Keeping the train rolling on these chapters
I dangle my hand a few inches above Nikko, waving it back and forth to her obvious amusement.
From her position on my lap - nestled belly up in the crook of my legs - she playfully bats at my fingers, her tiny paws swiping out whenever I get too close.
Every once in a while I dart my hand down past her defenses and give her a retaliatory tickle, just to remind her who's the boss around here.
"VEE-VEE! EEVEE!"
"Oho? Is someone ticklish?" I question with mock confusion. "This warrants further study. Best check to make sure."
"EE! VEEVEEVEE!"
The look of wide eyed panic on her face makes my inability to immortalize this moment with a camera all the more tragic.
"Fine, fine." I pull away with a smile on my face. "But," I begin with a finger in the air. "Only if you give me your biggest, fiercest roar, okay?"
The look she returns my way is answer enough.
"EEVEE!"
"I don't know… Are you tired? That sounded more like a yawn to me."
The look on her face fuels me.
"EE-VEE!"
I run a hand behind her ears where I know she loves it.
"Better, better. But still not quite fierce enough if I'm being honest."
Nikko gets a determined cast to her face as she takes in a large breath.
"EE-EE-EE-VEE!"
Wow, I actually felt that one. Barely, but I did.
Too be fair, she's much too young to come across as fierce no matter what she does. And she won't for a while. The best Nikko can hope for at the moment is to weaponize her preciousness.
Not that this doesn't serve a purpose. I can have fun with the adorable little squirt and get some early training in at the same time.
[Growl] [-]
Intimidate opponents with a growl
Opponent's next attack deals (20 + CHA)% less damage
I send my proudest grin her way and grab an Oren Berry from the bush I grew earlier today. Nikko's eyes zoom in on the plump red berry, her limbs squirming in anticipation.
"That's my girl! Great job. In fact, I think you deserve a reward for such an intimidating growl.
Ding!
+5 Affection
"Vee-vee?"
"Really, really." I answer before I hand over the snack - the way she holds it between her front paws has me nearly cooing in response.
Not that I would, mind you, I do have a reputation to uphold after all.
While she goes to town on the berry, I pop open my [Status] and scroll down to the newest addition.
Pokemon (1) [-]
Name: Nikko
Race: Eevee
Age: Newborn
Gender: Female
Title: Starter [+]
Level: 1
Exp: 0/100
–––
HP: 10
MP: 100
–––
STR: 1
VIT: 1
DEX: 3
INT: 10
PER: 1
CHA: 1
LUK: 30
Available Points: 0
–––
Affection: 35/500
–––
[Skills] (4) [+]
–––
[Traits] (1) [+]
[Perks] (0) [+]
It's a little weird, to be honest, seeing a [Status] for anyone but myself - granted, I associate Pokemon with stats and levels to a degree already, which does soften the dissonance somewhat.
Now, I've already checked and Nikko cannot see nor access her screen. Which may be a good thing? At least until she's older and more mature, I wouldn't exactly want her in control of something with so much power.
I have tried, a few times now, to explain the Game and System to her, but it's something it seems I'll have to table for another time.
She was attentive and tried her best - such a good girl - but not only is she too young in general, the concept is simply beyond her for now - too abstract and divorced from her everyday reality to wrap her head around.
It is what it is. I'll work to feed her bits and dribbles until she can more fully understand the idea.
She is my partner in this bizarre adventure I've found myself in after all and I plan to treat her with the respect she deserves.
Everyone else on the other hand?
Yeah, they can go fuck themselves.
But Nikko's my girl and I'm not planning on holding out on her. Especially when I consider how much the System will affect her going forward.
Which… I really have no doubt it will. To what degree and in what manner are just going to have to be figured out along the way.
I pause that line of thought and run my hands through her fur, eliciting something that's almost, but not quite, a purr from the little Eevee.
I still can't believe how soft she is.
I continue to offer my ministrations - hitting an area that sets her back leg kicking into the air - while I peruse some of the more salient points on her [Status].
Title: Starter [-]
+1 attribute point per level
Her title is fairly straightforward. Apparently being my first Pokemon nets her an additional point per level. Nothing to complain about there. I'm all for powering up the little minx.
It does raise the question of what her normal leveling up gain is? Plus one to what exactly?
I shrug my shoulders in ambivalence. We'll find that out at her first level up I reckon.
