Chapter 4
Before going to the cafe, Nory stopped to get some equipment for his new pal at the neighboring Pokémart. Slender? Nah. Most importantly was a clear spherical container designed to endure most conditions one could face while traveling. This allowed the carrying of aquatic Pokémon outside of their Pokéballs, helping the trainers and Pokémon bond. The downside is that it had to be emptied often in order to be cleaned. Being in the more urban and green locations of Tychone, it can easily slip your mind that this is a desert nation. Well, so long as we're going around the Retneki lake area, I shouldn't get too worried.
Kind would marvel at the sphere's highly coordinated balance of rigid structures, compressible dampeners, and gas permeable membranes. Nory liked how the striped hamster ball filled with water made his Barboach look funny, even if it was the most expensive thing he bought in the last 3 months.
After grabbing a bowl of spaghetti and filling Barboach's vessel with water, Nory sat down in the cafe for some quality bonding. "Hiya there, little guy!"
"/High-a tide-re, large buoy. Like buoyancy!\"
I wish I could understand Pokémon "So, I thought we could try to come up with a nickname for you! Can't be Barboach forever."
"/I don't nau (like nautical). I have a very spacific taste, do you think you can salmon up the strength for that? Are you shore?\"
"Man, you are glubbing up a STORM of bubbles there. Are you giggling to yourself? Can fish giggle?... Clown fish?" Nory took a bite of his hot pasta barly cooled cooled down by the slightly watery tomato sause. "No, no. that's silly"
"/I think school. (Is cool, s'cool, school of fish, you get it.)\"
"You have that pattern on your side, like half of the Aquarius symbol... "
"/Aqua? Wavy? Scar? Stitches? Those cod be cool names.\"
"Buckets the Barboach!"
"/Hmm...Yes.\" Buckets did a small flip of approval inside the water.
After about an hour Kind joined Nory in the cafeteria with nothing more than a gauge taped over his nose. "Thank was fast," remarked Nory.
"Yes it was. Fortunately, I only fractured the cartilage, so the treatment was fairly minor. Nurse Joy predicts that there will not be a scar after the injury full heals. I am going to the kitchen to get some dinner. Do you desire anything?"
"No thanks, I already ate." Nory went back to talking with his newest friend while Kind disappeared into the kitchen. He reappeared a while later holding a plate with 4 slices of pizza in one hand and a bowl of spaghetti balanced on a bottle of root beer in the other. "I said that I wasn't hungry."
"I recall. This is for me. I did not like getting up to get more food partway through my meal." Nory and Buckets stared at Kind as he ate all of his food in silence.
Bucket inquired, "/Do humans normally eat that much?\" Nory's expression was all of the response Bucket needed.
Once Kind was done, he said goodnight and went to bed. Nory stayed up only a little later, gathering all the new items he would need for Bucket. After a pleasant sleep and nice breakfast, the pair left the Pokémon Center at about 8:00AM. They each had one of their Pokémon out with them. Kind had decided to let Chol out, who was currently zipping all across the path. Nory was carrying Bucket, because he wanted to spend some quality time with his brand new teammate.
After 20 minutes of walking in silence, Nory was starting to feel uncomfortable. He decided to strike up a conversation to break the peace that Kind was enjoying. "So Kind, how's uh... How's your new Pokemon feeling?" Nory said, his eyes darting around the scenery as if advice on how to begin conversations may appear out of the wild grass in place of Sentrets.
"Are you inquiring with regards to mental or physical well being?"
"...Yes."
"Nurse Joy preformed a thorough examination of Charev. He is under the mean size of a Scyther in terms of both height and weight. However, he is still within the 80th percentile for a mature Scyther. Kind paused for a long time. "I have not noticed any mental problems with Charev."
"Well that's good! I hope the rest of your team is taking the addition of a member well. Sev and Amp have been rather quite about Buckets. That's the name by the way Buckets."
Kind said nothing for a beat. Is it my turn to pick a topic? But I don't want to talk to Nory about anything. Maybe I should just repeat what he said. "How is Buckets doing?"
"I don't know, how ARE you doing Buckets?" Nory looked down towards his the slender Pokemon with a questioning gaze.
"/Codn't be better if you ask me! Although I'm seansing a... Whale, I just think something big is coming for no fishcernable reason!\"
Nory looked up at Kind. "I think he feels fine."
Kind's only response was to pull out his Pokedex and touch the screen rapidly. Clearly, he had found something more interesting than this conversation to look up. "What are you looking at?" Nory asked as he pushed himself up to Kind and peered at the screen.
"Bucket exhaled bubbles."
"...Don't fish always do that? Besides, he seems... Bubbly!" Nory chuckled to himself, missing the gaze of awe and admiration Buckets gave him. Kind had no reaction to the pun.
"The only air in his container is a small bubble at the top."
Nory paused for a moment to examine the top of Bucket's ball. "Oh! Ummm... I thought. -I thought it had a hole somewhere. Oh jeez, now what do we do?"
"What do we do regarding what?"
"Regarding the inevitable lack of oxygen in Buckets' container?"
"O2 and CO2 can diffuse through the membranes the laterally make up the container."
"...WELL THAN WHY BRING IT UP?!" Nory's face was a mask of exaggerated exasperation as he slumped down and looked at Kind, hoping for an explanation.
"Buckets exhaled bubbles."
"...But- but, the knowledge that he can breathe fine means nothing noteworthy happened! Why did you note it? You are killing me here!"
"Where did the air in the bubbles come from?"
Nory paused and thought hard, considering what Kind had said. "The air that entered his container." Nory said decidedly.
"O2 and CO2, components of the atmosphere, entered his container. These diffused into the water. They were not a gas at that time."
"But his body processed them through his gills and other such organs. Aren't you a biologist or something?"
"As water moves across gills, O2 diffuses into and CO2 diffuses out of the bloodstream. At no point was it a gas."
"...That is very interesting. Do you think he has a defect? I mean, I am certain I saw fish making bubbles before.. I think?" Nory rubbed his forehead in a mix of worry and wonder.
"No."
"Kind I am just confused now, please come back to me when you have more to say about this." He sighed and started walking forward faster in silence.
Kind, Nory, Shootaf, and Amp had stopped in a clearing to have a late lunch. They were enjoying their sandwiches and Pokémon food when Nory was struck with an idea. "Hey, I think it's about time Amp evolved. Do you mind taking a detour so I can find some wild Pokémon?"
Kind looked at his watch, did some quick calculations, and said, "While you are gone I am going to set up camp. By the time you come back, we would only be able to travel for an hour and 40 minutes to travel, plus or minus 18.5 minutes. I would rather spend that time training."
"Thanks man!" Nory and Amp rushed out of the clearing. They were particularly lucky, finding a flock of a whopping five Pidgeys almost immediately!
*Five Thunder Shocks later*
Kind was attempting to train with Chol when he heard some music faintly in the distance.
youtube.*/watch?v=f1ydQu8Gs3M [replace the * with 'com']
Minutes later, the victorious Nory emerged from the woods happily dancing and high-fiving his Flaffy's brand new hands.
