Gupta- Marshtomp level 22, Taillow level 21
Welcome to the chapter in which not a lot happens.
But enter guest party member Kiku!
This chapter was mainly a catalyst for a few different things:
1)Sadik isn't here for a change. I did always plan for the rival to be more present than in the Pokémon games themselves, but Sadik's constant presence was getting just as weird.
2)General tie up of the quest to be delivery boy for Yao and a firm reminder that he's basically dogsbody now anyway.
3)Certain characters get to reappear and get some development. Namely Kiku and Li.
Yao will probably call Gupta again, and perhaps Yong Soo will help him out with his errand list next time. Kiku will also inevitably turn up again.
This chapter's really short all in all. I didn't really go into the detail of Gupta's errands and that took the length off a whole lot (the plan originally called for three chapters in the space of this one, but I crammed it all into one because I thought that would be boring). I also missed a couple of wild Pokémon battles because it was obvious Gupta was just going to one shot them. No Pokémon levelled up or anything, and I'm probably not going to do it very much, if at all, in future.
Gupta emerged from the tunnel and walked out into the air of Route 116. The trainers that usually lined the route were packing up and heading home. The darkness that was creeping up on the scenery created an odd sense of calm. Gupta set a course for Rustboro City and began his journey back to the offices of the Devon Corporation, in order to report in on the success of the deliveries he had been tasked with.
By the time Gupta made it to Rustboro, it was already late in the evening. The street lights were blinking into life as the teenager walked down the streets of the City. Despite the late hour, there were still employees in the Devon building, and Gupta was able to get through to see Yao without any issues. The man smiled upon seeing that the trainer had returned.
"Good to see you! I take it things went well?" Yao greeted, leaning over his desk with interest.
"Things went well." Gupta summed up. "I delivered both items."
"And so quickly! You were a great help." Yao praised. "And I heard about the issues at the Slateport Museum. You handled everything really well. And I think you deserve a little reward for all that." He took out a strange grey item with yellow prongs on it. It looked rather like a crown. Gupta took the object and looked it over.
"And this is…?" He inquired.
"An EXP Share." Yao explained. "If you switch it on, all of the Pokémon in your party will get more experienced from battles, regardless of whether they fought or not. It's a new device that we developed here. You should try it out sometime."
"I'll bear that in mind." Gupta stated.
"Still, while you're here…" Yao grinned wolfishly. "There is perhaps one or two things you could do for me, hm?"
Gupta left the building ten minutes later with a list of errands as long as his arm and the distinct feeling that he was being manipulated. By this point of the evening, it was completely dark, and Gupta was considering returning to the Pokémon Centre and handling the list of tasks in the morning. Just as he was about to trudge back towards the centre of the city, a voice spoke up behind him.
"If it isn't Gupta. It is good to see you again."
Gupta turned around, and found that Kiku had appeared in the space behind him and was striking up conversation. "Kiku. Hello." He replied.
"I see Yao is keeping you busy." The older teen commented, pointing towards the record of tasks that Gupta still held.
"He is." Gupta agreed.
"Still, it is getting very late. You couldn't possibly complete all of those tasks before nightfall." Kiku commented. "Perhaps you should rest for the night and carry on in the morning."
"I was planning to." Gupta explained. "I was about to go to the Pokémon Centre."
"Oh. There is not a need to travel so far." Kiku offered. "I have a house not too far away. You can stay over the night if you want."
"You don't have to go to that trouble." Gupta insisted.
"It is no trouble." Kiku countered. "Please do not feel as though you would be any inconvenience."
And so it was that Gupta found himself sitting in the kitchen of Kiku's home in Rustboro, stirring hot chocolate and sitting in a comfortable silence with the other teen for several minutes before Kiku spoke again.
"I folded the sofa into a bed. There are more blankets in the cupboard if you need them." He instructed.
"Thank you." Gupta nodded. "I take it you live alone?"
"I do." Kiku revealed.
"You can afford to live apart from your family?" Gupta raised an eyebrow. How did Kiku have that much money?
"I suppose you could say my job pays well." Kiku alluded.
"Right." It made sense. Sadik had referenced Kiku having a job before as well. "What do you do?"
"Ah, I really should not say." Kiku shrugged him off. "And it is late. We can always talk more tomorrow."
As the older teen got to his feet and wandered off into the house he left Gupta feeling even more confused than before.
Morning saw Gupta traipsing around Rustboro City, Kiku helpfully showing him around the various streets and in the direction of the people and things that Yao had listed. It seemed as though the tasks he had been given were little more than simple office lackey work, and he wondered what Yao had to think of him to shove all of this on his shoulders.
"He trusts you to get things done." Kiku advised. "It is something he values a lot."
For the entirety of the morning, the two teenagers walked backwards and forwards over the city, delivering messages, taking parcels, delivering random objects that appeared to Gupta to serve no purpose. When all of the tasks had finally been achieved, Gupta felt thoroughly exhausted.
