From the Olympics, to golfing, to even the humble and less muscle stressing chess tournaments, all of these required a modicum of exercise. Whether that is in a physical or mental form didn't matter.
It was still an important step when training for any form of competition.
To expect results without effort was the height of foolishness. If you thought that your fellow competitors would just sit still, and idle was nothing short of egotistical.
After cashing in on the return-trip to Jubilife, almost getting a concussion yet again, we wasted no time and started making our way to Oreburgh City.
Following the dirt-laden paths were… quite uneventful. While I passed many trainers on the way to the city, none dared to challenge me once they got an eye-full of my lack luster eyes and my ferociously adorable hyena.
This was a bit disappointing
I was looking forward to making a few bets in order to increase our low income, which turned out to be a good way to make money here if the other trainer was willing to participate.
It would have been helpful to put our training into practice before we made it to Roark, the Rock Specialist Gym Leader.
Regardless if I could test drive our skills, Dusk and I still stuck to a training regimen.
After some research online, I had decided on basic physical exercises like running laps and, considering a good portion of her moves involved biting, jaw grip strengthening.
I had also decided on target practice when I remembered that Snarl wasn't all that accurate of a move.
Dusk had a lot of frustration during this portion of our training. She didn't really have a lot of experience using long-ranged techniques, with her mostly physical moveset, but took to it enthusiastically as usual.
When we weren't traveling during the early morning, and training during the noon, we would watch the many battle videos that had been posted on Pikatube.
It was such a treasure trove of information! And it was seemingly bottomless to boot!
Thankfully, I had the foresight to buy a charger that can be powered by electric-types in order to keep this schedule intact.
While that was its intended purpose, Thunder Fang did the job just as well.
I just had to make sure that Dusk didn't feel the need to bite into it whenever I needed to power it up…
I mostly used the videos to familiarize Dusk with the many different Pokémon that existed, and as a way to teach her type match-ups.
I even came up with a classification system that was rooted in my knowledge of fighting games and MMOs in order to quickly convey information to Dusk during our fights. It wasn't the most nuanced system but, as with language, so long as I could convey what I meant, it didn't really matter.
I even went as far as to make some note cards with a sharpie and turn it into a game, the prize being a treat for a correct answer. This had a dual purpose in that it would hopefully solve her small-size problem that Amber had mentioned.
On top of all that, I was trying something experimental that should be helpful to us on our journey to come.
I wasn't leaving anything up to chance…
I currently stood before the double doors of a large building, its exterior reminding me of an arena used for sports. A sign out front telling me this was Oreburgh City's one and only gym.
I looked down towards a smiling Dusk to see that she was pretty pumped for this, her enthusiasm apparent thanks to her wagging tail.
I smirked.
I swear that was its default state.
"Dusk," I called out to the dark-type, her tail stopping for a moment, looking up at me with a goofy smile. "Remember what I taught you, because this is the real deal. It shouldn't be too much for you to handle, since I've been able to teach you this style of fighting early on, but you should still remain vigilant if we want to be able to pull this off."
Dusk merely tilted her head as I spoke, her bright eyes carefully concentrated on my own. I had learned during my teachings that this was a habit she did so she could hear me better.
"Awoooooo!" Dusk answered back with a howl of confidence, her tongue lolling out of her mouth when she was finished.
I chuckled at my adorable hyena's antics, checking my phone to see a reminder for my upcoming gym challenge.
Apparently you could reserve a time-slot for a gym challenge online.
Neat and handy, just how I like it.
I strode inside the building, the double doors opening and closing automatically, to find a reception area with no secretary manning the desk. I took a seat at one of the benches placed near the desk, as was instructed to me in the text.
According to sources online, most gyms had someone managing the desk, but apparently Roark was one of the few who didn't.
In fact, it was really difficult to obtain a time slot with Roark since he was always so busy in the mines, leading to a decline in gym challengers to his city. That, plus the minimal amount of reasons to come to Oreburgh, made this place feel a bit like a ghost town.
Unlike Twinleaf, most of the residents here kept to themselves and worked from seven to five in the mines.
Their greatest attraction was their museum which, let's be fair, is a pretty boring place to visit in just about any world…
I heard the double doors of the gym open up to my side.
