides, she¡¯s aiming for a different target. The only thing that matters is that I¡¯ll be ranked the strongest among the elites.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Moore¡¯s still your target right? Well it would make sense for an ice type specialist like her to avoid challenging him.¡±


    The current elite four was made up out of trainers who were getting close to retirement age. Sidney being the only exception having gained his position two years prior. Glacia aiming to challenge Spenser would make sense. The man was known to favor grass type Pok¨¦mon but he did tend to throw his challengers for a loop by substituting his regular team with other types. However, challenging a grass type trainer would put a mark on her elite four career, making people question whether or not she earned her right to be counted amongst the elites. Based on what Phoebe¡¯s told me about her I was quite sure Glacia would end up challenging the other elderly elite Kate. Kate was an islander who specialized in Psychic types hailing from Mossdeep City. She ran the Mossdeep city gym with her husband. The both of them are famed for being of near equal skill. When she¡¯s busy attending to her duties as an elite her husband took over her share of the gym leader¡¯s duties. Glacia winning against an opponent who had no advantages or disadvantages against her team would set her up for a stable reign as one of the elites.


    ¡°Glacia has ways of beating a fire type specialist like Mr. Moore. Her Walrein¡¯s thick fat isolates the big lug from any fire type moves.¡±


    ¡°Hmpff my grandpa has ways of dealing with cocky water types. On dry land his fire types can¡¯t be beat!¡±


    The rest of the dinner ended peacefully. Flannery might not show it outwardly but during my travels she often complained about her grandfather¡¯s busy schedule. Him having his elite four position taken wouldn¡¯t upset her as long as Phoebe kept from making speculations about Mr. Moore¡¯s skills.


    <hr>


    Two weeks later*


    It¡¯s been two weeks since we first arrived, both Flannery and myself have grown a lot. Houndour managed to learn Counter under Wynaut¡¯s guidance. The rest of my team had managed similar feats, each of them nailing down a new move. Numsy being barred from using ground type moves set out to improve on his own. The solution being right in front of us, it only took me a while to realize, curse when used by Pok¨¦mon who aren¡¯t ghost types hardened their musculature improving their physical defense and attacking power while hampering down on their nimbleness.


    Rena also managed to learn a new move. Chingling¡¯s parents were always busy guarding the travelers¡® shrine and with having little to do during the day made it a hobby to watch us train. Seeing us working hard to reach our goal moved the little guy enough to ask his mother to teach  us a new move. Chimecho was an expert at using obscure psychic type moves. I immediately asked her to teach Rena Imprison. During my double battle with Phoebe the move caused a lot of mayhem and she didn¡¯t hesitate to use it against VIctini in our subsequent battles. As luck would have it Chimecho is a proficient user of the move and she happily taught my little fox how to do so as well.


    We quickly discovered that Victini was incapable of making use of the move much to her chagrin. She already knew that there would be a few psychic type moves that would be difficult or impossible for her to learn but finding out this early put a dampener on her mood. After some consoling with me she got out of her funk fairly quickly. The only Pok¨¦mon truly capable of using every single move out there was one of her contemporaries Mew. Nonetheless she still made good use of our time here by picking up how to perform Shadow Ball by spying on Litwick¡¯s training sessions with Phoebe. The rest of her time was spent coaching Glove and Halo in fire and psychic type moves respectively.


    Glove managed to finally reach a level of mastery with Confusion that Victini judged to be only ¡°adequate¡±. Which freed up a good chunk of his time. Psychic was still a ways off so he spent most of his time on meditation while keeping himself close to Halo when he wasn¡¯t busy demonstrating basic ancient human self defense for me to learn. He got so into meditation that I was fairly sure he was on the cusp of learning Calm Mind. That¡¯s why I asked one of the medicham living on the mountain for his expert opinion. One look by the meditation Pok¨¦mon confirmed my initial conjecture. Medicham, who later turned out to be one of Phoebe¡¯s grandpa¡¯s Pok¨¦mon, was impressed enough to give Glove a few tips on how to ¡°fortify the mind against stray thoughts¡± as Victini put it. Seeing fit to act as Glove¡¯s Guru or spiritual teacher.


    Little Halo¡¯s growth was the most impressive. After quickly mastering flame charge I quickly put her through targeting practice and a crash course on how to control the intensity and temperature of her flames. She quickly grew bored of my standard fare training and set out on developing her own move. She took her inspiration from Rena who she had often seen using the move Sunny Day. Just like my fox companion she sought to harness the power of the sun and by the end of our two weeks training she showed the first signs of learning how to use the move Morning Sun. I was blown away by her intuitiveness and after explaining to her which move she stumbled upon, the little bug type worked twice as hard at mastering the technique.


    Raven¡¯s progress was hard won; it took her ten days to learn how to channel fighting type energy. At the end of our two weeks¡¯ training she finally began showing signs of properly using the move. My Pok¨¦mon helped her out by using the move Tackle against her. At first she couldn¡¯t get the timing right using the move prematurely or not at all. The first time she executed the move successfully was when Halo flame charged her out of nowhere. Raven¡¯s fight or flight instincts subconsciously registered the little bug type as a threat helping her get the timing right just as Halo crashed into her. That was also the first time Halo ever got struck by an offensive move. Not having built up her toughness through battling like the others had resulted with her dazzled out on the ground fainting from the backlash of her own move.


    Since today marked our return to the outside world our daily training bouts were cancelled. Rena still had to venture to the mountain¡¯s summit since we couldn¡¯t afford to have our efforts wasted. So all of us came up with an amenable solution.


    ¡°You want me to escort and watch over Rena while she trains on the summit!?¡±


    ¡°Just for today! It¡¯s a win win for the both of us when you think about it. Rena gets to show off in front of her little brother and teach him some of the tricks she¡¯s picked up from circuit battling.¡±


    Naturally Rena was responsible enough to get to the summit on her own. But I still felt a sense of duty regarding her safety. It was one thing when she was spending time at her mother¡¯s but another to be all alone with no one to look out for her aside from an overly enthusiastic Chingling. Training accidents are a rare occurrence but they still happen from time to time.


    ¡°Hmm I guess? We were actually planning on going down the mountain to go window shopping. But you owe me for this, one favor no questions asked.¡±


    ¡°Fine! Whatever, as long as I am not breaking any laws.¡±


    We already ate our morning breakfast with Flannery¡¯s group before seeing them off with my little fox trailing behind them. She didn¡¯t seem to mind overly much to have to sit out my next gym match.


    Flannery had really come into her own while free from her grandfather¡¯s supervision. She even managed to convince Ninetales to give her a shot with one of her two kits. The older one was a male Vulpix who strongly inherited their line¡¯s haughtiness. Ninetales must have figured that Flannery would be a good influence on him. Her energetic personality and natural klutziness coaxing him to come out of his shell. While his orderliness would temper the girl¡¯s rambunctiousness. This did not come without a few conditions though. Having been informed that we would be staying on the mountain for a while, she reserved the right to change her mind during this short trial period while we stayed with Phoebe¡¯s family. So far Flannery hadn¡¯t done anything egregious enough to change Ninetales¡¯ opinion on her fitness as a trainer.


    The first night she had been given the go ahead by Ninetales Flannery was awash with happiness immediately calling her grandfather to let him know of her success. Mr. Moore was happy for his granddaughter but let her know that it was about time she came home. He needed the extra hands to take care of the gym¡¯s increased workload. The houndour pack were now being looked after by a volunteer and it would take more time that he didn¡¯t have to hire and train new personnel. Having nearly fulfilled my part of the deal by letting Flannery catch Pok¨¦mon and experiencing what it was like to travel the routes he saw fit ¡­ to let me continue participating in this circuit with the gym¡¯s support and pending on how well I did during my next gym match he might even ask me to wear the gym¡¯s colors allowing me to fully represent the Lavaridge gym.


    ¡°Vi?¡± ¡°Are we ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Yep what¡¯s the closest place you can teleport us to?¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Kecleon¡¯s place!¡±


    ¡°That run down building?¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°They had a bunch of interesting stuff!¡±


    ¡°Stolen stuff. I don¡¯t want those rogues setting a bad example for Halo.¡±


    Still, I couldn¡¯t complain overly much. It was already impressive that Victini could teleport us inside the city¡¯s limits from this distance after having only been there for less than a full day. I returned the rest of my team who were busy goofing off inside the castle¡¯s training grounds to their pok¨¦ balls. Once I recalled my last partner Pok¨¦mon Raven who picked up a penchant for chasing down stray ghosts who visited the castle, I was ready to get teleported. Victini wasted no time clamping down on me and initiating the process. She¡¯d gotten so good at the move it took her less than a full second even when traveling long distances. One moment I was inside the castle¡¯s training grounds and now I was in a run down shack populated by Chameleon Pok¨¦mon. Who weren¡¯t mentally prepared to have a human just drop by out of nowhere.


    ¡°Kec!¡±


    ¡°Leon!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Calm down, it''s me. This is my human. You know the one I sometimes talk about? He came by here that one time.¡±


    That seemed to have calmed down the two Kecleon who had been standing guard over the place while the others were probably out hoodwinking tourists.


    Somehow I wasn¡¯t that surprised that Victini had been having secret playdates without me knowing about them. If I had the power to travel everywhere within a moment¡¯s notice I¡¯d be checking up on old friends from time to time as well.


    ¡®Wait¡­ what other friends have you been hanging out with while the rest of us were sleeping?¡¯


    ¡°Just here! And sometimes I sneak up on Tranquill. She has been doing really well over here. Winona was so impressed by her grit that she¡¯s promised to let her on the team as soon as she¡¯s become strong enough to take on eighth badge trainers.¡±


    As I took in my surroundings I couldn¡¯t help but notice the Kecleon¡¯s change in inventory. There used to be the occasional item of value strewn in between all the junk and loose Pok¨¦mon food but it seemed that they¡¯ve been learning to snatch the type of items humans would find actually valuable. Pok¨¦mon sized furniture, Leppa Pomeg Hondew and Sitrus berries, leaf stones, a pile of gold nuggets crowned by a single pearl.  And strangely enough a single Light Orb.


    ¡°Have you been teaching them how to become better thieves¡­?¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi Vi!¡± ¡°No! Thieving is bad but they still needed a way to make a living. So I went through some of you older memories to come up with a solution and now they¡¯ve been gathering the good stuff so they can start their own shop! For both wild Pok¨¦mon and traveling trainers! The Kecleon shop is about two weeks away from officially opening!¡±


    To say I wasn¡¯t impressed would be a total obfuscation of the truth. It always seemed strange to me that there weren¡¯t any places of commerce run completely by Pok¨¦mon. There are shops that are managed by trainer owned Pok¨¦mon but to see wild Pok¨¦mon like these Kecleon showing such initiative with only a little encouragement from Victini completely changed my initial opinion about these rascals.


    ¡°Tini if these guys need an initial investor then count me in! This place just needs a few licks of paint and a signboard. We could get all that done within the day. Probably some display cases to show off their merchandise, maybe a store logo.¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi!¡± ¡°Wait! Wait! The Kecleon are the ones that decide. If humans suddenly start interfering it will defeat the shop¡¯s original purpose.¡±


    ¡°Then how will they purchase products to sell?¡±


    ¡°The wild Pok¨¦mon living on routes 119 to 121 will bring in items of interest. In exchange for berries, food and human made healing items. Visiting trainers who purchase their wares are encouraged to barter with goods but if they wish to use human currency they will be buying at a premium.¡±


    ¡®I could see many a Pikachu trainer willingly fork over the big bucks for that light orb. And since none of these kecleon are trainer owned they wouldn¡¯t have to pay taxes. If this place does turn over a substantial profit I could see the local city council authorize an emergency ruling.¡¯


    Battles that allowed for the use of items were few and far between in the main circuits. Technical battling like that was usually reserved for places like the battle frontier or the trainer tower. The league didn¡¯t expect many of the younger trainers to learn how some of the more esoteric items worked so to keep things fair they banned their use from all league sanctioned battles.


    ¡°We are wasting time! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Fine! Just wait a second.¡±


    I ruffled through my bag until I finally found the item I was looking for. Before placing it in the claws of the nearest Kecleon.


    ¡°Here you go, another item passing trainers might be interested in.¡±


    ¡°Kec?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a single use technical machine for the move Silver Wind. These babies have been discontinued for a while so a passing bug type trainer is sure to scoop it up when seeing it displayed in your store.¡±


    ¡°Kec Leon!¡±


    ¡°I am proud that you guys are changing for the better and I want to help out in my own small way.¡±


    The Kecleon started tearing up before quickly turning around and placing the technical machine on top of the collection of gold nuggets.


    ¡°I told you these kecleon are the sweetest!¡±


    ¡°You are right from now on I¡¯ll defer to you in all Pok¨¦mon related matters. Now¡­ It¡¯s time we finally won our third Hoenn gym badge!¡±

 Chapter 57 - Feathery Showdown

    Chapter 57 - Feathery Showdown


    After saying our goodbyes to the kecleon group and their fledgling new business me and Victini walked into the direction of the gym. Since we¡¯d been here before I had no problem navigating Fortree City¡¯s jungle of shoots and ladders. Victini floating behind me while invisible. It was still early in the morning and a thick fog enveloped the city giving us the freedom to talk openly without much scrutiny.


    ¡°So... what places do you visit while not hanging out with us?¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Slateport beach is nice, the seashore house sells a pecha berry ice cream that¡¯s really yummy!


    ¡°Wait, how would you know that? We¡¯ve only been there once, and I don¡¯t remember ordering any pecha berry ice cream.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you have been raiding their freezer...¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°No! I left some money behind.¡±


    ¡°So, you were the one that has been swiping my loose change! You had me believing that one of the castle¡¯s ghosts was suffering from a bout of kleptomania.¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Sorry!¡±


    ¡°Well at least they won¡¯t be likely to hire a private investigator to catch you in the act... but I don¡¯t like playing favourites. From now on you¡¯ll have to share with everyone else on the team the next time you go on a food excursion. Have you made any new friends while out playing?¡±


    ¡°The kecleon group asks for my expertise when new items come in stock. Sometimes I help out carrying their loot from on route 120 and back. Oh! I met a pride of Absol while out playing. They were also interested in trading away items to the store.¡±


    ¡°I spent all our time on that route looking for them and I didn¡¯t even find a single one!¡±


    ¡°Vi¡± ¡°I asked them, they avoid humans when at all possible.¡±


    ¡°Ah well can¡¯t blame them for that I guess.¡±


    As we got closer to the gym the paved street on the ground became more crowded and we had to put a halt to our verbal conversation to avoid being overheard. It was still early in the afternoon so the only people out and about were young hopefuls eager to visit the gym during walk in hours. Winona by all accounts was a fairly popular gym leader especially so with the local youths. There were enough kids blocking the entranceway to the gym that it would take a while before the doorman would manage to deal with them all.


    ¡°I have to go meet someone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. You¡¯ll come watch my gym battle though, right?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡±


    With that my rabbit friend disappeared off to a place unknown. By my estimation Victini went off to go catch up with Tranquill before the match. It was good that she used her powers to keep up with all of our old friends. Being the inherently social creature that she naturally is.


    It took a while having to stand in line but eventually the crowd of bored kids with nothing better to do thinned out and it was my turn to address the harried looking gym staff manning the reception.


    ¡°Check in for today¡¯s gym battles?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Egon from Lavaridge town first slot of the day.¡±


    The receptionist took the time to verify my claims but soon enough he spotted my name on the list.


    ¡°Yep, there you are. Now go on through, the battlefield is located on the third door to the right of this hallway.¡±


    The staff member shooed me off, seemingly trusting me to get there on my own without taking into account the slim likelihood that I was a bad actor. Security for league managed facilities was taken very seriously. I wouldn''t be surprised to find I was being tracked by a psychic type Pok¨¦mon right this moment. This being a flying type gym it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to convince a flock of Natu¡¯s and Xatu to act as security in exchange for a lavish lifestyle and free training.


    Without further ado I walked on eager to win my third Hoenn gym badge.


    <hr>


    At the battlefield*


    The gym battle between Winona the Fortree gym leader and the challenger Egon from Lavaridge town will now begin! Each trainer will use three Pok¨¦mon and the match will be over when all of either trainer¡¯s Pok¨¦mon are unable to battle. Only the challenger will be allowed substitutions!


    I was starting to get worried that Victini would miss the gym battle when suddenly I felt a familiar presence joining my mind.


    ¡®Tini! Where have you been?¡¯


    ¡°Meeting up with an old friend, she and her new trainer have a big surprise for you during this battle.¡±


    Once more I felt the mental presence of my psychic rabbit link up with my mind. For some reason she seemed extra excited for this battle. Undoubtedly, she was visiting Tranquill, while away, the big surprise probably being that she would be called on to participate in this gym battle. I estimated Tranquill¡¯s strength to be around third badge level when I left her here at the gym. This being a fifth level badge must have meant that Winona felt confident enough that the bird Pok¨¦mon would put up a good fight.


    ¡°Stop trying to see through me!¡±


    ¡®You shouldn¡¯t have made it that obvious then.¡¯


    ¡°Come out Tranquill!¡±


    ¡°Go! Raven!¡±


    We each revealed our first Pok¨¦mon Tranquill materializing in the air above the battlefield while Raven took position on my side of the field. Tranquill had a fairly good idea what each of my team members were capable of having attended many of our training sessions. Raven being a recent addition should put her on the backfoot in this battle.


    ¡°This match will be a¡­¡±


    The referee was about to officially begin our match but before he had the chance to start I felt the need to clarify something first.


    ¡°Tranquill, are you eating well? The other bird Pok¨¦mon aren¡¯t bullying you right?¡±


    ¡°Quill!?¡±


    ¡°Have you made any new friends?¡±


    ¡°Tranq Quillll!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Of course she¡¯s not being bullied! All of our gym Pok¨¦mon are total sweethearts! In fact, she¡¯s close to making a special friend if you know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°No! She¡¯s too young! Who was it that tried to seduce our innocent battle loving maiden?!¡±


    ¡°Quill¡­¡±


    Tranquill landed on a nearby bird¡¯s pole hiding her face underneath her feathered plumage clearly embarrassed by my verbal antics.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know Swellow¡¯s been a complete gentlebird. In fact, she¡¯s the one who came onto him!¡±


    ¡°Lies!¡±


    The referee took this moment to remind the both of us that we were in the middle of an official gym battle.


    ¡°Ahem! If the challenger and our esteemed leader are done, could we start the battle?¡±


    ¡°Oops sorry Jared!¡±


    ¡°My apologies as well. I was just too curious on how Tranquill has been doing since we left her here.¡±


    ¡°The gym battle between the Fortree gym leader and the Challenger Egon from Lavaridge town will now begin! Each trainer will use three Pok¨¦mon the match will be over when all of either trainers¡¯ Pok¨¦mon are unable to battle. Only the challenger will be allowed substitutions. Let the battle begin!¡±


    ¡°Air Cutter!¡±


    ¡°Keep light on your feet and Snarl!¡±


    Invisible blades of wind zoned in on Raven. Instead of immediately retaliating she tried to dodge as many of them as she could. I remembered Tranquill not being as accurate with her moves having been a spectator to many of her impromptu bouts with passing wild Pok¨¦mon. Clearly, she has improved since joining up with Winona. Every other windblade managed to accurately hit Raven. My Pok¨¦mon didn¡¯t appreciate her spontaneous haircut seeing tufts of fur falling down on the ground. After the final volley of wind blades was sent out my own Pok¨¦mon retaliated with a loud screech carrying with it a dose of harmful dark type energy. Because the dark type energy was carried through sound waves Tranquill had no way of dodging the move. Sound moves generally weren¡¯t all that powerful but this one seeped through her system crippling her ability to direct typed energy outside the body.


    Snarl was our way of punishing flying strategies that overly relied on keeping out of the opponent¡¯s distance. Since substitution wasn¡¯t allowed during a gym battle Winona couldn¡¯t get rid of Snarl¡¯s after effect.


    ¡°U-turn!¡±


    ¡®Or she can! Winona must have taught Tranquill a bunch of new tricks.¡¯


    ¡°Wait for it just like we practiced!¡±


    Raven knew what I was aiming for. We couldn¡¯t stop Tranquill from switching out and ridding herself of the aftereffects of snarl but we could punish whichever Pok¨¦mon got released as a result of the move.


    Tranquill snooped in glowing with a dim green light. U-turn required the user to get a blow in before allowing the Pok¨¦mon to switch out. Tranquill was the speedier Pok¨¦mon between the two so the only thing we could do was to hit Winona¡¯s switch with everything we had. Tranquill slammed against Raven in a full body blow briefly staggering my houndour before dematerializing and being sucked inside my old poke ball hanging from Winona¡¯s waist. Immediately one of the other balls hanging from that same belt opened up and in a flash of light a large Pelican like Pok¨¦mon was released in the exact same spot where Tranquill had previously dematerialized.


    ¡°Release Counter!¡±


    ¡°Pell?!¡±


    Enveloped in orange light Raven tackled the startled Pelliper who didn¡¯t have the time to fly away. Counter releases with twice the force the U-turn didn¡¯t manage to hurt Raven significantly since she was also part fire type, but that Counter still packed a wallop.


    Pelliper was blown back all the way to the edge of the battlefield before finally stabilizing midair. U-turn could startle Pok¨¦mon who weren¡¯t prepared to switch in. Seeing as this was a fifth badge level Pok¨¦mon, Winona probably hadn¡¯t trained this Pelliper¡¯s preparedness and left its training in the hands of one of her gym trainers.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Sorry Pellipper!¡±


    ¡°Lipper!¡±


    ¡®This is great! Pelliper would be a threat to my team but with it taking a full force Counter like this we might be able to take it out right away.¡¯


    ¡°Snarl!¡±


    ¡°Water Pulse!¡±


    Taking a direct water type attack like that would surely put Raven on her last legs if not knock her out directly combined with the previous hit she suffered from the talons of Tranquill. Pellipper weren¡¯t known for their speed so this time we could get in first licks during our exchange of moves. Just like before the dark type energy carried by the Raven¡¯s howl affected the pelican like Pok¨¦mon causing the Water Pulse which it was already charging up to lessen in effectiveness. Still with the battlefield constructed as it is there was no chance of my trusty pouch dodging the incoming blow. The blue ball of water impacted the battlefield producing waves of water that swept Raven in their wake. Raven emerged from the waves looking like a pitiful puppy forced to take its first bath which was probably true. Pellipper wasn¡¯t looking much better having trouble staying at an even elevation. A single weak blow would probably be enough to finish up the fight.


    ¡°Can you still go on?¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    ¡°Fine, let''s finish this! Incinerate!¡±


    ¡°Water Gun!¡±


    Raven fired off a series of fireballs in Pelliper¡¯s direction while at the same time while at the same time the water bird Pok¨¦mon produced a jetstream of cold water in her direction. I didn¡¯t need to see to know what the result of such an exchange meant.


    ¡°Both Pellipper and Houndour are unable to battle!¡±


    I quickly recalled Raven back to her ball. She more than exceeded my initial expectations by taking out Winona¡¯s water type paving the way for the rest of the team.


    ¡°Good job Raven. You can have all the extra deserts you like when we get back.¡±


    ¡°Pick me! I also want to earn those extra desserts!¡±


    ¡®You have been working hard getting all those spars in with Phoebe¡¯s team¡­ Let¡¯s all go get something to snack on after this. Just let me finish up this match real quick Raven wasn¡¯t the only one on the team with something to prove.¡¯


    ¡°Go Orin!¡±


    ¡°Swellow take flight!¡±


    Both our Pok¨¦mon materialized on the field much to my surprise this particular Swellow was an off colour Pok¨¦mon or ¡°Shiny¡± if we¡¯d go by terms used in my previous world. The odds of two trainers both owning and releasing off colour Pok¨¦mon against each other at the same time was a small miracle. It was then that I remembered one of the offhand comments Winona made just a few minutes prior.


    ¡°Was it you?!¡±


    ¡°Sweeell?¡±


    ¡°Are you the one playing with Tranquill¡¯s heart?¡±


    ¡°Looow!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you take that tone with me, mister! She¡¯s too young to be shacking up with any old flirt no matter how exotic looking their plumage is.¡±


    It was at this moment that the referee butted into my ¡­ speech.


    ¡°Ahem! Battle!¡±


    Not wanting to lose the advantage I quickly focused my attention on the battle. Since Swellow was also a normal type most of the new ghost type moves he¡¯d learned over at Phoebe¡¯s wouldn¡¯t work. Which left us with Orin¡¯s learned fire type moves.


    ¡°Aerial Ace!¡±


    ¡°Counter Shield!¡±


    Winona immediately went on the offensive demonstrating her gym¡¯s signature move. Swellow dive bombed into the ground quickly executing the gym¡¯s famed manoeuvre. Aerial Ace was(is) a move that confounds the opponent with blinding speed, almost making the user disappear before seemingly reappearing right in front of the opponent slamming into its target with pinpoint precision.


    I knew trying to dodge Aerial Ace was a waste of time. So, I commanded Orin to do the next best thing. In his current evolutionary stage, his movement was greatly hampered only being able to perform a single hop in the time it takes for an opponent¡¯s attack to land. So, between breaks while training we came up with our own version of Fire Spin one that shielded him inside a fiery tornado. Any would-be attackers would get scorched when trying to get physical with Orin. It didn¡¯t do a whole lot of damage but not many pok¨¦mon would confidently wade through flames without flinching giving Orin a chance to avoid the attack.


    Contrary to my expectations Swellow didn¡¯t seem to mind getting scorched by flames. The swallow Pok¨¦mon bravely penetrated Orin¡¯s fire tornado bashing head first into him, flinging the candle Pok¨¦mon away in the process.


    ¡°Lit¡­¡±


    ¡°You can do it Orin! Use Will-O-Wisp!¡±


    ¡°You know what to do Swellow!¡±


    Teal flames sprang forth out of Orin¡¯s wick in Swellow¡¯s direction, but strangely enough Winona¡¯s Pok¨¦mon seemed content to just stay still while using this opportunity to focus his energies. This course of action from our opponents set off a harrowing feeling in my stomach. Orin¡¯s flames enveloped the colourful bird Pok¨¦mon burning up his once bright plumage. Unlike its previous dip inside our fire spin this time the flames were there to stay the fire type energy now within its body straining the muscle and flaring up intermittently as long as the bird wasn¡¯t recalled inside its pok¨¦ ball or got immediate treatment. Contrary to my expectations Swellow¡¯s muscles seemed to have grown larger as if the Pok¨¦mon had just come back from an intense session at the gym.


    ¡®Already trained up the Guts ability!? Winona must be planning to add this Swellow to her personal team. This is bad!¡¯


    ¡°Brave Bird!¡±


    ¡°Curse!¡±


    I knew my little candle Pok¨¦mon had no hope of surviving what came next but I was determined to make that blasted bird pay the price for snatching up Orin¡¯s shot at getting his first gym victory. Using destiny Bond was out of Orin¡¯s skill level at the moment but he had gotten pretty good at cursing other Pok¨¦mon while practicing under Phoebe¡¯s tutelage. Swellow tucked in its wings burning bright blue with the amount of flying type energy he was processing in his body to jump up to speeds that were almost too fast to see with the human eye. Brave Bird was a devastating move where a flying type would disregard personal safety to deal as much damage to their opponent as possible regardless of the consequences.


    But before Swellow had the chance to take him out Orin conjured up a spiritual nail before impaling himself with it. Normally I would never resort to a self harming move but under these circumstances I was forced to in order to win. Swellow had become a danger even to the more senior members of my team  Guts wasn¡¯t a joke. I''ve seen videos of raticates taking down Steelix¡¯ with just their muscle power while guts was activated. The nail fully hilted itself inside Orin¡¯s body acted more akin to a spiritual object not permanently harming the candle Pok¨¦mon in any way but it was enough to faint him.


    ¡°Orin Return!¡±


    Orin had already fainted so I saw no point in having his unconscious body suffer the attack that was coming his way. Swellow on the other hand was not prepared for the sudden recall the flying type managed to just barely not crash land into the ground pulling up at the last second. Since the bird was now cursed and burned the referee had to make sure that I called out my last Pok¨¦mon as fast as possible. There were some trainers that would stall for as much time as possible to eke out as much of an advantage as possible but I wasn''t one of those trainers.


    ¡°Go Numsy!¡±


    In a bright flash of light my oldest partner appeared a small tremor rocking the battlefield as he did so. He was my ace in the hole for this gym match. With Pellipper gone and her final Pok¨¦mon being known to me I was assured that there would be no unexpected shenanigans coming our way. The only thing we had to do is hold out against her roided out bird until the burning and curses did their job. Winona obviously knew she was on the clock and thus wasted no time calling out her next move.


    ¡°Brave Bird!¡±


    ¡°Protect!¡±


    A turquoise energy shield appeared around Numsy¡¯s body just before Swellow dive bombed into him. The energy shield would always hold out, only specialized moves are capable of breaking through. However, that didn¡¯t mean that we were safe from Swellow¡¯s assault. Protect only guaranteed safety against the initial attack, the move becoming less reliable with continued use. While Numsy was busy sheltering behind his energy shield I could already see the effects of being cursed and burned start taking their toll on Swellow¡¯s body. Most bird Pok¨¦mon weren¡¯t known for their hardiness and Swellow¡¯s species aren¡¯t the exception.


    ¡®We just need one good hit to make sure Swellow stays down.¡¯


    ¡°Lava Plume!¡±


    ¡°Facade!¡±


    ¡®She even taught Swellow such a highly specialized move!? This isn¡¯t a fifth badge level Pok¨¦mon by a long shot!¡¯


    Numsy dropped his shield and immediately began pumping the entire battlefield with a blanket of scarlet flames centered around Swellow¡¯s current position. The flying type Pok¨¦mon, disregarding our attack, covered himself in an orange aura flying straight into the sea of flames intending to do as much damage as possible.


    ¡°Ruuupt!¡±


    ¡°Loooow!¡±


    Somehow Swellow managed to get past the first wave of scarlet flames slamming beak first into Numsy. The power of that blow was enough to leave my buddy staggering despite the size difference. That didn¡¯t mean he got past the second or third wave though. The bird Pok¨¦mon didn¡¯t seem to care much about its own well-being, a common psychological effect from having its guts ability activated. This effect on the mind could be mitigated with lots of training but it seemed like WInona hadn¡¯t gotten to that part of Swellow¡¯s training yet. Consequently, a distinct smell wafted through the battle facility in the aftermath of our Pok¨¦mons¡¯ clash, one that most closely resembled the fried farfetch¡¯d my grandpa had one time brought home for dinner.


    Numsy had only taken just one blow from Winona¡¯s Pok¨¦mon but at a single glance I could already tell he wouldn¡¯t hold on against another move of similar power. Luckily, I was fairly sure Swellow was too fatigued to carry on. The bird Pok¨¦mon was back in the air struggling to keep his distance. The expression the Pok¨¦mon was making was full of fighting spirit, but his body was simply too ravaged for any responsible trainer to let him continue.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough! You¡¯ve done your fair share.¡±


    ¡°Sweeelloow!¡±


    ¡°Return!¡±


    Swellow didn¡¯t seem to agree with his trainer but despite his wishes Winona activated her pok¨¦ ball¡¯s return mechanism anyway. The flying type disappearing in a red beam of light but instead of calling out her last Pok¨¦mon she started addressing the elephant in the room.


    ¡°Sorry that you had to see that. When a battle gets really intense like this tailow and their evolved form have a worrying habit to fight till the bitter end. Especially when they are looking to prove themselves.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think that my comments earlier¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ he might not admit it, but he is serious about Tranquill.¡±


    ¡®Now I feel bad¡­ it is not like it''s any of my business as her sort of former trainer who Tranquill elects to spend her time with.¡¯


    ¡°Swellow wants to be acknowledged by us. The best way to cheer him up is to praise his strength while Tranquill is watching.¡±


    ¡®Fine, since we¡¯ll obviously be sticking around for a bit longer, I guess we could do that.¡¯


    While Victini and I were having a mental conversation Winona saw fit to release her final Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Go Tranquill!¡±


    Our old-time friend reappeared a few feathers out of place but looking energetic enough to give it her best. Numsy gave her a cheery hello despite being worse for wear.


    ¡°Came!¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    After the quick exchange of courtesies both Winona and I wasted no time to issue our next instructions.


    ¡°Rock Slide!¡±


    ¡°Detect!¡±


    Numsy created multiple white orbs of energy around himself. The orbs of energy then turned into large gray rocks which chucked into Tranquill¡¯s direction. Winona on the other hand was prepared, deploying the typical evasion tactics typical for flying type specialists. Detect was a special fighting type move that gave the user a brief glimpse of foresight allowing a Pok¨¦mon to perfectly evade an attack with no wasted movements. Which is exactly what happened when Tranquill expertly dodged the barrage of rocks flying her way. However, I knew that Tranquill wouldn¡¯t be able to keep this up for long, so our opponent tried switching tactics.


    ¡°Dual Wingbeat!¡±


    ¡°Cover yourself! Yawn!¡±


    Tranquill flew closer in an attempt to give my Camerupt a decisive blow, but this is what we wanted. Numsy expelled a copious amount of gas from both his mouth and humps enveloping himself and in a cloud of gas. We long figured out that one¡¯s own yawn was unable to put the user to sleep and with a Camerupt¡¯s unique physiology Numsy was able to quickly cover the surrounding area with the sleep gas.


    ¡°Get away! Don¡¯t breathe in the gas!¡±


    Winona tried to warn Tranquill, but it was already too late. Her close proximity to my own Pok¨¦mon meant there was no way to avoid inhaling a lungful. Tranquill successfully managed to execrate herself out of the situation but the drowsy expression she made afterwards made it clear this battle was as good as over.


    ¡°Quill...¡±


    ¡°Numsy if she tries anything, use Protect.¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    ¡°Return!¡±


    Winona wisely made the decision to call the match. Avoiding a situation where a sleeping defenseless Tranquill got blasted by Numsy.


    ¡°The gym leader¡¯s Tranquill is unable to battle! So, the victory goes to Egon from Lavaridge town!¡±


    ¡°We did it! Great job Numsy! Take a good rest.¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    ¡®That was a close one that Swellow gave us a heap of trouble.¡¯


    I returned my own Pok¨¦mon and got off the high rise overlooking the battlefield to receive my winnings. I wasn¡¯t particularly impressive during the fight, winning with only one of my Pok¨¦mon left standing, so I wasn¡¯t betting on Winona letting me have a gander at her gym¡¯s stock of technical machines. We walked up to each other, and she gave me the standard handshake congratulating me for my victory followed by her giving me the Featherbadge. We then started talking about the minutia of the battle.


    ¡°That Houndour of yours really pulled the air out of our sails. Without her you might not have won the match.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she worked hard these last few weeks. I couldn''t be prouder. Swellow as well, he almost swept my entire team.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I usually reserve him for 6th and 7th level gym matches. At the end of this year¡¯s season, he¡¯ll get bumped up to eight level if his process holds true.¡±


    ¡°Wait... is that standard practice to use stronger than appropriate level Pok¨¦mon during gym battles?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes a gym leader will use stronger Pok¨¦mon to test trainers who they deem to be at a higher skill level. We also do so if a newbie comes in with a legacy Pok¨¦mon inherited from his family. Well... in this case I wanted you to meet Swellow so you could see that he¡¯s a standup flying type. You¡¯d still have gotten your badge in any case. That Counter stratagem firmly placed you as fifth badge level worthy in my mind.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, again... any way I could make it up to him?¡±


    ¡°I still have to take on challengers until late into the afternoon, but Swellow has the rest of the day off. After he¡¯s done recovering at the Pok¨¦mon center you can come visit him in our gym¡¯s aviary.¡±


    With that she turned around and walked off probably to greet the next starry-eyed challenger looking to earn him or herself a badge.

 Chapter 58 - Scared Straight

    Chapter 58 ¨C Scared Straight


    The first thing I did after earning myself the Feather badge was to have my Pok¨¦mon checked in at the Pok¨¦mon center. All of them took a severe walloping during their respective battles especially so in the case of little Orin. After picking up a tray and filling its empty holes with three of my seven pok¨¦ balls. I walked up to the counter where a younger looking Nurse Joy was waiting for me already anticipating my need for a health professional.


    ¡°Excuse me, Nurse Joy?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We just had an intense battle. Could you take care of these three Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, they¡¯ll be ready for pickup within the hour. Will that be all?¡±


    ¡°Uhm yeah, I was wondering if a Tranquill and Swellow from Winona¡¯s gym had already arrived? Our gym battle got a bit too intense, and some things might¡¯ve been said that hurt one¡¯s feelings. I just want an opportunity to properly apologize.¡±


    The nurse behind the counter gave me a discerning look before answering the question.


    ¡°Any information concerning our patients is protected by our confidentiality clause. But¡­ It is standard policy for our centers to give gym Pok¨¦mon priority care. If a trainer let¡¯s say you walked all the way over to one of our locations and back to the gym the travel time alone would probably have been sufficient to have those Pok¨¦mon treated and sent back over within that time frame.¡±


    ¡°Thank you nurse Joy!¡±


    ¡°We are going back?¡±


    ¡®Yes, you know where she is right? Winona already gave us a pass to visit the gym¡¯s rookery. We¡¯ll just go in, praise Swellow¡¯s battling prowess in front of Tranquill and make a head start towards Lilycove City.¡¯


    ¡°Already?! What about Flannery and Rena?¡±


    ¡®Flannery needs to go back to her grandfather¡¯s to help look after all those extra houndour. Her main goals while being our traveling companion have already been achieved. She caught two new Pok¨¦mon on her own and now knows what to expect when she debuts as a trainer for next season¡¯s circuit. It¡¯s still early in the morning, if you can teleport us to route 121¡¯s safari zone entrance it¡¯ll only be a four hour walk to Lilycove. When we arrive, we can schedule a gym battle with the city¡¯s minor gym and still be back in time for dinner with your impressive teleportation skills.¡¯


    While I was lining out my plans for the day with Victini we made our way back to the Fortree gym. The foot traffic in front of the facility was still massive but since we didn¡¯t have a need to talk with the receptionist this time we just moseyed on through. With Victini staying invisible while giving me directions to the place where we needed to be.


    ¡°This is it!¡±


    ¡°You sure? I figured the place where the gym keeps all its Pok¨¦mon to have better security measures.¡±


    ¡°Only really strong Pok¨¦mon thieves stand a chance at beating the rookery bosses!¡±


    ¡°Who are the rookery bosses?¡±


    ¡°Skarmory and Altaria! They make sure everyone else behaves and they don¡¯t mind visitors. Just go on in!¡±


    With the reassurances coming from Victini I worked up the courage to open the door leading to our destination. I was expecting the Rookery to be a disorganized place with feathers and Pok¨¦mon droppings to be strewn all across the floor but contrary to my expectations the place was in pristine condition. With every species of bird Pok¨¦mon claiming their own corner of this little paradise. The roof was completely made out of glass and there were multiple exits installed at higher altitudes so that the Pok¨¦mon living here could go out whenever they wanted to stretch their wings in the open skies of Fortree City. The various species of Pok¨¦mon living here were mostly Hoenn native. Although you could see the odd non native species


    The first thing I noticed was the constant chattering between the various kinds of bird Pok¨¦mon that lived here. They all seemed to be animatedly discussing various topics.


    ¡®What¡¯s the general vibe?¡¯


    ¡°The Pok¨¦mon are mostly talking about food, battling and love gossip.¡±


    ¡®Good, they don¡¯t seem to mind my presence here. Can you lead us to where Tranquill resides?¡¯


    ¡°I know this place like the back of my paw!¡±


    My little rabbit Pok¨¦mon had to remain invisible so she couldn¡¯t give me visual instructions on which direction to go so instead Victini decided to co-opt the space on top of my cranium and proceed to ratataouille me in the right direction.


    I always found the Kalosian Ratata able to puppeteer a human by just pulling strands of hair to be borderline ridiculous, but Victini was able to pull it off, no problems at all. She guided me all the way to the back where I could spot the first glimpse of Tranquill enjoying a light meal while accompanied by the same Swellow we just beat less than an hour ago.


    ¡°Tranquill! We¡¯ve come to visit you!¡±


    ¡°Tranq?!¡±


    ¡°Swell!¡±


    ¡°Come on out everyone!¡±


    I released all the Pok¨¦mon latched onto my trainer¡¯s belt. Sans Numsy, Orin and Raven who were still receiving treatment at the Pok¨¦mon center. Two of them having already faced Tranquill in battle so really only Orin was missing out on this. What I did not expect was our little lightshow drawing the attention of some of the other gym residents.


    My entire team gave faint cry¡¯s at the sight of their missing teammate and soon enough the bunch of them huddled around listening in on Tranquill giving a much impassioned speech. Victini translating the more important bits to me in a play by play. While that was happening I was locked in the middle of a stare off with the Swellow who was courting our former team member.


    ¡°You know¡­ I came here not just to see how Tranquill was doing. It is also because I felt sorry for being too harsh with my words. You¡¯ve already proven your strength in front of us, Swellow, it¡¯s just that¡­ humans use other criteria for selecting a suitable life partner.¡±


    ¡°Looow?¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°It varies from person to person but typically it revolves around having matching personalities. In the end It doesn¡¯t matter how shiny or well-kept one¡¯s looks or plumage are if all you do is bicker when together in the same room.¡±


    ¡°Sweeeel!¡±


    I didn¡¯t need Victini¡¯s help to understand that part.


    ¡°Alright but just take things slow with her she hasn¡¯t even fully evolved yet. I am not ready to become an uncle yet.¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Nor me an auntie!¡±


    The sound of the invisible Victini startled Swellow but left the rest of my team and Tranquill unphased having gotten used to having the invisible stalker rabbit¡¯s antics. And also leaving me to have to explain the origins of the disembodied voice to the confused bird.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her, she''s just a Kecleon that I recently caught while staying in this city. Kecleon just loves pulling a fast one on anyone she meets.¡±


    Swellow was giving me that look as if he completely didn¡¯t believe me but didn¡¯t want to make the effort to argue the point.


    ¡°You think he¡¯s buying it?¡±


    ¡®No, but who is he going to tell? Next time try emulating Kecleon a bit better. You don¡¯t sound like a three feet tall reptilian in the slightest.¡¯


    I took this moment in time to divide my attention back to my other Pok¨¦mon who were just about done listening to Tranquill bragging about her new trainer and living conditions. Especially Halo seemed taken aback by the luxurious lifestyle Tranquill had been enjoying while living at the gym.


    ¡®This is dangerous¡­ one more tall tale about Tranquill¡¯s personal groomer and the communal gym chefs and she might instigate a rebellion.¡¯


    ¡°What a wonderful tale Tranquill! Too bad none of us are flying types. Let this be a lesson to us all that with hardwork and dedication we too might get to enjoy such benefits one day. I bet you Tranquill has to work extra hard now that she¡¯s a gym Pok¨¦mon way harder than being on a regular team, right?¡±


    ¡°Quill!¡±


    Halo¡¯s excitability simmered down after hearing Tranquill¡¯s eager affirmation. The rest of the team not really caring overly much about living in opulence to begin with.


    ¡®Phew! Crisis averted.¡¯


    <hr>


    Half an hour later*


    Visiting the gym to catch up with Tranquill was a pleasant affair. Seeing her brimming with positive vibes assured me that I made the right move by contacting the Fortree City gym and having Winona adopt her. Staying for longer proved to be an impossibility due to Halo¡¯s instincts as a bug type kicking in. Somehow being near dozens of bird Pok¨¦mon whom she has never met before gave her a near panic attack. Necessitating me to call our short visit to a close. Halo tried her best to suppress her constant twitching each time the shadow cast by a flying type Pok¨¦mon passed over us but couldn¡¯t quite cover up her discomfort. She was completely fine with Tranquill partly due to the fact that the two of them have known each other since her hatching day. Which was probably what allowed her to conquer that instinctual fear, but that same closeness did not extend to other flying types in the rookery.


    So, after recalling most of my team, me and Victini said our goodbyes to Swellow and Tranquill and made our way back to the Pok¨¦mon center where nurse Joy dutifully handed over the rest of my team after which we looked for an inconspicuous location to teleport away from.


    ¡°Right around here will do. Unless you want to go all the way back to the Kecleon shop?¡±


    Victini did not even bother to answer my enquiry before grabbing me by the scruff and teleporting us all the way to our destination. As usual teleportation was so fast my senses didn¡¯t even register the transition before, I found myself back in familiar territory right outside the entrance to the safari zone. Usually, I would take the time to go say hello old man Jack, but I knew we were short on time. We had to get back to Rena and the others in time for dinner or else they¡¯d needlessly worry. The latter half of route 121 was filled with tall grass and some of it would grow tall enough to come up to my shoulders. As such I resolved to keep at least one of my Pok¨¦mon out at all times this time that being Raven. Her powerful nose would sense any approaching wild Pok¨¦mon long before our eyes could.


    ¡°Thanks again girl. Once we reach the halfway point and stop for our lunchbreak you¡¯ll be getting an extra berry.¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    I quite enjoyed navigating the route with Raven by my side. She made for excellent company unlike my other canine companion. This one didn¡¯t mind if I messed up her fur with spontaneous pats and cuddles. Although her coat wasn¡¯t as luxuriant as Rena¡¯s being short matted and covered in bonelike spurs, just the extra enthusiasm made up for a great deal of these shortcomings. We just continued on walking until we came across an open clearing with a large tree planted in the middle. The tree didn¡¯t bear any kind of fruits so it shouldn¡¯t have been claimed by any of the more territorial Pok¨¦mon living in these parts perfect for use as a picnic spot. The first thing I decided to do was to release all my Pok¨¦mon and leave them to do their own thing as I started prepping their lunches. I¡¯ve become quite adept at activating the release mechanisms in one motion opening each of their respective balls foregoing the need to unlatch them from my belt.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Rupt!¡± ¡°Lit!¡± ¡°Vess!¡± ¡°Nitan!¡±


    ¡°Okay guys, it¡¯s nearing lunch time! You can go out and play while me and Glove take care of all the food prepping.¡±


    Over the course of my journey I¡¯ve come to learn that Glove was quite adept at following simple cooking instructions. It all started back in Lavaridge when I was cooking up Halo¡¯s first meal after getting the go ahead from Nurse Mary that it was safe for her to start eating solid food. Being a trained guard palace he insisted on overseeing the cooking process to make sure no one poisoned Halo¡¯s meals. According to Glove this was standard procedure for personal guard Pok¨¦mon. Not seeing the harm in it I let him watch me. This eventually turned into him being my go to guy when it comes to food preparation. In hindsight, him being the only Pok¨¦mon on the team with opposable thumbs automatically made him the best at handling all the kitchen utensils. Although I did insist on being the only one handling the kitchen knife.


    Victini brought out my deck of playing cards and insisted on engaging in a round of Blitz with the rest of the group. They had worked out a new system where the little rabbit would use her psychic powers to hold the card for the Pok¨¦mon in the team who didn¡¯t have the required number of digits to hold the cards in front of them. Which was a blessing because I was tired of buying a new set of cards each time the previous cards got worn out by being drenched in Pok¨¦mon saliva.


    So, while I was busy cutting up our berry supply, Glove was helping out by weighing the dry stuff and giving correct portion sizes to each member of the team. It didn¡¯t take long to have all their bowls lined up and filled with food and while I was at it sneakily putting one extra diced oran berry in Raven¡¯s bowl without the rest of the team¡¯s foreknowledge. Although Victini did give me the evil eye after I finished doing so, likely having noticed my sleight of hand with her psychic senses.


    ¡°Ah this is nice¡­ no spectral tricksters just the team and the open road.¡±


    Most of my team were basking in the afterglow of their well deserved meal when suddenly we could hear the sound of lightning, coming out from the open ocean, followed up by a sudden change in wind direction.


    ¡®It¡¯ll probably be best if we get out of here before the storm hits.¡¯


    I was about to pack up my stuff when Raven, who had also been awakened by the sudden noise, started growling threateningly in the direction of a nearby shrubbery.


    ¡°What is it girl?¡±


    ¡°Ruff Ruff!¡±


    ¡°She says there¡¯s a stalker hiding in the bushes.¡±


    ¡°A Pok¨¦mon, right?¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    ¡°No, it smells like a human.¡±


    I felt a pang of fear emanating from the back of my head. Victini had quite openly been enjoying her lunch time meal with us, not to mention all the time spent playing card games with the rest of the team. If this was just a regular trainer traveling the routes he or she would have come out by now to exchange greetings. The fact that this person didn¡¯t do so probably meant something more nefarious was going on.


    ¡®Tini, can you turn invisible and drag this person out in the open?¡¯


    ¡°On it!¡±


    She was the best person for the job being the only one of us able to stealthily ambush and grab a hold of this personage without being noticed or stopped. I¡¯ve some personal experience in that regard Victini¡¯s telekinetic abilities are such that it was almost impossible to get loose once you are in range of her. In order to calm down my growling Houndour I whispered in her ears our plan of approach.


    ¡°Victini¡¯s on the case. Let¡¯s just casually walk near the bushes without rousing our stalker¡¯s suspicion.¡±


    Raven and myself slowly got closer to the edge of the clearing but before we had the chance to look behind the bushes Victini already informed me of the stalker¡¯s current status.


    ¡°Vi! VI!¡± ¡°They¡¯re gone!¡±


    Hearing her talking out loud like that both me and Raven sped forward already aware at what we were going to find behind those bushes. Once we got past that shrubbery what awaited us there was absolute zilch aside from the obvious hiking boot indents embedded onto the ground there were no signs of our supposed stalker.


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    ¡°Can you still find them girl?¡±


    Raven studiously sniffed the tracks that were left behind before doing a quick turn around and conveying her findings.


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    ¡°She says there is only one scent trail, an older one leading to this bush but there is no new one leaving it.¡±


    ¡°Teleportation, Raven¡¯s growl must have alerted them.¡±


    ¡°Vi?¡± ¡°Is this bad?¡±


    ¡°These are most likely professionals if the wind current¡¯s direction hadn¡¯t suddenly changed due to the incoming storm, we might have never noticed them at all. Whichever group hired this person to suss you out will now have photographic evidence of your existence.¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back into hiding!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t pay private investigators to shadow a rookie trainer without having credible knowledge of an objective. Whoever did this already knew that you existed and just wanted confirmation. That leaves out the typical seedy organizations like poaching rings and insurgency groups. The organization that hired this fellow probably just wants to keep tabs on you.


    ¡°Vi¡­ Vi?¡± ¡°So¡­ we¡¯re safe?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ you think somebody we know blabbed?¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! All those humans are my friends! Except maybe¡­ that crazy old hermit?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that old man was pretty suspicious but¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem like he would benefit from tattling on us. The guy lives off route in the woods all the way over in Unova. If he wanted money or fame there are a number of other ways he could get those, especially with his particular abilities.¡±


    ¡°Some random passerby might have just gotten lucky at spotting you and shared that information with his coworkers at the watercooler. In any case pointing fingers will get us nowhere.¡±


    <hr>


    Lilycove City*


    We finally made it to Lilycove city. After getting scared by our secret stalker, I made it a point to hurry on along the way. Even though there wasn¡¯t any immediate danger of Victini and I getting ambushed by Pok¨¦mon thieves, the encounter did leave me fearful for the future. This wasn¡¯t some motion picture where the bad guys get beat by rookie trainers. If they wanted to steal from you they¡¯d come in force. It didn''t matter how powerful the Pok¨¦mon they sought to capture was when they could just wear it down in a battle of attrition. Escaping via teleportation wasn¡¯t a sure bet either, any poacher worth their salt looking to capture a valuable psychic type Pok¨¦mon would have a partner Pok¨¦mon with them capable of using the move Mean Look which prevented their quarry from fleeing.


    The sight of the city somewhat calmed my nerves even the most hardened poachers wouldn¡¯t dare operate inside the confines of civilized society. People and Pok¨¦mon littered the streets. Lilycove City was a major tourist destination because of the litany of contests being held here. The contest hall in this city is the place where all the top coordinators gather to compete against each other. Tourists looking to experience Hoenn¡¯s contest scene all flocked to this city to come see the best of the best.


    ¡°Now remember we just need to make an appointment with the gym leader and then it¡¯s straight back to Rena and the others.¡±


    ¡°Nitan!¡± ¡°Vess!¡±


    It was around halfway into the afternoon which meant we had a couple of hours until we were expected to come back to Phoebe¡¯s family castle. Halo and Glove were both out of their balls experiencing the urban landscape with me. Halo was especially excited since I promised to her that we would schedule a battle for her as well. One of the many duties of a gym trainer was to have practice battles with novice trainers. Halo had matured enough that I was comfortable having her battle first badge level Pok¨¦mon. Especially since this gym specialized in grass type Pok¨¦mon.


    Walking around with the two of them was a bit slow going but I came prepared. Glove now had a pair of adult sized mittens on to avoid chafing his hands on concrete. Halo on the other hand was not hitching a ride with me; she had grown large enough that doing so would have me huffing and puffing all the way to the gym. She was miffed because I forbid her from riding on Numsy¡¯s back but large cities like this one had rules concerning the number of Pok¨¦mon trainers could have out at any one time and whenever Halo¡¯s out and about Glove insists on being her plus one for bodyguarding reasons.


    We asked random strangers on the street for information on the gym¡¯s whereabouts. Strangely enough most people living here had no knowledge whatsoever about the minor gym representing the city until finally a nice lady told us that the gym was right next to the giant lighthouse near Lilycove¡¯s commercial beaches. I could¡¯ve looked it up beforehand but exploring new places is half the fun of being a trainer on the circuit. The city was fairly large, so it took us about an hour to get to the place we were looking for. Halo being the least athletic of all my Pok¨¦mon started complaining halfway through but I reminded her that being able to cross long distances on her own was basically a requisite of being a trainer¡¯s Pok¨¦mon.


    The gym wasn¡¯t any sort of traditional building instead being a large greenhouse filled with all sorts of flora. The plants near the glass walls grew thick enough that it was impossible to see through and the only way inside was through the main entrance. Most gyms had opening hours where visitors could just show up unannounced to come see matches or book an appointment so without thinking overly long about it I tried to open the main door but found out that it was currently locked. Being left with no other alternatives I rapped my knuckles across the glass door hoping that would get the attention of those inside.


    After a hot minute we could hear the locking mechanism on the door being turned before the door was pushed slightly ajar. Unlike my expectations the one who opened the door was not a gym trainer or the leader but a frisky looking sceptile.


    ¡°Tile?¡±


    ¡°Uhm sorry for the disturbance. My name is Egon from Lavaridge town, and I was looking to book an appointment with the leader for a sixth level gym battle. This is the Lilycove city gym, correct?¡±


    Having elucidated our purpose for coming here the sceptile eased up a bit now fully opening the main gate.


    ¡°Tile Tile!¡±


    ¡°He says that his trainer closed up early for the day and is now out enjoying herself at the contest hall.¡±


    ¡®The contest hall¡­ that place is massive. We¡¯d never be able to find the gym leader in those huge crowds. Pok¨¦mon typically don¡¯t involve themselves with administrative duties but maybe¡­¡¯


    ¡°Are there any Pok¨¦mon here capable of taking a reservation?¡±


    ¡°Scep Tile.¡±


    ¡°He says to follow him to the computer.¡±


    ¡®Wow this Sceptile sure is talented. The gym leader must thank her lucky Jirachi every day for having this hard of a worker helping out.¡¯


    ¡°Glove is it okay if I recall you for this? A large fire type such as yourself would probably scare some of the grass types living inside.¡±


    ¡°Nitan¡­¡±


    Glove gave me his assent although somewhat begrudgingly. So I returned him to his pok¨¦ ball. I figured Halo could stay out because of her being a bug type. Thus far she¡¯s only experienced what¡¯s it like to traverse open fields and swamps. Being allowed inside a tropical paradise like this would probably make for a positive experience.


    I gingerly followed the large bipedal tree lizard inside. Eager to get this done with but also kind of curious what the inside of the greenhouse looked like. I could immediately spot all kinds of different grass type Pok¨¦mon frolicking around. The quantity of Pok¨¦mon wasn¡¯t anything close to that of a major league gym but was still a respectable number. I saw multiple seedot clamped onto the branches of berry trees dozing off happily. Seedot didn¡¯t really do much to promote a tree¡¯s growth but some people couldn¡¯t get enough of the little tykes. Seedot only clamped onto trees that were in pristine condition so farmers used them as an indicator to discover which of their berry trees were diseased or damaged.


    While Sceptile was leading us all the way to the back of the greenhouse. I was distracted by all the different kinds of Pok¨¦mon. The gym was home to all of the native Hoenn grass types, but I could spot a few exceptions. Mainly a lone Bellossom who was practicing her dance moves while a group of energetic budew watched on trying to emulate the flower Pok¨¦mon. Eventually we got to the computer in question. The machine was wrapped in plastics probably designed to protect the pc from suffering water damage from the sprinkler system. Sceptile managed to turn on the computer and clicked open a registry file before pointedly asking me a question.


    ¡°Tile?¡±


    ¡°He wants to know if next week Thursday in the afternoon is okay with you.¡±


    ¡®If Rena keeps up her training schedule that should work out perfectly.¡¯


    ¡°Yes, and could you also schedule a single battle versus one for the youngest on my team on the same day? That will be Halo¡¯s debut battle. Isn¡¯t that right princess?¡±


    ¡°¡­Tile?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I quickly spun around, not seeing the team¡¯s baby almost gave me a silent heart attack. Somehow while Sceptile was leading us to get registered the little bug type must have wandered off.


    ¡°Can we go get her?¡±


    Sceptile let out a sigh of exasperation tapped the keyboard a couple of times to confirm our reservation before shutting down the PC and taking us with him on what I would have expected to become a wild Swanna chase. However, it didn¡¯t take long at all before Sceptile found our derelict and wayward Pok¨¦mon. Sceptiles were known for being expert trackers and his sharp eyes easily followed the trail of small indents my little bug type while she was off doing who knows what.


    ¡°Vess! Vess!¡±


    We found the little tyke at the base of a mago berry tree wrapped up and in the process of being carried aloft by an upset looking Tangela. The horns on her crowning her head set ablaze by the indignity of being manhandled like a peasant. It didn¡¯t take an alakazam to figure out what happened.


    ¡°No! Bad! Sceptile has graciously allowed us to come inside as guests. Running off on your own just because you smelled something delicious is not how someone descended from royalty would behave.¡±


    Over time I had realized that in order to discourage vagrant behavior the best tool in my socialization kit was to equate bad actions to oafish or peasant-like character development.  Halo had this innate drive to be aloof or somehow more distinguished than your regular everyday Pok¨¦mon. Naturally my admonishing words caused her unjustified anger to quickly melt away to be replaced by a more demure attitude.


    ¡°Laaar¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay as long as you apologize for what you¡¯ve done. Say sorry to the nice Mr. Sceptile.¡±


    In the end we were escorted outside with no hard feelings. The older Pok¨¦mon was understanding of my plight as a newly appointed stepdad. In fact, Sceptile even shared some stories on how his kids got into all sorts of trouble back when they had just hatched from their eggs.


    Victini was oddly quiet while all of this was happening but as we moved away from the gym, I couldn¡¯t help but notice traces of pink berry juices all over her mouth.


    ¡®This little¡­!¡¯

 Chapter 59 - Ability Power

    Chapter 59 ¨C Ability Power


    After successfully scheduling a reservation at the Lilycove city gym me and the gang resolved to make our way back to Mt. Pyre but before leaving we first had to make sure that Victini acclimated herself to a point of return. Teleporters have to at least spend some amount of time in places they intend to anchor themselves to. In our case we had a perfectly serviceable lighthouse which was located right next to the gym. Victini, having grown up inside a lighthouse during her childhood, was eager to compare this building to her old home. Sadly, one look at the no trespassing sign outside of the building shut down our visitation plan real fast.


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go in anyway!¡±


    ¡°This lighthouse is still being used, Tini. If we break something, we¡¯ll be in a heap of trouble. How about you go and join those Wingull sunbathing on the railings of the viewing room? I am fairly sure the sights will be amazing.¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi!¡± ¡°Fine! But the best part of any lighthouse is the basement¡±


    Victini floated off invisibly to the top of the lighthouse to take in the view but also to scare the living daylights out of a few unsuspecting wingull. While I took this opportunity to sit on a nearby bench just content to enjoy the ocean view with the only one on the team who could appreciate the peace and quiet.


    ¡°Nitan.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t know she would run off like that. That Tangela was a bit heavy handed but at least this way she¡¯s learned an important lesson about wandering off while on private property.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°From now on you may veto any decision I make in relation to Halo¡¯s well-being.¡±


    My concession seemed to have assuaged Glove¡¯s worries somewhat seeing as the fire type went back to enjoying the view with me. It was a joy seeing the local wailmer and staryu population happily swimming along together with the tourists. I wasn¡¯t much of a fan of going to the beach but playing with wild Pok¨¦mon was one of my all-time favorite hobbies. Regrettably since my entire team had a natural aversion to large bodies of water, I couldn¡¯t justify spending my time frolicking about with the rest of the beachgoers.


    We sat there like that for what seemed to be around an hour. The monotony only broken by an adventurous krabby looking to beggar food scraps off of us. Naturally the crustacean¡¯s bravery earned him half a lava cookie. I was about to fall asleep when Victini gave me the equivalent of a brain dm to let us know she was done sightseeing. I turned around and noticed Glove had already fallen asleep, so I silently returned him to his pok¨¦ ball.


    My little gremlin wasted no time grabbing me by the collar and teleporting us off to Phoebe¡¯s home. We reappeared right outside the front gate. Somehow or another it was a complete hassle for her to teleport inside the castle. Victini likened it to jumping in a vat of grease; she could do it but with no sense of accuracy or finesse. We walked inside but not before calling out to whoever might be currently present inside the castle¡¯s hallway to let them know it was us.


    ¡°We¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Vi! VI!¡±


    We heard a quick series of shuffling pawsteps before a red blur launched itself into my arms.


    ¡°Pix! Pix!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only been away for a single day. Did you miss me that badly?¡±


    ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    ¡°She did what!? Never mind¡­ is dinner served? We¡¯re starving.¡±


    Before exiting the hallway, I took off my hiking shoes first and slipped on a pair of comfortable indoors slippers. It was actually quite uncommon to uphold this archaic practice since most households keep Pok¨¦mon who eventually trek dirt on their clean floors anyway.  This wasn¡¯t the case for Phoebe¡¯s fancy castle since ghost types mostly just tended to float from location to location. She ¡°accidentally¡± forgot to tell me during my first stay here. That''s when I found out those servitor ghosts could prank with the best of them.


    On the way over to the dining room Rena started yipping all about how she¡¯s so lucky to have me as her trainer and not to ever leave her alone with Flannery and her little brother again. She got so affectionate that I started wondering if it would be a good idea to have all my Pok¨¦mon be looked after by Flannery for at least one time. Although I could sympathize with Rena having to deal with her smaller brother¡¯s snarky comments while being under the direction of the hyperactive redhead.


    Entering the dining room, I noticed Flannery, Phoebe and her grandparents were already there waiting for us.


    ¡°Welcome back! How¡¯d it go?¡±


    Instead of telling them I pulled out the feather badge which up until this point was securely stowed away in my front row pocket. Unlike all the other trainers this circuit, who started off with a league issued complementary badge case, I kept all of my earned badges in my backpack or sometimes my pockets if I was planning to show off in front of other people.


    ¡°Congratulations Egon! Now you¡¯ll just have to earn five more to qualify for the Ever Grande conference. Let¡¯s eat!¡±


    All the people at the table acknowledged my accomplishment before starting dinner and while I regaled them with the play by play of my match with Winona. Victini happily zipped around stealing choice morsels off of everybody¡¯s plates. I released some of my partners while I was busy with my regaling of today¡¯s events so they could eat with the rest of us. Everyone aside of Numsy had a free pass to come join us during mealtimes which I was sure to make up for with an extra full plate once we got back to quarters that were more accommodating for his size and weight. When I got to the part about our secret stalker the grandparents became alarmed. Phoebe¡¯s grandfather shared some of his insights on the matter.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ this is troubling news. And Victini couldn¡¯t sense this person beforehand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, usually she notices right away when a wild Pok¨¦mon or person comes up to us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard rumors of some dark type specialists slowly becoming more immune to being perceived by the mental senses of psychic types alongside their growth as a trainer. Hiring the services of such an individual couldn¡¯t have come cheap. To not have opted to try and capture Victini right away tells me that this must have been an on the book assignment. Hiring a private investigator to track you down is considered perfectly legal as long as that same person doesn¡¯t come back another day for a repeat performance. Still¡­ I¡¯d advise you to forego traveling through the routes from now on.¡±


    ¡°We still have five badges to earn, that isn¡¯t going to work.¡±


    ¡°Victini is capable of teleporting you to most cities. You just have to use your gym winnings to hire teleportation services to the towns she hasn¡¯t visited yet.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe¡­¡±


    I was a firm believer that traveling on the routes was what made a journey memorable. If one just teleported between cities to finish up their circuit a lot of that valuable experience would be lost. As I am ruminating on possible alternatives Flannery took this opportunity to speak up.


    ¡°Grandpa wants me to come back. If Egon is no longer able to travel I guess it would be time for me to head on home. Oooh! I can¡¯t wait to introduce you to grandpa¡¯s ninetales!¡±


    Flannery¡¯s Vulpix who was busy dozing off on her lap pulled one eye open and gave a short mewl to confirm he heard his new trainer before falling back asleep again.


    ¡°Egon, can I borrow Victini tomorrow pretty pleaseee?¡±


    ¡°What for!?¡± ¡°VI!?¡±


    ¡°She can teleport me all the way to Lavaridge in one go right? Phoebe says her Grandpa¡¯s Xatu can only get me as far as Mauville city.¡±


    ¡®Can you? That¡¯s pretty far away.¡¯


    ¡°Vi! Vi!¡± ¡°Of course I can!¡±


    ¡°Do you want to?¡±


    ¡°Vi¡­ Vi!¡± ¡°¡­Four berries! And it has to be ones I haven¡¯t tried yet.¡±


    ¡°Why four?¡±


    ¡°One for a single teleport, two because it¡¯s extra far. And I also need to get back so it¡¯s four!¡±


    That last bit she didn¡¯t deign to share with the rest of the people at the table so I helpfully conveyed her demands to Flannery.


