Not soon after leaving Cheren to his devices, I spotted a kindergarten of all things, filled with kids running around and having the time of their lives.
"Hey, come back!" Shouted one of the kids, his voice filled with excitement and chasing his friend who was giggling as well.
"You have to be faster than that!"
"Just you wait! I'll get you eventually!" And there they went into the woods, sprinting at top speeds, making me smile.
Since the kindergarten was slightly elevated, I had to find a pair of stairs before I was at the same level and I was met with two buildings, both of which looked pristine and well taken care of.
"Why hello there, stranger!" I heard a shout, and I shifted my gaze to where the sound came from, only to find an old bald man, hunched over and his hands behind his back. He radiated an inviting aura that just made me relax.
"Hello," I said, the Deino also barked a small "Dei!" as a greeting as well.
"Will you entertain this old man for a cup of tea? You look like you are lost with that little Deino you have there, and could use some guidance," He said and I had to resist the urge to just laugh outright from how he easily read me. God, was I that obvious?
"Deeei." The Deino said longingly, before tugging my coat with its mouth.
"God, fine. You would be insufferable if I didn't stay here anyway," I said exasperatedly with a smile, patting Deino on its head, earning a happy purr from it. The old man chuckled.
"Well aren't you two a sight. Come inside, I have to prepare a tea and I am sure my wife will enjoy your company," He said before heading inside the house. Once we entered, I thought I would find a regular house, but no.
It would be more akin to a store with nothing to offer, just a counter with some sort of PC on the side and a few pillows on the ground with a table that barely reached my knees.
"Honey! I found another lad to chat with!" The old man shouted.
"How many times do I have to tell you to not bring strangers here?" The clear woman voice that showed its age a little, responded from the doors on the other side of the counter and slowly revealed herself to us.
Once she spotted me through her glasses, she smiled, "Well, aren't you a sight for these old woman's eyes. At least you look mature enough to handle yourself and your Deino there. The last time a trio that came here almost ravaged our daycare."
I chuckled, "Well, if this little bugger won't bite off anything from the table, then don't worry, I will keep him in check." The woman looked at his husband with a slightly surprised look.
"And well mannered too. I'll give you this one old man, he can stay for now." She gazed back at me, "Well, any preference when it comes to tea?"
"Not really. But do you have something for the Deino here?" I patted the little guy, "It's probably hungry."
The Deino looked at me and if it had eyes there would be lit with happiness if the loud barking wasn't enough of an indication. Again, he was a dog.
"Sure, but you look lean yourself. What was the last time you ate something?" The woman asked, again, taking me by surprise, before a loud noise interrupted our conversation. Said noise being the growling of my stomach.
"Well, the last time I ate was only two blue fruits yesterday, so…" I trailed off sheepishly, scratching my cheek. The woman gasped lightly, before hurrying inside the doors behind the counter, making me look at her with slight bafflement.
"You shouldn't have said that, lad. That woman will bring a whole Tauros worth of food for you now," Said the old man with a chuckle. I had no idea what Tauros was, but from the sounds of things, it was something big.
"I'll manage somehow," I eventually said.
"Anyway, come sit down, might as well start with those three my wife was talking about," Said the old man after sitting down on the pillows next to the table and I followed suit while the Deino laid its head on my lap.
So, the Cheren person I found on the road was one of them apparently. The world was surprisingly small, but he wasn't alone. Two of his other friends were with him called Bianca and Hilbert, all three of them were childhood friends and lived in the same town.
Coincidentally, they all were these Pokémon trainers on their journey across the region to do this professor's bidding of finding all of the Pokémon.
"And what was so troublesome about them? This place looks clean in my opinion," I said, sipping my tea after his wife brought us some. She was yet to bring the food, however.
"Hah, you should have seen it before me and my wife cleaned this place up." He barked a laugh, "All three of them had a Pan and a very lively starter. To say this room was a mess would have been an understatement."
I chuckled while petting my Deino's soft dark mane "Well, this one is just demanding. He bit my arm when he took the fruit from me.".
I heard a small huff from the Deino, making me laugh again while the old man looked at us with content.
