"Tell you what. This is not the date I expected," Pete quipped with a good natured chuckle as he sat on the grassy ground right at the edge of the sandy beach in just his swimming trunk.
Pete reached over the blanket to pick up a bottle of Oran Berry juice he had pressed earlier.
"You thought this was going to be a date? Sorry, but I'm very much into girls."
"Obviously not with you," Pete answered with a laugh.
"Well, tell you what. Give me directions, and I'll take the other sister away from here to your house," the young man next to Pete offered with a grin.
"Nah, your brand new Lapras is bonding with her two Milotic. Let's give them a little more time, Valentino."
It was two days after Pete's field trip with Vivian. Valentino surprised everyone by calling for directions during lunch and gave everyone a fright when he said his boat wouldn't make it to Goldenrod City.
After getting the coordinates for the farmhouse, they no longer heard anything from the young assistant professor. The only calming thing about it all was Valentino's calm responses and the fact he was asking for directions instead of help. Professor Elm was sure he just worded it like that to make them squirm.
The twins had arrived back to the farm a little after lunch with Herbert in tow and Herbert without meaning to had invited himself to the 'romantic' picnic Pete had prepared.
In the end, Pete, Jasmine, Sophie, Herbert, and a lot of their pokemon had made their way to the beach. That included a bubblegum pink Jumpluff sticking to Pete like...gum.
The shiny pokemon had accepted staying with Pete almost immediately after he offered a sort of ambassador position to it. Through their psychic bond, Pete was led to believe that this Jumpluff wanted to be special and gain recognition for something that wasn't her different coloring.
"So, tell me again how you came here riding a Lapras instead of being on the cruise ship with your Aggron and Tyrannitar?"
"Oh, you know. A bunch of Sharpedo were ganging up on this small Lapras herd, and the cruise wanted to just sail past. So I asked to get something to keep us afloat and left to help. Obviously, they had nothing to keep Aggron above water. But Tyrannitar fit with me on this lifeboat and scared the Sharpedo away with a few well placed Rock Throws," Valentino explained.
"Where's the rest of the herd then?" Pete asked with furrowed brows.
"Oh, none of the others made it, except for the one I came on and her little brother who's recuperating in a pokeball," Valentino said with a shrug.
"Wait, what? Get it out! Duosion, we need your help over here! Azumarill, can you two come over, as well?" Pete shouted to his pokemon, which got the attention of the three members of the Feelgood Family. They came over together with the pokemon Pete had called over.
"What's happening, Pete?" Herbert inquired with one raised brow.
"Why'd you call over all your healers? Was there a fight?" Sophie added with a cute tilted head. She had quickly caught on by Pete's tone and the pokemon he called.
Before they could ask more, Valentino had released the hurt male Lapras in the shallow waters near the beach they had moved to. Pete looked at Valentino with a weird expression. How was the other Lapras so unconcerned before and why did Valentino simply keep the hurt pokemon in a pokeball and not ask for help?
'Ugh, there's something I'm missing. Probably some form of common sense of this world that's still foreign to me. I... haven't been here for long, have I?"
Without prompting, the Azumarill started using Life Dew to give the waters close to the pokemon with many gruesome bite marks a healing effect. Duosion started spamming Heal Pulse over and over. Sadly, Farigiraf, Sunflora, and his two Milotic weren't here. Yet, having so many pokemon with healing moves present was already luxury.
Pete was glad he had a few Oran Berries from his heart tree left over and started feeding a couple to the hurt Lapras. His older sister was watching with a relieved expression as Lapras' wounds began to visibly stitch together.
"Huh, you're saying these berries are already from that tree you grafted the branches to as an experiment?"
"Uh, I didn't say anything, Herbert," Pete responded, unsure why Herbert said it like this.
"Exactly! I've seen the Vileplume's blessing at work and I have seen the fruits starting to grow, but you never told me or Isabelle that in such a short time you were already harvesting ripe berries from the experiment! Give me one, I want to test the taste," Herbert ordered with an almost pout that might have looked cute if it wasn't for his bushy mustache.
"Try that again, just a little more polite, shall we dad?" Sophie wasn't having none of Herbert's impolite tone.
"Oh, right. Not a son-in-law yet. Could you please pass me one of the berries for inspection?" Herbert said much more amicably this time giving Jasmine who had looked at her father with a displeased pout a small smile.