    ¡°Four berries she hasn¡¯t had before?! Hmmm can you give me a list? The gym¡¯s pantry should have what I need.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine you can just let her in, and she¡¯ll pick out four of them on her own.¡±


    I avoided telling Flannery that Victini wasn¡¯t above grabbing a few extra berries while there but it was implied. Most Pok¨¦mon couldn¡¯t control themselves around food especially so in the face of rare berries. Market prices strangely correlated to how irresistible berries were to an individual Pok¨¦mon. Luckily for her Victni had a limited amount of berries she could nab with her on the way back due to the limitations on the move teleport requiring the user to be in touch with the being or object. Although I was curious about one aspect of Victini¡¯s strange request.


    ¡®How come you aren¡¯t asking for four Custap berries. I know you have that sweet tooth.¡¯


    ¡°I kept thinking about it and I was inspired by a very special Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean that Wailmer?¡±


    ¡°Yes! His brave story inspired me to set out to accomplish goals of my own! From now on one of my minor dreams in life is to have tasted every single berry that¡¯s out there!¡±


    ¡°I am happy for you Tini.¡±


    <hr>


    The following day*


    After we had woken up the following morning, I wasted no time to serve my team their breakfast meals. After which Victini zipped off to Flannery¡¯s guestroom to bring her back to Lavaridge town. While she was away me and the team were set to go back to the mountain¡¯s summit to resume our training. I had gotten some new ideas after battling with Winona which I was eager to try out but first I had to deal with another problem, this one shaped in the form of a crazed childhood friend.


    ¡°Egon! This is the second day in a row Victini¡¯s not available for our practice spars. What are you going to do about that?¡±


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ she should be back before midday. If you are still around, you could ask her to spar with you then. Or we could do so in the evening.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Just like a machoke in the gym, Phoebe was determined to keep making those gains. I¡¯ve seen for myself just how much her team has improved by facing the overwhelming force that is Victini. At this point my partner had to put in serious effort to keep defeating the ghost type specialist¡¯s Pok¨¦mon. Facing off against Phoebe helped us learn to deal with all manner of tricks the competition might throw at us at the conference, so it was a mutually beneficial situation.


    ¡°I can¡¯t! Me and Glacia are having a scrimmage match in just a few hours. Don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get off scot free though, this goes on your tally! Tomorrow, you¡¯ll owe me two extra sparring sessions!¡±


    Finished, saying what she had come to convey Phoebe stormed off probably to cajole her grandpa¡¯s Xatu into teleporting her to that supposed meeting place. Phoebe had been more irritable as of late and with the end of the season coming closer, she¡¯d have to work extra hard to get into the top four on the ace trainer rankings.


    I was about to ask my own psychic type Pok¨¦mon for a lift to the mountain¡¯s summit when I realized that Victini had gone with Flannery.


    ¡°¡­Screwed myself, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul¡­?¡±


    Making sure Rena was on time to soak up all of the sun¡¯s rays was paramount. One missed opportunity would add at least another two days¡¯ worth on her schedule. Time we couldn¡¯t afford to lose. I wasn¡¯t planning on abusing Phoebe¡¯s family¡¯s hospitality for any longer than I had to.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay I¡¯ll just have to sprint to the top to make it in time before the sun rises. How bad could that be?¡±


    <hr>


    Mountain top*


    ¡°Ufff Huffff..!¡±


    The silhouette of the sun was starting to peek over the horizon, and I wasted no time to release all my team members out of their respective balls. Within a moment¡¯s notice I had my entire team surrounding me eager to hear about my new training plan for our last week¡¯s stay here. Somehow or another the little Wynaut who had taken to living in the castle had followed me all the way up here keeping pace with my frantic running. The blue sneak had taken quite well to training, even though my focus was on strengthening up my own Pok¨¦mon, it was often with him as a practice target. Wynaut¡¯s reasoning remained a mystery to me other than the fact that the friendly Pok¨¦mon just liked being part of a group.


    ¡°Ah! Wynaut you¡¯re here that¡¯s good. This next part of my training plan also involves you.¡±


    ¡°Wyy?¡±


    ¡°Okay everyone let¡¯s huddle up!¡±


    I got low to the ground while the rest of my team joined me in a semicircle.


    ¡°Okay our last match with Winona has taught me that we should really be working on mastering our innate abilities. From sixth badge level and up the gym Pok¨¦mon will be proficient in the use of their own abilities and to stay ahead of the game we should match in that regard.¡±


    ¡°Rupt?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Now I¡¯ve compiled a list of known and unknown abilities each of you could theoretically learn how to use. For the most part I will be reserving the right to choose which ability you will be working on unless their worth in battle is about equal. Of course I will take into consideration your personal preferences.¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    I pulled out a piece of printed paper showcasing images of Pok¨¦mon abilities at work. To more accurately illustrate to the team how learning to use such an ability would be beneficial to them in battle. While they went over the printed images I addressed my oldest and most trusted partner first.


    ¡°Okay Numsy, your species can develop three separate abilities. Magma Armor, Solid Rock or Anger Point. Let¡¯s go over them one by one, Magma Armor makes it so a fire type Pok¨¦mon¡¯s internal temperature which is usually way hotter in the core can be more evenly spread around the body. Making it almost impossible to get encased in ice from moves like Ice Beam or Blizzard. I¡¯ve also heard that it helps Pok¨¦mon develop faster while still in the egg.¡±


    ¡°Came?!¡±


    ¡°No! I am not going to rent you out to breeding facilities! If we are that strapped for cash, I¡¯ll take a second job. Anyway, the second ability Solid Rock cuts the power of super effective moves on you by roughly a third. To develop this ability, you¡¯ll have to work up your tolerance against such moves.¡±


    ¡°Rupt!?¡±


    ¡°Yes, every day preferably from a strong water type.¡±


    The rest of the group gave Numsy looks of pity. With all of them being fire types they could well imagine how arduous that type of training would be.


    ¡°Anger point¡­ I refuse to actively participate in helping you develop this ability. Not a single responsible trainer would agree to do so.¡±


    ¡°Came?¡±


    ¡°It requires one to take on debilitating blows while building up one¡¯s anger to the one which has inflicted said wounds on you. Pok¨¦mon with this ability are usually the victims of an abusive trainer. The body learns how to build up hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol at an astonishing rate. When this ability is triggered your physique¡¯s potential for violence is maximized.¡±


    My description of this ability quieted down the rest of the group. My team understood the serious nature of the topic I was discussing with them.


    ¡°I am not saying all Pok¨¦mon with this ability have such a background. You occasionally hear stories of some Pok¨¦mon willingly undergoing¡­ the process. Pok¨¦mon living in the wild could naturally obtain this ability. Tauros frequently lock horns especially during their mating season. Them accidentally goring each other is not an uncommon occurrence. In any case¡­ have you made your decision Numsy?¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    ¡°A solid choice ha! See what I did there?¡±


    My brief attempt at levity seemed to have pulled the rest of the team out of their ponderous stupor. With a gleam in their eyes, they were ready to hear the rest of my training plan.


    ¡°Rena is already working on her ability, Glove already has his activated so that leaves us Orin, Raven and Halo.¡±


    ¡°Lit?¡±


    ¡°Tini¡¯s ability is too esoteric; it might already be in use, and we wouldn¡¯t know. Let¡¯s talk about your own options. It would be either Flash Fire, Flame Body Infiltrator or¡­ Shadow Tag. I am going to be honest here and tell you that I¡¯ve no idea how to work on infiltrator. The first two are quite easy to train up. Flash Fire converts another¡¯s flames into your own core boosting the fire power of your moves. You can imagine how that would be trained up. Flame Body is to leave a lasting burn on an opponent after he or she makes physical contact with you, again it also helps with hatching eggs. Shadow Tag is the signature ability of the Wobuffet line. It prevents the opponent from leaving the battlefield or running away in the wild although ghost type Pok¨¦mon are inherently resistant to any attempts at locking shadows with them.¡±


    At my mentioning of Shadow Tag¡¯s origins the rest of my team turned around to look at Wynaut who had huddled up with the rest of us listening on as I explained my training plans.


    ¡°Wick¡­?¡±


    ¡°Naut!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have no idea how to train up Shadow Tag, but Wynaut might know. Even if he didn¡¯t develop the ability himself, he¡¯s been living with the wynaut colony on mirage island. There are very good odds of him knowing how.¡±


    Orin and Wynaut were having a back and forth between themselves. With Victini absent I had trouble figuring out what they were talking about. In the end the two of them seemed to have come to some sort of understanding.


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul.¡±


    ¡°Oh! So, in exchange for Wynaut teaching Orin his family¡¯s secrets he wants us to find a capable trainer for him.¡±


    ¡°Naut!¡±


    ¡®Not many trainers would be willing to put in the effort of training a Pok¨¦mon who can only defend and redirect. They¡¯d have to be smart¡­ smart enough to see the inherent value Wynaut possesses.¡¯


    ¡°How about this¡­ After our gym battle at the Lilycove city gym our next destination is Mossdeep city. There, they are well known for training psychic type Pok¨¦mon. Your best odds of finding a good trainer is to look amongst them. We can bring you along with us and when we arrive you can go looking for a trainer on the island.¡±


    ¡°Wyy!¡±


    Deeming my offer acceptable, Wynaut used his armlike ears to grab a hold of Orin and hauled him off to one of his secret hiding places. The blue goblin had a penchant for setting up little hidey holes all over the mountain. Where he could privately engage in one of his all-time favorite hobbies, watching people and Pok¨¦mon go through their daily activities.


    ¡°Okay I guess that¡¯s settled then. Halo you¡¯re up next.¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    ¡°Unlike the others you should not feel the need to worry overly much on attaining an ability. You are still not quite fully grown so there¡¯s no pressure.¡±


    ¡°Laar?¡±


    ¡°I have knowledge on two possible abilities for your species. Either Flame Body like what I previously proposed to Orin or Swarm. Swarm is an ability exclusive to bug type Pok¨¦mon it boosts the power of your bug type moves in a pinch. I personally don¡¯t know the training methods that would allow you to achieve this state. We could start working on Flame Body now or you¡¯ll have to wait a bit and when we get home I¡¯ll look up more information on the topic.¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t quite understand Halo¡¯s pok¨¦ speak but this sounded like she was eager to get to work right away. Implying that Flame Body was her preferred option.


    ¡°Alright then that¡¯ll be our target goal for now though I¡¯ll need you to start working on the move bug bite. You¡¯re still a bit off from properly channeling bug type energy to form an attack. So for now it¡¯s best if you start your abductor and adductor muscles a workout. When you can chew through this piece of rope that I brought along we¡¯ll know you¡¯re ready for the next stage.¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    The little bug type enthusiastically grabbed the rope I brought along and started the long and arduous process of giving her mandibles a workout. By my estimate it would take her about a week to chew through that rope. After which she¡¯d be ready to attempt a real Bug Bite.


    I now gave my attention to the last Pok¨¦mon who was in need of figuring out which ability to train up.


    ¡°Raven, you¡¯ll have it the easiest out of everyone on the team. There are two primary abilities your species can develop. Flash Fire or Early Bird. The latter of which we haven¡¯t discussed yet. Early Bird allows you to have some self-control when facing off against opponents who try to force you asleep. Whether through hypnosis, a lullaby, sleep-inducing dust or a gas move like yawn. It¡¯ll allow you to shake off these effects quicker and resume battling. Naturally to do this you¡¯ll have to work on your body¡¯s circadian clock. I set up the alarm on my Xtransceiver, you go to sleep and try to wake up at the exact moment the alarm goes off. This training method gives you severe acute insomnia, but the results speak for themselves.¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d rather not?¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    ¡°Beauty sleep? Okay then I guess we¡¯ll be working on Flash Fire.¡±


    ¡®I never figured Raven to be a Pok¨¦mon that concerned herself with appearances. Well, you learn something new every day.¡¯


    Each of my team members now had something to work on. Rena was eager to help her fellow canine Pok¨¦mon by starting her off with mild doses of intermittent Ember showers to slowly work up Raven¡¯s tolerance. Orin was still away with Wynaut and Glove kept watch over Halo to make sure she wasn¡¯t overdoing it with the rope. That left me with my old buddy who was less than eager to start his training.


    ¡°It''s probably best that we start off with a shallow pool of water and work our way up. Let¡¯s head on over to the travelers¡¯ shrine and ask Chingling if he knows any good places.¡±


    The two of us made our way over to the shrine. I made it a point to always come visit the place at least once a day to switch out the stale growing lava cookies that we¡¯ve left on the altar. By this point Victini and I had mostly accepted that a visit from one of the eon duo was not in the cards for us. At least Chingling and his parents were always happy to see us come visit and we had become very familiar with the happy family. The father and mother made use of their ample free time by taking up hobbies.  Daddy Chimecho wrote ch¨­ka, a form of poetry that had become fairly popular with the older demographic in Hoenn and his partner spent most of her time growing herbs to be used for tea. Naturally since they didn¡¯t have hands, they used telekinesis for almost everything.


    ¡°We¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Chimeeeeee!¡±


    ¡°That sound¡­ as always it¡¯s a pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Came¡­.¡±


    ¡°The couple seemed frantic about something as they waved their smallish stubby arms around. It didn¡¯t take long for me to figure out what had happened. The empty altar was more than enough to fill us in.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great news! And did they like it?¡±


    The duo bobbed their heads up and down. By this point I was starting to get exasperated by our difficulties communicating with each other.


    ¡°You can link minds with me. Victini is off bringing the red-haired girl who filled in for me yesterday back to her hometown.¡±


    Victini made it a point to make it clear to all psychic type Pok¨¦mon that my mind was off-limits. The little rabbit being gone for the moment I found no issue with having the loving couple connect with me telepathically. The foreign mental presence of what I suspected to be the female Chimecho brushed up against my surface thoughts.


    ¡°Pertaining to your earlier question, yes the offered tribute was much enjoyed.¡±


    ¡°Did you ask what it would take to have them come visit more often?¡±


    Victini and I have gone over many hypothetical scenarios with the couple over tea. It was to all of our best interests to somehow persuade the Eon duo to come visit the shrine more frequently. Having their duties as shrine watchers become important once more was a step up from their current situation.


    ¡°This one was a first-time visitor no more than fifty cycles old. She said that she¡¯d be delighted to come visit each full lunar rotation if we keep a supply of similar tasting tributes prepared.¡±


    ¡°Excellent! My grandma¡¯s cookies are the best! Do Phoebe¡¯s parents know?¡±


    ¡°My mate has just now informed his bonded human. We are all very excited and are now currently discussing renovation plans for the shrine.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me, is Chingling available? We are currently looking for a water source. Numsy will be undergoing resistance training.¡±


    ¡°Rupt¡­¡±


    ¡°Our little one is currently visiting all his playmates who live nearby. Most likely bragging about our good fortune.¡±


    It was at this moment that I felt another presence connecting with my mind space, this one feeling like it belonged there.


    ¡°Egon¡­ Who is this other Pok¨¦mon!?¡±


    ¡®Wait! I can explain! Just read my short-term memory.¡¯


    Chimecho quickly disconnected. Not eager to invoke eight pounds worth of fiery wrath. Victini was about to teach me what¡¯s what until she properly processed what just happened, her anger completely forgotten.


    ¡°Yay! I¡¯ll finally be able to meet another like me!¡±

 Chapter 60 – Promised Evolution

    Chapter 60 ¨C Promised Evolution


    We were back at the castle. It was still a ways off before dinnertime and me and the team were spending our remaining time just laying about at the castle¡¯s training grounds. After intense training sessions like that I usually spend the remainder of my free time grooming my Pok¨¦mon; trimming their coats, cleaning their ears and brushing out any tangles. As a fire type specialist I was spared from doing any dental cleaning. A fire type Pok¨¦mon¡¯s mouth was the most inhospitable place in the world for germs, so, my Pok¨¦mon always had sparkly clean chompers. It was Raven¡¯s turn and I was making efforts to destroy a particularly stubborn cowlick when suddenly Phoebe rushed up to us with an older girl who I have never met before.


    ¡°Egon! I want you to meet my rival, meet Glacia. Glacia this is the kid I was talking to you about.¡±


    Glacia looked to be around seventeen or eighteen. I knew of her beforehand, mostly from listening to Phoebe rave on about her. This was the first time I¡¯ve met any of Phoebe¡¯s other friends, so I resolved myself to try and leave a good first impression.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Glacia. Phoebe has told me much about you.¡±


    ¡°Was it you?¡±


    ¡°Uhm I don¡¯t really understa..¡±


    ¡°Phoebe has no other friends on the trainer scene besides me. By process of elimination that must mean you are the one who told her how to evolve snorunt into froslass.¡±


    ¡®Damn she¡¯s sharp.¡¯


    ¡°Hey, that''s unfair! Phoebe¡¯s family are the premier experts when it comes to ghost types. They could¡¯ve figured it out all on their own!¡±


    ¡°Could¡¯ve? So, you did help her.¡±


    ¡°Stop trying to trap me with my own words!¡±


    ¡°Please tell me you haven¡¯t shared this information with anyone else. A trainer like me needs all the advantages she can get.¡±


    ¡°Hold it right there lady! First off, I only share my extensive knowledge on Pok¨¦mon to friends and those who¡¯ve done me a favor. Secondly as far as I am aware nobody can actually own the exclusive right to an entire branch of evolution.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t about advantages in battle you dork! One of my sponsors chose me based on the fact that I was the only one in the region with a froslass. If that stops being the case, they might stop doing business with me. Do you know how much it costs to feed my dearest Walrein and her two equally amazing sisters?¡±


    ¡°Which company?¡±


    ¡°Castella Factories, they make the best ice cream in the entire world! If you haven''t had the chance, I highly recommend special ordering a casteliacone. From their singular location in Mauville city.¡±


    ¡°Casteliacone!!¡±


    ¡°I had them, they are indeed the best. Most of my Pok¨¦mon don¡¯t like ice cream but there¡¯s one in particular that adores casteliacones.¡±


    Glacia took one look at the Pok¨¦mon who had gathered around me on the yard to renew her assessment of me.


    ¡°Fire types ugh... that¡¯s great, and you are from Unova as well I take it?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I have Unovan nationality, but I grew up in Hoenn. Hoenn mother, Unovan dad who left her behind after they shacked up once during the circuit. You know, the typical irresponsible parent scenario.¡±


    ¡°You too?!¡±


    The admission of my household¡¯s situation seemed to have effectively pierced her icy demeanor, getting her to lower her barriers immediately. If there is one thing I''ve learned over the years is that people with comparable pasts are inexplicably drawn to each other. Glacia sat down next to me to continue our conversation.


    ¡°With me it was my mom who left. She stayed in Unova though. When it came time to start my trainer career, I opted to get a fresh start here in Hoenn. Leave all the family drama behind in Unova where it belongs.¡±


    I could tell that Phoebe was completely baffled by the outcome of this encounter. Glacia must have grilled her for a long time to get the truth out of her. The girl must have brought Glacia here to get some of that heat off of herself.


    ¡°So, ice types. What¡¯s that like?¡±


    ¡°Not much different from training up fire types I¡¯d imagine. You just have to get used to living in colder environments. We resided in Icirrus City for most of my life, so it came with the territory. I even interned at the local city gym for a spell, learning all that I could.¡±


    ¡°You worked with Brycen?! He¡¯s like my second favorite movie star. What''s he like in person?¡±


    Phoebe took this opportunity to let her displeasure be known.


    ¡°I object! Fire and Ice don¡¯t mix, stop getting along!¡±


    ¡°Take it easy Phoebes, just because we have contrasting specializations doesn¡¯t mean that we automatically dislike each other.¡±


    ¡®Phoebe is still a tad insecure about her friends knowing each other. She¡¯s probably thinking something along the lines of: If those two become friends, then they will start coming to see me less and less.¡¯


    ¡°Does that really happen?¡±


    ¡®Yeah, but those kinds of people aren¡¯t even capable of making true friends anyway. Only ever being able to see relations under the lens of a cost to benefit analysis.¡¯


    Glacia being the young adult that she is, could already anticipate Phoebe¡¯s state of mind and acted appropriately to defuse the situation.


    ¡°Phoebe how about you show me the rest of your beautiful home. We can catch up with your little friend later, perhaps over dinner?¡±


    Phoebe regained some of her youthful vigor and grabbed Glacia¡¯s hand before pulling her along. No doubt intending to show off her collection of creepy dolls half of which were close to transforming into Banette. The first time she showed me I had a less than stellar reaction. No doubt the teen was hoping her interests aligned more closely to that of a fellow female trainer. Now that the two of them have left our immediate vicinity Victini uncloaked herself and I continued on grooming Raven. She¡¯d been busy all day getting blasted by fire type moves and although her fur was completely immune to getting scorched it did start showing signs of crinklage.


    ¡°Vi?¡± ¡°Can I make friends with her?¡±


    ¡°Sure, go ahead. Enough people know of your existence that it has become pointless to hide you anyway. Just make sure to ask Phoebe if Glacia is on the up and up first. She¡¯s from Unova as well and seeing as we¡¯ll be going back there next year it¡¯ll be good to get some more insider knowledge of the local battling scene.¡±


    With that my rabbit friend darted off in the girls¡¯ direction forgetting the fact that she has a particular effect on women who see her for the first time. Not that it was a problem to me. I rather liked seeing girls gush over her.


    ¡°Ruff.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it, she grew locked up in a basement for over a hundred years. Now that she¡¯s free it would be overly controlling of me to say who she can and can¡¯t make friends with. I want her to gain as many new experiences as possible.¡±


    Around the same time, I was done fixing Raven¡¯s coat. I could hear a loud scream echoing throughout the empty halls of the castle.


    ¡°Kyaaa! You are so CUTE!¡±


    <hr>


    Dinner*


    Glacia laid claim on the privilege of having Victini remain seated on her lap throughout the entirety of the meal. Insisting on handfeeding her bits and pieces from her own plate even though she was perfectly capable of doing that on her own. Phoebe¡¯s family seemed okay with letting this play out


    ¡°She¡¯s so adorable! Just like a baby spheal. You must be one lucky trainer to have caught such a special Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    The thin veneer of professionalism was shamelessly thrown away in favor of babying my Pok¨¦mon some more.


    ¡°So, I was wondering where one would stable Ice types inside a tropical region such as this. Perhaps some sort of refrigerated warehouse?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t, that¡¯s way too expensive. I have a deal with a nice older craftsman who camps out inside the shoal cave. He looks after my Pok¨¦mon and in return I give him a small percentage of my winnings.¡±


    ¡°Shoal Cave?! Isn¡¯t that the place housing Hoenn¡¯s singular Ice Rock?¡±


    ¡°Yes! It keeps the cave cold despite the region¡¯s ambient temperature. It¡¯s the only spot in all of Hoenn where you can find wild ice types.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­?¡±


    ¡°So¡­ Have you ever tried evolving an Eevee into a Glaceon?¡±


    ¡°No though I would wish to. That particular evolutionary branch is kept a secret by the Sinnohian league association. Their native trainers who wish to obtain the method of doing so have to be in good standing and sign an NDA first. Which is not technically legal, but it keeps them in line with all the implied consequences.¡±


    ¡°Tell her so I can escape!¡±


    ¡°As we have established before I am quite learned. I could tell you their secret method. On the condition that Victini is to be released and given the liberty to assemble her own plate of food.¡±


    Glacia seemed to be conflicted for just a moment before reluctantly letting go of Victini allowing the fire type to float off and onto the chair with a booster seat specifically set aside so she could join us at the dining table.


    ¡°My findings indicate that when an eevee is kept in close proximity of an Ice Rock the evolution triggers automatically. It might take a while though I haven¡¯t experienced this phenomenon myself, but I do know that the Sinnohian league hides their Ice Rock in some women¡¯s garden on route 217 near Snowpoint city.¡±


    ¡°Phoebe, would you mind me making use of your home computer after this?¡±


    ¡°Huh?! Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve suddenly found myself in need of a credible eevee breeder.¡±


    The dinner conversation tapered off after that. I could sense that the elderly couple desperately wanted to talk about the travelers¡¯ shrine¡¯s more recent visitor but decided to keep quiet until their new guest was done eating and brought back to her own home. Victini¡¯s existence was explained to Glacia as being a rare fire type not seen before. Her status as a mythical Pok¨¦mon not being explained clearly to the visiting woman. Which in hindsight wasn¡¯t a bad move as long as we made sure she didn¡¯t start taking pictures of Victini we could always maintain plausible deniability.


    Glacia and Phoebe eventually walked away after finishing dinner. Which left me alone with the elderly couple who were set to have a more serious conversation with me.


    ¡°So¡­ that¡¯s pretty amazing right? That one of the shrine¡¯s patron legendary Pok¨¦mon came over for a visit.¡±


    ¡°Indeed we have already hired a traditional woodworker to come and give the shrine a much needed renovation. But there is something else we must discuss. Your grandmother¡¯s skill as a baker secured us a repeat visit. We would like to put in an order for a year¡¯s supply of her Lava cookies¡±


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    ¡°Uhmm that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡®three hundred sixty five divided by three times two in case Latias brings over her other half.¡¯


    ¡°Vi.¡± ¡°Rounded down, that''s 243 cookies dummy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s two hundred and fifty cookies. My grandma makes each of them by hand. They are artisanal, so I don¡¯t even know if we have that many on hand at the moment. Would the two of you prefer that I make the request myself or¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, with the understanding that you don¡¯t elaborate to anyone on why we are buying so much of her stock on such short notice.¡±


    ¡°Hmm okay, though if my family asks, I am not going to lie to them.¡±


    The two of them gave each other a glance before the elderly man made an attempt to reassure his wife.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine dear I¡¯ve known Ralph all my life. He¡¯ll keep the secret to himself.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand all the extra precautions though. Latios and Latias are faster than jet planes, can turn invisible and unlike other legendary Pok¨¦mon have an entire family unit backing them up. Only desperate idiots would try to forcibly catch one of them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reason enough youngster. History has shown us that offending Legendary Pok¨¦mon always ends up badly for the region as a whole.¡±


    Not wishing to argue the point I wished the couple a pleasant evening before retreating back into my personal guestroom.


    ¡°Will I be able to meet them?¡±


    ¡®Well¡­ you could always teleport back. We just need to have someone at the shrine alert us when the next visit happens. I am sure you can convince that old man to give me a call. The way he¡¯s raving about legendary Pok¨¦mon leads me to believe he would go the extra mile to get on your good side.¡¯


    <hr>


    Six days later*


    Today marked a very special day for Rena. The culmination of her weeks of painstaking effort. For the first time since she started this training, Rena was able to increase the sun¡¯s intensity without having to execute the move Sunny Day. As we¡¯ve discussed extensively over the course of our stay here this also meant that I have deemed her ready to evolve. Rena looked forward to rubbing her success in the faces of her impertinent younger siblings; sadly her little brother had already gone back with Flannery, to my hometown, and the only other target of her revenge was living inside her mother¡¯s den. This meant me and the team who were also excited to be with her on that once in a lifetime special day currently found ourselves in front of the cave¡¯s entrance making nice with said mother.


    ¡°Ninee?¡±


    ¡°Ahem, you see Rena was able to complete her special training. And we thought it would be nice to share her evolution day together with her family.¡±


    ¡°Nine!¡±


    ¡®Something about a test?¡¯


    ¡°She approves but would like to inspect our firestone first to assure herself of its quality.¡±


    ¡®She can check all she wants. I¡¯ve received this stone as a reward from Professor Juniper¡¯s lab for my contributions to the expedition. There¡¯s no way he would send me a faulty stone.¡¯


    Ninetales led us inside the cave and the sight of Rena¡¯s childhood home left me astonished. Most of it was fully furnished with furniture of all different sizes most likely put there to accommodate all sorts of Pok¨¦mon visitors. She had a bouncy house in the corner and all sorts of stuffed toys were neatly lined up along the wall. Ninetales even had a cold room to preserve perishable food. Although I could see no hints of electrical wiring which probably meant there was an ice type living nearby which would have to visit her home every so often. All the way in the back I could see a large communal bed large enough to fit the whole family and then some. Currently the bed was occupied by a sleepy little sister who was watching us from afar with one eye open.


    ¡°Nine!¡±


    ¡°You have a lovely home. Rena is one lucky girl to be raised in a place as accommodating as this. Just hold on sec the firestone is in my backpack.¡±


    My trusty old backpack, which has been with us through thick and thin, was still in excellent condition if one disregards the Zoroark actor¡¯s pawprint. I removed it from my shoulders and opened the zipper, peering into its valuable contents. Over the months it had grown heavy with all sorts of rare items, some of them mere souvenirs, others extremely valuable to the right buyers. This time I knew what I was looking for hidden inside a small safebox together with all my other valuable stones and Rena¡¯s prized bracelet. The opening mechanism was a passcode of Zinnia¡¯s birthday. Anyone who wanted to burglar me would have to bring a strong Pok¨¦mon or get specialized tools to get to our treasures. I opened it and removed the fire stone before closing it back up and putting it back where it belonged. With an open palm I presented the firestone to Ninetales eagerly awaiting her approval. She gave the stone a sniff test, licked it for good measure and didn¡¯t stop staring at it for a good minute before giving us her judgement.


    ¡°Nineee¡±


    I didn¡¯t need Victini¡¯s translation to figure out what that meant. At this point all the commotion had caused the little sister to give us her full undivided attention. That or it was Rena¡¯s insistence at pulling her out of bed by her tails.


    ¡°Pix! Pix!¡± ¡°Vuuul!¡±


    We all watched on as the siblings continued play fighting. My own partner easily getting the upperpaw over her younger less experienced sister. Eventually the younger one submitted crouching down and exposing her belly to the victor. With a small huff Rena turned her back on her defeated foe her point being made. I already knew why Rena was being belligerent like this, she wanted to prove her superiority before evolving to make it clear to her family member what the actual pecking order was. Doing so now sent the message that she didn¡¯t need to evolve to beat her impertinent siblings. Strangely enough her mother seemed content having this spiel play out without intervention. A stark reminder that at the end of the day it was the norm for most Pok¨¦mon to establish strength-based hierarchies.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Vuuuul!¡±


    Needing no further encouragement, I laid out the stone in front of Rena. She observed the stone for a split moment before touching it with one of her paws. The change occurred almost immediately as flashes of light filled the cave and my partner evolved into her final form. I tried to keep my eyes from watering or closing as I bore witness to this miraculous process. Within the span of a more or less half a minute Rena doubled in height and sprouted three more tails. Her red-brown pelt was replaced with thick luxurious golden white fur and the three locks that adorned her head were now replaced by a singular fluffy crest. The firestone was now nothing more than a speck of dust burnt up in the process.


    ¡°Nineeee!¡±


    ¡°Happy evolution day Rena.¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Pretty!¡±


    ¡°Came.¡± ¡°Arf!¡± ¡°Lit!¡± ¡°Vess!¡± ¡°Nitan!¡±


    My little fox now turned big fox preened under the attention that myself and the other team members were giving her. Her mother seemed content to just watch us cheering at her daughter¡¯s successful evolution. The little sister sported a look of dismay as if her worst fears had become realized.


    ¡°Pix¡­¡±


    Smiling slyly like a thievul Rena once again approached her younger sister but instead of starting round two she lightly nuzzled her younger sibling¡¯s head as if their rivalry had all but been forgotten. Afterwards turning towards her mother and giving the older Ninetales the same treatment. It seemed like her evolution brought out a new perspective wiping away some of that previous insecurity. While all of this was going on my mind was going through a different set of issues.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to increase her portion sizes. That thick coat, and the three extra tails will inevitably mean an increase in the amount of time I spend grooming.¡¯


    ¡°Nine!¡±


    Ninetales stood in front of me having finished tying things up with her family. Her now blood red eyes staring at me accusingly.


    ¡°I was just thinking¡­ We¡¯ll have to buy you a new grooming kit when we get back to Lilycove city. The one I have now is specially made for a vulpix.¡±


    Not that I had grooming kits for all my Pok¨¦mon. Most of my team members didn¡¯t particularly care how they looked as long as I kept them at a minimum level of decency. Just keeping their nails and claws trimmed and removing any excess hair was enough. Not that I didn¡¯t go the extra mile anyways. However, Rena always required me to have everything done to her exact specifications and I knew that I couldn¡¯t achieve that with her old grooming set.


    ¡°How about you and I go shopping at the Lilycove department store later today?¡±


    ¡°Nine!¡±


    Having finished up our business at Rena¡¯s maternal home it was time for us to head out to Lilycove city. We had a busy schedule to keep, not least of which was booking a room at their local Pok¨¦mon center in preparation for tomorrow¡¯s gym battle.


    ¡°Thank you for hosting us. Now that our friend Victini here has gotten familiar with Mt. Pyre Rena can come visit you whenever she likes.¡±


    ¡°Nineeeee!¡±


    ¡°No, your mom is amazing and deserves to be visited at least once every so often.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry ma¡¯am Rena can¡¯t be honest with herself. Before we came here, she basically demanded that we stop by.¡±


    The older Ninetales seemed amused enough by our antics and with a short yip let us know that we had her permission to drop by whenever we wanted. It was unusual for Pok¨¦mon to place as much importance on family ties. Numsy almost never talks about his family other than the fact they lived somewhere along the fiery path. While the other members of my team all had their own unique circumstances. From wanting to meet their mother like Halo or not having any family at all like Orin.


    With things winding down I recalled most of my team members inside their pok¨¦ balls to streamline the teleportation process. I motioned for Rena to get closer so that Victini could grab the both of us simultaneously.


    ¡°Can you take us to where we need to go?¡±


    ¡°Easy!¡±


    The landscape shifted and what was once the insides of a fancy live-in cave turned into that of the topside of a lighthouse with a view overlooking the entirety of Lilycove city. My acrophobia kicked in immediately and I held onto the railing for dear life.


    ¡°Almighty Arceus! You know I have a fear of heights Tini!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°This is the only spot I could teleport to, okay?!¡±


    ¡°Nine! Nine!¡±


    There I was clinging for my life on the edge of what I could only summarize as a two hundred- and fifty-feet tall deathtrap. Rena wasn¡¯t faring much better not having anticipated that Victini would put us in such a precarious position she was similarly clinging to the edge her new tails immediately seeing use as makeshift grappling hooks.


    ¡°We can¡¯t be up here! Use Teleport again to bring us down quickly!¡±


    Victini immediately shifted us back aground not finding any difficulty with making use of the move when the target location was within eyesight. Back on solid ground my body was still in a state of fight or flight. I concluded my next best course of action was to sit on the nearby bench until my body¡¯s adrenaline levels had gone back down.


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I just hope nobody saw us. There¡¯s bound to be a steep fine associated with breaking and entering private property.¡±


    Rena took her place beside me on the bench letting her head rest on my lap. She had grown too big of a size to sit comfortably on my lap. By my estimation this would remain the case until I was done with puberty. Any attempt to do so in the interim would make for a comical sight for anyone near enough to witness it.


    It took a couple of minutes but eventually my body calmed down enough to properly observe my surroundings. There were quite a few beach goers down below and the odds of one of them having spotted us during the scant few seconds in which we were trapped was quite low. At least down here it would be very hard to see anything more than the outline of a person or Pok¨¦mon so Victini¡¯s identity would have remained a secret even if we were seen.


    ¡°Whatcha doing up there? Oh! Can I pet your pretty Ninetales please?¡±


    I turned around and saw a little girl being escorted by what was probably her mother judging by their facial similarities. The both of them had blue-green hair and while the girl seemed only mildly interested in our lighthouse fiasco the mother seemed about ready to give me a stern talking to.


    ¡°Young man, we saw you all the way up, holding onto the railings. What were you thinking?!¡±


    ¡°Well, my psychic type Pok¨¦mon momentarily forgot that I was deathly afraid of heights. It won¡¯t happen again. We just have to find another place that¡¯s free of pedestrians the next time we teleport on over to Lilycove.¡±


    ¡°Kids these days are always pushing on ahead without thinking things through. You remind me of my little brother before he got together with his current girlfriend.¡±


    While I was busy appeasing the disciplinarian mother the overly excitable little girl went ahead and started petting Rena without waiting for permission. My Ninetales had taken an instant liking to the girl and magnanimously allowed the strange kid access to her luxurious golden coat.


    ¡°Waaa ¡­soft! I¡¯ll call this new chapter: Unexpected Encounter! Happy Fluffy Accident!¡±


    ¡°Nineeee.¡±


    The quirky kid seemed to have a penchant for loudly narrating by herself as if she were standing in front of a large gathering of people. The mother finally realizing what her daughter was up to lightly scolded her for presuming it was safe to start petting another¡¯s Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Lisia¡­ what did I tell you about petting another¡¯s Pok¨¦mon without waiting for permission?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but Ninetales doesn¡¯t mind right?¡±


    ¡°Nine!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Miss my Pok¨¦mon likes it whenever someone compliments her on her looks. I can already tell Lisia here is going to be a great trainer someday with that kind of insight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided you¡¯ll be the first!¡±


    ¡°The first what?¡±


    ¡°Lisia¡¯s¡­Miraculous¡­Contest Scouting!¡±


    ¡°Uhmm¡­?¡±


    ¡°When I take a good look at a trainer, I can easily tell¡­ Wait, what is your name?¡±


    ¡°Egon¡­¡±


    ¡°One look at Egon here easily tells me that he already owns multiple badges! But I don¡¯t want to see his Pok¨¦mon just become strong. There¡¯s a whole other side to them that most trainers don¡¯t even explore. That brilliantly shining side is drawn out while on stage in a contest!¡±


    ¡°No no no no. We don¡¯t have time for that.¡±


    The little gremlin completely ignored me and continued on.


    ¡°Take this! This is a Contest Pass with this you will be allowed to freely participate in any¡­¡±


    Her mother, now thoroughly exasperated from her child¡¯s antics, started employing a more forceful method to get the girl to start listening to her. It made for quite a sight seeing the overly excitable kid get ear pulled into submission by her guardian.


    ¡°Ow! Ow! Owie! Mommy why?!¡±


    ¡°Where did you get that Contest Pass?! You know you¡¯re not supposed to take your uncle Wallace¡¯s belongings.¡±


    ¡°Uncle gave it to me! He says I can scout whichever trainer catches my eye!¡±


    ¡°That slowpokehead! Sometimes it feels like I am raising two children.¡±


    Having successfully disciplined her wayward child the mother readdressed me with an apologetic look on her face.


    ¡°We are terribly sorry for having her put you on the spot like that. Isn¡¯t that right Lisia?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I am flattered really, and we might take her up on her offer in the future but for now we are solely focused on qualifying in time for the conference.¡±


    ¡°I still feel bad¡­ how about you come and have lunch with us at my house as an apology? Your Pok¨¦mon can eat as much as they want.¡±


    ¡°We could eat.¡±

 Chapter 61 – Lilycove Superstar

    Chapter 61 ¨C Lilycove Superstar


    ¡°Is this your home? It looks like a Pok¨¦block store.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because it is. We sell high quality Pok¨¦block for coordinators on the go.¡±


    ¡°Wait?! How can you afford to take the day off like this and to go to the beach with your daughter?¡±


    ¡°I make large batches of specialty Pok¨¦block in the morning and when that sells out the store is closed for the rest of day. We are also contracted with a handful of the more successful coordinators to supply them with all the Pok¨¦block they need for their charges. All in all, I don¡¯t need to work extreme hours anymore, not since Wallace got so successful. He promotes our store¡¯s wares free of charge even though I told him that we don¡¯t need the extra help anymore.¡±


    We stepped inside and I was greeted by the sight of empty rows of shelves and packages of mint condition berry blenders. The absence of any products to sell fully corroborated her reason to close up shop early.


    ¡°You kids go have fun ,while I make us some lunch. How many partners do you have with you Egon?¡±


    ¡°Six, two large, one medium and three smaller sized Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Seven!¡±


    ¡®Technically regular trainers can¡¯t have seven on them, it¡¯s illegal. Besides, do you really want to out yourself in front of this hyperactive contest kid? There¡¯s a real possibility she¡¯d kidnap you and never let you go.¡¯


    ¡°Liar! We already got found out! and I am not skipping meals ever again!¡±


    ¡®Orin doesn¡¯t eat regular food, we''ll just ask her to pack up the extra meal to take with us.¡¯


    ¡°No way that¡¯d be rude. If someone makes a delicious meal for me, I¡¯d eat it right in front of them! I have my pride as a gourmet.¡±


    ¡®Fine, but you¡¯ll have to make sure that Lisia doesn¡¯t take any pictures. Her telling tall tales about a cool looking Pok¨¦mon is one thing, picture evidence is another.¡¯


    Lisia¡¯s mom was about to retreat back into her kitchen to start working on lunch when I called out to her.


    ¡°Actually seven¡­but one doesn¡¯t need to eat.¡±


    ¡°Young man¡­ you do know that exceeding the carry limit could result in you having your trainer¡¯s license revoked?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! Captain Drake knows. He gave us permission in consideration of our special circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay then. That¡¯ll be an interesting story to hear no doubt. Save that one for the dining table.¡±


    It was at this moment that I got dragged away by Lisia who was eager to meet my entire team, not just Ninetales. The little family of two had a garden large enough to host a good variety of berry trees. They had a few plants of a more common denomination like Pecha and Orans but also quite a few of the rarer ones like Sitrus and Wiki berries. It made sense that a pok¨¦block store would attempt to cultivate their own berries but for one whose target clientele are upper crust competitors the standard berries obviously aren¡¯t going to be sufficient for use as ingredients.


    ¡°Be amazed and excited! This is my mommy''s special garden!¡±


    ¡°It is indeed impressive. Not many botanists are able to grow berries right in the middle of a big city like Lilycove. But now it¡¯s your turn to be amazed! Behold! I call this Chapter: A Fiery Encounter! Kindling Friendship Special!¡±


    ¡®Hey that¡¯s mine¡­!¡¯


    In one move I activated the release mechanism on all my pok¨¦ balls my team materialized in a circle around me. Some of them snoozing others active and intrigued by the scent of berries permeating through the garden. Lisia had the same reaction I would expect a child raised in a trainer family to have. She observed each of my Pok¨¦mon closely before eagerly stepping up to interact with each and every one of them completely forgetting that I poked fun at her just a second ago.


    ¡°You are the shy bookish boy who is ready to show the audience the beauty that¡¯s hidden deep inside!¡±


    ¡°Lit¡­!?¡±


    ¡°And you!¡±


    ¡°Nitan?!¡±


    ¡°You have a tough exterior that hides away your inner passion!¡±


    Just like that she gave each of my Pok¨¦mon a personal evaluation. By what criteria or with which end goal in mind I didn¡¯t know. In the end she saved Halo for her final Pok¨¦mon assessment.


    She tried her best to not show it, but I knew the little bug type was very sensitive to other¡¯s opinions of her. In her mind a Pok¨¦mon of her status should strive towards being admired and be known by all the commoners.


    ¡°Vess¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm?¡±


    ¡°Laaar?¡±


    ¡°Umu! The sheltered princess type, na?ve but waiting to blossom into a true stage queen!¡±


    ¡®That guess is more accurate than she realizes. Maybe she does have a bright future working as one of those panel judges or studying as a sommelier in Unova. At least Halo seems to be content with the girl¡¯s evaluation.¡¯


    ¡°Vess! Vess!¡±


    The little bug type had an aura of smug satisfaction at being recognized for being royalty despite Lisia having a completely different kind of ¡°royalty¡± in mind while analyzing her. Halo was so pleased that she crawled up against the eight-year-old¡¯s leg to grace her with the favor of rubbing her fuzzy mane.


    ¡°Awww cute! Don¡¯t you worry! My mommy always tells me all I need to do to grow up healthy and strong is to drink a glass of moomoo milk every day.¡±


    ¡°Vesta!¡±


    ¡°I still have another Pok¨¦mon who is traveling with me. Although I want you to promise me to not flip out or take pictures of her. She¡¯s very sensitive to that sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°Great! A new questionnaire for the viewers watching back home! Who is this mysterious Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    Lisia seemed to be still in the middle of her spiel. So, it was hard to determine if she was being serious or not, but I felt the need to have Victini stay visible while we were inside the garden. It wouldn¡¯t do to have her run off with every single one of the family¡¯s ripened berries.


    ¡°Hey! I am not that bad!¡±


    ¡®I saw you pick those berries at the Lilycove gym! When we go back there tomorrow, they will know it was one of us that took them. I just know it! Just¡­ get behind me I want to try something.¡¯


    I felt the familiar pressure of Victini landing on top of my outstretched hands which I was hiding behind my back. After which I dragged her overhead presenting my rabbit friend to the little girl.


    ¡°This here¡¯s my other partner Victini, would you like to be her friend? Hello? Lissia¡­? What¡¯s wrong?!¡±


    The girl was trembling like crazy whirring about like a wurmple caught inside a dragonite¡¯s Hurricane. When I was about to call her mother to have her be brought to a hospital Lisia finally whispered her response.


    ¡°Superstar¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you say? We can¡¯t hear you.¡±


    ¡°Please study under me! Together we¡¯ll become Hoenn¡¯s no¡­ the World¡¯s most famous idols!¡±


    ¡°Vi¡­?!¡± ¡°Ehhh?!¡±


    ¡°Yes! I see it now! The contest scene¡¯s newest chapter: A Star Is Born! Cuteness Is Justice!¡±


    Lisia¡¯s next chain of outbursts seemed to be strong enough to even start affecting my coolheaded psychic partner.


    ¡°Those large blue eyes that are filled with spirit!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s flattering but I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°That cute overbite which conveys a mischievous temperament.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi.¡± ¡°Well, I do try my best.¡±


    ¡°Those little angelic wings like a togetic sharing succor to the less fortunate!¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°One look at you on stage and Uncle Wallace will have to hand over every ribbon Milotic has ever earned in defeat!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go steal those ribbons they¡¯re mine!¡±


    ¡®Wait, when did Victini leave my hands and enter Lisia¡¯s embrace? You forced me to do this!¡¯


    It was at this point that I knew that I had to put a stop to this before Lisia¡¯s fanaticism boosted Victini¡¯s kleptomania to new heights. There was only one way to get Victini¡¯s energy levels down after they¡¯d reached this level of intensity. Loath as I was to show off my secret technique in front of a third party.


    The distinct sound of crumbling was heard throughout the garden.


    ¡°Vi?!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t behave, I¡¯ll ruin more of these lava cookies! Bad Victini! We just had a talk about property rights! Bad!¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t, I surrender. Crumbled up cookies are only half as good!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! And you young lady stop trying to corrupt Victini! She¡¯s very impressionable.¡±


    <hr>


    Later during lunch*


    ¡°My my, so you¡¯ve already met my brother?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am I was visiting Winona¡¯s place to talk about her gym adopting one of my Pok¨¦mon. We came across Tranquill while journeying through Unova. She was interested and one thing led to another.¡±


    We were currently enjoying the expertly crafted lunch Lisia¡¯s mom Cari had made for us. The woman appeared to have long since perfected her homemaking skills during the many years of being Lisia¡¯s mother. Cari ran her own business and seemed to have done a fantastic job raising Lisia judging by the girl¡¯s vibrant and confident attitude. Naturally I was curious as to what happened to the father, but I wasn¡¯t about to offend the mother and daughter duo just for the sake of satisfying my curiosity. The mother holding bowls filled with pok¨¦chow eventually came upon the sight of her daughter completely exhausted dozing off while still holding onto Victini using the rabbit Pok¨¦mon as some sort of hugging pillow.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    She didn¡¯t need me to explain anything. One look at the state of the garden had already been sufficient to infer as to what had happened. When it became clear that there was no containing the girl¡¯s enthusiasm. I charged Victini to keep her busy for a while so I could shift my attention towards my other Pok¨¦mon, this had only exacerbated the original problem.


    ¡°You have a bunch of cute Pok¨¦mon. I wouldn¡¯t mind making pok¨¦block for one additional team.¡±


    ¡°I am not really invested in the coordinator scene right now, maybe next year? Ninetales has expressed some interest in trying her paw at it.¡±


    ¡°Pok¨¦block aren¡¯t just good for contests, you know? Studies have shown that sponsors are more likely to give partnership offers to trainers whose Pok¨¦mon look more marketable. Have you ever considered trying your hand at making your own pok¨¦block Egon?¡±


    ¡°I did make a batch that one time back at the celestial tower. It seems to be a skill you actually have to put time and effort into to become any good at doing it.¡±


    It was at this point in the conversation that Lisia stepped in to give her own opinion of using pok¨¦block outside the contest scene.


    ¡°You should totally try it, Egon! Pok¨¦block aren¡¯t just made with berries but also with love! On the other hand flimsily made lightweight blenders that they build for trainers on the go aren¡¯t quite there yet. You should totally come here every morning to buy freshly made Pok¨¦block for Tini, she deserves it.¡±


    The Pok¨¦mon in question was looking at me like what the girl was saying made total sense. I was quite sure we didn¡¯t have enough money to go spend it all on pok¨¦block and having Mr. Moore foot the bill seems like a hopeless endeavor.


    ¡®Just nod and wave. Just nod and wave.¡¯


    With Arceus¡¯ help I managed to somehow divert myself from the current topic. By starting to talk about Lisia¡¯s future Pok¨¦mon career.


    ¡°Lisia sure is talented. I am betting she¡¯d be both an excellent battler and coordinator just like her uncle Wallace.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯d be! But mom won¡¯t let me have my first Pok¨¦mon yet. She thinks that If I get one, I¡¯ll run off and not finish trainer¡¯s school.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm, what Pok¨¦mon are you looking to start with.¡±


    ¡°Swablu! Their wings are like fluffy clouds! And I¡¯ve already got a name picked out! Uncle says he¡¯s going to catch one for me as soon as mom gives us her permission.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice, I have a little sister your age. I caught her a Horsea just a couple of months ago.¡±


    This caught her attention. The little girl was now staring at her mother with accusing eyes. As if me catching my sister her first Pok¨¦mon should validate her receiving one as well. Naturally I tried to immediately diffuse the situation.


    ¡°Zinnia is really responsible, and she has experience taking care of Pok¨¦mon. Before we set off on our journey it was her job to take care of Ninetales¡¯ grooming. She more than proved herself capable of having her own to look after. Isn¡¯t that right you guys?¡±


    ¡°Rupt! Nine!¡±


    The two senior members of my team who were there with us during our childhood assented to my declaration. They both loved Zinnia and in turn were spoiled rotten by her. Somehow or another the assessment of my little sister¡¯s Pok¨¦mon raising skills gave Lisia another shot at renegotiating with her mother.


    ¡°See! Egon¡¯s sister can do it so why can¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s against the law! Eight year olds can¡¯t register a Pok¨¦mon in their own name. That Horsea belongs to Egon. If Egon gets audited, he¡¯ll be in a lot of trouble if he can¡¯t account for the whereabouts of his Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Uhh... Actually, our family¡¯s nurse Joy took care of it. Horsea¡¯s officially registered as a family pet until Zinnia¡¯s old enough to go on her own journey. At that point she can file the proper paperwork to register him as her own starter Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Zzzzzzzz¡­¡±


    ¡°If you think that¡¯s going to work¡­¡±


    ¡°ZZZZZzz¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright! Alright! Fine, I''ll talk with your uncle about it. You better be on your best behavior until then! Straight A¡¯s little lady, if I hear a single complaint from your teachers you will have to wait just like everyone else!¡±


    ¡°Yaaaay! I love you mommy!¡±


    As the one who was the catalyst to making this all happen, I tried to subconsciously make myself smaller to avoid the older woman¡¯s gaze. Luckily the older woman seemed to be content to just watch Lisia celebrating together with Victini who had somehow gotten her hands onto a pair of pompons exactly made to size. The little girl left lots of stage props scattered all over the garden so it must have been one of those the little rabbit got her hands on.


    ¡°Victini, you¡¯ll come watch my first contest show right?¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll cheer you on!¡±


    Victini and Lisia slipped away, the girl planned on showing Victini her room. Leaving me alone to have a semi-serious conversation with her mother.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am not angry with you. Even if you hadn¡¯t pushed the issue, I would have eventually caved in.¡±


    ¡°Still, that¡¯s one special Pok¨¦mon you managed to catch.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s drawing the attention of the wrong sort of people. I¡¯ve been given the advice to avoid traveling the routes in fear for her safety. After encountering a stalker down on route 121.¡±


    ¡°Not that special surely?¡±


    ¡°Back in Unova, her home region, the regional professor had his daughter scour ancient documents just for a single mention of Victini¡¯s name.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ then you have your work cut out for you. My daughter has been completely enamored by little Victini. To be honest, I was initially hoping to have Wallace go and catch one of her species as a present for Lisia when she graduates trainer¡¯s school. Say if she ever lays an egg, we¡¯ll be first in line to adopt.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s nothing, just go back to what you were doing.¡¯


    ¡°During the time I¡¯ve spent with her she has shown no inclination in wanting to propagate. My working theory is that her reproductive cycle cannot be measured in months or even years.¡±


    ¡®If Pok¨¦mon of similar status had more active reproductive cycles than we¡¯d be swarming in them.¡¯


    ¡°What are you thinking about?!¡±


    ¡®Just an assumption I have you¡¯ll come to understand once you¡¯ve grown older.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t that worried about sharing insights into our situation with Wallace¡¯s older sister. Say what you will about his strange tastes in apparel but the man himself was a good person and the brief interactions that I¡¯ve had so far with his family reassured me that they were the sorts of people you could trust with a secret.


    Seeing as it would take a while before Lisia was done playing with Victini the older lady offered me a beginner¡¯s crash course on how to properly make pok¨¦block. She was due to start with tomorrow¡¯s batch and I was eager to learn from a professional like her.


    <hr>


    Lilycove Department Store*


    After concluding our visit, I asked Cari for directions to the Lilycove department store which she had happily shared. The department store was one of the larger buildings inside the city matching the contest hall in size, so it was hard to miss. Most of my Pok¨¦mon were back inside their balls resting. Even Victini had all her play energy drained by Lisia who had spent the majority of our time there making Victini participate in all sorts of childlike antics.


    Eventually I was greeted by the sight of the giant mall¡¯s front entrance. Hordes of people were simultaneously entering and exiting the building. It was quite unlike anything I¡¯ve ever seen in these almost eleven years of life.


    ¡®Come to think of it¡­ I¡¯ll turn eleven next week. The first time I¡¯ll be spending my birthday without Zinnia.¡¯


    ¡°We should totally celebrate! I can get us back to Lavaridge to visit your grandparents.¡±


    ¡°Ehm birthdays are for hanging out with family, true enough, but it just won¡¯t be the same without Zinnia there. Still¡­ I can¡¯t have my grandma and grandpa worry needlessly so I guess we have to go. By the way, if you or any of the other team members want to celebrate your hatching days, I¡¯d be all for it.¡±


    I knew Pok¨¦mon didn¡¯t really consider their hatching days as something to be celebrated. Much of Pok¨¦mon culture is influenced by their needs while living in the wilderness. Strength was something to be admired with resourcefulness being a close second. Although I have heard tales of hidden Pok¨¦mon villages that do celebrate the passing of the seasons. Which was understandable, the passing of the dry season in tropical climates usually meant food would become less scarce as does the passing of winter.


    As we walked inside the building, I was immediately stunned by the large number of shops. By my estimation there would be at a minimum seventy-five different stores inhabiting this complex. With most of them dedicated to offering services and products related to the training and care of Pok¨¦mon. Luckily, I could immediately spot the you-are-here map depicting my location and all the stores inside the complex who sold Pok¨¦mon hygiene products. Not being much of a picky buyer, I immediately walked off to the one closest to my position. The store I entered was one of those catering to the younger female trainer demographic. The d¨¦cor was watermelon pink with golden trims lining the furniture and checkout stations. The clientele and service staff being all female made me feel like I entered another universe where men didn¡¯t belong.


    ¡®Just one grooming kit for a medium sized long matted fire type and I am out of here.¡¯


    One of the service staff walked up to me. The woman was wearing a skitty themed outfit complete with fake feline ears.


    ¡°Excuse me dear customer, how can we at Skitty & Muse help you out today?¡±


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ yeah, I was looking to buy a grooming kit for one of my Pok¨¦mon that has recently evolved. Just hold on a second¡­¡±


    I grabbed Rena¡¯s ball and activated the release mechanism and in a flash of light the fox Pok¨¦mon materialized in front of the store¡¯s awkwardly dressed employee.


    ¡°Nine¡­?¡±


    ¡°How wonderful! Yes of course, our store has many options for exotic beauties like this one. If you two would please follow me?¡±


    I exchanged glances with Rena, and I could immediately tell she was also slightly uncomfortable with how gaudily this storefront was decorated and how ridiculous their employees looked. The reassurance that I wasn¡¯t the only one suddenly finding himself inside a bizzarro world eased a lot of my worries.


    ¡°Dear customer, would you please have a look at these products. The kits on this shelf are all outfitted with heat resistant tools perfect for grooming fire types. They are also wear and tear resistant specially made for Pok¨¦mon with an extra thick coat like flareon, arcanine or in your case Ninetales. Although out of these I would highly recommend this kit it is our most popular product of this category.¡±


    The fancy box she offered for me to have a look at had all of its contents displayed on the label. At first glance nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That is until I had the time to take an even closer look.


    ¡°Seviper leather made nail trimmer¡­?¡±


    ¡°Worry not dear customer the leather has been humanely harvested from wild Seviper who have already expired. Trainers who are assigned to clean up after Seviper/Zangoose turf wars sell their expired remains to the company who manufacture these kits.¡±


    ¡°One diamond tipped comb, A gilded slicker brush.¡±


    Me listing off these overly luxurious stylist tools got the attention of another Pok¨¦mon whose pok¨¦ ball was hanging off my belt. Halo¡¯s ball opened up materializing the overly eager bug type right on top of one of the stools set aside for husbands and boyfriends whose only reason for entering a store like this was to haul shopping bags like overworked mudbray.


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    ¡°No, this is for Rena, her old grooming kit won¡¯t cut it with all that extra surface area.¡±


    ¡°Nine!!¡±


    ¡°No, I am not saying you¡¯ve grown fat. You¡¯re at a completely respectable size.¡±


    ¡°What a wonderful looking Pok¨¦mon! We have a wide selection of products made specially for bug types.¡±


    The situation was getting too chaotic for my liking. I couldn¡¯t give my Pok¨¦mon the attention they deserved while at the same time keeping the conversation going with the saleswoman. Multitasking was never my strong suit, something that I probably had to work on before trying a gander at double battles. For now, though, I had to get this woman out of my face.


    ¡°Lady, could we please have a moment of privacy to discuss all the available options?¡±


    ¡°But of course I¡¯ll be over at the front desk if you need any further assistance.¡±


    The lady didn¡¯t need further prompting and left the three of us alone. She must have accurately guessed that continuing to press the issue would hinder her goal of making a successful sale.


    ¡°Okay then, first off: Ninetales you have a wonderful figure, any Pok¨¦mon that says otherwise is a blind idiot.¡±


    ¡°Ninee!¡±


    ¡°Secondly, Halo¡­ bug types like yourself don¡¯t typically need grooming. I do what I can to keep your mane in good condition keeping it free from tangles and give it the occasional brushing but ultimately your body doesn¡¯t require as much upkeep as Ninetales¡¯ does.¡±


    ¡°Vess¡­?¡±


    ¡°Aww! Come here you! How about we get you some quality conditioner to keep that mane all nice and soft?¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    I knew that I was overindulging her, but it was hard for me to say no to the team¡¯s baby. It was a weakness the rest of my Pok¨¦mon also shared. We all did our part in taking care of her egg and teaching her right from wrong after her hatching.


    ¡®Perhaps it would be a good idea to have her go on playdates? Having Halo make some friends in her own age range could be a boon to her social skills. Orin¡¯s close to being age mates with her but the maturity that comes from having lived a previous life stops him from fully connecting with others in that way.¡¯


    Now that our immediate issues were settled it was time to pick one of these kits. Hopefully for a reasonable price. Scanning the shelf, I found multiple brands whose quality spoke for itself. Not that I could afford most of them. My prize winnings earned at the Fortree city gym couldn¡¯t even pay for half the kits displayed on this shelf.


    ¡°These prices¡­ Could you help me look for one that¡¯s not completely ridiculous? I doubt that there¡¯s a notable difference between cherry wood combs and one that¡¯s made from¡­sterling silver.¡±


    Just like that the three of us went over all of the kits until we found one that was completely serviceable without all of the bells and whistles. It was still majorly expensive eating up our entire budget if added up with the bug type conditioner we also picked up on the way back to the checkout counter.


    ¡®At this rate I¡¯ll never be able to afford buying a dusk stone for Orin¡­¡¯


    ¡°Can¡¯t we get a job?¡±


    ¡°There is freelance work trainers can do while on the circuit. Helping berry farmers pick their crops, babysitting and the like. It doesn¡¯t pay much and not a single one of the sponsored trainers that I know will waste their training time on menial jobs like that.¡±


    ¡°Anything else¡­?¡±


    ¡°Selling information on some of the legendaries that I know of.¡±


    ¡°No! I want to be the one that meets them first!¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ you reckon the mega evolution guru would pay to have some of the stones that we collected? He¡¯d be the only one at this point that would know the true value of what we carry with us.¡±


    ¡°That could work! We don¡¯t need any of those right?¡±


    ¡°We could get more for them in a year or two if everything works out as I¡¯ve predicted. Well¡­ it¡¯s not like we¡¯re in a hurry, it''ll be some time before Orin is ready to evolve.¡±


    Getting a keystone for our own use would be quite a difficult endeavor seeing as the only ones that I know of inside Hoenn are being hoarded by the Draconid tribe. Contacting Gurkinn might also be a difficult proposition hidden masters like him aren¡¯t known to hold cellular devices.


    ¡°Tomorrow after we win our fourth badge, I¡¯ll buy us a ferry ticket to Mossdeep. We make an appointment for a battle at their gym and then go looking for a gym trainer willing to take on Wynaut.¡±

 Chapter 62 - Weather Battle

    Chapter 62 ¨C Weather Battle


    It was the following morning after having ourselves a scrumptious breakfast at the Pok¨¦mon center, me and the team made our way towards the Lilycove city gym with the objective of earning our fourth Hoenn gym badge. I wasn¡¯t expecting to have a difficult time even at the sixth badge level due to the overwhelming advantage I held as a fire type specialist. Victini wasn¡¯t particularly worried about our chances of success so she was off on one of her many excursions. By my estimation she was again off to help those kecleon manage their store. The little rabbit had quite the entrepreneurial spirit judging by the many late-night conversations we had on which naturally occurring items would hold trainers¡¯ interests.


    For my walk on over to the gym I had Raven accompany me. The little pooch eagerly sniffed the morning air and saw the urban sights. Her species not being native to Hoenn meant that during our walk over quite a few of the urban youth came over to pet her and satisfy their curiosity. Although it was mostly boys who did so, finding her appearance to be ¡°cool and awesome¡±. Nonetheless Raven was quite pleased with the attention content to let strangers touch her bone spurs and skull dome. Dark types like her rarely got any positive interactions with strangers outside of their own pack and experienced trainers, there was a sort of stigma attached to them that the type as a whole favored underhanded tactics in battle. Which wasn¡¯t untrue but had a negative effect on the individuals who fell outside of the stereotype.


    As I watched my cute doggo having positive interactions with complete strangers, I was pleased with myself for having the wisdom of picking her out amongst the pack. She got along well with almost anybody and her inclusion on the team had been a boon for my mental wellness. Raven was responsible enough to take on my role as a trainer for brief stints of time while I was otherwise occupied and acted like a responsible big sister for the younger Pok¨¦mon.


    It didn¡¯t take too long before we found ourselves in front of the giant greenhouse that acted as the Lilycove city gym. This time the front gate was left open leaving challengers to come and go as they pleased. However, the gate was looked after by a familiar figure who we had come to know better the last time we visited.


    ¡°Hey Sceptile! Overworked as always, I see.¡±


    ¡°Scep¡­¡±


    ¡°Is the gym leader inside? We¡¯ve come to earn that gym badge!¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    ¡°Excited I see! Then allow me to welcome you as the Lilycove city gym leader! The name is Violet.¡±


    A woman appeared from behind Sceptile who was wearing stereotypical gardener¡¯s attire. Overalls covering a green shirt and a large sun hat to block excessive sunlight. In one arm a trowel and in the other a watering pail I couldn¡¯t come up with more appropriate wear for a grass type specialist even if I tried.


    ¡°My name is Egon. It''s nice to meet you! We scheduled for a battle the other week with Sceptile¡¯s help.¡±


    ¡°The boy who scheduled for a sixth level gym battle and a single one versus one for a beginner Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me. The youngest of our team wants to start participating in battles as well and I figured this place could offer her a battle with an appropriate level of difficulty.¡±


    ¡°You specialize in fire types?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°Then you wouldn¡¯t terribly mind if we had our battle outside of the gym? The plants we cultivate around our battlefield are resilient but repeated blasts of fire would set off the sprinkler system.¡±


    ¡°Our battle against the gym trainer will also be held outside?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, but our gym doesn¡¯t have gym trainers.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ but who is responsible for providing all the gym¡¯s services? I¡¯ve worked at the Lavaridge gym; there''s no way one person can do all of it alone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true if it weren¡¯t for the fact that I have a team of wonderful Pok¨¦mon supporting me. Isn¡¯t that right Sceppy?¡±


    ¡°Tile¡­¡±


    ¡°The city¡¯s budget all goes to maintaining that garish, overly large contest hall. The only reason we get by is that my grass types can subsist off water and sunlight in addition to the food that we cultivate ourselves.¡±


    This was the other side of the gym business few trainers know about. Every region unilaterally supported their major gyms. The entrepreneurial trainers who earned the right to have a gym charter and begin their own gyms in their hometowns usually had to make do with insufficient funds and resources. The fact that Violet managed to make do without told me she was no stranger at keeping a tight budget.