"Seeing a Deino this calm is quite the rarity, and you look like an abled trainer too. I am just surprised you don't have your Deino inside a pokéball." He said while taking a sip from his own cup and I perked up.
"First, I am not a trainer. Second, what even are pokéballs?" My question made him choke on the tea he was drinking. After a small coughing fit, he recomposed himself before asking, "You don't know what a pokéball is?"
The surprised look he gave me wasn't lost on me before sheepishly replying "Well, no. I just got here and I have no idea about the culture."
"You are lost a lot more than you like to admit, are you?" He more stated than asked, making me nod. He sighed.
"Well, the best way on what a pokéball is would be to show you. Misha!" He suddenly shouted, surprising both me and the Deino, making us look at the doors leading to the other side. At first, nothing happened, as I expected the wife to come by before hearing light steps on the other side. Then, the thing jumped on the countertop, revealing a giant mouse standing on its hind legs.
"Misha, come here you little girl." Said the old man invitingly.
"Minccino!" It said excitedly, jumping down from the countertop and climbing on the old man's shoulder before it started to cuddle with him. It was barely bigger than his head and had huge ears for its size with a long bushy tail.
I then noticed the Deino turn its head to me, looking rather expectantly. I gave it an unamused stare.
"I am already petting you, what more do you want?"
"Dei." It said demandingly while showing off its neck.
"I am not spoiling you like this, you have to earn that petting," I said sternly, making the Deino almost pout and with a huff put its head back on my lap. The old man barked another laugh.
"Well, I didn't want to make your Pokémon jealous! But anyway," He turned to his Pokémon, "Misha, would give this stranger a demonstration?"
Misha looked at me with its big black eyes with curiosity before smiling at me and gave the old man a nod. He then brought a ball from his pocket that had a red top with a white bottom separated by a black line with a button in the middle.
He pressed it, and the ball expanded before shooting a small red laser at Misha. She, or at least I thought it was a she, became transparent before deforming with the red beam, and got sucked back into the ball.
I stared at it, my mouth and eyes wide.
"I-I… What-How?" I couldn't form a sentence from the display.
"Quite the sight, am I right? I have no idea how to do these little things work, but they do, and it allows us to travel with our companions quite conveniently." He said with pride.
"Alright, come back out, Misha." He opened the pokéball again and white light erupted from itl, forming around his shoulder before Misha appeared again.
"Minccino!" She said, pointing with her little stub that was her arm upwards triumphantly.
"Now now, no need to be so dramatic," Said the old man, using his finger to pet Misha who wrapped herself around his entire arm and playfully bit into his finger.
"Ah, you little girl," He exclaimed, also playfully angry while I just looked at their antics with amusement, a chuckle escaping my lips. Deino just stayed calm, letting me continue with the petting.
"Sorry to make you wait for so long, but there wasn't anything ready in the fridge, so I whipped up something nice," The wife said before bringing a monster of a pot on the table. I looked at it with wide eyes, before looking down into it and a growl escaped from my stomach and Deino wasn't any better. Clear saliva was running down its mouth from the smell and the old woman smirked.
"Well, you certainly look hungry. Let's eat," She brought us plates, before serving the hot food, a stew to be specific, and gave all of us a portion, Pokémon included.
Ah, hot food never tasted better.
{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}
After eating our fill and saying goodbye to the couple, me and Deino went our way towards Striaton City. Thankfully, the old man gave the necessary direction to reach the city in one piece and not get lost in the process.
He told me a lot of things about trainers, Pokémon, and other necessary stuff too. Like the need of having a license to own any Pokémon. There was an age restriction if there was no parental supervision, but I was over that number by a few years. Earning one shouldn't be a problem.
What was a problem was with Deino. Since that tablet revealed to me that it was blind, it wasn't kidding that it rammed into things to make out its surroundings, so the only way to not make Deino do that was to keep it close to me within arm's reach.
It knew my smell, or at least it knew the coat's smell, so it trusted me with the directions. It was like walking a dog, except I just didn't have a leash, and something told me it would eat the leash if I put one on it anyway.
