Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon and am in no way affiliated with Nintendo, GameFreak, or Pokemon Company. You know, standard disclaimer stuff. Now that that's out of the way...
Pokemon Legends: Sidestories
Chapter Fourteen
Time to Unwind
Date: 1 year, 1 month, 5 - 6 days after the Sanctuary's completion.
After leaving Indigo Plateau, Ashley took a quick stop by her home in Kanto. There, she changed into a black mini-dress, which had a small slit on either leg. She also put on a pair of black high heel shoes before leaving and debated doing up her hair, but then remembered she would be riding a pokemon to Saffron and the wind would just mess it up. Despite that, she left her hat at home.
After getting changed, Ashley rode her Pidgeot to Saffron City and met up with Karen outside the city's gym. She was surprised to see Sabrina there waiting as well. She was wearing a pair of white pants held up by a black belt and a purple tanktop that left her midriff bare.
"Sabrina? You're coming too?" Ashley said in disbelief when she landed and saw the psychic gym leader.
"It seems I am being dragged into this, yes." Sabrina replied bitterly.
"She needs to lighten up a bit." Karen explained, shrugging her shoulders. "I did give her the chance to dispute it in battle, but she submitted instead."
"I am a trainer of psychic pokemon, I do not need psychic powers to know I would lose to an elite trainer of dark pokemon." Sabrina said, sounding even more bitter. "You already beat me once as it is."
"Well, you could have at least tried." Karen said to her.
Ashley carefully hopped off Pidgeot's back, making sure her dress stayed down, and then recalled him. She then clipped the pokeball to a special band just under the hem of her dress and turned to Sabrina and Karen. "So, where is this place anyway?"
"It's not far from here. I'll lead the way." Karen replied.
The three girls then set off from the gym, Karen and Ashley walking side by side as Karen lead them to her club of choice. Sabrina, lacking any interest in going out to a club when she could be training or seeking out future psychics, lagged several feet behind them.
Eventually they arrived at a building the next street over with a red, neon sign saying "Saffron New Moon Club". A moon lit up in the shape of a new moon was at the end of the club's name. The outside of the building, aside from the sign, hardly stood out from the surrounding buildings except that the windows were all tinted. Unable to see inside, it was impossible to tell from a glance just what the club was like.
"This is the place." Karen said to them.
"The New Moon Club?" Ashley blinked and looked at Karen. "What is this place like anyway?"
"It's a fairly laid back place." Karen explained to her. "Pool, card games, bar and pub. The biggest rule is that pokemon must be kept inside their pokeballs, though the bouncers are exempt of course." Karen looked back at Ashley, noticing her disappointment. "Hmm? Is something wrong?"
"Well...no, I guess not..." Ashley replied, folding her arms. "I was kinda expecting something else, but as long as I can meet some nice guys here then I guess its good enough."
Karen chuckled. "If that's what you want, then this would be the best place for someone like you."
Ashley raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"She's referring to your status." Sabrina explained. "As Kanto's champion, men would treat you differently. Some would be intimidated, some would think they need to put on an act to impress you."
"That's right." Karen said, nodding in agreement. "But most guys that would come here are more mature than that. You would have an easier time finding a worthwhile boyfriend if that's what your after."
"I don't know if I'd go that far on the first night, but that does sound reasonable." Ashley replied, smiling to herself. "Looks like I was right about Karen, she really knows her stuff."
"At least it's not a noisy dance club." Sabrina muttered under her breath.
"Of course, if you'd prefer, say, a dance club, we could go to one next time." Karen added, winking at Sabrina. The psychic trainer glared icily at her.
"Now I'm beginning to see why Sabrina was so reluctant." Ashley thought, noticing Sabrina's reaction.
"Well, shall we go inside then?" Karen said to them.
The three girls went inside the club and were immediately greeted by a rather dimly lit room. The entire club was one open area with one raised section at the back, a stage for a band that was currently empty. There were eight tables leading up to the stage in two lines of four, each table having two chairs set next to them. Lights were set up above each table, but only illuminated the tables they were over. There was a bar on the left side of the room, attended by a single young lady serving drinks and with four stools in front of it for the patrons. The lights above the bar only illuminated it as well. Finally, on the right side of the room, two pool tables both illuminated by their own lights.
"Ah...I'm starting to see why you like this place." Ashley said as she looked around, then turned to Karen with a smirk on her face. "It has your theme written all over it."
"Now don't think me to be so singleminded." Karen said to her, waving a finger disapprovingly. "Though you're correct in guessing that I like the atmosphere here. It's a good place to relax and meet with friendly, mature people. As I said before."
