Fond memories were truly precious treasures.
Your first car, your first pet, your first paycheck, It could even be a completely meaningless achievement like finally beating that really difficult game you had been playing for at least 90 hours, all in order to kindle that bonfire in an ashen world. They were completely intangible moments that can only be remembered.
I wouldn't trade them for any amount of money.
Yesterday's victory over Whisper and Arthur had become one of those treasures of mine. I'd lock it away in a safe and recall it fondly, a bounty of gold that could only be shared among those who were involved. It may have been televised, but I had lived it.
It was with great distress that I report I had unfortunately missed a very important moment that I had been looking forward to ever since I caught Dusk.
After our victory the other day, feeling exhausted, Amber and I had decided to leave the celebrations for later. She had told me that she would take care of getting our prize as thanks for being her partner.
I was currently sleeping on the bed in the hotel room Looker and I were staying at. I had slept like a log after the emotional turmoil of the other day.
So when I felt something wet against my face, I wasn't really all that surprised.
It was a common way for Dusk to wake me up.
I should note, I wasn't much of a morning person.
"Okay… Okay, I'm up…" I slurred out, opening my blurry eyes to look at a rather large black and gray figure I didn't recognize.
Adrenaline shot through me and I immediately pushed myself away in shock at this unfamiliar creature. In my panic, I hadn't realized I was pretty close to the bed and ended up falling on the ground in a heap, becoming tangled in the covers of the bed, my heart beating a mile a minute.
"R-RUFF!" I heard a high-pitched bark come from the bed.
Frantically blinking away the haze surrounding my mind, I glanced up above me in shock to see a roguish black and gray wolf-like creature starting down at me with a worried look. The animal's fur was rather messy and stuck up in many spots. I stared into the familiar distressed cherry eyes of the being before me. I gathered that, whatever it was, it wasn't trying to attack me.
"D-Dusk?" I called out unsure.
Her eyes turned to happiness at being recognized and let out a joyful yip, puffing out her fluffy gray chest in pride.
Dusk had evolved into a Mightyena?
If this were a cartoon, I'm pretty sure my jaw would have hit the floor.
WHAT!?
WHEN!?
HOW!?
Shouldn't there have been some terrible situation where evolving would be our deus ex machina!? At least it should have been a similar situation like what happened yesterday with Shimmer!
I certainly wasn't expecting to wake up one day and find my cute pooch had turned into a full-grown adorable hyena!
I realized in despair I hadn't even gotten a single picture of Dusk as a Poochyena…
Is… is this what being a father felt like?
Before I could start on another internal rant, I noticed Dusk's ears were flat against her skull in sadness. She probably thought I didn't like her new form, or that she had done something wrong.
I pushed down the unfairness of the situation and calmly stood up with a smile. I reached out a hand and began to stroke her head and scratch behind her ears. She nearly took up half the bed with her new size. I didn't even have the time to get used to her small form before.
"Congrats, Dusk, I'm not sure how, but…" I began when she perked up from my touch. "You've somehow made yourself the cutest Pokémon in the entire world!" I cooed with unrestrained glee, a smirk on my face. My calm strokes turning into ruffling the fur around her neck in an aggressively excited manner.
Dusk instantly melted under my touch, her tail wagging at such an erratic pace that I could hardly see it. After a bit, she even rolled around on the bed until her stomach was facing upwards. I responded by giving her some belly rubs.
This caused her tongue to begin lolling out of her mouth, yips of what sounded like cackling escaping her jaw, showing her hyena roots.
I found it very strange that Dusk had managed to evolve so quickly. It goes without saying that 'levels' shouldn't exist, though in the games Poochyena did evolve fairly quickly into Mightyena at level 18.
It even happened over night without me even knowing.
Did Dusk wake up like this, or what?
At Dusk's content expression, I wasn't even sure if it was worth asking. Not that it would do me any favors considering the language barrier between us. The most she could do was answer yes or no.
Plus, I needed to get ready to head out of the hotel room before noon to meet up with Looker.
This would be my final day staying in this hotel room.
Can't say I was going to miss it.
I sat at a bench outside of the Moonlit Night Hotel, a lavish sign decorating above the double doors of the entrance to my right, a stylized crescent moon accenting it next to the letters. Dusk was laying her head in my lap while she sat next to my legs, unable to actually lay in it like she was used to.