    ¡°Follow me we¡¯ll battle on one of the city''s public battlefields.¡±


    ¡°Who is going to referee our match?¡±


    ¡°In situations like these I usually ask a passerby to act as referee. Is that okay with you? Since this is a gym battle you can request that the gym hire an official one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay I know what it¡¯s like living on a tight budget.¡±


    I knew that each city in Hoenn hosted multiple venues where trainers gathered to come and battle under the auspices of an audience. Part of a gym¡¯s revenue consisted of selling battle video subscriptions online so having battles out in the open was usually not done. The gym¡¯s subscription sales were probably not lucrative enough to justify recording every single one of them. The subscriptions didn¡¯t cost a whole lot and were an easy way for the citizenry to support their local gyms. I figured that battling wasn¡¯t as popular a past time in Lilycove if Violet just opted to have our match out in the open.


    ¡°Keep following, there¡¯s a quaint little field right next to the Pok¨¦mon center I frequent.¡±


    Violet took the lead as me and Raven followed her all the way back from where we came from. The center we had used for lodging because it was closest to the gym was also the place where we would have our battle. While on the way over there were only a handful of people who recognized their gym leader and bothered to greet her properly. A stark contrast to how Winona or other major gym leaders were treated in their hometowns. Mr. Moore was a recluse but on the rare moments he decided to show his face around Lavaridge town during important festivals everyone treated him with great respect.


    ¡°Is there something on your mind?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s kind of strange I figured that the city¡¯s gym leader would garner lots of attention. Back where I am from, the leader can¡¯t get anywhere without people swarming him.¡±


    ¡°In this city traditional battling takes a backseat. Lilycove is the birthplace of contests and the first place where coordinators could go to earn themselves recognition for a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s other attributes aside from strength.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you could participate in a couple of contests to get some eyes on the gym? I am sure there are at least a couple of people who¡¯d be interested to see grass types showing off on stage.¡±


    ¡°We are a gym not some propped up contest hall! The gym will get popular I am sure of it. It¡¯ll only be a matter of time until the league association recognizes our importance and adds us to the monthly conference call.¡±


    ¡°Monthly conference call?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a monthly online meetup for all the major gym leaders and high-ranking league personnel. Which they use to catch up with each other and discuss topics of importance. Getting called in is a sign that you¡¯ve made it to the big leagues.¡±


    While I was left pondering the veracity of her words we finally made it to the Pok¨¦mon center. While Violet didn¡¯t actually lead me into the building we did walk around until we reached a collection of battlefields. There were numerous trainers busy polishing their skills against each other. As well as the bookies that made bank trying to get bystanders to bet away their hard earned pok¨¦dollars. Whether it was this world or my previous one you could always find opportunists looking to make a quick buck off small-time sporting events.


    We were lucky enough that one of the battlefields wasn¡¯t in use, so we hurried on over. Me being left standing there while Violet went around looking for someone to act as referee. Eventually she did find an older gentleman who was willing to help us out. Apparently, the guy spends most of his free time volunteering at the Pok¨¦mon center since his retirement. Today he was on lookout duty to prevent rookie trainers from overdoing it. Safety while battling was always a concern with trainers who were too inexperienced to tell when their Pok¨¦mon had to be withdrawn.


    ¡°Egon, we''ll start with the practice battle. Is that alright with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Violet gave a quick nod to the old man who had already positioned himself on the outer rim of the battlefield. To my surprise there were quite a number of people gathering in the stands that had come to watch our battle.


    ¡®Someone must have let slip that Violet is the Lilycove city gym leader.¡¯


    ¡°Go Budew!¡±


    ¡°Go Halo!¡±


    ¡°The battle between trainer Violet and her challenger Egon from Lavaridge town will now begin! This will be a single elimination match with each trainer using only a single Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Keep focused, that Budew sure looks feisty.¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    ¡°Dew!¡±


    This being Halo¡¯s very first official battle the little bug type couldn¡¯t contain her excitement. The flames flaring out of the tip of her horns serving as good indication to her overall state of mind. The crowd of trainers watching us grew more numerous with one of them whipping out his Pok¨¦dex in an attempt to scan this previously unknown Pok¨¦mon. Sporting an all too familiar frustrating expression when his Hoenn issued Pok¨¦dex failed to identify the nonnative species.


    Suddenly one of my pok¨¦ balls started wiggling. At first, I was confused but then I realized whose ball it was and somewhat reluctantly pressed the release mechanism to let out my overly concerned team member. One flash of light later and Glove was standing right next to me in the challenger¡¯s box.


    ¡°Nitan!¡±


    ¡°This will be her very first battle. Just stay on the sidelines if you want to observe. Halo¡¯s been asking for this opportunity for a long time.¡±


    I could tell that the referee and Violet were startled by the sudden appearance of my Darmanitan but seeing as Glove technically hadn¡¯t crossed over the demarcated lines of the field. We hadn¡¯t broken any rules yet either. The three of us watched as my Pok¨¦mon awkwardly walked along the outer perimeters of the field and sat on the little side bench usually reserved for family and friends. All the while embarrassing Halo who tried to recede back into her fuzzy mane with little success.


    ¡°Ahem! Let the battle begin!¡±


    ¡°String Shot!¡±


    ¡°Poison Powder!¡±


    Immediately I put our long hours of target practice to use. If we could bind those little stumps Violet¡¯s Budew used as legs the grass type would be a sitting duck. Halo spewed out copious amounts of silk string and just like I had thought she aimed to wrap Budew¡¯s limbs to make movement more difficult. Budew at the same time let loose purple colored spores from her now opened rose buds filling the battlefield with the dangerous substance. A solid defensive move in the wild to scare off predators but in an open air battlefield like this one a danger to the surrounding people. Luckily the little Budew proved skilled enough at releasing her spores to only cover her intended target.


    Halo¡¯s strings hit, wrapping up the rosebud Pok¨¦mon in her sticky strings. However, that didn¡¯t prevent the spores from covering Halo¡¯s form. Already I could see the beginning symptoms of poisoning starting with her shortness of breath.


    ¡®It won¡¯t be long until the poison does its work. Now that Budew has nowhere to run, it''s time to wrap this up.¡¯


    ¡°Flame Charge!¡±


    ¡°Bullet Seed!¡±


    Halo covered her entire body in flames and charged in horns pointing forward intending to knock out Budew in one go. Violet, seeing the futility of dodging, intended to lessen the impact of the blow by slowing down Halo¡¯s momentum with a barrage of Budew¡¯s seed projectiles. In the end it didn¡¯t matter, grass type moves in particular have almost no effect on Halo. She barreled on through ignoring the Bullet Seed and crashing headfirst into her opponent.


    ¡°Deeew!¡±


    The little grass type was reeling burn marks visible where Halo¡¯s horns had penetrated the upper layer of epidermis. Now with Halo in close proximity it was time to finish the fight.


    ¡°Venoshock!¡±


    ¡°Ember!¡±


    The poison coming out from the bulb on Budew¡¯s head now came out in a liquid form. Trying to drench my Pok¨¦mon in a last attempt to salvage the situation. However, Budew seemed not as proficient with this move, struggling to produce enough of the liquid to fully cover Halo¡¯s form. The amount of liquid that did reach the bug type exacerbated her poisoning symptoms causing her to start wheezing in a fit. The retaliation was something fierce I¡¯ve never seen Halo produce an Ember attack strong enough to be likened to a Flame Burst. Budew who was hit point blank by the fire type move passed out immediately cooked to a crisp.


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    ¡°Budew is unable to battle the winners are Egon and his Larvesta!¡±


    ¡°Laaar!¡±


    Halo squeaked out a victory cry before coughing up a storm purple mucus out of her mouth and spiracles. Glove, not being able to hold still, immediately took off onto the battlefield picking up Halo like a worried mother Blaziken. Gently swinging her back and forth like that would make her feel better.


    ¡°Try feeding her a pecha berry from the backpack, that should alleviate her condition. You know where I keep them right?¡±


    ¡°Dar!¡±


    The big lug shuffled back off the battlefield still carrying Halo in his arms. As the only Pok¨¦mon capable enough to be my cooking assistant he naturally knows where I keep all of my berries.


    ¡®I was actually planning to have him battle today¡­ If Violet turns out to be too tough to handle for my other Pok¨¦mon. Whatever, this should be one of our easier gym matches.¡¯


    I refocused on the battlefield. Violet had already recalled her Budew and was patiently waiting for me to confirm our readiness to continue with the real gym battle.


    ¡°That was a good practice battle, Egon. Are you ready to continue?¡±


    ¡°Sorry for the delay, we¡¯re ready to continue.¡±


    ¡°Alright, The Lilycove city gym battle will now begin! Each side will have the use of three Pok¨¦mon and the battle is over when all three Pok¨¦mon on one side are unable to continue. Furthermore, only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pok¨¦mon. Now begin!¡±


    The referee¡¯s loud proclamation of Violet¡¯s status as a gym leader caught the attention of the crowd drawing even more spectators to come watch our battle. Unlike before when her status was unknown, the beginning of our official gym battle required our battle judge to pull off the lid from our activity.


    ¡°Go Rena!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s show them Jumpluff!¡±


    Following the simultaneous release of our Pok¨¦mon the sun¡¯s ray intensified Rena¡¯s newfound ability already working its magic. The rookie trainers watching from the sidelines who didn¡¯t know what was happening started pulling on their clothes clearly uncomfortable in the sudden sweltering heat. Even Violet looked surprised clearly not expecting a Ninetales to have the drought ability. This surprise however lasted only for a short period after which she was sporting a smug looking smile.


    ¡°Fire types aren¡¯t the only Pok¨¦mon who benefit from strong sunlight! Acrobatics!¡±


    ¡°Flamethrower!¡±


    Jumpluff was like a speeding ninjask riding the winds unfettered. The Pok¨¦mon¡¯s unnatural speed confirmed my suspicions. The Jumpluff we were facing had its ability Chlorophyll trained up and activated. Jumpluff were known to be frail so I knew that if we could just land one fire type move on it that the fight would be over. Jumpluff dived down at Rena, slamming into her multiple times. As it flew through the air, it moved so fast that Jumpluff seemed to leave behind afterimages. Meanwhile Rena was too confused firing off her flamethrower multiple times in a futile effort to hit the blue puffball.


    ¡®We need to arrest Jumpluff¡¯s movement in order to win.¡¯


    ¡°Leech Seed!¡±


    ¡°Confuse Ray!¡±


    Rena unleashed a flash of sinister light causing temporary blindness and confusion in our opponent. Figuring that a dazed opponent would be easier to hit I opted for this stratagem. The leech seed Jumpluff fired off landed everywhere except for its intended target. Sparing us from having to deal with vitality sapping creepers.


    ¡°Incinerate! Rapid fire!¡±


    ¡°Stun Spore!¡±


    Rena propped up her tails and at the tip of each one of them orbs of flame spontaneously came into being. Since her evolution she¡¯s been able to use her tails as a launching point for her fire type moves. Jumpluff on the other hand following her trainer¡¯s command started releasing stun spore everywhere heedless of her surroundings. The spores actually managed to cross the battlefield threshold giving the audience quite the scare. Rena couldn¡¯t help but inhale some of it as she launched the balls of fire into Jumpluff¡¯s direction scoring a direct hit with one of her projectiles despite her opponent¡¯s speed. That one hit was all it took to bring down her dazzled opponent, the grass type sadly wilting to the ground, her excess pollen puffs completely burnt away.


    ¡®I better return her just in case. The stun spore¡¯s effects could spell trouble if Violet decides to send out another speed demon.¡¯


    ¡°Rena Return!¡±


    Our opponent returned her fallen competitor before sending out her next Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Go Shiftry!¡±


    ¡°I choose you Raven!¡±


    In a flash of light my trusty pooch materialized onto the field. Much to the dismay of some of our captive audience.


    ¡°Hey you there! Stop bullying our gym leader with your fire type Pok¨¦mon!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re rooting for you Violet! Show this brat that type effectiveness isn¡¯t everything!¡±


    ¡°Two fire type Pok¨¦mon in a row? Skill issues much?¡±


    ¡°Who said that last part?! Come out and battle me yourself!¡±


    ¡®No! You can¡¯t let those posers get to you. It¡¯s not like I can change my specialization mid battle. This Shiftry¡¯s ability would undoubtedly be Chlorophyll as well. We¡¯ll have to use that strategy¡­¡¯


    The crowd started getting restless and somehow, I found myself being painted as a bully. Being seen as the antagonist against the viewers shared underdog mentality. What was even worse was that Violet was basically glowing enjoying the praise being heaped upon her by the locals. Thank Arceus the referee stepped in to intervene.


    ¡°Can the crowd please stay quiet until the match has been concluded?! This is an official gym battle you darned kids!¡±


    Our battle judge¡¯s outburst caused the bustling crowd to quiet down, the old man¡¯s reputation being more credible than I had originally thought.


    ¡°Solar Beam!¡±


    ¡°Smog! Cover the field!¡±


    As things stood now our opponent¡¯s speed would put a serious damper on my strategy. That¡¯s why I opted to make the sun a non-issue by covering the field in poisonous soot but before the airborne soot had a chance to block out the sun Shiftry¡¯s Solar Beam connected, throwing the fire type back to the edges of the field. Despite that Raven kept on filling the field with smoke, the blowback not deterring her from executing our strategy. Soon the entire field was covered ensuring that Violet¡¯s Pok¨¦mon would no longer enjoy the benefits of harsh sunlight. Of course, we had these tactics tested beforehand figuring out that Raven¡¯s hit and run tactics while covered in smog are sublime.


    ¡°Fire Fang¡±


    ¡°Hurricane! Blow the smog away!!¡±


    "We''ll only have a brief moment to take advantage!¡¯


    Without the benefit of the sun Shiftry was slow enough that we would be the ones that had the benefits of striking first. The inside of Raven mouth was set aflame as the canine Pok¨¦mon leaped atop her opponent in order to deal a decisive blow. Before Shiftry could work up the typed energy to execute a Hurricane, Raven had him tagged by the arm dealing super effective damage. A startled cry was heard from inside the fog before a Hurricane was summoned dispelling our field advantage and taking my trusty pooch with it blowing her around like a spinning top.


    Eventually she managed to land back on the ground but it was obvious to me that being hit point blank by Shiftry¡¯s move had taken a toll on her. Her rapid shallow breathing was a testament to the fatigue that was already settling in. She gave me a single glance which told me all I needed to know about her resolve to continue battling.


    ¡°Hold on! You can do it!¡±


    ¡°Awooooo!¡±


    Raven¡¯s form started glowing and a piercing white light shone in all directions with her at the center. The crowd watching us let out a series of ¡°oooh¡¯s and aaah¡¯s¡± at being witness to the spectacle. It wasn¡¯t every day that one beheld a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s evolution. Even Shiftry kept a respectful distance. All Pok¨¦mon hold a certain reverence towards evolution and leave the one undergoing it alone in fear of messing up the process. Raven¡¯s form changed to grow about twice as large her skull cap came undone growing into two distinct backwards curving horns, she grew another bone spur around her neck featuring a skull collar and her otherwise short and unremarkable tail elongated growing a sharp looking spade at the tip.


    Raven, now a Houndoom, looked more determined and energetic than ever. The evolution somehow enabled the dark type to overcome her battle fatigue. The evolution process¡¯ duration meant that when Raven finally finished evolving the sun had let up taking away our previous advantage but also that of our opponents.


    ¡°Are you good to go?¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Flamethrower!¡±


    ¡°Rock Tomb!¡±


    Shiftry materialized boulders out of thin air threatening to bury Raven alive as they hurled towards her. However, it seemed that the speed advantage which was previously firmly held by Shiftry now belonged to us. With a deftness that was probably brought on by her evolution she narrowly avoided the falling rocks and retaliated with a gout of flame more powerful than what she could usually unleash. Shiftry got hit with a direct blast and with a single screech of pain dropped to the ground fainted.


    ¡°The gym leader¡¯s Pok¨¦mon is unable to battle! Houndoom wins the round.¡±


    ¡°Boo! Boo!¡±


    The crowd was getting rowdier, their goodwill for the gym leader increasing while my own public image was getting dragged through the mud. Halo who was also watching from the sidelines finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. If it was one thing, she couldn¡¯t handle it was public humiliation and as her trainer/parent all the jeering from the crowd towards me felt the same as being insulted herself. So I wasn¡¯t surprised that she turned around and fired off multiple String Shots at the loudest hecklers.


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    ¡°Mmmmpff! Mmmmpff!¡±


    ¡®Her aim is amazing. To succeed at silk wrapping that many heads.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry everyone, my next competitor will show him! Go Ludicolo!¡±


    The pineapple like Pok¨¦mon materialized on the field immediately breaking into a heated dance after hearing the crowd cheer it on.


    ¡°Ludi! Ludi! Ludicolo!¡±


    ¡®A dance show and battle combined into one. Violet¡¯s really milking the spotlight. Well at least they¡¯re not focused on us anymore.¡¯


    ¡°Are you ready for round two girl?¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    ¡°Ludicolo versus Houndoom, let¡¯s begin!¡±


    ¡°Snarl!¡±


    ¡°Rain Dance!¡±


    Waves of dark type energy hit our target who solidly ignored us to dance some more but this time it was an actual move. Clouds started gathering overhead and it began pouring a moderate amount. Not to the levels of a heavy rainstorm but enough so that the average person would seek out cover to wait it out. All of us, even the audience, got drenched. Luckily for me Glove and Halo were already sitting under cover.


    ¡®Rain Dance¡­ so it¡¯s ability must be Swift Swim, the best thing we can do is to continue to cripple Ludicolo¡¯s ability to mount an offensive.¡¯


    ¡°Another Snarl!¡±


    ¡°Hydro Pump!¡±


    Before we could execute our move Ludicolo with an astonishing amount of speed managed to fire off a rapid Hydro Pump. The large jet of pressurized water flew straight into my Pok¨¦mon. Its speed meant that there was no chance of dodging. Raven got sent flying by one of the most powerful water type attacks flying all the way across the demarcated lines. My pooch made for a sorry sight soaked to the bone while fainted on the floor.


    ¡°Houndoom is unable to battle! Trainer, please select your next Pok¨¦mon!¡±


    ¡°Raven return! Go Rena!¡±


    My fox¡¯s appearance on the battlefield marked the beginning of a large change on the battlefield. The rain clouds got pushed away and were instead replaced by strong sunlight. The crowd who had gotten halfway soaked didn¡¯t seem to overly mind that their gym leader¡¯s field advantage was gone if it meant that they had a chance to dry off under the sun.


    ¡®She¡¯s still suffering from intermittent paralysis from the stun spore. We¡¯ll have to finish this quickly.¡¯


    ¡°Begin!¡±


    ¡°Fire Blast!¡±


    ¡°Hydro Pump!¡±


    We¡¯ve never used Fire Blast before because of a multitude of reasons, the primary one being that as a vulpix Rena just didn¡¯t have the necessary fire power. Now under the sun and her having evolved I figured that would no longer be the case. Without the rain advantage Ludicolo could no longer fire off its moves with the same speed as before, meaning that our moves collided in the middle of the battlefield. Even though normally a water type move would cancel out a fire type one with ease the effects of Raven¡¯s snarl still held sway over Violet¡¯s Pok¨¦mon coupled with the harsh sunlight the tables got turned on our opponents.


    The weakened water move got pushed back turning into a copious amount of steam that drifted off into the atmosphere. Meanwhile Rena¡¯s fire type move bulldozed on through hitting the pineapple like Pok¨¦mon square in the face.


    ¡°Ludi!!¡±


    Ludicolo was now peppered with soot-covered scorch marks but was still looking able and willing to continue on battling. Seeing as Ludicolo was also part water type, that level of resilience was about what I would expect from a gym leader¡¯s Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Quick, Rain Dance!¡±


    ¡°Disable!¡±


    Already anticipating her next move, I was quick to call out my next command. In time to block Ludicolo from dancing up his next rainstorm. Ring of energy stopped the Pok¨¦mon mid dance halting what would be a disastrous circumstance for my prospects of winning the match.


    ¡°Solar Beam!¡±


    ¡°Fire¡­!¡±


    Before I could order my next move Rena started struggling clearly unable to move her body. Rena¡¯s paralysis condition acted up stopping her from performing her next move. I watched on as she got hit square in the face by a sun powered Solar Beam. Despite resisting grass type moves the power behind this Solar Beam was no joke. I knew Rena couldn¡¯t take any more of those.


    ¡°Solar Beam Again!¡±


    ¡°Return!¡±


    Before the second Solar Beam had a chance to hit, I made the conscious decision to recall my Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Ninetales was withdrawn during the execution of a move and thus is no longer allowed to battle! The match is now one to one. Challenger, please send out your last Pok¨¦mon!¡±


    I could call out Numsy again, but he was even less suited to battle against a water type than my other Pok¨¦mon. That¡¯s when I decided to call out my ace in the hole. A brief exchange of hand signs made it clear to Glove that I needed him for this battle.


    ¡°Dar!¡±


    The technically oldest member of the team stepped onto the battlefield. His inner fire expressed through his flaming eye brows set ablaze showing off his intent to do battle.


    ¡°Begin!¡±


    ¡°Rain Dance!¡±


    ¡°Taunt!¡±


    As predicted now that Rena was off the field and the disable¡¯s effect has waned Violet intended to try another attempt at regaining the home field advantage. Luckily my experienced fighter had all sorts of tricks up his sleeves to stop those sorts of shenanigans. Glove gave the universal come fight me sign all the while calling Ludicolo the equivalent of a scaredy meowth in pok¨¦speak. The Taunt¡¯s effectiveness spoke for itself as Ludicolo stopped its dance and could now only think about proving Glove wrong.


    ¡°Flare Blitz!¡±


    ¡°Whirlpool!¡±


    Glove set himself on fire and charged in heedless of the coming maelstrom of water. Diving right in and out as if it wasn¡¯t there, he rammed himself into Ludicolo with an astonishing amount of force. Ludicolo, who had already taken a beating from my other two Pok¨¦mon, was knocked out cold, showing off how scary Glove could be when becoming serious.


    ¡°Ludicolo is unable to battle! The winner is Darmanitan and so the victor is the challenger Egon!¡±


    The crowd gave a respectful ovation this time for the both of us. Violet¡¯s use of her Ludicolo seemingly alleviating the perceived notion that I had an unfair advantage. Any experienced specialist trainer would have measures in place to counter the obvious type weaknesses of his or her team. At a sixth level gym battle a mixed water type like Ludicolo being the obvious solution.


    The both of us returned our Pok¨¦mon to their balls. Halo is still standing on the sidelines with a smug satisfaction. Happy that her personal bodyguard showed off his prowess in front of all the bystanders who had come to watch. Both Violet and myself walked towards each other to officially acknowledge the results of our match.


    ¡°That was a great match, Egon. You have proven yourself worthy of receiving the Cloverbadge.¡±


    Violet handed over a badge shaped in the form of a four-leaf clover with a yellow glass marble slotted into the center.


    ¡°Also, since this battle has been a boon for the gym¡¯s popularity, I¡¯ll let you pick out one of our technical machines if you forgo the monetary award.¡±


    ¡®I was planning to use the reward money to pay for our seafare but still¡­ she already warned me that minor gyms don¡¯t pay out as much as the major ones. A good technical machine that we could use would trump that any day of the week.¡¯


    ¡°The technical machine please.¡±


    ¡°Great! You can follow me and Sceppy back to the gym. I¡¯ll even help you pick one out!¡±


    ¡®Of all the grass type technical machines out there, there¡¯s really only one I would be interested in.¡¯

 Chapter 63 - Treating Ourselves

    Chapter 63 ¨C Treating Ourselves


    After beating Violet and earning ourselves a fourth Hoenn badge we opted to make our way back to the Lilycove city gym but not before Violet got a chance to interact with her now adoring fans. The woman was basking in the attention acting like a proud prinplup. Signing autographs and doing all she could to promote the gym. Eventually I got fed up with the situation and took the time to hand over my now battle-weary Pok¨¦mon to the nurse Joy operating the adjacent Pok¨¦mon center. By the time I came back she was still occupied but eventually got snapped out of her marketing fervor by Sceppy the Sceptile who also had just about enough.


    ¡°Ah! Sorry! I couldn¡¯t disappoint our gym¡¯s fans.¡±


    ¡°Scep¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you really enjoyed yourself out there. Perhaps you could do this more often.¡±


    ¡°What more often?¡±


    ¡°Having gym battles outside in front of a crowd. You know? Show off in front of Lilycove city denizens.¡±


    ¡°That would be nice but¡­ It wouldn¡¯t be as attention grabbing as the battle we just had. The only trainers that challenge my gym are those who aren¡¯t as serious about battling but want to show their friends and family that they are at least capable enough to earn one or two badges. To be honest this is the first higher difficulty gym battle we¡¯ve had in a while¡­¡±


    ¡°And you gave me a great battle even with a type disadvantage! I¡¯ll be sure to recommend your gym to other serious trainers.¡±


    ¡°Aww that¡¯s so sweet. I¡¯ll gratefully accept your help then.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll just text a recommendation to Roxanne. I don''t know any other trainer currently undertaking the circuit.¡¯


    After a short walk we were back inside the gym, and I was again greeted by the picturesque scene of verdant berry trees and the large collection of grass types taking care of them. The last time I was here Halo got into a scrap with Violet¡¯s Tangela who was looking after its tree. While Victini used the distraction to make off with at least two Mago berries.


    ¡°The gym¡¯s storage room is all the way in the back, just follow me.¡±


    Following her I couldn¡¯t help but keep a careful lookout for a vengeful Tangela who probably figured out that its berries got stolen after the fact. Luckily Violet¡¯s gym wasn¡¯t overly large, only being big enough to host one battlefield, the surrounding flora and a small side building which was probably our target destination.


    ¡°We¡¯re here, inside you¡¯ll find a handful of older technical machines. Ummm it¡¯s not all that well organized and I haven¡¯t been in there for over a month so it might be a bit dusty. If you need anything just give us a shout.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay I have a little sister, so I am used to walking into messy rooms.¡±


    I turned over the handle and walked inside. Just like Violet said a small layer of dust was forming over the furniture and items in the room. At first glance it was hard making out where the technical machines were being kept and just as I was about to start cleaning up to make my task more manageable, I felt the mental equivalent of a ping go off in my head. Informing me that my psychic partner had returned from her latest adventure.


    ¡°Egon!!¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s up? Did you have a good time?¡¯


    The locked upper window unlatched itself and my trusty companion zipped inside landing on top of my head. Making herself comfortable


    ¡°I was looking all over for you! You were supposed to be battling inside the gym!¡±


    ¡®My Pok¨¦mon posed a fire hazard, so we duked it out inside the Pok¨¦mon center battle court. I won my fourth badge but that Ludicolo of hers threw us for a loop.¡¯


    ¡°I knew you could do it! Next stop Mossdeep City! What are you doing in this dinky old room?¡±


    ¡®Violet gave me permission to pick out a technical machine. It¡¯s kind of hard finding them buried underneath all this rubble.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll help!¡±


    Using her psychic powers helped me organize all the items in their proper place and even got rid of all the excess dust gathering it all up in one lump and shooting it out the window. Now that things were finally properly ordered I could find out what we had to work with.


    ¡®Mega Drain¡­ that¡¯s an older one I didn¡¯t know they were still making these despite the clearly superior version also being available to purchase¡­, Bullet Seed no, Grass Knot¡¯s great something to keep in mind as a secondary option,¡¯


    There were only a handful of technical machines kept inside this storage room and I was close to giving up and picking number eighty six Grass Knot, until I finally found what I was looking for.


    ¡°Solar Beam! Come to papa!¡±


    I pulled out the move I was specifically looking for with a sense of relief. Thankful that the gym kept a stock of this staple grass type move.


    ¡°Won¡¯t a grass type move be impossible to learn?¡±


    ¡®Normally yes, but Solar Beam is the exception. Any fire type Pok¨¦mon can learn how to harness the energies of the sun. This will be our trump card for beating the Sootopolis city gym. This is a single use technical machine and since you¡¯ve done an amazing job at coaching Glove on how to use psychic type moves¡­¡¯


    ¡°Say no more I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    ¡®Great, it¡¯s time to head out and get some of my other stuff sorted. I promised to send my findings report on Rena¡¯s drought ability to a Hoenn lab and we still need to buy that ferry ticket to Mossdeep.¡¯


    We exited the storage room only to see Violet busy updating her social media status on the sole computer in the gym. She managed to find a recording of our battle on pok¨¦tube and seemed to be busy arguing back and forth with a group of random detractors.


    Not wanting to get in the middle of that we sneaked past her and kept walking. Sceptile helpfully noticed our situation and decided to escort us out.


    ¡°Thanks a bunch. We picked up a copy of Solar Beam and organized the storage room so it¡¯s a bit more manageable.¡±


    ¡°Tile!¡±


    ¡®Please don¡¯t take any more of their berries.¡¯


    ¡°¡­.!¡±


    ¡®You know we usually have a celebratory feast after winning a badge, right? Keeping some space free in your stomach isn¡¯t uncalled for.¡¯


    My mind registered a pang of resignation before feeling the familiar weight of an invisible rabbit entering my backpack. Most likely scrounging around for a snack to tide her over until lunch break. Eventually Sceptile brought us all the way back to the front entrance where we shared a special moment with the bipedal tree lizard.


    ¡°You do a great job taking care of your trainer Violet¡¯s lucky to have you.¡±


    ¡°Tile¡­!¡±


    ¡°When it is my time to enter the ace ranking I hope we can have a proper battle with no holds barred.¡±


    We shook hands/claws with the promise to go all out against each other next time we encountered each other in an official capacity. With that I turned around and left returning to the Pok¨¦mon center to pick up my remaining team members while not looking forward to writing that report.


    <hr>


    Two hours later*


    ¡°Aaaand I am done!¡±


    As soon as we got to the Pok¨¦mon center I booked a computer booth and got set to working on that discovery report on Drought. Naturally professors don¡¯t actually require or expect teenagers on their first circuit run to produce quality work but that didn¡¯t stop me from doing the best I could. Having a background in the STEM sciences from my previous life I knew how to write a proper one. I sent one copy to my actual sponsor Professor Juniper and the other one to the mailing address of Professor Birch¡¯s Laboratory in Littleroot Town. I knew Professor Birch was mainly interested in Pok¨¦mon Ecology and not battle abilities but ones that can affect weather changes would probably be of some interest to him.


    ¡°Food!!¡±


    My Pok¨¦mon team who had been patiently waiting for me were nearing the limits of their patience. It was then I realized with some amount of embarrassment that I had forgotten to make lunch on time. So, I promptly shut down my computer and went back up to our room to recall them for our outing. They were all gathered together ready and eager to go out for some lunch.


    ¡°Please forgive me. I got sucked into working longer than I should have.¡±


    The older Pok¨¦mon didn¡¯t mind as much but Litwick and Halo did not like being separated without good cause for longer periods of time.


    ¡°Vess¡­¡± ¡°Lit¡­¡±


    ¡°How about this? The two of you get to pick out the restaurant we¡¯ll be dining at.¡±


    My Litwick didn¡¯t actually eat solid food but he greatly appreciated berry scented incense. Which meant that we would probably end up going to one of the fancier places if he had anything to say about it. Halo also had a penchant for high end places and going there after not receiving any gym badge winnings would put us in the red. The downside or rather an upside in this case was that having dinner with an entire team of Pok¨¦mon out of their balls was impossible inside fancier restaurants. The only food places that offered those kinds of services were low end and affordable. Halo and Orin wouldn¡¯t put the group''s needs over their own.


    We went out and to help facilitate their ease of choosing we had Numsy giving Halo a ride while Orin stood atop my left shoulder just happy to be a part of our search party. While we were walking the streets of Lilycove City I pointed out multiple dining establishments vocally weighing the pros and cons of each.


    ¡°You want Galarian food? Numsy¡¯s already had it that one time we ate out in Castelia so he can fill you in.¡±


    ¡°Rupt¡­¡±


    ¡°Vess¡­¡±


    ¡°How about Paldean? Spicy meats with lots of garlic.¡±


    ¡°Lit¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ A place that smells good and serves dishes that are a bit more highbrow.¡±


    Eventually we passed the city¡¯s urban confines and ended up at one of the many tourist beaches. And as luck would have it this beach had a snackbar with a large open space that would be a perfect venue for all my Pok¨¦mon to have lunch together.


    ¡°What about this place? We haven¡¯t had Alolan cuisine before. We could all have a Malasada each.¡±


    ¡°Laaar?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a fried pastry filled with whatever type of berries you prefer a staple food item overseas.¡±


    ¡°¡­Vess.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, I¡¯ll get you something else.¡±


    She gave me a small nod not exactly eager to try this unknown type of food but unwilling to make the group keep walking for much longer. With her tacit approval I walked inside while the rest of my Pok¨¦mon picked a spot to sit at keeping Numsy company since he was too big to walk through the front door.


    The inside walls were decorated with photo¡¯s depicting Alola¡¯s natural beauty and a collection of souvenirs. All the tables were occupied confirming this place¡¯s popularity as a hotspot to get genuine Alolan cuisine. The line leading up to the counter was long so I already mentally prepared myself to be stuck waiting in line.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡®This will take longer than expected. Can you let the others know?¡¯


    ¡°Ayup!¡±


    <hr>


    Thirty minutes later*


    Eventually I finally made it to the front of the line. The eatery offered varying sizes and flavors of malasada seeing as there were seven of us it made for quite the tall order.


    ¡°Hello, I would like two Big Malasada''s, two medium and two small.¡±


    ¡°What flavors would you like?¡±


    ¡°For the big ones I¡¯d like One sour and one spicy, For the medium I¡¯d like two dry tasting ones and make the small ones¡¯ sweet tasting.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be all?¡±


    ¡®Ah heck I guess it¡¯s fine to treat myself once in a while.¡¯


    ¡°Could I get an extra soda pop with that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be 800 Pok¨¦dollars please. Our restaurant does offer discounts for first time trainers participating in the circuit. If you show us your trainer¡¯s license you¡¯ll get thirty percent off..¡±


    ¡°Wait, how¡¯d you know I am a licensed trainer?¡±


    ¡°We saw you leaving your Pok¨¦mon team outside. and the Camerupt stuck his head through the kitchen window.¡±


    ¡°¡­Sorry, I¡¯ll give him a talking to.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! Our cooks need a little bit of shaking up now and then.¡±


    When it became time to pay for lunch, I decided to use the gym¡¯s card for my team¡¯s meals and as for my Sitrus berry flavored soda pop I had to pay for it with my own personal card. It wasn¡¯t often that I used the gym¡¯s card since I could only use that money for my Pok¨¦mon¡¯s food expenses but this technically falls in that category. Not that we ate out all that often, else I¡¯d be pretty sure I would be receiving a personal call from Mr. Moore if that was the case.


    With my order placed I removed myself from the premises and joined the rest of my team who were still waiting outside. Each of them resting inside one of the outdoor patios reserved for customers.


    ¡°Hey guys, sorry it took so long. This place is crazy popular. I had to wait in line.¡±


    They all gave me a small cry of acknowledgement before continuing on with their game of Timburr¡¯s Tower. Numsy had grown too big to properly enjoy board games and was watching on clearly bored out of his mind. I felt like this was a good time to get some buddy time in, with my oldest friend.


    ¡°You want to head out to see the sights? We have a pretty good chance of meeting water type that we haven¡¯t seen before.¡±


    ¡°Rupt?¡±


    ¡°They know which patio we¡¯re in and I¡¯ve already paid for our meal so it¡¯s no issue.¡±


    Numsy seemed eager enough to take a stroll along the beach as long as we kept a good distance away from the water so that¡¯s what we did. Since I spent a good deal of time working on my report at the Pok¨¦mon center a sizable chunk of the beach goers were already packing up for the day. That meant we could wade our way through without accidentally bumping into anyone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s play I spy a Pok¨¦mon like we used to. You can start.¡±


    ¡°Came Rupt¡­?¡±


    ¡°Something white? That¡¯s easy a wingull.¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on a beach. I don''t have to look. There¡¯s only a finite number of wild Pok¨¦mon out here unless we also count trainer owned ones. Now it¡¯s my turn, I spy¡­¡±


    I scanned the beach for a more difficult to guess target until my eyes finally landed on a blue deflated blob with what seemed to be tentacles coming out of it. The Tentacool was obviously stranded and severely dehydrated.


    ¡°Game¡¯s off! There¡¯s a Pok¨¦mon who needs our help!¡±


    ¡°Came!¡±


    The both of us ran towards the sad looking Tentacool while a small crowd of children was already forming around the Jellyfish Pok¨¦mon unsure of what to do without parental guidance. The kids made way for me seeing as I came together with Numsy. Clueing them in on my status as a licensed Pok¨¦mon trainer.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!. In this state it will sting anyone that gets close. We¡¯ll need to hydrate it first before attempting to move Tentacool. Does anyone here have a large bucket?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡±


    The pig tailed girl in a one-piece responded enthusiastically.


    ¡°Can you fill it up with water and bring it over? You! boy in the green trunk, help her carry it over. Take turns if the other one gets exhausted.¡±


    The two of them sped off leaving behind a nervous kid with glasses.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell how long Tentacool¡¯s been like this. I''ll have to give up my fizzy sitrus pop. Stand back a bit, Tentacool might shoot Poison Sting when it comes to its senses.¡±


    I was loath to do it, but we were still a ways off from the sea. Sacrificing my one guilty pleasure to rescue a Pok¨¦mon in need was a basic kindness. I opened up the can and started dousing Tentacool¡¯s delipidated body with fizzy citrusy goodness. The Sitrus extract had a restorative effect and could be used in a pinch situation like this one if one¡¯s conventional healing items ran dry. Tentacool¡¯s body started ballooning up slowly being filled with the water it needed. Soon enough my soda pop ran out, its contents not being sufficient to entirely substitute the jellyfish¡¯s Pok¨¦mon need for water.


    ¡°Tenta¡­¡±


    ¡°Easy there, you are stranded on a beach. We¡¯ll get you back into the water so just hang on tight.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it say?¡±


    ¡°Rupt.¡±


    ¡°It got nabbed by a flying Pok¨¦mon but dropped when it proved too much of a hassle to eat? You must be one tough fella. It does make sense though the rangers usually wouldn¡¯t allow one of your kind to get near to a beach frequented by humans.¡±


    Tentacool and tentacruel were well known for being extremely territorial while at the same time not posing as much of a danger compared to other aggressive water types like gyarados. Since most of their attacks aren¡¯t powerful enough to breach the steel hulls of passing ships.


    ¡°You must be far away from home. It might be a good idea to contact a ranger. They¡¯ll release you at the nearest tentacool spawning grounds. Wait before all of that, can I try something?¡±


    ¡°Tenta?¡±


    It has been a long while since I had the chance to use the Pok¨¦dex I received from Professor Juniper. Tentacool was known for being a wide-ranging species it would for sure have all the relevant data pertaining to this water and poison type.


    ¡°Hey you, what''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Cliff.¡±


    ¡°Would you mind grabbing the Pok¨¦dex that¡¯s in my backpack and scanning Tentacool with it? I haven¡¯t had the chance to record his species yet.¡±


    The nerdy looking kid¡¯s eyes lit up at the prospect of handling such a renowned device and in anticipation of Cliff''s probable series of questions. I gave him all the necessary information he would need.


    ¡°The right flap, just press the big white button in the middle and point. The scan will start automatically.¡±


    Tentacool, the Jellyfish Pok¨¦mon


    Because Tentacool¡¯s body is almost entirely composed of water, it shrivels up if it is washed ashore. If this Pok¨¦mon happens to become dehydrated, put it back into the sea. Tentacool tend to drift in shallow seas, such as the areas near beaches. If you get bitten or stabbed by its toxic tentacles, rush to the hospital.


    ¡°Yep, that sounds about right. Isn¡¯t that so Cliff?¡±


    Just as Cliff was about to respond to my rhetorical question. His duo of friends came back carrying a large bucket of seawater between the two of them. Thankfully not being followed by their parents I didn¡¯t want to get it on with parental figures afraid of their children running the risk of being stung by a poison type like Tentacool.


    ¡°We¡¯re back and we brought a bucket of water!¡±


    The children let go of the bucket, the item falling on sandy ground with a soft thud.


    ¡°Say Tentacool¡­¡±


    ¡°Tenta?¡±


    ¡°Do I have your permission to pick you up and place you inside this bucket of seawater?¡±


    ¡°Cool!¡±


    It seemed that my donation of a fizzy drink was enough to assure Tentacool that I had no malicious intentions toward it. So, I carefully placed both my hands underneath its weirdly gelatinous body and lifted the water type into the bucket. As soon as I did so Tentacool¡¯s body started expanding again until it reached about two feet in size when adding the length of its grasping tentacles into the equation.


    ¡°Tenta! Tenta!¡±


    ¡°Tentacool is thanking us for the offered help. Now you all go make sure that your parents don¡¯t figure out what you¡¯ve been up to. The four of us will be in a heap of trouble if they ever find out you¡¯ve been standing around an uncaught Tentacool. I¡¯ll leave the bucket at this spot so you can come back to pick it up as soon as we''re done here.¡±


    Their faces cramped up at the realization and they quickly dispersed not wanting to be spotted and get grounded for life. A licensed trainer like me could interact with all sorts of dangerous wild Pok¨¦mon without getting into trouble unlike the kids who by the looks of it were about one or two years my junior. Before leaving Cliff gave me back my Pok¨¦dex with a disappointed expression, probably a tad frustrated that he couldn¡¯t acquaint himself with the device.


    It was now just me, Numsy and Tentacool. In any other situation I could just drop the water type into the ocean without repercussion but since this stretch of sea was populated with swimming tourists the responsible thing to do was call the ranger hotline and have them take care of it. So that¡¯s what I did.


    Hoenn, just like any other country, had a three numbered emergency line that you could call in a situation like this. Granted this wasn¡¯t really an emergency but I didn¡¯t have the number of the local ranger outpost on hand and there weren¡¯t any computers nearby. With a bit of trepidation I dialed the number on my Xtransceiver and hoped for the best.


    ¡°This is the Hoenn region¡¯s emergency hotline. Do you require police, fire, ambulance or rangers?¡±


    ¡°Rangers please.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, I am sending you through.¡±


    Luckily, I didn¡¯t have to wait and immediately got connected to the on-duty ranger.


    ¡°Lilycove ranger outpost HQ, what seems to be the problem?¡±


    ¡°I found a dried up Tentacool on one of Lilycove City¡¯s beaches and rehydrated it. Now I figured I can¡¯t just let Tentacool loose at shore since it¡¯s a tourist area¡­¡±


    ¡°That is correct, usually in these cases we send someone over. Has the Tentacool in question stung anyone?¡±


    ¡°No, he is quite amenable after I proved my intentions. As far as I can tell some flying Pok¨¦mon mistakenly tried to make a meal out of him but dropped him after getting a taste of Tentacool¡¯s Poison Sting.¡±


    After it was made clear that Tentacool was not a threat I was asked to share our current location with the ranger¡¯s interlocutor. I was clueless as to this particular beach¡¯s name, so I told them to come pick Tentacool up at the restaurant where the rest of my team was waiting. Following the call¡¯s conclusion, I had a chat with Tentacool and he was agreeable to spending the rest of the afternoon with us at the restaurant before one of the rangers came to get him back home.


    ¡°I sure am lucky that I worked on my stamina back home. Or we¡¯d be having trouble moving you Tentacool.¡±


    ¡°Tenta.¡±


    I was fairly sure that the sight of a ten-year-old carrying a tentacool around in a bucket would have prompted some of the adult passers-by to come and talk with me. However, Numsy¡¯s presence advertising my status as a trainer did much to keep the busybodies away.


    ¡°We¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Ninee!¡± ¡°Lit!¡± ¡°Vess!¡± ¡°Nitan!¡± ¡°Arf!¡±


    I was greeted by the sight of my team only giving me brief greetings before going back to munching on each of their respective fried pastries. The Malasada¡¯s allure being too great for them to pay any attention to me or the venomous jellyfish Pok¨¦mon I was carrying with me in a bucket. Each of them received a straw basket labeled by flavor so that there wouldn¡¯t be any confusion on whose Malasada belonged to whom.


    ¡°Numsy go have lunch, yours is the big one labeled sour. I¡¯ll look after Tentacool.¡±


    My buddy didn¡¯t need to be told twice as he rushed on over to join the semicircle of Pok¨¦mon who were enjoying their lunch.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know what a tentacool eats. Do you want a berry or something else?¡±


    ¡°Tenta¡­!¡±


    It was hard for me to accurately read the expression of the near amorphous invertebrate, but it looked like Tentacool was moved by my hospitality. It took a while but eventually he gave his assent indicating that he would like to have lunch together with us. So, I opened up my old trusty backpack and fished out my stash of berries. Pulling the lid off the plastic container holding our supply of berries I presented Tentacool with the opened box.


    ¡°You can pick one. If you are unfamiliar with the various kinds of berries then the Oran berry would be your safest bet.¡±


    Tentacool extended one of his feelers and hovered it over my selection until he finally grabbed a cheri berry. Pulling the spicy tasting berry into the bucket and into its unseen mouth.


    ¡°Can I also?¡±


    ¡®Are you already done with your Malasada?¡¯


    ¡°Yes! It was delicious. We should eat out more often!¡±


    ¡°Okay, you can all have one berry each, but that means no dessert after dinner!¡±


    <hr>


    A bit after lunch*


    After enjoying lunch with the team, we started training at a cleared out empty spot. Tentacool who was still waiting for the ranger to come pick him up agreed to help out me and Numsy with the next stage of his ability exercises.


    ¡°Bear with it, no pain no gain! You are doing an excellent job Tentacool.¡±


    Tentacool was hosing down my bovine friend with a weakened version of Water Gun. While Numsy had to stand still and take it. So far we had a modicum amount of success, the Water Gun not being potent enough to knock him out but it did cool down his core temperature making him act lethargic.


    While I was busy making sure Tentacool didn¡¯t take it too far. The others got busy working on their own abilities. Raven was doing training of a similar nature as Numsy standing still while she got peppered with low power embers from an eager to help out bug type. Orin, after getting tutored in the basics of applying Shadow Tag, was busy extending his shadow far enough to prevent Glove from escaping. The little candle didn¡¯t have issues with catching the big lug but having the effect of Shadow Tag not be broken by the return function of Glove¡¯s ball still eluded him which Rena activated from time to time.


    We spent our time like that until finally a figure riding a large flying Pok¨¦mon flew overhead before landing right next to us. I could recognize the ranger¡¯s attire with but a glance what was surprising to me was his manner of transport. Mantines were large enough to carry people but vastly preferred swimming over flying so seeing one do so was quite the surprise.


    ¡°Tineeee!¡±


    ¡°Hello and you must be Egon. Sorry I am late when you called, I was in the middle of an escort assignment. This is the Tentacool you were talking about?¡±


    ¡°Cool!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s been a real help getting my Camerupt to get used to water type attacks.¡±


    The ranger pulled out a pok¨¦ ball from his belt before showing the capture device to Tentacool.


    ¡°Alright see this? I¡¯ll be temporarily catching you with this here ranger ball. When me and Mantine reach the nearest coral reef where others of your kind live, I¡¯ll release you straight away. Do you trust me Tentacool?¡±


    ¡°¡­Tenta.¡±


    ¡°Great! Do you want to say your goodbyes to Egon?¡±


    Tentacool turned towards me and extended one of his feelers in a clear attempt at giving me a handshake which I quickly reciprocated by gently wrapping his feeler with my bare hand confident that the poison type had no intention of stinging me.


    ¡°You make sure to grow into being a big scary Tentacruel so no Pok¨¦mon will ever mistake you for a food item, alright?¡±


    ¡°Tenta!¡±


    We finished saying our goodbyes. Numsy''s farewell tinged with a smidge of relief and the ranger bopped his ball gently onto Tentacool¡¯s head sucking the water type inside. With his business finished the ranger hopped back onto Mantine''s back and the two of them took off in the direction of the ocean. Leaving us back to our own devices.


    ¡°Ferry¡­ hmm Oh! I forgot to buy tickets! We¡¯ll have to race to make it in time!¡±


    ¡°Doofus!¡±

 Chapter 64 - Old but New

    Chapter 64 ¨C Old but New


    The next day we woke up early to catch the morning ferry. Not wanting to wake up my Pok¨¦mon I quietly recalled them into their balls. The ferry was set to leave at seven AM one hour earlier than their usual waking time. As I was attempting to return Orin the ghost type hopped out of the way from the red beam.


    ¡°Lit. Wick¡­¡±


    ¡°You want to keep me company? Of course you can.¡±


    I extended my arm so the little candle could hop on lifting him up to my shoulders where Orin could have a good vantage point. Before leaving I made sure to tidy up the room so that the staff working at the Pok¨¦mon center would have an easier time preparing our quarters for the next guest to make use of it. When I finished, I made sure to silently close the door behind me so as to not wake up the other guests. We walked through the dormitory hallway and into the Pok¨¦mon center proper. The lack of people being a clear indication that traveling trainers leaned towards a younger demographic. Before leaving we made sure to quietly waive our goodbyes to the attending nurse Joy who did the same in return. The center¡¯s automated doors slid open and the foggy morning streets of Lilycove city welcomed us.


    ¡°Having you out is already proving to be a boon. Can you flare up a bit? I don¡¯t want to collide into anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    Fog banks are a rarity in Hoenn; the warm climate typically prevents water vapor from forming naturally. Seeing as we are close to a nearby battlefield, I¡¯d give us over fifty percent odds that a Pok¨¦mon move was the cause for our low visibility. I had half a mind to find out who or what was responsible, but we were already short on time.


    ¡®It¡¯s either Mist or a poorly executed Clear Smog. Officer Jenny will set them straight.¡¯


    As we were walking along, I noticed that Orin was acting strangely. The little ghost type was fiddling its stubby hands together as if he was afraid of asking something. Naturally as his trainer I wanted to get to the bottom of this.


    ¡°Orin are you okay? If something is bothering you, you can be assured that as your trainer I¡¯ll do all that I can to fix it.¡±


    ¡°Lit Wick?¡±


    ¡°Orin asks why he wasn¡¯t picked for last day¡¯s gym battle.¡±


    ¡°Her Pok¨¦mon were too fast due to my error of sending out Rena first. They would¡¯ve overwhelmed you even with your type advantage.¡°


    The serious topic of conversation seemed to draw out another who was still sleeping inside her ball. Victini was probably looking to add her insights into our conversations seeing as I could only understand about half what Orin was telling me without her assistance.


    ¡°Orin feels bad because he hasn¡¯t won any major league battles for you.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, but isn¡¯t that a given though? While still in your first form your maneuverability is limited as is your fire power. That¡¯s why Phoebe decided to catch Lampent instead of all the other ghosts living inside the Celestial tower, as an ace trainer looking to make her debut, she couldn¡¯t afford to spend the time it takes to train a Litwick.¡±


    ¡°Lit¡­?¡±


    ¡°Your proficiency at controlling flames is equal to Rena as is your aptitude for learning new moves. Besides¡­ it¡¯s not like I am betting on winning at the conference during my first try. All that stuff I told Champion Drake was said in the heat of the moment. If you evolve it¡¯s great but if not that¡¯s fine too. Your happiness and well-being are my first priority.¡±


    ¡°Lit¡­¡±


    Somehow despite being a fire type Orin managed to release a single tear from her glowing green eyes. Victini¡¯s ball opened up on its own and the little rabbit proceeded to immediately hug the distressed candle Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Vi! Vi!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll make you strong! From now on you are my disciple!¡±


    ¡°Lit?¡±


    ¡°Victini is able to teach you all sorts of psychic type moves. I know for certain that you can learn a handful of them.¡±


    ¡®Have you managed to grasp the intricacies of using Solar Beam? It took a while before you managed to properly process the Teleport technical machine.¡¯


    ¡°I feel like I can do it! Well¡­ maybe after the sun has come up.¡±


    Last evening after dinner I had decided to use the Solar Beam technical machine on Victini, giving her all night to cobble together the move¡¯s intricacies. Now that Rena had mastered the use of Drought the next step was to have all my Pok¨¦mon learn how to perform Solar Beam, my trump card for beating the Sootopolis gym. Since the technical machine was only single use, I had my smartest Pok¨¦mon learn it first. Furthermore, Victini¡¯s psychic abilities allowed her to share the experience of using the move after a fashion. Which could speed up the learning process. From this point on training time would be reserved for practicing Solar Beam until mastery has been achieved.


    ¡®I¡¯ve learned quite a bit more about Litwick as a species. I do not expect Orin to evolve any time soon. Mayhap during the final stretches of the circuit. Evolution is triggered by a combination of biological and spiritual factors. Since Orin¡¯s a ghost type, only the latter will be important to his growth.¡¯


    Eventually we finally reached the Lilycove harbor, the sun was already cresting the horizon dyeing the ocean in orange hues. Contrary to my expectations, the vessel that would ferry us to Mossdeep City was a medium sized ship fit to only carry about three hundred people. Sailormen were walking to and fro loading cargo. While passengers like myself were free to explore the deck and take in the scenic view. Victini had already disappeared, no doubt sleeping off her morning torpor inside my backpack. As I scanned the deck for any interesting figures we spotted the large form of an exotic Pok¨¦mon not commonly seen inside the Hoenn region.


    ¡°Look Orin, an Infernape! Let¡¯s go say hello.¡±


    It was a rarity to come across one of the regional starter Pok¨¦mon, especially one that reached its final stage of evolution and being a foreign on at that. Infernape being one of my favorites was just icing on the cake.


    ¡°Excuse me!¡±


    ¡°Nape¡­?¡±


    ¡°Could I have my picture taken with you? This is my first time meeting a member of your species, and I am a big fan!¡±


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°Hold your horses there young¡¯un. I am afraid I can¡¯t let you do that.¡±


    An elderly lady who I didn¡¯t presume to be Infernape¡¯s trainer turned around to put a dampener on my plans. She was wearing old fashioned traditional wear, her gray hair tied up with two white strips. Infernape seemed deferential to her but not in a way that would lead me to believe the both had any type of emotional bond.


    ¡°You see, I¡¯ve been looking after this Infernape on behalf of its trainer.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you run a mobile daycare?¡±


    ¡°Not at all but from an outsider¡¯s perspective that¡¯d be a close enough guess.¡±


    ¡°So, your job is one that has you occasionally look after other trainers¡¯ Pok¨¦mon, but you are not a daycare worker. Hmmm¡­ a move tutor?¡±


    ¡°Bingo, you got it right on the second try. Even though I am officially retired, high ranking trainers all over the world still seek to acquire my services. They call me: Ultima Guardian of the Ultimate skills!¡±


    ¡°Oh! I get it! You teach moves that are too powerful to be recorded on a single technical machine! Like Draco Meteor or Dynamic Punch.¡±


    ¡°Youngsters these days are so well informed! However, I am incapable of teaching those specific moves. No, what I teach are the three moves that are learned by only a handful of specific Pok¨¦mon. Blast Burn, Frenzy Plant and Hydro Cannon.¡±


    ¡°No way! You taught Mr. Moore¡¯s Typhlosion?¡±


    ¡°Among others, yes, you know the old fart?¡±


    ¡®Old fart? That¡¯s like the pot calling the kettle black.¡¯


    ¡°I intern at his gym and am currently on my first circuit run. The name¡¯s Egon from Lavaridge town.¡±


    ¡°Ah that brings me back and you seem to be about right age too. Youngsters nowadays keep starting later and later. It does this old woman good to see some families sticking to the old ways.¡±


    ¡°Miss Ultima would it be possible for any of my fire type Pok¨¦mon to learn one of your Ultimate Skills?¡±


    ¡°That depends, did old timmy pull some strings at the league to get you a torchic?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Pfeh! Don¡¯t let that get you down kid! I am way too busy to take on another client anyway. By the look of that Litwick you seem to be doing a fine job as a trainer. I haven¡¯t seen that type of coloring on his species before today so that little tyke of yours is just as special as any of those high pedigree lab starters.¡±


    That comment seemed to have reinvigorated Orin as the little candle excitedly clapped his hands together.


    ¡°Lit Lit!¡±


    That last comment of hers cemented the mental image I had of Ultima in my mind. Eccentric with a rough exterior but ultimately just a kind old lady.


    ¡°Thank you for the compliment, not many people notice the different coloring. Have you visited Unova before?¡±


    ¡°This old lady has been to many places but for now we are heading to Mossdeep city to meet up with this one¡¯s trainer.¡±


    ¡°Nape!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! So Infernape already managed to get the hang of Blast Burn?¡±


    ¡°Cheh! Not even close! First off, I don¡¯t teach just any Pok¨¦mon an Ultimate skill. A trainer first has to prove their worthiness. That¡¯s why we are going to Mossdeep. I¡¯ve set up numerous trials on the island for my newest prospect. Normally I¡¯d just have my Dragonite fly us over, but this is my old friend¡¯s retirement voyage, so we are tagging along.¡±


    Just like that the both of us sat down and exchanged stories. She had a wealth of experiences to share that a fledgling trainer like me could benefit from. She told me of her home on the Sevi islands more specifically Two Island or how the locals call it Friendship Island. Having her talk about the Sevi Islands made me bring up a dangerous topic that could see myself landed in a heap of trouble.


    ¡°Sevi Islands¡­ Have you ever been to Mt. Ember? I¡¯ve heard tales that the legendary Pok¨¦mon Moltres occasionally visits the Volcano¡¯s caldera. I would like to visit that place someday.¡±


    The old lady¡¯s demeanor changed in the blink of an eye. Going from encouraging to one of dead seriousness.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°Who told you that?! Has someone been spreading rumors!? Did that old cook Timmy share something he shouldn¡¯t have?¡±


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ No¡­?¡±


    ¡°Regardless how you¡¯ve come to know about Moltres I¡¯d advise you to keep this information to yourself. Nothing good can come off ambitious trainers coming in mass numbers to capture Moltres. The locals living on One Island are already having a tough time swatting off fortune seekers coming to pilfer Treasure Beach.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to!¡±


    ¡°Good¡­ GOOD! Now you were in the midst of telling me something about a giant Cofagrigus?¡±


    <hr>


    Two hours later*


    We were past the halfway point of our voyage when the rest of my Pok¨¦mon decided to come out of their balls to enjoy breakfast with me. Ultima¡¯s Pok¨¦mon also opted to make an appearance, she had four Pok¨¦mon on hand; Thyplosion, Meganium, Feraligatr and Dragonite. The ferry didn¡¯t provide catering for short trips in between islands like this one but there was plenty of space to make your own dishes which is what I did under the curious auspices of Ultima. The Guardian of Ultimate skills didn¡¯t comment on the way I prepared food but showed a healthy interest in observing how me and my Pok¨¦mon interacted with each other. I had taken a similar interest in her Typhlosion seeing as this was the first time I had seen one with another trainer aside from Mr. Moore. My boss had never shared mealtimes with his employees, so I didn¡¯t know how he interacted with his Pok¨¦mon outside of work. Ultima seemed to have a decent enough repertoire with her Pok¨¦mon bringing her own pre-prepared food packets. We were nearing the end of breakfast and I pulled out my last batch of Lava cookies. Giving each of my Pok¨¦mon an appropriately sized piece of cookie based on their body size. I wouldn¡¯t usually feed them breakfast dessert, but I wanted them to be in an extra good mood for the training session I was planning today. Ultima¡¯s Pok¨¦mon were looking at us and then looking back to their trainer, leaving the question unsaid but its meaning clear enough.


    ¡°Treats? Pfeh you louts know we only get some twice a week. This figure doesn¡¯t maintain itself!¡±


    Rena, who hadn¡¯t started eating her cookie yet, looked at her bowl then shifted her gaze towards Ultima¡¯s hungry looking Pok¨¦mon before showing off her most admirable trait. The fox Pok¨¦mon picked up a share of the cookies with her mouth before offering Ultima the Lava cookie, leaving the old lady to decide how to best divide the crunchy treat.


    ¡°Nine!¡±


    I could tell Ultima was moved by Rena¡¯s kindness and reciprocated by praising the fox Pok¨¦mon¡¯s show of compassion.


    ¡°What a darling she is, you¡¯ve truly lucked out by catching her kid.¡±


    Feeling inspired by my Pok¨¦mon¡¯s generosity I decided to fish out Victini¡¯s share of the Lava cookies before handing those over as well.


    ¡°Here it¡¯s not much but this way everyone can get a mouthful.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡®You can always get some more from Phoebe¡¯s parents. They just ordered over two hundred of these. I am sure they¡¯d let you take some.¡¯


    Ultima took both of the offered cookies, split them in half and divided them up amongst her own Pok¨¦mon. Infernape who was standing off to the side received a berry the old lady managed to conjure up from somewhere within her attire. Making her regional starters give her a questioning look.


    ¡°What? You know I don¡¯t play favorites, but I¡¯ll tell you what kid. It has been a while since I¡¯ve seen the sight of Pok¨¦mon eating Lava cookies. There used to be a market stall on my home island that sold them, but the family ran into some tough times and they moved away.¡±


    ¡°By tough times you mean the Kanto/Johto war?¡±


    ¡°Quiet down kid! You know we old people don¡¯t like to talk about that.¡±


    It was true that all the people I¡¯ve come across that are old enough to have experienced the war completely refuse to talk about it, referring to the topic with euphemisms and allegory¡¯s. It did get me curious about this supposed family. The only person in the world who knows how to make Lava cookies is my grandmother and maybe my mother. The secret family recipe being passed over from mother to daughter. Zinnia would have been next in line to learn if she hadn¡¯t suddenly gotten kidnapped by her uncaring father.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that my grandma is the only person in the whole world who knows how to make Lava cookies. Trainers from all across Hoenn come to her shop to buy them fresh.¡±


    ¡°Kid what¡¯s your grandma¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°Willow.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be... Little Willow from next door now all grown up and married with grandkids. Say kid, do you have any family photos on that nifty futuristic watch of yours? It would do this old heart good to see her familiar face again.¡±


    Not needing to be prompted further, I went through the collection of photos on my Xtransceiver until I found an old family photo with both my grandparents and kid sister standing in front of the store. Numsy then a numel standing by my side and Zinnia holding Rena in her arms. Satisfied with my choice I removed the Xtransceiver from my wrist and handed it over to Ultima. Who promptly took the opportunity to inspect the image displayed on screen.


    ¡°That brings me back¡­ and she seems to be happy too. Your sister is a real cutie pie. I am happy to see that your family¡¯s good looks hadn¡¯t skipped an entire generation.¡±


    ¡®I feel like I should be offended by that, but it¡¯s true that Zinnia is a looker.¡¯


    Ultima seemed to be lost inside a nostalgic recollection, but I was content to let her ruminate for as long as she wanted. Seeing as we were still about an hour¡¯s worth of travel removed from Mossdeep. Her Dragonite who I guessed to be her oldest Pok¨¦mon joined his trainer¡¯s side. Opting to watch my family picture as well.


    ¡°There¡¯s something that has been bugging me¡­ Do all old people know each other?¡±


    ¡°Cheh! This boy sure is imaginative.¡±


    ¡®That doesn¡¯t answer the question, Yes or No woman!¡¯


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    ¡®I can¡¯t really talk back to a respected elder like Ultima. Don¡¯t mind my mental monologuing.¡¯


    Having shared plenty of my personal information with her made me feel comfortable asking for some in return.


    ¡°So, whose retirement voyage is this? I can¡¯t imagine that this vessel¡¯s last stop will be at Mossdeep Island.¡±


    Before Ultima had a chance to answer a cute looking female Wingull landed on top of the table we were sitting at. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for wingull to fly along boats like this and wait for people to have finished eating to dive in for some leftovers. However, I was quite sure this one had no such intentions. Ultima didn¡¯t seem to be surprised and greeted the little Wingull with fondness.


    ¡°Is Briney finally done mucking about with the autopilot system?¡±


    ¡°Win Gull!¡±


    ¡®Briney?! So, this Wingull must be!!!¡¯


    ¡°Arceus! To have the opportunity to meet with the legendary Peeko! Gyarados swim away in fear at the mention of your name. It is an honor!¡±


    ¡°¡­Gull?¡±


    The Pok¨¦mon in question seems to have reacted to her name being spoken. Giving me a puzzled look as if she wasn¡¯t sure what to make of me. Meanwhile my own Pok¨¦mon who had by now gotten used to my mood switches were content to let his play out.


    ¡°And she¡¯s so cute too! There are no other Wingull who have this type of charisma and charm!¡±


    ¡°You have a good eye lad!¡±


    A man¡¯s voice came out from behind me, no doubt Peeko¡¯s trainer. I turned around and came face to face with the renowned seaman himself Mr. Briney came here to see Ultima. The man wasted no time introducing himself to the other Pok¨¦mon who were just about finished with their desserts. Before addressing Ultima personally.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to come here Ulti. Thanks for coming to see this old man off.¡±


    ¡°As if! This retirement voyage is all just a hoax. Knowing you I have no doubt that you¡¯re already planning to spend all your savings on another rinky dink boat.¡±


    ¡°Aye. The S.S. Tidal will sail all around Hoenn and I am getting off this beauty at route 104. Bought this small cottage all lined up with a dock and you are free to come visit me anytime you want.¡±


    ¡°Tch! Fine as long as I know where to find you. By the way this kid here is Willow¡¯s grandchild you know the one I told you about. Turns out she made it out just fine and even has two grandkids to boot!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful news! It¡¯s always a pleasure hearing old friends are doing well. Ain¡¯t that right Peeko?¡±


    ¡°Win Win Gull!¡±


    Hearing these two pensioners talk about old friends I couldn¡¯t help but want to start a little experiment of my own. Making a mental list of all the old people I knew personally and those which I¡¯ve already heard about from Ultima it was time to start checking for hits.