"Thanks for handling that! I'll go tell Yao what a good job you did!" Mei smiled, taking the final delivered part from Gupta and dancing off in the direction of Devon's main building.
"Well, all of that is over now." Kiku pointed out. "What is it that you plan to do now?"
"I'll head back to Mauville and continue my journey." Gupta told him.
"To Route 111? Is that where Sadik is right now?" Kiku asked, his eyes showing just a hint more of interest.
"I'm not sure. Sadik was training on Route 117 the last time I saw him." Gupta filled in.
"I see." Kiku listened.
"Is there something you need to see Sadik about?" Gupta inquired.
"I suppose I do owe him a battle, technically speaking. I said that I would check on how his Pokémon were growing, at least." Kiku admitted.
"You're a trainer?" Gupta asked, picking up on the implications of the words.
"Yes." Kiku confirmed. "Although… I did leave my strongest Pokémon at my workplace. So I only have a few with me right about now. I hope Sadik does not mind when I see him again."
Again, Gupta found himself wondering where exactly Kiku worked. Nothing he was finding out about the teen fit together in a way that made sense to his mind.
"Anyway." Kiku continued. "Since you are done with the errands, and we are heading towards the same destination anyway, shall we both head out for that newly connected tunnel to Verdanturf?"
"We can go, yes." Gupta affirmed, turning towards the main road out of the city. "If you're ready."
"Of course I am." Kiku assured him. "We should set off at once."
All along the road out of the city, along Route 116, and through the Rusturf Tunnel, Gupta and Kiku walked in relative silence, neither engaging in small talk or pointless chatter. Gupta found the silence refreshing. He was really starting to like Kiku.
At the Pokémon Centre in Verdanturf, Gupta stopped to rest his Pokémon after a few battles in the tunnel had left them slightly wounded and without some of their PP. Kiku took a look around the town before reporting back. The settlement was devoid of Sadik. It didn't seem to worry Kiku at all, even if Gupta was left wondering where it was that the other teenager could have gotten to.
It was still quite early in the afternoon when Gupta and Kiku began to walk along Route 117 back in the direction of Mauville City. Kiku surveyed the entire area, as though he hadn't walked the road in a while. Gupta wondered idly how Kiku got back to Rustboro so quickly if that were the case, but he didn't want to pry and disrupt the comfortable quiet that had settled over them again. It wasn't an important thing anyway. That tranquillity lasted for the two of them all the way back to the Mauville Pokémon Centre. Upon entering the Pokémon Centre there to check for Sadik, the teens found a note taped to one of the videophones.
'Hey Guppie, I'm sure ya found this note ok. I already smashed those rocks up to the north and went up to Route 111. Come catch up with me! –Sadik'
"Route 111 then?" Gupta assumed, turning to Kiku. The teen nodded, and seemed about to say something, when a sudden ring permeated the air. Kiku's hand flew into his pocket, and he was talking to someone on a Pokenav before Gupta could react.
"Hmm… Is that so? It cannot be helped. I will be there immediately." He spoke, before turning to Gupta. "Something has come up at work… Please apologise to Sadik on my behalf. Hopefully the next time we meet I shall not be so interrupted…" He apologised, bowed deeply, and exited the building, all within the space of a few seconds. Gupta again wondered what Kiku did that was so important, but he put it to the back of his mind for the time being.
Gupta walked out of the Pokémon Centre to find Kiku was already long gone. As he turned towards the road to the north, ready to set out after Sadik, he found himself nearly walking into Li, who had been standing only a short distance away.
"My brother seems to like, be totally sweet on you. Guess he can see the potential in you like I can." He commented, without even greeting Gupta.
"Your brother?" Gupta echoed.
"Kiku. Like, duh. He's a part of the Devon family like all of us are." Li elaborated. "Even if his usual work is outside of our stuff."
"How many of you are there?" Gupta asked aloud.
"Like, the six of us are siblings. Me, Mei, Yong Soo, Kyung Soo, Yao and Kiku. You've met us all. Hue and Kasem are our cousins, and then we totally have other cousins all over watching the company." Li rambled. "You didn't know all that?"
"Consider me enlightened." Gupta deadpanned.
"Huh. I like that attitude. Yao likes you too. And Kiku. And probably Yong Soo, from what I can tell. So like, expect Yao to call if he has something he needs doing because he always does that with people he likes. And expect Yong Soo to call when he's excited about stuff. Which is basically all the time. And Kiku will probably call if there's something he wants to tell you. Which will happen like never but you know…" Li shrugged. "And maybe I'll call. Who knows. We all have your Pokenav number. And I'm sure I'll see you around." He turned with another shrug and started walking away.
"Uh…" Gupta wondered whether he should be worried about the implications of Li's ramblings. He was gone before the teen could say anything.