Gaming Guardian Chapter 3, a pokémon fanfic

Preface

Hello everyone, Sorre here. I swore on pat reon and my profile that I would update at least one of my stories (or start a new one) every two weeks. This week, I'm going to update Gaming Guardian and Resounding Healer. Next week, I think I'll update On My Wings. Anyway, hope you're all well.

If you feel I haven't answered your reviews, it's because I want you to read the story and wait in anticipation for what comes next. Although, there was that one person who thought I was being sexist by making Giratina female. Meh. Nonetheless, enjoy and have a great week!

This chapter is possibly the most important chapter in Gaming Guardian to date, mainly because Aaron decides (him, not Arceus) on the course his life will take.

Chapter 3: The Missions

"You died."

Aaron nodded amicably as the two walked over to their new training ground. The sunset refracted across the water, shattering into glimmers of orange and red. After Aaron's return and confession, Fable had promptly taken a nap, saying that the world might make sense later. Poor Fable. Aaron just smiled and repeatedly tried to correctly guess the results of coin tosses for an hour, earning him 3 Luck. He still had no idea what luck could be used for, other than perhaps critical strike rate, but he figured it wouldn't hurt. He was hoping opponents would drop loot, but he somehow doubted it. After Fable's hour long nap, the two headed out for dinner at Café Popote and Fable took an unusual delight in allowing Catherine to pet him.

As they approached the warehouse, Aaron ducked into an alley and drew a bag of pecha berries from his inventory. '60 berries, one for each zubat,' he thought. He entered the dark warehouse and called, "Hello? Chief Zubat?"

A chittering filled the air as Aaron lit his flashlight. He made sure to aim down so as to not startle the flying rodents. Soon, he heard the sound of fluttering wings as a large zubat appeared. "Hello, human. You have returned to use our home?"

"I have. I've also promised you some food. I have 60 pecha berries, one for each of you. Will this do?"

"Yes, this will work fine. Can we receive these berries every day?"

"Umm, maybe? That depends on my idea."

"You mentioned it. Speak."

"I'd like to milk you and your cloud for venom," Aaron said, holding up the mason jar.

"That is acceptable. However, some of us will retain our venom as to protect the colony."

"Great, you can work out a rotation for yourselves. I just want this jar filled every night in exchange for 60 berries delivered to you every day I am here. Is that agreeable?"

With a silent nod, the chief zubat disappeared into the shadow of the roof.

Quest Complete: Give a Bat a Fish…

Details: The zubat colony cohabiting your new warehouse wants your help in feeding their young. Help them or find a new place to train.

Objectives: Secure some food for the zubat colony.

Rewards

- 5 EXP per berry.

- A source of income while you are in Lumiose.

- Training ground.

- Antidote x3.

You have leveled up! You have leveled up! You have leveled up! You have leveled up! You are now level 6!

Name: Aaron Phantomweiss

Level: 6 (28%)

Title: The Gamer

Ability: NA

HP: 130

MP: 180

STR: 9

DEX: 18

VIT: 13

INT: 18

WIS: 12

LUK: 5

CHA: 7

AP: 25

SP: 1

Description: Aaron Phantomweiss died and was given a new lease on life in the pokemon world as part of an agreement between him and the Origin. He is just trying to find his way…

Before Aaron could finish gawking at the amount of Attribute Points he now had, he heard the fluttering of wings once more. "Human," the bat spoke.

"Aaron. My name is Aaron. If we're going to see each other more often, you may as well know me by name."

"Very well, what a strange convention," the zubat elder mused. "It matters not. I have spoken with my cloud and your deal is acceptable to us. You said you would bring us food every day that you come, so are there days you will not?"

"Yeah, I'm going to leave the city in a week's time. I might drop by again if I'm in the area."

"Fine, we would prefer a consistent source of food, but this works as well. Do you know how to take our venom?"

"Yeah… about that…"

It took two hours, but he finally managed it. Thankfully, as they arrived at sunset, it wasn't horribly late when they finished and Aaron had enough time to sell the venom for the expected 180 Credits. Aaron looked to his partner. "Do you want to do a quick job before we head back to bed?"

"Yeah, we may as well. I've still got fuel to burn. I think it's because of that nap earlier."

"Ok, let's go pick some berries."

Aaron ducked into another alley and picked out everything he could from his inventory, all 34 pounds of materials. He now had enough strength to store his body armor as well, but was reminded of the most stereotypical anime training trope: weights. 'I'm not Rock Lee, but still… My vest is 23 pounds so I can run with a grand total of 61 pounds. Let's do this.' Aaron dashed out of the alley, Fable hot on his heels, back to the southern end of the city.

Route 4, also known as Parterre Way, was one of the most traveled routes in the region. Parterre, or a level space in a garden filled with ornaments or fountains, described the route perfectly. The route connected Lumiose City and Santalune City and was constantly patrolled by the joint cooperation of the Gardener's Guild of both cities. Trainers often took the out of the way paths, cutting through the forests bordering either side of the route, but beginners were strongly advised to stay within the beaten path for their own safety. None of this concerned Aaron however. He never intended to leave the city limits. While the high rise buildings of Lumiose faded into the backdrop, the political limits of the city extended well into the route, and most definitely past the berry garden he was currently standing in.

His impromptu sprint had earned him a single point in Dexterity and Vitality while leaving him and his partner panting in front of the garden's owner. Raul Lewis, the job requester, was an old man, his hair long since gone gray and now making a strategic retreat past the crown of his head. He had greeted Aaron with a friendly, if a bit skeptical, salutation.

"You're cutting it close, lad."