    ¡°Speaking of old friends, do the two of you know the old ranger running the Hoenn safari zone? That¡¯s the place where I found and caught Raven here.¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    ¡°Jack?¡± ¡°Jack?¡±


    ¡®That checks out. Time to switch targets. Most of the old people I know are big shots. I have to filter them out because they are already well known.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, sorry I was thinking about the wrong person. You see there¡¯s this crazy old hermit who lives in the woods near Mistralton City in Unova. He¡¯s got this special skill that allows him to determine a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s hidden power with just a look.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡± ¡°Crazy eyes Pete?!¡±


    ¡®Mr. Briney doesn¡¯t seem to know who I am talking about. However, Ultima provided a hit. The data is inconclusive, perhaps being a seafaring captain lends to him avoiding airport cities.¡¯


    ¡°Do we know of any other inconspicuous elders?¡±


    ¡®No, the rest of them have too large a public profile. We¡¯ll have to test this theory further at a later date.¡¯


    ¡°Sorry, I was trying to confirm the validity of my earlier question. You know about most seniors being familiar with each other.¡±


    ¡°Pfeh! Stop trying to fish for answers kid, it''s uncute.¡±


    Mr. Briney being the more levelheaded person offered his own perspective.


    ¡°Lad, I''ve come to know a lot of people throughout my seafaring days. If it''s anyone involved with the sea trade, I would know of them and they me. Perhaps it¡¯s like that with Ulti. Her being in the Pok¨¦mon business means she would naturally get to know anyone moving in the same circles.¡°


    My enthusiastic endeavor of trying to prove there¡¯s a cabal of old people secretly pulling strings in the background petered out. Briney¡¯s more reasonable explanation made much more sense. Feeling defeated, I quietly sank back in my chair.


    Perhaps sensing my state of mind Raven came up from behind me and slid down under my hanging arms demanding to be petted. I knew what she was doing but I still appreciated the gesture nonetheless.


    ¡°So kid, will I be expecting to see you at this year¡¯s conference?¡±


    ¡°I still have to earn four more badges, but I think so. We have the strength but seeing as the conference is in less than three months¡­¡±


    ¡°Time, eh? What are your travel plans from this point on? No doubt you¡¯ll be wanting to challenge the Mossdeep gym.¡±


    ¡°Indeed we will challenge this gym then make our way south to Sootopolis where we¡¯ll battle Juan for his badge. Then head west back to slateport where we¡¯ll either go to Dewford Town or Petalburg City and we¡¯ll finish up our circuit run by challenging Mrs. Stone in Rustboro City.¡±


    ¡°Sootopolis? Then you¡¯ll have your work cut out for ya. Juan is no pushover. I doubt he¡¯ll give you a break just because you¡¯re bringing a team of fire types. Hmm¡­ Sootopolis is this ship¡¯s next destination if you can somehow convince Rachel the gym leader to let you battle straight away. You could stay on board with me and Peeko.¡±


    ¡°Win Win Gull!¡±


    ¡°Really!? I won¡¯t have to buy another ticket?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal, the voyage to Sootopolis is a short one but you¡¯ll have to come back within 48 hours. That¡¯s how long this beauty will stay docked at Mossdeep harbor.¡±


    Just like that we spend our remaining time in comfortable silence. Which I spent grooming the rest of my Pok¨¦mon. Halo had gotten a good deal of crumbs stuck in her fuzzy mane and once I started with her I had to give my other Pok¨¦mon a quick polish to keep things fair. The two oldies watched me as I did so, occasionally reminiscing with each other over past events. Once the Mossdeep harbor appeared in full view Mr. Briney got called away no doubt to help navigate the ship. Ultima got ready to depart as well having done her due diligence by coming to meet her old friend she recalled the rest of her Pok¨¦mon and Infernape into their balls except for Dragonite before taking off on the dragon type¡¯s back. No doubt to meet up with Infernape¡¯s trainer.


    <hr>


    Mossdeep City harbor*


    It took a while but eventually I managed to get off the ship and onto dry land. Ultima¡¯s decision to leave on dragonback now started making perfect sense to me. The rows upon rows of people and only a single exit point made the disembarking a tedious process. Victini took this opportunity to go out and explore the Island most likely looking for an inconspicuous teleportation spot to leave and come back to. I didn¡¯t forget my promise to Wynaut who was still waiting for us to come pick him up from Mt. Pyre. Over the course of our journey Victini had become an expert teleporter so I had no doubt that she could grab Wynaut in time for our first visit to the Mossdeep City gym.


    ¡°Finally! Let¡¯s go hit the market before it closes. We are running low on all sorts of supplies.¡±


    ¡°Ninee!¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    I had my two canine Pok¨¦mon out with me, their noses being sensitive enough to lead me straight to the places where food was being sold bypassing the need to ask for directions. Unlike my somewhat scary looking Houndoom Rena seemed to attract attention wherever we went. Having multiple children mostly girls come up and say hi hoping to be allowed to pet her. In situations like these adults usually kept away knowing that being held up at every street corner to be a hassle for visiting trainers. Children however had no such compunctions although I couldn¡¯t fault them, I acted in a similar way when coming across Infernape on the S.S. Tidal. In any case Rena didn¡¯t mind the attention. Giving any of the girls who admired her form the chance to stroke her fur.


    Eventually we got to the local food market, the stalls featuring all sorts of supplements, pellets and berries that I would need to shore up my near nonexistent food supplies. I picked one vendor whose prices seemed reasonable and waited until the young lady manning the storefront was done with her previous customer.


    ¡°And how can we be of help to you today trainer?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like two tubs of Protein, one Iron, three Calcium, one Zinc and three Carbos.¡±


    The stall worker gathered up my order in a paper bag before ringing me up.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be 12.000 pok¨¦.¡±


    ¡®Ouch! High end trainers really can¡¯t progress without a sponsor.¡¯


    Going at it alone without a sponsor at the start was still manageable but once your team started evolving and gaining more members you really couldn¡¯t progress as a trainer without one. I was again thankful that my sponsorship also covered supplements. Pulling out the gym¡¯s card I promptly paid the young lady before walking deeper into the open-air marketplace eager to restock our actual food supply.


    As I was doing my shopping I kept thinking about money and sponsorships, notably that I hadn¡¯t received any offers so far. Mr. Moore made it clear that I wasn¡¯t forbidden from seeking out additional patrons.


    ¡®Hmm most likely my battles so far haven¡¯t been impressive enough yet. We will have to fix that.¡¯

 Chapter 65 – Sitting for Battle

    Chapter 65 ¨C Sitting for Battle


    ¡°So, this is the Mossdeep City gym? Kind of swanky that they turned an old observatory into a battling facility.¡±


    ¡°Wy!¡±


    After our shopping spree, where I managed to restock most of our dwindling supplies, we got to reserving a bunk room at a local Pok¨¦mon center. While there Victini and Wynaut managed to link up with the rest of our party. The little blue blob excited at the prospect of finding a partner of his own. I already knew it would be a challenge to prevent Wynaut from wandering off. The little Pok¨¦mon¡¯s mercurial attention shifted from one target to the next. With some effort we managed to get to the gym without him wandering off too many times.


    ¡°Now make sure you are on your best behavior, Wynaut. There¡¯s a good chance your future trainer is currently working inside this building.¡±


    ¡°Can I come with you?¡±


    ¡®It should be fine, trainer-owned psychic types tend to avoid snooping around others¡¯ minds without good reason.¡¯


    The three of us went inside. Me holding onto one of Wynaut¡¯s ear like appendages while Victini floated silently behind us whilst invisible. I had learned my lesson from walking all the way over from the nearest Pok¨¦mon center that I couldn¡¯t trust Wynaut to not wander off. That''s why I made sure to never let him wander out of sight. The lobby room wasn¡¯t as bustling as I would have expected from one of the major gyms. There was only one other person other than me in the room and that was the gym staff member sitting behind the reception desk.


    ¡°Excuse me, I''d like to schedule a battle appointment.¡±


    ¡°ID and License please.¡±


    While handing over the documents I decided to expedite the adoption process by highlighting the many positive qualities Wynaut possessed. Doing so by lifting him up and placing him on top of the counter.


    ¡°See this Wynaut here?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±


    ¡°He came over from mirage island all the way to the mainland by himself with nothing but grit and a wooden raft he built out of scrap wood. I¡¯d say that would make him a valuable asset to any psychic type specialist¡¯s team.¡±


    ¡°Wy! Wy!¡±


    Wynaut, as if sensing my intentions, made himself appear extra cute by giving the lady behind the counter a small salute. It obviously worked since the nice office lady started petting his head.


    ¡°You are a brave explorer then; we don¡¯t often see a mirage island Wynaut making it over to the other side.¡±


    ¡°Wyyy!¡±


    The nice lady obviously caught on to what we were implying shifting into a more businesslike demeanor at the drop of a hattenna.


    ¡°The gym has a no questions asked adoption program for psychic types. I could admit little Wynaut immediately without too much hassle.¡±


    ¡°No questions asked?¡±


    ¡°Psychic types are rare enough that we never had any problems following this policy. Unlike what one would expect from other gyms, especially those specializing in the more common types.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Wy¡­ Wy?¡±


    ¡°He wants to know if gym trainers travel a lot. Wynaut¡¯s dream is to become a renowned explorer.¡±


    ¡°Wynaut here has dreams of exploration. Isn¡¯t there an intern here who is set to start their own journey?¡±


    ¡°Hmm not that I know of. To be honest with you, our gym leader has been delegating her leader duties in favor of supporting her husband¡¯s career. I can¡¯t even recall the last time that we actually had prospective trainers interning with us.¡±


    ¡®Skimming on your duties while there are a thousand trainers eager to have your job. No doubt she¡¯s planning to leave the gym to her kids once they¡¯ve aged up a bit.¡¯


    My mental image of the gym leader took a dive. Lavaridge gym also doesn¡¯t actively recruit interns, but Mr. Moore has two league association jobs spending all the free time he did have with his granddaughter. Flannery had already started involving herself with the day to day running of the gym and with his nearing retirement I was sure Lavaridge gym¡¯s popularity would surge once more.


    ¡°How about I call the leader? Her twins are starting to near that age where it¡¯s expected of them to begin rearing Pok¨¦mon. Wynaut are known to be fun loving and harmless, perfect for having around kids.¡±


    I exchanged looks with Wynaut silently questioning if that sounded like a good idea to him.


    ¡°Naut¡­¡±


    ¡°Not ideal¡­ but you are willing to give it a go?¡±


    ¡°Wy!¡±


    Seeing the blue blob confirm my guess was enough for the receptionist to pull out her pok¨¦gear and tap in the number of her employer. It took a while but eventually the call connected, possibly indicating the one on the other end of the line was busy.


    ¡°Hey Rachel, there¡¯s this challenger who is looking to pair up¡­ oh! Hold on a minute. Did you catch this Wynaut or is it wild?¡±


    ¡°Wild.¡±


    ¡°A wild Wynaut who wishes to pair up with a trainer. I figure since he¡¯s such a cutie it would make for a perfect first time Pok¨¦mon for the twins. Yes, they are in the lobby. Yes, Okay.¡±


    The call ended after which the receptionist addressed the two of us once more.


    ¡°She¡¯s coming back from her other job at the Mossdeep Space Center. Do the two of you want some refreshments from the machine while waiting? The name¡¯s Samantha by the way.¡±


    ¡°Wy!¡±


    ¡°Wynaut wants hot coco I do too.¡±


    ¡°Two hot coco¡¯s please.¡±


    ¡°Coming right up!¡±


    <hr>


    30 minutes later*


    While I was waiting for the gym leader to show up. Samantha was kind enough to put my battle appointment into the computer. As I feared the closest open slot she could put me in was ten days from now. Meaning that unless I managed to convince the gym leader Rachel to bend the rules for me, I would miss out on the free trip to Sootopolis City. While we were off on the side drinking coco only a single trainer came by to schedule for a battle. The foot traffic coming through the gym wasn¡¯t as bad as the one I experienced at the Lilycove gym, but it could stand to improve certainly.


    Eventually the leader made her appearance. A bespectacled woman wearing a cyan colored dress Rachel seemed to be the motherly type, not surprising seeing as she was an actual mother of two.


    ¡°You are Egon? So, this must be the little guy who is looking for a trainer.¡±


    ¡°Wy Wy!¡±


    The little Wynaut cheerfully greeted her, as he was wont to do when meeting unknown strangers. A habit that I had to deal with on the way over here. At least his cheerful demeanor meant that people always looked upon him favorably.


    ¡°A perfect fit! And no chance of any accidents happening either. Say little Wynaut, would you like to become my children¡¯s playmate?¡±


    ¡°Wy¡­¡±


    It was at this point that I felt the need to step in. The little Pok¨¦mon was easily distracted, and social pressure might have him give up on his ultimate goal.


    ¡°¡­Leader Rachel? Wynaut has actually been looking to pair up with a traveling trainer. Are any of your children planning to start their circuit run soon?¡±


    Rachel took her time to answer the question, eventually giving a long exasperated sigh.


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad¡­ My children have only just turned seven years old. They are too young to leave home.¡±


    ¡°Maybe one of your gym trainers?¡±


    ¡°Every single staff member that is currently under my employ are permanent residents of Mossdeep City. If you truly want to find a traveling trainer that can take care of Wynaut you¡¯ll have to look elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Wy¡­¡±


    The blue merrymaker was close to tears, the both of us had been counting on the Mossdeep gym to find him a good trainer. Both of us knew that I would be too busy training my team to chaperone him going to the local trainer school and praying that we found a responsible trainer.


    ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll take the both of you to meet my children. If Wynaut likes them then that¡¯s that. If it doesn¡¯t work out the gym will be responsible for finding a traveling trainer willing to take him on.¡±


    ¡®An empty guarantee, not many trainers are willing to put in the effort of raising a Wynaut. The species is well known for being unable to attack. Only a well-read specialist would see the value of training these psychic types. No doubt she¡¯s planning to win Wynaut over with treats and affection.¡¯


    ¡°¡­Can we do anything?¡±


    ¡®The gym is still our best shot, if nothing else works out Wynaut will just have to wait until one of the twins is ready to start their journey. Besides, you can always take him along on one of your adventures across Hoenn.¡¯


    ¡°We¡¯ll come with you but ultimately it¡¯s up to Wynaut to make the decision.¡±


    Picking up Wynaut into my arms we gave a quick goodbye to Samantha the desk lady before being led off by Rachel to the back of the gym. While on our way I got a good look at the available facilities. The battlefields housed inside the gym were unique in the fact that they doubled as planetariums, each of them giving spectators a panoramic view of our solar system. I¡¯ve watched videos where the Pok¨¦mon used the fake planets as shields against powerful attacks. Basically, any ground bound Pok¨¦mon that did battle in here had a distinct disadvantage.


    ¡®Now I just have to somehow convince leader Rachel to move me up on her schedule. Any proper gym leader would never go for that, but I feel like there¡¯s some wiggle room here.¡¯


    ¡°You must have a very busy schedule being a mother, a gym leader and working at the space center.¡±


    ¡°Yes, If I was left to decide for myself, I probably wouldn¡¯t have chosen to become a gym leader. However, my mother insisted that I carry on the family¡¯s legacy despite not having the talent.¡±


    ¡°Talent?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t born with psychic abilities, the first one in my family that lacks the gift. With the help of my psychic type Pok¨¦mon I¡¯ve managed to train up to what others in the profession would call ¡°parlor tricks¡±. My children are the exact opposite, both of them being equally talented in the mental arts. That¡¯s why I want them to inherit my position as soon as they¡¯re able to.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°That must be a bummer being the only one in the family not being able to.¡±


    ¡°Not really, anything I can¡¯t do myself my Pok¨¦mon are able to do for me. It¡¯s just that my fellow psychic type specialists firmly believe that trainers who have these abilities are able to connect to psychic type Pok¨¦mon on a deeper level.¡±


    ¡®Is that true?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ve never had another trainer!¡±


    ¡®Sorry was starting to feel a little bit self-conscious there. It would probably be more like connecting with another psychic type Pok¨¦mon. Being alike does help breed that initial closeness.¡¯


    Rachel not being psychic also reassured me that she wouldn¡¯t be finding out about Victini anytime soon. Our conversation quieted down and so as to fill the gap I started asking her about the gym¡¯s scheduling.


    ¡°Samantha told me that I had to wait ten days for my gym battle. Your schedule must be filled with challengers.¡±


    ¡°Since the gym¡¯s situated on an island away from the mainland we get about half as many challengers as the other major gyms. Which is enough to keep our operations going, and my staff paid but not much else.¡±


    ¡°Is there any way to earn that badge a bit sooner? I¡¯ve been offered a free voyage to Sootopolis on the S.S. Tidal but the ship leaves within the next two days.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, you know, me and my husband could use a babysitter. It''s been a while since we had a night off. You seem like a responsible trainer, how about you watch after the twins for the entire evening and come tomorrow I¡¯ll reschedule you for a quick battle?¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡®No doubt she could have asked one of her Pok¨¦mon to do it for her. This is amazing! We¡¯ll show those kids the best time ever!¡¯


    ¡°We can teach them how to play Timburr¡¯s Tower!¡±


    ¡°Just make sure not to tell any other trainers about this. We can¡¯t make exceptions for every challenger who wants to move up the schedule. You know our gym¡¯s special rule?¡±


    ¡°A double battle, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the both of us will be using only two Pok¨¦mon each.¡±


    Double battles was an emerging fad within the Hoenn region. It had always been something that trainers messed around with for fun in non-official battles. Or more grimly, what the official military forces of a region used to train their soldiers in parallel thinking. With the demilitarization of the regions after the great war, double battles had fallen out of favor. Now that it seemed like wars had finally become a thing of the past the practice had seemingly reverted back to its roots.


    In preparation for my journey, I had watched a good number of informative double battle videos. Psychic type Pok¨¦mon being able to link with their trainer¡¯s mind allowed them to sense their trainer¡¯s intention making verbal commands unnecessary. However, most trainers still did so to maintain a veneer of fairness. Thus psychic types had a small advantage in the hectic field of double battles where every second counts they could perform their moves before their trainers even had a chance to utter the command.


    We exited the gym through a side door where a tiled path led to an adjacent medium sized house most likely Rachel¡¯s family home. After entering inside I couldn¡¯t help but notice the sound of two children in the middle of having a heated argument with each other.


    ¡°Lunatone is obviously the superior Pok¨¦mon!¡±


    ¡°Solrock can use fire moves and is stronger during the day!¡±


    Puzzled by the bickering I gave Rachel a questioning look. Which the gym leader quickly noticed and responded to.


    ¡°Tate and Liza are a bit of a handful but they¡¯re such sweethearts once you get to know them. And best of all you won¡¯t have to dumb down any conversation you have with them. Due to their budding psychic powers my babies have the intelligence of your average ten-year-old.¡±


    ¡®I am already taking care of six rowdy Pok¨¦mon. Looking after these two in addition to that won¡¯t be that difficult.¡¯


    ¡°Six?¡±


    ¡®Well¡­ Glove is already so patient and dutiful. I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to handle him were he a hotblooded younger member of his species.¡¯


    Not looking to get into a further discussion over who the most well-adjusted individual in our group is, I readdressed Rachel who was looking at me as if she had me all figured out.


    ¡°No worries, ma¡¯am I am used to watching over my sister.¡±


    Having received my reassurance Rachel opened the door leading into the living room where I saw the rambunctious twins fight while a documentary on the ecology of Meteor Falls was playing in the background. The documentary displayed the large impact crater where an ancient meteor had caved in the large mountain range allowing natural light to fall in from above. No doubt the show had been discussing the pair of Meteorite Pok¨¦mon who are most commonly seen around craters like those shown.


    The twins turned around their eyes widening at the sight of an unfamiliar stranger in their house


    ¡°Mom! Who is this? Wow! a Wynaut!¡± ¡°Mom! Who is this? Wow! a Wynaut!¡±


    Their synchronicity was impressive but what was even more so was this sense of maturity which I had not come to expect from children this age myself being a notable exception of course.


    ¡°This is Egon, a traveling trainer. He¡¯s promised to look after the two of you for the entire evening. You can ask him all about what life is like living on the road. More importantly, look at the little friend he brought with him! I want the two of you to be nice to the little Wynaut okay?¡±


    ¡°Wy!¡±


    Wynaut jumped out of my arms and onto the coffee table. He seemed to like the twins well enough and was no doubt eager to explore the rest of the house. Wynaut ever the social butterfly grabbed hold of the television remote increasing the volume. Which had previously been reduced when the three of us came inside. Rachel, who had seen about enough, decided now would be a good time to go back to her other job.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back to the space center now, but you can expect to see both me and my husband back at around ten. Our emergency number is on the fridge, dinner has already been made, you just have to warm it up, the kids need to be in bed at seven sharp and no liquids past six. Okay, love you two bye bye!¡±


    ¡®Geez, that woman needs a vacation.¡¯


    ¡°Can I come out now?¡±


    ¡®Just hold on for a bit, we have to be certain that Tate and Liza can keep a secret.¡¯


    When their mother left the two twins immediately got to playing with Wynaut. The psychic type being peppy, small and cute this was the most logical progression of events.


    ¡°You think Solrock are cooler, right Wynaut?¡±


    ¡°Stop trying to put words in Wynaut¡¯s mouth!¡±


    ¡°Wy¡­ Wy¡­.¡±


    ¡°Now hold on there you two! Let¡¯s just agree both Solrock and Lunatone are interesting Pok¨¦mon and leave it at that.¡±


    ¡°No waay!¡± ¡°No waay!¡±


    ¡°Fine if the two of you insist! Let¡¯s make an objective comparison. Do the two of you know where your mother keeps a whiteboard or maybe a screen projector?¡±


    <hr>


    20 minutes later*


    It turned out that the household did have a whiteboard and because I recognized that the twins wouldn¡¯t stop having this same argument without outside intervention. I opted to act as an impartial referee making sure to impress upon them that both Pok¨¦mon were about equal in terms of their inherent strength.


    ¡°So, you see if we look at the potential moves both of the two Meteorite Pok¨¦mon can learn. You¡¯ll find that each of them has particular advantages and or weaknesses.¡±


    Tate and Liza were surprisingly docile once I started my pseudo-scientific session. The twins proved to be eager learners. Tate seemed extra smug because it seemed like Solrock had the upper hand according to my move chart. That was until I wrote down the unique moves Lunatone could learn.


    ¡°Egon, why did you write down Moonblast? What kind of move is that?¡±


    ¡°Wy?¡±


    ¡°An excellent question! While preparing for my own journey I¡¯ve been following the work of Professor Sycamore of the Kalos region. I expect the Professor might be close to conclusively proving the existence of a new type of Pok¨¦mon called the Fairy type. This will lead to the reclassification of a good number of Pok¨¦mon who had previously been thought to be only psychic or normal types. Which of course will eventually lead to the reclassification or discovery of moves.¡±


    ¡°So, Moonlight is a fairy move and Lunatone is able to learn this new move called Moonblast?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, although Lunatone is not a fairy type Pok¨¦mon but being of a species that is intrinsically linked to the moon it is of no surprise that Lunatone learns these two techniques. Just like how Solrock is not a fire type but learns moves that gain power under harsh sunlight.¡±


    ¡°So which one do you think is better?!¡± ¡°So which one do you think is better?!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I think both of them have their own unique strengths and weaknesses but if one would ask which one I would prefer to catch for myself I¡¯d have to go with Solrock.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Noo!¡±


    ¡°A Solrock would fit in better with my team. You see, I specialize in fire types. Now how about the two of you keep Wynaut company to make sure he doesn¡¯t wander off while I go make dinner?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Wy!¡±


    The two of them held onto Wynaut¡¯s arms eager to drag off the blue explorer to their room. Now that I had some time for myself I released most of my Pok¨¦mon inside the living room and cranked open a window so that Numsy could spend some time in the garden while he was waiting for his meal. The last time I weighed the big lug he clocked in at around 550 lbs. That put him into floorboard cracking territory which prevented me from releasing him inside buildings that were not up to league association code.


    ¡°You are on perimeter control just until I¡¯ve finished making dinner.¡±


    ¡°Came?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want Wynaut wandering off. Even with their increased intelligence the twins are still six years old so it¡¯s our job to make sure the three of them stay inside the house. Just make sure to use a light hand when they do try to escape. Hit them with a good old yawn, okay?¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t expecting the three of them to run away but a bit of caution never hurt anyone. Glove was already in the kitchen ready to prepare today¡¯s dinner using the new ingredients I had acquired. While the rest of my crew were content to just lay on and around the couch catching the last bits of the documentary the twins were watching moments ago.


    ¡®How about you giving those two a surprise?¡¯


    ¡°On it!¡±


    I calmly went back to cutting berries just knowing Victini would make this day very special for the two six-year-olds. The food prepping wouldn¡¯t take too long since I just had to reheat the children¡¯s meal.


    ¡°Dar?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a microwave, lazy people use them to evenly heat precooked meals.¡±


    ¡®Hmm that¡¯s the first time I completely understood Glove without Victini¡¯s assistance. Having a translator with me all the time must be paying off already.¡¯


    ¡°WOOOOOW!!!¡±


    ¡®And there it is.¡¯


    The commotion upstairs didn¡¯t just stop there, I was hearing multiple different kinds of noises. Furniture being moved, running and the swishing of bed sheets. I was quite sure Victini was leading them on a wild goose chase. I just hoped they wouldn¡¯t start using their own psychic powers to get a hold of her. It was at this moment that my Xtransceiver suddenly decided to go off. Looking at the screen of my fancy phone watch I could see that it was an unknown number. Growing curious I decided to just accept the call and see who it was.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°This is Joshua, assistant to Professor Birch. Is this Egon from Lavaridge town I am speaking to?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±


    ¡°We would like to thank you for the report you sent to us about your Vulpix developing the drought ability. It has been a riveting read on how you came upon your initial hypothesis.¡±


    ¡®What lie did I use to explain my foreknowledge again?¡¯


    ¡°In any event, Professor Birch would like to meet and thank you personally. His research focuses on Pok¨¦mon habitat and distribution. Abilities that can influence weather are of great interest to him. Naturally we would like to meet the subject of your report and run some non-invasive tests on Rena the Vulpix.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t professor Birch request a Torkoal from the league association for that? Or catch a Vulpix and test my training methods himself?¡±


    ¡°We do in fact plan to do both of these things, but the Professor is a busy man so I as his assistant have been asked to facilitate the whole experiment to confirm your theory. So far finding trainers who have untrained Vulpix partners has been difficult, as is the possibility for the lab to request one of our sponsored trainers to go out of their way to catch one. Still¡­ would you be amenable to my previous request?¡±


    ¡®Litteroot Town¡­ getting there will be a pain. At this level I can no longer guarantee a win against gym leaders and in case I do earn those badges it¡¯ll still be several weeks before I come anywhere close to Littleroot.¡¯


    ¡°Sorry, I am currently in Mossdeep City and we are in a time crunch to qualify in time for the Ever Grande Conference.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s understandable and you have already helped us a bunch¡­ Still, I will send you Professor Birch¡¯s office phone number. He¡¯ll be happy just to hear from you. Sorry for taking up your time.¡±


    I started feeling bad after hearing the obvious disappointment in Joshua¡¯s voice. Which led me to


    ¡°Wait¡­ I can¡¯t get to Littleroot right away, but I¡¯ll make sure to pay you a visit once I¡¯ve earned my sixth gym badge.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great news! Thanks a lot, we¡¯ll hope to see the two of you soon. Have a nice evening!¡±


    Joseph ended the call right away probably in fear of me changing my mind. I looked around the kitchen and saw the rest of my team eying me as if I just got scammed out of money even Orin gave me a pitying glance.


    ¡°It¡¯s not what it looks like! Building up connections is important!¡±


    ¡°Ninee!¡±


    ¡°Professor Birch is the most esteemed academic in all of Hoenn! We are not just being used by his assistant for easy discovery credit.¡±


    The only one in the room with any sort of common sense was Glove who had by now finished prepping all the food and was just waiting for me to cut up the available berries. At the same time, I could hear the noises upstairs quieting down, Victini finally managing to run those two kids ragged.


    I heard the footfall of someone walking down the stairs in a hurry opening the living room door and presumably walking inside. That person turned out to be Liza who was surprised by the gathering of unknown Pok¨¦mon making themselves comfortable on the couch and kitchen floor. The girl gave my team a quick look, her eyes lingering on Ninetales for a spell before she snapped out of it and started addressing me.


    ¡°Excuse me! Is the Pok¨¦mon who''s been playing with us upstairs yours?¡±


    ¡°You mean Victini? Fluffy eared, small wings on her back?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Victini likes testing people during first time meetings. The two of you haven¡¯t been making a mess upstairs chasing her down right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, if you want to catch her the best way to do so is with food. Lucky for the two of you, dinner''s almost done. Do you perchance know where the plates are kept?¡±


    Liza pointed upwards at the upper cabinet which sadly I wasn¡¯t tall enough to reach. Thankfully as I was looking for a stool, Glove decided to help me out by opening that piece of kitchen furniture, pulling out two clean plates and placing them down on the nearby dinner table. To show my appreciation I rubbed his back for a bit combing my hands through his short, matted coat.


    ¡°Oh, thanks Glove. You can join the rest now I am almost done with dicing up the berries. Liza, this is Glove, a Darmanitan from the Unova region.¡±


    ¡°Dar!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too!¡±


    ¡°Can you get your brother and Wynaut to come join us for dinner? I can share some of my experiences as a trainer while we are eating If you¡¯d like?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±

 Chapter 66 – Mind your Manners

    Chapter 66 ¨C Mind your Manners


    Both of the twins were up in their room after finishing dinner and brushing their teeth. Naturally, due to all the excitement of meeting Pok¨¦mon the two have never seen before it was a tad difficult to get them asleep. To pass the time I told them of my time at the academy near the Celestial Tower.


    ¡°That¡¯s how their species came to crash landed on earth. Beheeyem was a total bro and the psychic academy in Unova is an interesting place. It¡¯s a bit disappointing that they refuse to share the location of their spaceship. I figure that the engineers at the Mossdeep Space Center would love to study their spacecraft.¡±


    ¡°Totally! Just the idea of catching and training Pok¨¦mon in outer space!¡±


    ¡°Hold your rapidashes little brother! Whatever the reason these outer space Pok¨¦mon have for refusing to share their technology, we should respect their wishes.¡±


    ¡®Tate is the more hotblooded of the two. Liza on the other hand seems to be the more level-headed one. What ambitions do the two of them hold?¡¯


    ¡°The both of you want to be astronauts when you grow up?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Wy!¡±


    ¡°You too Wynaut!? Wait¡­ how would that work if at least one of you is going to be taking over the gym? Don¡¯t underestimate the responsibilities of a gym leader!¡±


    ¡°Mom plans for us to be co gym leaders. That way there¡¯s always one of us here to hold down the fort.¡±


    ¡°The two of you sure are going to have your hands full. Being full time gym leaders and going to college at the same time not to mention having to undergo training as psychics. At least the students taking classes at the Unovan psychic academy are allowed to cheat off their partner Pok¨¦mon. Say, does Hoenn have schools for psychics as well?¡±


    ¡°No, most psychics born here travel to Saffron City for their education. It used to be like that for Mossdeep as well but¡­¡±


    ¡°Say no more, I get the picture. Besides, the two of you are still too young to go off and enroll into foreign schools anyway.¡±


    This time it was Tate who answered.


    ¡°Our grandparents¡¯ teachings have been left to us. We¡¯ll do our home region proud without relying on others for help!¡±


    ¡°Have you ever considered training fire type Pok¨¦mon Tate? That passion is befitting of a fire type trainer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll start with Victini!¡±


    ¡°Vi?!¡± ¡°Awawa?!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I meant to say a Victini. By the time I am a trainer I¡¯ll catch one for sure! Egon, do you know where I can find wild ones?¡±


    ¡°Tate, stop prying into another trainer¡¯s secrets, show some decorum!¡±


    Liza¡¯s mouth said one thing, but I couldn¡¯t help but notice the silent pause afterwards and the hint of eagerness in her voice. Sadly, I had to disappoint the both of them.


    ¡°Victini is actually a one-of-a-kind Pok¨¦mon. There might be a couple more secretly living in Unova, but I couldn¡¯t begin to guess as to their whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°Awww!¡± ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I am a super duper special Pok¨¦mon!¡±


    ¡°Since Victini is so special the both of us have to make sure the knowledge of her existence doesn¡¯t become public information. Could the two of you keep our secret until the end of this year¡¯s circuit?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Even from mom and dad?¡±


    ¡°I guess you could tell your parents. Just impress upon them the need for secrecy. We don¡¯t want poachers and thieves houndouring our every step.¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    An annoyed yip could be heard downstairs no doubt the sound of Raven taking offence to my clever word pun. Both of the twins finally let out some tired yawns, the first signs of drowsiness setting in. No doubt chasing Victini around the house and the excitement of meeting my other Unovan Pok¨¦mon had expended all their energy.


    ¡°Now go to sleep and maybe if you''re good you can watch me, and my Pok¨¦mon win our fifth gym badge tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No waay mom won¡¯t lose¡­ZzzZzz.¡±


    ¡°Wy¡­¡±


    As quietly as a pichu I tippytoed my way out of their room and made my way downstairs. This sitting gig wasn¡¯t completed yet, their parents still needed to come home. The rest of my team were busy downstairs watching late night television, funnily enough Glacia was on. Having just won against another ace trainer who challenged the ice type specialist for her position on the ace ranking ladder. The scene of Glacia shamelessly promoting her sponsor¡¯s products brought a smile upon my face. It was nice seeing a familiar face on a late-night show, so I joined my team to watch the spectacle. Minus Halo who had already fallen asleep and was now resting inside her net ball.


    ¡°And I¡¯ve been given to understand that you have a big surprise for the folks watching back home?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right Gabby, as of this morning I have another addition to my frosty line-up of battlers! This cutie has been waiting in the rear, eager to prove her mettle. Go! Glaceon!¡±


    ¡°Ceon!¡±


    The Pok¨¦mon inside the thrown ball materialized and Glacia had indeed sent out a glaceon. However, the ice type realizing she was standing out in the open and in front of a large crowd of people no less timidly hid away between its trainer¡¯s legs no doubt not used to being the center of attention.


    ¡°Oh my! She¡¯s so precious! You must have lucked out indeed to chance upon such a rare specimen in the wild. To remind our viewers; so far only lab sponsored Sinnohian trainers have managed to successfully evolve their Eevee into this illustrious form. Our own Hoenn professors must be indeed jumping at the chance to study a native Glaceon. Have you received any invitations so far, Glacia?¡±


    ¡°Not yet Gabby, no doubt I will be receiving some offers after tonight. Let me preempt them by letting some of your viewers know as well as those Professors sitting on their couch watching this, that I currently have no intention to share my Glaceon¡¯s origins or have her be examined by a member of our scientific community.¡±


    ¡®Phew, there are ways of making a Pok¨¦mon talk, no doubt the Eevee she bought from that breeder would remember being led near an Icy Rock prior to evolving into Glaceon.¡¯


    The gentlest way to do that was to have a Pok¨¦mon of the opposite gender use Attract to make Glaceon compliant to questioning. Other more nefarious ways was to have a strong enough psychic Pok¨¦mon force their way into her mind. The latter method was punishable by up to 5 years in prison depending on the circumstances and the individual in question would have their trainer¡¯s license permanently revoked.


    The Sinnohian league association would no doubt have their sponsored trainers questioned after tonight. Sharing confidential information like an evolutionary method wasn¡¯t punishable by law but such an individual would no doubt no longer be trusted with sensitive information.


    ¡°So will we be expecting to see little Glaceon here battling it out on the big stage in the near future?¡±


    ¡®I doubt that. There are good odds of Glaceon having just evolved today. Considering the amount of time it takes to adopt an Eevee and me having shared that tidbit of information with Glacia just a few days ago.¡¯


    The show ended with Gabby the newscaster trying her best to get more juicy details but ultimately failing. While at the same time Glacia wanted to talk about low carb Keto ice cream which one would be able to eat everyday without gaining a pound.


    ¡®At this point one has to respect the amount of effort the woman is putting in to make those pok¨¦dollars.¡¯


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Low carb?! Does it still taste as good?¡±


    <hr>


    It was nearing the end of the evening and to make sure leader Rachel was satisfied with my sitting job I had put all my effort into cleaning up the house. Making liberal use of the duster and vacuum cleaner I found in the closet. Naturally when it came time to clean up the mess my Pok¨¦mon made in the living room, everyone in the team suddenly had more important things to do. So, I recalled them into their balls and got to work vacuuming off the fox hair Rena so considerately left for me on the couch while busy grooming herself. I made good time and spent my final hour in the garden stargazing with just my boy Numsy. When we heard the sound of a key being turned from the front door, I knew it was time to face the music. I returned my first partner back into his ball before standing up and making my way to the entry hallway. The front door opened up and I stood face to face with Rachel and her husband Jin.


    ¡°Welcome back leader Rachel, Director Jin. The twins are sleeping upstairs, both them and Wynaut got so tuckered out playing tag with each other that little Wynaut decided to turn in early as well.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you young man. My wife has told me bits about you. I assume there were no complications?¡±


    ¡°No sir, the twins were on their best behavior.¡±


    It was at this point that Rachel took over the reins of the conversation.


    ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s match will be at eleven sharp. Because of the immediate nature of our battle, I haven¡¯t had a chance to look at the details. I presume you want a fifth badge level battle?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°I thought we decided to ramp things up to seventh level?¡±


    ¡®This is for Orin. He¡¯s been having confidence issues lately and if I don¡¯t field him against a psychic type gym¡­¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll spend all night giving Orin additional training.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t push yourself too hard. Unlike Orin you can¡¯t go without sleep for too long.¡¯


    ¡°And Egon¡­ Do you think Wynaut will want to stay with us?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes, from what I could see Wynaut gets along well with the twins and considering his lack of options¡­ Still, I will be here for the rest of tomorrow just to make sure. Also, Tate and Liza have shown interest in seeing our battle play out tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°They have to attend trainer¡¯s school tomorrow, but I can let them see the video of our battle after they¡¯ve finished their homework.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be great, well if that¡¯s all I better be off, it is way past my bedtime. See you later Mrs. Rachel and Mr. Jin.¡±


    I left the married couple behind not wanting to overstay my welcome and seriously needing to go to sleep. By the time I made it back to the Pok¨¦mon center the lights in the hallways were already turned off. The only one still on was a small reading light behind the main desk for the night shift nurse to enjoy her novella. Upon seeing my face, she shoo¡¯ed me along before pressing her pointing finger to her lips indicating the need to keep quiet so as to not wake up the other trainers and the sick Pok¨¦mon inside the treatment wards.


    <hr>


    The following day*


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Get up!¡± ¡°Lit! Lit!¡±


    I opened my eyes to the sight of Orin and Victini crowded around my face. The diminutive duo seemed full of fighting spirit although my little candle Pok¨¦mon seemed to be a tad worse for wear. No doubt Victini had put him through extensive extra training to get him ready for our upcoming battle.


    ¡°I am up! Just let me put on some socks first.¡±


    Orin¡¯s luminescent green started glowing and a pair of fresh socks drifted up from my wash cloth and onto my face.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Orin you learned how to use confusion!? You must have worked really hard!¡±


    ¡°Wick!¡±


    ¡®It won¡¯t help much in our upcoming battle but thank you for boosting his confidence.¡¯


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    After I finished brushing my teeth and dressing up, we went downstairs to get some breakfast for me and the team. Unlike other Pok¨¦mon centers this one was fairly crowded no doubt because it¡¯s location was closest to the Mossdeep gym. Orin, knowing what to do, hopped off my shoulder and went to work trying to secure a table where all of us could sit at.


    Seeing Orin being helpful like that I wasted no time, making my way to the communal kitchen which was fortunately empty save for a single girl with a psyduck who were both currently engaged with blending pok¨¦block.


    ¡®That vacant expression¡­¡¯


    ¡°No time!¡±


    Psyducks were always a point of fascination to me, but today¡¯s hectic schedule left me no choice but to quietly ignore the pair while preparing my team¡¯s meals. Eventually finishing up my task I walked out of the kitchen and noticed Orin had charmed one of the trainers who had managed to secure a table for himself. I recognized him as one of the sailors who worked with Mr. Briney on the S.S. Tidal.


    ¡°Excuse me, would you mind sharing a table with me and my team?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, the old man liked you well enough so there¡¯s no chance of you being the crafty sorts.¡±


    ¡°I never got your name¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ernest, nautical apprentice.¡±


    ¡°Egon, trainer.¡±


    After introducing myself I sat down on one of the available chairs. The communal eating space was designed in such a way that every table had enough space to accommodate a handful of trainers and two full teams of Pok¨¦mon. Ernest already had his partners sitting beside him. A springy looking Machop, A Wingull and a Seel. Just like Ernest I released my own team of Pok¨¦mon who immediately after materializing pounced upon their breakfast bowls.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any Hoenn trainers that managed to catch a Seel before, and you must have gotten pretty far inland to catch that Machop.¡±


    ¡°Machop¡¯s been paired with me through the seafaring company I work for. The Superpower Pok¨¦mon are the most useful partners for apprentices like me to have. Their strength helps us out a ton when shipping and loading. In fact, one Machoke can do the job of ten men that¡¯s why the company has machop breeders on retainer, but Seel and Wingull I¡¯ve managed to catch on my own. A Sailor like me can¡¯t do without at least two water type Pok¨¦mon!¡±


    ¡°Oh! So, Mr. Briney also has a team of Pok¨¦mon helping him out?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ his old team has passed on.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. Him and his old team have been faring the seven seas together for a long time. The old heads on the ship like to talk about it as if that period was the golden age of sea trade. However! He¡¯s slowly turning into his old self again. The day he found Peeko or more accurately Peeko found him we saw glimpses of his old personality shining on through.¡±


    ¡®Someone as old as Mr. Briney must have lost his starting partners to old age. I am hopeful that I won¡¯t have to experience that.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I felt Victini¡¯s unease over the notion of my mortality and quickly stopped ruminating on the topic. The rabbit Pok¨¦mon might be over a hundred years old, but she didn¡¯t react well to the idea that I¡¯d eventually pass on just like the man who originally hatched Victini out of her egg.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s it like spending most of your time traveling the seven seas? Have you ever been witness to a gyarados attack?¡±


    ¡°You landlubbers always want to talk about dangerous Pok¨¦mon attacks! As to answer your question, yes it happens sometimes even more than once on the same voyage. You have to understand that our navigators have already mapped out every single gyarados spawning grounds. So, if we do come to blows with gyarados it¡¯s usually only a single one. Every single crewmate on board is a Pok¨¦mon trainer as well. We can easily defend ourselves from a singular gyarados no problem.¡±


    ¡°Still, that must be quite the experience.¡±


    ¡°The captain¡¯s Ampharos makes quick work of any aggressive gyarados. Do you want to know which Pok¨¦mon form the actual dangers on international shipping lanes?¡±


    ¡°Sure do!¡±


    ¡°Dragalge.¡±


    ¡°Really? Don¡¯t those Pok¨¦mon live in the coastal areas of the Kalos region?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and some other coastal areas as well, their acid is strong enough to bite through the thickest part of a ship¡¯s hull and they attack indiscriminately. What makes them even more dangerous than other aquatic Pok¨¦mon is that they prefer to use sneak attacks, so a ship¡¯s crew won¡¯t even know that their hull has been eaten through until the vessel is already sinking. Whenever we are close to entering the coastal areas of Kalos all the crew¡¯s water type Pok¨¦mon are called on to keep lookout.¡±


    Just like that we had ourselves a little back and forth. Ernest was born into the sea trade and was one of the rare few trainers who didn¡¯t feel the need to compete in a regional circuit. As soon as he was of age, he applied for a job on the S.S. Tidal. The reason he was lounging inside a Mossdeep Pok¨¦mon center was to have access to a cheap place to watch television and enjoy his spare time not on the job.


    ¡°Mr. Briney invited me to join you guys on the voyage to Sootopolis City. When I earn myself the Mind Badge I¡¯ll be sure to take him up on his offer.¡±


    ¡°Sootopolis gym? With a team like yours?¡±


    ¡°Yup, I haven¡¯t received any sponsorship offers yet but If I manage to beat Juan with a team consisting of only fire types I am betting that I¡¯ll have my pick of them.¡±


    ¡°Kids like you sure like to dream big, eh? I¡¯ll be rooting for ya. If you want any details on the gym, be sure to come and ask me. I was born and raised in Sootopolis.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking like one of those old maritime captains! You are not that much older than me.¡±


    <hr>


    At the gym*


    After finishing breakfast, we got another round of training in on the center¡¯s practice field. Before heading on over to the Mossdeep gym. Walking past those sliding doors I came upon the familiar face of Samantha slogging it doing desk work once again.


    ¡°Hi Samantha.¡±


    ¡°Egon, you are already back? Isn¡¯t your battle with Rachel nine days from now?¡±


    ¡°Uhm so funny thing is¡­ Rachel scheduled an extra secret battle for me, in exchange for babysitting the twins.¡±


    ¡°Hmm that does sound like something she¡¯d do¡­ It also explains why you are not on the roster. Can¡¯t have it become widespread knowledge that our leader accepts favors. Okay! Just follow me, I''ll get you where you need to go.¡±


    Following the beckoning hand of the receptionist slash gym trainer I was led into the gym¡¯s battle facility. Before actually going into the room for battling Samantha headed into what looked to be the employee break room. Where we encountered Rachel nourishing a hot drink.


    ¡°Egon, here for your battle?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Alright let¡¯s get to it, although afterwards I would like to talk about a certain Pok¨¦mon my kids have been raving about.¡±


    ¡®They couldn¡¯t even wait a single day... Never mind, I just have to focus on winning this battle.¡¯


    ¡°Samantha be a dear and referee for us, would you?¡±


    The three of us entered the giant observatory room housing the gym¡¯s battlefield. Unlike the last time I was here the field was now sporting a more unkempt look. By the look of it the trainer who had gone before me had a penchant for using ground type moves. The battlefield soil was cracked but not unusable, nothing that would pose a significant hindrance to my own team.


    ¡°We are doing this before our scheduled clean up. You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡±


    ¡°No Mrs. Rachel, I know how impossible it is to hire cleaning staff that doesn¡¯t start working at the last possible minute.¡±


    ¡°You work for a gym?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Lavaridge since I was seven.¡±


    The three of us took our positions Rachel and I on opposite sides of the scarred battlefield while Samantha made her way to the referee¡¯s box. Seeing no point in delaying the match Samantha starts reciting the gym¡¯s special rules right away.


    ¡°All battles here are modified double battles! The gym leader and challenger both will release two Pok¨¦mon each. No Pok¨¦mon substitutions are allowed by any trainer during the match. We won¡¯t keep time; the contest will thus be decided only when one of the contestants finds both his or her Pok¨¦mon are unable to battle further!


    ¡°Go! Gardevoir and Meditite.¡±


    ¡°I choose you! Raven and Orin.¡±


    The both of us simultaneously released our chosen Pok¨¦mon. I immediately assessed our competition.


    ¡®Gardevoir is the biggest threat but should be manageable once we get rid of their team¡¯s weakest link. Without her meditite Rachel won¡¯t have a reliable way to get rid of Raven unless she¡¯s actively aware and trained to use fairy type moves.¡¯


    ¡°Let the match begin!¡±


    ¡°Snarl, Will-O-Wisp!¡±


    ¡°Safeguard, Protect!¡±


    Meditite sprang in front of Gardevoir the meditate Pok¨¦mon enveloping both itself and Gardevoir inside a turquoise shield. Blocking both the ghostly flames the screeching waves of dark type energy seeking to weaken our opponents. Meanwhile Rachel¡¯s Gardevoir added to their team¡¯s defenses making any further attempts at inflicting status conditions futile as their side of the field became shrouded in pink energies that briefly covered the both of them.


    ¡®Can¡¯t let her continue using moves like that, Let¡¯s see if this works.¡¯


    ¡°Calm Mind, Accupressure!¡±


    ¡°Taunt, Shadow Ball!¡±


    I¡¯ve never used Taunt in a double battle before, but it stood to reason that Raven should be able to bait multiple Pok¨¦mon into only using offensive moves.


    ¡°Awoooo!¡±


    Raven used her tail in a provocative manner while she hurled vicious insults to the pair of psychic type Pok¨¦mon. The two immediately stopped what they were doing and got into aggressive stances no doubt eager to punish Raven for her insult. The dark type energy that subtly infused them erasing their patience for their now forgotten setup moves. At the same time Orin¡¯s Shadow Ball hit gardevoir causing a small explosion and pushing her back into the corners of the arena. Gardevoir seemed to be relatively fine even after directly taking on a super effective move clearly displaying the divide in strength between a first stage Pok¨¦mon and one that is in its final form.


    ¡®Now it¡¯s just a matter of who hits hardest and my Pok¨¦mon aren¡¯t about to lose.¡¯


    ¡°Psychic, High Jump Kick!¡±


    ¡°Counter, Night Shade!¡±


    Meditite immediately jumped up in the air falling down at a startling speed, its kneecap pointed in the direction of my trusty pooch. Having already been mentally preparing for the inevitable fighting type move we stood ready to give Meditite a taste of its own medicine. Raven made no effort to dodge the incoming blow instead she readied herself to receive it an orange glow enveloped her. Recognition flashed across Rachel¡¯s face. High Jump Kick was an all or nothing attack trying to stop it mid execution was almost as harmful as letting the move connect. So, I wasn¡¯t surprised to see Meditite go for it anyway. Like a falling star the move connected with Raven¡¯s shoulder bringing her to her physical limits before the kinetic energy was repelled back with twice the force blowing Meditite off the battlefield and into the nearest wall forming a small crater as the fighting type connected with the wall¡¯s surface showing just how much of the move¡¯s force got redirected back.


    At the same time Orin was telekinetically grabbed by Gardevoir and thrown across the room while the candle Pok¨¦mon¡¯s eyes turned pitch black, and the embrace Pok¨¦mon got lasered in the face. My Litwick was already panting from slammed onto the field¡¯s surface. Whilst the nightshade did it¡¯s work somewhat weakening Gardevoir but I knew that there was still plenty of strength left inside


    ¡°Meditite is unable to battle! The match is now two against one!¡±


    ¡°Meditite Return!¡±


    ¡®We¡¯ve got this!¡¯


    Both my Pok¨¦mon were out of breath Raven barely holding on. I realized I¡¯ve come to overly rely on Counter not fully utilizing all of my Houndoom¡¯s natural talents.


    ¡°Flamethrower, Shadow Ball!¡±


    ¡°Dazzle them Gardevoir!¡±


    ¡®It can¡¯t be¡­!¡¯


    The room lit up as Gardevoir emitted a powerful flash infused with fairy type energy. My Pok¨¦mon perhaps due to the exhaustion, were too slow to react. Orin handled the move quite well being resistant to it but Raven couldn¡¯t hold on anymore, slumping down towards the ground fainting before she could retaliate. However¡­


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    Amidst the brightness a dark ball filled with ghost type energies hit Gardevoir head on causing the psychic type to stagger. Not quite enough power to take her down but we were close. I felt if we could connect with another move this battle would be over.


    ¡°Houndoom is unable to battle! The match is now one against one!¡±


    ¡°Return Raven!¡±


    Both our Pok¨¦mon were on their last legs. I had no doubt that the next moves would decide the outcome of this match.


    ¡°Shadow Ball¡±


    ¡°Minimize!¡±


    Gardevoir fired off her own Shadow Ball but before the move could find its target Orin miniaturized himself dodging the blow by a hair¡¯s breadth. Not wanting to waste this chance to capitalize on this moment I wasted no time and ordered Orin to execute his next attack.


    ¡°Hex!¡±


    Hex was a lot harder to dodge than a Shadow Ball or Nightshade attack. The ghostly energies forming around the target and flooding their system. The attack would be far more powerful when inflicted by a status condition but I would take what we could get. Gaardevoir tried to hold on but being hit thrice by super effective moves had taken its toll eventually the Pok¨¦mon collapsed, fainting in the process.


    ¡°Gardevoir is no longer able to battle, the winners are Litwick and Egon!¡±


    ¡°Great job! You did it Orin!¡±


    ¡°Lit! Lit! Lit!!¡±


    The ghost type hopped up and down in excitement finally earning himself his first gym battle victory.


    ¡®Phew! things worked out in the end. Now to just make sure Orin keeps feeling positive about himself. I¡¯ll get my little buddy some special incense after this.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t I deserve a reward too?!¡±


    Picking up the candle Pok¨¦mon and placing him on top of my head was something I only did on special occasions but I was extra happy today since we succeeded in helping Orin out of his funk. Rachel walked up to the two of us after having recalled her Gardevoir.


    ¡°Congratulations Egon from Lavaridge Town, it is my pleasure to award you this Mind Badge.¡±


    ¡°Thanks a lot. Just three more badges to go.¡±


    ¡°Now about that mysterious psychic type Pok¨¦mon¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s complicated¡­ We figured that Tate and Liza would love it if shown a Pok¨¦mon they hadn¡¯t seen before. She¡¯s quite unique that¡¯s why I keep it on the down low that Victini is traveling with me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I see, that makes sense then. Are you planning on using this Victini at the conference?¡±


    ¡°I want to make it to the top sixteen on my own merits but after that¡­ We figured there¡¯d be some trainers who could give her a real challenge.¡±


    ¡°I know enough. Just make sure you make it to this year¡¯s conference young man! So, my darling kids can brag about having met Victini to my face when we visit Ever Grande City on our annual trip.¡±


    Just like that she let me off the hook, respecting my privacy enough to not insist. Somehow Rachel seemed content to let things play out on their own. The natural curiosity common in psychic type Pok¨¦mon and their trainers was absent in this gym leader. Rachel released a Starmie and teleported off no doubt to have her Pok¨¦mon be tended to at the Pok¨¦mon center. Samantha walked out of the referee¡¯s box and escorted me back to the gym¡¯s lobby striking up a casual conversation with me as she did so.


    ¡°Aaaand¡­ what did the two of you talk about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, she just congratulated me for winning the gym¡¯s badge.¡±


    ¡°Sureee she did. What are you going to spend your winnings on? It¡¯s not every day a kid like you earns himself eight thousand pok¨¦dollars. You know it¡¯s my job to wire the money to a trainer¡¯s account afterwards.¡±


    ¡°I am thinking of saving it for a big spend. We don¡¯t have much time left before heading off to Sootopolis City after all.¡±


    ¡°Boring! Well, if you are going to Sootopolis I highly recommend spending that cash on one of those fancy submarine tours. It¡¯s all the rage nowadays and you get to see water type Pok¨¦mon you¡¯ve never met before, even ones that you can¡¯t normally find in the Hoenn region. I''ve heard that the crew takes breaks for trainers wanting to catch Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Well, that would be interesting to see¡­¡±

 Chapter 67 - Playtime Calls

    Chapter 67 ¨C Playtime Calls


    ¡°Just do it!¡±


    ¡°Birch is the Hoenn region¡¯s most renowned professor, it¡¯s only natural to get the jitters!¡±


    Me and the team were relaxing on deck of the S.S. Tidal sunbathing, when I remembered the fact that Joshua the lab assistant gave us the Professor¡¯s number. For me personally this meant very little since I was still contracted to Professor Juniper which prevented me from seeking sponsorship from another laboratory. Still, I held hopes that the good professor could provide me with something I¡¯ve longed for ever since I returned to the Hoenn region.


    Putting in the number on my Xtransceiver I waited with bated breath as the device rang off. Not knowing exactly what Birch¡¯s reaction would be.


    ¡°Hello, this is Professor Birch to whom am I speaking to?¡±


    ¡®Here we go¡¯


    ¡°Hello Professor, this is Egon from Lavaridge Town. Your assistant Joshua gave me this number after I contributed that report on Vulpix having a hidden ability.¡±


    ¡°Aha, yes! A riveting read to be sure. We always love to see unaffiliated trainers like yourself contributing to our scientific research. I¡¯ve long since speculated that our research on abilities wasn¡¯t even halfway completed. These so-called Hidden Abilities as you called them are just waiting to be discovered! As the one representing our entire region¡¯s lab workers I give you my heartfelt thanks for reigniting Joshua¡¯s drive for discovery. The boy started slowing down in his pursuits until you came along.¡±


    ¡°Not completely unaffiliated sir, I work as a gym trainer under Mr. Moore and sometimes contribute to Professor Juniper¡¯s work.¡±


    ¡°Cedric from Unova!? Do you know me and him are rivals specializing in the same fields of study. Although he puts more emphasis on how Pok¨¦mon adapt to their environments whereas I tend to cynosure on ethology. That is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, the study that focuses on Pok¨¦mon behavior. I¡¯ve read some of your work.¡±


    ¡°A burgeoning scholar aren¡¯t we? Say, give me your honest opinion, which out of us two labmankeys do you think has the right of it when considering the specific angles of our work.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on! Just be honest with me kiddo. I won¡¯t fault you for it if you end up claiming my research is the lesser of the two.¡±


    ¡°¡­If I had to say whose work I prefer, it would be yours Professor.¡±


    ¡°I knew it! That old coot¡¯s research has less appeal with younger minds than mine.¡±


    ¡°Not that Professor Juniper¡¯s work isn¡¯t of great value but primarily relying on the study of the body to form hypotheses on distribution for creatures as adaptable as Pok¨¦mon would in all likelihood not stand the test of time. We¡¯ve recorded drastic changes in Pok¨¦mon biology over the span of only a single generation. The premise of his research could grow outdated if not taking that fact into account.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! A brilliant conclusion young man. If it weren¡¯t for the strict regulation placed upon my lab, I¡¯d offer to take you on as a lab trainer. Not that you would need the extra help of course.¡±


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve been using the Unovan Pok¨¦dex gifted to me by Professor Juniper, but it¡¯s been having trouble identifying Hoenn native species. Isn¡¯t there some sort of upgrade which would allow one to expand the database?¡±


    ¡°Hmm yes indeed, but it wouldn¡¯t do you much good. This is all hush hush at the moment but us regional professors have been collaborating to create just such a feature. You know, in case one of our lab trainers ever gets permission to travel abroad. For now, it¡¯s just myself, Oak, Elm and Rowan who opted in on this venture. If you could somehow convince Juniper to freely share his lab¡¯s proprietary species data with the rest of us, I believe we could include him as well.¡±


    ¡®National Pok¨¦dex!!¡¯


    ¡°I am on it Professor!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry if things don¡¯t work out. When it comes down to it I¡¯d be willing to lend you one of my Pok¨¦dexes when you eventually find time to swing by the old lab in Littleroot.¡±


    ¡°Say, Professor Birch, how would one normally be selected to become a lab trainer?¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking that?¡±


    ¡®Zinnia needs a sponsor when she sets out, and nothing is more prestigious than being a lab sponsored trainer.¡¯


    ¡°My little sister is two years younger than I am but even more brilliant. I am sure she could greatly contribute to your work.¡±


    ¡°That makes her ten?¡±


    ¡°Eight actually. Her birthday¡¯s close to mine. She''ll turn nine in two weeks¡¯ time.¡±


    ¡°Hmm the lab usually only sponsors trainers up to twelve years and older. Since most trainers haven¡¯t developed that academic drive until they¡¯re a tad more mature. Well in any case she can send her application form as soon as she turns ten. Although I get to decide who ultimately gets sponsored, she will have to go through a vetting process done by league officials before her submission gets put on my desk.¡±


    ¡®Darn. Zinnia is smart but I am betting that they don¡¯t teach trainer school curriculum in meteor village. She¡¯ll be a whole year behind the others.¡¯


    ¡°Thank you for your time, Professor Birch. I¡¯ll get to calling Professor Juniper right away!¡±


    ¡°Well don¡¯t let me hold you up, have a nice day and I hope to see you in person.¡±


    After hanging up on Professor Birch I got out of my lazy chair and attempted to find a more private area where I wouldn¡¯t be overheard by other people or Pok¨¦mon. I scrolled down my list of contacts displayed on my wristwatch phone until I reached the Professor¡¯s name and pushed the green button on screen. The sound notifying that my call had been accepted came through and the face of Professor Cedric Juniper appeared on screen.


    ¡°Egon my boy! So good to hear from you again. I would have almost called you myself if it hadn¡¯t been for that informative report you sent me about your Vulpix.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Professor! It¡¯s just that I had little left to do in Unova once I managed to catch my sixth partner.¡±


    ¡°I understand, we should have made you another offer to keep an ambitious trainer like yourself busy. It¡¯s just that with all the new research material coming in from Relic Castle me and Aurea have been too busy to do much else.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay Professor, The expedition must have made all sorts of breakthrough discoveries. Did they manage to unpetrify the remaining Darmanitan?¡±


    ¡°Yes! The shipments of ragecandybar came in two months ago. My assistants have been hard at work to make these time-lost Darmanitan more comfortable. We even got multiple offers to home them from interested parties.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great news! My own Darmanitan has managed to find a new purpose to dedicate himself to. He¡¯s been of great help taking care of one of my youngest partners in particular.¡±


    ¡°A Larvesta right? A rare sight indeed. Egon now that I¡¯ve got you on the line I am reminded to inform you of a pressing matter.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The Unovan league officials made it a point to have me let them know once your Larvesta has become mature enough to have her own offspring.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, that would be private information but seeing as you are technically under the lab¡¯s employ, I can¡¯t deny them. You can expect the league association to request your full cooperation once Larvesta has evolved. Still, they can¡¯t force you to cooperate. The most they can do is send you a series of requests to have you come visit one of their hired specialist breeders.¡±


    ¡°Eww¡­¡±


    The Professor seemed uncomfortable just broaching the subject, so I was relieved when he turned to other matters.


    ¡°How are your other Unovan partners doing? I seem to recall that one of them was of great interest to my daughter.¡±


    Seeing the innuendo for what it was I was quick to oblige him with further information.


    ¡°Tini is doing fine. She¡¯s been making friends with all sorts of wild Pok¨¦mon and is even helping a colony of Kecleon start their own business venture.¡±


    ¡°Excellent! It always warms my heart to hear of Pok¨¦mon who have managed to assimilate in society enough to start participating in trade with humans. Have there been any complications regarding her anonymity?¡±


    ¡°Yeah uhmm, to get through airport security I¡¯ve had to pull a few strings. A few trusted people know of her and offered their support. My boss Mr. Moore supervised our training just in case she has to fight to protect herself.¡±


    ¡°This is troubling¡­ but understandable. I would rather have the both of you back in Unova but that would be stifling your growth. The darker elements of society would salivate at the chance to acquire not just ¡­ but even stealing a Larvesta would set a poacher for life. Our association would pay any price to have your Larvesta returned safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°I need just a little more time to settle my affairs in Hoenn. Once I¡¯ve earned my final badge we can hole ourselves up in the Lavaridge gym until it¡¯s time to compete in the Ever Grande Conference. So far Halo hasn¡¯t been involved in any recorded gym battles. We did participate in a publicly viewed battle a few days ago but I don¡¯t think any of the bystanders could recognize her species.¡±


    ¡°Okay, just try to stay inconspicuous. The lab will book you an airplane ticket back once the Hoenn conference has passed.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Professor one other thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    <hr>


    POV ¨C Zinnia


    ¡°Zinnia! Don¡¯t go into the water without a swim tube.¡±


    ¡°No way! Horsea can catch me if I sink!¡±


    ¡°Sea!¡±


    My days following the coming-of-age ceremony have become more colorful. With three Pok¨¦mon by my side, I stopped feeling as lonely. Sometimes I still miss grandpa, grandma and big brother when alone in bed but then Bagon decides to come out of his sleeping basket and crawls under the bedsheets to comfort me. Goomy tried that as well, but it made the bed all slimy and we got scolded by mom afterwards, so now she just watches over me while I sleep.


    At first daddy didn¡¯t want to build a pond in the garden for Horsea to swim in but then big sis Aster took him apart from the rest of the adults after our first battle and when they came back, he told us that Aster and I could do as we liked. Aster asked a kind lady Garchomp really nicely to dig out the hole and afterwards had Dragonair fill it up with Rain Dance.


    Now with the addition of the pond Horsea could stay home and didn¡¯t need to spend half the days¡¯ time at the local river. We played all the time, and I even got practice in swimming. Mommy even comes to watch us when she¡¯s done doing chores.


    ¡°Goom!¡±


    Goomy was watching us from the rubber kiddy pool which I used to use to carry Horsea in. Goomy could join us in the pond whenever she wanted but my little dragon couldn¡¯t stay afloat and would quickly sink to the bottom of the pond whenever she tried getting in. Aster says Goomy can hold their breath indefinitely while underwater but that they preferred shallow water levels where only parts of their body was left underwater.


    Bagon was my only partner who couldn¡¯t safely traverse water. Bagon was actually really heavy, like so heavy that even mom couldn¡¯t lift him up. Big sis Aster made it a point to teach me all about raising bagons since out of all my Pok¨¦mon he was the most dangerous one to have around. With most dangerous she meant the fact that if left to his own devices, he would look for ways to climb on rooftops and plunge downwards headfirst. This was natural behavior that needed to be curbed so they wouldn¡¯t injure themselves or others. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Gon?!¡±


    ¡°Stay away from that ladder! Big sis says you aren¡¯t allowed!¡±


    ¡°Gooooon!¡±


    Silently apologizing to Horsea in my mind I came out of the pond to keep watch over Bagon, who had gone ahead and grabbed daddy¡¯s ladder out of the shed anyway. Rushing up to him I rubbed his snoot before taking the ladder back where it belonged much to Bagon¡¯s dismay.


    ¡°Bag¡­¡±


    ¡°We can go out after lunch, big sis already let me know which rocks are safe for jumping. So just stay patient, okay?¡±


    It was at that moment I spotted the familiar sight of Dragonair descending down from the sky with Aster riding on top. Bagon noticing the new arrivals gave Dragonair an envious glare. A rivalry had started between the two born out of Dragonair¡¯s ability to fly while my own Pok¨¦mon was still earthbound. Big sister jumped off her dragon¡¯s back just before Dragonair dipped into the pond¡¯s waters.


    ¡°Heya little sis, look what I brought!¡±


    She held aloft a gray colored nondescript bag.


    ¡°A bag?¡±


    ¡°Iron powder ninety-nine percent pure!¡±


    ¡°You want to test my big brother¡¯s theory?!¡±


    ¡°Yep! The merchants who visit our village were willing to put in the extra order on my request. Together we¡¯ll figure out if your cooky brother¡¯s claims hold up.¡±


    ¡°My brother¡¯s not cooky! He¡¯s a nerd that¡¯s different! My brother taught me everything there is to know about Pok¨¦mon!¡±


    Not minding my retort, she walked up to Goomy¡¯s kiddy pool, unzipped the bag and deposited some of the contents into the water. Goomy was startled by Aster and quickly got out of the pool to join up with me and Bagon.