I looked around while I waited to see many people going about their day to day lives. Some of their gazes even lingered on me a little too long for my liking, probably recognizing me from the televised tournament.
None dared approach me with my lack luster eyes and a ferocious looking hyena at my side.
This worked for me. I wasn't very keen on listening to praise for a battle I was mostly carried in.
I stood up when I saw a familiar Interpol agent make his way towards us. I assumed he had come back from finishing some errand for his job. He had asked to meet with me this morning at the entrance after I dropped off the key to our room.
He told me he was finally leaving Jubilife City after his investigations were completed.
I had contemplated asking what those inquiries were about, but thought better about it after I remembered how much I had used him up until this point.
"Morning, Aster." Looker greeted me with a nod.
I greeted him back with a nod of my own, a bright yip next to my side mimicking me.
Looker glanced down in surprise to see Dusk staring up at him with her tail wagging.
"Is that Dusk?" He asked, baffled.
"Yeah, I was just as surprised as you when I woke up to find her like this." I informed him. "It almost gave me a heart attack…"
Dusk let out a whine at the mention of my panicked morning and pawed at my legs with sad puppy-dog eyes.
I merely bent down to rub her behind the ear with a smile.
"I suppose that just means you've been training her well for her to evolve that quickly." He put his hand to his chin in thought. He was probably trying to figure out what caused such a weird circumstance himself.
After all, Dusk didn't seem like she had been owned by a prior trainer. She didn't seem to be used to being commanded when Amber and I first started training at the park.
Looker shook his head of any further musings and congratulated Dusk on her evolution.
Dusk perked up and gave a happy woof back.
"Anyway, I just finished speeding up the process of getting you an ID." Looker began to inform me. "Thankfully, Professor Rowan managed to assist me. He should have a Pokédex ready for you when you meet him. I'd go with you, but I'm afraid I still have duties to attend to." He finished with a small smile.
I raised an eyebrow at this information.
Was this guy a saint?
Before I could thank him profusely, he stuck out a long rectangular piece of paper towards me. I grabbed it without thinking about it and turned it over in my hand. It reminded me of an airplane ticket.
"This is a ticket to use a teleport station here in Jubilife. It's good for a trip and back. If you plan to take on the gym circuit, you'll want to head east of here on Route 203 to Oreburgh City."
That all sounded vaguely familiar, except for one thing.
"A teleport station?" I asked, overwhelmed at all the information he was giving me.
"Yes, it's a common service used to quickly travel to and from places in an instant. It uses a psychic Pokémon that specializes in the move Teleport." He began with crossed arms and closed eyes as if he were solving a case. "You shouldn't need to worry about it aggravating any stopgap in your memories. Teleporting only revolves around transferring your physical body to another location, and shouldn't involve mind tampering."
I wasn't really worried about my mind being crushed by some failsafe that didn't exist.
"How… How much do tickets go for?"
"They vary by distance. If you want to go to a location farther away, they usually have to make several stops between stations. That particular ticket is only one stop and cost around a thousand. Including the roundtrip adds half a thousand."
I balked at the ludicrously high price of the ticket in my hand. Teleporting sounded like the peak of luxury.
My monthly stipend must be piddling in comparison.
Not that I could complain. Money is money.
"Thanks a lot, Looker…" I gave him my gratitude with as much sincerity as I could muster.
He did not have to go to anywhere near these lengths to assist me. I'm sure I could have just traveled on my own down to Twinleaf Town.
"Don't mention it, Aster. The ticket's cost was covered by job expenses anyway. I just wanted to make sure you at least had a way to call for help before you actually go around traveling on your own." Looker smiled warmly. "I do recommend finding a traveling partner though. At least until we know your memory problem won't resurface again."
"We'll see…"
That was all I could offer him. I was the guy of kind who, when offered companionship by NPCs in games, would always turn them down to travel on my own, so long as I could help it.
I was very hesitant to do so, but I at least needed to offer him some payment for his altruistic services.
"If… If you ever need a favor, don't hesitate to give me a call."
I really hoped I didn't regret this.