HP: 10
MP: 100
–––
STR: 1
VIT: 1
DEX: 3
INT: 10
PER: 1
CHA: 1
LUK: 30
Available Points: 0
Now this is where things get interesting.
An insistent paw taps against my hand - apparently having fallen still during my contemplations. I blink and begin petting once more to Nikko's obvious delight.
"Veeeeee."
It makes sense - probably - that newly born Pokemon begin with ones across the board.
They are babies after all.
So where exactly did the three deviations come from?
DEX takes all of a second to figure out.
[Traits] (1) [-]
[Run Away] [-]
+2 DEX per level
I remember Abilities being added in - I believe - the third generation of games. A new mechanic that gave each Pokemon some type of ability inherent to the species and individual. And by all means it looks like the System has decided to count them as traits for our purposes.
A fact I only happen to recognize due to [Run Away] being one of the few Abilities I actually remember. Although I'm fairly certain that it allowed the user to successfully escape any battle with wild Pokemon.
Whatever.
I much prefer this iteration.
Thinking about it for a moment, I'm not quite sure how the original interpretation would have worked outside of a gameboy game anyway.
If we happened to cross paths with a rabid Nidoking, I somehow doubt my barely-a-day-old Eevee would manage to effortlessly escape - no matter what the flavor text might say.
A frown briefly crosses my face. That's an image I never want to see come to fruition.
I indulge in a brief bout of medicinal snuggling to cheer myself back up.
…
Now INT was a harder nut to crack. No easy to find text to explain away the extra nine points.
But I'm not a self proclaimed genius for nothing, now am I?
I nudge Nikko as I repeat myself, aloud this time.
"Now am I?"
I get a tired "ee" in response. Good enough.
Three separate times I fed Egg-Nikko my MP - twenty, fifty and twenty again.
All signs point towards the 90 MP I funneled into the egg being the reason Nikko ended up with an extra 9 points in INT. Which explains the how, but not the why.
Or maybe it does?
INT is the attribute which directly increases MP.
Right.
Mystery solved I guess.
I try not to bemoan the wasted opportunity. Imagine if I had nicked the egg a week earlier. Or more? How galaxy-brained would Nikko have come out then?
On second thought, maybe it's for the best that she wasn't born objectively smarter than me.
I watch Nikko out the corner of my eye as she twitches in her sleep.
Yeah, probably for the best.
Which leaves LUK.
A genuine smile splits my face. No mystery here. It's her LUK that likely caught my eye in the first place. What set her apart from all the other eggs and made her practically glow under [Thief's Eye].
I'm not sure if she was the lucky one or if that's me. Both of us if I have anything to say about it.
It's an hour or two past mid day when Nikko wakes back up from her nap, stretching out with a small yawn.
I idly play with her tail as she blinks the sleep out of her eyes, mulling over my plans for the rest of the day. I've had a nice chunk of uninterrupted time to settle on a course of action and I'm ready to set it in motion.
I move the very curious Eevee to the ground and go through some stretches myself. She goes to examine a pile of leaves while I crack my back with a sigh.
I let loose a quiet groan as I get up and start clearing the nearby bush of its berries, keeping an eye on my wayward girl all the while. I'm lucky that Oren Berries are much more robust than any berry from my world. Otherwise, I would have ended up with a pocket full of berry mush on more than one occasion. I still have to be careful not to smash them, but they keep well enough with some forethought.
When it's finally picked clean, I press my hand to the ground, right up against the trunk and let a trickle of MP flow down into the soil in a gentle stream. A second goes by before I feel my internal reserves connect to a faintly glowing beacon of mana buried in the earth. A short, deliberate pulse of MP and the bush starts to wither in front of my eyes.
Nikko threads her way in between my crouched legs and pokes her head out at the phenomenon. I gently rub her head and explain.
"Believe it or not, this bush isn't natural. You'll see in a moment, but it's actually the product of a nifty little item of mine."
"Eevee?"
I'm still learning the ins and outs of Eevee-speak, so I soldier on despite not quite knowing what her question was.
"It's something I won from the System. A small seed, about this big," I mime the size with my pointer finger and thumb, "called the Miracle Seed. Here, wait one moment and I'll show you."
The last of plant crumbles to the ground in a smattering of dirt, almost like it was never there. I'd be lying to say it didn't still amaze me.