    ¡°This should be enough, now for this experiment to succeed we need Goomy to spend a good amount of his time in this water. Do you think you can do that Goomy?¡±


    ¡°Goom¡­?¡±


    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t believe me¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course I do! You¡¯re my little sister, besides the last time a Hisuian Goodra was seen was one hundred and fifty years ago. Our clan holds records way older than that, it¡¯s just that our people hadn¡¯t made it to Sinnoh at that time, so we didn¡¯t have a chance to preserve that branch of the species. A few thousand pok¨¦dollars worth of iron powder is nothing compared to the chance of getting to see Hisuian variants.¡±


    ¡®Discovering a new species sounds fun! But¡­¡¯


    ¡°Goomy, do you want to try? If you just want to be a regular Sliggoo or Goodra like your mommy, that''s fine too.¡±


    ¡°Goom!¡±


    Giving me a nod filled with determination, Goomy proceeded to hop back into her kiddy pool. Once she did her mucin got all wibbly wobbly but eventually she settled down getting used to the feeling of iron infused water on her skin.


    ¡°Big sis how long does it take for Goomy to reach her next evolutionary stage?¡±


    ¡°Years.¡±


    ¡°Whaaa?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, a cute little girl like you is too young to go out adventuring anyways. By the time you reach an appropriate age Goomy will have most likely evolved. The same goes for your other Pok¨¦mon although seeing as your Horsea is wild caught I¡¯d give him the better odds of being first to do so. Now to make sure everything goes as planned I¡¯ll need you to change out Goomy¡¯s water every so often. The species is known for being perfectly comfortable in swamp water but as her trainer it¡¯s your job to drain out and refill her pool once a week or so. Can you do that?¡±


    ¡°I can!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to add in some iron powder each time, about two cups worth should do the trick. Now come along, I¡¯ve scheduled a playdate for you with one of the village¡¯s boys. Sitting at home all day and only interacting with your Pok¨¦mon isn¡¯t healthy. One also needs to socialize with other people or else the world will slip them by.¡±


    ¡°Someone asked to play with me¡­?¡±


    ¡°We are going to Dray¡¯s house. You know the boy who bonded with that Noibat? You got along so well with him the last time.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ he lost against me and Goomy during the festival. Wouldn¡¯t he dislike seeing us around?¡±


    ¡°No way! In fact, beating him in a battle did the exact opposite! No doubt he¡¯s been training hard preparing for his eventual rematch with you.¡±


    Crouching down I met my Pok¨¦mon¡¯s gazes.


    ¡°What do you guys think?¡±


    ¡°Goom!¡±


    ¡°Gon!¡±


    ¡°Sea¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ maybe. Big sis, do Dray''s parents have a pool?¡±


    ¡°Yep, a big one. I hope Horsea doesn¡¯t mind sharing a living space with their other water types. I know for a fact that Dray¡¯s mother dug out a small canal just so her Gyarados can come visit from the nearby river.¡±


    ¡°Sea?!¡±


    ¡°Gyarados are bad?!¡±


    ¡°Sea!¡±


    My cute little friend adamantly let me know that Gyarados are bad news. So, I couldn¡¯t blame him for not wanting to be near or sharing a living space with one. Big sis Aster tried to assuage his worries the best she could.


    ¡°The Gyarados that have been raised by the villagers are total sweethearts! You don¡¯t have to worry about a thing, Horsea. Now come along, Dragonair can give us a ride. Of course that means your Pok¨¦mon will have to stay in their pok¨¦ balls during the flight over. Little sister, do you still keep all three of them on you?¡±


    ¡°Uhmm they¡¯re a bit weird with the cranks, it¡¯s not like the pok¨¦ balls they make us practice with at my old trainer¡¯s school.¡±


    ¡°Figures¡­ I¡¯ll have you know that these pok¨¦ balls are way more precious than those mass-produced factory ones that they make you use outside. Best of all they¡¯re completely free of tracking software so the league association can¡¯t snoop to see what kind of Pok¨¦mon you currently have on you.¡±


    ¡°Really? The office lady that made me take my shots and our garbage man want to know what friends I am traveling with?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ those are just civil servants. I meant to say the shady higher ups who rarely come out in public.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Moore? He gave my brother his very first job! Flannery even says he¡¯s really nice and a good grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Hmm maybe not him specifically, I see this explanation is going to take a while. Why don¡¯t you hurry back to your room and retrieve those pok¨¦ balls and we can talk about it on the way over.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°So uhmm¡­ the tribe likes to use their own pok¨¦ balls so the league won¡¯t find out about some of the rarer Pok¨¦mon that live here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Champion Drake has made a lot of positive changes over the years of his reign. Granting our tribe special status and officially recognizing our claim on the Meteor Falls mountain range. Still, despite the tribe greatly respecting his strength and wisdom most of us still cannot bring ourselves to forget the rampant egg poaching that the previous administration let happen under its watch. Some of whom managed to keep their jobs despite their failures and or unproven complicity.¡±


    ¡°Oh okay, but I still prefer the outside pok¨¦ balls. Horsea¡¯s can shrink to fit in my pocket.¡±


    ¡°Our pok¨¦ balls are handcrafted! They¡¯re worth ten times as much on the black market compared to the regular ones. Besides, a trainer partnering up with a Horsea wouldn¡¯t be of much interest to the league association even if they happen to be underaged. However, letting them know that you managed to catch both a bagon and goomy could possibly lead to dire consequences. No doubt the bureaucrats would be trying to ¡°rehome¡± your Pok¨¦mon using your age as an excuse.¡±


    ¡°No! I am not letting them take away my friends!¡±


    ¡°Exactly, this is one of the reasons why our people live secluded like this. Living anywhere else means that we would be subject to the rules and regulations of the league. There are other more important reasons which I can¡¯t talk to you about, only elders are allowed to know every secret.¡±


    ¡°Is that why Daddy listens to you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ that man¡¯s ambitions are only known to himself.¡±


    ¡°Preee!¡±


    Dragonair kindly let us know that she had reached our destination. We descended downwards in a controlled spiral until Aster¡¯s Pok¨¦mon finally made landfall in the other family¡¯s backyard. This place was way prettier than my own family¡¯s household. A miniature lake graced the property, and all the plants were well kept and in full bloom which I had come to know was very hard to do while living in an open cave system like ours.


    Our sudden appearance hadn¡¯t gone unnoticed when a tall lady holding the hand of an embarrassed looking boy came out from the house¡¯s backdoor. The woman¡¯s attention was focused on Aster while Dray, who was struggling to hide behind her, was acting strangely embarrassed for some reason.


    ¡°Lorekeeper, it''s an honor having you visit our home. We¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve taken on an apprentice. I take it this must be the same girl who defeated my son during his first battle.¡±


    ¡®That name again¡­ is it important?¡¯


    ¡°Now Dray, come and give your respects to the Lorekeeper and her student.¡±


    ¡°Hello¡­¡±


    ¡°Hello little one, why don¡¯t you and Zinnia go out and have some fun while me and your mother discuss grown up stuff?¡±


    It really seemed like Dray wanted to do anything else but that. However, while under the auspices of his mother¡¯s forceful gaze the boy eventually gave in. Forcefully grabbing me by the hand and leading me closer to the lake.


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ it¡¯s nice seeing you again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡±


    ¡°How is little Noibat doing? The two of you must have grown a lot stronger since then!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it won¡¯t even be a question of who is going to win next year. Me and Noibat have been trained personally by my dad. He is the strongest trainer living inside the tribe and when I get old enough the two of us will prove our strength on the international stage!¡±


    ¡®Boys¡­ so predictable.¡¯


    The two of us reached the edge of the lake but I couldn¡¯t see much activity even though I know the river itself held lots of cool water type Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Your mother has a Gyarados , right? Does it play well with other Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, Gyarados only likes mom. Me, dad and the other Pok¨¦mon living here get some leeway of course but I¡¯ve seen what she does with wild Pok¨¦mon who unwittingly make their way out of the river and into our garden lake. Why ask though?¡±


    ¡°Umm I brought my friend Horsea with me. He can¡¯t play with us on dry land.¡±


    ¡°You have three Pok¨¦mon?! Your parents must be really cool to allow you to raise so many of them at the same time. Whatever, as long as your Horsea sticks to the shallower edges of the lake it should be fine.¡±


    I struggled for a bit to remove all the pok¨¦ balls stored inside my trapinch themed school bag a present grandma bought for me when I became old enough to attend trainer¡¯s school. The two ¡°vintage¡± looking pok¨¦ balls containing Goomy and Bagon got laid down on the soft grass while I de-minitiurized my only modern pok¨¦ ball and released Horsea onto the water¡¯s edge. Horsea proceeded to blow bubbles onto my face to show his excitement.


    ¡°Sea!¡±


    ¡°This is Horsea. My big brother Egon caught him for me to have as my first partner! Horsea don¡¯t eat much, just some standard water-type chow from the pok¨¦mart that we grind into bits is enough and mommy doesn¡¯t mind getting an extra bag of feed from the merchants every month. Daddy says if I do good raising three Pok¨¦mon that it betters the odds of him becoming an elder.¡±


    ¡°Why would anyone want to become one of those stuffy elders? All they do is hold secret meetings with the Lorekeeper and tell the villagers what to do. I am much more interested in this big brother of yours! How come I haven¡¯t seen him around?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not allowed to come here¡­ Egon has a different daddy.¡±


    ¡°So, he¡¯s an outsider then?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an outsider!¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t even make any sense! Besides, my family doesn¡¯t look down on outsiders. Dad was an outsider before mom married him!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Okay! Can my brother become an insider too?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ You are either married or born into the clan. I have heard that certain individuals are trusted enough by the council of elders to come for visits.¡±


    ¡°Like who?¡±


    ¡°The Champion for one, anyone from our sister clan in Johto or other distant blood relations and I think sometimes exceptions are made for trainers who have shown proper dedication to training dragon type Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°¡­but my brother trains fire types.¡±


    ¡°Well then, he has to get married to someone that lives here. Have you tried asking Aster? Dad says she¡¯s the most eligible bachelorette in the entire village.¡±


    ¡°Pervert!! My brother¡¯s too young to get married! Water Gun!¡±


    ¡°Sea!¡±


    Horsea gave the hothead boy a hosing down, an appropriate response to any boys trying to steer a serious conversation into one of debauchery.


    ¡°Pfeh! Pfeh! What are you doing!¡±


    ¡°Serves you right!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it! Let¡¯s battle!¡±


    ¡°Bring it on, me and Horsea make for a perfect team!¡±


    ¡°Gyashaaaaaa!¡±


    A large torrent of water erupted from the deeper parts of the lake. When the curtain of water stopped blocking our field of view I came to find a large serpentine Pok¨¦mon was gazing down on us. Its face, a stony expression of rage, not giving away an iota of its innermost thoughts.


    ¡°Hooorsea¡­!!¡±


    Horsea got so spooked that for the first time ever he jumped out of the water and straight back onto dry land. Luckily, I was not so distracted by Gyarados that I didn¡¯t manage to pick him up after the fact. Dray, who seemed to be as surprised as Horsea barely managed to stutter out a handful of words.


    ¡°Hi¡­G-g-gyarados. N-n-nice weather w-were h-h-having t-t-today.¡±


    ¡°Hey you! Stop bullying Dray and Horsea. Can¡¯t you see they¡¯re scared?!¡±


    Dray gave me a pleading look probably to let me know I was doing a good job connecting with his mom¡¯s Gyarados.


    ¡°Gyaaaa!¡±


    ¡°This river water belongs to every Pok¨¦mon, not just you! So let me and Horsea play in it. If you are good, we¡¯ll let you in on our fun fun water time.¡±


    <hr>


    POV - Aster


    Lydia and I kept busy discussing the clan¡¯s annual fishing quota. As the woman responsible for providing just enough water Pok¨¦mon for the clan¡¯s dragons dietary requirements she had an important role to fill. Healthy dragons oft required at least some form of meat in their diets so Lydia and her Gyarados made it their job to roam the river and catch the excess goldeen, barboach and magikarp that made the Meteor Falls River their home. Many people didn¡¯t have the stomach to perform such bloody work, and the clan paid Lydia well for her troubles.


    ¡°Lydia what am I looking at?¡±


    Looking out the window I could spot the towering form of Lydia¡¯s Gyarados. I didn¡¯t fear for my apprentice¡¯s safety but an encounter with a twenty-five feet tall sea monster could still negatively impact my successor.


    Stepping out of Lydia¡¯s home I came upon a most wondrous sight. Somehow Zinnia managed to cow Gyarados into playing beach ball with her and Horsea. The giant sea serpent awkwardly passing along the inflatable ball by use of its whiskers to the next individual in the circle. Even Lydia¡¯s kid seemed to have mustered up enough courage to be on the verge of sliding into the water and join in on the merrymaking.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be¡­ Remind me to thank little Zinnia for encouraging Dray to overcome his fears. He¡¯s always been too afraid to get near Gyarados.¡±


    ¡°Zinnia is too precious, that¡¯s why I made her my disciple.¡±


    ¡®Among other reasons.¡¯


    Lydia and I made our way to the lake¡¯s shore to get a closer look at the two children getting along but kept enough distance to avoid spoiling their playdate. A wild caught water type Pok¨¦mon like Horsea would usually be deathly afraid of Gyarados but just like Dray the little one seemed to be attempting to overcome his fear seemingly inspired by its trainer. Lacking arms, Horsea''s attempts at passing the ball were realized through short bursts of Water Gun.


    ¡°Good job Horsea! Now it¡¯s your turn Gyarados!¡±


    ¡°Gyaaaa!¡±


    ¡°How nostalgic it reminds me of the first time I played catch with a giant destructive monster.¡±

 Chapter 68 – Friendly Encounter

    Chapter 68 ¨C Friendly Encounter


    After finishing my phone calls with the professors, I saw Mr. Briney¡¯s Pok¨¦mon fly by. Just the sight of the majestic Wingull drove me to spend some time observing her and likewise the little bird reciprocated my noble intentions by engaging in a game of tag with me across the ship¡¯s deck, completely of her own volition with not a single misinterpretation involved.


    ¡°Win Gull!¡±


    ¡°Just a single photograph! I¡¯ll give you a juicy berry in exchange.¡±


    That seemed to do the trick seeing as the flying type slowed down enough to where I could catch up with her. Peeko gave me a questioning look as if trying to determine if I really intended to give up one of my berries.


    ¡°Look, I am sorry for chasing you around, it''s just that coming across a special Pok¨¦mon like you doesn¡¯t happen every day. Can we still be friends?¡±


    ¡°Gull¡­¡±


    To assuage her concerns, I decided to deliver Peeko¡¯s payment up front. The berry I offered wasn¡¯t just a regular Oran berry. Over my long years as a gym intern, I¡¯ve developed a skill most trainers would envy. I can always tell what flavor berry a Pok¨¦mon would like after a period of observation. Peeko being a Wingull filled with quirkiness led me to speculate that she preferred bitter tasting berries. So, I wasn¡¯t surprised when her eyes started shining at the sight of my offered Rawst berry. Any responsible fire type specialist always keeps Rawst berries on hand in case of any accidental burns. Not for their own Pok¨¦mon because fire types can¡¯t be burned but in case a practice battle with other trainers or wild Pok¨¦mon get out of hand. I¡¯ve had to use these numerous times just to make sure any wild Pok¨¦mon we matched up against could walk away unscathed. None of my own Pok¨¦mon particularly liked bitter tasting berries so these were safe from being looted during times I would leave my backpack unattended.


    ¡°Win Gull! Gull!¡±


    Seeing the little bird enjoying my peace offering brought a smile to my face. The seeds of my Rawst berry were sticking to her beak. So, I was prompted to offer my cleaning services to help alleviate her problem.


    ¡°Let me get that, I have some extra tissue paper for occasions like these...¡±


    ¡°Win Gull!¡±


    After her beak was all sparkly clean Peeko let me take a selfie with my Xtransceiver. Which I was sure to treasure as a token for our burgeoning friendship. While me and Peeko were having a good time another Pok¨¦mon was jealously staring at the two of us not at all amused by the situation.


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    I let my Pok¨¦mon out of their balls with their only task being soaking up the sun while following Victini¡¯s instruction on how to do so. Most of them didn¡¯t mind my fixation on Peeko but it seemed Halo wasn¡¯t as amused with me giving my undivided attention to a Pok¨¦mon who could not be considered part of her retinue(family). Sensing Halo¡¯s broodiness I parted ways with Peeko and quickly rejoined the rest of my team at their little cluster of beach chairs.


    ¡°Thank you for being patient with me. From now on it¡¯s fire types only!¡±


    ¡°Laar¡­¡±


    ¡°Peeko might be a special Wingull, but you got her beat in the cuteness department Halo. There¡¯s always a sense of elegance that surrounds you and people as well as other Pok¨¦mon can¡¯t help but get lost into your big blue eyes.¡±


    ¡°Vess¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not being insincere. Doesn¡¯t she look stunning, you guys?¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡± ¡°Ninee!¡± ¡°Lit!¡± ¡°Nitan!¡± ¡°Arf!¡± ¡°Yep!¡±


    The embarrassment of having her parental guardian and close companions lavish her with affection in a public setting caused the horns on her head to turn red hot and fire off gouts of flame. Halo whose face had almost seceded into her fuzzy mane tried to make herself as small as possible but the glitter in her eyes couldn¡¯t escape my notice.


    Before I had the chance to embarrass her any further the ship¡¯s bells rang five times in succession. Indicating that the ship was only minutes away from docking into the Sootopolis bay area. Normally I would have no idea what all the different navigational sounds meant but this time I recognized it because I heard it before when the ship made landfall at Mossdeep island. Hanging off on the ship¡¯s handrails I could clearly see the giant white crater that is Sootopolis.


    ¡°Seems like we are about to make landfall. This will be the last time any of us will have to travel by boat until we¡¯ve reached the end of this circuit.¡±


    My declaration brought a sense of joy to the team. As fire types they were naturally disinclined to travel across large bodies of water. Two hours in and Numsy was even exhibiting symptoms of seasickness. Being a fire type Pok¨¦mon he had no way of actually expelling fluids and instead expelled trace amounts of airborne soot from his nostrils and back.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to book a room at a Pok¨¦mon center and schedule a match at the gym but afterwards we can go do something fun.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go explore the Cave of Origin!¡±


    ¡®The super-ancient Pok¨¦mon aren¡¯t even there! The only thing we¡¯ll find in that place are those glowing crystals formed out of natural energy. It¡¯s also the most heavily guarded place in the entire region. If we get caught, we¡¯ll be in a heap of trouble. In any event we should avoid going to places that have anything to do with those two. Every time they wake up the region gets plunged into an ecological apocalypse event.¡¯


    ¡°¡­I guess that¡¯s true.¡±


    I felt Victini¡¯s disappointment at the fact that she wouldn¡¯t be able to have playdates with Groudon and Kyogre so I opted to distract her with something else.


    ¡®It¡¯s going to be a while until we manage to train up enough to beat Juan. How about we get started on a little side project. We¡¯ll make some money and you can go looking for that Pok¨¦mon we¡¯ve discussed before.¡¯


    ¡°You mean?!¡±


    ¡®If you are good, we can go check it out while we are there. Still¡­ we know that Brandon managed to catch one so it could be that the ruin is empty.¡¯


    ¡°No way! Only we know how to get in there!¡±


    As me and Victini were mentally discussing the probability of others having already uncovered the secret passageway into that ruin. The S.S. Tidal came closer and closer to her destination until the ship¡¯s navigator Mr. Briney successfully docked her into the Sootopolis harbor. Giving us a closer view of the impact site of the ancient meteorite that once reshaped the land.


    Sootopolis City wasn¡¯t like other places. The entire township was surrounded by giant steep cliffs which protected the city from harsh winds and flood disasters. At the same time that made it a hassle for incoming ships to unload their goods since the city¡¯s council deemed it imperative that there¡¯d be no large entrances into the city proper as to prevent tropical storms from damaging residential buildings. There was a single tunnel leading from the harbor into the city and on busy days the foot traffic was so large it took half a day just to enter the urban area.


    ¡°Go on kid.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure Mr. Briney?¡±


    ¡°S¡¯fine if you wait any longer your whole day will be wasted. A whippersnapper like you should be out there enjoying your journey instead of waiting in line all day. Me, Peeko and the crew can handle ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Gull!¡±


    Feeling somewhat ashamed for getting to board for free without paying I had offered to help out where I could. Glove was just as strong as any machoke and even without the extra safety training he could save people in a pinch with confusion. However, the most we got to do was wash the dishes after mealtime.


    ¡°Thank you for everything! Especially you Peeko!¡±


    ¡°Gull?!¡±


    ¡°That picture I took with you is going to be worth millions of pok¨¦ dollars one day. Please remember us when you inevitably become a world-famous celebrity!¡±


    ¡°Win Win¡­¡±


    ¡°You hear that Peeko? Egon believes in you just as I do.¡±


    Mr. Briney heaped on the praise in an admirable attempt to describe Peeko¡¯s wondrous qualities. The little seagull seemed to appreciate the praise coming from its trainer even more, giving the old man¡¯s right cheek some playful nibbles. Having accomplished improving another relationship, I stepped away and onto the walkway ready to face another hectic day navigating through an unfamiliar city.


    <hr>


    Now that we finally entered the city, I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the sight of all the white houses hewn out of the very rock that formed the crater. The city was divided into three sections, two residential areas separated by a gigantic salt water lake and the third section was a small island hosting only a single building, the Sootopolis city gym. The central hub of learning for all the serious water type specialists. Home to Juan the gym leader and also the place where Wallace acquired all his battling skills. I laid my hand on top of the first building I came across curious on what type of stone these buildings were constructed out of.


    ¡®Is that marble? The color matches, or it could be some variety of white granite.¡¯


    ¡°Stop wasting time, we have to get to the center!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to get to route 111 today. There¡¯s a lot of planning that goes into expeditions like this. First off, we¡¯ll need to go to the Pok¨¦mon center to book a room, then we¡¯ll need to rent or buy a set of excavating tools and hidden machines and while at the center we¡¯ll use the computers to find the closest store that sells trainer supplies.¡±


    Hidden machines were a set of publicly sold technical machines that recorded moves that could be lifesaving under certain conditions. They were also made to last unlike technical machines that were usually limited to one use and are made to make a profit. Trainers who found themselves stuck unable to get past a collapsed cave ceiling could rely on the moves Strength or Rock Smash to get out. Cut was used to clear out fallen trees or tall grass to those lost in forest terrain and for trainers navigating a rapid stream Waterfall could be used to save them from dropping to their demise.


    I never saw the need to purchase any of the hidden machines due to multiple reasons mostly because I was too poor and going exploring seemed like a waste of time. However, with the nice lump of cash we received from our latest gym battle I saw no reason not to at least buy a single use of Strength. Especially since we were looking to explore an old ruin without supervision. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    As I was walking around looking for a nearby Pok¨¦mon center, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the local residents'' choice in companions. Almost all of them were accompanied by a water type Pok¨¦mon and not just those native to Hoenn. I could see little boys running around with buizels and corphish, girls with marills and poliwags while the grown ups were busy doing their daily groceries accompanied by evolved and older Pok¨¦mon. In hindsight it made sense that the resident preferred this type over others. Living in a city divided by a saltwater lake would become pretty tedious if you didn¡¯t have a mode of transportation to get you to the other side quickly and efficiently.


    ¡®Here¡¯s to hoping there¡¯s a Pok¨¦mon center in this part of the city, I am not wasting money on a rental Pok¨¦mon to give me a ride over to the other side.¡¯


    As luck would have it, I did eventually end up finding a Pok¨¦mon center. It was tucked away on a street that was hidden away on the top a large set of stone hewn stairs. After entering I was set to book myself a room for the night that was until I came across a familiar face. A certain twin tailed girl rocking an elegant school uniform.


    ¡°Roxanne?¡±


    ¡°Egon?! How have you been? Is Flannery also with you?¡±


    ¡°No, she¡¯s back at her grandfather¡¯s gym after catching a bunch of new Pok¨¦mon. They¡¯re understaffed as it is, and Mr. Moore couldn¡¯t find any extra gym trainers willing to work inside an active volcano.¡±


    ¡°Hmm she told me that the two of you had broken up because Mr. Moore didn¡¯t trust you to behave yourself around a pretty girl like her. Also, I never did get your number or else I would¡¯ve called to catch up with you.¡±


    ¡®Darn it Flannery! What else have you been telling Roxanne behind my back?!¡¯


    ¡°Sure, we can do that now. Are you also waiting in line to book a room?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve been inside Sootopolis for around a week. The reason I am standing in line now is to pick up my recovered Pok¨¦mon. We¡¯ve been having practice battles at the Sootopolis gym with the trainers working there to further refine our strategy for my first attempt at earning the Rain Badge. So far, we haven¡¯t had many successes¡­¡±


    ¡®Poor girl, those flimsy water platforms must not have held up under the weight of some of her heavier rock type Pok¨¦mon.¡¯


    ¡°Have you tried catching that Pok¨¦mon we talked about the first time we met?¡±


    A little hint of excitement came back to her downtrodden features.


    ¡°Yes! Tomorrow I¡¯ll be boarding a tourist submarine. This one will be able to go deep enough to encounter the Relicanth I¡¯ve been looking for. The tour guide assured me that if our luck holds up, I¡¯ll be able to see and offer one of them a spot on my team.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ It will be difficult. You don¡¯t have a water type Pok¨¦mon able to battle underwater to prove your skills as an able trainer. Even if you do manage to catch one training a wild one enough to be capable of battling Juan and make it on time for the Ever Grande conference is a tall order.¡±


    With every remark I made Roxanne slipped further into her funk. Still, I was responsible enough to not try and sugarcoat her prospects, being certain that if she couldn¡¯t make it in time to beat Juan that Roxanne could still go out and challenge a minor gym to earn herself that final badge.


    ¡°Can we help her?¡±


    ¡®Well, we could take her along for what I¡¯ve planned. If we do end up managing to find some fossils we could share half with her. Those rock types she keeps on her team and especially Roxanne¡¯s Onix would be a boon to us while navigating the harsh desert storms of route 111.¡¯


    ¡°Say Roxanne, would you be interested in joining my expedition to the route 111 desert? I¡¯ve heard rumors of a mirage tower made entirely out of hardened sand appearing every so often. That large of a displacement in the desert¡¯s substrate will be sure to reveal some fossils that we could then collect.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I¡¯d love to! But... I¡¯ve little money left after losing all those practice battles. At least not enough to hire the services of a teleportation Pok¨¦mon capable of bringing us all the way over and back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry! One of my partners is a psychic type who can take us there for free.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be great! My Pok¨¦mon would relish the opportunity to have a break from Island life if only for a brief moment. Also, congratulations I didn¡¯t know you managed to catch a new Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, new...¡±


    ¡®Ssshh you know I am bad at keeping up with two conversations at the same time.¡¯


    ¡°How about I join you the day after tomorrow? My submarine tour will take an entire day¡¯s worth of time.¡±


    ¡°That works out, we still have to prepare our own supplies and make battle preparations to deal with the Sootopolis gym¡¯s water types.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you! We can talk more about fossils and battle strategy. I also have to buy new safety goggles if we are going out in the desert anyway.¡±


    Just like that we got into it talking about any supplies we¡¯d need while waiting in line. Nurse Joy was as pleasant and professional as always giving Roxanne a light scolding after discovering her Rock types had taken a dip in the Sootopolis gym¡¯s pool battlefield. After the nurse was done with Roxanne, she helped book me a dorm room and the both of us left the Pok¨¦mon center eager to continue our conversation. Without Flannery demanding my attention we had plenty of time to discuss our upcoming plans.


    ¡°Beating Juan will be tough, but I think we can manage it as long as my Pok¨¦mon don¡¯t fall into that water. Did you learn anything important while battling against his gym trainers?¡±


    ¡°The gym will accommodate challengers with larger pool floats if a trainer decides to bring out heavier Pok¨¦mon to the battle. This however only makes one a bigger target, to win a battle I¡¯d advise you to somehow regain the home field advantage.¡±


    ¡°My Macargo didn¡¯t have enough firepower to evaporate the pool water at a fast enough rate. I calculated we¡¯d need about three times the amount he could usually produce.¡±


    ¡°Have you tried teaching Magcargo Sunny Day? Water type moves lose power under harsh sunlight.¡±


    ¡°Not in a pool, the ambient heat from the sun is so effective because the water vapor in the air that Pok¨¦mon use to perform water moves rises higher than usual under sweltering temperature conditions. With an entire pool¡¯s worth of water at their disposal the advantage one can gain in this manner is negligent. Sunny Day¡¯s other beneficial effect should still work in the same manner. At the eighth level I can safely assume almost all of Juan¡¯s team know how to perform a Rain Dance to counteract the effect.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not good. Maybe you could drain the pool by digging a deep enough hole.¡±


    ¡°That could work, but it would ruin the battlefield for everyone else and cost the gym lots of money to fix.¡±


    ¡°Us type specialists who train Pok¨¦mon who are weak against water types have it hard¡­ If you do manage to catch a Relicanth tomorrow, you¡¯ll at least have one Pok¨¦mon suited for battling in water. The other option is still fossil revivification, I know for a fact that Lileep and Cradily are capable of learning how to utilize Storm Drain and their fossils can be found in Hoenn.¡±


    ¡°You told me that the researchers won¡¯t be finished building the revivification machine until next year!?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re bound to have a working prototype by now. If we manage to find fossils during our expedition you could maybe request the researchers working on the fossil revivification machine at Cinnabar Island to help you out before their research becomes known to the public.¡±


    ¡°¡­Thank you for your support, but can I ask how you¡¯ve come to know these things? I am quite sure that the research on the development of the abilities of extinct Pok¨¦mon is sorely lacking.¡±


    ¡°The pok¨¦net.¡±


    ¡°¡­Liar¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourself over my sources, okay? Just trust that my information is accurate.¡±


    The two of us arrived at the supply store nearing the end of our conversation. Just like every other building in the city this local pok¨¦mart was hewn out of white stone but with a distinctive blue painted roofing adorning the top. A pok¨¦mart was a place where you could find all sorts of things useful for trainers on their journey. Different kinds of pok¨¦ balls and potions lined the store¡¯s shelves together with wilderness survival equipment. What I needed to buy for our expedition was present as well. I gathered up anything I might need in a shopping cart which included items like a hard hat, one trowel and a pickaxe that would fit comfortably in my hands. Once I was done gathering up my tools, I made my way to the cordoned off section of the pok¨¦mart where they kept all their technical and hidden machines.


    Typically, one would need to visit a specialty store to come across a wider selection of technical machines. This proved false as I surveyed what hidden machines were on offer.


    ¡®All of them are here Cut, Fly, Surf, Strength, Flash, Rock Smash, Whirlpool, Waterfall, Dive, Defog and Rock Climb.¡¯


    Some of these seemed redundant at first glance but that was not the case. Fly for example gave any flying Pok¨¦mon an innate sense on what pace to set preserving their stamina during long flights and in which ways to hold their trainer to cause the least amount of discomfort. Surf did see use in battles, the user being able to summon forth tidal waves but in contrast also enabling them to quell one when out at sea ferrying their trainer. All of these machines proved useful enough to warrant mass production showing their worth time and again.


    In contrast to the aisle holding hidden machines there was only a single shelf with technical machines on offer. Holding only two and the most basic ones at that.


    ¡®Protect and False Swipe, that''s it?¡¯


    ¡°What are we going to get? I want to smash rocks with my paws!¡±


    ¡®You can already do so on your own! I just want a single use of Strength and have it be used on Glove. In case the ruin we are looking for has that same peculiarity like in my memories.¡¯


    Looking over the prices I took a sharp breath after realizing the costs attached to purchasing a single hidden machine outright. It was still cheaper than a regular technical machine but only by about half. Strength for example would set me back 4000 pok¨¦dollars but that¡¯s where the beauty of hidden machines comes in. Trainers could also opt to buy a one-time right to use the machine for a fraction of the cost. Two hundred pok¨¦ dollars in this case so I added the hidden machine Strength to my shopping basket intending to ask the clerk for that particular service.


    Roxanne was about done shopping as well. The rock type specialist decided to buy safety goggles, sun cream, lip balm and a fashionably looking bandana no doubt to help cover up her pale skin from the sun¡¯s rays. My own skin was dark enough that the sun didn¡¯t really bother me as much coupled with the fact that my body had somehow adapted itself to resist heat after years of working for Mr. Moore at the gym.


    Roxanne took a look at my own shopping basket before commenting on my choice of wares.


    ¡°Egon you don¡¯t have to buy that Strength hidden machine, most of my Pok¨¦mon know how to perform the move.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay I figured that it was about time one of my own partners learned how to do so. I am just purchasing the service, not the hidden machine itself.¡±


    We both lined up behind the counter where the employee started scanning our chosen products. Roxanne pulled out a Devon Corporation card to pay for her purchases and started waiting by the door for me to finish up. When the clerk picked up the hidden machine he turned to me to ask the relevant question.


    ¡°Single use?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, how¡¯d you know?¡±


    ¡°Only big spendthrifts feel the need to buy a hidden machine outright. That¡¯ll be 895 pok¨¦dollars in total. Card or cash?¡±


    ¡°Card please.¡±


    <hr>


    A good while later*


    We finished going over our plans before finally splitting up around dinner time. We got along well with each other even considering that we¡¯d most likely have to face each other at the conference. I considered Roxanne my number one competition seeing as her preferred type had an advantage over mine. She was also the first trainer on the circuit that I knew of that had worked her way up from nothing. The other notable circuit trainers I had met so far all had some rich family member bankrolling them.


    ¡®Unlike me Roxanne¡¯s actually a ten-year-old when I was her age I wasn¡¯t nearly as mature.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s not about how old you are but how old you feel!¡±


    ¡®Says the hundred-year-old rabbit.¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s ageism!¡±


    ¡°Whatever, we still have some time left over before the sun¡¯s down. Let''s hit up the practice fields and get some extra training in.¡±


    All of my partners were making steady progress absorbing the sun¡¯s energies. Victini took her job teaching the rest of the team quite seriously. Surprisingly the one member on our team who had the most success learning the new move was Halo. She had already successfully managed to absorb the sun¡¯s energies; the only part of the move she found difficult to master was forming the energy into a beam. Every time Halo had accumulated enough energy the move turned into Morning Sun, a great move to learn, but not the one we were currently practicing.


    Orin on the other hand had made the least amount of progress on learning the new move. In contrast to learning Solar Beam he did achieve another major mile point. His Shadow Tag ability now had a one hundred percent chance of blocking a pok¨¦ ball¡¯s return signal. Orin was the first to cross the finish line by completing Wynaut¡¯s special training earning him heaps of praise from me and the rest of the team.


    ¡®What is that?!¡¯


    The battlefields adjacent to the Pok¨¦mon center that we were staying were all of the aquatic variety except for one which was the only one currently in use right now.


    ¡®These people are crazy; one land battlefield isn¡¯t enough to accommodate every visiting trainer. I guess we¡¯ll have to find someplace else to practice.¡¯


    ¡°We have to get used to the water, right? This is perfect!¡±


    ¡°Those floaties aren¡¯t going to be able to hold up Numsy. But¡­ he could stand upright in the shallower area of the pool until he gets more used to the water. This can double as special training for developing Solid Rock.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try!¡±


    Aiming for the water that was about knee height I activated my pok¨¦ ball¡¯s release mechanism. In a flash of light Numsy materialized inside of the water.


    ¡°RUUUUPT!¡±

 Chapter 69 - Sinking Feeling

    Chapter 69 ¨C Sinking Feeling


    I woke up in my dorm room bed ready for another day. We went to bed early last night because training Solar Beam was near impossible without the sun¡¯s rays being there for my Pok¨¦mon to absorb. Which also meant I had little excuse not to get up early to catch the early morning light. My smaller Pok¨¦mon were spread all across the room while Numsy and Glove were resting in their respective balls, Rena¡¯s tails being playfully used as body pillows made for an amusing sight. Wasting no time, I proceeded to carry out my morning hygiene routine not bothering to stifle the bathroom noise as I needed my entire team up and awake for today¡¯s training session.


    As I stood under the shower, I remembered last night¡¯s conversation with Victini.


    ¡°I am going out tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Sure, just stay safe and say hi to those kecleon for me.


    ¡°Silly! That¡¯s not all I do when I am gone.¡±


    ¡°Do you need me to hold off on dinner until you get back? I can pack you a small bag with breakfast and lunch.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back before the sun sets, and yes please!¡±


    ¡®Good, this way she won¡¯t be tempted to raid another¡¯s stock of food.¡¯


    ¡°I heard that!¡±


    After I finished my routine and stepped out of the bathroom, I quickly recalled the rest of my team who were already waiting to go outside and soak up some morning sunlight over breakfast. To accommodate our new training method, I¡¯ve taken it upon myself to serve the team breakfast and lunch outside.  Which wasn¡¯t all too different to what I¡¯ve grown used to doing while traveling the routes, I was just hoping I wouldn¡¯t get into trouble for handling a prep knife inside city limits. Giving the attending Nurse Joy a quick how do you do? I found myself walking out of the center¡¯s revolving doors and into the city proper.


    The orange glow of the twilight sky reflected off of the city¡¯s many water canals basking my surroundings in a pleasant morning glow. Not many people were out early, which gave me good odds of finding an uncrowded basking spot by the lake. I figured that sitting near a reflective surface would further improve my team¡¯s exposure to the sun¡¯s radiation.


    ¡®Here seems good. It gives me the widest range of view.¡¯


    Eventually I found a spot on the lake¡¯s most eastern shore, removed from any trees. This spot had another advantage of being the only spot close by that was overgrown with kelp obscuring the surface view of any wild water type Pok¨¦mon looking to initiate a battle. The lake was safe for the most part only hosting a large shoal of Magikarp. The signpost did warn that trainers still took a risk swimming about without a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s protection. The magikarps¡¯ presence ultimately meant that Gyarados wouldn¡¯t be too far away as well.


    ¡°Come on out everyone!¡±


    With one swipe I activated the release mechanism of every pok¨¦ ball hanging from my belt, resulting in a flash of light that materialized my entire team.


    ¡°This is going to be just like camping outside without all the extra walking. I¡¯ll start making breakfast while you guys try to make yourself comfortable while soaking up as much sunlight as possible, okay?¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡± ¡°Ninee!¡± ¡°Lit!¡± ¡°Dar!¡± ¡°Arf!¡± ¡°Vess!¡±


    Having monologued my plans to them a number of times they acted unsurprised, with each of them looking for a soft patch of grass to hunker down on. Except for Halo who patiently waited for Glove to lay down her preferred blanket denoting her status as the second in command of the group.


    While that was going on I opened my backpack and started pulling out the utensils, cutting board and bowls I needed to create their meals. Over the course of my journey, I had started experimenting by mixing in different berries. I still kept to their preferred flavorings, but I figured eating the same dish every day would quickly lose its appeal if I didn¡¯t change things up every now and again. Usually, Glove would be helping me out with the prep work, but I insisted beforehand that he kept with the training just like any other member of my team.


    By the time I was done cutting all the different kinds of berries, twilight passed into noon, the orange glow on the horizon fading and turning into true daylight hours. As expected, my little group of fire types hadn¡¯t gone unnoticed. The local kids who were expected to attend trainer¡¯s school around this time passed us by but couldn¡¯t help but grow curious at the sight of fire type Pok¨¦mon. Most of the children kept it to just a few looks knowing that they couldn¡¯t afford to be late for classes but there were a couple of exceptions.


    ¡°Wow! Cool!¡±


    A green haired kid dressed in a school uniform approached our sun basking spot. At first, I figured he¡¯d want to try and interact with some of my rarer Pok¨¦mon but strangely enough it seemed his sole attention was focused on Numsy who was looking back at the kid with one eye open. It was evident that the kid was mustering the courage to pat Numsy on the head.


    ¡®This is the first time someone disregarded the rest of the team in favor of Numsy. Let¡¯s see where this goes.¡¯


    The kid was inching closer but at a slugma¡¯s pace. Numsy eventually got fed up with the meowth and ratata game got up and bunted the kid¡¯s head to prove his harmlessness. The kid encouraged by Numsy¡¯s candid approval eagerly stroked the tuft of fur on the top of the bovine Pok¨¦mon¡¯s head.


    ¡°Hey, you like Camerupt?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Ground type Pok¨¦mon are my favorite!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different, it seems like everyone around these parts are smitten with water type Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it! I wanted a trapinch for my upcoming birthday, but mom and dad say they¡¯ll catch me a water type Pok¨¦mon instead and that¡¯s only if I keep up my grades.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Leopold but everyone just calls me Leo.¡±


    ¡°Well Leo, how about a compromise? You can just ask them to get you a wooper or barboach. Those two Pok¨¦mon are both water and ground type.¡±


    The kid briefly stopped petting Numsy frozen by the sudden revelation before enthusiastically running off. No doubt back to his home to propose the idea to his parents.


    ¡°What a strange kid¡­¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    A few minutes passed by, and Leopold came running back from the same direction he disappeared off to. Undoubtedly having received a scolding for wasting time on a school day, this time he didn¡¯t get distracted at the sight of Numsy but as he raced past us he did express his appreciation.


    ¡°Mom said yes! Thank you!¡±


    Time passed by yet again and I finally finished up mixing all of the diced berries with the dried pellets and vitamin supplements. So far, we hadn¡¯t gotten into any trouble with the local law enforcement, so I opted to immediately start distributing everyone¡¯s respective bowls and cleaning up afterwards so as to not also get into trouble for littering.


    ¡°Breakfast¡¯s ready!¡±


    At once my team stopped their sun related activities and crowded around me eager to get their first meal of the day. Each one of them aside from Orin received a bowl filled with food and since my little ghost type hadn¡¯t gotten the chance, I let him absorb some of my vital energy.


    ¡°Oof, there you go. Don¡¯t mind if I lay down to rest for a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Lit¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you usually take your meals when I am already lying in bed, and I¡¯ve been busy since early in the morning.¡±


    As I was laying down on the soft bed of grass the streets got even more crowded as the adults started leaving their residential homes to get to work. However, none of them took the time to interact with my Pok¨¦mon in the way Leopold did. Without any distractions the seven of us took the time to enjoy the food I made. I¡¯ve prepared a simple jam sandwich for myself  and after finishing tearing that bad boy apart, I decided to reward myself with a one hour power nap just until the end of the city¡¯s rush hour so I could actually focus on my team¡¯s progress.


    ¡®I wonder what Victini¡¯s up to¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    After an undetermined amount of time*


    ¡°Ninee!¡±


    The surprised yips Rena was making pulled me back out of dreamland. As I opened my eyes I couldn¡¯t help but notice the human figure towering over me. The guy had navy blue hair, a skin tone darker than my own and a toned swimmer¡¯s body. It still took a while before I recognized the figure looking down at me.


    ¡°¡­Marlon?¡±


    ¡°Sup, good seeing you too Egon.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ how come you¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°Aww little dude, I got invited of course. This big shot at the gym has some mad skills so I am here as an¡­ what do you call it again?¡±


    ¡°Intern?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, something like that but I¡¯ve gotta say great minds think alike. To think I¡¯d find you here in my favorite fishing spot. No doubt you¡¯ve been keeping up with your training. That little Vulpix you had way back then is now all grown up.¡±


    ¡°Nine!¡±


    ¡°And these are all the friends you made on the course of your journey? I see a bunch of home grown Unovan Pok¨¦mon. Good on you for showing off the Pok¨¦mon of our home region!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so. I wasn¡¯t really being patriotic when I decided to catch them. Just thought they¡¯d make for a pretty good fit for the team.¡±


    ¡°Dar!¡± ¡°Vess!¡± ¡°Lit!¡±


    ¡°Still seeing you laying on your laurels like this¡­ you must¡¯ve lost pretty badly to boss man Juan.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even challenged him yet! This is training! Training!¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say bud. Are you up for some fishing? I always carry extra rods with me.¡±


    ¡°Sure, as long as we stick to the shore.¡±


    Marlon pulled out another retractable fishing rod out of his bag before handing it over to me. Seeing as this was the second time I¡¯ve done this I sort of knew how to work the equipment without making a total fool of myself. Marlon took a spot in the grass right beside me as he cast out his fishing lure. Copying him as best I could I did the same, not exactly eager to experience a repeat of the fiasco that was my first foray into the world of fishing.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°You know I am sorry that I never called you back to catch up. Dad says I tend to forget the little stuff when I get hyper focused on something.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, I never called you back either. You gave me a real solid letting me catch that Horsea. The moment my little sister saw him was one of the most memorable moments in my life. Actually, I¡¯ve still got the pictures you wanna see?¡±


    ¡°Totally!¡±


    With a few taps I accessed the photos storage within my Xtransceiver sliding down the gallery until reaching the photos nurse Mary made to remember that special moment by. Turning my arm around I showed Marlon the pictures of Zinnia holding Horsea while the latter affectionately blew bubbles in her face.


    ¡°Amazing! That¡¯s their first time meeting?! Water types only blow bubbles like that with trainers they already share a strong bond with. That little sister of yours has the X-factor!¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s got what it takes to become a top percentage trainer. So what have you been doing over at the gym?¡±


    ¡°As part of my goal to blow new life into Humilau I¡¯ve embarked on the journey to become its new gym leader. So, when I got an invitation from Juan to come work here for a spell it was a no brainer. My duties as a gym trainer include facing challengers and taking care of the water types. Juan even takes me aside from time to time for specialized tutoring sessions.¡±


    ¡°You get to face challengers as a newcomer?! That¡¯s like the ultimate level of trust, I should know I¡¯ve worked for over three years at the Lavaridge gym and was never allowed to do that.¡±


    ¡°Pretty sweet, right? Although lately there¡¯s this rock girl that keeps challenging the gym and I kinda feel bad for beating her. She¡¯s tough, but it¡¯s not enough to sway the sea ¡®K!  Especially not with all those rock type Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Any advice for evening out the gym¡¯s home field advantage?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Hold up! I got a bite!¡±


    Marlon¡¯s line, unlike my own, grew taut signaling that there was a Pok¨¦mon pulling on the end of the line. Unlike any regular trainer Marlon pulled on his rod with a practiced ease reeling the water type Pok¨¦mon in little by little. Until finally a shadowed figure broke the water¡¯s surface and the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s identity was revealed.


    ¡°Chou! Chou!¡±


    ¡°Wow, a Chinchou, those are extremely rare, they don¡¯t swim in water as much as that they walk on the ocean floor to save energy. Wait¡­ how deep does your line go?¡±


    ¡°Now¡¯s not a good time Egy. Go! Milotic!¡±


    A twenty feet long water serpent materialized right in front of us sporting red eyes, a cream-colored body and long pinkish antennae.


    ¡®Oooh, now I get it. This must be the reason why Juan invited Marlon, a Unovan trainer to come work at his gym.¡¯


    Chinchou not liking its odds in the water jumped out and onto the shore ready to engage Milotic on dry land. This also meant that my own team had to scooch over to avoid getting blasted by water type moves. I quickly scooped up Orin while Glove did the same with Halo while the rest of the team was fast enough to get out of the way on time on their own.


    Chinchou¡¯s feelers lit up and the little angler Pok¨¦mon produced waves of electric energy. I recognized this move as Thunder Wave. The right choice of moves if the little electric type wants to have any chance of defeating its older and more experienced opponent. However, Marlon and Milotic came prepared.


    ¡°Safeguard!¡±


    Milotic¡¯s body was enveloped by a blue green aura stopping the Thunder Wave from causing paralysis. Chinchou put on a shocked expression as if not expecting any fellow water type to be able to guard against this move.


    ¡®No doubt this Chinchou has little experience facing off against trainer raised Pok¨¦mon.¡¯


    While all of this was going on a crowd started forming on the street pavement closest to us.


    ¡°Woooow! A Milotic, how beautiful.¡±


    ¡°This must be Juan¡¯s newest prot¨¦g¨¦, and even a foreigner at that.¡±


    ¡°Come on little Chinchou, don''t give up yet!¡±


    ¡°Twister!¡±


    The Chinchou now doubly confused by the crowd¡¯s attention didn¡¯t spot Milotic¡¯s tailfins spinning in the water and was ultimately blindsided by the attack. A small water tornado powered by dragon type energy sprang up from beneath the water¡¯s surface taking the small electric type for a spin. Once the Chinchou was visible again it was completely disoriented and its sense of equilibrium was shot, making what Marlon intended to do next all the easier.


    ¡°Go! Dive Ball!¡±


    Marlon pulled out one of the many dive balls he always kept on him in that garish looking fishing net and chucked it at the poor Chinchou. After the ball successfully bopped the electric type on the head Chinchou was promptly sucked into the ball and shortly after its capture was confirmed by the signature clicking sound.


    The crowd gave Marlon some respectful claps to acknowledge his success at capturing a new Pok¨¦mon but for some odd reason stuck around not dispersing after the show was over. One of the people in the crowd turned out to be a reporter. She didn¡¯t have a camera crew with her but she did pull out a microphone.


    ¡°Excuse me Marlon, can you confirm the rumors that have been going around town?¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°The method of acquiring a Milotic has been our gym¡¯s greatest secret up until now. Did you somehow manage to steal this sensitive information from Juan or Wallace and in return for your silence they offered you a full-on apprenticeship?¡±


    Marlon seemed as baffled as I was by the boldness of this media worker. Milotic on the other hand had become displeased by the reporter¡¯s insinuations about its chosen trainer.


    ¡°Miiii!¡±


    The woman got blasted in the face by a half-powered Water Gun completely soaking her to the bone and no doubt causing some sort of short circuiting in her recording equipment. The woman, now thoroughly embarrassed and with no one in the crowd moving to stand up for her, made a hasty retreat dripping water on the ground as she went.


    The people surrounding us as if sensing Marlon¡¯s distress started dissipating one by one to give us back a modicum of privacy.


    ¡°Egy dude that was so lame¡­ I would never do something like that.¡±


    ¡°Jealousy can turn ugly, sometimes you¡¯ve just gotta shake it off. Say, is this that same Fee¡­ ahem! Pok¨¦mon from the first time we met.¡±


    That question seemed to get Marlon back into a good mood.


    ¡°Totally little dude! After you left, I tried some of the stuff you recommended but I had no idea how to blend pok¨¦block so we went with the other method. Milotic has been a mainstay of my team ever since, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°Miiii!¡±


    Milotic also expressed its gratefulness by producing a soothing hymn that managed to relax all the tension accumulated by me and my team from having to deal with that rambunctious crowd of people. In fact, one of my Pok¨¦mon appreciated it so much that she demanded an encore.


    ¡°Laaaaaar¡­ Vess! Vess!¡±


    ¡°Mii?! MiI¡­¡±


    ¡°But a Larvesta huh? You must have experienced about the same thing as me and Milotic back in Unova.¡±


    ¡°Well sort of, I kept mostly to myself while traveling and Larvesta¡¯s egg didn¡¯t hatch until I made it back to Hoenn. The folks around here are really bad at recognizing foreign Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    We went back to fishing with me not managing to get even a single bite while Marlon managed to reel in magikarp after magikarp. Which he promptly returned into the lake but not after giving each of his catches a treat. According to him it was best to treat the local magikarp population with a modicum of respect to avoid ¡°accidents¡± from happening. Despite not being able to drag in anything from my end of the line we had a pretty good time. Ninetales and Halo even managed to form their first Solar Beams although the moves fizzed out within mere moments of being formed. Still any form of improvement was a step in the right direction, so I rewarded each of them with a berry fit to their liking.


    Marlon¡¯s Milotic on the other hand seemed content to wrap itself around him to pass the time. Occasionally taking a dip in the lake whenever to keep its scales moistened.


    It was nearing lunch time that our casual conversation really started going again.


    ¡°Will you be heading back to make lunch for your team?¡±


    ¡°Yea, it¡¯s almost time. You want to check out the gym? I can give you the VIP treatment.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to, but I don¡¯t have any water type Pok¨¦mon that can cross the lake.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy, I can lend you one of mine. Go Wailmer!¡±


    The same Wailmer who gave me a ride the last time materialized right in front of us.


    ¡°Hey Wailmer, remember us?¡± ¡°Nine?¡±


    ¡°Waaail!¡±


    Wailmer¡¯s enthusiastic reaction told us everything we needed to know, the ball whale Pok¨¦mon splashing the water¡¯s surface excitedly. Which caused me to notice a particular item attached to his right flipper.


    ¡°An Everstone?¡±


    ¡°Yea, I am not ready yet to properly take care of him once he gets bigger. A Wailord¡¯s dietary requirement would be too much for me to handle on my own. With an Everstone on Wailmer won¡¯t be hurting himself trying to hold back his evolution. Even Juan isn¡¯t able to properly feed and house a Wailord.¡±


    ¡®I know for a fact that Snorlax stands at the top of Pok¨¦mon that are difficult to feed. Needing at least 900 lbs. of food a day. Maybe¡­¡¯


    ¡°Have you tried asking Professor Oak for help?¡±


    ¡°The Pok¨¦mon and human relationship professor in Kanto?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the one. If anyone is able to help it would be him. As the Kantonian regional professor he is obligated to take care of his lab trainers¡¯ Snorlax if they manage to catch one and I know for a fact that Snorlax consumes more food than a Wailord does. The professor must have come up with some kind of solution, one that could help trainers in a similar situation like yourself.¡±


    ¡°For a ten-year-old you sure are a smart cookie Egy. I¡¯ll give it a shot!¡±


    ¡°The method he uses to take care of Snorlax might be a proprietary one. So, you¡¯ll no doubt have to haggle with him for the information.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no biggie. My family makes decent money and having a Wailord be part of the marine tube experience would for sure be a smart business investment.¡±


    ¡°Waaaail!¡±


    ¡®Wailmer seems to be excited too, even if it experiences no pain or lasting harm. Being stuck in that form must be going against its natural instincts.¡¯


    My experience with wailmer in general has always been a positive one. To me they were big balls of ocean happiness bringing joy wherever they went. This one in particular helped me out when I was just starting as a trainer so I hoped my advice would work out in its favor.


    Seeing us finish exchanging pleasantries Marlon pulled off his shirt and stuffed it into his waterproof bag showcasing his ridiculously tanned swimmer¡¯s body before diving into the water. He came up shortly afterwards clinging onto Milotic no doubt intending to have the water type drag him all the way to the gym¡¯s private Island.


    ¡°Egy you coming along? Wailmer¡¯s gotten even better at keeping his passengers dry.¡±


    <hr>


    20 minutes later*


    After a tumultuous experience, I hoped that my water-resistant bag would be enough to protect all the items I had stored within it from the random sea splatter. We arrived at the Sootopolis gym and I was impressed at the sight. The building housing all the battlefields and training facilities was a giant mansion with gardens large enough to require multiple groundskeepers even setting foot here felt to me like I was trespassing in some noble¡¯s private property. Marlon didn¡¯t seem like the type of guy you would find living in such a fanciful place but apparently, he did.


    ¡°Juan is¡­ eccentric but don¡¯t let that fool you! The guy isn¡¯t some uptight penny pincher. The gym was always like this; he only spends just enough money to maintain it.¡±


    As we were walking in the direction of the gym¡¯s main entrance, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the multiple garden ponds littering the island. Seeing all sorts of aquatic water plants growing in them I figured those ponds were meant to be used for water types that preferred to live in freshwater areas. Eventually we ran into some of the gym¡¯s personnel waiting for us at the front gate. They were all dressed up in maid costumes and butler outfits. The one I presumed to be in charge walked forward to receive the both of us.


    ¡°Sir. Marlon, I see you¡¯ve brought a guest. Should I prepare lunch for three?¡±


    ¡®The guy has his own waiting staff?!¡¯


    As if sensing my surprise the man introduced himself in a classy yet professional manner.


    ¡°My name is Sebastian. It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to the Sootopolis gym. Please use these towels to dry off.¡±


    Marlon acting as if this was the usual took the gifted towels and proceeded to dry himself. I was also offered a towel which I gingerly accepted before trying to do my level best to wipe off all the wet spots off my clothes.


    ¡°Would you like me to escort the two of you to the luncheon room?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. Come on, let''s go, Egon.¡±


    ¡®Geez if leader Juan even has a separate room just for having lunch, I don¡¯t even want to know what other kinds of facilities he has hidden away in this mansion.¡¯


    Following Marlon¡¯s lead, we eventually separated from the gym¡¯s staff leading to a reignition of our earlier conversation.


    ¡°Okay little dude, I know this looks bad, but all the staff here are serious Pok¨¦mon trainers. Juan just likes to provide them with fancy clothes and speech cards.¡±


    ¡°I can accept it as long as they don¡¯t have to call him Master Juan.¡±


    We proceeded to enter an ornate hallway with multiple rooms lining it on each side. Some of them were kept open, others not. From what I could see inside the ones that had been kept open the gym had multiple battlefields which tremendously favored water type Pok¨¦mon. The gym also seemed to have a room completely dedicated to making pok¨¦block, and an exercise room carrying all the latest equipment.  Eventually we came upon a room with a singular large Kalosian style table outfitted with expensive looking silverware and gold edged dining plates. Seated at the head of the table was leader Juan wearing his signature commodore style outfit.


    ¡°Marlon, you brought a guest! This must be your very first Hoenn friend. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you young man.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice meeting you too, leader Juan Sir. My name is Egon from Lavaridge Town.¡±


    The both of us got led to our respective seats by a professional looking maid being seated at both sides of the elongated dinner table closest to where Juan was enjoying his own meal. The lunch that was served on the table wasn¡¯t standard fare and I tried my very best to remember the rules on etiquette expected on fancy occasions before eventually drawing a blank. Even Marlon, who should have gotten used to this type of luxury during his stay here, looked uncomfortable.


    ¡°Lavaridge¡­ then you must train fire types. I don¡¯t get many challengers that hail from that part in Hoenn. You are looking to challenge my gym eventually, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes Sir! My team and I have been practicing hard to overcome our natural weaknesses. As soon as we are able you can expect to face us on the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Excellent! A true trainer finds a way to overcome any challenge. Though we haven¡¯t lost to a single trainer that brought only fire type Pok¨¦mon to a battle. You have your work cut out for you young Egon.¡±

 Chapter 70 - Sinking Feeling p2

    Chapter 70 - Sinking Feeling p2


    Having Dinner with Juan was a nerve-wracking experience. I expected that at any time I would get accused of stealing gym secrets even though I was technically innocent. Juan and by extension Wallace were influential enough to have the rest of my circuit run become very tedious. Marlon had my complete trust but I had no idea if his Milotic could keep mum under the curious gazes of the other water type Pok¨¦mon living here. Juan¡¯s focus was mostly on Marlon quizzing him on the various ways a gym is maintained and how to deal with a variety of challengers. Which I could relate to seeing as I was even more experienced than Marlon was when it came to running a gym. Though obviously his knowledge eclipsed mine when it came down to taking care of and training water type Pok¨¦mon. At the end of lunch Juan had to leave to face his next challenger so I took the opportunity to suss out how much trouble I was in.


    ¡°Does Juan know about me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I haven¡¯t told him anything, so far all he knows is that you are an interesting trainer hailing from Lavaridge Town.¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°¡­He did let me in on the gym¡¯s secret plans to help increase the wild Feebas population. Wallace and Juan worry that once the truth comes out people all over Hoenn will come out to capture Feebas putting even further strain on the local population. That¡¯s why the gym has assigned trustworthy people to help breed as many as possible under the context of preserving one of Hoenn¡¯s native species. Even if those breeders think it¡¯s just for environmental concerns to keep the rivers clean.¡±


    Marlon somewhat put my worries at ease and we continued on to the gym¡¯s kitchens. When it was lunch time I would always insist on sharing meals together with my team. Due to the circumstances I couldn¡¯t do that at that moment, but Marlon had assured me that the staff could whip something up for the rest of my team. Guests weren¡¯t allowed inside so Marlon had to ask one of the chefs through a passthrough. The staff were baffled at the fact that they had to prepare meals for a team of fire type Pok¨¦mon but saw no problem with catering to our needs. As we were standing out in the hallway waiting for the food to arrive I requested Marlon do me a favor.


    ¡°You want to check out one of the gym¡¯s battlefields?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my team would surely benefit from working out how to navigate those floaties. That way they¡¯ll be able to maneuver better when it¡¯s time for the real deal.¡±


    Marlon had no issues with that so went back down the hallway but not before Marlon let the kitchen staff know where to bring our meals. Stepping inside I could smell the faint scent of chlorine just like in public swimming pools. To me it made sense, chlorinated pools only had to be cleaned once a week while pools with no cleaning agents in them had to be cleaned up every day, more than quintupling their maintenance costs. As long as the water type Pok¨¦mon took a dip in sea or fresh water afterwards, they wouldn¡¯t experience epidermal problems commonly associated with those chemicals.


    This part of the gym looked more like what one would expect from a water type gym. Function over form, aside from the large rain badge motif plastered on either side of the walls there were little to no decorations. The room did have ancient looking ornamentals in each corner but of a completely different style, closely resembling the ones found on the top of Mt. Pyre. No doubt built to pay respects to some kind of legendary Pok¨¦mon, most likely one that was related to the sea. I quickly realized that this room must be part of the old gym and the mansion that was built atop must be a newer addition.


    ¡°This is the place, Egy. If you are going to be battling Juan, it¡¯ll be in this room.¡±


    Not intending to waste any time I released my team on the right side of the battlefield near the stands. Having heard my conversation with Marlon from inside their pok¨¦ balls they weren¡¯t as confused as to what this scouting opportunity would entail. Still, they exhibited a variety of reactions at the very notion of training on the water with most of them shifting somewhere between mild panic or determined acceptance. To inspire confidence in the others I asked my bravest Pok¨¦mon to go ahead and try first.


    ¡°You can do it Halo!¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    Naturally I wasn¡¯t planning to use her in my upcoming gym battle but having not experienced much more than a light drizzle gave her that false confidence I was hoping to rely on. The bug type made clever use of the move string shot to swing her way across the water and onto one of the drifting platforms. Giving a small victory cry when she succeeded in doing so.


    ¡°Laaar!¡±


    Naturally the rest of my team couldn¡¯t allow the youngest and less experienced among them succeed where they failed. One by one they made their way across the water albeit with a tad more hesitation. Numsy was the last Pok¨¦mon standing on the edge of the pool looking at the water as if it were his mortal enemy.


    ¡°Came¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to be afraid, unlike the others your weakness to water is even greater. However, that also gives you the unique opportunity to prove your mettle in front of everyone. Would you do this for me?¡±


    <hr>


    After leaving the gym*


    After a short while of experimenting with the floaties I could confidently say Numsy was totally unsuited to participate in our upcoming gym battle. My Camerupt was just too heavy a Pok¨¦mon to reliably jump from platform to platform each time. If I fielded him, we would be relying on potshots to hit our targets which could be entirely avoided by faster swimming Pok¨¦mon which most water types tended to be. Still I hadn¡¯t counted his participation in this little team exercise wasted since it helped him overcome his instinctual fear of water which could only prove useful further down the line.


    As soon as my team members were done jumping around, lunch was served. The waiting staff provided us with excellent service and the food could be compared to that of high-end restaurants, although the pok¨¦chow tasted relatively bland to the team which highlighted the fact that the kitchen staff didn¡¯t serve fire types very often if at all. Having finished having lunch with Marlon who spent most of lunchtime time trying to get the newly caught Chinchou to come out of its shell. We eventually left, not wanting to take up any more of his time and still having to return to our serious training session out and about under the sun. This time we managed to cross the saltwater lake with one of the handy paddleboats stationed at the island¡¯s dock. Sebastian assured us that at the end of the day one of the water types living in the lake would bring the boat back to its proper place and that if we wanted to we could¡¯ve visited the gym with one of these little boats which they lend out for free at any Pok¨¦mon center in Sootopolis.


    By the time we returned back to the shore nearest to the Pok¨¦mon center we were around two hours away from the sun setting. Our original basking spot which we had left behind was thankfully still vacant. Releasing all my Pok¨¦mon from their balls I promised them a night out on the town if they persisted to complete today¡¯s training session for another two hours.


    ¡°Nineee?¡±


    ¡°Numsy of course, he deserves a reward. It takes a special kind of determination to compete with you guys on those water platforms. Considering Numsy is a fire type who is also a ground type. Since I am expecting a big haul from tomorrow¡¯s expedition Numsy can pick any restaurant he wants to eat at.¡±


    ¡°Rupt!¡±


    I patted his nose some to show my appreciation. Over the course of my years of partnership with Numsy, I managed to determine what his preferences are. Numsy likes places where the portion sizes are giant, which was good for my wallet. Since those types of eateries tend to give me a good bang for my buck and they let you take your leftovers with you in plastic containers.


    The sun wasn¡¯t at its zenith anymore which made training on Solar Beam a tad more difficult, but I couldn¡¯t just have Rena activate her ability. There were rules around using weather-based moves in a city¡¯s confines. Trainers could get fined for using such abilities in urban areas outside of official battles.


    There was still enough sunlight to fire off Solar Beams; it was just that the accumulation of energy would take a bit longer than usual. Looking forward to a night of eating out, my team wasted no time getting those final hours of training in. Sootopolis City was quiet except for the occasional passerby and the sounds of the ebb and flow of the lake. This wouldn¡¯t last long. I knew that in about an hour or so people would start getting back home from work and school. The distraction this would cause would undoubtedly hinder our training but would also serve as a short break. There weren¡¯t any deadlines to get home in time so even interested adults would stay a while to observe my foreign Pok¨¦mon.


    An hour passed and just as I was mentally preparing myself for the upcoming crowds I felt a familiar presence reconnecting to my mental space.


    ¡°Egon! I am back!¡±


    ¡®Tini, thank goodness. Where are you?¡¯


    ¡°Wait for it¡­¡±


    Farther into the distance the water¡¯s surface broke and the submarine used for giving underwater tour guides reappeared no doubt having returned from deep beneath the ocean¡¯s depths.