I looked over to see a panting Roark, smudges of dirt on his clothes and face. He looked just as he always did in any piece of media. His hard hat even had many dents and scratches from what I could only assume were from many days of hard work.
I stood up, a hyena hot on my heels, and made my way over towards the rock-type specialist.
"Hey." I greeted simply with a casual wave.
He opened his bespectacled eyes quickly at my greeting, and took a final deep breath before responding.
"Hey there, you must be Aster Arkwright!" He stood up straight with a bright smile, putting out a hand. "Name's Roark! And I'm the Gym Leader here! Hope you weren't waiting too long! We usually don't get a lot of challengers here, so I'm usually in the mines!"
I shook his hand with a nod, and sweated when I found his grip was like a rock.
"No worries, most of the people online talk about how difficult it is to get an appointment with you." I said, pulling my hand away quickly.
I didn't really want to come out of this with a sore hand…
"People… online?" Roark questioned, confused at my statement.
I raised an eyebrow at this.
"Yeah, there are posts online talking about it. It's probably why you don't get a lot of challengers in the first place…"
I supposed I shouldn't be surprised that he wasn't very tech savvy if he was pent up in the mines all day.
"Is… Is that really the reason we don't get many challengers here?" Roark asked, his smile turning into a frown. "I just always thought it was because we were a bit out of the way. But if we're getting a reputation for it, maybe I should stay at the gym a bit more often…"
He almost seemed disappointed in himself. Had no one really told him about this?
"My own worries aside, let's get to the gym challenge." Roark said with a shake of his head, a polite smile once again on his face. "Shall we?" He gestured with an arm towards a hallway that leads further into the gym.
By how quickly he was able to refocus himself, I could tell Roark took his gym just as seriously as his excavating efforts.
I nodded my head and followed his lead.
I just hoped our training would be enough.
The arena we would be fighting in was pretty similar to the one at the tournament Amber and I had participated in.
The only striking differences were the twin sets of bleachers that flanked the arenas sides, and the gigantic rocks that littered the dirt battlefield.
I looked down at Dusk to see a determined gaze surveying the battlefield she would be fighting on with keen cherry eyes, her tail slowly brushing back and forth.
Such a good girl!
I felt proud in that moment to see her already putting into practice what we talked about.
"Ehehe, sorry to ask this, but I haven't had a chance to read over your challenge submission." Roark began, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "How many badges do you have?"
"None." I answered quickly, eager to battle.
He looked surprise at my answer and glanced down at the hyena at my side.
No doubt he thought I should at least have a couple if I already had an evolved Pokémon.
Trust me, Roark, there are many people just as surprised as you.
He didn't comment on this, and instead walked over to the back wall on the gym leader's side of the field, pressing a few buttons on a machine built into it that I hadn't noticed.
After making his selection, three balls materialized from the machine into six possible round shaped holders.
I wasn't surprised by this.
I had read up online how the gyms scaled themselves naturally based on how many badges the challenger had acquired. If they were a veteran from a different region, then they would have to take on the gym leader's true team.
Roark quickly pocketed two of the Pokéballs before taking his place on his side of the battlefield.
Dusk and I calmly strode to our side and awaited Roark's next words.
"This will be a 3 on 3 singles battle. The challenger is allowed unlimited substitutions. Once a total of three Pokémon have been sent out, no others may take their place. The first trainer to lose all of their Pokémon will be declared the loser." Roark explained professionally, gripping the brim of his hard hat with one of his hands, the other holding an enlarged Pokéball. "Do you understand these terms?"
I merely answered with a nod of my head.
He didn't need to know I only had one Pokémon.
"I will select my Pokémon first." He nodded back to me, tossing his ball into the arena. "Come on out, Geodude!"
With a pop and a flash, a simple jagged ball of a rock with arms let out a shout of its name. Its two eyes focused on the two of us.
"You're up, Dusk." I commanded simply.
The dark-type bounded into the arena with a confident grin and let loose a war cry of a howl.
"Geodude, Rock/Ground type, bruiser and physical tank." I dully gave the information to Dusk, receiving a flicker of her ear in response.
Roark's determined look melted away, confusion creeping onto his face at my words.
"Bruiser? Physical tank?" I heard him whisper to himself, but he didn't bother to question me.
