Chapitre 8: 006
The sound of movement on his bed woke Toby up from his sleep. Through the corner of his half closed eyes he could see the animated movement of Weedle grabbing his attention. However it was not long before his attempt to hide under his warm duvet was defeated by Weedle's cry and the light streaming from the window blinds.
Today was the weekend and he already knew that George and Elda would not be at home.
This of course gave Toby plenty of time to explore Rustboro Town and try to bond with his new companion, Weedle.
However this also brought another problem, last night's promise still weighed heavily on his conscience and compared to his relatively empty pockets he knew a solution had to be found quickly!
As he got out of bed Toby could feel his body getting heavier and heavier as he felt reluctant to move out of the bed.
But Pokemon are instinctively intelligent, as if sensing the doubts that clouded Toby's mind Weedle promptly stuck to him, giving him occasional glances. It was clear that she remembered what had happened yesterday even if Toby had conveniently forgotten his promise. The sudden cry from Weedle next to him brought Toby out of his body as he knew he was in trouble.
He knew today he would have to spend alot of money, and while two Pokeblocks might have been impossible, at least he had to somehow produce a Pokeblock for the excited figure next to him.
"I know, I know. We need to go out to get you the Pokeblock.. Let me get changed and wash up first!"
Quickly sneaking out his room, Toby put as much distance as he could between himself and Weedle. However, he somehow underestimated how determined and how much a foodie the small Bug Pokemon was. No sooner did he close the door and breathe a sigh of relief, the next instant he saw the shadow of Weedle sticking out near his feet.
'This speed.. Don't tell me this Weedle's ability is related to running..'
The Pokemon World can be said to be miraculous and wonderful at the same time. Even within the same species there were bound to be differences not to mention the effect of how their personalities played on their abilities. This was particularly true in reality. Compared to the game where these abilities were limited to the Pokemon battles, Toby realised that a Pokemon's ability had a much bigger impact.
'From what I remember Weedle normally only have the ability Shield Dust unless this is her Hidden Ability.'
A Hidden Ability in the Pokemon game is a rare event but it is not unusual and not all Pokemon have this. However who would have thought that Toby's Weedle would be one of them.
'There is no way a normal Weedle is this agile!'
Staring at Weedle for a second time, Toby could not help but think that he had made the right choice with every moment he looked at her, the happier he was, because he knew if his observation was right Weedle may have a special characteristic - Run Away. A Pokemon ability that allowed a Pokemon to escape from battle and also increased their speed.
A short moment was all it took to get ready, walking to the kitchen table dressed ready to go out, Toby noticed that Elda had left a bowl of heated oats ready for him in the morning as well as an apple and a note that was tucked on top of the bowl.
Reading the note, Toby could not help but help make a decision that he would treat her better in the future, in part because he felt guilty for taking over her son's body and second, because she was sincerely taking care of him. Something he rarely experienced in his previous life: he could tell every action she did was out of love for her son.
Focusing back on the food in front of him, Toby lowered himself to sit on the floor, one hand holding the bowl of oats and the other the apple.
"Here Weedle, do you like apples?"
Throwing a quick glance at the puzzled Pokemon in his eyes, Toby made a gesture with his hand that was holding an apple. It didn't take long for Weedle to understand his action and she carefully came closer.
The rush of a small rocket seemed to crash into his body, almost causing him to spill his porridge. Enjoying the quiet morning the two silently finished their breakfast and Toby's eyes seemed to lit up as he watched Weedle eating the apple happily.
It was not long before the two finally finished but not before Toby cleaned up the bowl in the sink and decided to head out. A habit he accumulated from living alone in his previous life.
Leaving the small building behind him a small jingle of coins could be heard from Toby's pocket, the only change he had found after searching his room. Quietly palming the coins with one hand, Toby wondered whether whether the coins could be used to meet his current goal to buy a Pokeblock for Weedle.
'I have no idea how much these are but I guess there is one place I can find out! First stop, the Poke Mart!'
Walking through Rustboro Town, Toby felt slightly different to the other day. Though it had only been one day, it was enough for him to slowly fit himself to the new environment. Perhaps it helped that this world was so familiar to him even though it had been a long time ago.
It was not long till Toby reached the centre of town and his final destination. Looking at the people going in and out of the store he could tell that it was a particularly busy day.
Luckily there was a board placed inside the shop with the prices and items clearly labelled. Watching from outside the window Toby could just barely make these out.
*Pokeball €200
*Potion €300
*Antidote €100
*Repel €350
The selection of items seemed fewer than he remembered but with no choice he could only brave the busy crowd and ask at the till. Inside the store Toby could see a selection of other items that was not on the store board but placed in locked cabinets such as a Pokedoll which was clearly marked as €1000 or refrigerated MooMoo milk over the counter at €500.
Patiently waiting until it was his turn in the front of the queue Toby withdrew all the coins in his pocket before placing them on the counter.
"How much is it for a Pokeblock?"
Watching the small figure in front of the counter which only just reached above the till, a brown haired assistant gently stared at the change on top.
"Our shop only sells Pokeblocks in bulk kid, we don't sell these like candies. If you want to buy some for your Weedle maybe come back with your parents. I mean you have €400 which is just enough to buy a basic Pokeblock but rules are rules."
Rather than being disappointed by the till assistant's answer Toby quickly nodded as he gathered back the unfamiliar coins in his hand.
"Thank you. I'll be back."
Ignoring the strange looks thrown behind his back and the angry expression of Weedle at his heels Toby quickly left the shop before turning around the corner.