    ¡®¡­You wouldn¡¯t.¡¯


    ¡°Teehee!¡±


    ¡®Tini being in an enclosed space with other people and Pok¨¦mon is bound to get you caught! Please don¡¯t tell me that I now have to pay some sort of stowaway fine?¡¯


    ¡°No one noticed me! Staying invisible is easy!¡±


    ¡®If you are sure¡­¡¯


    ¡°Being underwater is amazing! All the pretty coral and Pok¨¦mon! Let¡¯s go together next time, okay?¡±


    As Victini was getting into the specifics the submarine¡¯s rooftop hatch opened and people started pouring out, from this far a distance it was kind of hard making out any individual, but I could just barely see a girl wearing a school uniform.


    ¡®You were shadowing Roxanne?¡¯


    ¡°Yep! I even helped her out too!¡±


    Turning over my wrists and scrolling through the available contacts I eventually found Roxanne¡¯s name and decided to have a little bit of fun.


    ¡°Firetyperulezz: How was it? Did you manage to find what you were looking for?¡±


    ¡°SchoolRocks: You can see me? Where are you?¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Firetyperulezz: The lake¡¯s shore. You should be able to see me from where you are standing.¡±


    The twin tailed figure turned around seemingly scanning her surroundings until they turned in our direction. Roxanne proceeded to wave excitedly letting us know that she saw me and the team. Roxanne proceeded to exchange words with her fellow passengers and tour guide but eventually started to move in our direction with a spring in her step.


    ¡®Judging from Roxanne¡¯s good cheer, her venture must have proved successful.¡¯


    It took a good few minutes but eventually Roxanne managed to catch up with us and with her appearance I also noticed a familiar weight settling upon my head drifting further down below my neck before it finally found purchase on top of my right shoulder.


    ¡°Egon!! I¡¯ve done it!¡±


    Contrary to her usually cool headed and analytical demeanor this time Roxanne showed the excited girl that¡¯s kept inside coming out only on special occasions.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had a good time¡­?¡±


    ¡°That too! But look at this, go new friend!¡±


    The speed at which she released the ball¡¯s mechanism was perhaps even faster than me. The Pok¨¦mon that revealed itself was quite the sight materializing in the water of the lake was a large coelacanth looking Pok¨¦mon. Its brown scales most resembled jagged rocks and on its head rested a triangular spike no doubt used to scare off predators looking to nab an easy meal. It didn¡¯t say much and carried itself with a quiet dignity. Roxanne brought out her Hoenn Pok¨¦dex no doubt to rouse my growing interest.


    Relicanth the Longevity Pok¨¦mon.


    A water and rock type, Relicanth is a rare species that was discovered in deep-sea explorations. This Pok¨¦mon''s body can withstand the enormous water pressure of the ocean depths. Relicanth¡¯s body is covered in tough scales that are like craggy rocks. This ancient Pok¨¦mon feeds on microscopic organisms with its toothless mouth and it is speculated that the species has not changed its form for over 100 million years.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he amazing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a piece of living history you must have been pretty persuasive getting Relicanth to join without being able to communicate or battle while underwater.¡±


    ¡°Right? The tour guide offered to have his water Pok¨¦mon battle for me but all of a sudden Relicanth decided he wanted to join me all on his own.¡±


    ¡®¡­You?¡¯


    ¡°Yes, Relicanth wanted to just swim away at first, but I told him about all the delicious berries you can find on the surface and that Roxanne would take good care of him.¡±


    ¡®Good job, extra berries for you tonight. Bringing Pok¨¦mon and humans closer together is always a goal worth striving for.¡¯


    ¡°Hmpff, that¡¯s only natural.¡±


    ¡°Taking care of a water type takes lots of study but I know you can handle it. Does your sponsor have any large aquariums or ponds that Relicanth can stay in? We probably won¡¯t be able to take him along for our expedition to the route 111 desert. That place is not known to have oases.¡±


    ¡°Not inside the gym, but as long as we¡¯re traveling the routes there should always be a river or pond that we can use for training or recreational purposes. The conference will happen on Ever Grande Island so there¡¯s plenty of water for Relicanth to swim in until the end of the circuit.¡±


    ¡°Canth¡­¡±


    ¡°Relicanth wants to eat.¡±


    ¡°I am thinking Relicanth would like to have dinner. Did you bring the rest of your team with you Roxanne?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t want to make them uncomfortable by forcing them to go underwater with me. Nurse Joy promised to look after them until my return.¡±


    ¡°How about we all go out and eat at a restaurant that accommodates large Pok¨¦mon? That way our Pok¨¦mon can get to grow familiar with each other. Looking for the mirage tower might take us several days so it''s best for our Pok¨¦mon to build up a rapport.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The two of us returned our respective Pok¨¦mon to their balls. I made an exception for Orin since I haven¡¯t walked around with him for a while. The little candle took his usual place atop my shoulder, and we went off. Roxanne first had to pick up her team from the Pok¨¦mon center but afterwards she was free for the rest of the day. Having spent more time in Sootopolis City than I did. She pointed out the best food places catering to large Pok¨¦mon with even larger appetites. Most of her rock types had completely different nutritional needs. All of them required large intakes of minerals to keep going, usually that wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Iron Nickel, Zinc, Titanium all of these could be found within the earth itself or if a rock type trainer found him or herself in a city the local garbage dump could facilitate what they needed. They could still appreciate a well-cooked meal just like any other Pok¨¦mon, but regular fare was just like fast food to them, not enough nutrients to make it worth their while to eat. There was only one place in town that specifically catered to rock and steel types as well as regular Pok¨¦mon and we were headed there now.


    The Sootopolis recycling plant was not the first place one would think of when determined to go out and eat but with Roxanne¡¯s recommendation I had to give them a fair shot.


    ¡®Sorry Numsy. If this place stinks, I¡¯ll make it up to you.¡¯


    ¡°The owner Marco used to be a traveling trainer too. He eventually ended up settling down with his wife in Sootopolis but there was little to no scrap metal for his steel and rock type Pok¨¦mon to eat. The construction industry doesn¡¯t use a lot of iron building materials since the houses are made entirely of stone. He went out every day to collect people¡¯s garbage just to feed his Pok¨¦mon and eventually started this recycling plant which also doubles as a restaurant for trainers like me. Isn¡¯t that an inspiring story?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I hope they also serve regular food...¡±


    ¡°The regular food tastes great as well! Marco even started experimenting by mixing metals with different kinds of sauces and spices.¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that like inedible¡­?¡¯


    We walked inside and the atmosphere was about what one would expect from a recycling plant. A large warehouse-like structure so the garbage trucks could easily fit inside combined with piles of garbage which had been divided based on their contents. You had a pile of metal, plastics, organic waste and even a very small pile of one that I would assume to be hazardous waste. The section of the recycling plant which I presumed to be the restaurant was very bare bones. A large tarp like mat for the Pok¨¦mon and cheap looking plastic chairs undoubtedly created with materials from the second pile.


    ¡°Roxanne! Good to see you again. Table for two?¡±


    ¡°Yes please!¡±


    The large burly guy that came to greet us was undoubtedly Marco the owner. Hoping against all odds that the food was good enough for my team I released everybody from their pok¨¦ balls onto the nearest tarp while Roxanne did the same. Her slightly changed team line up caught me by surprise as well as the fact that her Lairon managed to evolve in the time we hadn¡¯t seen each other. Roxanne¡¯s own tarp was barely large enough to accommodate her team, Aggron, Onix, Magcargo, Golem, Sudowoodo and Probopass notably missing two figures.


    ¡°Shuckle and Relicanth?¡±


    ¡°Shuckle doesn¡¯t eat mineral heavy food and neither does Relicanth. I left them at the center to enjoy some berries.¡±


    We both sat at the table waiting for Marco to return with the menus, the man eventually did so but his outfit didn¡¯t reassure me as to the quality of the food we¡¯d be served. The man was still wearing his safety helmet and greased up workwear.


    ¡°What can I get the two of you today? Roxanne you will be pleased to know that we¡¯ve just received a hundred¡¯s total of rejected tires. Their inner linings will be sure to satisfy your Pok¨¦mon¡¯s needs.¡±


    ¡®Oh boy¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    The next day*


    It was the following morning when I woke up while in my dorm room bed, last evening¡¯s events coming back to me. It turned out that the recycling plant¡¯s owner Marco also knew how to make just regular food that tasted adequate enough. I wouldn¡¯t recommend his place to any trainer that didn¡¯t have a rock or steel type on his team but I couldn¡¯t complain overly much. The sight of a seven feet tall Aggron eating scrap metal dipped in hot sauce was something I¡¯d recommend anyone to go and watch. The sound produced while the armor Pok¨¦mon was eating still couldn¡¯t completely leave my mind space.


    For the most part my team got along well with Roxanne¡¯s team, her Magcargo acting as a sort of liaison between the two. Numsy and Rena were friends with numerous slugma back at the gym and that seemed to have helped the three of them find common ground rather quickly. We came to find out all of Roxanne¡¯s team were exceptionally mellow Pok¨¦mon, save perhaps for Aggron who seemed to be the hothead of the group.


    Sudowoodo being a trickster Pok¨¦mon spent most of our time socializing playing hide and seek with the juniors of my group. Orin and Halo went starry eyed as Sudowoodo kept trying to pass itself off as a potted plant and or tree. The rock type even went so far as to hop in planter pots to sow confusion in the more na?ve demographic of the team. While Glove seemed content to just watch over them.


    Over the course of dinner Roxanne did request meeting the psychic type Pok¨¦mon who would move all of us over to route 111. However, since we found ourselves in a public setting I held her curiosity at bay by telling her my mystery Pok¨¦mon would introduce herself once we found ourselves safely back in the center dormitories. When the moment of truth finally occurred Roxanne couldn¡¯t help but exhibit a similar reaction to the other teenage girls who had their first meeting with Victini. Kidnapping the winged rabbit Pok¨¦mon and treating her as a stuffed pillow requesting (demanding) Victini cuddle with her for the duration of the night. Since the girl dormitories weren¡¯t far removed from the boys¡¯ I didn¡¯t see the harm in it.


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    ¡®Did you have a pleasant night? Think of this as punishment for sneaking aboard the submarine the other day without talking it over with the rest of the team.¡¯


    ¡°Traitor!¡±


    ¡®You have to look at it from her perspective, all Roxanne¡¯s Pok¨¦mon have hard craggy exteriors while you are warm and fluffy. A Rock type specialist like her doesn¡¯t often get the chance to snuggle anything.¡¯


    ¡°¡­How much longer?¡±


    ¡®Boys are not allowed in the girls¡¯ dormitory so I can¡¯t pick you up right away. Can¡¯t you just wiggle out of her arms?¡¯


    I¡¯ve long since suspected that Victini thrived on the extra attention but didn¡¯t want to admit to it. Escaping unnoticed while Roxanne was asleep would be the easiest thing for Victini to do.


    ¡°She¡¯s too strong! I don¡¯t want to hurt her.¡±


    ¡®Just hold on, I¡¯ll send Raven to come pick you up.¡¯


    The dark furred canine Pok¨¦mon was resting on top of my feet keeping them all warm and toasty throughout the night. I wasn¡¯t too embarrassed to admit to liking cuddling up with others unlike some Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Raven?¡±


    ¡°¡­Arf?¡±


    ¡°Could you pick up Victini at the girl¡¯s dormitory? She¡¯s being a diva again.¡±


    ¡°I heard that!¡±


    Raven gave me a weary looking before standing up and letting out a cute little yawn.


    ¡°Just follow either Roxanne¡¯s or Victini¡¯s scent. The dormitory they¡¯re staying in is placed opposite to ours. If Chansey asks what you are doing just tell her you¡¯re waking up a friend.¡±


    With some amount of deftness she jumped off the bed, walked to our closed dorm room, niftily used her tail to wring open the doorknob and walked outside using her hind leg to close up behind herself afterwards.


    The first time I saw Raven using her now longer and tactile tail to open doors I was stunned and impressed by her ingenious use of the now no longer useless appendage.


    ¡®Tail moves are a thing¡­ I should probably encourage Raven to learn at least a few of them.¡¯


    Being a lazy bum, I kept lying down under my blanket for another few minutes enjoying the afterglow of a good night¡¯s sleep. Eventually I managed to pull myself out of my stupor, stood up and made my way into the adjoining bathroom ready to begin a long day¡¯s worth of travel. The rest of my team had already woken up from Raven¡¯s finagling with the doorknob saw to that. The team had gotten used to getting those extra minutes while I was busy readying myself in the bathroom.


    To prevent Roxanne, Victini and Raven from waiting. I quickly finished up, recalled the rest of my team and made my way to the lobby. In preparation for our journey to the Hoenn dessert I packed multiple readymade meals together with Roxanne. Ever the helpful girl Roxanne offered to assist me in making the meals, treating it as a learning experience. Even though the plan was to have her own team forage the desert for mineral deposits once we arrived there.


    Walking into the lobby I could see her already waiting for me sitting on the couch nearest to the automatic sliding doors raven laying at her feet. Before Roxanne had a chance to greet me an invisible hellion wrapped itself around the front of my face, poking and squeezing my cheeks in the process.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Roxanne could clearly guess what was going on based on my smudged facial features. So without further ado the four of us walked outside looking for an inconspicuous plot without people and cameras. Eventually finding such a place, the shed where the Pok¨¦mon center kept its landscaping tools and repair equipment to maintain the outdoor battlefields. I recalled Raven and we headed inside and closed the door behind us making sure no one was watching us before we did so. Victini, now no longer needing to maintain her camouflage, dropped the invisibility and held onto the both of us to prepare for the upcoming teleportation.


    ¡°Victini can get us fairly close to the desert on route 111 but not all the way there since we¡¯ve never been. We¡¯ll be dropping by the home of the Winstrate family who live on the route and have graciously hosted us in the past. From there it will take us about half a day¡¯s walk to reach our destination.¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi Vi!¡± ¡°One two three¡­ Go!¡±

 Chapter 71 – Secret Message

    Chapter 71 ¨C Secret Message


    The teleportation went off without a hitch and the three of us found ourselves overlooking the family farm of the battle loving Winstrate family. It was still early in the morning but not early enough to not see father Victor and grandmother Vicky already working the field. The grandmother was the first to notice us.


    ¡®As expected, farmers start their days early. Tini get in my backpack for now, we¡¯ll just stay long enough to be polite.¡¯


    ¡°Why I¡¯ll be¡­ is that you Egon?! How nice to see young people come over for a visit every now and then. Is this young lass here your girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too Granny. We are just passing by, and for the record I am too young to already start dating!¡±


    ¡°Ohh how old are you then? My eyes aren¡¯t as good as they used to be.¡±


    ¡°Ten¡­ no wait eleven.¡±


    ¡°We forgot! Today¡¯s your birthday!!!¡±


    ¡®I told you that I didn¡¯t want to celebrate my birthday! Pok¨¦mon don¡¯t celebrate birthdays and the only one whose birth date we definitively know is Halo¡¯s! I know for a fact you don¡¯t even remember your own date of birth.¡¯


    ¡°What if it was Zinnia¡¯s birthday?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Hypocrite! You don¡¯t want to celebrate your own, but you do that of others!¡±


    ¡®Can we discuss this later? It¡¯s rude having private conversations while in the accompaniment of others.¡¯


    To prevent me from looking like an oaf Roxanne took over the reins of my conversation with Granny Vicky. No doubt having already guessed what was occurring inside of my mindscape. Trying to pick up the thread of the discussion once more it seemed like Roxanne was busy fending off Granny Vicky''s attempts at trying to scoop for juicy gossip on the two of us.


    ¡°Come on, a pretty lass like you? You should meet my grandson, Vito.¡±


    ¡°No thank you ma¡¯am the both of us still have a lot left to do for today. Don¡¯t we Egon?¡±


    ¡®I actually wouldn¡¯t mind hanging out with the family again but she¡¯s right.¡¯


    ¡°Sorry Granny, we have to go but make sure to tell Vito that we¡¯re still going on that field trip once he gets his own trainer¡¯s license next year. I¡¯ll teach him all about living it up as a traveling trainer on the routes.¡±


    The promise of teaching Vito the basics seemed to have mollified Granny Vicky somewhat. Being removed from society thanks to the fact that their family farm was located on the routes meant that they were starved for outside interactions. No doubt many a traveling trainer had been invited inside their home for the express purpose of casual conversation over the years.


    ¡°Cheh! Fine, just as soon as the conference is over, we will be expecting a visit.¡±


    ¡°Great! Well, we are off. See you again another time Granny.¡±


    Both me and Roxanne waved goodbye as we walked off northwards. When the farm started getting out of sight. She stopped and pulled open her own bag searching for a certain object which was found and pulled out in front of me. A foldable bike and not just any old model this one seemed like one of those expensive ones that they ran ads for every year nearing the end of the offseason period.


    ¡°Mach or Acro?¡±


    ¡°Mach, the salesman told me this one was more suited for rough terrain, while the Acro models they sold were intended for parkour cycling. This model also comes with a passenger¡¯s seat so you can hold onto me while I paddle.¡±


    The process was fairly involved but eventually Roxanne completely assembled the bicycle. Sitting on the saddle and motioning for me to hop on behind her. There was this primal part of my brain that wanted to insist on being the one that did the paddling but eventually conceded that this was her bicycle, and that Roxanne knew what she was doing.


    ¡®I can just take over when she eventually gets tired out. Even with a MachBike cycling to the desert will take at least three hours.¡¯


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°I want to sit in the front basket!¡±


    Roxanne, amused by Victini¡¯s antics couldn¡¯t help but dote on the little rabbit Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Of course, Tini! We just have to put in an extra blanket so you can get all nice and comfortable.¡±


    ¡®Roxanne¡¯s already using my nickname for you... Brainwashing is a crime, you know?¡¯


    ¡°This proves that from now on you have to listen to me! There are a bunch of trainers waiting to take your place as my number one servant!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Three hours later*


    As we approached the desert more and more sand particles filled the air. It got so bad that we decided to put on our protective goggles, way before we actually arrived at our destination. During our bike ride over I suggested Roxanne take a break peddling and let me have a turn, but the rock type specialist insisted that she do her ¡°fair share¡± of the work. No doubt thinking that me taking her along was an act of charity on my part and downplaying her own role in the expedition as our sediment specialist.


    ¡®Whose Pok¨¦mon are more likely to contribute to the actual excavating? Honestly this girl¡­¡¯


    ¡°We just have to make sure Roxy doesn¡¯t overdo it.¡±


    Ignoring the fact that Victini was already on a nickname basis with Roxanne, I peered into the distance noticing that the ground was already beginning to form cracks. The first sign of salinization and the end of the paved road.


    ¡°Let¡¯s walk the rest of the way, the cracks will make it harder to move further on bicycle.¡±


    The both of us hopped off of Roxanne¡¯s bicycle and while she was busy stowing the bike back in her backpack I decided to start a rather pressing discussion with Victini.


    ¡°Being inside this perpetual sandstorm will be a major impediment for Pok¨¦mon that are not steel, rock or ground type. Are you sure that you want to stay out and be constantly pelted by fast moving sand?¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°The same goes for you! I can take it.¡±


    ¡°Both Roxanne and I are wearing protective clothing and goggles. We won¡¯t even feel the sand, you have to stay inside your pok¨¦ ball unless¡­ You could hide under my clothes.¡±


    ¡°Awuuu¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about missing anything you can experience whatever I see with your psychic powers.¡±


    With a sigh of disappointment Victini floated towards the white pok¨¦ ball latched to my belt and gave it a quick tap being sucked inside within the blink of an eye. With the Victini issue resolved both me and Roxanne proceeded onward into the sandy steppes of the route 111 desert.


    After about ten minutes worth of walking on foot the soil had completely turned into fine sand making traveling on foot very energy consuming. The desert itself was oddly barren showing no signs of the typical flora one would expect to see growing in this kind of environment. The constant desert storm preventing nature from taking its natural course. This confirmed my suspicions that the desert storm was not a natural phenomenon but one caused by the desert¡¯s residents. Enough ground types working in tandem turned this relatively small patch of land into a paradise for Pok¨¦mon well suited to the environment.


    While I was contemplating the implications of this Roxanne helpfully provided her own input into my ponderings.


    ¡°This¡­ There are no native Hoenn Pok¨¦mon that are capable of keeping up this kind of environment indefinitely, how mysterious.¡±


    ¡°I know right? Scientists would have long discovered an invasive species of Pok¨¦mon making this place their home. Well¡­ we should probably enact the next stage of our plan.¡±


    Roxanne and I had talked it over yesterday¡¯s dinner conversation. After reaching our destination we would look for one of the native Pok¨¦mon living here and ask it for directions to the Mirage Tower. Usually this would be a bad idea since most desert dwelling Pok¨¦mon were carnivorous, but this place was often frequented by the rangers and any such overly aggressive Pok¨¦mon would have most likely been moved to a more suitable home.


    ¡°Onix can help us find them.¡±


    ¡°Most of the ground types living are likely to be found in some kind of subterranean tunnel network which onix¡¯s large form would destroy once she burrows into one. But¡­ I know of one sure way to find a particular species of Pok¨¦mon. We just have to look for the nearest¡­Ah! There¡¯s one.¡±


    What I was looking for was just a dozen yards removed from our position. Perfectly camouflaged to the untrained eye, a large sand pit nestled between two sand dunes, the perfect trap against unwary travelers.


    ¡°A sand pit?¡±


    Not taking the time to explain I instead pulled off my backpack and started rummaging its contents in search of Pok¨¦mon treats. In preparation for my journey I had taken the time to buy extra just in case I had to bribe a wild Pok¨¦mon into cooperating.


    ¡®Lava cookies? Or something that¡¯s more natural like a berry hmm¡­¡¯


    ¡°Not my cookies! Phoebe¡¯s grandpa gave me those to keep for myself.¡±


    Swayed by her sound reasoning I instead pulled out a plain old Oran berry. Before dropping said berry down the pit expecting to see a certain species of Pok¨¦mon. While the berry was rolling down said sand pit and into the eye of the hole a small tremor could be heard and a vicious looking jaw sprang up from underneath the sand¡¯s covering and swiftly tore apart the berry before swallowing it whole in a single gulp. Roxanne acted astonished but quickly overcame her surprise once logic started setting in.


    The Trapinch who made a quick morsel of my berry pulled itself further out of the ground to inspect the two newcomers who dropped in its meal for the day.


    ¡°Excuse me Trapinch? Would you mind giving us directions? We are kind of lost looking for a certain spot in the area.¡±


    Trapinch, the Ant Pit Pok¨¦mon. A Ground type.


    Trapinch''s nest is at the bottom of a cone-shaped hole, where it patiently waits for something to fall in. Its jaws are strong enough to crush rocks but so heavy that it can''t get up if it flips over. This Pok¨¦mon can go a whole week without access to any water.


    Roxanne helpfully scanned Trapinch with her Pok¨¦dex eager to learn more about this ground type. Dexter provided information that wasn¡¯t hard to come by, but I still appreciated these words of wisdom nonetheless.


    ¡°Pinch! Pinch!¡±


    ¡°Glutton! Trapinch asks if we have more berries.¡±


    ¡°Trapinch we are both reasonable Pok¨¦mon and man of means, if you can share with us what you know I¡¯ll happily provide you with more nutritious berries.¡±


    ¡°Pinch... Pinch!¡±


    ¡°We are looking for this large tower of hardened sand that rises out of the ground every now and then but mysteriously disappears afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Twice during each mooncycle the tower rises, early in the morrow lasting only for the briefest of moments. If you want to know more give me three berries!¡±


    ¡®This Trapinch is a great negotiator! Three berries for information that¡¯s useless to him but priceless to us.¡¯


    ¡°No, he¡¯s a baddy! if we do our best, I am sure we can haggle him down to only one extra berry!¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Even if I admired this Trapinch¡¯s boldness, as a trainer getting by on another¡¯s dime, I¡¯ve learned to be frugal with my resources. Three berries saved equaled half a mealtime¡¯s worth of feeding my own team.


    ¡°Pinchy, can I call you that? Look, I have no guarantee that your information will be of use to us. How about I give you half a berry now and the other half if I like what I am hearing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Trapinch looked at me as if I insulted its Flygon mother. Turning around the antlion Pok¨¦mon started making attempts to burrow itself back into the sand.


    ¡°No, wait! wait! Three berries now!¡±


    ¡°Pinch!¡±


    ¡°¡­Now it¡¯s four berries.¡±


    ¡®This guy¡­!¡¯


    ¡°Four whole berries are too much to handle for a body of your size and those berries will quickly dry up in this heat. ¡­What are you planning?¡±


    ¡°Pinch! Pinch!¡±


    ¡°His family is having a big reunion in a few hours and he wants to bring along food to share.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­ Two berries now and two after you¡¯ve told me all you know.¡±


    Roxanne who was watching all of this go down seemed to want to contribute with her own supplies tossing another two berries down the pit. Trapinch seeing the bounty coming his way quickly snapped them up but instead of eating the berries immediately the ground type buried them deeper into his little cubby hole.


    ¡°Pinch Pinch, Pinch.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow morning when the sun crests the horizon the tower will reappear. It seems like Trapinch has no idea what causes the phenomena, but he assumes wild baltoy are responsible. The tower always reappears in the same spot, around a 10 minutes¡¯ walk to the east from here.¡±


    This kind of information was exactly what we needed so I didn¡¯t feel a great sense of loss when I tossed down another two berries down the sandpit. This time in appreciation of Trapinch¡¯s willingness to add extra details that could prove useful later down the line.


    ¡®Baltoy¡­ the ones we found living inside the ruins of Relic Castle were swell guys. It shouldn¡¯t pose an issue.¡¯


    As our business with Trapinch concluded the ground type gave us a quick nod before burrowing itself deeper into the pit undoubtedly on its way to share its recently gained spoils with the rest of his colony. Roxanne who had been watching from the sidelines hearing only my side of the conversation gave me a questioning look eager to learn what I had just discovered.


    ¡°According to Trapinch The tower will appear in the east, tomorrow at the break of dawn.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! Now we just have to find a place that¡¯s protected from the sandstorm to set up camp.¡±


    ¡°Still if we could leave behind some kind of marker nearest to the tower¡¯s location, I¡¯d feel a lot more assured. That way we could find our way back without being disoriented by the perpetual storm.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got that covered! Go Nosey!¡±


    In a flash of light Roxanne¡¯s Probopass materialized in front of us. Being both a rock and steel type it didn¡¯t even seem to notice the grains of sand pelting it from all sides.


    ¡°A Probopass can detect the location of its mini noses by reading their magnetic field. If we leave one behind at our target destination, he¡¯ll be able to lead us back with pinpoint accuracy. Nosey¡¯s nose also acts as a compass, always pointing north so east must be this way!¡±


    Every single person traveling the routes had a compass with them at all times but Roxanne¡¯s intervention saved me the effort of pulling one out of my backpack. With a mild sense of amusement I followed her lead as we set forth to our target destination. Keeping our eyes open for any wild Pok¨¦mon or secure places to take shelter from the storm.


    ¡°We should look for those Desert Ruins, I can¡¯t wait to meet another legendary Pok¨¦mon!¡±


    ¡®That particular rock formation is well known. It should be in the southernmost part of the desert.¡¯


    <hr>


    One hour later*


    When the both of us started getting fed up with traversing the treacherous sand dunes Roxanne decided that having her Onix ferry us across the desert was a better idea. Her giant rock snake was blazingly fast leaving me to question why she doesn¡¯t ride upon her Onix all the time. The answer turned out to be quite a mundane one. Onix traveling in forested areas leave a path of destruction in their wake killing all the undergrowth that wild Pok¨¦mon rely on. That¡¯s why the rangers made it against the law for trainers to use Onix as a mode of transportation. This was less of a concern while traveling through interior deserts like this one where there wasn¡¯t any plant life to be found to begin with.


    With Onix¡¯s help we made good time reaching our destination at which point Roxanne¡¯s Probopass left behind one of his three mini noses. The Pok¨¦mon seemed a tad reluctant doing it but with Roxanne¡¯s reassurances the steel type did as he was told. To make sure the mini nose wouldn¡¯t get blown away by the harsh winds we buried it deep underground and afterwards took off towards the southern part of the desert. Roxanne seemed content to follow our lead commanding her Onix to go southwards.


    ¡°There¡¯s this rock formation that is quite famous, Victini and I would like to see it. It would also make for an adequate place to seek shelter.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm I¡¯ve read up about that rock formation. It is said to have been built around three thousand years ago. In a time where this desert was still just as lush and full of life as the rest of Hoenn. Do you think you¡¯ll discover something by going there?¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s sharp as expected. What do you think we should do?¡¯


    ¡°Roxanne¡¯s nice! We can trust her and staying there will let me teleport back whenever I want.¡±


    ¡°I have long since suspected that that place holds more than just a rock formation. Before telling you I would like to confirm my theories first.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to. You have always been the one assisting me; first by helping me evolve my darling Nosey and then bringing me along to excavate fossils. If I¡¯d expect anything more from you, I¡¯d feel bad about myself.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tell her everything!¡±


    ¡®¡­When we get settled down. Talking like this is uncomfortable, sand keeps flying in my mouth.¡¯


    With the speed Roxanne¡¯s Onix was going at, we arrived at the secretive desert ruins within half an hour. Rocky spires surrounded the larger outcropping in the middle forming a perfect circle. Clearly these were man made, the structures being too symmetrical and evenly spread to have been created by wild Pok¨¦mon. Pok¨¦mon built structures did exist but those tended to prioritized comfort and function over grandiose displays such as this.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make camp behind the largest middle spire. Could you ask Onix to use her body to shelter us from the sand while we set up camp?¡±


    ¡°Did you hear that sweetie? Could you do that for me?¡±


    ¡°Oaark!¡±


    With renewed motivation Roxanne¡¯s Onix took us around the large middle spire but where I expected to encounter an empty plot of sand, we instead saw camping supplies, a fire pit, a single large tent and empty cans of preserved food as if someone had already been living here for a good week judging by the amount of stacked up empty cans.


    ¡°Why, hello there!¡±


    The tent zipper slid down allowing us to see the person currently occupying the makeshift shelter. He was a portly and somewhat elderly looking man sporting an impressive moustache and clothed in safari gear. Roxanne was the first to reply back to the gentleman¡¯s spirited acknowledgement of our presence.


    ¡°Hello sir, my name is Roxanne and this is my friend Egon. We were looking for a place to shelter but I guess this spot is already taken.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! There¡¯s plenty of room for the three of us and any Pok¨¦mon that might be accompanying you. My name is Tybald Darington Fitzgerald, but my peers call me old Dusty, and peers you must be! It isn¡¯t often that two bright young trainers such as yourselves explore all the way into this part of the desert foregoing the proven path.¡±


    Onix parked herself in a spot nearest to the fire pit before laying down, allowing Roxanne and I to jump off her body. Following that we proceeded to unload our weary back from the backpacks we¡¯d been carrying all day. The man named Dusty was still inside his tent undoubtedly up to something as we kept hearing swishing sounds from within.


    ¡°Just a moment! The two of you must be parched! Nothing soothes the nerves better than a fresh cup of tea!¡±


    The nearby spires and Onix¡¯s body did much to cover us from the worst of the perpetual sandstorm, but I set out to get my own tent up and standing right away. My own Pok¨¦mon had been stuck in their balls for most of the day and I was eager to have them stretch their legs as soon as possible.


    As I was busy setting up, Roxanne opted to release her team. Each of them hungry looking and ready to eat. With a wave of her hand the rock types dispersed into the surrounding area no doubt eager to munch on some of the rocks and mineral deposits we came across along the way. Roxanne did warn them to not damage the surrounding structures before sending them off, after which she started prepping her own tent.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t afraid that they¡¯ll get lost?¡±


    ¡°Onix has a magnet in her brain, which gives the species a perfect sense of direction. She¡¯ll look after my partners.¡±


    It was at this moment that Dusty joined in on the conversation, the old man coming out of his tent with two cups of tea which he handed over to both me and Roxanne. One sip and I could immediately tell that this was the expensive stuff that you could only encounter in posh places like Phoebe¡¯s family castle.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure camping together with company. My usual entourage declined to come with me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice meeting you too sir. Have you also come to get a good look at his place?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, although it is not my primary purpose for visiting this desert. I am actually more of a paleontologist than an archeologist and in my free time I travel from region to region acquiring specimens for my collection. As I have not yet managed to acquire a single fossil originating from Hoenn I took the liberty to come visit this region.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s here for fossils?!¡¯


    I exchanged a quick glance with Roxanne and a silent agreement was formed between us to not tell Dusty about our plans regarding the mirage tower. It wouldn¡¯t do for an unaffiliated third party to swoop in and take our prize. So, with that goal in mind, I decided to engage in some meaningless banter to get a measure of the old paleontologist.


    ¡°Dusty Sir, how large has your collection gotten up to this point?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve visited many regions over the years. Whenever there¡¯s fossils to be dug up the relevant authorities call upon my expertise in such manners. Naturally this means that the fossils I dig up in an official capacity usually end up in the hands of the league associations. Though sometimes private collectors are in need of my services at which point I haggle for a cut of the bounty. Say¡­ I happen to have brought my photo album with me. Would the two of you like to take a look at all the fossils I¡¯ve managed to dig up over the years?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Yes!¡±


    The old man retreated back into his sleeping tent and after some rummaging came back out with said album. Seeing as both me and Roxanne hadn¡¯t finished setting up our tents, Dusty waited patiently for the two of us to finish calmly sipping his tea as he watched us. By the time we were done the sky started to darken, lauding in the start of the evening. To keep us all warm I released all the members of my team our trifecta of tents and the favorable location keeping my teammates safe from the pelting sands. Victini also released herself choosing to hide herself away inside the tent I had just staked down.


    ¡°Arf!¡± ¡°Rupt!¡± ¡°Nineeee!¡± ¡°Lit¡± ¡°Vess!¡± ¡°Nitan!¡±


    ¡°This is Dusty, he''ll be spending the night with us. Dinner has already been made, it just needs to be warmed up. Glove could you¡­?¡±


    My most reliable partner was already going through the backpack sorting every labeled plastic container based on its contents, filling each bowl with an appropriate amount of sliced berries and food pellets. While that was going on myself and Roxanne crowded around Dusty eager to see the various fossils he happened upon during his travels.


    ¡°These Dome fossils were from the time I spent on the orange islands I even got to keep a couple for myself, and this picture is of a damaged Aerodactyl fossil¡­ such a shame.¡±


    ¡°How come?¡±


    ¡°Aerodactyl fossils are some of the rarest fossils one can come across. Unlike what one would expect from a rock type their bones are actually hollow and full of holes like most other avian Pok¨¦mon. This makes it extremely rare to come across a specimen in pristine condition.¡±


    Just like that the three of us went through his entire photo album looking at all the different fossils he had successfully excavated. Gaining insight on how large his own personal collection really was in the process. Dusty¡¯s collection was filled with fossils from Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh and Kalos. That was also part of the reason he came to Hoenn in the first place, he was looking to add at least two intact natively found fossils to his collection.


    Some of my partners gained a mild interest, attentively listening to the old man¡¯s stories while filling their bellies with the meals Glove distributed among them. Dusty¡¯s wide breadth of experiences made him an enigmatic figure to listen to even if only hearing about what it is like to receive permission to travel to other regions. The man himself was native to Kanto but had the equivalent of a green card that lets him travel freely in between four different regions without requiring special permission.


    ¡°Slash!¡±


    ¡°¡­?!¡±


    A spiny mouse-like Pok¨¦mon emerged from the ground nearest to the place where we were sitting.  This desert was known to have nests of wild sandshrew and sandslash but this Sandslash¡¯ meticulous grooming told me that this Pok¨¦mon was trainer owned. Confirming my suspicions, Sandslash proceeded to act all familiar with Dusty who was in the middle of regaling us with stories about the one time he excavated a perfectly preserved sail fossil from the frost caverns near Dendemille town.


    ¡°Slashy! You have returned! Did you find anything?¡±


    The Sandslash who I had just now noticed was wearing a belly pouch crawled up to its trainer giving Dusty an affectionate rubbing with its quills. The pouch¡¯s function was most likely to safely preserve items of import that it might discover while digging around subterranean levels. With much care it slid out a worn looking tablet handing over the artifact to its trainer.


    ¡°Oh my! This surely will get the interest of the lads back at the anthropology department. The writing appears to be some kind of faded unknown script.¡±


    Roxanne¡¯s inquisitive nature could no longer be suppressed, the girl basically clinging off Dusty¡¯s arm just to gain a glimpse of the mysterious tablet.


    ¡°Let me see! I¡¯ve studied basic unknown script while taking guest lessons over at the Rustburo University.¡±


    ¡°What an energetic lass! Have a look, but make sure to be careful with it.¡±


    While I was puzzled on how a ten-year-old managed to qualify for lessons at college level Roxanne scanned over the tablet but was quickly disappointed when her attempts at translating the script fell short.


    ¡°This¡­ I¡¯ve never seen this type of script before. Sorry that I got your hopes up Sir Dusty.¡±


    ¡°No worries lass, only a few learned people can actually decipher texts such as this one. I myself can only read a few words of the most basic unknown script myself!¡±


    ¡°Can I have a look? I might not be able to read it, but I have some experience deciphering ancient texts myself.¡±


    ¡°Sure, here you go.¡±


    ¡®This is¡­! Those dots are unmistakably braille! This type of syntax must have been developed during the period in time where light sources were scarce, and the sun was blotted out by volcanic ash.¡¯


    ¡°What does it say!?¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s been an extremely long time since I last attempted to read braille. I can give it a try¡­¡¯


    As I let my finger slip over the columns and rows of the braille cells. I awakened to old nostalgic memories of me sitting in a classroom checking the turned in homework of a visibly impaired student of mine. I didn¡¯t know what Victini was up to but somehow her influence helped me vividly remember old memories that had almost completely faded away.


    Dusty and Roxanne were looking at me with much anticipation my weird handling of the tablet clueing them in that I somehow recognized and was able to read at least partially what was written on the stone artifact.


    ¡°The message this tablet is trying to convey is one of regret. I don¡¯t know if¡­¡±


    ¡°Pleaseee!¡± ¡°Share with us your acquired wisdom!¡±


    Fine If the two of you promise to keep this between the three of us, I¡¯ll share its message.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡± ¡°Deal!¡±


    ¡°LONG DID WE LIVE HERE.


    ALL THANKS TO THE POWERFUL POKEMON LIVING ALONGSIDE US.


    YET, WE SEALED THAT POKEMON AWAY, ALONE IN THE DARK.


    WE FEARED IT.


    IF YOU HAVE THE COURAGE, IF YOU STILL HOLD TO HOPE,


    OPEN THE DOOR. FOR BEYOND IT THE ETERNAL POKEMON WAITS.¡±

 Chapter 72 – Stone Titan

    Chapter 72 ¨C Stone Titan


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ awful.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, a most unfortunate situation.¡±


    ¡°We have to save that Pok¨¦mon!!¡±


    The reactions upon hearing that a Pok¨¦mon who had been helping humans got imprisoned for a span of most likely over a thousand years garnered much sympathy from every member of our group. Even our Pok¨¦mon partners became unsettled upon hearing that such a kind Pok¨¦mon had been sealed on nothing more than the baseless fears of a dimwitted backward populace. Victini took it the hardest, her invisibility showing flaws as her ears flared up sparks and embers shooting out haphazardly.


    ¡®Calm down Tini! Your ears are firing up!¡¯


    ¡°All this time alone trapped in darkness¡­!¡±


    ¡®We¡¯ll get Regirock out one way or another, I promise!¡¯


    Victini managed to calm herself down after hearing my heartfelt promise. No longer spontaneously forming sparks, instead crawling under the backside of my clothes to share body heat and comfort.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not get things twisted. I am thinking all of us want to save that Pok¨¦mon, am I correct?¡±


    Both Roxanne and Dusty gave me a resolute nod while our teams did much the same. The concept of camping close to a suffering Pok¨¦mon without doing anything to help never didn¡¯t even cross their minds.


    ¡°Okay first, this rock formation is probably the seal that keeps the Pok¨¦mon imprisoned. That it has been standing here without being destroyed or damaged for millennia probably means it has some form of mystical protection.¡±


    Both Dusty and Roxanne gave me looks of skepticism, disbelieving my claims that there were some sort of supernatural shenanigans at work here. Roxanne was the first to sound out her disbelief of what a layman would term as magic.


    ¡°Egon¡­ you believe in mysticism? That poor Pok¨¦mon must just have been entombed deep enough so that it wouldn¡¯t have the strength to break out on its own.¡±


    Not wanting to argue the point, I pointed out that there was a quick and easy way to confirm my theory.


    ¡°How about we test it? If you can get one of your partners to even nick the main spire it will prove you are right.¡±


    It was at this moment that Dusty stepped in as the voice of reason. The man had been seemingly content to watch his juniors debate on how to tackle this problem but we seemed to have crossed a dangerous line of thinking.


    ¡°Even if your projections on the nature of this rock formation appear to be reasonable young scholar, I will have to remind you that this place is considered a national treasure in the eyes of the Hoenn league association. Damaging it would cause us to run afoul of the law, for the two of you considering your age this could result in the revocation of your trainer¡¯s licenses. As for myself considering my status as a foreign expat this would most likely cause my person to end up in jail or banned from ever re-entering the region.¡±


    Dusty¡¯s common sense put a halt to my scheming. The old Paleontologist turned out to be very much ¡°straight laced¡± when it came to matters of the law. If it was just me on my own I would have conducted all manner of stress testing on the adjacent wall in the hopes of uncovering the secret entrance, now I had to find another way of doing so.


    ¡°Egon¡­¡±


    ¡®I know, this won¡¯t stop us.¡¯


    ¡°So, are you saying that if we gained permission from someone with a sufficient amount of authority that we could go ahead with our plan?¡±


    ¡°Why of course! There¡¯s always a proper course of action for procedures like this one. Many a time my own ventures were held up from having to follow protocol. I even have the right forms to apply for digging in a cultural site like this one. The moment I get home I will deliver them with the right annotations at the nearest post office. In six months¡¯ time to a year, we¡¯ll gain permission to proceed I can guarantee it!¡±


    Even Roxanne paled at the news of letting that poor Pok¨¦mon suffer for another six months to a year. That¡¯s when I came up with my own solution for this headache inducing problem.


    ¡°Say Dusty, if we could somehow get permission from someone high up in the league, let¡¯s say¡­ an elite four member would that be sufficient to start delving right away?¡±


    ¡°Hmm a cultural site like this one usually falls under the rangers purview. Although the ranger corps are not directly subordinate to the elite four they are beholden to the champion. If the elite four in question assures us that he will take responsibility for any legal repercussions that might follow I could see us starting this excavation right away.¡±


    ¡®I really wanted to avoid having to rely on Mr. Moore even more but if it¡¯s for the sake of a suffering Pok¨¦mon¡­¡¯


    ¡°My sponsor Mr. Moore is a member of the elite four, I¡¯ll give him a call and see what he can do about it.¡±


    ¡°A splendid suggestion young man!¡±


    Rolling up my right sleeve I unveiled my Xtransceiver and scrolled down my contact list until I reached the gym¡¯s home number before tapping on the green symbol on the screen. The beeping sounds emanating from my wrist phone confirmed that the call was making it through despite the harsh weather conditions. After a good long while someone finally picked up the phone but it wasn¡¯t the person I was hoping to hear from.


    ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°Flannery it¡¯s me Egon, can you put your grandfather on the line?¡±


    Roxanne hearing Flannery¡¯s voice decided to join in on the call even though I was calling for serious business.


    ¡°Flanny! I am here too. It''s so good to hear from you!¡±


    ¡°Roxy!! How have you been? And why are you with Egon!? The last time we spoke you were all the way up in Sootopolis city.¡±


    ¡°Egon and I met up at the Sootopolis Pok¨¦mon center, and he¡¯s brought me along on an expedition!¡±


    ¡°Without me?! Egon!!!¡±


    ¡°Please, can we cycle back to my first request?! We found something important, and we need to speak to Mr. Moore.¡±


    ¡°Is he speaking truthfully Roxy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we do indeed require the assistance of your grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Fine, just hold on a minute he¡¯s taking a soak in the gym¡¯s hot springs.¡±


    I could hear the sounds of a door opening and hurried footsteps combined with Flannery shouting for her grandfather¡¯s attention. Mr. Moore¡¯s retort about being interrupted during his private bath time was a measured one filled with patience and understanding.


    ¡°Just hand me the phone sweetheart.¡±


    ¡°My new bestie is on the other side and the phone is on speaker. So don¡¯t say embarrassing things about me, okay?¡±


    Roxanne¡¯s eyes began twinkling and an amused smile crept its way up onto her face. Hearing Flannery cajoling her grandfather diminished the despondency we felt after finding out about the Pok¨¦mon being trapped beneath our feet.


    ¡°Egon? What seems to be so important that you had to call me at this time of day?¡±


    ¡°Sir, we are currently standing near the rock formation located inside the desert of route 111. With the assistance of a resourceful Sandslash we managed to find evidence proving the existence of an ancient Pok¨¦mon trapped within. Seeing as this collection of rocks is considered a cultural heritage site, I would like to ask for your permission to have our partners blow up an entryway so we can go save the Pok¨¦mon that has been trapped here for millennia.¡±


    At the other end of line Flannery was kicking up a fuss but Mr. Moore kept quiet for a good while indicating that he was ruminating on our problem. Eventually he decided to give us his tentative answer.


    ¡°This evidence¡­ what is it?¡±


    At this point Dusty decided to step into our conversation.


    ¡°Greetings Elite Moore, my name is Tybald Darington Fitzgerald Paleontologist at Celadon University. With the help of my lifelong partner, we managed to uncover this harrowing secret. The evidence in question is an engraved tablet written in a script this remarkable young man was able to translate for us. With your blessing we can start this excavation right away. I have all the required tools with me and this momentous occasion will be recorded for the Hoenn league¡¯s own professionals to peruse at their leisure. If it is of any comfort, all involved parties are willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement.¡±


    Dusty continued to enlighten Mr. Moore on all the minute details of our discovery even quoting my translation of the tablet¡¯s engravings word for word to him. At the end of it all I could hear the sound of doors opening and closing from the other end of the line. No doubt indicating that Mr. Moore has taken a personal interest in the matter.


    ¡°Egon, the route 111 desert is only two hours removed from Lavaridge on Rapidashback. Refrain from attempting anything before my arrival, we don¡¯t know if this Pok¨¦mon is dangerous or not.¡±


    Again, we could hear Flannery listening in and reacting to our news in the background.


    ¡°Grandpa, can I come too?¡±


    ¡°No, but I am leaving you the very important task of looking after the gym while I am gone.¡±


    ¡°No fair! I want to hang out with my new bestie!¡±


    Roxanne, ever quick to indulge Flannery, pitched in a well-timed proposal swiftly calming down the irate teenager.


    ¡°I could come visit the gym afterwards? Egon¡¯s little helper could ferry us over, right?¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ve heard that this is what happens to trainers who partner up with teleporters. By the same time next year, we¡¯ll be getting calls non-stop requesting your ¡°services¡±.¡¯


    ¡°The first time¡¯s free, the second time they have to pay!¡±


    Flannery went quiet on the other end of the call for but a moment.


    ¡°No take backsies!¡±


    Leaving us only with a single reply before hurried footsteps were heard from the other end of the line. No doubt the girl was in a rush to clean up her room before Roxanne¡¯s arrival.


    <hr>


    Two hours later*


    We spent the remaining time waiting for Mr. Moore to arrive, most of us had settled down while watching the sun dipping under the horizon. The only one who couldn¡¯t sit still was Victini zipping around in my tent like a beartic trapped in a zoo. Roxanne chose to spend her time on her Pok¨¦gear messaging back and forth with an excitable Flannery while Dusty kept busy by grooming Sandslash popping out the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s quills off its back.


    Eventually the monotony got broken up by the sound of swift thuds impacting the sand. The culprits got revealed as Mr. Moore rode up to us on his prized Arcanine. The elite was wearing clothing appropriate for sand excursions and gave us a good look over before stepping down off his mount and walking up to us. Roxanne was the first to get in good with the elite four member for any of us had the chance to.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor meeting you sir! Flannery has shared many stories about her beloved grandfather with me.¡±


    ¡°My, what a polite friend my granddaughter has made for herself! It¡¯s a relief getting to meet the person my darling Flannery has been bragging about. If you do end up visiting us I¡¯ll have the gym¡¯s staff bring out the premium tea leaves.¡±


    ¡®Premium!? I only get the off-brand generic stuff! I knew it! This damned old man gives preferable treatment to the opposite gender.¡¯


    Next up was Dusty who had been waiting for his chance to leave a favorable impression on the elite four member. They exchanged some meaningless pleasantries and afterwards the seasoned Paleontologist showed off the engraved tablet in question. Which Mr. Moore gave a passing glance to but didn¡¯t seem all too interested in, before divesting his attention to me, the only person who wasn¡¯t waiting for him hand on feet.


    ¡°Boy, I want to make it clear that there are other people who you can call on for these kinds of situations. A journey should be something one completes on his own without assistance from others.¡±


    ¡®This old coot! Providing his daughter with a top breed Torchic, a Laramie ranch Ponyta and then he berates me for not making my own way.¡¯


    ¡°So, you want to start digging a hole here? Fine, go ahead, we''ll keep watch.¡±


    ¡°Iron Head!¡±


    Moore¡¯s tacit permission was all Roxanne needed to hear to have her Aggron bash his head in against the stone wall. This wasn¡¯t by any means a form of cruelty since it was widely known that aggron spend most of their time breaking bedrock with their steel horns in search for food and by the look of Roxanne¡¯s Pok¨¦mon this one had managed to develop the ability Rock Head. Aggron¡¯s horns glowed a steely sheen before colliding with the hidden entryway.


    Unlike how the girl expected this would go, the wall shimmered opalescent for just the briefest amount of time. Aggron who had been unprepared for any sort of backlash veered backwards as the momentum behind the attack got repulsed by an identical amount of force.


    ¡°Gronnn!¡±


    ¡°Aggron are you alright?!¡±


    The Pok¨¦mon seemed to be more surprised than actually hurt the backlash catching it on the backfoot making the iron armor Pok¨¦mon wobble for just a few seconds. Both Dusty and Roxanne were caught off guard by the event but I was suspecting this sort of thing to happen strangely enough Mr. Moore wasn¡¯t surprised either.


    ¡°As I thought, this structure is protected by spiritual energy.¡±


    ¡°Aura?¡±


    ¡°How would you know about aura boy?¡±


    ¡°Well, I met this old hermit back in Unova who gave me a crash course on the subject.¡±


    ¡°There is a reason why we don¡¯t share details on the subject with youngsters like yourself. It creates a divide between the haves and the have nots¡­ Whatever, there are still limitations on the amount of force structures like these can handle without falling apart. Arcanine Overheat!¡±


    ¡°Awooo!¡±


    Overheat was the Lavaridge gym¡¯s signature move developed by Mr. Moore during his days as a traveling trainer. Overwhelming firepower but in exchange the Pok¨¦mon using the move suffers a drastic decrease in its ability to build up type energy for a short period of time.


    I¡¯ve seen instances of Overheat being able to melt rock. The gym¡¯s staff used the move to remove excess slag when cleaning up the volcano battlefield. This move coming off Mr. Moore prize fighter Arcanine was sure to leave a lasting impact no matter what.


    The invisible barrier reactivated again, and the wall held true but it couldn¡¯t escape the mechanical damage inflicted by a mass that is forced to expand after being exposed to such high temperatures. Several cracks formed on the wall¡¯s surface raising our hopes that it would be possible to break into the ruins eventually.


    ¡°That was amazing Mr. Moore! Just a few more of those and we¡¯ll be able to break inside!¡±


    Before we had a chance to pat ourselves on the back the wall did something most curious. The cracks started refilling themselves with the surrounding material and in just a few moments all the structural damage from Arcanine¡¯s move was gone leaving behind a pristine finish.


    ¡°Oh, no¡­!¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°I guess this is it. My strongest partner¡¯s Overheat is only a little bit stronger than Arcanine¡¯s. If the wall can repair itself then there¡¯s no point.¡±


    ¡®We can try another method, but it involves you sharing your power.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    Victini could sense my intentions, and the little rabbit didn¡¯t at all mind sharing her power if it was for a good cause.


    ¡°Sir, I asked my other partner, and she agreed to lend us her power but¡­¡±


    I spared Dusty a quick glance to illustrate my need for anonymity. Mr. Moore was quick to notice what I was implying and walked up to the mild mannered Paleontologist before addressing him man to man.


    ¡°My sponsee would like to try something different but it requires him to reveal a secret battle technique. Would you be so kind as to go for a stroll while he tries his method?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll be standing behind that rock over there! Please call me when it¡¯s appropriate to look again.¡±


    ¡°Slash!¡±


    With that Dusty went off for a walk together with his partner Pok¨¦mon leaving us alone with each other. Victini reappeared having kept watch over our activities from the safety of my tent and the first thing she did was give Mr. Moore her version of a hearty hello.


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Start treating Egon better! He works hard!¡±


    ¡°My apologies but with the current strength of his partners Egon should have collected all eight badges already. Just coddling him will not help him in the long run.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s okay! The man pays for our food. If everything goes well, we can finance our own way forward at the end of this circuit.¡¯


    ¡°Vi¡­.¡± ¡°Muuuu¡­¡±


    ¡°Glove, I''ll need your help.¡±


    ¡°Dar?¡±


    ¡°The one move I didn¡¯t want you using? We¡¯ll need it if we want to break through the barrier. Try your best to avoid switching modes. We need you at your physical peak.¡±


    ¡°Nitan!¡±


    Glove, who was sitting by the fire pit with the rest of my team, stood up and placed himself directly in front of the main spire. I could tell Roxanne and Mr. Moore were growing curious as to the exact specifics of my plan and we weren¡¯t planning on disappointing them.


    ¡°Belly Drum!¡±


    Glove repeatedly slammed his stomach area with both hands creating vibrations with every hit. The move belly drum was considered a risky gambit maximizing your Pok¨¦mon¡¯s attack power and in exchange cutting its stamina in half. The move rarely saw any use in the big leagues since it was considered an all or nothing move and could impact your Pok¨¦mon¡¯s health when used repeatedly. As Glove maximized his muscle strength Victini clamped down on his back exuding a golden glow. Victini¡¯s light proceeded to envelop the entirety of my Darmanitan¡¯s body.


    ¡®Now¡¯s the time!¡¯


    ¡°Flare Blitz!¡±


    Glove cloaked himself in fire, his flames burning so hot that instead of their normal coloring they burned bright blue. Like a rocket he launched himself into the wall the resulting explosion temporarily deafening me while at the same time creating tremors in the entire area. The once proud spires encircling the main entryway to the ruins started crumbling one by one as if the spell that had been holding them intact for millennia had just now been rendered useless. Once the resulting cloud of dust and molten slag dissipated, we were greeted by the sight of an open doorway which had previously been hidden coupled with my passed-out Pok¨¦mon. For a quick second I was worried that I might have pushed him too far, running up to him I grabbed his left wrist to check for a pulse feeling relieved after discovering that he¡¯d just been knocked out.


    ¡®The recoil must have been too great.¡¯


    ¡°Glove return! You did well, we¡¯ll get you to a Pok¨¦mon center straight after freeing that poor Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Wow Egon! I didn¡¯t know Pok¨¦mon moves could become that powerful!¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t. Even counting for the fact that Darmanitan used Belly Drum. Did you always know that Victini harbored that kind of power?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯ve never asked her to use it until now. If I ever decided to rely on that power to win my battles my progression as a trainer would halt.¡±


    ¡°At least you have your priorities straight. Return Arcanine!¡±


    A red beam enveloped Mr. Moore¡¯s Arcanine, withdrawing the Pok¨¦mon back into its ball. Given the fact that the entry way into the ruins was now open there was no longer a need for Dusty to wait twiddling his thumbs while standing behind one the now defunct spires. Roxanne made like a good girl and walked off to go fetch the now no doubt bamboozled university Professor.


    <hr>


    Inside the ruins*


    After all of us had gathered up our wits we proceeded to enter the newly opened ruins. All of my Pok¨¦mon except for Litwick and Victini were back in their balls. I figured that having a sentient candle accompanying us while delving into the pitch-black darkness of the sealed chambers was an appropriate choice. Apparently, Mr. Moore thought much the same seeing as his personal Magmar was out and about illuminating our path forward even better than Orin could.


    ¡°Sir, have you done this sort of thing before?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Exploring old and forgotten ruins like this one.¡±


    ¡°Once, back when I first started out as a trainer. The Ruins of Alph were classified as a no travel zone because trainers who visited that place often didn¡¯t come back. Being the na?ve teenager that I was, that travel restriction felt more like a hurdle to overcome rather than a warning of mortal danger.¡±


    ¡®That place is an Unown hotspot. I wouldn¡¯t dare go in there even if they paid me.¡¯


    As we walked along the down spiraling corridor we came upon the very first chamber. A square shaped room with a familiar looking script engraved upon the opposing wall. That wasn¡¯t all we found though, the room was littered with ancient objects, some completely worn down by the passage of time, others looking expressly more salvageable due to being made from hardier materials. Stone tools, ceramic jars, bone ornaments and the like.


    ¡°How wonderous!! We¡¯ll for sure make it to the front page of the Rustboro Gazette if we publish these findings. Just the historical value of these items alone¡­!¡±


    Before Dusty had the chance to observe these ancient artifacts more closely a stern warning was given out by Mr. Moore.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything. There¡¯s no telling if that lone Pok¨¦mon wouldn¡¯t grow more aggressive if it noticed one of us had looted this place for valuable objects.¡±


    ¡®Is there some sort of finder¡¯s fee for uncovering historically significant artifacts? We could really use the money.¡¯


    ¡°Focus! We have to keep moving forward!¡±


    We neared the back end of the room and from this distance the writing on the wall became much more legible as I had suspected earlier this chamber also held instructions written in braille.  I moved my hand up to touch the wall¡¯s hard exterior letting my fingers slip across the engraved text.


    Right, right, down, down, then use your Strength.


    ¡°What does it say Egon?¡±


    ¡°To get past this section of the ruins one needs to use a Pok¨¦mon move in a specific part of this chamber. Which of your partners is most proficient in the use of the move Strength?¡±


    ¡°Maaar!¡±


    ¡°Magmar here can do it. Just point where he needs to be.¡±


    With my front half facing the exact midsection of the wall I moved two steps to the right and two steps backwards. The wall writing wasn¡¯t clear on the exact distance between each vector of movement, but I presumed it to be human steps. Which probably meant that during ancient times aura usage was much more widespread and a good portion of the human population were capable of channeling type energy to perform Pok¨¦mon moves. Ancient Human civilization and wild Pok¨¦mon treated each other more as rivals for acquiring the then scarce resources of the world. It was a widely known fact that Humans and Pok¨¦mon only really started forming individual bonds in the more modern age.


    ¡°Exactly where I am standing right now.¡±


    Magmar walked up to the spot where I was standing whereas I quickly moved out of the way to avoid getting burned by accidentally brushing against the Spitfire Pok¨¦mon. Among the gym¡¯s staff it was well known that a well-trained magmar could leave some serious burn marks just by brushing against you. Whenever someone did get burned it was never intentional and I was determined not to add my name to the accidental victim list.


    ¡°Magmar Strength!¡±


    Strength was usually to be used when a Pok¨¦mon needed to move a heavy object the normal type energies enhancing their muscular load but that didn¡¯t prevent them from using the move as is. The moment Magmar successfully performed the move was when the scripture embedded on the walls started glowing, melting away together with the entire end section of the wall to reveal another darkened chamber in the back.


    ¡°Good job Egon, you make up for your lack of major victories with being able to read a dead language.¡±


    Our party moved forward into the second chamber Magmar¡¯s taillight doing a wonderful job of lighting up the second room. This second chamber was absolutely massive in comparison to the first one but unlike the former one this one was comparatively empty. The entire chamber was filled with miniature spires that closely resembled the rock formation that was placed outside. In the middle of this miniature sealing formation stood a figure that was about as tall as a full-grown man. It¡¯s entire being compromised of brown and orange rocks. Its face was decorated with seven dots closely forming into the shape of the capital letter H.


    All of us recognized the Pok¨¦mon as one of the same species of Pok¨¦mon that compromised Pyramid King Brandon¡¯s star team.


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be!¡±


    ¡°Stupendous!¡±


    Roxanne wasted no time at all to pull out her Pok¨¦dex and scan the rock titan.


    Regirock the Rock Peak Pok¨¦mon,                                                                                                               Regirock''s body is composed entirely of rocks. Recently, a study made the startling discovery that the rocks were all unearthed from different locations. If parts of its body chip off in battle, Regirock repairs itself by adding new rocks. Milimeter-wave technology was used to study the internals of this Pok¨¦mon''s rock body, but nothing was found¡ªnot even a brain or a heart.


    ¡®To even have any entry at all¡­ The Hoenn lab must have gotten permission from Brandon to study his Regirock. Their alarm bells must be whistling right about now, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if Roxanne gets a call from the lab to confirm her findings tomorrow morning.¡¯


    Even Mr. Moore acted surprised at seeing such a rare Pok¨¦mon in person and Roxanne was absolutely star struck. Both Roxanne and Dusty couldn¡¯t help themselves and immediately started taking pictures with their recording devices. Despite the upheaval that the duo was creating, Regirock itself did not move as if it had been powered down somehow.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Regirock move?! Is it¡­?!¡±


    ¡®Calm down, I am quite sure that having been stuck in this seal for so long led Regirock to shut off its mind in an effort to deal with the monotony. The only question remaining is how it will react to seeing other beings after being locked away for so long.¡¯


    ¡°Get a hold of yourselves! This Pok¨¦mon is undoubtedly powerful. I¡¯ll let the three of you make the decisions since this is your discovery, but I reserve the right to veto any tomfoolery.¡±


    I could tell Mr. Moore was having the same thoughts as myself when he warned Professor Dusty and Roxanne to stay back until we all agreed what our plan moving forward should be.


    ¡®What do you want to do Tini?¡¯

 Chapter 73 – Rocky Conclusion

    Chapter 73 ¨C Rocky Conclusion


    With Mr. Moore leading the conversation we congregated into a circle to discuss our plan for dealing with an ancient, isolated Pok¨¦mon who had good reason to hate humans.


    ¡°I propose we capture and relocate Regirock into a more controlled environment for further study. Celadon University has multiple secure facilities suited for rock type Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    Dusty¡¯s bias towards his own place of work notwithstanding, I sincerely doubted a Hoenn elite four like Mr. Moore would allow a foreign country to take possession of one of our native legendary Pok¨¦mon. His consequent reply confirmed my expectations.


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen, any solution that would put this Pok¨¦mon under the ownership of foreign forces is off the table. It¡¯s probably for the best if we let the kids think of a proper answer.¡±


    ¡°Can we keep Regirock as our travel friend?¡±


    ¡®If there¡¯s no other alternative. I¡¯d rather not be put in the limelight even more than I already am. Besides, I am a fire type specialist. I haven''t the first clue on how to properly take care of a rock type Pok¨¦mon.¡¯


    Roxanne and I exchanged glances before I hesitantly put forth my own proposition.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just better to have Roxanne look after Regirock for the time being? I¡¯d say she¡¯s the most qualified among the four of us. If it turns out that Regirock would rather not be around any humans even after having gotten to know Roxanne better than we could have it placed in some kind of wildlife reserve like the safari zone.¡±


    ¡°Noooo!¡±


    ¡®You can make friends with Regirock all you like. Nothing is stopping you from teleporting over for playdates at Roxanne¡¯s home. The girl and her team will be staying at Sootopolis City training to beat Juan, so we¡¯ll have plenty of opportunities to hang out.¡¯


    Roxanne seemed overwhelmed at the prospect of catching the legendary Pok¨¦mon herself. Knowing her she¡¯d probably been thinking that Mr. Moore would insist on capturing the Rock Peak Pok¨¦mon himself, but I knew the man better than that. It was a well-known fact among the Lavaridge gym¡¯s staff that he was already planning to retire from the trainer life. Moore hadn¡¯t added any new additions to the gym¡¯s Pok¨¦mon roster for years, focusing most of his spare time mentoring Flannery.


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ yes, I¡¯d like to try making friends with Regirock.¡±


    Dusty seemed disappointed for not receiving the chance to study Regirock with the rest of his colleagues. Mr. Moore on the other hand seemed strangely satisfied with this outcome, his opinions on Roxanne¡¯s capabilities as a trainer have already exceeded that of my own and her friendly relations with his granddaughter were the Cheri berry on top of the proverbial pie.


    ¡°I see, these two have come to a decision and as a third party I have no right to interfere.¡±


    ¡®As if! Something tells me that you¡¯ve been angling for this exact outcome.¡¯


    ¡°The first step to winning the loyalty of any Pok¨¦mon is to defeat them in honorable battle. Prove your worth as a trainer to this Pok¨¦mon who has every right to be distrustful of humans.¡±


    ¡°Ehh!? Can¡¯t I just introduce myself and see where it goes?¡±


    ¡°¡­If you prefer. Make sure to have at least one of your own Pok¨¦mon out to protect you if the exchange of introductions falls flat.¡±


    Heeding Mr. Moore¡¯s advice Roxanne opted to release the ambassador of her team Probopass. The newly materialized Pok¨¦mon worriedly looking on as Roxanne inched closer and closer to the dormant legendary Pok¨¦mon. Once her dominant foot crossed the now defunct seal Regirock¡¯s eyes started glowing bright yellow, a sign that the process of waking up had commenced.