With a practiced motion, I dig into the earth, locate and scoop up the seed in question - rubbing it down before presenting it to Nikko.
She takes a curious sniff only to step back and let out an adorable little sneeze. The look she sends the seed's way both irritated and confused. I do my best to hid my amusement, but the affronted chuff she lets out reveals my failure.
With the bush dealt with, I do a last minute check of the clearing, making sure nothing is left behind. I do spy a pile of what used to be Nikko's shell and take a minute to bury them in a shallow hole, saving a single shard on a whim.
Going through my pockets I confirm that everything seems to be accounted for.
My money: split up between two separate pockets and my left sock. A handful of hair pins and a sliver of an old soda can I've been using as my lock-picking tool-kit. My Shiny Stone and recently collected Oren Berries checked and confirmed present. And lastly a shrunken Pokeball, the last of my worldly possessions.
I turn to Nikko. "So… follow alongside or ride with me?"
She jumps into my arms before I can even finish the sentence.
"On the road again."
"Vee!"
"Something, something, on the road again."
"Eevee!"
I give up on remembering the proper lyrics and move to whistling the tune. Nikko doesn't seem to mind and neither do I.
Really, I'm feeling remarkably upbeat. Amazing what good company can do.
So even though I'm only vaguely confident that I'm going the right way, I find myself thoroughly enjoying myself. The forest is alive around me in a way that sets me at easy as opposed to putting me on edge. I'm pretty sure I even saw a Hoothoot in a the hollow of a tree! I didn't even know you could find them in Kanto.
And I'm pretty sure Nikko is having an even better time than me. Being less than a day old will do that. Sniffing the air, her ears turning this way and that as she scans each and every new thing. Twice she paws my face until I put her down so she can investigate something or another that catches her eye.
Her actions remind me to switch on [Thief's Eye] - who knows what I might stumble upon.
It would be worth it for the levels if nothing else.
Maybe an hour later the two of us hit a stream that we both stop to drink at. The cool, clear water a nice respite from the walking. I splash some onto my face and neck while Nikko laps up her fill. A male Nidoran catches my attention when it moves to get a drink further down on the other side of the stream.
Surprisingly cute. Like a little purple murder bunny.
Finished, I make the call to follow the waterway downstream. That sounds like something a proper outdoorsman would do.
Since the river bank lacks the the scrub, roots and pitfalls that the rest of the Forest holds, I'm able to go over the last few parts of Nikko's [Status] that I've yet to really comb over without falling on my ass.
[Skills] (4) [-]
[Tackle] [-]
Charge opponents with a full-body attack
Deals (40 + STR) physical damage
[Tail Whip] [-]
Whip and stun opponents with the user's tail
Deals (5 + DEX) physical damage
User's next attack deals 20% more damage
[Sand Attack] [-]
Hurl sand in the opponent's face
Reduces chance of opponent's next attack hitting by (25% + DEX)
[Growl] [-]
Intimidate opponents with a growl
Opponent's next attack deals (20% + CHA) less damage
Her skills, aren't anything to write home about. About what I'd expect for a young Normal type. It's interesting enough to compare each skill with their in game counterpart though. The mechanics provide a decent way to idle the while away.
I do devote some time to explaining the moves to Nikko, discussing their strengths, uses and limitations. Even a few ideas I've had to try and get the most out of them.
I'm not sure how much she really took in, but once again, less than a day old.
It's the last tidbit which really draws me in.
Affection: 35/500
A useful metric all things considered. I'm not thrilled over our relationship being distilled into a number, but I do understand why it's there. Friendship, affection, trust, whatever you want to call it, plays an important roll in the development of many Pokemon, Eevee included.
It's something to keep half an eye on for the future, but it's ultimately not anything I'm concerned over. I think I'm just going to ignore them when they pop up from now on. Only if it ever begins to drop will I start to worry.
Which if I have my way will never be an issue.
"Isn't that right girl?"
"Eevee!"
"You said it."