"Did you say it like that the first time just to drop that line?" Pete asked with a small laugh as he handed over a berry.
Herbert's only answer was a wink.
Later that day, Pete was preparing a giant feast for all the guests with Miltank's, Vivian's, and Growlithe's help. Growlithe's control over fire type energy had grown tremendously in the past few days, and she looked quite happy helping out in the kitchen.
By now, it looked like Growlithe had processed the loss of her little family by the hands of Team Rocket. In fact, instead of sleeping with Rapidash, Ponyta, and Blitzle like her life depended on it, Growlithe had begun opening up to Pete and his other pokemon.
When Pete was simply idle or training his affinities, Growlithe stayed by his side to give him company, something Pete very much likened to normal, loyal dogs from his past life.
During dinner time, Professor Elm, Pete, and Herbert discussed the leek weapons of the three Farfetch'd that stayed fresh and undamaged much longer than they had any right to. One of the 'mundane things' Pete had described to Professor Elm after their discussion on the day of the professor's arrival.
The Farfetch'd went through something Pete decided to call Duck-Sword katas almost religiously on a daily basis. Yet, he had to provide far less new leeks than he had anticipated. That still meant the raised beds for growing leeks and spring onions were guarded by Pete's most ferocious pokemon.
They were weaker than Nidoking, Rapidash, and Golurk for sure, but nothing would stop these three Farfetch'd from fighting when their leeks were on the line.
"You really want to travel to Hoenn on the back of Lapras? Is that safe?"
Pete and Valentino were drinking a glass of moomoo milk on Pete's patio overlooking the slope to the lake the next morning.
"Well, I got the lifeboat, still, so it wouldn't just be the two Lapras fighting if you're wondering," Valentino answered with a shrug.
"Still, I don't doubt that Lapras are a capable mode of transportation, but... to get to Hoenn, that's a three day ride minimum, no? What does a Lapras do for rest? What will you do for rest?"
"There's plenty of small rocks and islands you can stay on for rest during the night. Where's your sense of adventure?" Valentino argued with a laugh.
"Huh, let's pretend your rest problem is solved... can a lone lapras with a Tyrannitar in a life raft really keep you safe? Just imagine a Wailord with a bad mood surfaces near you and decides it wants a snack. Or that swarm of Gyarados that was spotted close to here during that storm," Pete countered with furrowed brows.
"Pete, I observe wild pokemon for a living. Sure, I keep a respectful distance most of the time on land, but it's not like I don't know the dangers. Also, if you're so scared for my well-being, why don't you simply come along and bring those Milotic and Azumarill! Who'd want to touch us then?"
It took a serious minute of contemplation for Pete before he answered.
"The farm's only finished construction a very short while ago. I don't know if I can leave here for two weeks or more," Pete said with an unsure expression.
"You could probably cut down on the return trip with Duosion's help, no? Depending on how long you want to stay in Hoenn and where you want to go, you could be back in a week," Valentino answered with a wide grin, happy that Pete even considered coming along.
"Hmm, I do want to go to Hoenn some time in the near future. Mossdeep City, our first destination through the sea route, has a mall big enough for my needs of Hoenn specialties... I want a pokeblock kit sooner rather than later... There's a giant Berry farm near the coast of Route 123 that I could visit to check if they are doing something I don't... and I do want to go to Slateport City. I might be able to convince a bright pokemon contest trainer who had fallen on hard times to meet me there so I could offer her a permanent job," Pete said more to himself than Valentino.
"Oh hey, Valentino. Where did you want to go? Got anything exciting planned? Want me to help you with anything when we get to Hoenn? Can I involve you in any of my plans?" Valentino sarcastically spoke to himself once Pete was done mumbling his plans with the Hoenn visit.
"Haha, sorry," Pete apologized as he scratched his cheek. "Anything you wanna do if I was there?"
"Nope! Just wanted to see you squirm~ Unless, of course, you want to follow me to Professor Birch's lab for our little get-together on pokemon habitats and migration patterns," Valentino answered with a grin.
"Ugh. You ass... I'll see about it, but I really don't want to stretch my timeframe too long for this, and Littleroot Town is quite deep inland, no? In fact, could you wait two weeks before our trip starts? I want to observe the berry trees a little longer," Pete requested with a shy smile.