"Hmm..." Ashley stroked her chin. Looking around the room, she took notice of a poker game in progress near the stage with three men and two women playing cards. They had taken chairs from a nearby table for their game. She also noticed two men playing pool. Both groups seemed to be putting a bit of money on the line. Realizing this, she turned to Sabrina with a wide grin on her face. "Oh Sabrina..."
"They'd realize you're cheating in an instant if we tried." Sabrina said to her. "Not to mention I have my reputation as a gym leader to keep in mind."
"Doesn't mean we can't shoot a little pool." Karen flashed Sabrina a grin. "Well, what do you say? You and I both know you can't cheat against me, afterall."
"You're on. It's something I might actually be able to beat you at." Sabrina replied.
"Seems like Karen can negate Sabrina's psychic powers somehow." Ashley thought. "I wonder if that's because of the dark-type pokemon Karen carries with her?"
"What about you, Ashley?" Karen asked her.
"I think I'll just grab something to drink for now and maybe join you two in a bit." Ashley glanced over at the empty bar. "Do they have anything non-alcoholic?"
"They do have soda and water." Karen said.
"That'll do." Ashley replied. "Enjoy your game."
The girls split up, Karen and Sabrina heading toward the unoccupied pool table while Ashley went to the bar. She ordered a diet cola and was handed a tall glass within seconds and quickly took a sip from it.
"You're a new face around here." The female bartender said after handing Ashley her drink. "So you're a friend of Karen's, huh?" The question made Ashley pause mid-drink.
"She really doesn't recognize me?" Ashley thought in disbelief. "Either she doesn't get out much or is used to seeing me in my hat and travel outfit..." She slowly set the drink back down on the bar top. "You could say that I guess, though we only met recently."
"Oh? Come to think of it, you do look kinda familiar..." The bartender leaned in closer to her, peering at her curiously. After thinking for a moment, she stepped back and hit the palm of her hand with her fist. "I know! You must have been one of the other competitors!" Ashley resisted the urge to hit her head against the bar.
"Definitely need a bigger variety in my travel clothes..." She thought.
Before Ashley could correct the girl, a young man with long blonde hair and wearing a black leather jacket and jeans sat down next to her. "Barkeep, your finest whiskey, if you will." He said, then turned and flashed Ashley a smile, showing off his polished white teeth. The first thought that entered Ashley's mind was that he was the very definition of a 'pretty boy'. "Hey there, name's...Jack." He said, introducing himself.
"Even in a place like this, the first guy I run into is just trying to impress me." Ashley ignored him and took another sip of her soda. "Wonder how long until he starts with the pick-up lines?"
"Hmph! I have a name!" The bartender said indignantly, then headed into a back room. Ashley didn't notice her take one last curious glance at the guy before quickly ducking into the room.
"So, babe, come here often?" Jack asked Ashley, smile still plastered across his face.
"First time." Ashley replied flatly.
"Same here." Jack grinned. "Maybe this was fate..."
"Well. He wasted no time at all." She thought. Glancing over at him, Ashley could make out a pokeball attached to his belt. "Only one pokeball...definitely not a serious trainer then, and judging by his appearance and attitude I'd say he's a player. If we weren't in the club right now I'd gladly teach him a lesson..."
"You know, this place is kinda...boring, wouldn't you say?" Jack said to Ashley. "Perhaps we should take this conversation...elsewhere?"
"And opportunity knocks." Ashley thought, putting on a fake smile as she turned to him. "Of course, I would love to!"
"Well then..." Jack stood up and held out a hand to her. "Shall we?" Ashley placed her hand in his and the two of them walked out of the club, forgetting about their drinks. In fact, the bartender never even emerged from the back room. From across the room, Sabrina watched in mild annoyance as Ashley left.
"Looks like she's found a man already." Karen said with a slight smirk, pool cue in hand and leaning against the back wall while she waited for Sabrina to take her shot. "Doesn't look like much if you ask me, but everyone has their own set of interests I suppose."
Sabrina was looking over her shoulder at the two leaving, positioned over the pool table with her next shot lined up. The white ball was on an angle from the green-and-white fourteen ball, ready to hit it into the left-middle pocket. "Of course, your interests would be similar to your interest in pokemon types, wouldn't it?" Sabrina said to her, then took the shot. She hit the tip of her pool cue into the white ball, sending it rolling into fourteen ball and sinking it.
"Well of course, you know why I train dark-types afterall." Karen said to her. "Your shot again."