Instead he took out a rock from one of the pockets of his jacket.
"Since we don't have a referee, the moment this rock touches the ground, that will be when we start." He said, refocusing himself.
I locked my eyes on the rock in his hand.
Sensing my concentration, Roark responded by chucking the rock into the air.
This was it.
Time to see how well my strategies would work in a world like this.
The rock hit the ground with a thud, both trainers giving their commands simultaneously.
"Geodude, Stealth Rock!"
"Dusk, you're the boss!"
A torrent of rocks swiftly blossomed from Geodude's body, shooting them out haphazardly, littering the battlefield in a land mine of rocks.
Not really a move that would be useful on me, since I didn't plan on switching.
Though informing me that I could substitute freely was a pretty dastardly thing for him to tell me in retrospect.
Not that I wouldn't do the same in his place.
Dusk took to action and immediately opened her mouth, loosing a spiral of dark energy, a Snarl escaping her maw.
The wisp-like energies were pin-point accurate as it suffused into Geodude's body. A yell of pain escaped its rotund body as it unwillingly absorbed the tendrils of darkness.
I was surprised to find that the Geodude was already panting with exhaustion.
"Geodude, Rock Throw!" Roark yelled out a desperate command. He recognized how damaging the Snarl had been.
By the time he had finished giving his orders, it was already too late.
Dusk had dashed up to the geode's side and bit down on its rocky hide, shaking it relentlessly like a chew toy.
It couldn't get its bearings to follow Roark's command as a result.
When Dusk saw the geode's arms fall limp, she tossed it away, impacting it against one of the nearby pillars of rock in a cloud of dust.
In a beam of red, the Geodude returned back to its ball.
This was all the result of letting Dusk fight on her own.
Pokémon battles required commands to be given by both trainers and, while my style was definitely not that unique as I had seen other trainers using it on Pikatube. It showed it could be beneficial to cut out the middle-man as Roark just experienced.
While it was a time consuming process to teach Dusk, and I would have to teach it to new members of my team, it served a dual-purpose.
This way of fighting could be used for when we were stuck in a situation, outside of official battles, where I wouldn't be able to give her commands.
Making her a lone player would give me more to work with in those high-tense situations.
At least, that was my thought process behind it.
"I have to commend you. You've trained your Mightyena well." Roark complimented me, a bright smile on his face.
I sweated a bit and rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment. I hadn't expected any words to be exchanged during the fight…
I'll admit… it did feel rather good to hear my efforts were being recognized…
"But that was just the beginning, Aster. Make no mistake! This spelunking expedition has only just begun!" He shouted out jovially, throwing out another Pokéball. "Don't go easy on'em, Onix!"
Don't be spitting lines that sound like they should be in a Shonen manga!
I suddenly felt insignificant when a colossal snake shaped monster made out of rocks materialized on the battlefield.
If it were to fully stretch out, the Onix would tower over the Moonlit Night Hotel, its width as large as a huge boulder.
It was one thing to see these gigantic Pokémon in battle videos, and it was another to see them live in person.
The footage just couldn't do justice to their sheer size.
How had Pokémon not come to rule this planet? How in the hell were they able to fit these monstrosities into tiny little balls?
I could feel insanity take root deep inside my mind, my logical side forcing itself out due to the horror I was feeling.
This snake could kill me just by falling on me.
Then a dark part inside my mind whispered to me that a person could own six of these monsters all at once.
The carnage one could unleash by letting them go wild in a city boggled my mind.
Why were kids able to have control over Pokémon again?
I suddenly looked down at Dusk in dread when I realized she would have to fight this… this thing.
It was like watching a fly go up against an elephant.
"Are you okay, Aster?"
I heard the concerned voice of Roark call out to me from the other side.
My fear must have been apparent if he was able to pick up on it.
I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose.
Deep breaths…
In…
Out…
I let my logical mind piece itself back together.
Remember, one grass or water-type could easily decimate six Onixes in one move.
I didn't let my thoughts have time to remind me that those monsters could have leveled a building by the time one Ranger suited to the task responded.
"Dusk, I'm taking over the reins." I opened my lack luster eyes again to see my adorable hyena looking back at me with concern. She didn't seem worried about the rocky snake in the slightest
I gave her a smile.