"Haah haah, just… let me… catch my breath… Ok, yeah, I'm good now," Aaron said. He gave the old timer a once over. Raul was dressed in faded green overalls and a gray polo. His boots looked like they were made more of dirt than leather, though they looked sturdy enough to launch Mega Kicks from. "Sorry about that. I wanted to rush here before I went to sleep. It doesn't matter when the picking gets done, right?"

"No, I suppose not, youngster, but I've gotta sleep too, you hear?"

"Do you think Fable and I can finish picking berries before you head in?"

"I would've already gone in. I'm just setting the irrigation piping to spray at night so I can save on the water bill a bit."

"Ah, shit. Any chance Fable and I can pick berries anyway?"

Raul gave Aaron a longsuffering look. "You look like you're a trusty lad. Tell ya what? My two boys are supposed to take shifts to make sure them critters don't make off with too many of my berries. You got pokemon that can fight, I reckon?"

"Umm… Fable's all I've got," Aaron grudgingly admitted. "I started my journey really late. I do have this though," he said as he drew his handgun. "Will this do?"

"Only if you want to scare awake everything in a mile's radius, boy. You need to get yourself a suppressor."

"Yes, sir," Aaron saluted cheerfully. Raul just gave a gruff snort before turning into the house. He called for his "boys" and Aaron was surprised to find one significantly older than the other. The older man introduced himself as Clyde Lewis, Raul's son. He was a heavyset man with enough corded muscle to give some fighting types a run for their money, no doubt a result of heavy labor. He was accompanied by a pangoro, a seven feet tall monster panda chewing on a twig. The second was likely "boy" enough for the duo. His name was Kris Lewis, son of Clyde. Kris looked to be twelve years old, just young enough to have a holder's license, but not a trainer's license. 'He's likely learning from his father before heading out,' Aaron noted. A grinning scraggy ran at his heels, only for it to trip on its pant-like skin.

"Alright, listen up, you three. Clyde is going to watch for any thieves in the night. Kris and… uh… I never got your name, youngster."

"Aaron, Raul, my name is Aaron."

"Sure. Kris and Aaron are going to be picking the berries and placing them in the crates over there," he pointed to a corner of the house where three massive crates sat. "Look here, Aaron, we grow three berries here: chesto, pecha, and rawst. You match them with the pictures on the crates. Idiot-proof."

"Hey now," Aaron protested.

"Don't wanna hear it. You wouldn't believe the fuck-ups rookie trainers make. Teens have the attention span of volbeat, I get that you're older, but the signs are there for a reason."

"Got it."

"Good. Now, I'm going to bed for the next four hours. Clyde'll come switch shifts with me and my daughter in law. I'll do the guarding and Sheila'll do the picking. Between the five of us, we should get this done tonight." Having said his piece, the old man wandered inside.

"Hi, are you a trainer? How many pokemon do you have? Do you have any badges?" Aaron was immediately beset by the youngest member of the garden's family.

"In order: Yes. One. No."

Kris immediately deflated. "Aw… you're just one of those wandering wannabes."

Aaron couldn't help but feel offended as his eyes twitched dangerously. "Look, brat. I was a part of the Opelucid City Watch for years before I finally got myself a pokemon. I just took a late start, alright?"

Clyde cut off the budding argument. "Easy. Sorry about that, Aaron. My son's a bit excitable. He really admires Elite Wikstrom and wants to beat the man one day."

"Eh, it's alright." Aaron was stopped from saying more as the expected quest box appeared.

Quest: Better than a Fetch Quest… Right?

Details: You wanted to do a quick job, but it turns out berry picking is more work than expected. Raul wants you to take a four hour shift to help clear out his garden.

Objectives

- Work for four hours to gather berries.

Bonus Objectives

- Completely harvest all ripe berries.

Rewards

- 50 EXP per hour worked.

- 10 Credits per hour worked.

Bonus Rewards

- 2 chesto, pecha, and rawst berries.

- 1 REP point with "Lewis Orchards."

Failure: You don't get paid.

A quick lecture from Clyde on how to tell ripe from unripe berries followed. Pecha berries looked pink and became soft. Chesto berries became a vibrant blue. Rawst berries were the trickiest because they looked more or less the same at all stages of ripeness. The only indicator was the distinct curl of the berry's leaves. Aaron practiced picking out ripe ones until he met Clyde's satisfaction.

"Say, Aaron," Clyde called.

"Yeah?"

"Isn't that heavy?" he asked, pointing to the travel pack he was still lugging around. "You're free to put it down, you know."

"Yeah, I figured. I didn't have to bring it with me. I have a room at the pokemon center for another six days. I just carry it because I figured I'll get used to the weight. Maybe it'd give me a bit more endurance."

"Or, more likely, you'll just be too tired to do anything when it counts and you'll die exhausted. When you start traveling, travel light."

"Personal experience?"

"Yes. I was an eight badge trainer when I retired after I met Sheila, my wife." Clyde gave a discreet nod to his son, who was picking chesto berries on the other side of the garden.

"Ah, I see. Anyway, we're not on the road so let me work out a bit."

"It isn't any of my business."

They swiftly got to work, Clyde picking up a berry here and there, but dedicating himself to keeping a watchful eye out for thieves. Fable, thankfully, knew enough to not poach a berry. One warning growl from an angry pangoro was plenty.