"Something about their 'wild' and 'tough' image, as I recall. You said that the day you challenged me for my badge." Sabrina stood back and examined the pool table, quietly mumbling to herself. "No easy moves left, this might be a struggle..."
"It seems like that was ages ago now." Karen leaned her head back, reminiscing. "Three pokemon each, and the first major battle for my recently evolved Houndoom..."
"By the way..." Sabrina glanced toward the door. "What do you think those two are up to? Don't you find it odd that they left so soon?"
"Hmm?" Karen looked back at her. "What are you implying?"
"That teenagers move way too quickly these days, and possibly that Ashley's 'loose'." Sabrina grumbled. Turning her attention back to the game, Sabrina lined up another shot. She had to try for a trick shot, firing the white ball at the nearby seven. She managed to bounce it off the edge, but it came short of reaching the corner pocket she was aiming for. She cursed under her breath, knowing she had just set up the shot for Karen instead.
"Though I don't know why she left either, I doubt Ashley is that kind of girl." Karen replied, pushing off the wall and approaching the table. She started to line up her shot but stopped when she noticed the bartender approaching them, looking nervous.
"Umm...did either of you see where the two at the bar went?" The bartender asked.
"They left, that's about it." Sabrina replied, glancing back over her shoulder at the girl. "Why? Is there a problem?"
"That guy she was with is a wanted criminal! Look!" The bartender held up a wanted poster for Sabrina and Karen to see. "I just ducked into the back room quickly to call the police but those two were already gone when I got back!"
"Oh. Is that all." Karen shrugged. She finally lined up her shot and hit the ball, aiming for a different billiard ball than the one Sabrina had left open. A precise hit to the ball she chose to shoot at caused a chain reaction, sinking every billiard ball that remained. She then stood up and looked at Sabrina with a smirk. "So, what do you think about all this?"
Sabrina closed her eyes for a moment, clearing her mind in hopes of receiving a vision. She received none, though. "I see nothing...but I do not believe there is cause for concern." Sabrina said, opening her eyes. She then glared at Karen. "Best two out of three."
"Why aren't you two worried? Isn't she a friend of your's?" The worried bartender asked them. "I called the police but who knows what will happen before they find him!"
"The girl you're worrying about happens to be the champion, Ashley. One who has faced down criminal organizations. This guy won't be any threat to her." Karen said to the bartender and then looked back at Sabrina. "Well, since you lost this match, you can start the next one." Karen took out a red rack, used to set up the billiard balls, and placed it on the table. She then set about gathering up the billiard balls from the six pockets and tossing them onto the table as well.
"That was the champion just now?" The bartender said, blinking in disbelief. "I didn't even recognize her without her hat and that blue and red outfit she usually wears." She shrugged. "Guess there's no need to worry then." The bartender hurried back to the bar, one patron impatiently waiting to get a drink when she returned.
"That outfit seems to be pretty iconic for her." Sabrina said, looking down at her own clothes and wrinkling her nose. "It doesn't feel quite right to not be in my uniform."
"Oh, you'll get used to it." Karen said to her.
Karen and Sabrina played through another match, with Karen managing to win once again. Before Sabrina could request a best three out of five, Ashley finally returned and approached the two.
"You two won't believe what just happened!" Ashley said excitedly, grinning from ear to ear.
"The guy turned out to be a criminal and the police showed up to arrest him?" Sabrina said to her. Ashley blinked.
"How did you..." Ashley quickly shook her head. "Nevermind...you're right though. He had a Tangela, but Pidgeot dropped it in a single move."
"Must have been more to it than that though, you seemed pretty happy just now." Karen said.
Ashley opened her mouth to explain, but Sabrina cut her off. "There were two police officers, one a 'cute' young male of roughly her age. She slipped her phone number to him." She glanced back at Ashley. "At this range, reading your mind is a trivial matter."
Ashley pouted and placed her hands on her hips. "You two are no fun at all..."
Karen chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Sounds like you had quite the night and we haven't even been out long. Think he'll call you?"
"What guy wouldn't?" Ashley replied with a confident smirk. "So how'd your game go?"
"Sabrina was about to suggest a three out of five." Karen said, casting a knowing look at Sabrina.
"I-I most certainly was not!" Sabrina shot back indignantly, handing off her pool cue to Ashley. "Here! I'm getting a drink!" She said, then stormed off toward the bar.
"Wow...losing to you must really get to her." Ashley noted. She shrugged and walked over to the pool table. "Well, I guess I'm game then."
"Oh?" Karen smirked. "Do you even know the rules?"
"Vaguely." Ashley replied, smirking back at her. "I won't let that stop me though. I'm feeling pretty lucky tonight!"