I'd be sure to pamper her after this battle was over.
She yipped at me with a wag of her tail, her concern eased at my commanding words.
"We're ready, Roark!" I called out to the rock specialist.
I didn't want to give myself time to back out of the fight.
Thanks to Dusk's nonchalance, I had to remember that this was a controlled environment. Pokémon could tank a lot of hits.
Roark nodded at my words, still unsure, but threw the rock up into the air regardless.
"Onix, same classification as Geodude… Just a lot larger." I mumbled under my breath, Dusk's ears twitching in response.
We had counter measures for when the lone player strategy didn't work out anyway.
The rock landed with a dull thud.
"Onix, Rock Throw!"
"Dusk, use the rocks nearby as cover!"
Onix, with a casual show of strength, used its massive tail to completely obliterate a nearby stone structure, launching the bits of debris at the hyena.
Thankfully, Dusk reacted quickly, crouching behind a similar stone structure, the chunks of rock impacting against it with a loud bang. I barely noticed that the impromptu shelter was already developing cracks from the onslaught.
"Keep it up, Onix!"
Roark had noticed it as well.
A couple of more Rock Throws like that and Dusk's cover would fall on top of her, leaving her injured or trapped for the rocky snake to pick her off.
Time for mind games.
"Dusk, use Dig and make a hole out of there!"
When I saw Roark's grin, I knew I had him at checkmate.
Next he'll say, 'Onix, Magnitude!'.
"Onix, Magnitude!"
As predicted, Onix slammed its gigantic body against the ground repeatedly, causing an artificial earthquake.
Normally, such a move would be devastating on a Pokémon that used Dig, but I had already thought of this. The tunnels Dusk would have dug up would have collapsed due to the pressure of Onix's quake.
Magnitude was a pretty common ground-type move, so it was safe to assume Roark's Onix would know it.
I had used a code phrase.
Instead of diving into the ground like Roark thought she would, Dusk jumped on top of the structure she was hiding behind. Using it as a platform, she opened her maw with a Snarl.
The shadowy wisps hit their target, a loud guttural yowl of pain escaping the snake's mouth, their screams sounding like boulders scraping together.
While Dusk wasn't hit by the brunt of Onix's Magnitude, the shaking caused by it made her makeshift platform become unsteady, the cracks on its surface widening.
With a rumble, the structure fell like a house of cards.
She was able to jump off of it in time to not be caught in the ensuing rubble, but she had an ungraceful landing when she fell on her side with a pained yelp.
While I didn't enjoy hearing my cute hyena in pain, I needed her to quickly recover for the next step.
"Dusk, Dig!" I commanded.
"Onix, Rock Throw, don't let them hit you again!"
Onix repeated its earlier action by breaking apart a boulder, slinging it towards Dusk's. Roark predicted that this was just another bait.
He was wrong.
I smirked when Dusk dug through the rocky outcropping with ease, the chunks of rock whizzing above the hole. She was showing me I had no reason to worry about this overgrown snake.
Mind games were a powerful tool one could exploit in any competition. To be able to worm your way into your opponents head, and subtly manipulate them into making mistakes or certain moves, could be the difference between a victory and a loss. And when you combined telegraphed callouts with that, it made for an interesting dynamic.
I definitely didn't want to have to face an opponent who could read my mind, or telepathically communicate with their Pokémon.
If my run in with Mason and Rachel taught me anything, is that psychic oriented horse garbage existed here.
Of course, this kind of technique only worked if you and your opponent's Pokémon were of similar strengths.
Pure power could overcome any strategy.
If your opponent was level 100 and you were only level 1, no amount of strategy was going to save you.
"Onix, quick use Magnit—"
Roark's command was far too late when Dusk burst from the ground and impacted with the giant snake. Another painful yowl escaping Onix's throat as its weakness to ground came into play.
Dusk, without any direction from me, finished the Onix off with a well placed Snarl into its gaping maw.
I watched as the dark energies began to erratically pulsate off of the snake's twitching rocky hide, the aching too great for it to even utter a single yell of pain.
With a beam of red, Onix was returned.
And so David won against Goliath yet again.
Without any preamble, Roark, with a frustrated smile, released his final Pokémon.
