After a quick exchange of goodbyes with Eusine, Thad hopped off the ferry with Chad in tow onto the Olivine City docks. The city reminded him of the bustling ports on the Californian coast; from the towering lighthouse, the sandy beaches, and the hot babes flaunting their well-toned bodies. The only difference and oddity to Thad were that people were accompanied by a plethora of Pokemon that he vaguely recognized.
"Chop!" Chad belted out, pointing toward the beach. Sounds of laughter and people splashing about in. Chad bounced up and down like a giddy child, and Thad couldn't help but hold his sides and laugh.
"Soon, lil' bro, soon," Thad said in a reassuring tone. "We gotta go find this hotty Jasmine and get the deets on how to get to the Elite Four." Thad's eyes drifted toward the beach, scanning the women clad in bikinis. "...But we could stop by the beach for some recon. Scout the area, ya know?"
The Machop grinned and flexed its lats. "Machop!"
"Still got no idea what you're saying my dude, but that sounds like you agree!" Thad said, giving Chad a thumbs up. "I may not speak Pokemon, but I'm fluent in gymrat and flexin', bet."
The sun hung high in the sky over Olivine City, blazing down upon Thad's bronzed skin. With no Pokenav, cell phone, or technological distractions he paid close attention to the bustle and movement of the city. Pokemon roamed around on duties and jobs alongside people through the busy streets, with small golf-cart-sized transports being the only motorized vehicles.
Thad stopped at an empty street corner and double-checked the funds he had stashed away in his travel sack. Damn, Chuck gave me like ten thousand Pokedollars. Thad glanced around to check for any civilians, only to see a few families walking toward the beach located a street over. The signs and restaurants around had menus and prices posted in the windows, and the gears within his enigmatic mind began to churn.
"So a sandwich costs one-hundred poke dollars at the sketchy place, and the high-end fancy grub looks to be around a thousand to three thousand," he let out a single laugh, "shit, even a lemonade costs three hundred and fifty." Thad turned to Machop and shrugged. "Sorry bro, but we be broke as shit. Gotta find the boss lady here and get our wagon straight."
"Macho?"
"Yeah, you feelin' my vibe?" Thad replied, still sifting through his materials. Chuck had given him a small case for poffins, some healing potions, a basic cookware set, a waterskin, a few spare pokeballs, and of course his reference journal. He traced his hand over the cover of the composition notebook for a moment, before synching the bag's drawstring. "I'll study later. Sun is out, which means guns out, baby."
With a smile, Thad swung his pack back on his shoulder and crossed the street toward the public beach. He doubled checked that Chad was following along, to which he was, and copying Thad's posture and stance.
Just like we practiced. Gotta get that strut down. Human or not, ya gotta ya homies looking the part. Get him some sweet lady Machops, or whatever he be interested in. Thad slowed his pace and raised a hand to his chin, rubbing it as biology questions teased his mind. Are there female Machops? Machaps? Wachops? Maybe this Jasmine can help hook my bro up with a little squeeze.
"Now, my dude," Thad looked over his shoulder at his partner in crime, "we gotta be on the lookout for the important details."
Chad tilted his head, but slowly nodded in understanding.
"We need information, but it can't be just from anybody." Thad raised a finger as if to make his point stronger. "Look for the most ripped dude or gal on the beach. There's a code amongst our kind, and that is we know what sacrifice means." He let out a dreamy, distant sigh. "Heavy is the heart that knows not what carbs taste like. Commit that to your heart when we do our evening shadow boxing and squat thrusts."
"Macho Macho!" Chad replied enthusiastically. He tugged at Thad's pants, and pointed down the beach, toward a rocky shore. "Chop!"
Thad squinted, cupping his hand over his eyes. "Is that...a boulder with arms? Shit, bro, that I can 'mire. If you can translate, I'm all for it."
Chad jogged ahead with his trainer in tow as they reached the edge of the beach where rocks and some weeds had washed up on the craggy shore. Most of the people frolicking in the ocean hadn't set up on the harder earth, and even Thad had to admit the ground was rocky and a bit unstable.
The rock with arms was currently munching on a hunk of rocks, stripping them of a nearby boulder. Thad looked around, noticing a few jellyfish and fish pokemon out in the water, but nothing else seemed to be nearby the rocky fella.
"Alright, Chad," Thad whispered as they got closer, "When we get up to that dude, tell him to take us to the city's leader. Oh, and make sure you give him the pose and lean. We gotta have that swagger, bro."
Chad saluted Thad and ran up the boulder with arms. The Pokemon was about a foot and a half in diameter with a wingspan that would make most professional boxers jealous. Its large brown eyes immediately diverted from its food to the approaching Machop; who approached swinging its arms and chest puffed out.
