Accumula Town, much to the group's expectations, hadn't taken very long to get to. It only took a day and a half to reach the second town on their journey. The town itself wasn't anything remarkable, it just looked like Nuvema Town minus a port, and it was maybe a tad bit smaller in size if the census presented was anything to go by. Unlike Nuvema, which had at least 2,000 residents, Accumula Town had about 1,500, which probably wasn't even enough to register it as a town. However, it was named as such, and nobody seemed to mind this. Despite how bland the Town was, it was pretty welcoming.
Where Nuvema Town was probably larger, looked fairly similar to its neighboring town, and had a port, Accumula did look just a tad bit nicer. Accumula Town essentially served as a funnel to the rest of the region. If you were from Nuvema and wanted to be a pokemon master, then you went through Accumula. If you have family in Nuvema, then you went through Accumula. It did make Wade a bit more comfortable with the journey ahead knowing that Unova's layout was pretty similar to the games.
It also kind of reminded Wade of the last games he actually played through, which happened to be Pokemon X or Y(he didn't think which title mattered, they were basically the same game). Where there were two towns outside of a loop, which then led into one major city. From there, each major route seemed to loop from said major city to the next until it looped back around. The main difference was that Lumiose City was clearly a centerpiece in the Kalos Region(at least in the games. Wade never looked at maps of the other regions). Unova clearly didn't have a centerpiece, except for the pokeball-shaped thing in the middle that was apparently really hard to get to, even with Castelia City being the largest in the region.
"So, what do we do now? I certainly wanna wait a day before we head out to Striation City," Cheren said.
"Well, we should probably, and immediately, book somewhere for us to stay. We could probably stay in a nice hotel, or stay in the Pokemon Center, one would be cheaper but we'll have access to an actual kitchen in the other," Wade shrugged. "It really doesn't matter which we do, I've got enough home-made pokemon food to last until we get to Striation," Wade then pointed at a Pokemon Center which was pretty much on the road the group came in on.
"We could also get your pokemon some seasoning for their food. I saw how they scrunch their noses at the taste. I could make your pokemon some food too, but if you think I'll poison them or whatever, at least buy them seasoning so the food will go down easier. Can't win a gym battle if your pokemon refuses to eat their dirt flavored cereal," Wade cringed at the flavor of the pokemon food. Truth be told, he did actually eat some pokemon food(which turned out could be used as a funny story later) and hated the taste. Sure, Houndour and Feebas didn't mind the league branded stuff, but that was after the right seasoning was added. Flavor a serving with 'bacon seasoning' for Houndour and 'tuna seasoning' for Feebas.
Once his pokemon got a taste for the home-made stuff Wade, with heavy guidance from a cookbook, had conjured up, and neither wanted anything to do with the stuff from the PokeMart. He was pretty sure Girafarig wouldn't mind the League Branded stuff either, the giraffe did use it as filler with more nutritious food was used, but probably also didn't like the Mart stuff that much. A home cooked meal was always better than a frozen dinner, after all. Albeit, Wade did heavily enjoy the bowl of noodles he got out of the Pokemon Center back in Nuvema.
"Yeah, we probably should get seasoning for our pokemon's food," Bianca said. "Tepig nearly threw up after eating half of his lunch, and I thought he was sick… why do you know that pokemon food tastes like dirt?" Bianca asked.
"Remember when I joked about how pokemon food was still pretty good for cereal?" Wade chuckled. "I ate a handful of that sh-stuff to see what Houndour was eating. Then I wanted to make actual food for my pokemon. You think all that time alone with Professor Juniper was for nothing?" Wade smiled. "Though we did make out a couple times… but mostly Aurea took the time to teach me how to cook with a stove and oven, and then I used a recipe book I found in her library. So far my pokemon love the stuff I cooked, so I ain't gonna make them eat more kibble."
"If they could, I'm sure my pokemon would cook me a gourmet meal, so I'm trying my best to do the same. Except I can use a stove and have opposable thumbs… actually Girafarig can move stuff with his mind, so he could probably cook me something." Wade patted Houndour on the head as the group stopped by a small little field. In that field stood a small troupe of Team Plasma members while somebody was giving a speech. Wade groaned and picked Houndour up. "Let's get into the Pokemon Center, I don't wanna deal with those assholes today," Wade urged.
