Chapter 66: Chapter 64: Joyous Event
After his meeting with Lola, Ark with his Pokemon, spent the rest of the day training at their spot in the forest. While he had the urge to go out and capture more for his team, he also realised the immense amount of time it takes to train a single Pokemon to their maximum potential. Thus, he decided to focus on just Sylph, Shellder and himself for a while, unless he finds someone he desperately wants.
When night approached, he returned to the Pokemon Center. Despite spending the whole day intensively training, minus his meeting with Lola, his body was in top condition with very little discomfort. Ark was proud of the improvements he felt since it was proof that his efforts were paying off more now than when he trained before. He realised that he found it easier to build his strength now, therefore, he assumed that his body was currently experiencing deeper growth due to his age or perhaps the systems advancements were aiding his own physical growth as well as his mental growth. Either way, Ark was pleased with his current condition.
As he entered the Pokemon Center, he noticed the lack of people at the front desk, although it wasn't deserted, there was very few people. Curious as to the reason, Ark looked around for a wall clock, as his search bore fruits, he noticed that the time was much later than he thought.
"Shit... I missed the Dinner cut off in the dining area"
The Pokemon Center provided 3 meals a day for all Pokemon Trainers staying there for discounted prices, however, the time slots were very short meaning once those slots passed, the Pokemon Center stopped selling food. This rule only applied to humans, Pokemon food was sold at all times since they are the Pokemon equivalent of hospitals after all.
"I guess I will have to eat out tonight"
Shaking his head in defeat, Ark walked towards the front desk, though there was only Chansey there to receive him.
"Chansey, I would like to leave my two Pokemon here for a while, they've worked hard today and deserve a rest"
Chansey saluted after taking hold of Arks Pokemon. Noting her response, Ark turned around with the intent to leave.
However as he took a step away, he heard his name being called from the room behind the front desk. Arks movements immediately halted at the familiar voice. His face adorning a pleasant smile as he readjusted his body to face the voice.
The moment he turned around, he met eyes with the ever smiling Nurse Joy, however something was slightly different. At this moment in time, there was an odd satisfaction to her expression, as though she had completed something.
"You're finally back!"
Ark nodded his head as he replied.
"Yeah I just came back now, I missed Dinner so I will need to go out and get some. I was just leaving my Pokemon with Chansey."
Joy heaved a sigh as she replied.
"You missed Dinner? Honestly, I never would have expected that from someone as organised as you. If that's the case, I can prepare something for you in a bit, besides I have something to give to you"
Arks mind immediately recalled their previous talk of a gift. He assumed that was the case, but he decided to clarify just in case.
"Does it have anything to do with the gift you were on about a few days ago perhaps?"
Joys smile brightened as she heard Ark recall their earlier discussion. While it was not long ago, it still made her happy that Ark placed some importance on the talk to remember it so quickly.
"Yeah, it's exactly that. Come around back and I will prepare a quick meal. Besides the gift is something that I can show you now if you want."
He nodded without any hesitation. It would be a lie to say that the thought of Joys gift being of sexual nature did not cross his mind, however, he quickly dismissed the idea since her tone had no indication towards anything sexual. As he had grown up around beautiful and older women, Ark had become very proficient at picking up on any signals that mature women use to show they're interested. Unfortunately, Ark could not currently feel any of these signals from Joy, although her impression of him seemed to be extremely favourable.
He followed Joy and Chansey behind the front desk and entered the medical section and staff quarters of the Center. Once again, Ark was astonished by how big the rooms actually were. It seemed that the size of the town dictated how big the Pokemon Center actually was. While it may seem like common sense, it was another instance where his knowledge from the anime fell short. This was the main reason why Ark spent most of his childhood acquiring as much common knowledge as he could.
"Here take a seat whilst I quickly go and prepare something."
Ark did as he was told and sat down. He was then quickly left alone by Joy and Chansey who went to do their separate tasks, leaving Ark to fiddle with his phone and fully familiarise himself with it.
Joy came back shortly after with a bowl of pasta. Ark thanked her before partaking in the meal with great gusto.
Eventually, with his appetite sated, Joy called out to him.