"I'm sure that won't be necessary, but your gratitude is appreciated." Looker said and put out his hand. "It was good meeting you, Aster Arkwright."
Yup, turns out I had to put in a last name for the forms. May as well go all the way with my DnD character's name…
I accepted his handshake with a grin.
"And you as well, Agent Looker."
His grip was firm but gentle, the true sign of a heroic ally of justice.
"If you ever remember anything else, Professor Rowan should have put my number in your Pokédex already." Looker informed, letting go of my hand.
With a final bark from Dusk, I nodded my head and turned around to make my way towards the shopping district.
Our meeting was brief, but I was sure we would definitely cross paths again.
I found myself standing in front of a small blue and white colored shop. Glancing at the windows, I found a stenciled in drawing of a Vanilluxe with haze coming from the straw on one of its heads spelling out the words 'Vanilluxury'.
This was most definitely the ice cream shop that Amber had told me about. It was actually relatively easy to find. In fact, I think it was the only ice cream shop in the area.
It made sense considering that it was pretty chilly right now, a norm here in the Sinnoh region. I couldn't imagine that many people demanding a cold treat in weather like this. I was thankful to whatever Pokémon that brought me here they had given me a pretty warm jacket.
I walked inside of the shop to see a few windowless booths off towards the side on the left.
On the right, I could see a long bar with many tubs of ice cream on display behind a glass case that rose up and over it, leaving only an opening on the far side for the employee to scoop some out and give it to their customers.
There was a floating Vanilluxe standing next to the employee that was blowing a coat of frost on one of the dollops of ice cream on a cone for a customer. Bits of diamond dust shimmered under the artificial lighting of the shop on the cream. The employee gave the cone to one of the customers and then took a spoon full of what appeared to be sugar, and spoon-fed it to the faux ice cream Pokémon.
It appeared to be a creative way to enhance the flavors of the ice cream that they served here.
I could see why Amber would be fond of a shop like this.
Being too distracted by the Vanilluxe, I didn't notice a black ball of fur suddenly jump onto my shoulders.
"Woah!" I yelled out in surprise and turned my head to see Sneasel standing on my left shoulder, a bright smile on her face. "Afternoon, Sneasel."
"Snea-sel!" Sneasel greeted me back and rubbed her face on my cheek in a show of affection.
I was surprised by this. This was the first time that Sneasel had done this. Usually she was content to just give me a wave and a muttering of her name. Her fur felt remarkably silky to the touch, and I could feel a chill that wasn't coming from the shop on my cheek.
Dusk happily barked up at Sneasel with a wag of her tail.
The frosty weasel stopped rubbing her head against mine and looked down at Dusk, lifting her hand in greeting. She stopped halfway when she got a good look at the evolved hyena, shock enveloping her face.
"Is that Dusk?" I heard a familiar voice question in a confused tone.
I turned my bewildered gaze from the frosty weasel to look over to see the same expression mirrored by a foxy maid. She was walking towards us from one of the booths, a giant sundae and a brown leather bag left forgotten on the table.
I smiled at Amber.
"Yup, new and improved."
"Huh…" Amber let out a grunt.
Amber didn't seem to know what to say to that, her brows becoming furrowed as she glanced inquisitively at Dusk, her eyes searching for any clue to this new development.
I didn't have any answers for her, so I instead walked over towards the bar to order a sundae of my own.
Amber watched me go before she bent down low to Dusk and began to ruffle her fur, a smile on her face as she congratulated the hyena.
After getting my order, I was now currently sitting in front of Amber with a Sneasel holding an ice cream cone in my lap, Dusk sitting next to me in the booth.
Apparently it was fine for her to do this as the employee didn't give us a single glance of admonishment.
I picked up my spoon and made to dig into my ice cream…
"You know, I'm really surprised that Dusk had evolved. She was still rather small for her size. She couldn't have been more than a month or two old." Amber said this all in a thoughtful tone.
I wasn't exactly a Pokemon breeder, so I wasn't sure how much I could contribute to her theory.
"How much do you know about the Poochyena line?" I asked instead, taking a bite of the ice cream.
The diamond dust coating really made it melt in my mouth. It added a rather sweet taste that I wasn't used to having on my ice cream. For some people I could definitely see this as being too sweet for them.
I was fine with it.