Karen set up the table for another game and Ashley started off the break, managing to sink many of the balls with her first shot. She would go on to win that game and another after that, her 'lucky' streak continuing well into the night. Sabrina watched after grabbing her drink, a slight smile on her face as Karen lost match after match to someone who had just started out. Before the night was out, not one of the girls would end up mingling with the other bar patrons.
The next day, at Rustboro City in Hoenn, a trade show was being held. Run primarily by Devon, the trade show was open both to investors and trainers alike. It gave a glimpse at upcoming products intended to make a trainer's travels easier, with everything from new devices for getting around to new pokeballs. The event took place within the arena used for the Devon Grand Prix, which was set up to house the trade show.
The trade show took place the day after the gathering at Indigo Plateau, and May found herself attending it. Devon itself was putting on a presentation to show off their own new products and May was seated next to Phoebe and Sidney to watch. The two Elite Four had informed May of the event and, after her meeting with Johto's new Elite Four, she felt it would be a good chance for her to unwind. However...
"A trade show definitely isn't what I had in mind..." May thought, sighing deeply. Up ahead of her, an older woman in a business suit was going on about sales and showing off charts on a portable projector screen. "Blah, blah, blah. I can't believe Phoebe and Sidney thought I'd actually find this interesting..."
The presentation was set up along the side of the field in a large, darkened tent to keep it secluded from the rest of the show. There were seats for about a hundred spectators, but only slightly more than half those seats were full. As time went on, May felt her eyelids getting heavy as the woman's presentation was putting her to sleep. Even nearly falling asleep, though, she noticed some of the empty seats starting to fill up.
"Is someone going around saying this is interesting or something?" May rolled her eyes. "Too cruel...I just want to go to sleep...I wonder if Sidney and Phoebe did this as a cruel prank?" May glanced over at the two Elite Four sitting next to her. They looked about as bored with the presentation as she was.
"...and that is it for my report. I will now turn things over to Mr. Stone for product demonstrations." The woman then stepped aside while a slightly rounded man about the same age as her moved to where she was standing. A pair of Vigoroth carried a pair of large black cases, setting them down next to him.
"Huh? Product demonstration?" May blinked and sat up, curious about the sudden turn of events. "Is this what everyone was showing up for?"
"Welcome, everyone! I am sure you are all eager to see our upcoming line of products!" Mr. Stone, president of Devon, said in a cheery tone. "I don't usually present the products myself, but I will be filling in this year as my son is currently off exploring the Sinnoh region. I hope I will still be able to make this interesting for you all."
The crowd gathered applauded Mr. Stone and May looked around in amazement. "These people really are here for this? Huh..." May turned and gave the president a curious glance. "Then again...they make all those new pokeballs and equipment to help trainers along, so I bet a lot of trainers would be curious. Thinking about it even has me curious now..."
"Ah...doing the trade show in this arena feels so informal, but nevertheless..." Mr. Stone opened one of the two cases and reached inside, taking a blue pokenav out of it. "First, I would like to talk to you about our new pokenav model, Pokenav Version T." He held up the pokenav for all to see.
"That doesn't look any different from my version..." May blinked. "Wait, why version T? The last one was version 3, right? Why switch from numbers to letters?"
"It is much the same as the version three pokenavs." Mr. Stone explained, gesturing toward the device with his free hand. "All the same features, software upgraded to the recent patch. However, it makes new use of the match call feature. It can now, to a degree, translate pokemon speech!" The crowd gasped in shock. May could hear the people around her whispering to each other.
"Whoa! Can such a small device even do something like that?" Sidney said in shock.
"I don't need something like that. The bond I share with my ghost pokemon allows me to communicate with them just fine." Phoebe said quietly, sounding mildly annoyed.
"Rina wouldn't be too happy to hear that I don't think." May thought, smiling slightly. "If a pokenav could translate pokemon speech, her unique ability to do just that wouldn't be as useful..."
"At this moment in time, we only have translation data for 25% of the species of pokemon in Hoenn." The president continued. "However, new data can simply be added in patches. The device is also quite limited. Only simple messages can be translated, and what can and can't be translated varies from species to species depending on the ways in which a particular species of pokemon will communicate."
"That sounds way different from Rina's ability." May thought. "Rina seems like she can understand full sentences, and from any pokemon. Even species she's never met before! There must be more to Rina's ability than just understanding direct speech if that's the case, but what could it be?"
"We are hoping to have all the common species in Hoenn programmed into the device before launch." President Stone said, then put the pokenav back in the case. "Now, for our next item..." Mr. Stone took out what looked like a pair of skates, only without any wheels or blades to hold them up. "Our latest model of running shoes!"