0-0-0-0-0
"I mean, look at that Houndour! It must hate its trainer if it always has a scowl on his face. Young man, please step forward and display how unhappy your pokemon is, not being treated as an equal, but as if it were a child!" The apparent leader of Team Plasma jabbed a finger in Wade's direction and Wade let out a sigh in defeat.
"Go make sure we have a room booked for tonight. I'm gonna be busy looking like a dumbass on stage," Wade ordered as he wandered over to where Team Plasma was giving a speech.
"Ah, I see! This Houndour looks even angrier up close than I imagined! Let the crowd know how your trainer treats you! Growl, snarl, get angry for you've been treated as nothing more than a slave, an idiot, a damn child. You are surely much smarter and above all of that! Rebel from your trainer and be set free!" The leader extended his hand to Houndour, who was still in his trainer's arms. "And join us, so we may free many more Houndour that are much like you."
Houndour tilted his head in confusion. "Slave? I don't think I'm a slave…" he looked up at Wade and shrugged. "I didn't know I was being forced to do labor against my will, perhaps I should discuss this contract with Wade. I… suppose a couple belly rubs and an 'I love you' is enough payment. Perhaps I shall ask for a massage or two for the key services I provide for my trainer," Houndour mused as he nuzzled into his trainer's chest. Sure, he was scowling, but that was just his default expression. It made people a lot less willing to touch him if he looked ready to snap.
Wade made it abundantly clear with Houndour that they were equals. They were best friends, packmates, Houndour could even consider his trainer as a brother. There was only one time the canine could even recall leaving his trainer's side, and it was to let his trainer pursue his interests in the professor. Whatever this old man was telling him was a load of shit anyways, so instead of showing his disdain for the man before him, he figured he should lick Wade's neck instead.
That was more fun, it made Wade laugh when he did that. Tickling your trainer was the best thing in the world, in Houndour's eyes, especially when that human oh so willingly returns such affection by the bucket load. So Houndour promptly began to lick the side of Wade's neck, which made him snicker. "Houndour, c'mon, not on stage in front of a crowd!" Wade whispered through the snicker. "And trust me, once we get a room, you can tickle me all you'd like… if I don't die because I didn't get enough oxygen in my lungs. I'd like to be alive bud, then I can scratch the base of your tail."
Houndour sighed in relaxation when Wade proceeded to do just that. The base of Houndour's tail was rather difficult to reach. Houndour couldn't bend his spine far enough to reach his rear, and his limbs simply didn't bend naturally towards the base of his tail either. It also happened to itch quite a bit at that given moment, and Wade's wonderful hand began to relieve Houndour of the agitation that the itch was giving him… he loved his trainer.
"That Houndour seems pretty happy to me," a spectator shouted.
"Yeah, that's the biggest smile I've seen on one of those things. You sure he's angry about having a trainer?"
"Is that a smile? And he's drooling on that man's shirt!"
Wade looked down and smiled. Houndour was, in fact, drooling on his shirt. It was like Houndour was so at peace, that he was very willing to drift off to sleep. "Hey bud, if you want a nap, take one. I bet it's hard to be a cute, loveable, huggable bundle of fluff all day, ain't it!" Wade chuckled as Houndour Cheeks puffed up.
"I am not cute," Houndour purred when Wade scratched his ears.
"You're right. You aren't cute," Houndour grinned. "You're adorable," and Houndour's grin fell. He was a Houndour! Mighty and fearful, soon to be a Houndoom, a pokemon feared and renowned worldwide! He was not cute! He was a vicious, dangerous Houndour that needed to- Houndour dropped those when Wade offered him a treat, it was store bought, but it simply smelled delightful.
"Can me and Houndour go already? I promised this little bugger that we'd have a tickle war. Plus he's a wee bit tired from our little hike to here, and as any growing pokemon needs, he needs his sleep," Wade let out a sigh in relief when the old man before him nodded. Albeit, Wade could tell that said old man was giving him a glare that could scare the hell out of Satan himself. "Well, thank you for allowing me to be publicly embarrassed by how affectionate my Houndour is, but let this be known!"