"I think I told you this before, but my family owns a few Mightyena. Usually they don't evolve until four or five months at the latest if they are being trained well." Amber explained, taking a bite of her own confectionery treat.
"Do you think I should get her checked up by a doctor?"
Instead of responding, she looked over at Dusk and gestured for the hyena to come sit next to her.
Dusk gave me a look, and I nodded my head in approval, Sneasel in my lap looking back and forth between her trainer and Dusk.
Dusk quickly went over the top of the table, this time earning us a glance from the employee as she slightly jostled the table from doing so.
I hurriedly mouthed a sorry to the worker and looked over towards Amber. She was giving what looked like a physical to Dusk. She would poke and prod around her body and lift up her paw to feel it. She even lifted up both of Dusk's ears to their full height and looked into each of them.
Her examination appeared very professional to my untrained eye.
"Hmm, nothing seems wrong... She is definitely smaller than other Mightyenas I have seen... It shouldn't affect her too much in the long run." She spoke in a clinical voice that surprised me. "Nothing a good diet couldn't fix."
She let go of Dusk and gently pushed her off the seat so she would go around the table, rather than over.
"What should I be feeding her then?"
"Junk food or meat. Pokémon can burn a surprising amount of carbs, so just about anything with fat would do fine." She answered, picking up her spoon and taking a bite of her sundae.
That statement made a surprising amount of sense when you realized that Dusk can somehow channel literal sparks of lightning into her teeth.
Not that I wasn't thankful for the tips, but she was being oddly informative today.
"Is this all part of being a dark-type specialist?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
She shrugged with a small smile.
"I took some classes on Pokémon biology when I attended school. I had actually planned on being a Pokémon doctor when I was younger. A lot of the terminology being thrown around turned me off from it in the end."
She seemed to recall something as she suddenly perked up and began to rummage through the bag at her side. She pulled out what looked like some paper bills, a couple pure white Pokéballs, and a familiar brown disc in a clear case.
"Here's your cut from the tournament~" She cheerily let out with a wink, plopping the items on the table in front of me.
I glanced around to see us getting a few looks of curiosity from the patrons.
You rotten girl! Don't be throwing money around in public like this!
She merely gave me a half-lidded foxy smile when she noticed my annoyance.
Of course she was doing this on purpose!
I rolled my eyes and picked up the bills. I quickly counted 700 in total.
"This is more than half of the prize." I commented with narrowed eyes. I at least expected only half. I sincerely hoped she didn't overestimate how much I had contributed in our battles.
"Sure, but you don't exactly have a stable job like I do." She explained with a smarmy smirk. "I'm giving it to you for Dusk's sake anyway, not your own." She stuck her tongue out at me teasingly.
At the excuse of Dusk, I accepted the money graciously and pocketed it. I picked up the two Pokéballs to notice they were Premier Balls.
I vaguely remembered that these were donated by the local Pokémart and pocketed them without further comment to Amber.
I then picked up the case to read the words 'Dig' written on the disc inside. This was also donated by the Mart.
"How do you use these things?" I asked waving the case around in emphasis.
"You just hold the disc over a Pokédex and scan it. You'll then have to put the Pokémon you want to use it on in their Pokéball, and the Pokédex should do the rest. If you want, you can take it to the Mart. They have a machine there that will do the same." Amber helpfully answered me.
I began to absentmindedly rub Sneasel's head in thought.
Dig would be a useful move for Dusk to learn for sure. It was an excellent movement option if my last encounter with Arthur's Piplup was anything to go by.
Wait… Why did Arthur buy a TM for Dig if he was going to win one in the tournament?
That mother duck was actually that confident wasn't he!?
I shook my head in exasperation at this revelation.
"So what do you plan to do now?" Amber spoke up from her side of the table.
My eyes wandered to her face filled with impartiality.
"Looker set up a meeting between me and Professor Rowan," I began to explain, pulling out the ticket the agent had gifted me. "I'm going to use this ticket and teleport to Twinleaf and back. Then I guess I'll enter the gym circuit." I finished by sliding the ticket towards her to take a look at.
"You guess?" She questioned, her passive face lighting up with hints of amusement. She inspected the ticket before sliding it back to me.