"Those...look familiar for some reason..." May thought hard, trying to figure out why the running shoes looked so familiar. "Strange...I KNOW I saw those before but its like I went out of my way to forget it ever happened."
"We have named these new shoes 'Swellow Wear'. They are an upgraded model of the glide shoes. They have an increased power output and are able to sense your body's movements to vary the airflow accordingly so you can run fast and jump high." The president set the shoes down on the ground. "Now, this pair is designed for a female of roughly eleven years...do we have any volunteers to try them out?" He smiled brightly, scanning the crowd.
"That's...strangely specific..." May thought nervously. "Definitely not volunteering though..." Although May wasn't planning to volunteer, she felt her hand raising as though something was pulling it up. She looked up in shock and saw the blue aura around it, immediately recognizing it as a pokemon's Psychic attack. "W-what the?!"
"Ah! If it isn't Hoenn's very own champion, May! Are you volunteering, miss?" The president said to May. She could feel her hand being released as soon as the president took notice and could hear Sidney and Phoebe snickering.
"I should have guessed...I was set up from the start..." May thought, glaring at them from the corner of her eye. She let out a sigh and slowly stood up. "Guess I've been volunteered then..." She made her way toward the front of the tent, all eyes on her as she did and a few people cheering her on, Sidney and Phoebe included.
"What a surprise! The champion herself demonstrating our product!" The president said as May approached him. She could tell that he didn't sound very surprised, though. She looked down at the pair of 'Swellow Wear' shoes that she was supposed to demonstrate and then back at the president.
"These things are safe...right?" May asked him.
"But of course!" He replied, clasping his hands together. "All our products are put through a rigorous series of safety tests long before they would be released to the public!"
"Well, as long as they're safe..." May kicked off her own shoes and slipped into the Swellow Wear shoes provided for her. They fit her perfectly, though it came as no surprise to her at this point. She quickly did up the straps on the shoes, which had clips on them like a ski boots. Standing up straight, she admired her new footwear for a moment. "So, how do I work these things anyway?"
"They turn on automatically once they have been fastened to your feet." President Stone explained. "Go ahead and try them out!"
"Huh?" May looked down at her shoes again. "They don't seem to be doing anything though..."
"Try taking a few steps forward."
May still had her eyes on her feet when she turned her back to Mr. Stone. Even just turning, though, she could feel a pressure under her feet when she moved them. She took a few steps forward, feeling the pressure and hearing a very soft whirring noise. When she came to a stop, the shoes turned off again. "Its...like I'm walking on air." May commented.
"That would be the idea." Mr. Stone said to her and then turned to address the crowd. "Earlier models of our glide shoes had many problems and took some getting used to just to keep from tripping. This model, as you've no doubt noticed, can adjust airflow to keep balance and will simply stop when you stop as if you were walking without the shoes."
"Tripping?" May grimaced, memories finally starting to come back to her. She remembered Melany, dressed as Alex, wearing the shoes and fighting her father, Norman. The shoes were used to deliver the 'final' blow, which May recalled her father barely felt until the next morning when his body was too sore to even get out of bed. "I was hoping to forget that ever happened..."
"Now, why don't we give these shoes a real test?" The president suggested. With a clap of his hands, the two Vigoroth moved the projector screen and storage cases aside and stood side-by-side a few feet behind Mr. Stone, nearly at the back of the tent.
May blinked in confusion. "What's with the Vigoroth?"
"You will be jumping them, of course." Mr. Stone replied. May's jaw dropped.
"I'll be WHAT?!"
"Jumping them." Mr. Stone repeated. "Don't worry, with those shoes its entirely possible! And even if you don't make it, one of the Vigoroth can just catch you instead."
"Well..." May looked toward the crowd of people for a moment. Everyone was watching her expectantly. "I guess it wouldn't be a proper demo if I didn't, and its not like I'm jumping a Sharpedo or something." May said, thinking out loud to herself. She moved back to line herself up with the Zangoose while distancing herself from them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, what you are about to witness can only be made possible by either years of intense training or..." Mr. Stone paused, trying to add a dramatic flair to his statement, then stood sideways and gestured toward May. "With our new line of Swellow Wear!"
"Those Vigoroth are about as tall as I am, I'm more likely to jump into them than over them." May thought, crouching down like a sprinter getting ready to start a race. "He better be right about these shoes or else I'll try kicking certain people with them next! Or maybe I'll..." The image of Melany charging and punching Norman entered her mind again. May quickly shook her head. "No...not doing that."