Wade spoke much louder when he began to speak again. "Houndour look mean and scary, but they're big goofballs. I can't tell you how many times I've seen Houndour chase his own tail!" With that, the alien walked away from the weird convention that Team Plasma was holding, and went to catch up with his companions. "God, I wish Team Plasma turns out to only be an annoyance instead of a national threat like in the games," Wade grumbled. Houndour let out a growl in agreement. "I hated being put on the spot like that, and I'm certain you weren't excited to be called a grumpy mutt, huh bud?" Houndour nodded.
0-0-0-0
The duo entered the Pokemon Center, Wade took a glance around, and immediately found where the children had gone off to during his absence. "So, what did Team Plasma want with you guys?" White asked.
"They wanted to use Houndour as propaganda. Some bullshit about how Houndour is scowling, when that's just Houndour's face," Wade chuckled. "Gotta admit it though, Houndour does kinda look like he's got a permanent scowl etched into it. Then other times, he looks as happy as any baby would… while tickling me to death of course." Houndour scoffed. "Now bud, you just love torturing me, eh? Don't deny it, you'd tickle me for five hours straight if I had the lung capacity of a Wha-Wailord," Wade corrected himself on that last one. 'Note to self, learn this world's slang, or somebody's gonna look at you like you're a psycho.'
"So, did you guys get a room booked for us?" Wade asked.
"We did. One room for Bianca and White, then one room for you and me. Figured these two would appreciate the privacy," Cheren answered. "And yes, White went and got some pokemon food seasoning for our pokemon. You'll probably have to show us how to mix it into the food, the instructions kind of suck," he added. White then promptly handed Wade a can full of seasoning, with an edge of the can resembling the top of a salt shaker, that was labeled with 'Fish Flavoring.' The instructions simply had two steps.
Step one read as follows:
Pour into the bowl, portion well.
Step two wasn't anymore helpful:
Mix well, ensure that food is covered in seasoning.
"Wow. These instructions are worse than the instructions that came with a toy helicopter I got as a kid… is there seriously no other information on the packaging? No company name, no links to a website, nothing?" Wade chuckled. "Yeah, I don't know how I'm gonna be able to help you three with this sorta shit. I can cook pokemon food if I follow the instructions down to the letter. The instructions are so damned vague that it's a wonder that nobody's complaining about it." Wade handed the can back to White.
"You know, I could just whip some food up for your pokemon. It really wouldn't be that big of a deal to me, your pokemon would get actual food, and you don't have to deal with very, highly detailed instructions," Wade offered.
Cheren almost immediately answered. "No thanks. Trust me, I'm more willing to trust the league branded stuff." Wade shrugged, but internally sighed. Sure, he knew that he was basically lying to these kids; they don't even know where he's from. It also didn't help that the only time Wade had hung out with the kids was when they headed down to Nuvema Town's Port Sided Marketplace. Sure, Wade didn hang out a bit with White, but that was it. Wade just wished that he wasn't in this situation, where he was essentially an alien, but put those thoughts aside.
"I don't want to trouble you Wade. Wouldn't it get kind of expensive once we start getting full teams of fully evolved pokemon?" White asked.
"I could just let you borrow the recipe book I borrowed from Aurea. I just follow that thing and do so very closely. All I'd have to do is teach you about how to use a stove and oven. Quite a few of the recipes say they can be made in the microwave, but the great Gordon Ramsey once said that would zap the flavor out of any meal," Wade shrugged. "Though you just do whatever's easiest. Your pokemon, you choose how to feed them, even if I personally disagree with what league branded shit's very vague ingredient list."
"Okay… can you teach me once we get to Striation? We can even get help from the gym leaders. They own a restaurant, so they could even give us some tips," White suggested.
"I'm down for whenever. Just make sure you're prepared to. It was kinda scary to turn the oven on, then I realized that Houndour is a living blow torch… and Aurea also helped me out."
0-0-0-0
After some chatting, lounging, and a quick visit to the vending machines(Wade got a bit upset when he learnt that the ketchup and cheese sauce hamburger wasn't for sale. He didn't get to try it last time!) The group went up stairs to the hotel portion of the Pokemon Center, well, the children did. Wade made sure to run by the nurse's desk, get his pokemon checked up on, and walked up the other case of stairs. Sure enough, there were two rooms, one labeled and clearly stated to be the trading room. The other was a video phone room, which was much better than the Pokedex was for calling somebody.