"Was it good?"
"Indeed, it makes me wish I could food like this everyday!"
He was not flattering her, meals like these were rare for him, especially since he had not put much time into kitchen cooking when he was younger. Instead, he had focused on learning how to cook with frugality as well as how to cook whilst camping, thus his skills in the taste department left much to be desired.
"That's a relief. Well next time you drop by on your journey, I would love to prepare something else"
Joy spoke with complete sincerity as she smiled sweetly at Ark.
"Anyways, the gift, would you like to see it now?"
Ark nodded his head, simultaneously, his expectations burned brightly.
Joy left the room once more, however this time she was back very quickly with a fairly large bag. This bag seemed to have coolant properties that were used to keep contents fresh for longer periods. From his research at Oaks lab, the technology of this world allowed for items to be stored in such bags for periods as long as months. This seemed very bizarre when compared to the sheer lack of cars on the streets. It seemed as though cars and similar devices were highly overshadowed by travelling by foot and bike.
"This bag is my gift, it's contents too. I noticed that you only had an ordinary bag on your travels thus I bought this."
Ark was touched by Joys considerations, despite them not having many deep interactions.
"I am so thankful. This was an issue I was beginning to worry about honestly, yet you've solved it so easily, thank you Joy!"
Joy shook her head slight at Arks words.
"No it's fine. The moment I saw you, I noticed a deep potential, so this could be seen as a form of investment."
Ark nodded, thankful of Joys words of praise.
"In that case, I will make sure your investment pays off. Let's exchange numbers and should you ever need assistance, I will come running"
After receiving his gift, Ark and Joy spent the next hour talking together until Chansey brought out his Shellder and Sylph. Taking that as his cue to leave, ark bid farewell to the duo, once more stating his promise of assistance to Joy.
When Ark had left, Joy sat down with Chansey who had taken up Arks former seat on the sofa.
"Honestly, he may not have mean't it but that guy sure does work fast..."
Joy looked down at her mobile phone, in the contacts section, a new name was written.
This name was at the top of her list and said 'Ark'.
A smile crept on her face as she thought back to his words, causing her to thank her intuition for making her future look a lot more eventful.
Ark returned to his room and grabbed Sylphs Pokeball. The familiar light beam shone from the now opened Pokeball before a solid object formed. This object immediately launched itself at Ark with it's arms spread wide open.
Ark caught the flying object in a warm hug and sat down on his bed.
"I got a present from Joy, do you want to see Sylph?"
-Nnn-
Sylph nodded but stayed sat on Arks lap without showing any intent of moving.
"Such a troublesome partner"
Ark chuckled as he pulled Joys gift out of his Pocket Storage.
"This is the gift. It's a bag that can store items and preserve them for longer. With this, we can have more variety to our meals in the future"
Sylph was ecstatic hearing this news. While she usually ate Pokemon food alongside Shellder, there were often times when Ark would give them some berries or fruits, however that was usually only when the passed by towns since carrying around fruits would only cause it to expire faster.
Suddenly, Sylph started to sniff the air gently. Her little head bobbing alongside her sniffs.
"What's up Sylph?"
Sylph pointed at the bag.
-Open?-
Ark was puzzled briefly before he caught on to her meaning.
"You want me to open it? Sure, I kind of forgot since I was with Nurse Joy"
Ark grabbed the bag and slowly opened the bag up. a gush of cool air rushed out of the bag alongside a fruity scent.
"Wait... are these what I think they are?"
-Nnn berries... lots of good ones-
Sylph peeked her head over the bag to view its contents, her demeanour cheering up the moment she saw it.
"These are all really rare berries... so this is why it took so long"
Inside was a large assortment of multiple different kinds of rare berries, approximately 4 of each kind. This was a gift that people would give to loved ones on special occasion for how rare it was.
Especially since not many people sold these types of berries since they were usually eaten raw and no one had found a way to turn them into edible Pokemon food or sweets.
As Ark considered this, the cogs in his mind started to slowly turn as he thought of an idea for the future.
"Honestly, the people around me are truly kind. I better hurry up and make good on my promises"
Weekly Power Status
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