"Ok! Here I go!" May announced, then took off running. To her surprise, she was able to run just fine, though she didn't seem to be running any faster than with her normal running shoes. By the time she realized she should probably 'skate' with them, she was too close to the Vigoroth for it to matter and had to make the jump.
Tensing her legs and pushing away from the ground, the shoes responded and increased output to send her high into the air. She was able to easily clear the Vigoroth's heads, soaring at least a foot over them. May was so surprised by this that she forgot she would have to land after jumping over them. She went down face first after clearing the Vigoroth's, hitting the ground hard. The crowd erupted into laughter.
"Ow..." May groaned, slowly lifting her head. Her face was covered in dirt now. She turned her head toward the crowd, glaring in the direction of Sidney and Phoebe. "I swear I'll drop kick both of them after I get a pair of these shoes to keep..."
Mr. Stone, chuckling himself, eventually motioned for silence while May climbed back onto her feet and dusted herself off. The laughter slowly subsided, at which point Mr. Stone finally spoke. "As you can see, with this model we finally have the technology perfected for air-jet shoes. However..." He winked at the crowd and gestured toward May. "Landing takes a bit of practice."
Everyone laughed at May again. She felt her blood starting to boil. "Are we finished yet!?" May asked furiously.
"Ah, yes, I think that was a sufficient demonstration!" Mr. Stone said to her. "Of course, I wouldn't ask you to do this for free after that. You may keep the shoes." He then reached into one of the containers and took out a small envelope, then handed the envelope to May. "Here, you can have this too."
"Umm..." May blinked when she was handed the envelope and looked back at Mr. Stone curiously. "This...isn't something else you need delivered is it?"
"Something I need delivered?" The man pondered for a moment until he finally remembered what May was talking about. "OH! That! No, no, no, that's for you!" He said, waving his hand dismissively. "Why, Steven is in another region right now as it is, I would never ask someone to go all the way there with a letter!"
May sighed in relief. "That's good to know. Umm...thanks then." She quickly picked up her shoes and returned to her seat, glaring at the two Elite Four as she sat down next to them.
"I WILL get you both back for this." She whispered to them. "Won't even see it coming, I swear!"
"Oh? But you might find it harder than you think to get the drop on us." Sidney replied with a smug grin. "Besides, it was all in good fun!"
"It hurt, and I'm covered in dirt." May grumbled.
"A little dirt never hurt anyone." Phoebe replied. "You'll get over it."
May, Phoebe, and Sidney stayed to watch the rest of the trade show. Among the rest of the items revealed were a variety of new pokeballs, including one which worked amazingly well at night or in dark places. There was also a new portable Pokemon Transfer device, which could transfer pokemon too and from a trainer's storage account while on the go. It was fairly expensive, though.
After the presentation by Devon, the three of them went their separate ways to check out other displays set up in the arena. There was no shortage of them, but most of the items they were showing off sounded fairly gimmicky to May at best. Even when compared to some of Devon's own products. One display May did find interesting was a small business starting up with a focus on making pokeballs from apricorns imported from Johto.
Another display May found of interest had no product at all. Instead, it seemed to be advertising some kind of service involving parks. Two parks, in fact. One in Kanto, being built in place of the current Safari Zone due to the warden's retirement, and one in the Sinnoh region. The display had a table set up with a large poster board on it, which May was reading over when one of the attendants addressed her.
"Excuse me, miss, but are you perhaps interested in our Pal Parks?" A young man in his mid twenties asked May.
"Umm...maybe, actually..." She said, reading over the info on the poster board a bit more before turning to the man who addressed her. He was dressed in what May assumed to be some kind of official Pal Park uniform, consisting of a white shirt and green pants and vest. He wore a green hat on his head with a white Pal Park logo on the front. "These Pal Parks...how do they work exactly?"
"Ah!" The man grinned and clasped his hands together. "Glad you asked! Perhaps you are familiar with the Safari Zone?"
"Well, yeah, I've been there before."
"It is a similar concept. Trainers are given a time limit and a number of special park balls to catch a pokemon with. However! There are a few differences!" The man held up a finger with each difference he rhymed off. "First, the park balls work without fail. The challenge is in trying to hit the pokemon with one. Second, it is a much smaller park. At an given time there will be one trainer and six pokemon. As such, time limits are much shorter and you only have one ball with which to catch a pokemon. The pokemon themselves are kept outside the park until a trainer is attempting a capture and the pokemon themselves are, third, donated by other trainers."
"That's the part I was wondering about actually." May said to him. "So trainers donate their own pokemon to these Pal Parks for other trainers to catch?"