Roughly half an hour later, Aaron heard a soft growl from their stalwart guardian. Faster than Aaron could think to move, the pangoro surged forward, nailing a chittering venomoth with a blazing fist. The venomoth did not simply fly off with a sizzle. This was not an anime designed for children in which the main character never aged a day. This was an alternate reality, as real as any other world. A ridiculously powerful bear punched a giant moth with a fist that lit itself on fire like a meteor entering orbit. The chittering stopped as the venomoth's wings released a flurry of minute scales from the impact. These scales promptly ignited. The ensuing explosion staggered the bear, forcing it back a step with a pained grunt. It casually picked a rawst berry and swallowed, replacing the twig in its mouth with another. The effect on the venomoth was far more permanent. Caught with flammable wings in the center of the explosion, the moth was thoroughly dead, flash fried wings first and launched clear out of the garden back into the forest, a warning to other potential thieves.

"What're you gawking at, boys? These berries won't pick themselves," Clyde called as he gave the pangoro a firm pat on its back in congratulations.

Aaron's hands moved mechanically as he withdrew into himself in contemplation. He tentatively reached for the pool of aura he'd come to call his own. 'Hey, Arceus? You there?'

You seem disturbed.

'How can I not be? I just saw a massive bear practically teleport, ignite its fist, then punch a giant moth to death.'

True enough. Do you wish I had given you a stouter mind? I believe the original user of the Gamer called it Gamer's Mind.

Aaron paused. He genuinely hadn't thought too much about it. Gamer's Mind, theoretically, was an overpowered skill. It granted the wielder a basic immunity to mental status ailments, illusions, mental fatigue, psychological trauma, panic, and stress. While not as flashy as a city-destroying spell, it was undoubtedly a foundation for much more. 'No,' his own decision surprised him, but he stood resolute. 'I want to experience this. I want the terror and awe. I want to feel the pain and fear. And even the trauma. You didn't give me Gamer's Mind because you knew, didn't you? You knew my answer before I did.'

No. I knew you would be likely to reach this conclusion. In the end, I did not know for certain.

'Either way, this is how I want it to be. You know, don't you, that humans can't improve unless we're running from something: failure, death, shame, humiliation, whatever it is, humans innovate and develop when we are pressed into a corner.'

Well reasoned.

'That, and I don't want to grow so pragmatic that stats are the only things I obsess about. Pokemon, even in my world, was about friendship, the bonds between trainer and pokemon. I don't want to throw that away.' Rather than a direct answer, an in-game textbox greeted him.

For a well reasoned argument, your Wisdom has increased by 1! For realizing the worth of your humanity, you have unlocked Reputation with Arceus!

Reputation

Fable: 1

Arceus: 1

'Thanks, Arceus. I want to know though. Why? Why all this struggle? That venomoth died simply for trying to eat.'

Yes, she did. Tell me, Aaron, why might I refuse to intervene and create an intentionally unforgiving world?

Aaron thought for a moment. 'For the same reason I didn't get Gamer's Mind. Or Body for that matter. It would cheapen the experience.'

Indeed. The bonds between trainer and pokemon, the power to rise above your peers, all of that is vital to the mortal experience. Light can be known only when put in contrast against the darkness. What we hold dear is precious because of the lengths we go to obtain and protect it.

'We?'

Of course. I treasure my children. I treasure their journeys. Their self-realization brings me meaning, as does your own realization of your humanity. Not all Origins act as I do with their own multiverses, but I believe I am justified in my actions nonetheless.

'If I choose to kill, Arceus, will you stop me? Would you have punished me had it been Fable that killed that venomoth?'

No. I leave you to your decisions, for good and for ill.

Aaron let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he had been holding. To know that a god existed, yet to know that you were free to make your own decisions, was an immensely liberating epiphany. 'Thank you, Arceus. Truly.'

You are most welcome, Aaron.

The rest of the four hours passed quickly for Aaron, lost as he was in contemplation. When Clyde came out, he received the quest complete notice and began walking back to the pokemon center.

"We didn't finish, but we're close enough that Raul and Sheila can finish up," Clyde had said, "Thanks for your help. You're welcome to take any more jobs we post in the future."

"If I'm still around, I'll keep that in mind."

Quest Complete: Better than a Fetch Quest… Right?

Details: You wanted to do a quick job, but it turns out berry picking is more work than expected. Raul wants you to take a four hour shift to help clear out his garden.

Objectives

- Work for four hours to gather berries.

Bonus Objectives

- Completely harvest all ripe berries.

Rewards

- 50 EXP per hour worked.

- 10 Credits per hour worked.

Bonus Rewards

- Failed

By the time Aaron and Fable made it to their room in the pokemon center, it was 3:30 am and the two were thoroughly exhausted. Aaron smiled to himself as he noted that he had received 2 Dexterity and Vitality and 1 Strength for his trouble. More importantly…

You have leveled up! You are now level 7!

He had leveled. While he did miss out on the bonus reward, likely from being a bit too distracted, a reputation gain with Arceus outweighed the friendly neighborhood berry farm's favor and only a retard would be upset over that trade.

The following day, Aaron heeded Raul's advice invested in a Heckler and Koch P6 Suppressor for a hefty 107 Credits, leaving him with a pitiful 249. The day passed in a similar pattern: Aaron and Fable practiced Agility at the warehouse after a light breakfast. The two would then take the time to spar against each other; Aaron with a short pipe he would pretend was his hunting knife and Fable with his fist-like ears. Currently, the two were squaring off in the center of the dimly lit warehouse.

At an unspoken signal, Fable lunged forward, right ear first, and connected painfully with Aaron's left forearm. He grunted as he slid back and came to the uncomfortable realization that Fable, the bunny, was overwhelmingly stronger than him. -18 HP! 'Huge Power is so fucking broken,' he thought bitterly.

