Chapter 42 – 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 Pokémon'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 Pokémon eager to pick a fight with us. Wailmer were pretty much the strongest Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon."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 Pokémon."Nose!""Nosey says it's inside this room.""The reactor rooms must be filled with all kinds of electric type Pokémon. My Camerupt is still at the Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon to let Nosepass have a go at the reactor."Psst! Flanny try asking Magneton if he would like his body polished." 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon.""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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon now positively glowing and having grown comfortable with our group allowed Nosepass to touch the reactor."This is it Nosey… are you ready?""Nose!"The rock type Pokémon 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 Pokémon'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 Pokédex 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 Pokémon, 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 Pokédex 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 Pokémon who need special magnetic fields to do so.""Don't forget about me and my expert Pokémon 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…" 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 pokégear and losing focus during lesson time. The two of us made it back to the Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon's size and needed caloric intake. Smaller Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 pokédollars. Enough money that I didn't mind indulging my little fox Pokémon.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 pokédollars 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon is that? It looks really pretty."The customers inside the jewelry store took the liberty of taking pictures of Halo with their Pokégears. In part due to their scarcity Larvesta was not a widely known species of Pokémon 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 Pokémon."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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon."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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon? 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon. 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 pokémon, 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 pokédollars will you pay in cash or card?"
Chapter 43 – 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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.
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.
"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 Pokémon who can't afford to have nice things."
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.
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 Pokémon? 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 Pokémon 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.
"Your Pokémon are now healed. We hope to see you again."
I picked up the two poké balls stuck on nurse Joy's tray. Having left my two Pokémon 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 pokédollars. 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 Pokémon 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?"
"Didn't we have this discussion a couple of weeks ago?"
"Yes… you see I specialized in Pokémon 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."
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.
"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 Pokémon. 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 Pokémon 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?"
"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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon was using Numsy's old cardholder due to her lack of forelimbs.
"Hi Torchic, does Flannery know you are here?"
"That's fine but try to finish up your game the teleportation Pokémon 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!"
"Flannery's really bad at keeping track of time, Torchic can you go get her?"
With that I recalled all of my team members inside their poké 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 Pokémon 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.
"I left my Larvesta for the nurse Joy to look after, can we get her back?"
With a knowing sigh the egg Pokémon 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 Pokémon. 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…?"
"Please just a minute more!"
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.
"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!"
"She is upset because there were no candied berry peels or honeyed lollipops as reward for her brilliant physical performance."
"Nurse Joy, does this Pokémon 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."
Without having to be asked, Chansey withdrew the egg from her pouch and offered it Halo.
Chansey eggs are special in that they were regarded as some kind of superfood. The kindhearted Pokémon 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.
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 Pokémon.
"Thank you very much Chansey! I'll be sure to visit this Pokémon center whenever we are in the area! Halo, stop eating and let Chansey know how grateful you are to her."
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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon some last words before departing.
"Well… we're off. We appreciate the hospitality Chansey."
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 Pokémon 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.
"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.
'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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon species that can learn to use fire type moves? That makes them great to use against any unsuspecting grass type Pokémon."
"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?"
It seemed Flannery's plea moved Shellder since the mollusc Pokémon started clamping down harder on Slowbro's tail.
Before we had a chance to say another word our surroundings blipped out of existence and simultaneously got replaced by the insides of another Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon out of their balls while inside league owned buildings."
"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 Pokémon with me to scout ahead.
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?"
"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 poké 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 Pokémon 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.
"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."
"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."
A startled sound came from the empty space behind Flannery. Confirming Victini's observation of there being an invisible Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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.
"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.
"Oh yeah the gym… but you see this Kecleon just showed up and we were going to play hide and seek with it."
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 Pokémon center to play."
"Ugh… already abandoned. Fine! Let's go!"
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 Pokémon 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."
"Not at the moment, no. She took the day off to spend time with her boyfriend."
"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 Pokémon 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.
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 Pokémon 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?"
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 Pokémon. 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 poké ball?"
"Okay then let's set off for Winona's house!"
"I am the king of the wooorld!"
"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 Pokémon 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.
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.
"It's okay kids as short as me shouldn't really be riding around on large Pokémon 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?"
Skarmory poked its head into the open windowsill and called for its trainer with apparent success. A woman's voice responded back to the Pokémon 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."
"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 Pokémon?"
"Not that many but her trainer insists on switching the format of their gym battles when challengers substitute into a flying Pokémon 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 Pokémon'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."
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."
"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 Pokémon thus explaining why she kept her Skarmory at the gym. The walls were decorated with posters of numerous flying type Pokémon 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?"
"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 Pokémon to let her know that she would be missed.
Both Pokémon 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 Pokémon in the room a bowl of berry juice."
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 Pokédex 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 Pokémon but reviewing verified research done by a Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon in no time."
"Uhmm I haven't seen Tranquill battle as often but based off some of her clashes with Pokémon living in the wild I'd say she is about as strong as fourth badge Pokémon at least."
"Okay, maybe fifth badge level. She's also really good at getting along with other Pokémon. However, she will pick fights with Pokémon 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 Pokémon. 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 Pokémon."
"Does she do well working as part of a team?"
"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 Pokémon."
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 Pokémon center."
"Yes, the Pokémon 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.
"Winny darling I've come back to astound your Pokémon with a helping of my handmade pokéblocks!"
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.'
Wallace decided it was a good idea to come along with me and Winona to the Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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."
The adoption process of Pokémon 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 Pokémon's consent, it used to be that the Pokémon 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."
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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon I took the chance to do so now, releasing all my team members to do the same.
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.
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.
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 pokéball to Winona who recalled her newly received Pokémon.
"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 Pokémon. 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…'
"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 pokégear. 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 Pokémon 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."
It took a while but eventually Flannery made her way out of the dorms together with the mischievous Chameleon Pokémon. Now that I was actively looking for the signs of the invisible pokémon 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."
"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!"
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.
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.
"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."
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.
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 Pokémon.
"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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon to interact with. I am sure a lot of regional professors would be interested to study your kind."
"Freedom! We can't become lazy!"
"Hmm then how about helping me cut up these berries?"
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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon that live in the city perhaps?"
"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 Pokémon lives but all they could find was a colony of zubat and golbat."
'That must be the scorched slab… then that Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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.'
'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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon! Besides, no normal wild Pokémon would visit something a mind-numbingly boring as a weather institute."
"The older Pokémon living there say that the rumored Pokémon 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 Pokémon. The kecleon continued on mentioning the numerous sightseeing spots surrounding the city. Interesting from a Pokémon's perspective; like where to find the best tasting berries or good hiding spots. They eventually mentioned something that did gain my interest.
"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."
"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 Pokémon 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?"
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