"Haha, you underestimate my interest in Ilex Forest and the surroundings here in Evergreen Meadow! I'll raise your offer of two weeks by one, provided that you will house and feed me before me make our way to Hoenn," Valentino countered with a wide grin.
Three days later, Pete was in the open stable he had created to shelter his pokemon from rain. Golurk was almost done with the cavenous hideout inside the hill with the entrance under the roof.
It looked like an ugly mineshaft entrance, but the new cave was even connected to Pete's hallway in his house. The ladies in the house were glad that Luna had promised to come over tomorrow with some materials and everything she needed to make it a proper entrance with a sliding door.
Under the stable's roof, Pete was currently fixing up a sort of shack with all the tools, instruments, and spare parts he had gathered. Klink sat on the workbench and looked at Pete and his tools with interest.
"You see, this is a soldering iron. Without steel type energy, we humans require heat to meld two pieces of metal together. This, in particular, is for smaller projects where you need a lot of precision and only need very small pieces of surface melded together. The bigger process would be welding, but I didn't buy a setup for that yet. Maybe I don't need to, seeing you are here?"
Pete talked to Klink and explained every tool and what they are for to the pokemon as he hung them up on the wall or sorted them in a cabinet.
"These are screws. From what I understand, humans fashioned them like this because of the Magnemite pokemon line. You need a screwdriver, either manual or like the cordless one I showed you earlier to properly use them. We can combine two non-metal objects with each other with the appropriate screw. Like two pieces of wood, or even two pieces of metal, in case at least one of them has a hole that is properly threaded," Pete explained as he noticed with glee that Klink got kind of competitive hearing that humans used a steel pokemon as inspiration.
Honestly, Pete wasn't even sure that was true.
"Haha, you don't need to be so fired up. I dare say that gears and cogwheels are just as important in human technology as screws. Probably even more important just for the technology aspect since it's a moving part," Pete added as he held up a small transmission he had bought in one of the stalls of the New Bark Town market.
He was a mechanical engineer who liked to tinker due to his upbringing. He was sure he needed this stuff sometime in the future! Surely, a busted gearbox from the motor of a random lawnmower he didn't know the model of would be useful eventually! He was not a hoarder of random junk!
Pete shook his head to get his head back to the present.
"Here, help me bend these nails back into shape. Flat top, pointy end, fully straight," Pete requested as he got out a bunch of out of shape nails. He had salvaged these together with the wooden boards at the very start of his journey in the world from overturned and broken boxes.
He was rich enough to buy it all new, but why not live frugal? He had a pokemon right there who could lift itself up in the air with sheer will. Sure, at this point in time Klink used the electric move Magnet Rise, the psychic move Gravity and its own steel type energy to do it, but it only meant Klink would be up longer in the air in a day thanks to all the options. The only restriction was that Pete banned Klink's use of Magnet Rise inside the house. No need to fry all his appliances for no reason.
Since it could use three different pools of energy, just floating around the farm was already training for the pokemon. And bending old nails back into shape was no problem at all. Well, it would train Klink's control over smaller, more delicate operations. Especially if he asked it to straighten out screws and sharpen their threading so they would cut into wood easier.
"Pete! You won't believe what I've just seen in the forest!"
The door to the shack was wide open, so Valentino, who came running from the direction of the waterfall, could see him clearly.
"Was it a pokemon?" Pete asked in a calm voice, betraying no emotion.
Valentino had gained a bit of a 'boy-who-cried-wolf' dynamic with Pete after he came running to explain he found something amazing and then proceeded to show Pete a picture of a Pinsir having sex with a Heracross. Or a Ledyba doing it with a Venonat. Or two Ariados ganging up on a- nevermind.
"Okay, guess I'll go and talk to the professor then about me finding a Dragonair with two Dratini," Valentino quipped back with a grin as he turned around to walk to the house.
"Wait, wait, wait. You found what?" Pete turned around instantly.
"Hehe, now you're interested, huh?"
"Of course! You're not talking about some bug pokemon doing it!"
"Hehe, I could tell you about that one Scyther and his-"
"Please, I know you're just doing this to get a reaction out of me. You've seen enough pokemon getting it on in New Bark. Now tell me why they would be in the middle of the forest! They aren't water type pokemon, but I know for sure they prefer living near lakes and rivers," Pete interrupted.