He resolved to parry rather than block and was marginally successful in his endeavor. Aaron pivoted out of the way of the next lunge and used the momentum of that spin to land a kick to his partner's backside, sending him tumbling head over heels into the floor. Lacking Observe, he couldn't quantify the damage he did to his partner, but that felt satisfying nonetheless.

"Ow, I'm going to get you back for that," Fable said as he picked himself up from the dusty floor.

Aaron allowed a smug smirk to spread across his face. "It doesn't matter that you're stronger than me if you're slower than me," he said with a serene smile.

Fable growled and dashed forward, this time with Agility cloaking his feet. Aaron tried to focus his aura into his legs to start the same technique, but was too slow. Both of Fable's ears curled into mace-like lumps and connected painfully with his stomach. Aaron felt his breath leave him as he was bodily flung towards the wall. -34 HP! He groaned as he picked himself up. 'Note to self; Fable's pretty fast.' He activated Agility as quickly as he could and shot towards Fable in a low sprint. He copied the knife handed lunge as demonstrated from his Self Defense book and was rewarded with Fable's surprised yelp.

"You could've killed me!"

"I could, if I were using a knife. I'm just using this pipe though," Aaron sang while waving the lump of metal back and forth.

Fable grinned maliciously. "I know, just like I also know your Agility takes aura to maintain. I'm just stalling." That said, the bunny just hopped away and began to bounce on the crates littering the warehouse while Aaron tried to keep up.

Fable dashed behind a crate, used the side to hop across to the wall, and back and forth until he scaled the shipping crate altogether. Aaron, unable to fit into the narrow crack, just jumped and climbed to the roof of the container. Before Aaron could climb up all the way, Fable launched himself feet first into Aaron's face, causing Aaron to drop to the floor on his back. -34 HP! -5 HP!

'Ugh, did not want to find out about fall damage like that,' Aaron thought. Out of the 160 HP he started with, he now only had 101 after factoring in his regeneration. "Good news. I regenerate health even during battle. Bad news. I can still have the wind knocked out of me," he muttered. He quickly thought up a plan and chased Fable to another crate. As he climbed, Aaron anticipated the kick and caught the rabbit. He quickly flipped himself over the top of the crate and punted his partner across the warehouse. "Ha! Take that!" Capitalizing on his partner's momentary dizziness, Aaron brought his pipe back and threw in an overhand motion. He was happy to note that Marksmanship gained some experience.

Another 15 minutes of the impromptu parkour tag left them struggling to breathe and splayed out on the filthy warehouse floor. Due to rigorous training disguised as play, you have gained +1 STR, +2 DEX, and +2 VIT. Agility has leveled up! Self Defense has leveled up! Marksmanship has leveled up!

"Skills," Aaron called.

Agility: Level 3 (10%)

Passive: Improves Aura Affinity by 5%.

Active: Improves DEX by 110%.

Cost: 25 MP/minute.

Self Defense: Level 2 (24%)

Passive: +2 STR, DEX, and VIT.

+10% Physical Attack and Defense when using known stances and techniques.

Active: NA

Cost: NA

Marksmanship: Level 2 (12%)

Passive: +6 DEX.

+10% damage caused by projectiles.

+10% accuracy of projectiles.

Active: NA

Cost: NA

Aaron sighed in satisfaction. He was somewhat disappointed to note that Agility improved so slowly, but contented himself with the four Dexterity, one Vitality, and one Strength points he earned. 'Huh, it seems like I'm going to build towards a rogue type. At the moment, it looks like the passive skills give the most, but I doubt that's the case. I wonder if all aura based skills are percent based? If that's the case, having a strong foundation would by default make those more effective,' he mused.

"What are you thinking about, boss?" Fable asked.

"What a cheap, irritating rabbit you are," Aaron accused playfully.

"What?"

"You kicked me as I was climbing."

"So? Everything is fair. You punted me through the warehouse."

"Heh, good times."

"Asshole, you also tried to stab me."

"With a pipe. A very blunt pipe. Besides, how else am I going to practice techniques?"

"Did that actually help? I mean, it was fun blowing off steam, but I'm not sure if you got anything out of that."

"It did." 'Though I wish you were taller so I could practice against people in my weight class,' Aaron thought.

Once he returned to the pokemon center, he balled Fable and turned him in for a standard recovery cycle and took a shower. While he waited in the lobby for Jaune to return Fable's ball, Aaron surfed the net using his pokedex for a quick daily quest. Eventually, he found one that made him smile.

Quest: Exhibitionism!

Details: "We here at Café Popote would like to invite trainers to battle patrons with holder licenses to draw in and entertain customers. The pokemon used must be low tier to prevent collateral damage."

Objectives

- Battle and win at least three times in a row.

Bonus Objectives

- Find a way to draw in more customers.

Rewards

- 25 Credits per battle given by the café.

- 20 EXP per battle won given by the café.

Bonus Rewards

- 1 REP with Café Popote.

Failure

- You don't get paid.

"So, boss, we're going to that nice food-woman, right?"

"Yeah. Her name is Catherine though, try to remember it."

"Fine. I wonder what I can get from her this time?" he asked himself as a bit of drool formed on his furry lips.

"You're abusing your cuteness, you know that, right?"

"You're jealous."

"Anyway… we actually got a job there. They requested that we battle in front of the café for a while."

"Cool! Our first battle!"

"Let's do our best," Aaron said before he opened the door of the café and stepped inside. The chimes rang melodiously and Catherine and Leo, the chef, looked up.