"That is correct!" The attendant replied. "There is also a limit on how often a trainer may enter the Pal Park, as there is no fee for the trainers and thus trainers could catch many of our stocked pokemon. This would leave fewer pokemon for other trainers to catch. Having no fee means an upcoming trainer with no pokemon of their own can attempt to catch their first pokemon at a Pal Park, in which case we will even provide transportation to the park for free."
"That sounds like a pretty good service, actually." May thought. "I was just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to have gotten Torchic. Then again, Professor Birch was a friend of dad's anyway so he probably would have given me one eventually. But either way, its not an option most people have."
"The park still makes a profit, though, by charging ticket prices to watch the catching shows and by airing them on local tv networks." The attendant continued. "Is there anything else you'd like to know?"
"Are any of them open yet?" May asked. "If I could donate pokemon to one of these Pal Parks, then I wouldn't have to worry about how many pokemon I catch for Professor Birch. Unlike a certain someone, I don't like keeping pokemon I don't plan to raise locked up in storage. So this way, after Professor Birch gets whatever data he needs, I can donate the pokemon to a Pal Park for a trainer who WILL raise it to catch!"
"Both Pal Parks will be open within a month or two, right now we're running advertising campaigns such as this one to raise awareness. Hopefully, by doing this, we will have pokemon stocked for the opening day." The attendant explained to her. "Of course, special arrangements will have to be made if you wish to donate pokemon. We have sign-up sheets here, or you can apply online at the Pal Park official website."
"Hmm..." May looked at the display table and, sure enough, there was a stack of sign-up sheets in front of the poster board. "I'll just take a sign-up sheet then." May said, taking one of the papers. "Thanks for the info!" May then continued past the Pal Park display only to bump into Phoebe and Sidney.
"Hey! Find something interesting?" Sidney asked her, noticing the paper in May's hand.
"Oh, uh, something like that." May replied. "What about you two?"
Sidney shrugged. "Well, we did come across someone developing a 'Mystic Ball'. Apparently works better than an Ultra Ball on ghost, dark, and psychic-type pokemon. Seemed pretty neat, but we don't have much use for pokeballs these days."
"Neither of us have any plans to catch more pokemon in the near future." Phoebe added. "Anyway, I think its time we got something to eat! Did you open that envelope that Devon's president gave you?"
"Oh, right, that..." May reached into one of the pouches on her fanny pack, taking out the envelope that was handed to her. There was nothing written on the outside of the envelope so she opened it up to find a card with Devon's logo on it. "Huh? What's this?" May wondered aloud, then noticed there was a note in the envelope as well. She took it out and read it aloud.
"Dear May, thank you for all your help. Included in this envelope is a meal card for any restaurant or dining facility within Rustboro. Any meals bought with that card will be charged directly to Devon, but it will expire within seven days. Feel free to eat to your heart's content at our expense until then!" May blinked in disbelief and looked at the card in her hand.
"Wait, so with this..."
"That's right, free meals for a week!" Sidney said, grinning.
"Still mad at us now?" Phoebe asked, smiling at her. May considered for a moment.
"Hmph...I'll let you off the hook, but you're paying for your own meal!"
"Heh, didn't want you to use your card for our meals anyway. That's for you to use." Sidney said.
"One week of free meals..." A wide grin spread across May's face. "Totally makes up for today and yesterday being lousy!"
"Shall we take a break for now to get something to eat and come back later?" Phoebe suggested. May nodded enthusiastically. The three of them then left the trade show together to grab a bite to eat somewhere in Rustboro.
Meanwhile, at Sanctuary Island, Rina arrived back at the island after spending the night at her place in Pewter City. She arrived as Melany was pulling a trolley out of the hq's storage. It was loaded up with bags of pokemon feed which Melany's Alakazam, Sceptile, and May's Gardevoir would help distribute. Flying in on her Dragonite, Knight, Rina came in for a landing next to them.
"Only stayed for the one night? I thought you might stay home longer than that." Melany said as Rina hopped down off Knight's back.
"Well, I didn't want to leave you here to do everything yourself." Rina said, smiling sheepishly.
"Its no trouble at all, really." Melany replied, waving it off. "I have three pokemon helping me out, two can teleport, and one can move extremely fast."
"That's true..." Rina said, looking between the three pokemon and then looking up at Knight. "Knight, you can fly pretty fast, why don't you help distribute the food too?"
Knight shrugged. "-Nothing better to do with my time, really.-"
"-Just think of it as training.-" Sceptile said to Kngiht. "-I always take as much as I can, so its like weight training for me.-"
"-Or you could just do it for the sake of your trainers.-" May's Gardevoir said, sounding mildly annoyed.