In a pop and a flash a tiny gray and blue dinosaur creature with a bulbous head let out a cute cry.
In comparison to Onix, it was definitely not intimidating.
Cranidos was Roark's ace Pokémon.
So when the rock signaling the start of the final round impacted against the ground, I was stunned when Dusk finished off the cute dinosaur with a resounding Snarl.
She didn't even need any direction from me.
Anticlimactic, but I wasn't going to complain.
There's no such thing as over preparation in my book.
We both strode off the battlefield, a grinning Roark already extending his hand to me.
"That was a great battle, Aster. Can't say I'm not a little frustrated I couldn't land a solid hit on you though." The gym leader said as I accepted his handshake.
I sweated a bit at the rock solid grip.
"Y-yeah…" I didn't really have much to say on the matter.
I was surprised when Roark was the one to pull away from the handshake, and I could feel a small object in the palm of my hand.
I opened it to find a round metallic object, etchings embedded onto it in a shape reminiscent of a Pokéball with a flat bottom, the 'button' in the shape of a hexagon.
"I'm proud to give you the Coal Badge, Aster." Roark congratulated me with a bright smile. "Feel free to stop by later if you want to take on my true team. Call it a miner's hunch, but I have a feeling you'll make it far."
I raised an eyebrow at his closing statement. According to my research online, for a Gym Leader to offer that was high praise.
"We'll see…" I gave a noncommittal answer with a shrug.
I wasn't exactly sure how viable this strategy was going to be. It was best not to get my hopes up.
I felt Dusk paw at my leg.
I looked down to see her looking at my hand expectantly.
I smiled and bent down to show her our prize for winning.
As I had come to learn recently, her first instinct was to try and bite it.
"Dusk!" I admonished half-heartedly with a laugh, gently pushing her face away from the badge, barely managing to keep the symbol of our victory from her wandering jaw.
I could even hear Roark behind me laughing at our shenanigans.
This was the dream, right?
To go on a merry whimsical adventure with your Pokémon by your side. Not a single care in the world, all in order to collect badges and new friends.
It certainly was a wish that I had as a small child.
Why then, when I should be feeling fulfilled, did I recall the burning gaze that witch had given me in Twinleaf?
Uneasiness began to pile in my stomach like a curse.
I listened to the sound of rain pelting on metal as Dusk and I sat on a long bench that spanned around 12 or so feet. We were under an awning near the Pokémon Center, the sound of thunder slightly rumbling in the distance.
I had just finished having the nurse stationed here give a checkup of Dusk. Finding nothing worse for wear, being that the only damage she took from the fight with Roark was a nasty fall, we were now sitting, waiting for the storm to clear up.
I usually liked the rain, but it turns out when you have to travel on foot everywhere, it could be quite a hassle.
The weather pretty much dictated when we could or couldn't travel.
I sighed glumly.
I was even hoping to get some traveling done today after my fight with Roark.
Looking around at the mining city, it somehow looked even more depressing then it usually did The rain keeping the few people who would be walking around cooped up inside. I could even see the vestiges of smoke being drained out by the rainfall near where the mines were kept.
I had entertained the idea of going into them to look for a team member, but thought it too dangerous when I remembered they were ducking mines...
It sounded like a recipe for disaster
Apparently, this was encouraged around here, as the lessening of Pokémon in the mines would mean an easier time for the miners. Sometimes, when certain species of Pokémon became overabundant in the mines, like Zubats, they would hire willing trainers to capture them.
This was actually the norm in just about any part of this world.
Requests they were called, a way for trainers to make some extra money on the side.
They varied from simply escorting other fellow trainers, or people who didn't have the proper Pokémon to defend themselves on the road, to requests for certain Pokémon to be captured. The rarity and difficulty of the catch drastically changing the associated bounty.
Some were official, and some were merely word bound contracts between individuals. Though the Pokémon League advised all trainers to have everything in writing.
Rowan's request to study Dusk fell under the official category considering the professor's association with the League.
I was currently reading over the contract he had sent to my Pokédex while I waited, stroking the top of Dusk's head as she lay next to me on the bench, her head in my lap.
It was thankfully not written in such a way that I would need a lawyer to decipher it.
But I still made sure to add any addendums if I sensed there could be a loophole anywhere.