"Welcome back, Aaron," Catherine called with a friendly wave. "I think you've more or less tried everything on the menu though. Was there a dish you particularly liked?"

"Yeah, but we can eat later. Fable and I are here to pick up that job you guys put out," Aaron said as he showed off the pokedex with the job request on the screen. "It's still open, right?"

"Yes, we'd love to see you battle. So basically, we want to create a place where kids with holder licenses can test themselves against real trainers. Of course, if we can get more customers, this would be great, too," she said with a giggle.

"No one said you had to be completely selfless to do good deeds," Aaron smiled.

"Indeed, lad, now is that bunnelby your partner of choice?" Leo asked.

"Yes, sir. He's a bit of a handful, but I figure he won't cause too much damage anywhere."

With a nod, Leo went back to sautéing onions over a pan. "Fine, step outside and Catherine will show you where you can battle."

"Come with me, please. You're not the only trainer here, Aaron."Catherine led him back outside, where she beckoned to a rather flamboyantly dressed boy of about seventeen. "Enzo, meet Aaron. Aaron, meet Enzo. Enzo is somewhat well known in the neighborhood because he managed to get three badges in just his first year. After that, he came back to teach for the local school's trainer program."

"Hey there," Aaron said, offering a handshake. Enzo shook with a confident, if weak, grip as he gave Aaron a somewhat pained smile. 'I wonder if I'm that much stronger already,' Aaron thought, 'I need to hold back a bit.' "Sorry about that, I sometimes get too excited meeting new people."

"It's alright, no harm done. I'll be battling with my espurr. Will you be using that bunnelby?"

"Yes."

"Now," Catherine interrupted, "when one trainer gets tired, I expect you two to trade off instead of resorting to stronger pokemon." She gave Enzo a warning look.

"Of course," the two said in chorus.

The two had played a quick game of rock paper scissors to see who would go first and Aaron was pleased to have won. By exercising your Luck against another individual, you've gained +1 Luck! After a friendly "good luck" from Enzo, who had sat down with a complimentary coffee, Aaron took his place on one side of the makeshift arena. The first person to try a battle was a ten year old named Tim who was visiting with his parents. The boy sent out a dedenne and Aaron gave a gentle smile.

"Fable, up front," Aaron barked, channeling a certain Marine Corps captain friend from his old life. The crisp shout surprised many of the onlookers and seemed to visibly intimidate the youngster. 'Heh, I wonder what they'd say if they knew this was our first battle.'

"Ready! Go!" Enzo called.

"Fable, evade and use Spikes!" Aaron immediately called. He had no idea how many or even if there would be another pokemon behind the dedenne, but he wasn't willing to take chances. Fable obeyed by running in a slanted line towards the right corner closest to Aaron and tossing caltrops made out of hardened earth all over Tim's side of the field. The mouse pokemon dashed as quickly as its little legs could carry it towards Fable, but being unused to sudden shifts in terrain, could not change its course quickly enough. It cried out in pain and discomfort as spikes dug into its feet.

"Dedenne! Use Thundershock!" Tim commanded. The mouse squeaked out an affirmation as its cheeks began to spark. Two seconds later, a small arc of electricity sailed towards Fable.

"If you can avoid me, you can avoid that."

"Yeah. It's no problem," Fable replied, though only his trainer could understand fully. He took a single step to the side and allowed the attack to sail past him. "Try again," he goaded the mouse.

The yellow mouse gave another squeak of indignation before launching another missile, this time larger. Fable calmly hopped over it. "Fable, next time, try not to jump when avoiding attacks. The dedenne doesn't look like it can fire again quickly enough, but you'll be facing opponents that can rapid fire and if you're in the air, you're screwed," Aaron advised as his opponent grew more desperate.

"Hey, you're in the middle of a battle! Stop that!"

"Stop what, Tim? Stop teaching my pokemon? If you want to be a good trainer, you should take every learning opportunity presented to you. Or if you want to be a good anything, really."

After another four Thundershocks, the yellow mouse began lagging significantly. Its breath came in deep pants and each subsequent attack became further and further apart. Seeing this, Fable began to calmly stroll over. "Are you done?" he asked the yellow mouse.

"I can still fight."

"You're stubborn." Fable was only three feet away when the dedenne launched a desperate attack. He saw the sparking cheeks and jumped over the electric missile, landing on top of the mouse with its ears extended.

"And that's game and match," Aaron said with a smile.

For implementing a well planned tactic, you have gained +1 INT and +1 WIS. For successfully defeating your first opponent, you have received 111 EXP.

'Huh, so I get experience independent of the quest. Good to know.'

Tim grumbled but reached for his wallet anyway. "Woah there, Tim. You don't have a trainer's license yet so you don't have to pay me anything. This battle is just hosted by Café Popote so people like you can get a feel of what it's like to be a trainer. It's not a serious thing."

"Oh, ok. Thanks!" he said, a bit more brightly now.

"Yeah, your dedenne should be better with a bit of rest. Now, do you know why you lost?"

"Umm… your bunnelby is just faster?"

"Yes, but if speed is what makes a pokemon the strongest, pokemon like pangoro or goodra wouldn't be apex predators in the wild. Speed is just one part of the answer. Think."

"Umm… you waited until dedenne couldn't attack."