The wife also told me to visit something called a Pokémon Center and I had no idea what that was. The only indicators I had were that it was a building that I couldn't miss and had a giant pokéball as a logo.
Suffice to say, I had a feeling that I was going to wander in this town for hours, trying to find the 'obvious' building for many, but probably unrecognizable to me.
The first thing I found was a big garden of all things with small ponds surrounding it, and a giant fountain in the middle. Many bushes were working as fences while others were in the style of animals or Pokémon in this case. Keeping this place clean was probably a nightmare.
Not soon after leaving the garden was the city itself, but calling it a city would be an overstatement, it was a village at best with its size. That didn't mean it didn't use its space fully.
Prefabs were littered everywhere, there wasn't a single building that wasn't a one.
Except for the only building that wasn't a prefab.
It had so many windows, you would think the house was only made out of glass, but no, it looked structurally sound with steel holding everything in place and a red roof. And then there was that giant pokéball as its logo.
"She wasn't kidding that I couldn't miss it," I snorted.
Deino was confused on why I stopped, before biting into my coat again and nudging me to continue.
"You know people say patience is a virtue, right?" I asked the dog and heard a scoffing "Dei." before it tried harder to force me to move by headbutting me.
"God, you really are impatient. We are going to fix that later, you hear me," I said sternly. If it had eyes the mimicry told me it would roll them.
We entered the building of the Pokémon center while making sure that Deino was always close by, I didn't need him ramming everywhere it went.
To say the place was lively would be an understatement. People were talking animatedly with or without their Pokémon out, or what I presumed were Pokémon, because there were so many of them.
While I oggled the Pokémon around me, I needed to wait for a small line before addressing a lady behind a counter with... curled up ponytails? I had no clue what hairstyle was that, but interesting was one way of putting it.
"Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Center. What can I do for you, sir?" She asked politely while bowing lightly.
"Hello, I am new around these parts and a small tour of this place would be appreciated," I explained and the nurse smiled at me.
"Of course, please wait while making yourself comfortable and we will get you a guide right away," She said and I took that as my leave and waited patiently for the guide to arrive.
"Deei," Said the Deino with a slightly irritated voice, making me snap my head to it.
"What? You don't like this place?" I asked and it bobbed its head once.
"Well, you aren't the only one, too much red for me," I pondered while looking around the place before a man in an apron approached us, a small tired small on his face made him look older than normal.
"Are you the two who asked for the tour?" He asked, making me nod wordlessly and began to follow him.
Basically, a Pokémon Center was a place for any trainer with a trainer card to visit if their Pokémon were either injured beyond their capabilities to heal, a place to stay for the night, or for battling too.
Yes, apparently Pokémon trainers actively seek out each other to test their Pokémon's strength by ducking it out in one on one combat. Did I find that irresponsible?
Absolutely.
Could I bring myself enough to care? No, because if this how society worked then I have no way of changing it as a single person no matter how much I found it wrong. The only thing I could do was to refuse battles from trainers who were way too eager to fight me and my Deino.
The next thing the guide showed me was the shop, where trainers could stock up on almost everything. Potions were small spray bottles and were good medicine for cuts and bruises. Then there were pokéballs, supplies, and other miscellaneous things too. Too bad, I didn't have any money with me, or at least I didn't see any ATMs nearby.
Another place he showed me was the registry for new Pokémon trainers, or to register any caught Pokémon in the wild. Well, I guess I found the place for it, hopefully, it wouldn't be anything too hard to obtain the license.
Last was the dormitories for trainers to temporarily sleep in, with arenas nearby for them to battle if they or their Pokémon found their stay dull enough to do so. Again, seeing just made me a little uncomfortable. My grip slightly tightened around my Deino, making it lean its head against my side.
"Deino?" It asked, looking up.
"No, it's alright. I'll be fine." I answered, my head slightly downcast.
"Anyway, that should be it for the tour. The place where you get your Pokémon healed is right there in the center," The guide said while pointing down at the counter where I asked for the tour.
"Thank you, I am sorry to trouble you with the tour, I am rather new around these parts," I said, trying to sound modest.