After spending around an hour doing that, I decided to rest my eyes from the weary process.
My screen now rested on my contacts page, staring at a certain foxy maid's number, my finger hovering over the call button.
I sweated a bit when I realized I didn't exactly keep my promise to her…
While I did send her a text with the device when I remembered to, I technically had told her that it would have been a call…
I just really didn't like talking on the phone.
When I remembered that face calls were pretty popular here, I wanted to call her even less…
She didn't seem bothered by this fact judging by her response to my text, but it was hard to get a read from someone with just words on a screen.
I had apparently been far too concentrated on my own thoughts when I jumped, someone loudly plopping on the far side of the bench.
I heard the sound of feminine panting from assumed jogging.
I looked over to see a red haired girl. Her hair was swept back, stretching down to the small of her back. She looked around my age, and wore a sleeveless black blazer with a white collared dress shirt underneath , a pair of black slacks completing the ensemble. The wet dress shirt stuck to her skin and was becoming slightly transparent.
I was thankful she was of a sound mind to wear a black blazer over the sensitive spots…
Next to her I saw a bi-pedal brown and cream colored bunny take a seat next to her, the creature shaking her damp elongated fluffy-tipped ears that were about the size of my arms.
I recognized the Pokémon as a Lopunny.
"Aster?" I heard a familiar voice speak up from the device in my hand.
I broke out into a sweat and looked down in horror to see Amber staring back at me through the screen of my Pokédex.
It appears that I had accidently pressed the call button when I had been startled earlier…
"H-hey…" I greeted the foxy maid with an awkward smile.
I noticed that she was wearing a simple white t-shirt, most likely relaxing in her room. I could see a couple of Sneasel paraphernalia littering the background of her room.
I watched as she visibly recoiled at my greeting, discomfort on her face.
She recovered just as quickly.
"You don't have to force yourself to smile…" I heard her say with a teasing foxy smile.
I immediately positioned the Pokédex to where the front facing camera was pointing at Dusk in my lap. She had already been looking up at it when she heard Amber's voice. I could already see the hyena's tail begin to wag when she was able to see the maid's face.
"Coward!" She insulted me with indignation. "You can't even give me the decency to make fun of your eyes!?"
"I'm being courteous by showing you an adorable pooch instead of my awful mug." I answered smoothly, able to calm down since I couldn't see her face. "You should be thanking me. Right, Dusk?" I looked at the hyena around the phone's edge with a grin.
I heard a whine escape her throat, her ears flat against her skull, as she pawed at my stomach.
I raised an eyebrow at this behavior.
She apparently didn't like my self-deprecating jokes.
"So what'd you call for anyway?" Amber's spoke up after a moment of silence, her tone surprisingly solemn.
I was taken back a bit by the sudden mood shift. Was she feeling guilty from her earlier comment because of Dusk's reaction?
I then remembered I hadn't meant to call her at all. It was a complete accident.
I looked over with the corner of my eye to see that the red head who had caused this mess was currently shooting me glances I couldn't quite decipher.
I ignored it for now. I technically had something I could talk about with Amber.
I pulled out a small metal case from my jacket pocket and popped it open, presenting the contents of it with the phone's camera.
"Oho, so you wanted to brag about your latest achievement." Amber said, her teasing tone back in place. "Well, grats, or whatever. Does that mean you'll be stopping by Jubilife again?" She groused out a commendation with a sarcastic clap, and finished with an exuberant question.
While I was fairly certain there was a path I could take to the north of Oreburgh, it was a very mountainous path. I didn't have the money to afford any of the hiking gear or supplies I might need for such an expedition.
"I suppose I am…" I trailed off, not sure where she was going with this.
"Then we should do something when you come back!" She excitedly said.
"…Like what?" I questioned with apprehension. I did not want to make any unknown promises with this foxy maid.
"Hmmm… dunno… I'll think of something though!"
"Keep in mind I have the right to decline whatever silly idea you potentially come up with." I rolled my eyes at her attempted nonchalance.
"Tch, you're no fun." She grumbled with a click of her tongue.
I heard a faint unintelligible sound in the background of the call.
"Just a minute!" Amber yelled out. "Looks like I gotta go…"
"I'll see you later then." I turned the device around to face me, already preparing to end the call.