    ¡°Hello, my name is Roxanne. It''s nice to meet you!¡±


    ¡°¨¹N ¨¹N ¨¹N ¨¹N ¨¹N!¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s it saying? Please also translate for Roxanne.¡¯


    ¡°REBOOTING¡­ PLEASE HOLD ON.¡±


    ¡°AAAOOOORRXT¡±


    ¡°HUMANS RECOGNIZED, ENQUIRY: DESIGNATE STATUS.¡±


    ¡°Status? Uhmm¡­ I am a Pok¨¦mon trainer who also works at the Rustburo gym!¡±


    ¡°¨¹N ¨¹N ¨¹N ¨¹N ¨¹N!¡±


    ¡°PROFESSION: TRAINER UNKNOWN. TRESPASSERS NOT ALLOWED, COMMENCE BATTLE PROTOCOL.¡±


    ¡®Oh boy.¡¯


    ¡°Please listen to me! The people who have sealed you away have long passed on! This is your opportunity to decide for yourself!¡±


    Talking it out no longer seemed to be an option but as Regirock moved to engage, Probopass used its two remaining mini noses to move his trainer out of the way. The compass Pok¨¦mon despite not being in the best of conditions was resolved to squaring up against this potential threat to its trainer.


    ¡°This is no time for doubt! Prove your intentions by showcasing the bond between you and your Pok¨¦mon!¡±


    ¡®Mr. Moore being in the battle maniac group as per usual. I guess that¡¯s the minimum for making it as an elite four. Still, he isn¡¯t exactly wrong.¡¯


    ¡°Flash Cannon!¡±


    Probopass¡¯s two remaining mini noses circled together and inside the empty space between them a ray of light formed jam packed with steel type energy. While all of this was happening Regirock¡¯s amber colored face dots turned green flickering on and off like a calculator before eventually Probopass¡¯ Flash Cannon connected hitting Regirock square in the chest. The legendary Pok¨¦mon reaction to being hit by the super effective move was minimal not even being interrupted from performing its calculations.


    ¡®This must be Lock-On; the next move is sure to hit.¡¯


    ¡°No reaction?! Let¡¯s push ourselves to the limit! Steel Beam!¡±


    Steal Beam was a suicidal move that shared many commonalities with it¡¯s lesser cousin Flash Cannon but whereas the latter solely relied on steel type energy Steel Beam actually gathered up iron particulates in the user¡¯s body which are then fired off together with the typed energy. This was extremely draining for steel types because they needed iron to function properly. Using this move was therefore not something one could do twice without fainting their own Pok¨¦mon.


    However, before Probopass could fire off its next move Regirock conjured up a retaliatory move of its own. Regirock lifted its stumpy armlike appendages up while pointing them in Probopass¡¯ direction and between those arms an orange ball of energy formed which I could recognize with but a glimpse.


    ¡®Focus Blast!¡¯


    Focus Blast was notorious for its great power and horrid accuracy causing many trainers to win or lose matches. Since Lock-On was used previously this attack was sure to hit no matter what. Focus Blast was a common enough move now but in an era where technical machines were not available, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder which fighting type took the time to teach Regirock how to perform this move.


    The orange ball of light flew off on its own as if it were a homing projectile, hitting Probopass right on the tip of his large nose. Following the large explosive aftermath, I was expecting to see Probopass knocked out on the floor. There¡¯s no way that wouldn¡¯t be enough to KO a Pok¨¦mon who was both a rock and steel type but contrary to my expectations after the dust had cleared Probopass while worse for wear was still holding on.


    ¡®Probopass¡¯ ability must be Sturdy. No matter how powerful the attack, Sturdy guarantees the user is left standing after the first blow.¡¯


    ¡°You can do it, Nosey!!¡±


    With its trainer¡¯s staunch encouragement, Probopass unleashed his most powerful attack. Blinding white light illuminated the secret chamber as the Steel Beam was unleashed upon Regirock¡¯s unmoving figure.


    This time the impact caused some serious damage, a crack had formed at the point of impact and Regirock was visibly staggering from taking on such a powerful super effective move. On the other hand, the Steel Beam had taken its toll on Probopass, the magnet Pok¨¦mon was completely spent lying prone on the bedrock floor.


    ¡°Return! Go Golem!¡±


    This time Roxanne had decided to call upon a ground type a solid pick as any for facing off against a rock type like Regirock. Her golem was giving Regirock a stare down in an obvious attempt to suss out her opponent, but the legendary rock type Pok¨¦mon remained as inscrutable as ever.


    In the same manner as before Regirock¡¯s orange face dots turned green again signaling its use of the move Lock-On. However, this time Roxanne was prepared to avoid the same outcome.


    ¡°Dig! Hide yourself quickly!¡±


    ¡®Smart! It¡¯ll be hard for Regirock to lock onto Golem while it''s hiding underground.¡¯


    ¡°AAAOOOORRXT¡±


    ¡°EMPLOYING SECONDARY STRATAGEM.¡±


    Purple smoke started billowing off Regirock¡¯s body while it switched to a defensive posture.


    ¡°Is that?! What¡¯s Regirock doing?¡±


    ¡®Curse, when not used by a ghost type this move increases a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s physical attributes in exchange for lowering its speed. No doubt Regirock learned this move to fend off tangible threats like Golem.¡¯


    Not long after that Golem emerged from behind Regirock bashing the legendary Pok¨¦mon¡¯s face in with her body weight. Which again proved to be not very effective despite Golem¡¯s channeling of ground type energy while she did so. Regirock quickly retaliated with a move of its own, its silhouette glowing orange as the legendary Pok¨¦mon got Golem on the backswing.


    ¡°Gooooooo!¡±


    ¡®Superpower, coupled with Curse¡¯s power up was strong enough to break through Golem¡¯s defenses. I was expecting Golem to have also developed the sturdy ability, but Roxanne must have chosen to invest the effort into developing another one of Golem¡¯s possible abilities.¡¯


    Golem laid there completely passed out after receiving a direct hit from a powerful fighting type move.


    ¡°Return! Go Shuckle!¡±


    ¡°Shuckle?!¡± ¡®Shuckle?!¡¯


    What appeared in front of us was either Roxanne¡¯s secret weapon or the start of a cruel joke. The little bug type was a highly socialized creature having quickly gained my team¡¯s approval during their very first meeting. Shuckle got along best with Halo most likely because both of them shared a common bug typing it also helped that the Mold Pok¨¦mon held vast stores of berry juice inside its shell.


    Wild Shuckle are shy creatures who hide themselves underneath rocks or between nooks and crannies. When any predator does eventually manage to uncover them the Shuckle¡¯s shell would keep them safe from being on the menu, and the bug types didn¡¯t mind offering up their berry juice as a token tribute.


    Finding videos or any type of information on expert trainers using Shuckles in battles was difficult. The species as a whole had a dislike for battle, I¡¯d only ever seen one video of an Azalea City trainer using that Pok¨¦mon in a serious competition.


    ¡°Is Shuckle going to be okay?¡± Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡®I can¡¯t tell, but let¡¯s trust Roxanne¡¯s judgement.¡¯


    Shuckle slowly poked its head out of his shell and proceeded to give Regirock a scrutinizing look before¡­


    ¡°Shuckle! Luckle?¡±


    ¡°Hello there friend! Care for some berry juice?¡±


    ¡®Diplomacy at this stage?!¡¯ ¡°Can I have some too?¡±


    ¡°¨¹N ¨¹N ¨¹N ¨¹N ¨¹N!¡±


    ¡°REASSESING THREAT LEVEL; MINIMAL. PROCESSING REQUEST¡­ PEACE OFFERING DEEMED ACCEPTABLE.¡±


    ¡°It WORKED?! Wait, can Regirock even consume liquids?¡±


    Roxanne didn¡¯t seem as baffled as the rest of us, seeing as she pulled out a cocktail shaker out of nowhere before handing over the receptacle to Shuckle who promptly filled it with the berry juice it had stored within its portable home shell. Shuckle handed the filled shaker back to Roxanne who proceeded to place a filter on top before pouring the berry juice inside a porcelain cup.


    ¡°Regirock...uhmm here you go. Would you like something else with that? I carry with me all sorts of mineral supplements.¡±


    Regirock accepted the cup and used its fingerless limbs to splash the contents


    ¡°AAAOOOORRXT¡±


    ¡°HUMAN PLEASE STATE REASON FOR TRESPASSING.¡±


    So that¡¯s what Roxanne did, explaining the entire process of first finding the engraved tablet followed up by breaking into the ruins and solving the puzzle which granted us access to this secret chamber. While this was happening all of us got the chance to simmer down after seeing Regirock remain placid for the entire duration of Roxanne¡¯s story. When Roxanne got to the part of explaining the reasoning behind why the ancient humans decided to imprison Regirock we got a glimpse of the emotional being that was hiding underneath its cold calculating exterior.


    ¡°¨¹N ¨¹N ¨¹N ¨¹N ¨¹N!¡±


    ¡°DOES NOT UNDERSTAND! FOLLOWED COMMANDS ACCURATELY.¡±


    I suppressed my urgent need to assuage Regirock¡¯s insecurities regarding the ancient humans whose settlement he once guarded. Stepping in now might screw up Roxanne¡¯s chances of making friends with the legendary Pok¨¦mon. In contrast Victini could no longer contain herself, the rabbit Pok¨¦mon did away with her concealment and floated up towards the hurt and confused Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault!¡±


    ¡°¡­AAUOOOOOO?¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi! Vi.¡± ¡°Ancient humans are all dummies who only think about survival and nothing else! Modern humans like Roxanne are kind and loving to all Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    Victini¡¯s outburst was shared with all of those who were present including Roxanne. Who after hearing Victini praising her quickly turned red from embarrassment.


    ¡°AAAOOOORT?¡±


    ¡°NEED NEW OBJECTIVE: INPUT?¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi Vi! Tini.¡± ¡°Find a human partner who will share all his berries with you! Traveling together, making friends and experiencing all the sights of this beautiful world.¡±


    Regirock took an auspicious amount of time to process Victini¡¯s feedback but eventually the seven dots on its face lit up. The legendary titan turned towards Roxanne, the first human it encountered since waking up from its ages old slumber.


    ¡°REQUESTING COMPANIONSHIP, RETURN OFFER: PROTECTION FROM BRIGANDS AND PREDATION.¡±


    ¡°Yes! But uhmm we don¡¯t have many dangerous brigands running around these days.¡±


    Roxanne, eager to close the deal, pulled out a heavy ball. The sleek metallic design caught my eye immediately.


    ¡°This is a pok¨¦ ball. We humans use them to carry our Pok¨¦mon partners with us wherever we go. Would you allow me the privilege of capturing you Regirock?¡±


    ¡°¨¹N ¨¹N.¡±


    ¡°AFFIRMATIVE.¡±


    ¡°Go Heavy Ball!¡±


    Roxanne demonstrated her pitching skills accurately, letting the thrown ball fall on Regirock¡¯s head after which the rock titan was sucked up inside. The damage dealt to Regirock during Roxanne¡¯s battle with it wasn¡¯t in any way extensive but coupled with Regirock¡¯s permission she should have no trouble catching the legendary Pok¨¦mon on the first try.


    The heavy ball shuddered only a single time before confirming the capture, letting out signature noise all pok¨¦ balls made following a successful capture. Once the capture was confirmed we all sighed a breath of relief, a moment of silence followed to commemorate this special moment.


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Do the thing!¡±


    ¡°Ehh? The thing?¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°The special pose all trainers make when capturing a new partner! Egon does it every time we make a new friend! Like this!¡±


    Victini whirled around in the air before finishing off with a cutesy victory pose. She had learned much over our long period of traveling together.


    ¡®That was an amazing demonstration Tini, I couldn¡¯t be prouder of you!¡¯


    Contrary to my enthusiasm both Dusty and Mr. Moore gave Victini a puzzled look but Roxanne seemed to get the special importance of the capture pose. Signified by her awkwardly trying to imitate Victini¡¯s expert twirl before eventually striking the signature pose.


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good! Not as expertly done as mine but it¡¯s the thought that counts!¡±


    It was at this moment that both Mr. Moore and Dusty felt comfortable enough to close distance and join in on the merrymaking. The Paleontologist seemed fascinated by Victini, the Pok¨¦mon we¡¯ve kept hidden from him until now. Mr. Moore had other plans, sharing his thoughts with us after witnessing Roxanne¡¯s efforts battling against Regirock.


    ¡°This Regirock seemed a good deal weaker than Brandon''s, undoubtedly being trapped inside this place for so long has affected its overall strength. It¡¯s a good thing that you caught Regirock with that heavy ball. Custom ordered from Azalea Town I presume?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my parents gave this to me as a going away gift for my journey.¡±


    ¡°Good, since that is an artisanal foreign ball it won¡¯t have any tracking software installed. That means you get to be the one that decides when the world learns of Regirock¡¯s existence. Egon, it will be your responsibility to guide Roxanne on the ins and outs of keeping the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s anonymity. Now, with the matter of Regirock having been settled we¡¯ll need to discuss how to distribute the earnings of this venture fairly among all parties.¡±


    ¡°Earnings?!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, in cases such as this one the league association reserves the right to lay claim on any of the historical artifacts found within its borders. However, it will compensate the discoverers of such items with half their monetary value.¡±


    ¡°Wait, that means!!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up. By the look of that first chamber, split four ways it amounts to little more than vacation money.¡±


    ¡°Four ways?!¡±


    ¡°Surely, you don¡¯t think you can call me in for every situation without giving the gym its due?¡±


    ¡°No, maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°Excuse me sir, I¡¯d like it if Egon takes my share!¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you desire.¡±


    ¡°Roxanne!?¡±


    ¡°The Professor¡¯s partner found the engraved tablet, while Egon¡¯s expertise correctly deciphered the artifact and furthermore, he even helped us get past the barrier and the ensuing cryptograph. In comparison I¡¯ve brought nothing of worth to the team.¡±


    When she put things like that, I couldn¡¯t really argue against the point she was making, and I did need the extra money. Still, I didn¡¯t like it when Roxanne put herself down like that. She did help us by safely capturing Regirock, both my and Mr. Moore¡¯s team consisted of only fire types. If it came down to it, I couldn¡¯t guarantee either myself or him winning against a legendary rock type Pok¨¦mon inside its home territory.


    ¡°Don¡¯t put yourself down like that Roxy. In just a few short hours we¡¯ll have to rely on your Pok¨¦mon to get where we need to go on time. Not to mention anything else that might come up while we are climbing that tower. Actually, we should probably get some sleep in, it is already way past my bedtime.¡±


    For a while there I thought I had screwed up by even mentioning the mirage tower in Dusty¡¯s presence, but the old paleontologist seemed to be too engrossed by his surroundings to even pay attention to our conversation. The old man kept busy by taking pictures of the ancient wall paintings that furnished this chamber. Now that our business had concluded I figured Mr. Moore no longer had any reason to stick around but my boss seemed to have other plans.


    ¡°You¡¯re staying?!¡±


    ¡°At least until the bozos from the league association get here. I¡¯ve already informed my people on the inside to come and secure this place. They should be here tomorrow afternoon.¡±


    <hr>


    The following morning*


    The sound of my Xtransceiver alarm app woke us up early the next morning much to the chagrin of those who had made camp with us. To avoid the desert raging outside we all decided as a group to spend the night inside the desert ruins. Mr. Moore¡¯s foresight to bring his own camping supplies saved all of us from the prospect of sharing our tents with the elderly man.


    I quickly moved to shut off the sound of my alarm and proceeded to open the zipper of my personal tent. None of my team members were out and about since all of them had unanimously agreed to spend the night inside their pok¨¦ balls preferring that over the cold rocky floor of the desert ruin. The moment I crawled out of my tent I was greeted by the sight of Roxanne sitting all by herself eating a ration bar. The older gentlemen of our party having spent the night going over our shared loot were still tuckered out in bed despite my alarm going off.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°¡­So how have you been holding up?¡±


    ¡°I want to make friends with Regirock but I don¡¯t know if¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯ve already demonstrated your capabilities as a trainer despite Regirock probably having never met one before until now. After you and I finish up at the Mirage Tower, we¡¯ll make a quick visit to the Lavaridge gym. There you can spend as much time as you need getting to know Regirock better.¡±


    It was at this moment that Roxanne¡¯s Pok¨¦gear alerted us of an incoming call. Which she quickly answered, I didn¡¯t need precognition to figure out that it was Birch¡¯s lab calling her to discuss the matter of her Pok¨¦dex scanning a Regirock that wasn¡¯t Brandon¡¯s.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Roxanne! When I woke up this morning we couldn¡¯t help but notice a certain anomaly being picked up by the Pok¨¦dex. Did you encounter the legendary Pok¨¦mon Regirock last night!?¡±


    I could recognize the voice of Joshua professor Birch¡¯s assistant on the other line.


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ Yes?¡±


    ¡®As I thought, she¡¯s too strait-laced to attempt an obfuscation.¡¯


    ¡°Really?! It says here that the scan was made inside the desert of route 111. Please tell me all about this mystical encounter!¡±


    ¡°Could we have this discussion another time? I am currently navigating through an active sandstorm.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­ but make sure to call us back as soon as possible! The discovery of such a rare Pok¨¦mon would be tremendous for the lab¡¯s prestige!¡±


    Turning off her pok¨¦gear she shoved the communication device back where it came from before attempting to continue our previous conversation.


    ¡°I almost forgot about the fact that you are a lab sponsored trainer. Aren¡¯t you legally obligated to tell them pretty much everything?¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ but there¡¯s too much going on right now. I¡¯ll tell them after we arrive at Flannery¡¯s place.¡±


    An old croaky voice joined in on the conversation emanating from Mr. Moore¡¯s closed up tent.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, girly. By all my accounts Birch seems to be a stand-up fellow. He¡¯ll certainly request for the chance to have Regirock be examined but that¡¯s about it. He¡¯ll be sure to reprimand any of his overeager lab assistants looking to make a name for themselves.¡±


    During my heart to heart with Roxanne another figure decided to join in disregarding conventional manners. My own workplace¡¯s head honcho. Mr. Moore seemed to have been listening in on our conversation from the insides of his own tent. I felt a bit miffed from being interrupted again but I couldn¡¯t help but let it slide after realizing it was a bit too much to expect that a war veteran like him would just sleep through me and Roxanne whispering.


    ¡°Good morning, leader Moore!¡±


    ¡°Just call me Grandpa Tim, as Flannery¡¯s friend you¡¯ve earned that right.¡±


    ¡®What the?!¡¯ ¡°Can I do so as well?¡±


    ¡°No! The gym¡¯s staff workers still have to call me with the proper form of address. Like it or not I am still your supervisor.¡±


    ¡°Got it Sir.¡±


    ¡°Now, how come the two of you are up so early?¡±


    Roxanne was first to answer the old man¡¯s query.


    ¡°We are set to explore the infamous Mirage Tower, Egon¡¯s initial purpose for bringing me along was to go treasure hunting.¡±


    ¡°Hmm the Mirage Tower eh? Make sure to keep your wits about you at all times. Many a trainer have been looking for that damned tower to the detriment of their own health. Keep track of time and make sure to return to this base camp before the sun reaches its zenith. That¡¯s when the association¡¯s bozos will arrive to canvas the ruins.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Dusty saw Victini the other day. Could you perhaps request him to keep silent about her? I would have done so myself, but it was way past my bedtime, and we had to get up early in the morning.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him about it, just don¡¯t get your hopes up. Eggheads like him can¡¯t help but brag about new discoveries especially so with similarly minded colleagues.¡±


    <hr>


    Near the Mirage Tower*


    We had left our base camp behind and navigated ourselves back to that same spot where we buried one of Probopass¡¯es mini noses. Roxanne¡¯s Pok¨¦mon being of great help as Onix provided our means of transportation while Probopass guided us to the missing part of his body with its acute senses. In almost no time at all we managed to reach our target destination just as the sun was starting to come up.


    ¡°Woow!¡± ¡°Amazing!¡±


    What greeted us there was a giant structure completely made out of hardened sand. It bore striking similarities with the architecture present at the relic castle. Which all but confirmed for me this structure¡¯s unlikely origins.


    ¡®Tini, can you sense any baltoy or claydol around? Only psychic and ground types like them working in tandem could produce such a work of wonder.¡¯


    ¡°Maybe? I don¡¯t know. It feels like the energy that¡¯s holding the tower together doesn¡¯t do so with express intent.¡±


    After ruminating on Victini¡¯s observation for a bit I decided that it ultimately didn¡¯t matter if Pok¨¦mon were responsible for spawning this tower. As long as our reward for scaling this tower was still safely kept at the uppermost floor.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to be fast without damaging the structural integrity of the tower. I don¡¯t fancy myself being buried beneath all that sand if and when the tower collapses.¡±


    ¡°¡­Egon?¡±


    ¡°I can go get the items we are looking for and if it¡¯s too dangerous, teleport outside. Flying over the quicksand and other traps would be a cinch for me!¡±


    ¡®Well¡­ But¡­ Exploring a world wonder like this one is a man¡¯s romance!¡¯


    ¡°I know that look. What are you and Victini talking about?¡±


    Roxanne growing curious as to the topic of our mental discussion poked my shoulder to have it be known that she did mind being left out.


    ¡°Victini is confident of being able to safely extract the fossils without our help. However, I am curious as to what the insides of this place look like.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s logical but I think I¡¯ve got a solution!¡±

 Chapter 74 – Fossil Party

    Chapter 74 ¨C Fossil Party


    The three of us made our way inside the hardened sand tower expecting to see a ground floor free of occupants due to the tower¡¯s transitory nature but we came to find out that was not the case. The entire base floor was covered in shades of red and orange as the squatters who managed to sneak inside before us were busy animatedly celebrating for one reason or another.


    ¡°Egon¡­¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi?!¡± ¡°My powers are all weird! I can¡¯t levitate?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, this could be a problem.¡±


    Trapinch as far as my eyes could see filled the room and judging by their incessant chirping they weren¡¯t having a bad time of it. The only place inside the room that was absent of party goers and coincidentally also the place we needed to get to were the revolving stairs leading to the next level. Victini was forced aground undoubtedly because at least a good handful of these Trapinch had trained up their Arena Trap ability which was an undoubtedly useful ability to have for sand predators like these. The only Pok¨¦mon that are immune to the effects of said ability are flying types and Levitate users.


    ¡®Victini¡¯s plan to go ahead and scout out the upper floors is a bust and with this many trapinch we can¡¯t battle our way through. Diplomacy it is then, Tini could you mentally link up with that big Trapinch over there?¡¯


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°In nature it is often the case that the biggest one is often made the leader by default. If we could get the big one¡¯s approval, we¡¯ll be able to get past this crowd unmolested.¡±


    ¡°Big doesn¡¯t mean strong!¡±


    ¡°Humans do this as well. If you visit large companies, you¡¯ll quickly notice that the CEO or manager is typically the tallest person in the building.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t wrong, a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s size usually doesn¡¯t have anything to do with battle strength aside from moves that capitalized on a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s weight like Heat Crash or Heavy Slam. However, the psychological effect of facing off against a larger opponent still applied in most cases.


    Following my instructions Victini established a mind link with the big Trapinch and attempted to coax the antlion Pok¨¦mon into coming our way for a parley session. Her efforts proved successful, when I saw the Trapinch in question flinch for a brief moment, look at us standing near the entrance and waddling over, its second in command following closely behind.


    ¡°Pinch?¡± ¡°What do you mooks want?¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi?¡± ¡°We would like to ascend the tower. Could we go up without drawing the ire of this colony?¡±


    ¡°Pinch¡­¡± ¡°This is a private party you¡¯ll have to make it worth our while¡­¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi?¡± ¡°I love parties! What¡¯s the occasion?¡±


    ¡°Pinch! Pinch.¡± ¡°This is our annual Evolution festival! It¡¯s the last chance for some of us to say goodbye to close friends before they fly off to greener pastures.¡±


    It was at this point I joined the conversation. Evolution festivals are a rare phenomenon for wild Pok¨¦mon. The ability to time an evolution ignoring the individual differences between maturity and battle experiences of the group is still a mystery scientists ponder over to this day.


    ¡°Trapinch, do you reckon all of you will turn into Vibrava today?¡±


    ¡°Pinch Pinch.¡± ¡°Not even close. I got left behind last year, lost a few good comrades that day.¡±


    It was at this time that the big Trapinch¡¯s followers made a commotion. Something about its behavior seemed familiar to me but I couldn¡¯t quite lay my finger on what. Victini, the helpful translator, felt my curiosity peaking and decided to translate the other one¡¯s words as well.


    ¡°Pinch Pinch!¡± ¡°I know these mooks, big sis! The red headed boy is loaded with berries!¡±


    ¡®Wait could it be¡­!?¡¯


    ¡°You are the Pok¨¦mon who told us about this place yesterday. The one who made off with four berries!¡±


    ¡°Pinch. Pinch?¡± ¡°And I¡¯ll make off with some more if you know what¡¯s good for you. Hand over the bag, that''s where you keep all those juicy berries, right?¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°This Trapinch is bad news. Now that we¡¯re already here there¡¯s no way you¡¯ll get any more of my berries!¡±


    ¡°Pinch Pinch.¡± ¡°There are dozens of us here. If you want to battle, go ahead and try.¡±


    The big Trapinch watched all of this go down and it seemed like she had heard enough. Turning around she clamped down with a powerful Crunch attack against her unruly subordinate holding him in place.


    ¡°Pinch! Pinch?!¡± ¡°Big sis! Why?!¡±


    ¡°Pinch Traa Pinch! Pinch?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve shamed the colony. When one wants something, they prove their worthiness by battling for it in honorable combat. How can I trust you to take over after me if you forget something as basic as that?¡±


    ¡°Pinch!! Pinch!¡± ¡°I am sorry!! Those berries just tasted so much better than our usual fare!¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you get for being a bully!¡±


    As amusing as it was watching the Trapinch that scammed us get his proper punishment I knew that we were running short on time. It wouldn¡¯t be long before this tower collapsed in on itself which would spell bad news for any Pok¨¦mon that wasn¡¯t a ground type.


    ¡°Sorry again for interrupting but what would convince you to let us pass to upper levels?¡±


    ¡°Pinch Pinch.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need all the nutrients we can get for the old timers that are ready to evolve. We¡¯ll happily accept anything you can spare.¡±


    The friendly manner in which the female Trapinch asked for our contribution spurred me to accept her request. Roxanne who had been quietly listening in on the conversation having already been informed by Victini was actually the faster one at opening her backpack and digging around for some scrumptious treats. Even if most of her Pok¨¦mon didn¡¯t eat berries it was standard practice for every trainer to bring treats while traveling along the routes. Aggressive wild Pok¨¦mon are in most cases easily mollified with a tribute of berries and some head pats.


    Roxanne and myself eventually found what we were looking for. The rock type specialist opened up an old-fashioned tin containing six berries all of them the type that held restorative properties for common battle afflictions while I myself handed over Victini¡¯s entire stash of Lava cookies. It wasn¡¯t much, only four were left after she lechonked out last night but coupled with Roxanne¡¯s offering it should be enough to provide for the colony¡¯s needs. Big sis trapinch took one whiff off our assembled snacks before chirping excitedly.


    ¡°This should be plenty! Thank you very much strangers, from now on the three of you are always welcome to come visit our dens.¡±


    The leader directed her smaller subordinates to partake in the offered food. Making sure that the ones who actually had a chance at evolving got first dibs. They ate with a ravenous hunger until all of the offered food was expended. Her second in command who had gotten a stern talking to was left out as a punishment for his earlier actions.


    ¡°Feel free to proceed onwards. The colony has been informed to suppress their trapping abilities so the three of you should be free to leave our presence unhindered.¡±


    Victini who had so far been grounded to the sandy floor tested Trapinch¡¯s assertions and was happily relieved to find out she was no longer earthbound. I was fairly sure that walking on the floor must have been a huge pain for a Pok¨¦mon who for all of her life has been able to float to get from point A to B.


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°No more walking! Whoopee!¡±


    The colony of Trapinch cleared out the path leading to the upper floors but before we could make our way through their leader gave us one final piece of advice.


    ¡°As one ascends the ephemeral traps increase in number. Obstacles can be blown away but make sure to avoid treading on quicksand lest you fall through the floor and injure yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Quicksand¡­ this could spell trouble. We¡¯ll need a forward scout who can escape such hazards, a ground type ideally.¡°


    ¡°I only have Golem and Onix with me¡­¡±


    The both of us didn¡¯t even need to discuss the viability of those two Pok¨¦mon in this type of situation. One was too heavy and could possibly just sink through the hardened sand floors outright while Onix was far too large to be housed inside the tower.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it my way! Whenever we make it to the next floor I¡¯ll scout ahead for the next staircase and teleport the two of you past the obstacles.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too much? As I recall you only have around twenty times worth of short distance teleports in the gas tank.¡±


    ¡°That was then, this is now!¡±


    ¡°If you are sure¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Sixth floor Mirage Tower*


    Despite following Victini¡¯s proposed plans there were still a few obstacles our group had to contend with while climbing the Mirage Tower. The layouts of all the subsequent levels differed greatly each and every single one of them posed some new obstacle that Victini had to overcome. Entire corridors being blocked by fake walls that had to be broken with the precise amount of strength required, wild nests of sandshrew and sandslash that got pulled up out of the ground with the tower¡¯s rise that had to be appeased or battled to safely gain entry to the staircases. By my estimate we spent near two hours getting to the top. The time splurged making me anxiously question if we were going to make it in time before the tower¡¯s eventual disappearing act.


    The final floor was more open than the previous ones and the tower¡¯s large supporting pillar turned out to not reach all the way to the ceiling acting as a platform of sorts. Victini wasted no time teleporting us on top of the platform where we came face to face with something quite miraculous to behold. The pillar turned out to not be one solid mass, soft sand filtered and flowed out from where we were currently standing. The excess sand flowing out from the top was then absorbed into the tower''s mass no doubt forming the base component of this building.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Egon! Look!¡±


    Quickly looking to where Roxanne was pointing, I could make out two objects drifting on top of the surging sand. Both pristine examples of metamorphic rock which typically form from being buried deep beneath multiple sediment layers.


    ¡°The odds of those types of stones housing intact fossils are not insignificant. Let¡¯s retrieve those and get out of here.¡±


    ¡®Those fossils must act as some form of reward for any humans that manage to get past the tower¡¯s trials. Tini, could you telekinetically grab both of them at the same time? I worry that the Tower will only allow us to grab a hold of one of them before making the other sink.¡¯


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Leave it to me!¡±


    With practiced motion Victini used Confusion to levitate both fossils at the same time. The very moment she did so the sand stream¡¯s flow stopped and reversed in on itself slowly draining the surrounding sand and sucking up the tower¡¯s hardened sand ceiling. Wasting no time, Victini directed the two objects to float into the hands of Roxanne and myself, grabbing hold of it without giving it a proper inspection I promptly stuffed it into my backpack. Roxanne did much the same with her own fossil.


    ¡°The sand¡¯s flow is now reversed; it won¡¯t take long until the tower collapses. Let¡¯s get out while we still can!¡±


    Once our bounty was secured Victini grabbed ahold of the both of us and without a moment¡¯s notice we found ourselves back inside the now unsealed desert ruins. I was expecting to see a now wide-awake and active Mr. Moore and Dusty looking after the artifacts holed up in the first chamber but instead we came upon a group of people in white coats cataloguing and collecting anything and everything. Victini was quick enough to take advantage of the dimly lit room to quickly turn herself invisible before the whitecoats spotted her.


    ¡°What are children doing here?! This is a restricted area!¡±


    ¡°Calm down Hector, these two helped discover these ruins in the first place.¡±


    Mr. Moore¡¯s familiar voice rang out from the outside before the actual man himself stepped inside. If everything went as planned the three of us should be off towards Lavaridge right about now but it seemed to me like another matter had been brought up which we now needed to address.


    ¡°These two are the ones? Good, follow me we stored everything that is devoid of historical value in the back chamber.¡±


    ¡°Uhm sir? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Hector here has found a handful of items that due to their nature the league would not be interested in acquiring, leaving us the sole proprietors. Dusty has already claimed a container filled with rock incense for his own enjoyment. So now it¡¯s up to the three of us to divide up the rest of the spoils.¡±


    ¡°Rock Incense? That¡¯s a must have for breeders. It¡¯s nearly impossible for a trainer owned Sudowoodo to propagate without it. It also has various health benefits for rock types in general.¡±


    Roxanne couldn¡¯t hide the smidgen of jealousy she felt for missing out on such a valuable rock type specialist commodity. Even though she had already agreed to let me have her share of the monetary gains. That didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t pick out a souvenir of the items deemed to have no historical value.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright lass there¡¯s plenty of stuff left aside for the three of us.¡±


    Mr. Moore guided our little group to a cordoned off section of the ruin where the league¡¯s staff had brought in two tables and eight plastic chairs. The whitecoats were nowhere to be seen but sitting there nursing a warm cup of tea was a tall blonde man wearing sturdy looking orange and black clothing. I didn¡¯t need anyone to tell me that this person was a Hoenn certified ranger.


    ¡°Elite Moore sir?¡±


    ¡°Sebastian, could you bring out the miscellaneous items? You know, the ones that the eggheads deemed unimportant.¡±


    ¡°Right away.¡±


    The ranger brought out his own backpack and started fishing out items and lining them up on one of the tables. I was surprised by the number of items the researchers deemed ¡°useless¡±.  Two Hard Stones, one Smooth Rock, one Float stone, an Everstone and also a type of mineral that looked a lot like obsidian but held a sharp cutting edge.


    ¡°As a Licensed Pok¨¦mon trainer you should be able to identify almost all of these items at a glance. I¡¯ll let the two of you take first pickings.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Tim, isn''t that item some sort of ancient axe head?¡±


    ¡°No dear, that¡¯s a naturally occurring piece of stone called Black Augurite. It can only be mined inside Mt. Coronet in the Sinnoh region. It has indeed been used as a component for primitive weapons but nowadays due to its widespread abundance Black Augurite cannot even garner the interest of collectors. Even its shape is nothing remarkable; the mineral itself is found just like that when it¡¯s pulled out of the ground.¡±


    Victini, having long since combed through all of my memories, recognized the evolutionary item and quickly tried coming up with a scheme to increase our berry supply funds.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­? Can¡¯t we hook up Juniper with this sample and a discovery report for a bonus allowance?¡±


    ¡®We could¡­but Everstones are an even rarer find. There¡¯s also a global scarcity because of its many uses in every Pok¨¦mon sector. I can already tell that if I don¡¯t pick the Everstone as my first choice Mr. Moore will swipe it for the gym¡¯s own use.¡¯


    Roxanne was pleasantly surprised by the wide selection of items pertinent for training rock type Pok¨¦mon. Hard Stones are a rock type favorite, and a Smooth Rock would be a boon for any battling not following the league¡¯s basic circuit rulings. So, I wasn¡¯t surprised when the girl wasted no time picking out the Smooth Rock as her first choice, confident that us fire type trainers would have little to no interest in acquiring such an item. Now that Roxanne finished getting her pick of the litter my hand was already automatically inching towards the Everstone before a sound could be heard from behind my back.


    ¡°Ehem! That Everstone would for sure come in handy at the gym. Staff worker Egon.¡±


    ¡®This Geezer¡­! That¡¯s it! Next year I am dropping his sponsorship and quitting my job!¡¯


    Against my will the hand that had been moving towards the Everstone shifted until it was laid across the Black Augurite. A small part of me wanted to avoid making any more waves in the scientific community but the biggest reason I didn¡¯t want to pick up the Black Augurite is because I wanted to avoid having to do any more paperwork. I couldn¡¯t just send this thing off to Professor Juniper with a small notice explaining Scyther¡¯s offshoot evolution. Especially not after Juniper praised my previous scientific report and its eye for details.


    When it came to be Mr. Moore¡¯s turn, he predictably went for the Everstone leaving us two hardstones and a floatstone to be divided amongst ourselves. I didn¡¯t have any use for those stones, so I decided to let Roxanne keep all of them. Float Stones were fairly rare, but their usage was limited and the resale value of Hard Stones wasn¡¯t particularly impressive either. So, with no sweat off my back I told Roxanne to take them for her own uses.


    As we were opening up our bags to stuff in our new stones Roxanne and myself couldn¡¯t help but pull out our fossils to give them a closer look, perhaps even identify the Pok¨¦mon they used to belong to. Hers held the outer shape of a single digit pincer while my own consisted of a type of flora closely resembling some variety of tulip. Sebastian the ranger and Mr. Moore curiously watching us as we examined our respective bounties.


    ¡°Roxy¡­ it seems like I¡¯ve gotten a Root fossil.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ve gotten a Claw fossil¡­¡±


    I¡¯ve been promoting all the advantages of having a Lileep on a rock type team like Roxanne¡¯s and since I was only interested in the monetary value of these fossils my next offer seemed like a no brainer to me.


    ¡°Do you want to trade mine for yours?¡±


    ¡°You would really?!¡±


    ¡°Sure, it wasn¡¯t like I was planning on resurrecting a Lileep in the first place. I am a single type kind of guy.¡±


    The both of us exchanged fossils myself receiving Roxanne¡¯s Claw fossil while I gifted her my Root Fossil. While this was going on Mr. Moore thought it was finally time to address the Copperajah in the room.


    ¡°I see¡­ the two of you experienced major success while out on your little excursion. What¡¯s that you just told her? Something about resurrecting these fossilized Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    ¡°I keep up with all the latest scientific breakthroughs. It won¡¯t be long until laboratories regionwide start offering resurrection services. All sorts of extinct Pok¨¦mon will be coming back to life, the significance of this only surpassed by the invention of the pok¨¦ ball.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, it seems my youngest gym trainer has been taken in by wayward propaganda.¡±


    Sebastian the ranger was quick to argue my case in front of his superior. Unlike my elderly boss this man actually kept track of all the new developments happening in the background.


    ¡°Actually sir, I¡¯ve read about this as well. The Rustburo Gazette published an article about this recently.¡±


    As Sebastian was explaining the details to Mr. Moore Dusty who had been up until now been busy nerding out over the discovered artifacts with the other whitecoats came to join our little group clearly interested in what was going on.


    ¡°Oh my! To think two bright eyed hobbyists would prove successful where I failed! Roxanne and Egon would you terribly mind if I got a closer look at these amazing fossils?¡±


    Not seeing any reason to deny such an innocuous request both Roxanne and I let the old Paleontologist have a go at our fossils. Having an expert such as himself evaluate our recent winnings for free without having to hire a professional to do so could be helpful to me, the person who was actually planning to sell the fossil to the highest bidder.


    ¡°I see, I see, this confirms my theory that Hoenn is only a recent addition to the world¡¯s relative landmass.¡±


    Roxanne, fairly interested in such topics, humored the Paleontologist.


    ¡°How come?¡±


    ¡°Both these fossils are of ancient Pok¨¦mon who lived on the bottom of the sea. The two of you finding them here in a desert of all places proves that Hoenn was created relatively recently and not by means of continental drift.¡±


    ¡®Hoenn is situated atop a massive hotspot, Mt. Chimney is the largest active Volcano in the world, anyone could¡¯ve told her that.¡¯


    Dusty continued with his observations even bringing out a well-worn brush, a cheap looking plastic spoon and proceeded to remove the excess detritus. This went on for about fifteen minutes until the old man was finally satisfied with the preliminary findings.


    ¡°Both of these are A grade fossils! The perfect additions to any burgeoning collection. Say¡­ would the two of you be interested in trading for these?¡±


    ¡°No thank you Professor.¡±


    Roxanne, as expected, was quick to refuse Dusty¡¯s offer. In stark contrast I was quite willing to hear him out especially if this trade he was talking about meant me being one step closer to complete emancipation from my crotchety boss.


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ if you are looking for a sizable monetary exchange I would have to disappoint you. All the money I make goes right back to the upkeep of my collection.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no biggie Professor. Would you know of any other collectors with the means of purchasing a Claw fossil for a suitable price?¡±


    ¡°Now hold on a second! You haven¡¯t even heard out my offer!¡±


    ¡°Go on¡­¡±


    ¡°This Claw fossil is one of the key components I am missing to round out my collection. What say I give you a different fossil in exchange. One that¡¯s even harder to find around these parts. You saw all the photos in my album, right? Do any of the fossils in there hold your interest?¡±


    ¡®There aren¡¯t any fire type fossil Pok¨¦mon that I know of¡­ Still, Zinnia¡¯s ninth birthday is next week. This will be the first time ever that I am not going to be there with her to celebrate. Even if it¡¯s delayed, gifting Zinnia one of those Jaw fossils would be a sure-fire way to earn her forgiveness for missing out.¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯d like one of your Jaw fossils in exchange. Could you send one over to my home address?¡±


    ¡°Splendid! An excellent choice, I¡¯ll have my personal assistant back at the University send it over via the mail.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of risky? I¡¯ve voyaged on cargo ships before, those machoke are not at all gentle with the packages.¡±


    ¡°When shipping valuable fossils, we always make sure that it¡¯s insured twice over. You have nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t think anyone would try to renege on a deal like this. Especially not with an Elite Four member as a witness.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯ve got yourself a deal Dusty.¡±


    <hr>


    Later at Lavaridge Town*


    After handing over my hard-won Claw Fossil to Dusty our group decided that it was finally time to depart the desert ruins and head towards Lavaridge Town. Naturally as the only one with a teleporting partner on his team it fell to Victini and I to transport the rest of our party. Dusty declined our offer to join up heading back out to civilization, determined to find at least one more Root fossil to complete his personal collection. The man did attempt to grill us for more information on where we found our fossils in the first place. Astutely, Roxanne and I had already come to an agreement should the topic of conversation head towards that direction. It would be unwise for either of us to share knowledge on the tower to third parties in case we ever want to check for more fossils in the future.


    Having said our goodbyes to the league personnel and Dusty, we distanced ourselves from any potential onlookers before Victini grabbed the three of us and teleported us on over to my family home. It was at that point we split up. Roxanne followed Mr. Moore back to the gym to keep her promise to Flannery while I went in another direction to visit the family store. It went without saying that my grandparents were pleasantly surprised to see me. My Grandpa was busy dealing with customers but upon noticing me quickly waved me to go towards the back so I could let grandma know of my arrival.


    ¡°Grandma? I¡¯ve come to visit.¡±


    ¡°Egon! We weren¡¯t expecting you! I almost hit you with my spatula!¡±


    ¡°Shuckle Luckle!¡±


    The Shuckle that I had caught at the safari zone was sunbathing nearest to the kitchen window and gave me a casual greeting. I had no doubts that the bug and rock type was fermenting some of my grandma¡¯s secret concoctions inside its home shell.


    ¡°You¡¯re a mess. What have you been up to?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯ve just come out of the route 111 desert. We made a big discovery for the league and the rest of my journey is basically paid for so that¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°Go home and take a shower! You can tell me all about it after you stop trekking sand all over my clean floors!¡±

 Chapter 75 - Catching Up

    Chapter 75 - Catching Up


    Here I was, back home. The place where I spent most of my childhood. The house wasn¡¯t as dreary looking compared to the last time we came here. My grandparents¡¯ distress from having Zinnia taken away had started to wane and with the shop¡¯s business booming they had little time to think about something they couldn¡¯t control. The first thing I did was release my partners from their balls, having been stuck inside them for most of the day, I was sure they would appreciate being able to stretch their legs. The team dispersed quickly, finding their favorite basking spots in the garden and behind the windowsill. The only one who didn¡¯t was my newest team member. Raven, the big lovable hellhound that she is, was sniffing the air as if looking for something or someone.


    ¡°This is my home Raven so just make yourself comfortable.¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, you want to go looking for the other members of your old pack at the gym?¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go there in a bit. I just have to introduce you to the members of my family first. The shop¡¯s already closing so my old folks should be back home shortly. Grandpa just loves canine Pok¨¦mon, get in good with him and you¡¯ll have free berries for life.¡±


    ¡°Nineee!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are considered to be a canine as well Rena. However, we both know what type of Pok¨¦mon species I was truly talking about.¡±


    Giving me a small huff the fox Pok¨¦mon went back to lounging on the nearby couch. I could tell that Rena was eager to show her new form to Grandpa Ralph and Grandma Sylvia.


    ¡®She was always Grandpa¡¯s favorite. Perhaps the addition of Raven to our household made her insecure about her own position.¡¯


    ¡°She¡¯s right for the wrong reason, because I am everybody¡¯s favorite now!¡±


    ¡®Sure, sure.¡¯


    Walking up the stairs I removed my backpack and clothes and jumped under the shower. It felt good getting all the clumped-up sand and body sweat off my body and when I emerged out of(from) the bathroom, I felt like a million pok¨¦dollars. While I was drying off I could hear the sound of the front door opening signaling that my grandparents had returned from the workplace. Followed by enthusiastic greeting from my entire Pok¨¦mon team growing curious I decided to listen in on what was happening downstairs.


    ¡°Rena darling you¡¯ve grown giant! And who is this gorgeous pooch?¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡± ¡°Ninee!¡±


    ¡°Little Egon sure has good taste in Pok¨¦mon! Come here and let grandpa have a closer look at the both of you.¡±


    ¡°Be careful Ralph that Houndoom might not be fully trained yet.¡±


    ¡°Who is the one that trained K9 dog Pok¨¦mon for the police? Trust me this one is as harmless as a skitty.¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi!¡±


    ¡°Victini! it¡¯s nice seeing you too! Don¡¯t mind my addling husband, what say you and I go get dinner ready?¡±


    No doubt feeling defeated from not getting attention from Grandpa, Victini instead opted to focus her efforts on getting Grandma¡¯s attention instead. The effect of her cutesy appearance is extremely effective on females of a younger demographic, but it seemed to work equally well on Grandma.


    Feeling a tad embarrassed for listening in on the goings-on downstairs I quickly put on my favorite T-shirt and jeans and made my way downstairs. Where I was greeted by the sight of Grandpa sitting on his favorite lazy chair while simultaneously giving ear scratches to both Rena and Raven. I could tell his arms were starting to get tired. That''s why I decided to intervene before the situation got out of hand.


    ¡°Rena come here. Let¡¯s get all that sand off of you before dinner time.¡±


    ¡°Ninee!¡±


    She wasn¡¯t actually dirty seeing as I¡¯ve kept her inside my tent or her pok¨¦ ball while in that desert, but my Ninetales didn¡¯t need any reason to appreciate a good brushing. She left my grandpa¡¯s side and crouched down near me eagerly awaiting her incoming wellness session. While I was kept busy brushing Rena¡¯s coat Grandpa enquired on how my circuit run was going.


    ¡°Are you having a good time traveling? How is the circuit treating you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve gotten five badges so far; we¡¯re training up for our upcoming match at the Sootopolis gym.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to skip that one?¡±


    ¡°It would¡­ but I¡¯d like to showcase my skills and the best way to do so is to beat Juan. I am certain to attract a couple of sponsors by managing to beat a water type gym leader.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Tim Moore already sponsor you? I figured you hardly need the extra cash and the Ever Grande Conference is about two and a half months away.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Moore is¡­ difficult to work with. His official sponsorship will only last until the end of this year¡¯s circuit. It is better that I find a sponsor now then regret it later.¡±


    ¡°Ah no need to elaborate further. Tim is the complete opposite of a colleague that¡¯s easy to work with. Having such a person be your boss must be extra stressful. Tell you what, lately business has been picking up¡­ If nothing works out, me and your grandmother could give you a small sponsorship.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need! You and Grandma do plenty for me. That¡¯s not even mentioning the fact that the two of you have been taking care of us for so long already.¡±


    Just like that I began sharing some of the finer details on what had happened to us while on the circuit. From Latias appearing on top of Mt. Pyre to our encounter with Regirock coupled with the recent windfall I received while exploring the desert ruins.


    ¡°That explains a lot, those old coots¡­ I was wondering why they suddenly decided to order up an entire month¡¯s worth of stock. To have a legendary Pok¨¦mon request my wife¡¯s cookies is quite the honor.¡±


    ¡°Really? I never thought of it that way. Victini asks for them on the regular.¡±


    ¡°This and that are a tad different. Victini is already part of the family and she¡¯s quite personable for a Pok¨¦mon of her status, but¡­ never mind all of that. Tell me where did you manage to catch this beauty? Houndoom are not known to live around these parts.¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    ¡°I caught her as a houndour, the pack she was a part of was successfully convinced to follow Flannery back to live at the Lavaridge gym. That¡¯s where we are going after dinner.¡±


    ¡°Good, old Tim has kept using the same old Pok¨¦mon over and over again. Gym attendance among the townies should be sure to rise as a result of this addition.¡±


    Our conversation eventually simmered down, and we sat in companionable silence until Grandma called for us to set the table for dinner. It had been quite some time since I got to enjoy my grandma¡¯s cooking, so I scampered off to fulfill her request without complaint. While living on the road the only ones in my party that got to eat anything resembling quality food were the Pok¨¦mon. As for myself I could never summon up the energy to go the extra mile for a hot meal knowing that I would have to clean up afterwards. The bulk of my meals consisted of differently flavored ration bars packed with anything the growing human body might need. The fact that those bars tasted horrendously bad was something I willingly put up with.


    The only part of my journey where I actually put in the effort to cook human food was when I had Flannery travelling with us. I was planning to do the same for my outing with Roxanne until I noticed her eating the same brand of ration bars. Having no rich relatives, she was no doubt journeying on the cheap just like myself. Understanding her to be the kind of girl that would insist on splitting the cost of a shared meal I kept the food expenditures to a minimum per usual.


    Once we finished setting up the plates and bowls for my team, we saw Grandma walk into the dining room Victini floating closely behind her. My elderly relation held on to a pot filled with hearty stew meant for humans while Victini brought in a second pot filled with something akin to fermented berry stew. The smell of this stew attracted the rest of my team to join us and soon enough we were all sitting or lying down with a bowl of piping hot deliciousness in front of us.


    ¡°This is great Grandma!¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡± ¡°Nitan!¡± ¡°Ruff!¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi!¡± ¡°I helped!¡±


    My newer partners who hadn¡¯t received the privilege of experiencing Grandma¡¯s cooking firsthand couldn¡¯t help but praise her as well. Even my veteran members gave her low grunts of approval.


    ¡°Thank you everyone. Shuckle has been helping me elevate my recipes to a new level. Fermented berries just taste better coming out of a Shuckle¡¯s shell. If business keeps picking up like this, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to catch a few more Pok¨¦mon to help out around the store.¡±


    ¡®Pok¨¦mon that could help out around the store? I suppose I could go and scour the Safari zone for more shuckle. Other Pok¨¦mon that do well in the service industry are extremely rare. The odds of me finding a wild Chansey or Audino is next to none.¡¯


    Thinking about finding rare Pok¨¦mon brought me back to my encounter with Ultima and that Infernape she was in the middle of training.


    ¡°Grandma, do you know of a woman named Ultima? When I was giving out your Lava cookies to her Pok¨¦mon, she made a comment about playing with a girl named Willow back at the Sevii Islands.¡±


    ¡°Ultima¡­ that brings me back. Yes, my side of the family originally comes from the Kanto region although you¡¯d have a hard time convincing any of the other islanders to recognize the Kanto league association¡¯s authority.¡±


    ¡°She asked to have a look at one of our family photos and got me to tell her where we live. So don¡¯t be surprised when she comes flying over for a visit on that Dragonite of hers.¡±


    ¡°Dragonite? That woman always liked showing off.¡±


    <hr>


    At the Lavaridge gym*


    After finishing up at my old folks¡¯ place, I decided to visit the Lavaridge gym in order to keep my promise to Raven. We were standing in front of the gym¡¯s main gate which had been closed since it was already past visiting hours. As luck would have it, I had a personnel key on me which one could use to enter through the side entrance. Raven eager to show off her new form to the rest of the pack was out of her ball walking alongside me. I had most of my team with me except for Rena who had decided to stay at home to soak in all the well-deserved attention. After cleaning up the dishes, it only took Rena one synchronized flick of her nine tails to get my grandmother to start fawning over her. Stepping through the side door I was greeted by the peculiar sight of a lone houndour.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Grrrr!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me! It¡¯s me! I was there when Flannery caught the lot of you.¡±


    Raven who was trailing behind me heard the commotion and squeezed herself through the narrow opening between me and the doorframe. The moment the two Pok¨¦mon caught sight of each other the hostilities were put to a grinding halt. Growing curious Houndour closed the distance between himself and Raven and started sniffing her. After the first whiff its tail started to waggle incessantly and the two quickly fell into excited chattering.


    ¡°Arf Arf!¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    ¡®This is good right?¡¯


    ¡°Houndour is happy to see his big sister once more.¡±


    After a hot minute when the excited yipping calmed down somewhat, I posed my question to the smaller pooch.


    ¡°Is Mr. Moore having you work security?¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    ¡°No one asked them to but according to Houndour. It is common sense to have at least one pack member out on patrol at all times.¡±


    ¡°Raven here wanted to hook up with you guys, and personally see how things are working out for the pack here at the gym. Could you take her for a tour through the facilities while I go see if Flannery is available?¡±


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    Raven gave me a quizzing look.


    ¡°We can¡¯t stay for long. Mr. Moore doesn¡¯t allow staff workers to linger long after closing time. It is better for you to have as much time to spend with your pack as possible.¡±


    Accepting my explanation Raven followed her former packmate into the open pastures where we kept the more outdoorsy fire types. I knew for a fact that Mr. Moore didn¡¯t have a dedicated kennel for houndour and mixing them with the growlithe seemed to be a foolhardy idea. No doubt in my mind that my boss had already built a new addition after my last visit.


    Entering the gym proper I kept walking until I reached the break room. There weren¡¯t any employees around but one of the gym¡¯s Magby was busy rooting around inside the microwave oven. I recognized this particular Magby, one of only two that the gym had on hand for battling against challengers.


    ¡°Maggie? Shouldn¡¯t you be resting inside the caldera? What happened?¡±


    Pulling out her head the female Magby gave me a look before making a circling notion around its stomach giving me a clear sign that it was still hungry.


    ¡°By! By!¡±


    ¡°A new girl is using the volcano arena to train with a scary Pok¨¦mon. Maggie, not being able to rest comfortably, decided to go looking for evening snacks.¡±


    ¡°That must be Roxanne and Regirock. I guess we can make ourselves comfortable while waiting for them to finish up. Tini, could you go ahead and let Flannery know that we are in the break room?¡±


    ¡°Why me?!¡±


    ¡°Because if Mr. Moore finds me sneaking into his house after closing hours we would be in a heap of trouble.¡±


    ¡°Okay but afterwards I am going out to play with Regirock! Don¡¯t expect me to come back right away.¡±


    Victini¡¯s pok¨¦ ball opened up on its own startling Maggie for just a brief moment before the little rabbit floated away in the direction of the attached family home. Which left me alone with Maggie, one of my favorite gym Pok¨¦mon to care for.


    ¡°You want me to check the cabinets for some leftovers?¡±


    ¡°By!¡±


    Magby love spending every minute of the day swimming around and bathing in lava and they only come out of their volcano homes in search of food. Luckily for them, the area¡¯s surrounding active volcanoes are rich with plant life due to the fertile volcanic ash that they inevitably trek out when leaving and entering their volcanoes. For the gym¡¯s staff that means lots of our working hours are spent cleaning. I could see the black trail of soot Maggie left behind in search of breakroom treats stretching out into the adjacent hallway.


    Opening and closing the cabinets I could spot plenty of human food. Crackers, instant coffee and whatever half eaten snacks the employees left behind in the fridge. Not much suitable for feeding a Magby. Giving myself a sigh of resignation I opted to feed Maggie some of my own personal supplies.


    ¡°Here, have half a Lava cookie. You¡¯ll get the other half if you promise not to tell the other Pok¨¦mon that I¡¯ve been giving you snacks after hours.¡±


    ¡°Maaag!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yes I like you too.¡±


    I picked up Maggie as she was nibbling on the fermented snack, determined to bring her back to the gym¡¯s caldera. The Magby¡¯s ambient body temperature being what it was would burn any regular human but to me it felt comfortable, like a crisp T-shirt that just came out of the dryer. Part of it was my slowly changing physique but the major reason why I could safely handle Maggie was because she liked me well enough, adjusting the surface temperature subconsciously to avoid harming me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you back home.¡±


    ¡°By!¡±


    The caldera where we held higher level badge battles was also the place where we kept our magby, magmar, slugma and magcargo. The other types did well in less extreme environments but those two particular species experienced all sorts of health problems when away from a Volcano for too long. Traveling trainers could mitigate these problems to a certain extent by making use of artificial lava baths. Which was the equivalent to having fully aquatic Pok¨¦mon swim around in a dorm room bath tub.


    Funnily enough most visiting challengers didn¡¯t even notice the stealthy fire type spectators when engaged in battle, so the arena chamber kept its use as a doubly functioning amenity. Walking through the hallway I was quick to reach our target destination. The gates had already been unlocked so we stepped inside without any issues. Standing there on top of the hanging battling platform were Roxanne and Regirock, the four foot something teen girl next to the five feet tall rock titan.


    ¡°Roxanne!¡±


    ¡°Egon?!¡±


    Not minding the boiling magma, I jumped past the ledge and onto the battlefield still holding Maggie in between my arms. I could tell by the startled look on her face that Roxanne wasn¡¯t expecting anyone to interrupt her private training session with Regirock.


    ¡°You do know I work here, right? I¡¯ve got the key and everything.¡±


    ¡°I do¡­ I was just thinking about you. Could I perhaps loan Victini¡¯s services during our stay here? Communicating with Regirock has been difficult.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that works out. Victini has been wanting to spend time with Regirock herself. I could call her over right now.


    ¡®Did you hear that?¡¯


    ¡°Yep! I am coming in a minute.¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s holding you up?¡¯


    ¡°Old man Moore is giving that Everstone you wanted to Flannery.¡±


    ¡®I knew it! That old coot!!!¡¯


    ¡°Is everything okay!? Do I need to call someone?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! There¡¯s nothing to worry about! Just¡­ Victini told me something that¡¯s a bit disconcerting. I was actually looking for Flannery. Until this little gal decided to raid the breakroom cabinets for treats.¡±


    ¡°By!¡±


    ¡°What a cutie! Isn¡¯t she adorable Regirock?¡±


    ¡°¨¹N ¨¹N.¡±


    Without having Victini act as a translator I was completely clueless as to what Regirock was telling us, but Maggie wasn¡¯t discerned by anything the rock titan said just now. So, at least I was assured it didn¡¯t say anything negative about her.


    ¡°How come you decided to train inside the gym¡¯s Volcano battle room? This chamber is decidedly not hospitable to human life.¡±


    ¡°Leader Moore recommended we use this room after having judged Regirock¡¯s ability to potentially cause collateral damage.¡±


    ¡°Ahh! That makes sense. Think you got a good grasp of all its moves?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Regirock is very knowledgeable despite its previous sheltered lifestyle.¡±


    ¡°AOOORT.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to partner up with Regirock for your final gym battle against Juan? With some electric moves under its belt, Regirock will be sure to give that gym leader what¡¯s for. I can see it now, Lock-On paired with Zap Cannon. There¡¯ll be no hiding under the water to dodge your moves.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t asked yet. If Regirock¡¯s up for it, I guess so.¡±


    I could see that my words had stoked the fires of her imagination. Naturally an eighth badge battle wasn¡¯t going to be as simple as that, but with a Legendary Pok¨¦mon like Regirock on her side I could see them downing at least half of Juan¡¯s team before the Rock Titan exhausted itself.


    The passenger I was carrying along in my arms had by now gotten bored of our conversation. Maggie the Magby jumped out of my arms and ran towards the edge of the suspended battlefield before jumping off with practiced grace. Magma being denser than water we didn¡¯t hear a splashing sound but something more akin to a bubbly sponge sound as Maggie dived underneath the molten surface.


    Not minding Maggie¡¯s clear disinterest, I planned to continue discussing possible ways to beat the water type gym leader when all of a sudden two figures appeared out of nowhere. Flannery¡¯s form coalesced right in front of us together with that of Victini¡¯s.


    ¡°Egon! You know Grandpa doesn¡¯t like employees creeping around inside the gym after closing hours.¡±


    ¡°Flanny¡­ Raven insisted on meeting up with her old buddies in fact she¡¯s with them right now. Victini is also eager to catch up with Regirock here. Besides, this could be considered a social visit.¡±


    ¡°Ten minutes! That¡¯s how long it takes for Grandpa to finish his before bed calisthenics.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ reasonable.¡±


    Not being able to find a proper counter argument I conceded to Flannery¡¯s demands and while I was having a verbal spar with Flannery Victini floated off landing on top of Regirock¡¯s head. The psychic type clearly eager to start a more private conversation with the rock titan.


    <hr>


    Later walking back home*


    We eventually found ourselves outside of the main building leaving Flannery and Roxanne to have their long-awaited sleepover. Before leaving Roxanne made it clear that she¡¯d be waiting for me to come pick her up on the morrow so that the both of us could return to Sootopolis City. The both of us were feeling the pressure to finish up our circuit runs before the advent of the EverGrande Conference. The conference would commence in two months and a handful of days which meant that I had to earn my last three badges without taking any breaks in between.


    ¡°Arf!¡±


    ¡°Your friends¡­ They¡¯re all doing well?¡±


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    Raven coming back from the houndour kennel was in a very good mood. She had just found out that her former leader hadn¡¯t managed to evolve yet elevating Raven¡¯s standing amongst her former packmates to be above his.


    ¡°After seeing your evolved form and hearing about what it''s like to travel over half of them decided that they want to set out on a journey of their own!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ the gym could put up some adoption posters for trainers passing by, I guess? There¡¯s no shortage of trainers looking to take on gym trained Pok¨¦mon. It would take a while picking out trainers who are ready for that kind of responsibility but¡­ Mr. Moore only gives out gym Pok¨¦mon to prospective Lavaridge trainers too poor to afford their own starter Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°¡­wuff.¡±


    ¡°Well technically speaking Flannery was the one to capture all your friends. Perhaps she could convince her grandfather to bend the rules a little bit. There¡¯s this guy I met in Striaton City, he¡¯d love the opportunity to take care of a houndour.¡±


    ¡°Arf?!¡±


    ¡°Chili hasn¡¯t earned his trainer¡¯s license yet though. They¡¯re much stricter over there in Unova so for now your friends will have to wait.¡±


    ¡°Awooo!¡±


    ¡°There, there. Flannery is many things but uncaring she is not. I am sure that my friend will think of a solution.¡±


    Now that Raven had received her share of my attention Victini felt it prudent to come to me with her own small request. Over time I¡¯ve developed a sort of second sense as to when the little rabbit Pok¨¦mon was preparing to ask me for a large favor.


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Egon Regirock and I have gotten to talking and he¡¯s already realized one of his first major dreams!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! What is it?¡±


    ¡°Vi. Vi!¡± ¡°Freeing the rest of his siblings trapped in those pesky seals!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­No?¡±


    ¡°Vi?!¡± ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t take any more time off! We need to focus on training and gym battles. Now that we know that they¡¯re just fast asleep until someone lets them out, their rescue has gotten a lower priority. Something that I will get to once all of my other responsibilities have been taken care of. Zinnia is still waiting for me!¡±


    ¡°But then¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, I am not stopping you from launching your own rescue operation. We are aware where each of them is located. Route 120 and route 105. Now that we know that the seals can be penetrated with enough force it should be easy for you, a teleporting Pok¨¦mon, to drum up a trustworthy crew to assist you in releasing them. Those Kecleon live close enough to the Ancient Tomb where Registeel is trapped or maybe you could ask the forest Pok¨¦mon for help?¡±


    ¡°Vi. Vi!¡± ¡°Only you are capable of reading braille. Think of all the berry money we made with just this single adventure!¡±


    ¡®What if¡­ next time I won¡¯t have to share profits with Mr. Moore? No! must¡­ RESIST!¡¯


    ¡°Yes! No!...Okay, but I don¡¯t want to have to put any effort in! You will be the one looking for the seals outside of training time and if Registeel and Regice need looking after you will also be the one to find them suitable trainers.¡±


    ¡°Vi!¡± ¡°Deal!¡±

 Chapter 76 – Settling Gym Affairs

    Chapter 76 ¨C Settling Gym Affairs


    ¡°Egon! Breakfast¡¯s ready!¡±


    The nostalgic sound of Grandma calling me out of bed for breakfast confirmed for me on a deeper level that I was back home. The only thing that was missing was the sound of a younger sister watching cartoons on the big tv downstairs. The rest of my team was out and about Halo had really taken to the sun basking training and was currently halfway hanging out of my bedroom window enjoying the morning¡¯s rays with a concerned looking Glove standing nearby ready to grab her should she fall. Orin, the only other Pok¨¦mon in the room was kept busy pretending to be a regular candle on my nightstand. The safe learning environment I provided caused his more mischievous ghostly nature to be dragged out. Not that I minded, Orin¡¯s idea of pranking was fairly tame and involved tricking people into thinking that he was just a regular household item.


    ¡°You guys ready to experience my grandma¡¯s cooking once more?¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡± ¡°Nitan!¡±


    ¡°Orin this is the perfect time to go a little overboard that way you¡¯ll be full of energy for today¡¯s training.¡±


    Having gained my consent Orin¡¯s wick lit up and the little ghost type started draining my vitality. Over the course of these past few months, we had worked out all the kinks in his feeding schedule. Obviously, I was the one responsible for feeding him early in the morning and just before going to bed but that was only enough to satisfy Orin¡¯s basic needs. The third feeding became a sort of collective responsibility, usually one of my bigger Pok¨¦mon provided the required energy. Victini did so as well on occasion but her energy left Orin in a hyperactive state which could be bad if that day¡¯s training required a certain clarity of mind. The only one who definitely wasn¡¯t allowed to feed Orin was the baby of the group Halo. Our rookie battler still had some maturing left to do, and we didn¡¯t want to risk stunting her growth.


    ¡°Oof! Now I am even hungrier! Let¡¯s go eat.¡±


    Walking downstairs with my Pok¨¦mon following closely behind me I was greeted by the sight of the rest of my team members crowding around the dining table. Last day¡¯s special meal had gotten them spoiled for more. Being my Pok¨¦mon, they knew better than to crowd around Grandma so they waited in an orderly fashion just outside the kitchen.


    ¡®This could spell trouble¡­ their expectations of what constitutes fine dining will increase. Grandma can¡¯t waste time cooking for seven Pok¨¦mon each time we visit. Restaurants able to prepare food of a similar quality charge an arm and a leg.¡¯


    I squirmed a little bit when I noticed the gazes of my team members being drawn to me. As if imagining them judging me for my simple but practical cooking style. It was at that moment Victini flew into the dining room from the open window.