"No, you don't have to apologize for anything. The only thing I have left to say is that every single Pokémon Center is built exactly the same, so you only need to see this tour only once," He said with a small smile, making my eyes widen slightly.
"Every single one is the same? That is some dedication I can certainly admire." I awed.
"It certainly is," He agreed, "Anyway, I hope that this tour was helpful and have a great day, sir."
"You too, sir," I replied, but before he left me I was able to get one more question in "Sir, do you know where I can get any money from an ATM?"
The guide looked at me a little puzzled, before answering "I don't know what 'ATM' means, but you can extract money from the PC next to the counter for healing your Pokémon."
Oh, so that PC thing in that old man's house also could do that?
"Thank you again, sir," I said before giving a small wave.
"No problem," He replied and then finally left me alone with my Deino who then started to nibble at my coat again.
"What do you want?" I asked the little guy and he replied with a "Dei!" and then started to drag me across the Pokémon Center. At first, I thought we were going to bump into things a lot, but Deino was able to navigate through the center so well, I thought for a second it wasn't blind.
I let it drag me to the counter with the same curled ponytailed nurse who looked at me with a smile while the Deino looked at me expectantly.
"Hello sir, was the tour to your liking?" She asked, making me focus on her instead.
"Yes, it was," I replied before shifting my gaze back at Deino, "What do you want here?"
"Dei!" It barked. I had no idea what it wanted at first, but then it was bobbing its head in the direction of the center, it even headbutted the wall of the counter once lightly.
Oh, it wanted that.
"Miss, could you please take care of this Deino for me? I need to get my trainer's license before I leave this center." I asked and the nurse smiled at me.
"Of course. We will make sure your Deino feels like at home." She replied and I nodded, lifting my Deino up the countertop who replied with a small "Dei." when the nurse took it.
"Don't worry, buddy. Leaving you behind will be the least of your worries," I said to the Deino who smiled, showing even some teeth before disappearing inside the doors behind the counter.
Well, time to get my license.
{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}
God, getting that license felt like a slog because of the multitude of problems. One being my ID card. They couldn't deny its authenticity, but they didn't know the place I have come from. This was officially confirmed for me that I was completely somewhere else other than in my homeland.
Getting back home will be a slog, especially if people haven't really heard of the place.
Next was the test itself, but saying it was exciting would be a lie. I won't go into detail, but it felt extremely similar to taking a driver's license exam and I'll just leave it at that. Now, we also came to Deino which I found out was a female when she got examined by the nurse. And I have been calling her a he since I found her.
To say my Deino was mad would be an understatement… and still wasn't over it either. She wouldn't let me forget my blunder that easily.
"Ok, I am sorry for it but could you stop biting into my coat for five minutes!?" I said, irritated that she was throwing a tantrum.
"Dei!" She replied defiantly through my coat, still tugging it like it was her toy to play with.
"Fine, you have been warned," I said before reaching to her neck and started scratching her chin. She immediately let go and started to purr while her mouth was slightly hung open, enjoying the scratching I denied her in the old man's house.
"Deeeieieie…" If that wasn't a sound of pure enjoyment then I didn't know what was.
"There you go. Now, stop throwing your tantrums and accept my apology," I said to her with a smile, and she reluctantly nodded while letting out a small huff.
Anyway, we have already left the Pokémon Center and were on our way to meet a professor. Why? Because every trainer supposedly needed some sort of a mentor figure who could always help them whenever something would come up.
Since I was a new trainer, Professor Juniper was the closest one, located in Nuvema Town, and now that was my next destination, although it could take a while before I reach it.
Not that I minded, this little girl will keep me company whether I liked it or not.
Also, as a small bonus for becoming a new trainer, I got myself a trainer card with a few supplies for the journey to Nuvema. I probably won't use the card that often, I only did it because of Deino, and I could proudly say that I was the owner now and she was happy… until the whole 'she was a female' thing happened.
Speaking of her, I was surprised at the selection of pokéballs to choose from, all of them looked good in their own right, but I couldn't find one that would fit her. I did let my Deino choose, but she was extremely picky, not that I minded that. I was happy to see she had a modicum of self-worth. If I would be choosing my home to stay in, it would have to fulfill my needs and had to look good.