"Ok, but my plan came into play even before that. Normally, getting into a ranged battle against a dedenne with a bunnelby wouldn't be a good idea, but I knew your dedenne was too young to quickly fire electric attacks so I had Fable cover the field in Spikes. This way, your dedenne wouldn't be able to move effectively while Fable could just run circles around him. I had Fable train in speed for this exact reason. Then, it's as you said. I just had Fable dodge your attacks with as small a movement as possible to conserve energy then close in for the knockout hit later. So you lost for three reasons. First and most important, you did not have a plan. Second, your dedenne was simply not mature enough to use electric attacks freely. Finally, your dedenne, while likely faster than my bunnelby in a straight sprint, couldn't make use of that speed appropriately." Aaron turned to Enzo. "Hey, Enzo, you're a teacher, right? Did I miss anything?"

"No, that was an excellent analysis. I didn't even know bunnelby could learn Spikes." The two waved as Tim ran off to join his mother.

"Yeah, his father was a chesnaught apparently."

"I see. I believe it is my turn now. Let's make this a learning experience," he said calmly as Aaron took his seat. Aaron bought a mug of coffee for himself and a pecha berry juice for Fable as Enzo got in position. His challenger, a girl named Emilie, looked nervous after seeing the first battle, but stepped forward without hesitation.

She sent out a fletchling while his espurr stared blankly ahead. At Catherine's call to begin, the fletchling darted forward with the white light of a Quick Attack hastening its movements. "Fast," Aaron mused. "Think you can outrun it?"

"Maybe. I bet I'm more agile though," Fable said as he hopped onto Aaron's shoulder with his drink in hand.

"Either way, the espurr is handling itself well." The small cat pokemon had lifted its curled ears by a fraction, blasting the bird with a wall of pure psychic force. 'Huh, that's probably Confusion, but how does one tell the difference between that and other psychic attacks? They more or less look the same,' he wondered to himself. The espurr was quick to follow and rapidly ended the battle with a tackle while the bird was disoriented.

"You sir, have no mercy," Aaron said as he rose from his seat.

Enzo gave a wan smile and took his turn on the bench while he lectured Emilie on potential training regimens. "It just happens when I battle," he said.

Aaron and Fable managed three more battles. First with another bunnelby that tried to overpower his. Fable put a quick end to that with a Huge Power boosted pummeling. After a short break, Fable battled a scraggy that almost won when it was shown to have the ability Intimidate and know the egg move Drain Punch. Thankfully, Fable barely scraped out a win thanks to his opponent's immaturity and inexperience. He just used Agility to dodge and tire out the fighting type before running in from behind with both ears extended. His final challenger was a girl with a goomy, a gift from her ranger sister apparently. Aaron had never been more grateful to know that the goodra line had naturally poor physical defense. Although slowed by the Gooey ability, Fable squeaked out a win by simply pounding it into submission with brute force.

For defeating a bunnelby, you have gained 36 EXP! For defeating a scraggy, you have gained 90 EXP! For defeating a goomy, you have gained 85 EXP! You have leveled up!

Quest Complete: Exhibitionism!

Objectives

- Battle and win at least three times in a row.

Bonus Objectives

- Find a way to draw in more customers.

Rewards

- 25 Credits per battle given by the café.

- 20 EXP per battle won given by the café.

Bonus Rewards

- 1 REP with Café Popote.

Through the quest, you have received 100 Credits and 80 EXP! You have completed the bonus objective and unlocked +1 REP with Café Popote! You have leveled up!

Aaron and Enzo grinned as Catherine came over with more coffee. "Hello, you two, thank you for helping out today. We're about to close. However, Leo thought it was a success so we'd like for you two to come back. Of course, dinner's on us," she said with a smile.

"If you refuse, I'm going to punch you," Fable grumbled.

"Well, it looks like Fable is going to hit me if I say no, so sure," Aaron chuckled.

The next five days passed in a similar fashion. Aaron took the same quest, raising his reputation with the café by 5 and netting him 500 Credits and 400 EXP. He also found that the battles themselves would net an average of 70 EXP per battle. Four battles a day, five days straight totaled his experience gain to 1,400. Including the continuous quest he gained a total of 1,800 EXP.

For analyzing opponents, his Wisdom increased by 3 and Intelligence by 1. He also leveled three times, bringing him up to level 12. He did not slack off on visiting the warehouse either and with the daily purchase, of berries and the sale of venom, he got himself a nice 300 Credits.

In the warehouse, he and Fable continued to spar and race against each other, raising Aaron's Dexterity by 11, Strength by 5, and Vitality by 8. Fable had mastered Quick Attack as well as rapid pivoting with Agility active. Aaron also spent 100 Credits to invest in rubber bullets so he and Fable could have proper dodging practice. '400 rounds aren't as much as you'd think when you keep shooting a bunny with them,' he chuckled. At the end of it all, Marksmanship and Self Defense had leveled by 6 and Agility by 4.

Agility: Level 7 (80%)

Passive: Improves Aura Affinity by 5%.

Active: Improves DEX by 130%.

Cost: 35 MP/minute.

Self Defense: Level 8 (2%)

Passive: +8 STR, DEX, and VIT.

+40% Physical Attack and Defense when using known stances and techniques.

Active: NA

Cost: NA

Marksmanship: Level 8 (0%)

Passive: +24 DEX.

+40% damage caused by projectiles.

+40% accuracy of projectiles.

Active: NA

Cost: NA

Finally, he would test his Luck every chance he got. He developed the habit of tossing a coin in the air and guessing as he walked from place to place, netting him an overall increase of 12 Luck.