    ¡°Vi! Vi!¡± ¡°Simple is best! There¡¯s nothing wrong with eating sliced berries!¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the save, Tini. It¡¯s quite rare to see you up and about at this time of day. Did you perhaps spend all night with Flannery and Roxanne?¡±


    ¡°Vi Vi!¡± ¡°Yep! Only girls and their Pok¨¦mon. No human boys allowed!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great, there¡¯s so much you can learn from talking with trainers other than myself.¡±


    ¡°Roxy and Flanny kept talking about which Pok¨¦mon are cutest or the top ten most eligible trainers!¡±


    ¡°So¡­ which Pok¨¦mon is the cutest?¡±


    ¡°Me of course! Followed by eevee and a Pok¨¦mon called phanpy.¡±


    ¡°Phanpy are pretty cute. I could play an entire day with those floppy ears and trunks.¡±


    Grandpa and Grandma seemed amused by the direction our conversation was going and added their own top contenders to the proverbial list.


    ¡°Growlithe¡± ¡°Azurill¡±


    Not wanting to be outdone I was about to forward my own contender when I felt a distinct chill emanating from just past my shoulders. Halo was looking at me like the only word coming out of my mouth should be Larvesta or else there¡¯d be severe consequences.


    ¡°¡­Larvesta, nothing can beat that fluffy white mane and those piercing blue eyes.¡±


    ¡°Coward.¡±


    Everyone was cheerfully busying themselves with small talk while enjoying their expertly prepared breakfast meal and when it came time to do the dishes I stuck around to help my grandmother.  Still, I knew I couldn¡¯t waste anymore time sticking around and both Grandma and Grandpa had to go to work eventually so I decided to rip off that particular band aid.


    ¡°Grandpa Grandma, we have to go now. Just a little bit more and we¡¯ll have grown strong enough to get Zinnia back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Egy we believe in you. This mess was originally the responsibility of us adults to manage. It isn¡¯t your fault that your mother has a penchant to fall in love with no good men.¡±


    Before we left the house my Pok¨¦mon showed off their own appreciation to my grandparents. The smaller ones cuddled up to them while Glove helped with doing the dishes even Numsy contributed by grazing the lawn down to size sparing my Grandpa the hassle of mowing it this month. While all of this was happening, I packed my bag with all the essentials and made one very important phone call.


    ¡®I hope Marlon doesn¡¯t mind me calling him for this.¡¯


    The ringer on my Xtransceiver went off and it didn¡¯t take long at all before the call¡¯s recipient on the other end of the line answered.


    ¡°Egon? What¡¯s up dude?¡±


    ¡°Marlon, I¡¯ve decided to officially challenge the gym, but I am all the way over in Lavaridge. Could you schedule us in for a battle?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing! Boss Juan won¡¯t mind if we bend the rules just a little bit. This will be your sixth badge, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep, is the gym still busy at this time of year?¡±


    ¡°Totally bro! All the traditional trainers save us for last. Let¡¯s see¡­ I could schedule you for the eighteenth last slot of the day. Does that work for you?¡±


    ¡®Eighteenth¡­ that¡¯s fifteen days from now. If we stay in Sootopolis for that entire duration, we¡¯ll lose some major preparation time especially if all the other gyms are fully booked, I¡¯d miss the tournament. We¡¯ll have to train on the go and rely on Victini to teleport us back to Sootopolis City when the time comes.¡¯


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s hang out again after I win myself that rain badge.¡±


    ¡°Great! That¡¯s right before the time I have to go back to Unova. We can catch some gnarly waves on the gym¡¯s Mantine.¡±


    ¡®This is why I like Marlon; he doesn¡¯t question my unplaced confidence for beating the gym with a severe disadvantage.¡¯


    ¡°Mantine surfing? Isn¡¯t that an Alolan pastime?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Mantine are very gentle creatures; they''ll catch you if you fall. Anyway, I¡¯ve gotta run, these aquariums don¡¯t clean themselves.¡±


    The call ended abruptly no doubt because Marlon was at an imminent risk of being scolded. With all of my affairs settled I walked into our hallway where the rest of my team was gathered.


    ¡°Okay gang, we¡¯ll make a quick detour by the gym and after that we¡¯ll set a course for Petalburg City.¡±


    <hr>


    At the Lavaridge gym*


    Entering the gym, I saw the usual foot traffic coming in and out. Mostly consisting of trainers who for some reason or another hadn¡¯t earned their Heat badge yet. At this time of year Mr. Moore opened up the gym for those who had earned more than four badges giving them the chance to battle him personally.  I could now figure why he insisted Flannery come back home, the type of experience she could gain by watching him battle veteran trainers in person was invaluable.


    My old mentor Eli was manning the desk, for once not having any spare time to pursue his other profession as our resident expert Charcoal maker. Ignoring the growing appointment like he dropped what he was doing to chat with me.


    ¡°Egon! Good to see you again! So how many badges have you won so far?¡±


    ¡°Five, but I¡¯ve got my team all sorted out and I¡¯ve already made an appointment for my next gym battle.¡±


    ¡°Hmm Hmm it¡¯s fine if you can¡¯t make it on your first try. If nothing else pans out, you can always come work with me processing charcoal.¡±


    ¡®it¡¯s true most of the promising trainers have already finished earning their badges and are using this remaining time solely to prepare for the conference.¡¯


    ¡°Eli¡­ just have a little faith, okay? You know I spent over three months in another region. I¡¯ve only been back for four.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, you say little buddy. If you are looking for Flannery she¡¯s watching her gramps battle trainers in the volcano chamber with that new friend of hers.¡±


    With that Eli walked back behind his desk to resume his duties as today¡¯s reception guy. Seeing no point in wasting time I skipped ahead of the to front walking past all the other trainers and into the corridor that led me further into the gym¡¯s facilities. Once I had managed to pass the crowd I could even see that the Pok¨¦mon and staff were busier than usual. When things get crowded like this Mr. Moore made it a policy to request additional aid from the townsfolk to keep things running smoothly. The additional help mostly consisted of pensioners with nothing else to do except enjoy their twilight years. None of them questioned my presence in the gym since all the townsfolk knew of me already. That¡¯s when I came face to face with the sand baths and inn proprietress Ami.


    ¡°Ami?¡±


    ¡°Egon Oh thank goodness I¡¯ve been looking for you!¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t running the inn take priority over helping out at the gym?¡±


    ¡°I was waiting for you to come over. Little Flannery told me that you still had unfinished business with the gym.¡±


    ¡°Wait? What¡­?¡±


    ¡°You know the larvesta silk I sent to my producers? After stress testing the silk, they¡¯re now raving about its increased durability as compared to standard wurmple silk. They¡¯re willing to shell out thrice as much for the same amount!¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s nice and all but¡­¡±


    The net ball containing Halo popped open on its own and the little bug type materialized between the proprietress and me. The horns adorning her face lighting up from excitement.


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    ¡°You want to earn some extra income?¡±


    ¡°Laaar!¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s fine, but I don¡¯t want you spinning silk as a career. This will be a one-time deal that you make with the nice lady over there. Something you can choose to continue should we pass by my hometown in the future.¡±


    Halo nodded in agreement, understanding what I was telling her. Feeling assured enough I refocused my attention back to Ami who was watching all of this play out.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long we will be sticking around so try to get Halo back to the gym desk within the next two hours or so. My other Pok¨¦mon partner will insist on coming with you to look after her.¡±


    With that I unclasped Glove¡¯s ball from my belt before activating the release mechanism. Glove¡¯s form materialized in front of us sporting a knowing expression. Having any conversation with Halo as the main topic instantly catches his attention even from all the way inside his ball.


    ¡°Make sure she doesn¡¯t overly exhaust herself using String Shot.¡±


    ¡°Nitan!¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t let her get near the guest platter. I don¡¯t want her filling up on finger foods after we¡¯ve already eaten our fill at home.¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    ¡°Say hello to Master Quagsire for me if you see him.¡±


    With that my two partners left the same way we came in, following Ami¡¯s lead back to her inn. I was quite sure the proprietress wouldn¡¯t attempt to scam Halo. It was an unspoken rule that most townies looked out for each other¡¯s well-being that included the Pok¨¦mon belonging to Lavaridge trainers.


    ¡®This is actually the very first time Halo has left my side. Now I can¡¯t help but feel like a worried mother blaziken.¡¯


    ¡°There there, everything¡¯s going to be fine. She¡¯s just going out to earn some pocket money.¡±


    Trying to take my mind off the ceaseless worrying I kept navigating further into the gym until I reached the doors leading to the Volcano battlefield. Following the sounds of intense battle I quickly came upon the volcano chamber. Entering I noticed that the ongoing battle between one of the gym¡¯s Magmar against a hardy looking Altaria. I recognized the Magmar as one of the gym¡¯s eighth badge level Pok¨¦mon and Maggie¡¯s father which meant this challenger was no slouch. As quiet as a Pichu I shuffled my way to the spectator¡¯s stand which was crowded by spectators willing to pay the gym¡¯s admission tickets. However, it didn¡¯t take me long to find Roxanne and Flannery who were enjoying themselves speculating on the battle¡¯s outcome as they watched Mr. Moore showing off his skills against the dragon type trainer.


    They were so absorbed into spectating the battle happening in front of them they didn¡¯t notice me taking the seat next to Flannery. Only reacting to their new seat neighbor once I injected myself in the heated conversation.


    ¡°This challenger any good?¡±


    ¡°Egon?! Don¡¯t scare me like that doofus!¡±


    It took a while before Flannery actually calmed down enough to answer my question but once she did, I was quite surprised by her insightful commentary.


    ¡°This guy¡¯s Pok¨¦mon have all been dragon types so far. Flygon, Altaria and who knows what else he has up his sleeve. He¡¯s relying entirely on the favorable matchup to win. If Grandpa was using his personal team, he¡¯d wipe the floor with this mook.¡±


    ¡°You might be right Flanny, the guy is wearing a cape. That is the number one identifying factor amongst all dragon type specialists. They¡¯ll wear anything that makes them seem more edgy and aloof.¡±


    ¡®Being a dragon type trainer doesn¡¯t mean that he is a member of the draconid tribe but this being Hoenn¡­ It would be one of the few ways a native trainer might be able to bring a full team with differing species of dragon Pok¨¦mon to a battle.¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡®We¡¯ll wait until the battle¡¯s finished and ask him for a favor.¡¯


    Getting a letter delivered to Zinnia would be ideal but if this guy was a particularly difficult character to deal with, I¡¯d settle for an oral message.


    The battle proceeded in a predictable fashion. Altaria knocked out Magmar Mr. Moore¡¯s third Pok¨¦mon before being KO¡¯d in turn by a Rock Slide from Moore¡¯s Camerupt. That was when the black haired stranger brought out his ace in the hole, a fully grown Garchomp who proceeded to wipe the floor with the rest of Mr. Moore¡¯s eighth badge team. Standard eighth badge matches like this one were five versus five battles although the Garchomp did have trouble beating Moore¡¯s last contender an older Blaziken who left the Garchomp wheezing with a nasty burn at the end of their bout.


    ¡°Blaziken is unable to battle, Garchomp wins! Hence the victor Tomatoma from Draconid village!¡±


    ¡®Thought so.¡¯


    Without wasting time, I pushed out of my seat and made my way towards the main exit. Roxanne and Flannery gave me funny looks that I did so without informing them where I was going but kept quiet to respect the small awarding ceremony. There I was, just waiting for Tomatoma to walk out into the main hall after receiving his Heat Badge. It didn¡¯t take long for said individual to do so he made no effort to acknowledge my existence as he passed me. At least until I decided to verbally address him.


    ¡°That was a well fought battle. Tomatoma right? Could I have a moment of your time?¡±


    His response was what I would expect from an uptight dragon specialist.


    ¡°Make it quick, outsider.¡±


    ¡°You see¡­ My mother is married to one of the Draconid and had a child with said man. At the beginning of this circuit the happy couple came back to get my little sister to come live with them. Would you terribly mind delivering a letter from me to her?¡±


    As I elaborated my story, I could see the harshness in his face dissipate. The fact that I was tangentially related to one of the villagers seemed to have awarded me secret bonus points in his mind. When I finished my story, it only took Tomatoma a quick second to present an answer to my question.


    ¡°No electronics, but if it is a handwritten note I¡¯ll fulfill your request. I have left the village to remind the league association of our strength as is customary. So, I cannot guarantee a speedy delivery.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! It¡¯s fine! I still need to write my letter. Coincidentally we keep writing implements in the break room. Could I get you anything in the meantime? A hot beverage or maybe some berry juice?¡±


    <hr>


    Inside the breakroom*


    Tomatoma turned out to be more reasonable than I had expected. The dragon specialist waited patiently for me to finish writing my message to Zinnia. We got to talking and upon hearing mention of Zinnia¡¯s name Tomotoma immediately knew which nine-year-old I was talking about. He even assented to my personal request of having the letter be given straight to her and not make mention of it to her father. Even back in the village the man was known to be difficult to deal with, someone with more ambition than common sense judging by Tomatoma¡¯s words.


    The letter included short descriptors of the events that I involved myself with over the course of my journey, the Pok¨¦mon I had managed to capture for my team, the well wishes of Grandpa, Grandma, myself and Rena, as well as the promise of a big mystery birthday present.  When I eventually finished writing it turned out to be quite the extensive letter feeling a tad embarrassed, I handed it over to Tomatoma who had long since finished drinking his hot coco and was waiting for me to finish up.


    With that he gave me a small nod, flourished his cloak in a dramatic fashion and left. With that pressing matter finished I felt a certain weight leaving my shoulders at least knowing that Zinnia would come to read my letter eventually. Leaving the breakroom myself I rejoined the audience sitting in for our gym leader¡¯s next battle. The crowd¡¯s excitement was noticeably dimmer this time no doubt due to the fact that the challenger was a small time trainer coming up for his seventh badge. This time I chose to sit next to Roxanne and tapped her on the shoulder to break her away from the heated discussion she was having with Flannery.


    ¡°What is it, Egon?¡±


    ¡°Me and my team are leaving for Petalburg City. If you want Tini to teleport you back to Sootopolis, now is your chance.¡±


    ¡°Nooo! Can¡¯t you stay for a few more days Roxy? Grandpa won¡¯t mind, I promise!¡±


    ¡°Flanny¡­ My sponsor is counting on me to win all eight major gym badges. I can¡¯t let her down after all the effort and resources Mrs. Stone expended on me.¡±


    Flannery was looking at me like I just kicked a puppy growlithe. Not feeling bad at all I continued my discussion with her new bestie.


    ¡°Petalburg City? What about Sootopolis?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already scheduled a battle with them. Victini hasn¡¯t been to Rustburo and Petalburg City before. If we make it there, she can teleport freely to and fro.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be faster to visit Rustburo first?¡±


    ¡°How? The Rusturf tunnel¡¯s construction has only just begun, going from Mauville to Fallarbor Town and crossing meteor falls will cost me weeks of time that I don¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°Egon¡­ maybe it is better to rent the services of a transport Pok¨¦mon. Lavaridge is only half a day¡¯s flight away from Rustburo. It is even faster if you are willing to pay the extra costs of teleporting with another psychic type Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡®I can afford it on my own dime considering my recent windfall. I wonder if the money has already been transferred to my own account?¡¯


    ¡°Thank you, that bit of advice will save me days of travel. Are you ready to leave? We¡¯ll stick around for the next hour or so since some of my Pok¨¦mon went off to do their own thing.¡±


    ¡°My backpack is back in Flannery¡¯s bedroom. I¡¯ll go get it!¡±


    The girl left her seat on the bleachers and made her way to the exit ignoring the ongoing battle. Flannery hurriedly followed along wishing to spend as much time with the girl as possible now that her departure was imminent. As for myself I decided to enjoy watching the remainder of the gym battle. The underdog trainer from Donto Island had managed to win the crowd¡¯s support and the Donphan who was battling for him was no slouch either.


    <hr>


    ¡°Vi?¡± ¡°Roxy, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes! This brief respite has only been made possible due to your efforts. Thank you very much Tini!¡±


    ¡°Vi! Vi!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I am pretty amazing!¡±


    Flannery had come along to send her friend off. The red head¡¯s mood had noticeably been improved after Roxanne offered her a standing invite to come stay at her place in Rustburo, after the conference has concluded. I was quite sure that Flannery would have tagged along for Roxanne¡¯s remaining circuit journey if the gym weren¡¯t so shorthanded.


    After we all said our goodbyes Victini clamped onto Roxanne¡¯s arm before disappearing in a brief flash of light. Leaving me and Flannery to enjoy the awkward silence that followed.


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ It isn¡¯t such a big deal. You will undoubtedly be there to cheer her on at the conference. Mr. Moore can get you front row tickets for all her matches.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ are right.¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t expect a serious trainer like Roxy to stop training just for my sake. I¡¯ll show both you and her that Grandpa made a mistake not letting me go on my journey, by working extra hard!¡±


    ¡®This is¡­!? She¡¯s growing as a person! Roxanne must have been a major positive influence on her. To think the secret method of getting through to her was having her form a friendship rivalry with a more successful same sex trainer.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll be cheering you on Flanny. You are sure to make waves in next year¡¯s circuit with that attitude.¡±


    We retreated back to the gym¡¯s reception hall where a certain guard Pok¨¦mon and his charge were left waiting for me. The ongoing foot traffick meant that the both of them were drawing the gazes of many interested trainers unfamiliar with Unovan Pok¨¦mon. Halo sparkled with contentedness under the admiring gazes of the visiting trainers while Glove made sure that the interested parties kept a respectful distance.


    ¡°Halo what are you?!¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    Another gout of flames erupted from her horns prompting the crowd to pull out their Pok¨¦gears to start recording this mysterious Pok¨¦mon. The many clicks of pictures being taken echoed throughout the hall and I even heard the rare but unmistakable sound of a Pok¨¦dex Pok¨¦mon Not Found error message being played. With Victini being absent I couldn¡¯t exactly tell what Halo was chittering on about, but I was fairly sure that the bug type was boasting about her sudden popularity.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had enough fun. It is time for us to hit up the Pok¨¦mon center. Nurse Joy will be happy to see you again. Return!¡±


    Having returned Halo to her ball I was quickly identified as her trainer which sparked a barrage of questions from the trainers crowding the reception hall. These trainers weren¡¯t the usual riff raff you come across while traveling the routes. Having all come here specifically to challenge the Lavaridge gym for higher difficulty badges. It was quite natural that they¡¯d be more informed on foreign species.


    ¡°A Larvesta, those are even rarer than Dragonites! Where¡¯d you catch it?¡±


    ¡°Would you be interested in trading that Pok¨¦mon? I¡¯ve got a top shelf Nincada, a bug type for another bug type seems fair!¡±


    Only a minority among the crowd were so brazen to proposition me for a trade but those that did held no compunctions towards following me around. Glove¡¯s presence and the fact they found themselves inside a fire type gym held them subdued before I arrived. Now that it was revealed that a young teen was Halo¡¯s trainer, I found myself the victim of trade stalkers. Luckily Eli sitting behind his desk saw all of this go down and was quick to back me up.


    ¡°HEEEEY! The next person to utter so much as a peep about trading will be banned from this gym for the entire year! Good luck getting a Heat Badge then!¡±


    I knew exiting through the front entrance would result in the more tenacious among the crowd to keep following me. So, I decided to leave from the back. People not affiliated with the gym weren¡¯t allowed to wander deeper inside without supervision. Thus, I left the other way under the disappointed noises from the trainers present. Before leaving the gym, I pulled my hoodie up all the way to mask my face and I returned Glove who had until now been stressed out from having to intimidate an entire crowd into keeping a respectful distance.


    ¡®Never again, now I have to watch my back for serial traders.¡¯


    It was somewhat common for rich na?ve rookies to be caught up by predatory trading practices. Most starting trainers didn¡¯t have rare enough Pok¨¦mon to make it worth the time and effort to scam them but occasionally you¡¯d meet one or two who did not realize the inherent value of a thorough bred Pok¨¦mon over a more common species that one could just find in droves wandering about on the routes. Of course, the scammers and snobbish rich kids completely disregarded the individual wants and needs of the Pok¨¦mon involved.


    We eventually made it to the Lavaridge Pok¨¦mon center walking through the revolving doors. I could already see the diligent Nurse most of my family shares fond memories with.


    ¡°Nurse Mary!¡±


    ¡°Egon! How nice to see you again! Do you need me to check up on your Pok¨¦mon partners?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please! Halo¡¯s grown huge in the time you haven¡¯t met her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to! Your Pok¨¦mon are all so well behaved.¡±


    I handed over all six balls containing the team members I had on me. Now usually such health check ups could last up to a half hour depending on the size and number of one¡¯s team. That would give me enough time to use one of the computer booths to find a local trainer willing to rent out his Pok¨¦mon for transporting purposes.


    I sat down, turned on one of the PC¡¯s and got to browsing the Pok¨¦net on proper procedures for this type of thing. I knew the center facilitated teleportation services, but I was hoping to find a cheaper option such as a flying Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡®There¡¯s a pok¨¦gear app for this type of thing!? No Xtransceiver support?!¡¯

 Chapter 77 – Rustboro City

    Chapter 77 ¨C Rustboro City


    Not having the same service available on my Xtransceiver was a large disappointment. Which necessitated me using the center¡¯s computer to book a flight capable Pok¨¦mon. I¡¯ve come to find out that trainers who own flight capable Pok¨¦mon can put up their partner¡¯s services in a pok¨¦gear app called Pok¨¦ride. People looking to purchase such a service could use the app to locate trainers living nearest to them capable of delivering such services. Now, Lavaridge town didn¡¯t have many flying type trainers who were tech savvy enough to rent out their ride Pok¨¦mon. According to Pok¨¦ride only two such trainers in our entire town offered such services. A trainer owning a Fearow and judging by the star rating attributed to said Pok¨¦mon I was loath to even attempt riding that Pok¨¦mon and one trainer owning a Tropius which had a stellar rating. Making up my mind I decided to go with the latter option, sending a private message to said trainer with the help of the center¡¯s computer.


    Not expecting an answer right away I left my booth and walked over to the reception desk. Mary was still in the back giving my team their health checkups, so Chansey, the only other fully licensed nurse was manning the counter, kept busy servicing the incoming trainers.(¡°,¡± in gedaan maar hij leest niet goed) Despite the language barrier the egg Pok¨¦mon was quite able to convey her intentions by tapping the pictograms laminated onto the counter. The gym¡¯s operating times overlapped with the center¡¯s rush hours so as I was waiting for Nurse Mary to finish up, I could see a multitude of different characters line up to get medical attention for their Pok¨¦mon. Usually, a short spell in the revivification machine would do the trick but it wasn¡¯t that uncommon for injuries to require a medical professional¡¯s personal attention.


    As I was watching rows of trainers come and go I felt my mindscape wobble for a little bit, informing me of the return of a certain rabbitlike Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°I am back! Where are you?¡±


    ¡®At the Center. Mary is giving the team a look over to make sure they¡¯re in good health.¡¯


    Being able to link minds while she was in my vicinity didn¡¯t mean that Victini could pinpoint my location immediately. I was quite sure that she teleported into the gym¡¯s breakroom expecting me to be there. From that distance it wouldn¡¯t be hard to find me, her sixth sense could guide her to my location. Of course, it was faster to just skip all that and tell her where I was.


    Victini made it to the center in no time at all and soon I could feel her warmth near the base of my neck as she landed on me for an invisible shoulder ride. I could tell by her soft pants that the teleporting back and forth had drained her. I did some research on this a while ago, but most psychic types couldn¡¯t teleport long distances like she could. Even the teleportation service Pok¨¦mon could only allow trainers to skip a single route¡¯s worth of distance, after which they needed some amount of rest before doing so once again.


    ¡®You¡¯ve worked hard. Let¡¯s go out to dinner after we reach Rustboro City.¡¯


    ¡°Malasadas!¡±


    Not seeing Nurse Mary come out from the backroom I figured she got caught up doting on Halo. Not wanting to interrupt our family¡¯s nurse ¡°fun time¡± I returned to the PC booth and was pleasantly surprised to see Tropius¡¯ trainer response to our ride request. Unlike those apps where one waits to get picked up, Pok¨¦ride insisted that the customer making the request visit a predetermined place within a city¡¯s confines. Which was usually at the most frequented Pok¨¦mon center. Lavaridge just being a small town it only had the one which was where we are currently staying at. Filling my app¡¯s account with the required money from my bank account I agreed to meet up at the Pok¨¦mon center right away. Seeing as our departure was nearly imminent, I went back to reception and queued up behind the growing line of trainers looking to receive medical attention for their Pok¨¦mon. I could try to skip the waiting line and most likely get away with it, but my principles kept me from doing so. My own personal needs weren¡¯t any more important than those of the other trainers.


    Bit by bit we were moving up our position in line and when we managed to move up to second to be served Nurse Mary came out of her examination room of her own accord. Recognizing me she waved us to come forward. Not needing to be told twice I quickly moved to where she was standing with a full tray of pok¨¦ balls.


    ¡°Here you are Egy, all happy and healthy.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Nurse Mary. Did you experience any difficulty with them?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, They¡¯re all such sweethearts! As far as their health is concerned you have nothing to worry about. Although I would recommend little Halo to start exercising a bit more. Bug types that are of a comparable size to her tend to weigh a bit less. Don¡¯t worry about her younger age! You can put her through the paces together with the rest of your team she can take it! ¡±


    ¡®I figured as much¡­ Halo preferring to ride atop of Numsy instead of moving on her own impacted our little one¡¯s physical development. We should fix this straight away.¡¯


    ¡°Go! Halo!¡±


    My Net Ball opened up materializing Larvesta in the center¡¯s halls. The bug type noticeably confused as to why it was called out all by itself gave me a scrutinizing look.


    ¡°You heard Nurse Mary, no more piggyback rides. Let¡¯s walk to places from now on, ok?¡±


    ¡°Laaar?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve mostly been doing target practice and sun basking training. Larvesta are meant to be brawlers. Those fancy horns of yours aren¡¯t just there for decorative purposes. The trainer with our transport Tropius is most likely waiting for me outside and from now on whenever I walk you do too.¡±


    ¡°Vess! Vess!¡±


    Glove¡¯s ball was rattling on my belt in response to Halo¡¯s pleading, but I was quick to nip that in the bud.


    ¡°No! You heard Nurse Mary; the exercise is a medical necessity. How would your mother react if I brought you to her overweight?¡±


    My reasoning seems to have come through to both Halo and Glove since his great ball quieted down and Halo stopped making a fuss.


    ¡°Now come along.¡±


    ¡°Laar¡­¡±


    Halo made it clear that she didn¡¯t like the implications of having to walk or rather crawl in her case. However, I was fairly sure that the thought of disappointing her mother was even more intolerable.


    ¡®Does she hate me now? Do you think I was too harsh?¡¯


    ¡°Halo knows it comes from a good place.¡±


    Before leaving the center, I made sure to give Halo a good horn scratch to assure the bug type that she was still my little baby which Halo in turn begrudgingly accepted. The three of us made our way out of the Pok¨¦mon center¡¯s exit after waving goodbye to Nurse Mary coupled with a promise to come see her again whenever we were back in town. The moment I stepped out I was confronted by the sight of a large sauropod-like Pok¨¦mon and its trainer, a dainty looking middle aged office worker. My heart clutched because of my former relationship with this woman. Over the course of around a year back when I was just seven years old Numsy had pilfered her mother¡¯s vegetable garden for food while I was working to gather the necessary funds to purchase a pok¨¦ ball. Disregarding the fact that I wasn¡¯t Numsy¡¯s official trainer at the time, old lady Greta was always giving me the evil eye after our partnership became official in the eyes of the law. At this point I was just hoping that grudge had not passed onto Greta¡¯s daughter.


    ¡°Egon¡­ you are Firetyperulez?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and you must be FruitLady. It¡¯s nice to see you again Janice.¡±


    The Tropius that was supposed to ferry me over to Rustburo was out of its ball surveying the situation. Tropius¡¯ eyes kept darting between me and Janice in an attempt to suss out the situation having no doubt picked up on the lingering awkwardness. Really not wanting to ride a temperamental Fearow I tried my hardest to defuse the situation.


    ¡°Numsy and me are sorry for our past behaviors! Could we still please ride atop Tropius?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, my mother¡¯s grudges are her own. Frankly, I had almost forgotten about the whole affair. Now that Numel has been properly caught I trust the little guy won¡¯t be making any return trips to our garden in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am!¡±


    ¡°According to your messages your intention is to make it to Rustburo before sunfall?¡±


    ¡°If at all possible, yes.¡±


    ¡°Good, we charge 1500 pok¨¦dollars an hour. Rustburo is two hours away from Lavaridge. Have the money transferred over and we¡¯ll get you in the air right away.¡±


    Not needing to be told twice I quickly did as the nice lady requested.


    <hr>


    In the air*


    Flying on Winona¡¯s giant Skarmory didn¡¯t come close to the comfort I felt while riding atop Janice¡¯s Tropius. The soft scales of a flying sauropod trump the iron clad bird Pok¨¦mon¡¯s razor-sharp feathers any day of the week. Tropius wasn¡¯t very talkative and we were only just now reaching the halfway point in our journey to Rustburo having just strafed across Verdanturf mountain. As we descended to a more manageable altitude I could see the outline of route 116 forming.


    ¡°Tropius do you want to take a break now or can you just keep on going?¡±


    Just like bus and truck drivers, Pok¨¦mon were obligated to take breaks in between half an hour for every two hours spent working. Route 116 was well known to be one of the safer routes in Hoenn. Children without parental supervision often came here to play with the wild skitty and whismur populating the route. So, I saw no problems with settling down for a short lunch break.


    ¡°Preeeee!¡±


    ¡°Tropius says that we can keep going on. He¡¯ll even allow you to eat one of his neck fruits for 500 pok¨¦ a piece.¡±


    ¡°500 Pok¨¦?! Is Janice having financial difficulty?¡±


    ¡°Preeee Preeee.¡±


    ¡°Janice has been saving up to buy a home but property values within Lavaridge are through the roof. Tropius is doing all he can to contribute.¡±


    ¡°You are very good to your partner Tropius, two please. I¡¯ll wire over the extra 1000 pok¨¦ when we land in Rustburo.¡±


    Tropius turned his neck so that I could have easy access to the banana like fruits hanging from his throat. Picking two I peeled both of them and stuffed the other in my backpack for Victini to enjoy. It was well known that fruit borne by a Tropius mimicked the flavor profile of its favorite food. So, it was always a surprise to find out what it tasted like. My paying 500 pok¨¦ for each one was more of a gamble than anything else. I was just hoping that Tropius didn¡¯t favor any of the more extreme tasting berries like the Tamato or Jacoba berries.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ this tastes similar to a Melon? The flavor profile is far richer than any regular melon. You truly have a unique sense of taste Tropius.¡±


    ¡°Preeee!¡±


    Chewing sounds started emanating from my bag making it clear to me that Victini had already dug into the fruit that I placed inside.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°This tastes so good! Ahem! Tropius wants you to know that Hondew berries are his favorite.¡±


    ¡®So Hondew berries can be crossed out of the list of berries that you haven¡¯t tried yet?¡¯


    ¡°No! This is only an approximation of what the real thing tastes like. I bet the actual Hondew berries taste even better!¡±


    As we were flying over route 116, I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the well curated park-like environment that allowed the weaker Pok¨¦mon on this route to thrive. You couldn¡¯t find the species that live here anywhere else in Hoenn. Benches line the paved roads and you could see the occasional city kid goofing around chasing skitty or zigzagoon. The rule survival of the fittest suspended under the watchful eyes of the Hoenn ranger corps.


    Just like that Tropius glided us along in companionable silence. Reaffirming my previous commitment to catch a flying type of my own should that option become available to me. After we passed an ornery looking flock of tailow the city¡¯s skyline came into view. Rustburo wasn¡¯t the largest city not by a longshot only taking up a respectable fourth place if judged by population size alone. Still, it was the heart of Hoenn¡¯s industry sector and home to the largest multinational in the world Devon Corporation. Even from this distance I could see the Devon logo decorating the tallest building in the city.


    When we got close enough Tropius swooped down and landed us just outside the city¡¯s boundary. The law dictated that trainers weren¡¯t allowed to fly within city limits, something about the airspace getting too crowded if people had the option of foregoing traffic. Fortree City was the only notable exception and did just fine without such a ruling.


    Tropius brought us down gently walking us to a small decorative water fountain before stopping completely. As the Pok¨¦mon brought down its long neck to take a sip I slowly slid off its back landing on top of the stone pavement.


    ¡°Thanks a lot, Tropius. I will wire over the extra money when we get to the Pok¨¦mon center.¡±


    ¡°Preeeee!¡±


    ¡°Be sure to give them a five-star review. Tropius says that helps them out a lot.¡±


    ¡°Will do Tropius, well¡­ we¡¯re off. I¡¯ll be sure to look for you if I ever need to book with Pok¨¦ride again.¡±


    We left Tropius behind at the local watering hole and made our way deeper into the city. The stylized architecture of the surrounding buildings was wildly different compared to the building¡¯s I¡¯ve seen in other parts of Hoenn. Every building was assembled with the same beige colored rock mined from a nearby local quarry. The buildings most closely resembled old Victorian style homes but doing away with the church-like rooftop finials. The streets were filled with pedestrians and their Pok¨¦mon partners foot traffic was noticeably high comparative to other modes of transport. People in Hoenn were strongly encouraged not to own personal vehicles unless it was for business related purposes. The motor vehicle tax being so high that most citizens just opted to live closer to work or participate in shared rides.


    ¡°Where are we going first?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to schedule a seventh level gym battle at the Rustboro gym, book a dorm room at a Pok¨¦mon center and go out for dinner celebrating our recent windfall. In that order preferably. The gym is located somewhere around here in the eastern part of the city so keep a lookout.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha!¡±


    The zipper on my bag opened up on its own and around a rabbit¡¯s worth of weight was removed from the total mass of my trusty backpack.


    ¡®Don¡¯t go too far on your own now. Remember, it should be a decently sized standalone building with trainers coming in and out.¡¯


    Victini had turned more and more adventurous over the course of our journey together. I just hoped that her headstrong ways wouldn¡¯t land the both of us into hot water. Although quite rare there were still certain types of individuals that could see straight through her concealment.


    ¡®Rustburo is a steel type gym, run by Mrs. Stone, the wife of the businessman running the Devon Corporation. I am quite certain that a gym run by such a powerful family would be ostentatious looking.¡¯


    The afternoon time was nearing its end which is also usually around the time gyms ended visiting hours.


    ¡°Come on out Halo!¡±


    ¡°Vess?!¡±


    ¡°We are on a recon mission; our objective is to locate the Rustburo gym. Now as part of your training it is our job to ask a local resident for directions. There are enough people with Pok¨¦mon here, so you choose which duo seems to be the most reliable looking.¡±


    ¡°Laaar¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on then, to make it easier for you I¡¯ll ask the trainer while you have a nice chat with the Pok¨¦mon accompanying them.¡±


    With reluctance clearly showing on her face Halo just crawled towards the person nearest to us. An elderly gentleman sitting down on a park bench accompanied by the sleeping figure of a Slakoth wrapped around his mid waist.


    ¡°Larr! Vess?¡±


    Slakoth hardly reacted to the sounds Halo was making, instead continuing on with its peaceful snoring unlike its trainer whose curiosity seems to have been stoked by Halo¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Excuse me. Could you please give us directions to the Rustburo gym?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ What an interesting looking Pok¨¦mon I¡¯ve never seen one like that before. Looking for the gym you say? How about me and Slakoth walk you there and in return you tell us all about this magnificent looking Pok¨¦mon?¡±


    The words had their intended effect. Halo¡¯s weakness to being praised being unknowingly exploited by the dapper looking gentleman. Halo looked back up to me corroborating that she didn¡¯t mind walking together with this smooth talker and his slow-witted compatriot.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got yourself a deal, my name is Egon, and this is Halo a Larvesta.¡±


    ¡°Charmed, the name¡¯s Marc and this sleepy fella is my grandson¡¯s Slakoth. Whenever he¡¯s over at the trainer school the two of us like to come here and watch the coming and going of passersby and their Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    Being quite sure that Slakoth was not looking at anything with its eyes closed like that, I started to explain to the elderly gentleman all about Larvesta and Volcarona as a species while at the same time walking right next to him as he guided us to our target destination. Halo didn¡¯t complain a single time, likely finding it distasteful to show weakness in front of strangers. Marc was an attentive listener shooting In now and then to clarify for further details. Naturally I didn¡¯t explain where and how I caught Halo and the older man was sensitive enough to know I wouldn¡¯t share those details even if he asked.


    ¡°Halo¡¯s silk outperformed wurmple silk and now she¡¯s earning some pocket change on the side. My Pok¨¦mon sure has inherited an entrepreneurial spirit.¡±


    ¡°Laar!¡±


    ¡°Better than wurmple silk? Fashion designers are sure to line up to get their hands on the next big thing. It says good things about her character to strive to earn her own keep.¡±


    ¡°I keep Halo¡¯s money separate from my own funds. That way she can save up to buy anything that catches her fancy. As a trainer I believe it is my responsibility to see to my Pok¨¦mon¡¯s basic needs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a mature way of looking at it, are you sure that you''re only eleven years old?¡±


    Eventually we reached the end of the street where the gym was located. Unlike what I had expected it wasn¡¯t garish looking. The gym looked more akin to a steelwork factory with comically large stainless-steel bolts holding up the building instead of regular stone hewn pillars.


    ¡°This is it, the Rustboro Gym. I know the people here, want me to show you in?¡±


    ¡°No thank you sir, we¡¯re only here to book an appointment for a gym battle.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. If you are planning to stay in the city for some amount of time I recommend visiting the local trainer¡¯s school. It has the best facilities and staff in all of Hoenn.¡±


    ¡°Laaaar!¡±


    Halo attempted once more to establish a line of communication with the man¡¯s Pok¨¦mon. This time it could be said she was partially successful since Slakoth opened a single eye before letting out a halfhearted yawn.


    ¡°Slaaaa¡­.koth.¡±


    ¡®Slakoth are such lethargic creatures. The perfect partners for stoners and couch potatoes. You could have some really deep heart to heart moments with a Pok¨¦mon like that. At least until said Slakoth evolves into a Vigoroth.¡¯


    After waving off Marc and Slakoth who had up until now been sleeping through the entire duration of our walk in the city, both Halo and I entered inside the building. This being a steel type gym I suspected the inside to be just like the outside, but was pleasantly surprised. The walls and d¨¦cor were out of this world. Fancy marble ceilings and walls combined with handcrafted apricorn tree wood, topped with Paldean rugs and a singular crystal chandelier. In fact, this reception room and hallway was so fancy it actually put me off unlike my Pok¨¦mon companion who was starstruck.


    ¡°Vess! Vess!¡±


    ¡°Halo wants a throne room just like this when she¡¯s older.¡±


    ¡®Tini?! Where have you been?¡¯


    ¡°I am up on the chandelier. This place is so fancy, Wheee!¡±


    ¡®Please come back down! If that chandelier falls down and breaks, I¡¯d have to spend an entire lifetime paying back the debt. Also, the staff might spot you!¡¯


    ¡°Excuse me, can we help you?¡±


    The lady behind the reception desk called out to me, despite this place being quite luxurious there were little trainers to be found here. A fact which puzzled me until I found out why.


    ¡°Yeah, I was looking to make an appointment for a gym battle.¡±


    ¡°We are sorry, but you¡¯ll have to come back another day. The chandelier has been swinging on its own for a while and we suspect a ghost type Pok¨¦mon has decided to take up residence in our gym until nightfall.¡±


    ¡°Oh! So that¡¯s why everyone suddenly started leaving.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t all the staff here Pok¨¦mon trainers who are well equipped to handle these sorts of situations?¡±


    ¡°Ordinarily yes but that chandelier is too expensive none of us can afford to take that risk.¡±


    ¡®You lucked out Tini, can you get off there at least? That might be enough to convince the nice lady to take our appointment.¡¯


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The chandelier stopped swinging as my invisible partner dropped down from the ceiling and landed comfortably on the top. Having noticed the change, the receptionist heaved a sigh of relief before readdressing me, the only trainer currently waiting to make use of the gym¡¯s services.


    ¡°Well¡­ we might as well process your request. However, you wouldn¡¯t happen to have any ghost type Pok¨¦mon with you?¡±


    Under the scrutinizing gaze of the receptionist, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a guilty gulp. The fact is that she was wrong about the culprit being a ghost type but not so much that the guilty party was one individual amongst my team members.


    ¡°Uhm yeah, I do have one but he¡¯s currently inside his Pok¨¦ ball would you like me to call him out?¡±


    ¡°Ugh that¡¯s¡­ never mind it wouldn¡¯t prove a thing anyways. To be registered for a gym battle we¡¯ll need your trainer¡¯s license and ID.¡±


    I handed over the required documents and as she got to typing on the computer. The two of us engaged in some small talk to combat the awkward silence.


    ¡°Why are you resuming gym activities?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a big deal. All the gym battles for today were properly settled. Seeing as you¡¯re here and I am still on the clock I don¡¯t mind squeezing you into the schedule.¡±


    ¡°Thanks! Roxanne had much praise for the way things are run around here.¡±


    ¡°You know Roxanne!? Well, aren¡¯t we living in a small world? How¡¯s our little prodigy faring in the circuit?¡±


    ¡°Last I saw her she was busy training up to beat the Sootopolis gym leader Juan. Roxanne was having some difficulties at first, but I am thinking she¡¯ll make it before the end of the circuit.¡±


    ¡°Water types, ridiculous. It is not like all the other gyms are making their challengers battle in specialized fields. Mrs. Stone has set her expectations too high for someone as young as Roxy.¡±


    Noting the term of endearment and the warmth exuding from the receptionist¡¯s voice I could tell Roxanne was much beloved even at her place of work.


    ¡°We¡¯re booked full for the next two weeks, it''s nearing the end of the circuit you know how busy things get. We could get you in sixteen days from now, is that alright with you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect, I had another gym battle lined up between now and then anyways.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ here we go. What badge level are you currently at?¡±


    ¡°I have five badges at the moment but I¡¯d like to challenge for a seventh level badge fight.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a big jump in difficulty. Are you confident that you can manage it?¡±


    ¡°I am from the Lavaridge gym, this badge should be easier to earn than the one in Sootopolis.¡±


    ¡°Fire types, I could see how you would think that. However, our gym leader is known for increasing the difficulty against trainers mid battle. This is bound to happen when you bring nothing but fire type Pok¨¦mon with you for this challenge.¡±


    ¡°Really? This gym is famed for raising beldum right? Do you think we¡¯d be facing a Metagross?¡±


    ¡°Seventh level gym battles are traditionally a four against four. Still, I have only seen our leader use a metagross on eighth level gym battles and even then, the chances are quite low. It is more likely that you will be facing one of our metang.¡±


    ¡®Dang facing off against a metagross would¡¯ve been sweet. We¡¯d have to pull out all the stops even with the type advantage.¡¯


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    Halo let her presence be known, undoubtedly eagerly looking forward to getting a battle at her own experience level.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get you a few real battles against some of the youngsters and bug catchers frequenting route 116 during our stay here. That way you can experience what it is like facing opponents at a comparable level of skill.¡±


    The lady behind the counter was quite amused seeing me attempting to appease Halo and threw in a recommendation of her own.


    ¡°There¡¯s always battles going on at the nearby trainer school. This gym has multiple partnering programs to guide young hopefuls in the art of Pok¨¦mon battle. If this cutie wants to battle there is no better place, they even take on guest teachers from time to time to assist them in preparing their students for a life on the road. Be sure to check out the noticeboard plastered on the wall of every Rustburo¡¯s Pok¨¦mon center, if you are looking to earn some extra money that way.¡±


    Once the receptionist finished scheduling me for the agreed upon date, she settled our exchange by handing over my legal documents. I was quite pleased with this interaction and managed to gain some useful information about the gym and the city itself. I had gotten a taste for teaching back at the Celestial Tower, and I wouldn¡¯t mind a repeat.


    ¡®Trainers¡¯ School, eh? It has been a while since I last visited one of those.¡¯

 Chapter 78 – Meeting New Faces

    Chapter 78 ¨C Meeting New Faces


    The following day I awoke to the sounds of my dorm room neighbors waking up early. Rustboro city was packed, and the center¡¯s crowded accommodations reflected that fact. We were forced to room with three other trainers partly because I didn¡¯t have the foresight to book a single room in advance. I just thanked my lucky Jirachi that not a single trainer that I had to room with suffered from sleep apnea. All of my Pok¨¦mon had to stay inside their balls this time, even Orin was forced to even though the little ghost type much preferred to stay outside his ball while I was asleep. By the time I had entered the dorm room last night the three other occupants were already fast asleep which spared me from having to engage in any lengthy conversations. Now that it was early morning that was no longer the case.


    ¡®I¡¯ll pretend to be asleep for a little while longer, giving them just enough time to leave the room.¡¯


    ¡°Are you scared?¡±


    ¡®It isn¡¯t like I am socially inept or anything. Just¡­ that I prefer the company of Pok¨¦mon over strangers.¡¯


    ¡°Go talk to them!¡±


    Victini, not having any respect for my life choices, used her impressive psychic powers from within her pok¨¦ ball to rip off my bed coverings leaving me exposed to three sets of eyes.


    ¡°Hello¡­¡±


    ¡°Greetings!¡± ¡°Greetings!¡± ¡°Greetings!¡±


    In an odd sort of synchronicity, the three trainers addressed me at the same time. Now that I got a closer look at them, I noticed that all of them were wearing some form of martial arts wear. Two of them were wearing classical Karate Gi¡¯s while the older one was sporting a Keikogi marking him as a Judo practitioner. Trainers on the circuit could make use of the Pok¨¦mon center dorms for free during their first year and even senior trainers receive a generous discount on center services. Which led me to believe that the older man was a master taking his two disciples on a field trip to broaden their horizons.


    ¡°Egon¡¯s the name Pok¨¦mon training is my game. How about you fellas?¡±


    ¡°My name is Unsh¨­ and these are my students Goro and Koichi. We follow the martial way. Would you care to enjoy breakfast with us? By the amount of pok¨¦ balls attached to your waist I can tell that you are an experienced trainer. Goro and Koichi still have a lot to learn before they are ready to set out on a journey of their own. They stand to benefit a lot from exchanging stories with one in a position such as yourself.¡±


    Their open demeanor and can-do attitude left me no room to refuse and just like that I was coaxed into having breakfast with them. Even though I was used to waking up at eight and not seven, our group¡¯s tardiness caused me to have my morning meal at around the same timeframe. The impracticalities of sharing a single bathroom with four people made me commit to only getting personal rooms in the future.


    The conversation was kept to a minimum while we were inside the dorm room but as soon as we reached our tables near the walking buffet, we got to know each other a bit better. It seemed like the three of them were set to visit Dewford Town to broaden their horizons at the fighting type specialist gym. The two students Goro and Koichi were citizens of Fallarbor Town and in fear for their safety Master Unsh¨­ had joined them in this excursion.


    ¡°Fallarbor Town¡­ so the three of you traveled through Meteor Falls on foot?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is one of the safer routes as long as trainers don¡¯t walk off the beaten path. The Meteorite Pok¨¦mon are docile and quite friendly and when the sun is up the local zubat colonies tend to stay inside their homes.¡±


    ¡°What about all the wild dragon Pok¨¦mon!?¡±


    ¡°Hmm yes, the area is indeed known to house wild Salamence and their progeny. We don¡¯t know how the ranger corps managed to broker the current standing peace. However, only foolhardy trainers that go looking for them have any reason to fear for their wellbeing.¡±


    ¡°After travelling through Meteor Falls you would still have to go through route 115 what¡¯s the situation like over there?¡±


    ¡°Route 115 has been cleared out of any wild terrestrial Pok¨¦mon. Although there have been rumors about a group of wild Jigglypuff giving concerts to humans and Pok¨¦mon who come across their homes.¡±


    ¡®Jigglypuff? That means the only wild Pok¨¦mon living near and inside Meteor Falls are Fairy, Rock and Poison types? The kinds of Pok¨¦mon who don¡¯t have anything to fear from the predations of wild dragon types.¡¯


    Poison types tended to disgust predators due to their venomous nature. The only Pok¨¦mon that could safely afford to consume them belonged to the same type.  Rock types with a few exceptions fell into that same category. In the case of the wild Jigglypuff feeling safe enough to give out live concerts I hadn¡¯t the faintest idea. I haven¡¯t read any studies regarding the subject or if dragons even saw them as a viable food source.¡¯


    ¡°I was planning on going to route 116 for training purposes but having the chance to meet wild Jigglypuff is also tempting. Is it true that they draw funny faces on you with black marker if you fall asleep during their performance?¡±


    ¡°That is oddly specific, no we haven¡¯t. Where¡¯d wild Pok¨¦mon get their hands on black markers?¡±


    ¡°Nevermind, just something I¡¯ve heard of happening all the way over in Kanto.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to route 115! Then we can teleport back there whenever we want to in the future.¡±


    ¡®Tini¡­ are you planning to secretly go off on your own looking for my sister?¡¯


    ¡°¡­No?¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®The Meteor Falls Mountain range is massive. Even if it is you, it could take weeks to find the hidden village.¡¯


    ¡°I can just ask other Pok¨¦mon for directions!¡±


    ¡®Aha! Caught you!¡¯


    ¡°Muuuu!¡±


    Letting Victini steam in the embers of my verbal victory I refocused my attention on the three martial artists who had been quietly enjoying their breakfast meals. Although I couldn¡¯t help but notice that my absent mindedness had caught the elder¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Sorry for that, one of my Pok¨¦mon is a psychic type and I often lose track of time while talking to her.¡±


    ¡°No need for apologies. My partner Medicham and I are much the same way. Do you still have any words of wisdom to share with these two youngsters?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you need to learn how to cook. Making prepackaged meals is a must in case you are to set foot on a particularly lengthy route. Also make sure to apply for as many sponsorships as possible before starting off on your circuit run. I am not saying it¡¯s impossible to earn enough money to support yourself but that forces you to rely on wager battles. Challenging tough opponents is an important educational experience but when you need to subsist on the money gained from winning battles¡­ You¡¯ll be forced to choose between growing your wallet or advancing as a trainer.


    ¡°But we don¡¯t know any rich people¡­¡±


    ¡°I myself had the luck to get sponsored by my long-time employer. If all else fails, I¡¯d recommend pausing your journey and saving up some money by working at a local Pok¨¦mart or something. I¡¯ve heard that employees that work there get large discounts which would also help newbie trainers like yourselves.¡±


    Master Unsho seemed to approve of my messaging that being a successful trainer was about more than being good at battling. I figured an old veteran like himself must have some money set aside for his personal disciples first circuit runs but that didn¡¯t mean that they should start expecting to be able to rely on Unsho for everything.


    After our conversation came to a close it was time for the four of us to part ways. The trio were headed further south while I was now very interested to check out route 115 for little sister related reasons. In any event I figured having Victini be able to teleport to and from Meteor Falls even if only in the ranger approved areas could be useful.


    <hr>


    Route 115*


    Route 115 was a collection of hills overlooking the ocean, the perfect place for a family picnic or hiking trip. We on the other hand had different plans for this short venture. I was intrigued by the stories of wild Jigglypuff making their homes in these highlands so me and the gang would keep our eyes open for signs of life while making our way to the very end of the route. Where at which point Victini would go off on her own to explore Meteor Falls I didn¡¯t hold any high hopes for her finding the hidden village but it wouldn¡¯t hurt having the option to teleport on over in the future. Despite the route being quite scenic we didn¡¯t spot any tourists; its proximity to Meteor Falls scared off any but the most seasoned trainers.


    ¡°You! I challenge you to a battle!¡±


    The trainer who challenged us was wearing a ninja outfit complete with hooded cowl and chain link undergarment. By the look of him I judged this teenager to be around my age, maybe a year older and sporting red hair which suggested the kid was born in a highland Hoenn village. Now being a ninja was a respected profession within the regions that bordered Kanto. It had been a long time since any of them participated in warfare but people don¡¯t quickly forget entire regiments being taken out by nothing but a single vial of Arbok venom mixed into one¡¯s food supply.


    Most of the team were out of their balls aside from Orin who didn¡¯t particularly enjoy the bright morning sun despite being a fire type. On the way over Halo tried guilt tripping the rest of us into making Numsy give her a ride which we resisted. We were about a quarter¡¯s time inside the route before we came across this new character.


    ¡°Sure. Do you want to wager anything or is this going to be just for fun?¡±


    The Ninja boy gave my team a scrutinizing look before deciding.


    ¡°Either, I don¡¯t care. We are still testing ourselves and vowed to challenge any traveling trainers we came across. I request however that you don¡¯t use some of your bigger Pok¨¦mon. Their size would make them liable to our secret ninja arts.¡±


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t feel confident taking on any of my fully evolved Pok¨¦mon? Must be a rookie getting his feet wet before actually taking on the circuit.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t feel like taking money from a rookie now that I was flush with cash. So I considered this an excellent time to have Halo get some practice battling against a real opponent.


    ¡°How many Pok¨¦mon are you able to field?¡±


    ¡°Two.¡±


    ¡°Great! Let¡¯s make this a two-on-two singles battle.¡±


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°Go! Gulpin!¡±


    ¡°Vess!¡±


    Halo, who had been watching our short interaction from behind, crawled up to the plate eager to show off her stuff. When we first entered the route I told Halo that the chances of encountering a trainer at an appropriate skill level for her to battle were quite low unlike on route 115. Seeing as this was not the case, I couldn¡¯t help but relent to her desire for battle.


    ¡°Halo, you¡¯re up!¡±


    The two Pok¨¦mon stared each other down. Unlike official battles the rules for route battling are a lot more freestyle. So even without a battle judge¡¯s input anyone was free to initiate the first move.


    ¡°Acid Spray!¡±


    Gulpin inhaled its body almost doubling in size before shooting out wads of projectile acid towards Halo¡¯s position.


    ¡°Quick! Struggle Bug!¡±


    Halo was too slow to dodge most projectile attacks this was our way to relieve some of the pressure giving her time to close the distance.


    While the acid rained down on our team¡¯s princess a green aura engulfed her and as if trying to shake off the biting acid her struggling form projected multiple streaks of light which homed in on our opponent halting the following waves of acid coming our way.


    ¡°Flame Charge!¡±


    Halo wreathed herself in flames and blasted off towards Gulpin¡¯s position. Instead of ordering for an evasive maneuver the ninja boy opted for an alternative battle strategy.


    ¡°Toxic!¡±


    The same mouth which had previously released gouts of acid was now shooting off something far more sinister. A type of intensifying venom that could debilitate any Pok¨¦mon given enough time. There wasn¡¯t enough time to dodge. Once Halo charges she can only move in one direction and I knew from personal experience that the ambient heat from her flames are not intense enough to evaporate the venom coming at her.


    The wad of poison stuck true hitting her square on the mandibles no doubt already infiltrating her body¡¯s organ system but like an absolute trooper she carried on smashing into Gulpin horns first. The amorphous blob got smushed like jelly before reforming back into its prior shape. This time looking worse for wear having lost its initial dopey expression and taking a more combative stance.


    ¡®Toxic? That¡¯s an advanced move only seen in poison types which have been training for a good while.¡¯


    ¡°Venoshock!¡±


    Lances made out of specially crafted poison barraged Halo exacerbating her already worsening condition. At this range it would be near impossible to dodge that¡¯s why I went for the all or nothing.


    ¡°You got this Halo! Flame Wheel! Don¡¯t let go until it¡¯s finished!¡±


    ¡°Laaar!¡±


    Instead of the shapeless flames exuded when Halo performed Flame Charge, she instead somersaulted into the air forming a literal wheel of flames around her body keeping the bug type aloft with the propulsions of fire coming out of her horns. At this distance she merely had to cling onto Gulpin¡¯s form cooking the poison type extra well-done.


    ¡°Guuuuul!¡±


    The once stoic looking Gulpin let out a small cry of pain as the perpetual Flame Wheel did its work. Its trainer also looked perturbed at our lack of tactics but came up with his own solution.


    ¡°Such a lack of finesse¡­! Fine, keep using Poison Jab until they let go!¡±


    This style of battling lacked finesse, but Flame Wheel was currently the strongest move Halo could perform. Unlike this Gulpin who seemed to have access to all the poison type staples the difference in experience seemed quite stark.


    ¡°Vess!!¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s losing out! I¡¯ll have to call it.¡¯


    ¡°Halo return!¡±


    Activating the return mechanism of her Net Ball I quickly swapped out a surprised Halo who will undoubtedly nag my ears off once she¡¯s recovered enough to do so.


    ¡®Judging by Gulpin¡¯s strength I¡¯d need a Pok¨¦mon that is a bit more experienced to take home a win.¡¯


    ¡°Go Orin!¡±


    <hr>


    After the battle*


    ¡°That was a close match! Thank you for holding back your strength.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s what one does when encountering a less experienced trainer. That Ninjask of yours nearly threw us for a loop. I am betting once it¡¯s gotten the hang of that Speed Boost it will be a real menace on the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°As the loser I am obligated to compensate the winner in any way he chooses. Do you require me to hand over my monetary funds?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, well we¡¯ve been looking for a group of Jigglypuff said to hang out around these parts. Could you help us track them down with your ninja skills?¡±


    ¡°Apprentice Ninja Jaiden is on the case! Nin! Nin!¡±


    It felt very chuuni asking for assistance like that, but the boy seemed eager enough to show off his skills. However, the smokebomb he used to cover his exit was less than called for.


    ¡°Egghhh¡­ Kukh! Keh! Why!¡±


    ¡°I am still not good enough to make a silent exit, Nin! Wait for me to return with the good news!¡±


    The smoke cleared away and the boy ninja was nowhere to be seen. Content to do as he told me to, I instead released Halo from her ball. The little bug type was looking worse for wear with purple ooze coming out of her orifices. It was common knowledge that Pok¨¦mon poisoned by the move Toxic had to be cured of their ailment as soon as possible before their condition worsened. My bag which had previously been set aside during the battle had already been plundered for the necessary supplies. As I could see Glove awkwardly handling the antidote spray with his overly large hands not being able to get past the child safety lock.


    ¡°It¡¯s push and then turn. See what my hands are doing? Like this¡­¡±


    After my explanation Glove got it down in a single try and proceeded to apply the antidote liberally to our sickly-looking princess. He actually used more Antidote than necessary but I couldn¡¯t complain after seeing how much better Halo looked after the Antidote started working its magic. Even though Victini wasn¡¯t actively translating for me somehow, I managed to perfectly understand what Halo was trying to convey.


    ¡°Vess¡­¡± ¡°I lost¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked very hard to win me that battle I couldn¡¯t be prouder.¡±


    ¡°Vess?!¡± ¡°Really?!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Nitan!¡±


    ¡°Your opponent was older and more experienced. Once you¡¯ve reached that same level there¡¯s no doubt in my mind that you¡¯d win the entire match for me. Think about it, if you only ever win you can¡¯t learn how to cover for your weaknesses.¡±


    ¡°Vess Vess!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best!¡±


    Halo¡¯s form suddenly started glowing, growing a translucent white when the process was over her wheezing was replaced by healthy steady intakes of air.


    ¡°You finally mastered it, Halo! Morning Sun is a great move to add to your repertoire!¡±


    Morning Sun was a move only learned by a select few Pok¨¦mon who had mystical connection to the sun. Being able to reliably keep a Pok¨¦mon in good health on its own power was a boon when exploring uncharted places far removed from civilization.


    ¡°Lit!¡±


    Orin who had been watching all of this go down reminded me to give praise to him as well for winning us the battle.


    ¡°You did a good job as well. Remind me to get you a gift once we¡¯ve returned to the city.¡±


    Just like that we spent a few more minutes enjoying the views before we heard the crackling of bushes and the familiar figure of Jaiden the ninja boy stepped out of the shrubbery.


    ¡°Nin! I have found your quarry! Follow my lead!¡±


    ¡°Great! You must be pretty skilled to have found a single Pok¨¦mon den within the span of what could only be a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Like a Shiftry one must be able to listen to the wind to be a good ninja.¡±


    Recalling the rest of my team in order to avoid spooking the jigglypuffs I hurriedly followed along the overly excited ninja boy. We weren¡¯t walking for long when I heard the melodious voices of the local fairy type Pok¨¦mon. Their cute squeaking leading us to a smaller hill on the edge of the forest canopy. What greeted us was the wondrous sight of a quartet of pink colored balloon like Pok¨¦mon with small tufts of hair growing out of their forehead.


    They didn¡¯t seem to be afraid of the two unknown humans walking up to them and actually seemed sort of excited. The biggest one was actually hopping up and down while giving us a dose of Baby-Doll Eyes.


    ¡°Jiggly! Puff!¡±


    ¡®What is that one saying?¡¯


    ¡°Jigglypuff is happy because now they get to have impartial judges for their singing competition.¡±


    ¡°This is perfect! I¡¯ve always wanted to hear a jigglypuff''s singing voice! Their vocal range exceeds human¡¯s by at least two octaves. Oh, sweet Jigglypuff, may the rest of my Pok¨¦mon companions listen in as well?¡±


    ¡°Puff! Puff!¡±


    ¡°The more the merrier, only sophisticated Pok¨¦mon are able to judge our singing though!¡±


    ¡°Honored opponent this is where I leave you to return back to my training.¡±


    ¡°No way you¡¯ve gotten all this way and now you want to leave already? It¡¯s only good manners to help these Pok¨¦mon decide who among them has the best singing voice!¡±


    ¡°My personal hobbies are more of the manly variety¡­¡±


    ¡°You think helping the Jigglypuff with their singing competition is too girly?! I¡¯ll have you know even the manliest of men appreciate the musical arts! Koga himself is known to use a variety of sound-based moves in battle; having a good ear for these types of activities makes for a good trainer.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? Grandmaster Koga does?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it some more while listening to the melodious tunes of these clearly skilled songstresses.¡±


    <hr>


    POV - Mrs. Stone


    ¡°Madam Stone, we have already reviewed yesterday¡¯s camera footage and found nothing out of the ordinary which could possibly lead to the nature or whereabouts of the ghost Pok¨¦mon. This must have been a one time fluke occurrence not worth looking into.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll decide that for myself. Now bring over the camera footage.¡±


    ¡°Right away Madam!¡±


    ¡®It is so hard finding good help nowadays. Once Roxy makes a good showing for herself, I can finally retire. I¡¯ve waylaid my own family matters for far too long. When I get back home, I¡¯ll have Steven show off his rock collection again. How long has it been since the last time we¡¯ve had time to go over his hobby?¡¯


    ¡°Four months sixteen days three hours and thirty-seven minutes ago.¡±


    ¡®Thanks Nicolas, you are a lifesaver.¡¯


    Only my own Metagross was allowed to link minds with me on his own initiative. The rest had to be either in battle or find themselves in an emergency situation. Nicolas made it a point to assert his will over the younger rebellious beldum and metang.


    The girl had proven herself to be a mixed bag so far. Out of all the applicants for the position I had chosen her because she was articulate and knew how to work a computer. Both qualities that could also be found amongst Nicolas¡¯ brood. The current Pok¨¦mon labor laws being the only thing stopping me from actually employing one of my Metang at the service desk. The fact that the association was okay with having construction companies pay their machop and machoke employees with just food, shelter and a trainer¡¯s affection while I couldn¡¯t do the same was ludicrous. We needed our Pok¨¦mon partners to do hard labor but any mention of them taking up more skill intensive jobs was laid by the wayside.


    The girl named Cindy came back, this time holding a DVR storage device and pulling along a television we kept in the back room. Without any further prompting from my side, she slipped the disk inside and clicked play. The screen lit up showing the image of the gym¡¯s hallway. Yesterday¡¯s incident was displayed in front of my eyes. The chandelier swinging, our visitors leaving and our receptionist watching on helplessly until a boy walked in. After her first attempt to shoo him off the chandelier stopped swinging.


    ¡°We have indeed been visited by a special Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡®Are you seeing something?¡¯


    ¡°The light¡¯s distorted, I only know of two Pok¨¦mon gifted enough to bend light itself.¡±


    ¡°Cindy, have you made any backups of this recording?¡±


    ¡°Not yet Madam, should I?¡±


    ¡°No, why don¡¯t you take the rest of the day off and let me handle this?¡±


    Cindy, not needing any further prompting, left the room as I called out my most trusted long-standing partner to help further analyze the contents of the security tape. Nicolas wasn¡¯t the largest example of his species, but his meticulous nature had been a boon to our shared battling career. Oftentimes it only took him a single glance to assess our opponents¡¯ weaknesses.


    Using his psychic powers on the remote rewind button my Metagross analyzed the footage once more, this time in person instead of through my human eyes. He kept the video footage running long after the chandelier stopped swinging and only after the boy trainer had left did Nicolas¡¯ curiosity subside.


    ¡°The Pok¨¦mon left with the trainer while hanging onto his neck and shoulder. I have seen enough to be able to render an image of that Pok¨¦mon into your mind. Without any coloring but it should help us narrow down which legend has graced this boy with their companionship.¡±


    Giving him my assent, the image of an unknown Pok¨¦mon was projected into my mind.


    ¡®Cute¡­ It is not one of the Eon Pok¨¦mon. A foreign Pok¨¦mon no doubt, it doesn¡¯t seem all too powerful.¡¯


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°That¡­it was just playing atop our chandelier, right? If it were a regular Pok¨¦mon doing that, we¡¯d give him a scolding or ban him from entering the gym. Still, he¡¯s shown me such an interesting Pok¨¦mon. We¡¯ll see what he¡¯s about when he inevitably comes back here to challenge us. The fact that we haven¡¯t heard about a trainer going around with such an interesting Pok¨¦mon means that he¡¯s keeping its identity a secret.¡±


    ¡°Should we keep an eye on him just in case?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think I am? My husband? No, the boy seems smart enough to not advertise this cutie in front of the masses. Although I am fairly sure you¡¯d be quite interested in sharing experiences with this whatever its name is Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°The technique to bend light has eluded me for so long¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ how about we make these two undergo a special challenge to earn their badge?¡±