As for the money to buy it with, there was a slight problem. Apparently, my credit card somehow worked here, but since it held a different currency, it will take some time for the people in the bank to decide how much money I actually had. I just hope it will be a decent sum because worrying about that wasn't something I needed now of all times.
The road was about the end and I was on my way to Route 2 if I wasn't stopped, again. God, what was it with these people stopping me in my tracks.
"You there," I heard, making me turn to the voice of a young man with… green hair? Long unkempt light-green hair with a ruffled ponytail, a dark hat, a white button-up shirt, and creamy brown jeans. He also had an interesting choice of accessories. Golden rings on his wrist, a necklace with a small planet, and a unicolored rubix cube hooked to his pants.
Well, fashion was probably not his strong suit.
"What is your name?" He asked with a soft voice for someone who looked my age. He was as tall as me, making us see eye to eye and he radiated an aura of confidence. I was usually good at reading people, but he was hard to assess.
"Isn't it rude to demand someone's name before saying your own?" I asked, my face passive. The Deino by my side also had her head aimed at this guy's direction, and she was as wary as me.
How could I tell? Somehow, I just did. Pokémon were much more expressive than regular animals from what I could tell after seeing my Deino act so far, and I could pick up on it.
"Ah, my apologies. I guess it was rather rude of me, my name is N," He replied with a smile that didn't reach his eyes while I stared at him.
"N… just N? I know it can be hard to come up with names, but just N? You aren't pulling my leg here, right?" I asked in disbelief and he chuckled.
"Yes, it is just N," He confirmed, "I never found my name all that important. Now, can I ask for yours?"
"It's Radko," I eventually replied, and N's eyes widened slightly.
"That is quite the regal name. Fitting for a person like you, your stride was one of purpose," He said, a hint of admiration in his voice, "And that Deino is yours, isn't she?"
"Yes, she is. She became mine as of today," I said while I patted her on the head, a smile adorned my face, "Although she was a little mad that I didn't know her gender right off the bat, like you."
My Deino let out a small huff, before calming down and leaned her head on my leg, allowing me to pet her more. If N's eyes were wide before, they were wide now.
"She is very comfortable with you. Tell me, how long have you known each other?" He asked, the lack of conviction threw me off-guard a little.
"Not even two days, but I guess I grew a little attached," I said, wariness filled my voice while my Deino let out a defying "Dei!" at N, "And she did too."
His eyes darkened a little before taking a pokéball out of his pocket.
"Then show me that bond in battle," He demanded. Wait, did he mean like in a Pokémon battle? I looked at Deino who was still staring daggers at N, whose eyes were hidden behind his hair. It looked like she was ready to give him what he wanted, but I wasn't.
"I refuse," I said resolutely, completely surprising N, and to some extent even my Pokémon.
"What?" He said, flabbergasted by my answer.
"You heard me, N. I said no," I repeated.
"Deino!?" She asked me. I came down to her level while still patting her head.
"It's alright, Deino. We don't need to prove our bond to anyone, right?" I smiled at her, and she was slightly confused at first before letting out a "Dei." as her answer.
"Good," I said while standing up and started to walk down to Route 2 while leaving a confused N behind.
"Why? Why won't you fight me?" He asked, turning to me and I stopped my stride.
"If you gave me better reason then I might have accepted, but something like 'proving my bond to you' isn't one of them. I already told Deino why, and you heard me as well. There is no reason for me to repeat myself."
"Besides," I told N before turning to him with a small smile, "I wouldn't give you a challenge anyway. I don't know my Deino well enough to battle with her. I don't doubt her ability, but I doubt mine. Plus, I think I will find battling rather abhorrent."
I resumed my stride with Deino by my side while giving N a small wave, leaving him behind.
Unbeknownst to me, N was still gazing where I disappeared into the route. He had a look of contemplation, before uttering, "You already understand them so well in so little time, yet, I don't sense the gift. So… how?"
AN: Another chapter is done, and I have nothing to say to this one. I only hope you enjoyed it.
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