"-Their reasons matter not, so long as they do it.-" Alakazam said to her.
"So how did it go with Lance?" Melany asked Rina.
"Well...umm..." Rina fidgeted a bit, glancing down at her belt which now held only five pokeballs. "Lance kinda just...took the Ursaring. Said it wasn't safe for me to have..."
Melany raised an eyebrow. "Lance did that? What, is he trying to make up for being a poor foster father by being overprotective now in spite of the fact that his daughter has two phantom pokemon and a Dragonite under her command?"
"Well, he did say he'd catch me a few pokemon to make up for it!" Rina said, smiling sheepishly. "He'll have them sent directly to my account. The Ursaring would have to be evaluated to see if its even possible to be tamed or if it lost its mind entirely at this point. Also said something about sending an expedition to Mt. Silver. He doesn't think having Misdreavus, Golbat, and Ursarings all living in the same cave is a good idea."
"Well, hard to argue with that logic. About the pokemon in the cave I mean." Melany said with a shrug. "Anyway, you said a few? So Lance is sending you more than one pokemon to make up for taking Ursaring?"
"That's right!" Rina said, nodding enthusiastically. "I'm sure Lance will find all sorts of neat pokemon for me! I think he said he'd try to get three at least."
"Don't suppose you're getting the Master Ball you used back, are you?" Melany asked her.
"I don't know, actually, but I'm not too worried about that." Rina replied.
"By the way, did you hear what happened in Johto earlier?" Melany asked her. Rina shook her head. "Well, turns out one of the gym leaders challenged the new Elite Four. The one with the four weirdos. Clair was the name I think."
"Clair?" Rina blinked. "She's Lance's cousin. Which sort of makes her my cousin...or however that works. I heard she was going to challenge them, how'd that go?"
Melany was quiet for a moment, taking a quick glance at the three pokemon standing around her. Sceptile, Alakazam, and Gardevoir were all eager to get the feeding done with. "Well...she lost. Horribly."
"Whaaaaat?! To them!?" Rina said in shock.
"Lost against the first opponent, who happened to be that pervert Alexander." Melany said to her. "It was a 3-0 win for Alexander. I watched a video of the match. His psychic pokemon were pretty damn powerful and it still seemed like he was pulling the punches."
"Wow...I guess I completely underestimated those guys." Rina said, blinking in disbelief. "I would have thought they'd be much weaker than the Kanto Elite Four since they don't seem that serious, but they have to be a lot stronger to beat Clair like that. She's always been able to hold her own against the Elite Four."
"Yeah, they're surprisingly tough." Melany replied. "Anyway, want to help feed the pokemon? These three are getting antsy from all our talking."
"Right, ok!" Rina smiled and nodded in agreement. "Work now, talk later!"
Rina and Melany set about rationing out the pokemon food into separate dishes, which was then delivered by the pokemon. For Rina and Melany, it was back to work as usual on the island. At least, until their next interruption...
Author's Notes: One thing that differentiates the pokemon anime from the pokemon games is that the professors aren't given the task of giving beginner trainers their first pokemon in the games. You'll notice that, in each game, there's differing reasons for why the professor gives you your first pokemon. Even in the first gen games, Professor Oak was just handing out his own pokemon to his grandson and his grandson's rival so he could make them run errands for him (ie. fill the pokedex). Lazy old coot...
Anyway, to that extent, I thought it'd be neat to turn the Pal Park into a place where trainers would just try to catch random pokemon and have it essentially exist as a service to beginner trainers. Since it runs on 'donations', its not like anyone is likely to send off a strong, fully-evolved pokemon to the Pal Park. But its an option for kids who can't catch their own. I'm debating doing something similar with the pokewalker, though that's a harder one to work out. While I intend to follow the game plots less, I'd like to include more stuff from the games. GTS will probably make an appearance too, pretty much serving the same function. Trading with people anywhere in the world.
Oh, Ashley's dress is mostly inspired by her manga counterpart, Blue/Green (depending on whether you go by Japanese or English names) though its just a black dress anyway you look at it. Kinda odd that someone would wear a black dress out adventuring, but in the manga she spends more time being a con artist than adventuring. It isn't until Yellow that she really starts getting active.
Next chapter, an unexpected guest shows up at the island. The fact that they're getting a guest at all should be unexpected enough. Rina's three new pokemon will appear in that chapter as well. Anyone wanna take a stab at what three they might be? Come on! There's not THAT many pokemon out there!