Name: Grey
Race: Human
Age: 13
Class: Thief [+]
Title: Pokemon Trainer [+]
Level: 5
Exp: 0/1600
Money: p 670
–––
HP: 150/150
MP: 95/100
–––
STR: 10
VIT: 15
DEX: 40
INT: 10
PER: 25
CHA: 20
LUK: 10
Available points: 0
–––
[Skills] (6/6) [-]
[Thief's Eye] (3/100) [+]
[Persuasion] (12/100) [+]
[Sneak] (18/100) [+]
[Lockpicking] (3/100) [+]
[Running] (9/100) [+]
[Rest] (3/100) [+]
–––
[Traits] (1) [+]
[Perks] (0) [+]
–––
[Key Items] (2) [+]
–––
[Pokemon] (1) [+]
Pause Game:
The old man - well not too old mind you - forced a serious cast to his face as he turned to the impatient young boy in front of him. He raised a clipboard and pointedly clicked the pen in his hand.
"Now tell me, are you a boy or girl?"
"Grandpa…" The boy groaned.
"I see. I'll just put down boy for now." The grandfather replied, stroking his chin in mock thoughtfulness. His best attempt at keeping a smile from his face beginning to fail.
"Ah, remind me again, your name… what is it?"
"GRANDPA!"
"Right… so your name is Grandpa?. An interesting name young man, though not one I've heard before."
The sound of a young girl's giggles interrupted the back and forth.
"Laugh it up while you can Green. Tch." The brown haired boy clicked his tongue in frustration. "What did I even do to deserve this kind of cruel and unusual punishment?" He bemoaned as he stumbled to an empty bench and collapsed, head in hands.
The boy peaked back up after a second and smirked. "You know… I've heard good things about Professor Elm over in Johto. Maybe I should try my luck with him. Cyndaquill is pretty cool after all."
"Alright, alright. Enough of that Blue, do you want your starter or not?"
"Yes! Finally." Blue jumped up before calming himself and strutting his way towards the table in the center of the lab. Hands behind his head, Blue eyed the three Pokeballs in question for several moments.
"Feel free to take your – " Professor Oak began.
"No need Gramps. I'll take this one."
Tossing the ball up in the air before catching it, the grinning boy turned to leave.
"Smell ya later Gramps, Green. I've got some training to do. Oh, and tell Daisy not to give a map to Red, okay?"
Gary Oak sighed at his grandchild's attitude. Although to be fair, he wasn't much better at his age. The perils of youth he mused.
The thought brought up another memory - one that made him feel his age all the more acutely. Nothing to do with his reckless and adventurous days as a trainer. No, this one was still painfully fresh.
A weary sigh escaped his lips. He only hoped that poor Eevee was being treated well. The thief didn't seem overly malicious, but you never quite knew with these things.
Putting that aside for the moment, Oak clapped his hands and turned to the patiently waiting girl by his side. He did love watching trainers start out on their journey.
"Now tell me, are you a boy or girl?"
Wanted to shout out all the positive support I've been getting so far. I haven't had one person call me a fucking hack yet, which is always nice.
Figuring out Nikko's [Status] was an interesting challenge - making sure it made sense in relation to what I know from the anime and games as well as the internal logic I've built up in the story. I'm still not 100% confident in how it turned out and I'll more than likely continue to play around with it in the future. This is my first attempt at a Gamer story so I'm sure I'll fuck it up at some point.
While I did want to finally move on from Grey bumming around the woods, I should have expected that introducing a new character like I did would necessitate a chapter of introduction and internal musings.
Surprisingly, for all that Pokemon talk at nearly Groot levels of vocabulary, Nikko was kind of a lot of fun to write. I really enjoyed trying to get her moods and intentions across with only different plays on Eevee.
A heads up on a few things I know I won't be including in the story: No Mega Evolutions - as far as I'm concerned there is no such thing. Same goes for any later generation power wank thinly veiled as an attempt to "keep things fresh". Legendary Pokemon will be very rare if they show up at all. And no, Grey will not catch any of them. If he tried he'd waste a Pokeball at best and get banished to the void at worst.
I decided to add a short interlude to mix things up. I mostly thought it would be funny to try and incorporate the opening scene of the first generation games into something vaguely realistic. Having Oak be a troll was my answer. In my mind he's done this so many times he has to amuse himself however he can.
I think I'll check in with other POVs every once in a while. Whenever my muse hits me I guess.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Edit: So I just found out that Grey/Gray has two different spellings, American and British respectively. And I've been using the British version despite being American for some reason. Now that I know, however, I can't get it out of my head that I've been misspelling the word and that the MC's name looks weird. I tried switching it to Gray but that also looks off to my eye. It's like when you say a word too many times and it loses its meaning. It's slowly driving me crazy.