"Isn't it kind of the natural path to take around here?" I quickly pocketed the ticket so I wouldn't forget it. This piece of paper was a luxury that I'm sure I wouldn't be experiencing again anytime soon…
"You just don't seem very sure about it. You could always make a different choice and go down a different road."
"You mean like how you wanted to be a doctor?"
She gave me a nostalgic smile.
"Sort of like that, yeah. There are other things you could do if you wanted. While you certainly have the skills, battling isn't your only option." She hummed in thought. "Contests are pretty popular here in Sinnoh as well."
I had completely forgotten about those. Gamefreak hadn't really acknowledged that side of Pokémon in a long time.
Was going through the gym circuit really something I wanted to do? Or was it just the byproduct of having been exposed to that side of this world for so long back in my old one? While I did enjoy the thrill of our two fights yesterday, would I want to make a career out of it? Being a Champion here probably had a ton of responsibilities that I wasn't at all ready to take part in anytime soon.
When I first got here, taking the gym challenge just seemed like the next step to take when you find out you're stuck in this kind of world.
I could be a breeder, ranger, doctor, coordinator, trainer, or a whole host of other jobs related to Pokémon if I wanted. I'm sure there were even more than that.
The phrase 'the world is your oyster' applied here.
"You could always stay with us." I heard Amber speak up.
I was rightfully confused.
"Pardon?"
Amber gave me an annoyed sigh at my apt question.
"I discussed it with my father, and he is fine with you taking one of the rooms in the hotel for as long as you need to get yourself sorted."
"Wouldn't that be expensive?"
"It's free of charge you dead-eyed dunce." Amber insulted me with a roll of her eyes.
I was shocked by such a generous offer. It was definitely not something I deserved at all.
Right now I was being given the option of doing absolutely nothing. I could easily pay for our own food with a roof over our heads.
It was an appealing option to be sure. The question then was…
Is it a wise decision to make?
I could not discount the fact that I had been brought here by some force, a force powerful enough to cross the boundaries between dimensions to land me here. I didn't even know what their motive was.
Whatever their reason, I couldn't imagine it would be very fun for me.
Who is to say they couldn't punish me for trying to take the lazy way out. Contrary to popular belief, inaction was a form of action, and had consequences as a result.
I stared into the flaxen haired maid's insistent honeyed eyes. For some reason she seemed to want me to stick around.
Would I be okay with this entity possibly killing those around me to get me to take action?
Can't say my conscious could take a blow like that, rotten as I was.
It was best to get a head start on investigating why I was brought here.
I gave a tired sigh.
What a troublesome deity they must be to have brought me here without answers.
"I appreciate the offer… but I'll have to decline." I gave my answer, and looked at Amber to see a frustrated look on her face.
"Damn it, my dad won the bet…" I heard her curse under her breath.
I gave her a deadpan look in response.
Really? This rotten girl had gambled on whether I would stay or not?! Is that really why she wanted me to stay!?
Give me back my concern over the safety of your wellbeing!
She quickly recovered and pulled out a tan envelope from her bag, reluctantly pushing it across the table.
I pushed aside my annoyance, grabbed the envelope, and opened it. Dusk sidled up to me to get a look herself.
I pulled out a sleek looking black plastic card that was labeled 'Moonlit Night Royal VIP Members Club'. I turned a questioning gaze to the foxy maid.
"My father had a feeling you would say that, and told me to give you this card if you declined. The Moonlit Night Hotel is actually part of a small chain owned by my father. If you show this card they'll pretty much treat you like a king with all expenses paid."
I did my best impression of a Magikarp.
I turned the card over to read on the back that it was good in the cities of Jubilife, Hearthome, Veilstone, Floaroma, and Sunnyshore. Plus a few more names I didn't recognize.
I began to sweat at the implications of this.
How rich was Amber's father!?
With a shaky hand, I gingerly placed the card back into the envelope and pocketed it into one of my jacket's inner pockets. I even patted it down to make sure it was nice and safe.
This would save me a lot of money when I went into those towns.
"Why did your father think I would decline?" I asked when I finally calmed my nerves.
Her amusement from seeing my lack of composure lessened a bit.
"Oh, he said something along the lines of 'a man who fights like that doesn't lead a boring life'," She said that line in the typical impression of a gruff man. "Or whatever..." She rolled her wrist lazily, a fond smile on her face.