He was also pleased to have found out a bit more about his inventory. One day, the grocer he bought his berries from had given him an extra pecha berry for buying so many so often. He had completely forgotten and left it in his inventory until the end of the week. Once removed, he could not tell the difference between the days old one and the one that he had just bought. He grinned manically and bought 165 pounds of food from four different retailers to avoid arousing suspicion then stored all of it into his inventory. His inventory now looked like this:

Inventory (Capacity: 199/230 lb)

-Travel Pack

-Food (165 lb)

-Pokedex

-Pokeball x6

-Potion x5

-Antidote x3

-Heckler and Koch Magazine x2

-9 x 19 mm Bullet Box

-Money: 819 Credits

Currently, Aaron and Fable were standing just outside of Lumiose Tower, the central landmark that housed the gym. He had thought about which part of the region he'd like to begin his journey. He made it his goal to gather every mega stone available in the professor's lab and now that he stood at the center of Kalos ready to take his official first step, he received a quest that sealed his commitment.

Quest: Mega Packrat

Details: You don't even have a mega keystone yet. You haven't even taken your first step as a trainer yet. Most people don't even know mega stones exist yet. You realistically won't get every mega evolution out there because you can't develop a high Reputation with that many pokemon. But who gives a fuck? You're collecting them all anyway!

Objectives

- Acquire a keystone, somehow.

- Acquire every mega stone you can get your grubby paws on.

Bonus Objectives

- Find at least one worthy wielder for a mega stone.

Rewards

- 500 EXP for acquiring the keystone.

- 500 EXP and +2 to all Attributes for each mega stone you obtain.

- Potentially unique events and rewards for each unique mega stone obtained.

Bonus Rewards

- Gain title "Sage of Evolution."

Failure

- NA.

That did it. He now knew his destination. He began walking due West.

"Oi, boss, you know the first gym in the League circuit is the other way, right?" Fable said as he trotted after his trainer.

"Yup," Aaron grinned, popping the "p."

"Why are we going this way again?"

"Because I feel like it."

"Ugh. Why do I even bother?"

"Because you still don't know how awesome I am," Aaron shot back. "How do you know where the League trainers are supposed to start anyway?"

"Easy, I've been at the professor's lab for a few months. I hear things."

"Cool. For your information, we're heading towards Shalour. While you were at the lab, did you ever hear about mega evolutions?"

"Vaguely. What are they?"

"Well, saying that they're evolutions isn't exactly correct since the evolved forms aren't permanent. It'd be more accurate to call them transcendent forms. Basically, some pokemon have the power to transcend their final evolutionary stages temporarily and gain ridiculous amounts of power. For example, Diantha, this region's champion, is supposed to have a Gardevoir that can do it. To do this, you need three things: First, a powerful bond between trainer and pokemon. Second, an object wielded by the trainer called a keystone. Finally, the pokemon must also be holding something called a mega stone." Aaron didn't bother to mention the one glaring exception: Mega Rayquaza, the king of the sky and the origin of mega evolutions.

"Awesome, are diggersby one of these pokemon that can mega evolve?"

"Nope, sorry. If a mega stone that can make you transcend exists, it hasn't been found yet. Anyway, I think I can find a keystone at Shalour."

"Ooh, why do you want it? Are you going to find teammates that can go mega?"

"That's the idea, bud. To be perfectly honest, I don't much care about gaining badges or dethroning Diantha. She can keep her pretty ass on her throne if she likes. My goal is bigger: to gather every mega stone in existence." 'And meet Mega Rayquaza, but that's just for style points,' Aaron thought.

"What? How could you not want to be champion?" Fable asked in shock.

"Relax. I know you want to be the strongest diggersby ever, and I'll definitely get you there, but remember that I never said I'd become champion. I promised you that you would become a champion class diggersby. That's not the same thing. My goals might change someday, but I don't have any designs on Kalos' throne for now."

"Fine," he sulked. He gave a "hurumph" and hopped onto Aaron's shoulder. "I still expect you to take on gyms."

"Of course we will. Gyms are the easiest way to get stronger and measure our strength," Aaron soothed his partner. "Now, which road to choose. The wilds are too dangerous so cutting through the middle is out, but should I hit Route 5 or Route 13 first?"

"Meh, I don't care," Fable shrugged, but froze half way. "Actually, let's go to whichever road gives us the most battles."

Aaron rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile. "Why am I not surprised? Route 5 it is."

Aaron had one other reason for ditching Route 4. As far as he knew, Ash was coming very soon to Kalos and that would be the path the insufferable idiot would take. Honestly, he had no idea whether Ash even existed in this iteration of the pokemon world. If he did, he would be older and much more competent, or dead already. Or, he could be Red instead of Ash. Another possibility was that Ash simply would never come to Kalos, leaving Serena, Calem, and the rest of the X and Y group of friends to deal with Team Flare. 'That's another thing,' Aaron thought, 'Note to self: Find out which Legendary Lysandre is trying to manipulate… if any at all.' Seeing how he had no idea which timeline he was in, or if he would recognize anything about the plot at all, he simply chose to evade it all until the last possible moment, or until he finally got a damn clue. The two friends made their way to the Route 5 entrance.

Omake: The Professor's Lessons: Day 2, Part 1: Paralyze Heals

"We may as well continue from where we left off. After antidotes, paralyze heals are the most used status relief items in the world," Augustine Sycamore said as he tossed one to Aaron to examine. "It is yellow. Admire it."

Aaron shot the professor an incredulous look that he brushed off with a chuckle. "Let me guess, people associate paralysis with electric types so the container is yellow like most electric attacks."

"Ding ding ding, you are… wrong! In fact, it's yellow because the original makers, Corinth Inc., wanted to use the primary colors for advertisement purposes. Way back when, printing complex colors was actually a challenge, I know you young'uns don't feel that pain, but believe me, it was."

"So I can legitimately call you an old man now?" Aaron asked with an innocent grin.