Wade dialed in a number and grinned when Aurea, or professor of Unova, and his girlfriend picked up. "So, I'd take it that your journey's going smoothly so far? You reached Accumula Town in a couple days, Wade! I thought you'd be the type to stop and sniff the flowers," Aurea put her hands on her hips. "Were you just that excited to get away from little ol' me?" She asked.
"Well… uh, no actually. Hell, I would've stayed if you let me. You see, we met a new pokemon, and got motivated to pick up the pace," Wade's expression became somewhat serious. "Do you know about a pokemon called Genesect?" Wade asked.
"No, I don't believe… is this some sort of meta knowledge that you have? I never heard of Genesect before."
"Yeah, I guess. Not even Cheren or the rest of kids knew about Genesect… I may have let that slip since I thought that was common knowledge. Anyway, Girafarig saved my ass with Hypnosis, and we decided it'd be best if we got to a town before it could follow us. I didn't get a picture, but I can try to describe it to you if you'd like," Wade offered. Professor Juniper nodded.
"So think of it as purple-ish? Insect looking thing. I know it's type Bug and Steel, and it has a cannon on its back. It kinda looks like a Kabutops, but a rounder, sleeker body made entirely out of metal. If I remember the lore correctly, Team Plasma created Genesect via modifying a once extinct pokemon and bringing it to life. N, being the pacifist that he is, condemned the project. So many people have too many similarities between Genesect and Kabutops to be a coincidence. Down to the Pokedex entries in the games. I know said entries probably aren't correct at all, or even accurate in this world, but I'm willing to bet that Team Plasma built Genesect off of Kabutops… apparently the lab where Genesect was made is pretty close to Route 1."
"Warn people if they come through Route 1. Hell, try and get the word out. I don't want somebody to get blasted apart by a Genesect… I woulda if Girafarig didn't escape the lab just to follow me," Wade let out a sigh.
"Well, that must be quite an interesting first day on the road, Wade. And yes, I will get the word out for you. I will admit, I don't like the fact that there's a potentially dangerous pokemon that's more than willing to kill humans. Sure, wild pokemon attack trainers all the time, but it's mostly to get the attention of a trainer that's caught their eye. From what I can hear, that pokemon you mentioned was out for blood," Juniper shrugged. "Well, I'll send the message once we hang up," Juniper said.
"So, how was your last two days? Surely it was more relaxing than mine was," Wade asked.
"Well, some old guy in the league tried to send me a letter, asking if I'd be interested in starting a relationship with him. Something about political gain or whatever," Juniper crossed her arms. "I looked at the old guy online. He's nearly 70 years-old." The professor groaned. "It's a good thing I don't have to worry about that now, or political gain by being your girlfriend. And don't worry, I kindly told that old sack of potatoes to fuck off."
"Ooo, my girlfriend? Swearing? I must be dreaming!" Wade chuckled. "And don't worry, I won't treat you like a trophy because you're a professor. Heck, if I ever treat you like that, feel free to teleport over to wherever the fuck I am, and slap me in the face," Wade chuckled. "Though if we kissed again, that would be a pretty nice reward…"
"Don't worry, once you get to Striation, there will be plenty of kisses from me… I'd hate to keep you now. I'm sure you'd like to explore Accumula and relax," Juniper said.
"Well, that depends on if you hang up first… I can hang up first, I'd hate to keep you from doing stuff with a telescope," Wade chuckled when he noticed Juniper glared at him for a split second.
"No, I'll hang up first!" The professor declared.
"No, I will!" Wade retorted. The two giggled. "I love you," the two said in unison, and both hung up at the same time.
Wade could've sworn that he hung up a half second before his girlfriend could.
0-0-0-0
alright, i was told that I should start using dividing lines to break up the scenes. Hopefully I did a decent job at breaking up the chapter with them.
also made the chapter a little longer than usual. I wanna start pushing the lengths of these chapters. I also hope to expand a bit more on Juniper and Wade's relationship with little scenes like what was happening towards the end of this chapter.