"Hm," I gave a grunt of acknowledgment. "Thank him for me when you see him then. This is… a lot…"
What's with all the generosity today? Is something bad going to happen to me?!
Amber gave me a foxy smile.
"You could come show your gratitude yourself. He was really insistent on meeting you."
"No, I should probably get going to Twinleaf as quickly as possible…"
Like hell I was doing that. I was appreciative of the card, but I'm not going to deal with her old man's banter if they were anything alike.
"Suit yourself." She said with a shrug and made to get up from the booth. Her sundae now finished.
I looked down at my own to see an empty bowl. The Sneasel in my lap looked up at me with her mouth covered in ice cream.
That little rotten weasel ate the rest of my sundae while I was distracted with Amber!
Sneasel gave me a foxy smile and began to snicker at my annoyed expression. I could even hear Dusk cackling like a hyena to my side.
That traitor! Was she already in her rebellious phase after evolving!?
I gave Dusk the stink eye and received a whine of sadness in response.
Good!
She still felt shame. We're not at that stage yet.
"I guess I'm done too…" I let out with a sigh. I took a napkin and wiped away the cream from Sneasel's face before she could get any bright ideas. Sneasel, surprisingly, let me and let out a cheer when I was done.
Shaking my head at Sneasel's antics, I stood up to see a fond smile on Amber's face.
"You know I'm not paying for the ice cream that Sneasel ate right?"
Amber seemed confused at what I said before she giggled.
"Of course. I was planning on paying for it anyway."
Suspiciously charitable of the foxy girl, but I let it slide regardless.
"I decided to name her Dawn." Amber spoke softly, Sneasel letting out a cheer from my shoulder.
I paused when I heard that.
"You've had Sneasel for a while now. Why the sudden change of heart?"
Apparently nicknaming Pokémon was rarer than I thought it would be here. For her to suddenly change her stance on it was strange.
"It's not just a name. It's a promise." Amber stared at the weasel on my shoulder with a genuine smile.
"Snea-sel!" Sneasel reciprocated by jumping from my shoulder to hers, nuzzling Amber's cheek.
It didn't take a detective to figure out why she chose the name Dawn.
I looked down towards Dusk who was staring at the scene with a wag of her tail.
Dawn and Dusk, huh…
I'm fairly sure one of those should probably be trademarked here in the Sinnoh region.
"I thought you didn't like the name Dusk though?" I asked with a teasing smirk.
Amber actually blushed and turned her head away from me.
"Once you get used to it, it wasn't that bad of a name I'll admit…"
For her to pick a name like that, well, I felt a bit touched by it.
Not that I would ever admit that to her.
We paid for our meals and walked outside the shop in companionable silence, Amber refusing to look at me after my teasing remark.
When we stood on the sidewalk, neither of us saying anything, I knew it was time to part ways.
"I'll see ya around, Amber." I gave my casual farewell with a wave, turning to make my way to the Pokémart to buy some much needed supplies. Before I could, I felt something tug at the sleeve of my shirt, halting me in place.
"Um…" I could hear the nervousness in Amber's voice. "My birthday is in a couple months… and… I was wondering if you'd like to come…"
I turned to see a cherry red Amber, her eyes looking away from me nervously towards the side.
"My family is planning to hold a big celebration since I'll be going on my own journey too like you and-" Amber rattled on without stopping to catch her breath.
I honestly wasn't expecting this. After our partnership, I was fully expecting for us to stop interacting. My use for her own ends no longer needed. And, over time, she would forget all about me as I became a mere footnote in her career as a trainer.
But here she was, extending her hand towards me in an effort to keep me close.
I wondered about her motive for wanting to do so with a rotten guy like me. When I stared into her eyes, however, her emotions were clear as day.
I could even sense a hint of fear in her tone, expecting a rejection from me.
"…I'm not expecting you to bring a gift or anything but I—"
She was still rattling on.
"We'll see…" I interrupted her tirade with a noncommittal answer from me.
I couldn't be sure how busy I'd be when I hit the road.
At least, that's what I kept telling myself.
"Oh, yeah… I'm sure you'll be busy with the gym circuit and all that… No pressure or anything." Amber let out a nervous chuckle and let go of my sleeve.
I could see that faraway look return in her eyes.
Dammit…
I rummaged around in my pocket for a few moments and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper that I had been holding onto.
I flashed the contents of it to her.
She opened her mouth to ask what it was before her eyes widened when she noticed hearts on the note.
"I'll give you a call with my Pokédex soon as I can." I informed her with a scratch of my cheek.
It was the same note she had written her number on all those days ago.
While that note had given me nothing but grief, I hadn't thrown it away.
This gesture didn't go unnoticed by Amber, her face lighting up with happiness.
"I'll hold you to that, loverboy." Amber remarked with a foxy smile, Sneasel mirroring her with a shout of her name.
I rolled my eyes with a nod, and turned around to continue onwards on my newfound journey, Dusk giving a bark of farewell.
Such a strange girl…
The Teleport Station was surprisingly smaller than I expected.
It was the size of a small house, and was nestled in the heart of the business district of Jubilife. Most likely because those would be the most common clientele for a service like this.
I had come here after purchasing all the necessary items I would need on the road. A Silph Co. branded thinly designed black bag with stylized red trimmings was strapped to my back. Turns out it used technology similar to Pokéballs and was bigger on the inside.
I had to sell one of the Premier Balls to afford it, along with a series of other miscellaneous items like cookware, kibble, a tent, blankets, rope, or whatever I thought would be useful.
In the end, I was only left with fifty dollars after the shopping spree.
Looker had informed me that my monthly stipend should already be in my newly acquired bank account that I could access from my Pokédex once I had obtained it.
I stepped inside the station, Dusk flanking my side. The interior was just as simple as the exterior. A simple counter with a computer was at the back. A man sat behind it with short brown hair and wearing a light red vest. He looked up from his magazine when the door to the entrance opened. Next to him, lounging in a chair, was a green and white humanoid creature, their red eyes scanning what appeared to be a novel.
I recognized the creature as a Gallade.
On the left side of the small building, plastered on the wall, was a large map of the region, along with prices to each destination clearly labeled.
The man appeared to be in his mid twenties, if the peach fuzz on his chin was any indication.
"Afternoon, kid! What can I do for ya?" The employee greeted, a trained receptive smile on his face.
I walked up to the counter, pulling out the ticket. I handed it to him with little fanfare. He took it with a quick thanks.
He pulled out what looked like a scanner and used it on a bar code printed on the ticket. He looked towards the screen of the computer and raised an eyebrow.
"Twinleaf Town? Mind if I ask what business you have there?" The man questioned in an innocent tone.
I could tell there was some ulterior motive.
I wasn't really in the mood for games after spending so much time shopping.
"Does it matter?" I dully questioned back, looking him straight in the eyes.
"Sorry, routine Ranger protocol."
Ranger protocol? This guy was a Pokémon Ranger? Were all Teleport Stations manned by a Ranger?
I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the Gallade was no longer paying attention to his book.
It was best to just answer his question for now.
It was amazing how much of an influence having a strong looking Pokémon on your side had on others. Without it, I would have just ignored the man.
I definitely noticed a similar trend from others now that Dusk had evolved.
"I'm visiting to pick up my Pokédex to start my journey." I answered simply, my guard fully raised despite the Ranger's relaxed composure.
He gave an appreciative whistle.
"You must come from a rich family to be able to afford a ticket like this." He commented with a wave of the paper.
This guy was sure covering all his bases.
"It was purchased for me by an Interpol Agent."
"You mean Agent Looker?" The Ranger gave me a smirk.
I narrowed my eyes in annoyance at the man.
Like hell I believed this guy was some genius of deduction. He was probably just doing this to make himself look cool.
Get real you poser.
Yup, I definitely didn't like this guy.
I crossed my arms and started impatiently tapping my foot.
"You were informed ahead of time about me, and yet you gave me the run around anyway." My tone was accusatory.
Dusk lowly growled at my side, sensing my aggravation.
The Gallade didn't take too kindly to this and stood up from his chair, bladed arms raised.
The Ranger just scratched the back of his head with a nervous chuckle.
"Sharp one ain't ya? I can see why Looker would take an interest in ya, kid." The Ranger gave me a closed eye smile. The Gallade, oddly enough, suddenly relaxing their posture.