"Yeah, see ya." Amber bid farewell.
But not before leaving with a last snarky comment.
"Ya know…" I heard her speak up.
I looked at the screen to see her looking off to the side with a foxy smile. She then suddenly locked half-lidded eyes with mine, a pool of mischief clear in her honeyed orbs.
"You're free to call me anytime, loverboy~" Her tone held a hint of seduction as she, far too loudly, said that line.
I ended the call immediately when I saw her mouth open again, my face heating up.
The hell, woman!?
I looked over to the only other witness of the call to see her looking away with a face that matched the color of her hair.
Amber must have seen her when I turned the camera back around!
I just tried to do my best to ignore her and focused on the sound of the rain to calm my frayed nerves.
Fate didn't seem generous enough to even gift me that.
I heard the shuffling of footsteps and looked up to see the red-head standing in front of me. She was rubbing her wrists together in nervousness, a blush still apparent on her cheeks.
Was she going to admonish me for having a call like that with someone else around!?
I swear, officer, it's not my fault!
The girl's Lopunny bounded over to us and cutely waved at Dusk and I with a wave of her fluffy ear.
"Lo-punny!" The bunny yelled out cheerfully.
"Ruff!" Dusk reciprocated with a cheerful bark of her own.
I calmed down a bit at the Lopunny's enthusiasm and waved back with an awkward smile.
"Um!" The crimson girl skittishly exclaimed.
I made eye contact with her and she immediately jumped, her eyes looking back down at the ground.
Her jumpiness reminded me of a frightened rabbit.
"C-Can I help you?" I stuttered out a question.
It was a valid one.
"Y-Your, Aster, right? From the Jubilife Tournament?" She answered back with a question of her own.
I would say I'm surprised at how many people had seen that event, but at this point I was getting used to it...
That fight had recently broke a million views on Pikatube.
I nodded back, not sure where she was going with this.
"Sorry, um… I overheard you were going to Jubilife…" She began with a nervous twitch. "I was wondering… if maybe… you could escort me to Floaroma Town?"
I raised an eyebrow at this.
"Why exactly?"
I read in-between the lines. She wanted to turn this into a request from the sounds of it. She just wasn't very good at getting her points across.
"Um… well… There's a contest being held there. And I need to get there quickly. You seemed really strong and nice and I'm not really good at battling and—" She closed her eyes and began to ramble off her reasoning without even so much as catching her breath.
I was taken aback at this.
I looked over towards her Lopunny to see her gazing at me with doe-like eyes, her hands brought together that made her look like she was begging.
It was decidedly very adorable.
"Punny?" The bunny asked with a mutter, not wanting to interrupt her trainer.
I translated it as 'Please?'.
I sighed with exasperation.
I cursed myself and my weakness to cuteness.
"Fine. 100 dollars to escort you. 50 now and 50 when we get there." I gave my demands simply with a resigned tone.
The girl stopped her ramblings and looked at me with hope-filled eyes, her eyes a bright jade green.
"Um… okay…" The ginger muttered out, taking a Pokédex from the pockets of her slacks.
I kept mine out, waiting for her to ready the transaction.
I didn't even have her name I realized.
"Sorry, what's your name?" I asked.
Her concentration on the device in her hands became scattered with a jolt.
This girl was so jumpy…
"Oh… it's uh… Jenna…" She answered meekly, returning to look at her Pokédex.
The Lopunny wasn't having any of it, bumping the crimson haired girl in the side of the leg with one of her paws.
Jenna looked down towards her Lopunny in confusion, her nervousness instantly melting away.
"Lo… Punny!" Lopunny exclaimed, pointing at the smile on her own face.
"Oh!" Jenna looked at me once again. "Nice to meet you!" Jenna exclaimed with a bright smile.
The girl's sudden cheeriness blew me away.
When she wasn't a stuttering mess, the girl was actually quite beautiful…
"Y-yeah, nice to meet you, Jenna." I stuttered out with a blush.
The girl seemed proud of herself, and went back to fiddling with the device.
So Jenna would be my first traveling companion, albeit temporarily.
As I sat there silently in the rain, my restlessness ever pervasive.
That Delphox's haunting stare refused to leave my mind...