"Geo?"
Chad struck a pose, leaning back with his arms crossed, and began to chirp and babble with the sapient rock. Thad watched with curiosity as the two went back and forth, speaking their secret langauge. Never before would he have guessed to try and decipher what secrets a rock was keeping, but the Pokemon world had already proven to be full of wonder, with a side of insane monetary inflation.
After a couple of minutes of babbling banter, Chad turned back to Thad and tapped his chest twice, and then nodded. Thad winked at Chad, and stepped in front of him, looking down at the rock Pokemon.
"I'm the boss, so you gonna take us to your leader?" Thad asked.
"Geo. Geodude."
Thad nodded thoughtfully. "Well met, Mr. Dude." Thad jabbed his thumb back toward the city. "I can respect a dude that is mostly arms. I would say don't skip leg day, but you gotta work with what ya got, right? So, you know where this Jasmine lives?"
The boulder creature pumped its fists and then made a punching motion toward Thad's abdomen.
Most folk might be wary around a wild Pokemon, especially a rock capable of delivering power strikes.
But most folks weren't Thad.
And Thad possessed a set of abs hard enough to make most attacker's defense curl when struck. Polished like gleaming rocks in the heatwave of the sunny day, he flexed his eight-pack, ready to give the Geodude a smackdown.
Thad slapped his abs. "Give 'em a punch. I ain't one from backing down from a challenge from a swole kettlebell."
"Geooo!" The pokemon shouted. It slapped its hands on the ground, and propelled itself into the air, about at Thad's midsection. Reeling its right arm back, it quickly thrust a fist into Thad's tensed core.
A resounding crack echoed over the beach. The Geodude fell to the ground with a thud. Thad had a wide stance and smirked. Looking down, the fitness enthusiast noticed the poor Pokemon's fist was ever so slightly cracked on the knuckle. His stomach had a red spot from where he had been struck, but he had held firm and smiled at his handiwork.
Thank you training montage. My abs have from hard as a rock to stainless steel.
The rock pokemon stared at its fist in disbelief, back to Thad and Chad, and then back to its fist, unable to comprehend what had happened. Chad let out a howl of approval and dabbed behind his swole trainer.
Thad crouched down to the Geodude, taking a small healing potion out of his bag. He sprayed it on the Geodude's fist, sealing up the crack almost instantly.
"You got one hell of a right hook, my rocky bro," Thad commented as the Geodude flexed its fixed hand. "So, you want to tag along and help me find the boss lady? Figuring you a local and whatnot."
"Geo geo!" The pokemon grunted excitedly.
Chad nudged Thad in the side with his elbow and pointed at the bag. "What's up, Chad?" Thad looked over, seeing Chad point to a Pokeball. He raised an eyebrow. "Catch him? Hmmm. Only if he wants to. You and me are partners, and I don't know how I feel about the whole catching random dudes thing."
"Chop!"
"Geo!"
Thad threw his head back and laughed. "So you want to team up with Thad and Chad, do ya? Well, you've got good taste!" He took a Pokeball from the bag, propping it up on his fingertips. "I only wanted directions, but if you join the crew, you best be knowing that we work hard and play hard."
The Geodude rocked its body back and forth as if to nod in acknowledgment. The fact that Pokemon knew what he was saying still confused Thad, but he chalked it up to purely them understand the masculine aura he projected. Still, he couldn't help but feel amused that he was about to accept a swole boulder into his team.
"Alright, but you'll need a name…" Thad rubbed his chin, Chad mimicking his trainer. "How about Rocky, like after—" He snapped his finger, "Scratch that, you're name is now Dwayne. You dig it?"
"Dude!"
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Thad replied, tossing the ball. The ball collided with the Geodude and quickly absorbed it into a beam of red light. The capsule fell to the ground and shook once before giving a clicking sound.
Thad scooped up the ball and smiled, giving his Machop a high-five.
"Nice work on the translation, bro. Not sure what you said, but we got a dude to help us on arm day a rolling stone who knows this big city." Thad fist-bumped Chad and then latched the ball on his belt. "Let's get a snack before we have Dwayne show us around. I ain't cutting right now, and one of them Tauros meat things sounded straight-up delish."
After a quick meal from a street vendor, Thad and Chad loaded up on their protein-heavy diet and shared a very overpriced water bottle from a vending machine. Thoughts of acquiring a water pokemon drifted across Thad's mind; as having an endless supply of water would be helpful for workouts, but then again, he'd need to capture a Pokemon to do it.
And a bro always knows consent is key.