"Don't worry Weedle I have a plan, you'll definitely get a Pokeblock today!"
The biggest worry for Toby was that he would not be able to afford a Pokeblock. But this did not seem to be the problem.
Knowing how much the coins in his hand represented was already a very good step. The yellows coins were obviously worth €400 altogether but which out of the three in his hand was worth what, was not something he had to worry about. However only one had an extra circle on it which most likely was the one with a higher value.
Wandering through the town Toby quickly came to a secluded area.
The plan was simple, no matter how well ordered a place was there was no doubt in Toby's mind that there would be people who lived to make trouble. As he waited quietly while juggling the coins in his hand, his eyes wandered absentmindedly around him.
Imagine this, a young boy holding money and by himself in a secluded area. An easy enough target for those who wanted to take advantage of him and this was exactly what Toby was counting on.
His experience in his past life seemed to flash by him as he quietly relived it in his mind. Life is rarely simple and despite what people had thought of him and how successful he had been Toby's previous life had been anything been simple.
Fighting was a common enough experience in his childhood, as his father would often say 'to fight was part of life' . Then again his father had been a retired boxer.
But fighting against people much stronger than him or dangerous, considering he was in the Pokemon World had never been his plan.
Slouching on the corner as the day quietly trawled past, it seemed Toby's luck was fairly bad because it was quiet and no one or nothing had happened for the past hour.
However just as he was about to find another way, he quickly saw a strange character approaching from the corner.
'Looks like the opportunity has come.'
With a strange smirk on his face, Toby continued to jangle the coins in his hand, pretending to ignore the man moving towards him.
"Hey kid! What happened, are you lost? Where are your parents?"
Silently watching the person in front of his eyes with unkempt hair and clothes which hid his hands Toby continued to watch.
It was not long before Toby suddenly saw the change on the stranger's face as he looked left and right, while staring at Weedle which had her tail raised.
A flash of light appeared next to the man as a familiar Pokemon appeared next to him. A small body with eyes glinting and sharp fangs stared back at Toby and Weedle.
'Rattata!'
"I guess you want this? How about we make a bet? If you win you keep it but if you lose, well you'll just need to hand in one of 'these' how about it?"
Dangling the larger value coin pinched between his thumb and forefinger Toby continued to look at ease.
" Why would I do that? I can just grab it. "
" Yeah you could do that but see my Weedle here, do you think someone like me who has a Pokemon like this has a simple background. I have been waiting here just because I am confident that if anything happened to me, you'll find yourself in a much worser ending than you can imagine. "
As an experienced HR officer, reading people was a skill that Toby had learned and applied throughout his career. Even more because he was confident that his status as the son of the Pokemon School Trainer leader was not that simple. After all this was the Pokemon World. He was taking a chance but it was safe enough despite the danger.
A sneer appeared on the man's face but the confident eyes of the young boy in front of him made him waver.
"OK so what's the deal?"
"Look, I might be a young kid but I'm not stupid. Do you even have any of these?"
The sound of jingling in Toby's palm made the man pause for a moment before he quietly produced one of the bigger value coins.
"Good. HELP, HELP THERE IS A BAD MAN TRYING TO TAKE MY CLOTHES OFF!"
The sudden shout quickly echoed even in the secluded area but Toby did not stop as he continued to shout. Even though they were further away from the centre of the town, Rustboro Town was not big by any means.
" Stop it! What you doing? "
Perplexed and startled, the stranger did not know whether to run or hide.
However at this moment Toby quickly stopped and approached the man, but this rather than make him feel safer only made him more tangled.
"Give me the money. Or I'll continue and when people come you'll only be more in trouble."
A frustrating expression appeared on the man's face and a moment of hesitation appeared. However in the end logic appeared to win as he quickly dropped the coin in his hand and ran away followed by Rattata which was as surprised as Weedle.
'I guess people here are much better than I thought.'
Nobody could have thought that Toby would make such a strange decision, especially not Weedle who still continued to stare with frightening eyes at Toby. If she could speak she might as well have shouted 'lunatic'.
Fortunately the awkward moment soon passed and Toby quickly took Weedle back to town. His plan after all was far from safe and more than dangerous but what choice did he have. Living on the edge was part of his nature. But he wasn't stupid, while going through town he had been watching the people around him. This was one of the reasons he had decided to take a risk, from what he had seen the standards of society still appeared much the same as on Earth.
Some people might think he was crazy but it is exactly because he knew, that he was safe, people tend to live according to fixed rules and those who broke them were few and far in between. If there were such a dangerous person in a town which was home to the Devon Corp, a Pokemon Gym and a Pokemon Trainer School, Toby could not help doubt if Team Rocket was afoot.
Holding the extra coin in his hand, Toby quietly went back to the Pokemon Mart. This time he was prepared, after all he was not really a kid.
Waiting for a moment till when the shop was quieter, Toby quickly entered to greet the till assistant.
"Hey its you again, didn't I tell you we don't sell individual Pokeblocks!"
Keeping silent, Toby piled up the coins in his hand.
"I just need one."
Glancing around the shop, the till assistant seemed to hesitate before eventually grabbing an item from under the counter.
Seeing the shiny green Pokeblock on the till Toby quickly took it and left without saying any further words. People are inherently selfish, if there is an opportunity without risk eight times out of ten, there would only be a fool who would ignore it. After all he had paid more than price of a normal Pokeblock.
Still that was far from Toby's mind. The most important was keeping the promise he had made to Weedle.
However unknown to Toby, his action had already drawn the attention of others. After all in a small place like Rustboro Town, what he did was as strange as setting off a firework inside a house.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone