Chapter 5
"W-what really happened?" Dawn stuttered out. "I'm, uh, not really sure what you mean, heh." She made a point to not look directly at me and shrunk a little under my gaze.
"Okay, I'll clarify," I start. "I know you're probably not allowed to talk about this to anyone who doesn't already know, so sorry for putting you in this position. But I know what really happened on Mt. Coronet, and I know for a fact you do, too." She looked up at me with her mouth slightly open and eyes wide with shock. I give a small satisfied smile, knowing I was right and her reaction just confirming. "So, since I already know everything that happened in Sinnoh, I want to know if you know what has been going down in the other regions as well."
Dawn kept looking at me before she looked at the ground, continuing to alternate between. After almost a minute of silence, she spoke up. "Nathan," she said hesitantly, "I'm really sorry. I can't say anything. I trust you, really, I do, but sadly it's not up to me. If I say anything…" She trailed off before looking at the ground again.
"There'll be a lot of issues, won't there?" I finished for her. She nodded meekly and held her head down. I felt bad for her and nudged her lightly with my elbow. "Hey, don't worry, I get it. I don't want you getting in trouble just to satisfy my curiosity. I can ask Professor Rowan some other time." She looked up at me slowly and had a small smile on her face. She nudged me back in a similar manner to what I did a few moments before.
"Thanks for understanding," she said. "I really am sorry."
We sat in a comfortable silence while lost in our own thoughts. "Hey," she asked, breaking the silence, "you said all of this is a game in your world? How does that work? And were they popular?"
"Oh yeah," I respond with a smirk. "They were popular, alright. One of the most popular game series in the world. Now, as for how they worked…"
At this, I went into a long conversation of the mechanics of the Pokemon games. She got slightly lost and confused once I got into EVs and IVs, but she was able to compare different aspects of the games to the world I was now in. Needless to say, things were quite different here.
The biggest difference, in my mind, was that Pokemon could get hurt. This was somewhat obvious, though, I mean they are living creatures, of course they could get hurt. They healed fast and certain Pokemon like Magnemite or Beldum can even recover large dents that may form. However, Pokemon still hurt, got cut, bled, and could even lose limbs, although since it took a lot to even cut them, severing was far more difficult.
Fainting still happened, similar to the games. A Pokemon has a sort of energy barrier that prevents them from being severely injured by moves such as Guillotine, and even attacks from most human weapons. Once that energy ran out, however, the Pokemon would be easy prey for any predators or attackers. It could still move, think, talk, etc. but it was unable to use most moves and was extremely vulnerable unless it had natural protection like a shell.
Dawn got quite a laugh at the mechanics behind battling, stating "why in the world would you let an opponent attack first because it has a higher speed number?" which was honestly a fair point, looking at it realistically. Things that seemed to make sense due to gameplay mechanic balancing made little to no sense in reality.
Only knowing four moves? Do you forget the letter A when you learn the letter E?
Leveling up and grinding? If you punched a rat, would you feel like you got stronger just from that?
There were, however, some things that still applied. Abilities, priority moves, physical vs special moves, type matchups, status conditions, and stat boosts/drops all still worked as they did in the games.
"There are some other things," she said at the end of our conversation, "but I'm sure Professor Rowan will go over those with you tomorrow morning." She looked at the clock on the wall and laughed. "Or I guess later today, since it's already 2am," she added. I joined her in laughing for a moment.
"I guess we got a little carried away talking, didn't we?" I asked. Dawn looked up at me and smiled before nodding. "Yeah," she said, "but it was nice. I'm glad we talked."
I looked back at her and nodded as well. "Yeah, it was," I said, "but we should probably sleep now." Dawn agreed and stood up to leave. "Well, I'll see you later," she said going through the door. I followed behind her as she left. "Yeah, see you," I said, closing the door. I climbed back in the bed and drifted off to sleep surprisingly fast, glad I had someone I could call a friend here.
.o0o.o0o.o0o.
After waking up the next morning, I went outside of the faculty building and went on a walk around the field surrounding the lab. I sat down under a tree a short ways away from the lab and just watched the Pokemon go about their lives. A group of Sewaddle were teaching some Caterpie to make a cocoon while a Leavanny and a Butterfree watched nearby.
This is the side of Pokemon I wish more people could see, I thought to myself. The beauty of nature mixed with the wonder of Pokemon.
"Pip, Piplup!" I hear from the side, pulling me out of my thoughts. I look over and see the blue penguin walking towards me, along with his trainer. I smiled and reached out to pat his head when he got to me. "Pip!"
"We didn't disturb you, did we?" Dawn asked as she sat next to me under the tree. I shake my head before looking at her with a smirk. She looked back curiously when she saw my face.
"You didn't disturb me," I say with my smirk growing. "No need to worry," I say very deliberately, giving her a knowing look. She stares at me with her mouth open slightly and can't seem to form a sentence. "How did you… Where did… huh?" she manages to say. I chuckle at her semi-response before standing up.
"I know a lot of things, Dee-Dee," I say teasingly, "I thought I alrea‒ OW!" I yell out and step away from the girl who was now wearing a very satisfied and smug look on her face.
"Then you ought to know," she started, "when to keep your mouth shut, yes?" Her tone of voice was sweet, but had the clear layer of a threat behind it.
"Yes, ma'am," I respond, somewhat guiltily.
"Good! Now then, the professor wanted to see you. He said that most of your preparations are complete and to head over when you can."
I could barely hide the excitement I was feeling. I started bouncing on my feet as we walked back towards the lab.
.o0o.o0o.o0o.
The professor was waiting for us at a small table along one of the walls in the lab. In front of him were various items and quite a few papers which he was looking through while waiting for us. He looked up and, seeing us walk towards him, put the papers out in front of him and stood to greet us.
"Good morning," he said somewhat tiredly. "I hope you slept well, young man. I have much that I need to tell you." I nodded an affirmative and he sat down, motioning for Dawn and I to take the two chairs opposite him at the table. Once we sat down he continued. "Last night, you had told me that your goal was to become strong and to survive. You also said that in order to do so you were going to become a Pokemon Trainer. I ask you once again, is this what you plan to do? Is your resolve still firm?"
"Yes," I responded without hesitation. "I will become strong, along with my Pokemon."
Rowan let out a small grunt. "A fine answer, young man. Now," he continued, "with that in mind, there are various things that must be done first." He picked up the pile of papers and went over them all in detail for me. After that he handed them to me so I could look them over and fill them out as needed.
Essentially, he had given me a bunch of paperwork and forms to fill out. The first of which was a special form given to him by the League so that they could make me… well, exist, I suppose. I felt as if I was filling out an application for a driver's license; name, date of birth, height, weight, etc. At first I was worried about choosing a birthday, but it turned out they had nearly the same system as the Gregorian Calendar everyone on Earth used, with the only difference being the year, which didn't matter too much as long as you did the math right. So with my proper information filled out, I returned that first form to him.
The second form required a small bit of explaining from Rowan. It was to make me an associate of his. I would not be an assistant or employee as Dawn was, but rather I would be simply seen as someone he trusted and gave me a bit of respect and authority. Naturally, it came with many conditions and requirements ‒ periodic check-ins, assisting when requested by Rowan or someone else from the League, among other things ‒ but they were mostly things I planned to do anyway. However, it also provided me with a stipend of money from the League ‒ not too much, but enough to not have to worry about meals, lodging, or the rare large purchase. After signing my name in a few spots, I was officially his associate.
The third form was, unsurprisingly, a non-disclosure agreement. The details of which were a quite boring and elegant way to say "don't say anything confidential to people without clearance." This was a requirement for the associate position, as well as a way for the League to feel more comfortable with me knowing everything that goes on.
The final form was short and sweet. Similar to the first, it just asked for my personal information. This single piece of paper made me an official trainer.
At least, that's what I thought at first. After reading through it, I realized it also doubled as an application to a late-start program, which essentially re-taught and tested for the knowledge which kids received from ages 8-18 as a part of their normal schooling. I looked up at Rowan with an incredulous look and all he could do was sigh and nod his head, answering my unasked questions. Yes, the league was making me take this, and yes, I had to go. I reluctantly signed it off and put it back on the table with the others.
Professor Rowan gathered all of the papers together and set them aside. "Well then, now we get to the rest of what I have here." He motioned to the assortment of items still remaining on the table. He pushed forward a box for me to take and open. "Firstly, the trainers starter kit. This has most of the things a trainer needs to start out: some Pokeballs, a Pokeball belt, and a badge case. Nothing too fancy, but very convenient to have for a starting trainer."
I quickly looked inside the box, picking out a Pokeball and holding it for a short while. It felt so surreal to have a real one in my hand, the cool metal adding that touch of reality that the plastic toys I knew lacked. Putting the box aside, I looked back to the Professor as he continued.
"Next, some equipment that I provide for anyone who finds themselves working for me in any sort of capacity. A Silph brand backpack and a Macro Laptop. The backpack has been pre-stocked with some basic things such as a first-aid kit and a utility knife." I looked at the laptop, and it was very similar to a MacBook. Knowing that, and hearing the name Silph attached to a backpack of all things made me slightly worried.
"Excuse me professor," I said. "These seem very expensive, so are you sure I can just have these? I feel like I'm getting a lot more out of this than you are." Surprisingly, he smiled slightly at this before he responded.
"It puts me at ease to know you feel that way, but please think nothing of it," he said after a moment. "Your feelings show that you have a kind heart and don't want to be a burden or take advantage of others. That's very good, and I'm very glad to hear it. But remember, you are essentially working for me and the League. Remember if asked to help by an official, you will be expected to assist if possible. Additionally, I will request your help with certain things from time to time, so do not think that you are taking advantage of anything."
I relaxed somewhat at this, despite it actually meaning I'd end up having to do more work than I originally planned. But really, I thought, how else would I have gotten this much help starting out without getting a job of some sort. At least this way I can still travel while working.
"Finally, this last item is a personal gift from me." I snapped myself out of my thoughts and saw what he was holding. It was a small device, reminiscent of a smartphone. He then pulled out a Pokeball and called out the Pokemon it held. The flash of light was brighter and closer than I had anticipated and I had to close my eyes and turn away. When I turned back, I saw a small orange creature with bright blue eyes and surrounded by plasma a few inches from my face, giving me a quizzical stare.
"Roto? To To, Tom!" It smiled at me and did circles around my head before darting into the phone, transforming it into a Rotom Phone. The phone floated up to me with an image of Rotom's face on the back. It smiled at me again before flying itself into my pocket. Dawn giggled at the look of shock and wonder on my face.
"That Rotom seemed to really like you!" she said. The professor nodded along in agreement. "In all honesty," the Professor said, "I have tried to give that Rotom to a few different people, but it has refused to even acknowledge any of them before now. I have a feeling you will become a fine trainer, Nathan."
I stood up and bowed to him slightly again. "Thank you Professor. For all of this," I said gesturing to all of the things on the table. "I can't wait to get started!"
"Ah yes, I did forget to mention one thing earlier," the Professor said. Dawn looked down at the floor, likely since she knew whatever Professor Rowan was about to say wasn't good news.
"What was that," I asked somewhat hesitantly.
"Despite all of the things I just gave you, at this moment, a starter Pokemon cannot be among them."
AN:
Yay, back from hiatus! (this is weird because I'm actually writing this chapter and author's note during the hiatus, but oh well)
Sorry, I kind of lost motivation for doing a lot of things in life lately, but I've been getting better and as such, will NOW be continuing to write and update this story. So sorry for the extra month of hiatus, but I do plan to be writing more now!
As for the story…
I swear, Nathan will get a Pokemon sometime soon! Any predictions? Somehow I doubt anyone will be able to guess who it'll be. A hint? Well, let's just say things are about to get a lot more buggy in the future!
As always, favorite and follow if you want more! Reviews always welcome! And I hope you all had a great April and May!
-TD2297 :)