Thad and Chad followed Dwayne, the Geodude, after the food vendor corrected him on what kind of 'mon he'd acquired, stood in front of a large grey shingled office-style building. It was located on the north side of town where not a lot of people tended to hang out, and the words 'GYM' was posted beside the sliding glass doors.
"These gyms are so weird," Thad remarked, scratching at the stubble on his chiseled chin. "You sure this the place Dwayne? I see the sign, but it looks like an office if I'mma be real with y'all."
Thad looked to Chad and exchanged a shrug. He grabbed both Pokeballs and placed his party within, and attached them to his belt. He patted his pants pocket, double-checking he still had the note from Chuck and then proceeded up the stairs to the Olivine City Gym.
The doors slid open automatically, and the heat of the blistering summer afternoon faded as he walked into a sleek, air-conditioned lobby. A few metallic floating magnet Pokemon buzzed around, and he saw a guy standing by the door; a middle-aged guy wearing glasses and a striped uniform.
"Welcome to Olivine City Gym challenger!" The man boisterous announced. "Gym Leader Jasmine is currently booked for matches for the day, but I can take your trainer ID information and get you scheduled—"
"Nah fam, I'm good." Thad dug out the letter from his pocket. "Chuck sent me. Gotta talk some deets with your boss."
"Oh," the man's energy level plummeted to a more mundane and controlled timbre, "then you may proceed right through. I wouldn't wish for you to miss the ferry back to Cianwood."
"Uh, sure my dude, thanks," Thad replied as he walked toward the end of the vacant lobby toward and another set of sliding double doors. He itched at his abs, which were slightly bruised, though with his tanned skin tone it was hardly noticeable. "I'll be sure to let her know you were helpful!"
"Just wait until Jasmine is done with her current challenger!" the man called back.
"For sure, bro," Thad replied, pumping a fist in the air.
The doors opened up to a large indoor stadium, filled with dirt and some chalk outlines like a tennis court. A few doors could be seen from the opposite end, but Thad's attention immediately focused on the battle taking place before him.
A large metallic snake dominated the room, towering over some kind of blue duck with a red dot on its forehead. A petite girl with brown pigtails notched with red, ball-like hair clips stood off on the left side of the arena dressed in a steel blue summer dress and matching pearl-colored sandals. Her slender build caught Thad a bit off guard as the person opposite of the field was a large burly sailor, dressed in a similar fashion to the men Thad had seen on the ferry ride.
Thad walked to the side of the door and leaned against the wall, watching the trainers shout complex commands to their companions. The lithe and short girl, Jasmine, spoke with a soft yet powerful voice that rose above the chaos of crashing earth and even stronger than the guttural commands from the sailor.
They really gettin' into it, Thad pondered as his eyes traced over the battle. Like any good sports enthusiast, he tried to predict what would happen next. The battle seemed to be a game of cat and mouse, between the duck dodging the large dives from the surprisingly fast metal snake that erupted from the earth, attacked, and then dove under the ground.
"That thing is huge as hell," Thad looked to Jasmine again, and then back to the behemoth Pokemon. A wry smile spread across his lips. "Maybe she's so tiny that she wants something so big?" Thad sighed, looking to his empty side. "Few days, and already feels weird not to have Chad by me. Huh."
With one final mighty roar, the large snake dove into the bipedal duck and flattened it out in a spectacular tackle. The sailor grumbled and kicked at the dirt before returning his ally to its Pokeball. Jasmine patted her giant companion its wide face where Thad imagined its nose would be, and then returned to her own Pokeball.
Thad waited for the banter to die down as the two trainers briefly talked in the center of the uprooted arena, with the sailor leaving amid cursing up a storm.
Don't be salty cause you lost to some Godzilla snake, bro.
"Eh, yo Jazzy!" Thad called out as the sailor rushed out the doors. The woman's attention swiveled from the wreckage and over to Thad, who waved to her. "Gotta talk with you, honey."
Her lips formed a thin line, and she retained the regal and soft tone Thad had heard from the battle. "I don't have any more challenges until the evening. Do you have a general question?"
"That I do," Thad peeled himself off the wall and jogged over to Jasmine, note in hand. "This is for you. Chuck said you might be able to help me out with some stuff."
Jasmine tentatively took the note from the bulky jock, looking at the sealed parchment, and then back up to Thad. Her head barely came up to his nipple, which amused Thad a bit as he couldn't hold back a grin. For such a formidable trainer, the fact that she was maybe one hundred pounds soaking yet tickled his brain.
"Let's see here…" Jasmine unfurled the letter, and her light brown eyes skimmed the contents with ravenous speed. "It seems Chuck is trying to get you in contact with Bruno… You're not native to Johto? From somewhere called California?"
"Born and raised." Thad flexed his pecs, though Jasmine held an iron-clad poker face. "Forreal though, I didn't even know about Pokemon being a thing until like… five days ago? Shit be wild."
Jasmine recoiled back as if she'd been slapped. "Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me you, a grown man, is unfamiliar with Pokemon?"
"Uh, yeah that is what I'm saying," Thad replied matter-of-factly. "I'm not too proud where I won't accept help to say when I don't know something, but yeah. This Pokemon thing be wacky, honey."
"It's a bit uncanny…" Jasmine rolled her tongue around in her mouth, rereading the letter for any missed information. "And Chuck even gave you his seal of approval as a verified trainer?!"
"Oh yeah," Thad said, puffing out his chest. "Just gotta find the Elite Four, or whatever your government officials are called, and find this Bruno dude. Says he might know a thing or two about a little something-something, ya know?"
The gym leader pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled softly. She smiled and looked up at Thad. "And Chuck knows I've been wanting an excuse to travel a bit. How thoughtful. So let's say I escorted you through Johto—"
"Seriously?" Thad piped up. He rubbed the back of his head. "I figured you'd give me a map, some money, or even a sweet ride. You got cars right?"
"Not here, and certainly not for outer city travel," Jasmine confirmed. She drew in a deep breath and handed the note back. "So to my understanding is I'm talking with a man that has no knowledge of Pokemon, has trained for a total of five days, and now is set to journey across the entire Johto region for one of the most reclusive trainers in the world?"
Thad tilted his head from side to side, mulling over her analysis. "Well, when you put it like that, it makes me seem kinda like a newborn baby. Guess I am with this stuff, but I'm doing alright so far. Even caught some boulder guy; a Geodude."
"Really?" Jasmine sounded impressed, a ghost of a smile breaking her neutral expression. "Perhaps there is something more to you than...uh, muscles, but it's imperative I help you." She placed her hand on her chest. "As a well-respected trainer and gym leader, it's my duty to help you."
"Sweet, so how we doing this?"
"Get a room at the Pokemon Center tonight," Jasmine instructed. "I've some time to get my affairs in order, and then I shall be able to escort you. It'll take some time, but I think it would help you acclimate to the world since, as you said, have next to no experience with no Pokemon."
"You're escorting me?" Thad replied, sounding slightly offended. "Just saying, you can say travel together. Don't gotta make it sound like babysitting."
The corners of Jasmine's eyes curled upward and her lips twitched. "Of course, Thad."
Shit, she's thinking I'm gonna get eaten by some wild Pokeman. Thad let out a sigh and returned a weary smile. Well, maybe I can get her to change her mind.
"So, meet at the Pokemon Center or here?" Thad asked.
"I'll meet you at the Pokemon Center at sunrise," Jasmine instructed sternly. "With any luck, we'll make it to Ecruteak City in a few days on foot. Maybe then I can get a better understanding of your unique situation."
"Bet." Thad held out his hand for a fist bump. After a moment of apprehension, Jasmine bumped his fist with her own, though she bristled a bit at the strange gesture.
"See you later, Thad," Jasmine said, walking away. "I've got to clean up my gym and organize a substitute."
Thad waved to the small woman. "No problem, girly," Jasmine's shoulders tensed a bit, "I'll see you in the morning."
Tomorrow looks like I'm going on a camping trip, Thad pondered. He began to make his exit toward the lobby of the gym but cast a glance over his shoulder to Jasmine. She had taken Pokeball off her waist, and released a two-foot mole with sharp hands and a protruding horn. She was crouching down, speaking quietly to her companion. Huh, looks like a little gopher dude. Maybe I'll see more in the future from her. She can teach me about these weird critters, and maybe I can get her on a squat regiment. She looking like she hasn't lifted a pebble or eaten any meat in her life.
A/N: Another one in the books for Thursday (a little early due to me being busy that day), but now we've got Jasmine agreeing to tag along in the hunt to find Bruno for some answers, and shenanigans along the way no doubt. You'll get more of Jasmine soon, but she's more worried and skeptical than anything of Thad. For good reason, naturally. Also keeping these chapters short and sweet, and just messing around stylistically. Oh, and now he's got Pokemon #2 down. Whoohoo!
Review Response: Thanks for the wonderful feedback, you all rock :D
Crowbars: Oh, we going to get there :)
Cavik: He's got that kinda energy. Plus, Eusine wasn't going that hard.
FlamelessRider: I'll keep the Brad idea in my back pocket. it's not outside of Thad's naming scheme.
P34644563: Maybe we'll see them again? Who knows :)
Guest: Thank you!
Andrew1011: I intend to! It's just zany fun here.
Frankieu: He very well might have more plans? But we'll discover when he gets there, won't we?
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Until next time, later!