I subtly bumped my leg into Dusk, her growling ceasing at my touch.
"Look, I don't really have the patience right now to deal with any mind games. I still need to go to Rowan's place and check into a hotel afterwards." I spoke in a tired voice.
"This ticket is roundtrip though. You don't plan to return after?" The Ranger innocently questioned.
I could tell it was genuine this time when I heard the inflection of confusion.
"I want to visit Lake Verity while I'm there."
It is home to a Legendary Pokemon, going by my knowledge of the games. It was a fitting place to get a head start on my investigations to my purpose in this world.
"Heh, it is quite a beautiful place. Good tastes, kid." He began with a chuckle. "I have to warn ya, if you're planning to stay, be careful while you're in town."
I raised my eyebrow at this.
That totally didn't sound ominous at all...
"Is there a reason for that?"
He nodded his head with a grimace.
"A few people have gone missing. According to the reports, they all share a common circumstance in that they were all visitors to the town." He explained with an exasperated sigh. "I'd be investigating it myself if there wasn't already a Ranger there."
"Are they also stationed at an outpost like this one?" I curiously asked, gesturing around the room.
He nodded his head with a small smile.
"As you'd expect, Teleport Stations require very powerful psychic-type Pokémon. People wouldn't trust them if they weren't ran by Rangers and, by association, the Pokémon League at large. Not that it increases business all that much when the prices are so high." The Ranger explained professionally, handing my ticket back to me. "Outposts like this are a necessity when we Rangers need to get to an emergency ASAP."
Teleport Stations were built out of a need and not for luxury it would seem. It made sense when you considered a legendary Pokémon could go berserk at the drop of a hat.
"I definitely want to stay out of trouble. I'll keep it in mind, thanks." I gave him my reassurance with a dull tone, still a bit miffed at his unnecessary inquiries earlier.
"That's all I can ask for." The Ranger said with a serviceable smile. "Now, if you could return your Mightyena, we'll get you on your way. Normally it wouldn't be a problem, but Teleport doesn't work on Dark-types."
Dark-types were immune to psychic moves in the games, so I couldn't say I was surprised.
"Sorry, Dusk." I said, pulling out her ball.
She gave me a cheerful yip and nuzzled my leg.
I smiled at the gesture and returned her in a beam of red.
I turned to the Ranger as he handed me an empty brown paper bag.
The duck?
"Grant, you're up!" The Ranger cheerily shouted before I could ask him for its purpose.
The Gallade nodded his head and vanished from behind the counter. Within a second he reappeared in front of me.
This startled me as I instinctively took a step back.
The Gallade was faster.
He extended a bladed arm towards me and touched my shoulder.
I froze at this action and waited for something to happen.
"I'm having trouble teleporting him, Mason." A baritone voice echoed inside my head.
It was strange to suddenly hear a foreign voice speak up inside my mind.
I watched the Gallade turn his head towards the Ranger. I sweated a bit at the unwanted invasion of my personal bubble. Based off of Grant's body language, I assumed the voice must have been from him.
Being a psychic type, I assumed he was capable of telepathy as well.
Still didn't make me feel comfortable hearing him inside my mind.
Mason gave the blade bearing Pokémon a stern look.
"I told you to stop drinking so much coffee, Grant."
"I only had one this morning. Get off my back, Mason!" Grant telepathically vocalized in an infuriated tone. He had most definitely been accused of this more than once.
I sweated even more, realizing that I had to trust this assuredly caffeine addicted Pokémon to teleport me to my destination safely.
The two had a stare down before Mason looked at me with a pointed look.
"You don't have anything made from fur that might have come from a dark-type do you?"
That was a thing here?
"I don't think so."
I honestly wasn't sure. The clothes on my back were gifted to me from an unknown entity.
"Just give it another go, Grant." Mason commanded with an exasperated shrug. "We're still going to have a talk about your habits when you're done."
I heard the green humanoid sigh in my mind dejectedly.
The Gallade acquiesced to the Ranger's demand regardless, putting both of his bladed arms on each of my shoulders. He closed his eyes in concentration with a bow of his head.
I could feel an invincible force slowly surround my body, a sensation of weightlessness consuming me.