"Shut up."

"You said it, not me."

"Anyway, Corinth Inc. wanted to advertise their medicine as something accessible to regular trainers, not just doctors or field medics so they made burn heals red, ice heals blue, and paralyze heals yellow. It was just a matter of happy coincidence that paralysis is associated with electric type attacks. Having the three primary colors, and purple for antidotes, made them generally idiot-proof."

"Ah, cool. So how does any of that help us?"

"It doesn't. Not all knowledge has to be useful, Aaron. Some are just fun tidbits to know," Sycamore intoned wisely.

"Like how Professor Oak can magically know when you're riding your bike indoors?"

"What?"

"Never mind." Sycamore sighed. Sometimes, Aaron would come off as a genius, especially with tactics and movesets. Then he'd say something utterly ridiculous like that. The professor leaned back in his chair and continued. "Now, I said paralysis is associated with electric types, but that association is as much of a lie as green frogs. Sure, politoed is green, but most amphibious pokemon, toxicroak, greninja, poliwrath, and seismitoad, are blue or some shade of it."

'Oh, if only you knew…' Aaron thought drily.

"In reality, virtually all pokemon capable of using poisons and spores in some way can paralyze. What is a neurotoxin except a paralytic? Can you tell me the difference between a paralysis that warrants an antidote and one that warrants a paralyze heal?"

"That makes a lot of sense actually. I'm just guessing here, but is it because paralyze heals are specialized to treat paralysis in nerves without the presence of poisons? For example, if you're hit by a Thunder Wave, your nerves seize up, but there is nothing alien in your body. If you are poisoned by Poison Sting, you might be unable to move when the venom progresses far enough, but the paralysis is a secondary effect. How close am I?"

"I'd expect that kind of explanation from one of my college students. You didn't go to college though, so impressive."

'I did though… just not in this world. Ugh, is every smart person going to think I'm an idiot now?' Aaron ran a hand down his face in exasperation.

"I say that was a half answer because you are ignoring Stun Spore, which requires paralyze heals as well and is caused by an external agent in the bloodstream. The real difference is that an antidote contains a mix of paralyze heal and purifying agents while a paralyze heal is… well, just that."

"I'm confused. Why don't we just use antidotes anyway if they have paralyze heals as an ingredient?"

"We don't use antidotes when we can avoid them because we should avoid ingesting too many medicines whenever possible. It's just not good for the body. Think of it this way: To paralyze something is to keep it from moving. Therefore, to heal it of paralysis, we must…"

"Stimulant, the general paralyze heal is a goddamn stimulant."

"Bingo. When it comes down to it, a paralyze heal merely kick starts the body's nervous system. Most Stun Spores do not warrant an antidote, despite there being external contaminants, because the spores have a very low effective period once it enters the body. After ingestion, they work once, then are promptly destroyed by the immune system. This is true of all powder techniques with the notable exception of Spore, especially from a parasect, but that's not really an issue now."

"Is there a case of paralysis that requires more than a paralyze heal?"

"Yes, if a machamp was to snap your spine in half," he said drily. "In all seriousness, some causes are more severe than others and will require a medical professional or a pokemon that can use Aromatherapy or Heal Bell. I think that wraps up my little segment; let's go to lunch."

Author's Note

Here's a fun fact: The inventory's carrying capacity is 10 x STR pounds. That does not however mean that Aaron's own carrying capacity is 10 x STR. He can actually lift much more than he can store in his pocket dimension. 10 is the maximum attribute a human being in peak health can have. At the start of this chapter, Aaron's STR was 9. He most certainly can lift more than 90 pounds. The inventory's size is limited so I don't have him magically solve a famine or drain an ocean or something equally obnoxious and overpowered.

I'm actually being very generous about the berry picking. In truth, harvesting produce is an incredibly demanding task, both in terms of manpower and time. It's romanticized as the idyllic countryside lifestyle, but that's because people don't understand how much work agrarian workers do. Now, imagine that, except parasites are all capable of killing humans easily. Again, I'm being generous with that quest.

I said Clyde had eight badges. Wulfric's avalugg, in game, is level 59. Let's assume that with a type advantage, Clyde's pangoro didn't have to be Wulfric's equal and that he beat Wulfric when his pangoro was level 50. Even assuming the absolute worst IVs (pokemon equivalent of genes), nature (personality), and lack of training in speed (denoted as EVs in game), that pangoro would have 56 speed. With perfect IVs, a beneficial nature, and maxed speed training, it would have a 121 speed. I know, that's a tremendous gap between the best and worst Clyde's pangoro can be, but bear in mind: Aaron's speed (DEX) was 19 at the time. Even with Agility, his max speed is 38.95. Fast, almost four times as fast as the human athlete's base 10, but still not anything close to this pangoro's lowest possible statistic. In other words, there is an enormous gap between Aaron and a well trained pokemon. If you'd like to know where I'm getting these numbers, feel free to use Smogon University's Pokemon Showdown: Damage Calculator.

Heh, bet you guys forgot Fable even had Spikes. Aaron gained 111 EXP, as though he were carrying an Exp Share with Fable. Note: That's how much you would get if you used Exp Share against a trained, level 7 dedenne. The dedenne is assumed to be level 7 because it learns Thundershock at level 7.

As for how I calculated the price of food. The average American consumes 5.46 (rounded to 5.5) lb of food per day. That is 165 lb of food per month (30 days). The average American also spends anywhere from $180 to $250 per month on groceries (not just food). I simply rounded it off to $200.

As always, constructive feedback is appreciated.

Pat reon Sorre