"Not like I could ask. One of the Dratini did look quite wounded though while the Dragonair didn't look in its best shape either," Valentino supplied with a shrug.
"Let me get some pokemon, and you go to Elm! I'm sure he'd love to see some wild dragon pokemon with his own eyes," Pete ordered with a shout as he ran to where his pokemon usually hung out.
"Getting ordered around like a servant by my little junior~ oh the woes of a good-hearted senpai," Valentino lamented in a sing-song voice loud enough that Pete heard.
A short-range teleport and a good twenty minutes later, Elm, Valentino, and Pete were looking into a clearing with a small pond near it.
They were surrounded by Golurk, Aggron, Duosion, two Azumarill, and Snivy. Sadly, Pete's Milotic weren't present, and they were on a time crunch. Who knew how long these elusive dragon pokemon would stay around otherwise?
Pete was sure bringing the Milotic would have ended in a more positive outcome if they chose to engage, but it wasn't meant to be.
'Duosion, can you let Dragonair know we're here?' Pete thought in his open link with all his pokemon.
Ever since he trained his psychic energy, he could connect to his pokemon and let them hear his intentions and orders through a psychic link just like he could with Duosion from the very first day.
It took a while to get proficient enough to connect to several pokemon at the same time and the more links he had open, the shorter the range of these links would be, but it was a steady process of improvement that Pete welcomed very much.
"Oh, the Dragonair is looking over!" Elm whisper-shouted in excitement. He didn't behave like a person looking at a four meter long danger noodle that could kill him by breathing a little harder than usual.
Well, he was protected by Pete's and Valentino's strongest pokemon, so it was a very unlikely outcome.
Duosion cautiously floated forward and used a Heal Pulse on the bleeding Dratini. Pete had looked at it through the binoculars he was gifted by Valentino at his departure from New Bark weeks ago and saw that one of the Dratini's looked ferociously mangled. Its body was littered in long, bloody gashes and burns, and it was a wonder that it was even still breathing by how much blood it seemed to be losing every moment.
Dragonair did not attack the group as Duosion kept relaying our positive intentions, yet the group also did not step forward.
The three dragon pokemon were resting next to an almost circular pond with a radius about Dragonair's length, and Dragonair eventually nudged the body of the wounded Dratini inside before looking at the two Azumarills. The two stepped forward under Duosion's psychic invitation and used Life Dew as best they could, though they weren't quite as proficient as the two Milotic.
'Well, every bit helps. What's the status Duosion? You think we can step closer, or is Dragonair still guarded against us?'
Duosion answered with a picture of berries and a positive feeling, which Pete relayed to Elm and Valentino. As they stepped closer under the watchful gaze of Dragonair, Pete took out some berries from the bag of holding hung over his shoulder.
Elm and Valentino stayed a few steps behind Pete, not that Pete noticed. It wasn't that they didn't trust him, but they were more curious about how their newest coworker would handle this situation.
Pete had by now read the book about surviving a meeting with and training dragon pokemon he had found in the cabin on route 27, so he knew what signs to look out for and how to best handle his approach. The book was quite extensive and thorough, so it left a good impression on him and he was sure it was applicable in the 'real world'.
With steps and a posture that showed he was neither threatening nor weak, Pete walked to Dragonair with some Oran and Leppa Berries in his hands.
A similar scene repeated itself as it happened when Pete first met Rapidash and a weakened Ponyta during the storm and offered them poketreats as food. The Dragonair sniffed the berries Pete had floated over with psychic type energy - a show of strength - and Dragonair carefully ate one of the berries.
If it wasn't for such a purpose, Pete would feel sad about it because his stock still wasn't looking all too good - but this was for the friendship of the only dragon pokemon line of the first generation of pokemon! A dream come true, despite all the wonders Pete had already experienced in this world.
"Huh, didn't know you had psychic powers! What other affinities have you unlocked?"
Elm asked curiously, for a short while forgetting that they were in the presence of wounded dragon pokemon.
'Damn, forgot they were here! Truth or half-thruths?' Pete thought and it took his full willpower to not flinch. 'Terrible timing, Professor!'
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