Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Gamefreak.
[Edit] I have removed the fourth-wall-breaking moment, as your comments about it staying in the author's notes are correct. Thanks, everyone, for their support.
Hi all,
This chapter has a lot of world-building and story. I added a breaking-the-fourth-wall moment for something I felt I needed to get off my chest. I have made it so I can easily edit it out if it's too much. But I will leave it in for a few days at least.
Shout out to {Anthony Maxwell, Lofton Varner and Steve Miles} for becoming patrons. Cheers.
All Patrons get access to chapters early. Chapters 3 and 4 of Harry Potter: A Mage's Path is already posted on my website.
If you want to become a patron, head over to Pat re on and add a /GamerFiction after the com.
Please favourite, follow and review.
Chapter 12
June 5th
A few days later, Lucas was once again in class. The week has been interesting so far, and they covered various topics. He had spent time figuring out what he would do with his last skill choice from {Arceus Blessing}.
It couldn't be a skill that only had one purpose. A skill with a broad-scale utility would be best. The thing he considered the most important was having a bit more say in the functionality of the 'System.' That required a way to communicate with Arceus, but he didn't know if the God Pokemon would accept the idea. So he made a minor adjustment and came up with something that sounded ideal.
'{Arceus Blessing}'
'State the name of the skill and its purpose.'
Lucas spoke the name and purpose of the skill he wanted.
After waiting over ten minutes, he thought he had failed. In the end, though, he got the result he wanted.
[Prayer] (Active) [Lv: Max] (Next:-) [Cost: 0]
Description: The player wishes to appeal to the God Arceus through the use of Prayer. Suggest ideas on how the System works, and they will go through a vetting process on the viability of the change.
It only can be used once a month.
Arceus may reject or modify any ideas the player sends.
`Arceus approves of your choice.
Intelligence + 1
Charisma + 2
Congratulations!
You have reached a new threshold in Intelligence!
The Skill Function has evolved into the Skill Controller Function.
Description: The player has more control over his skills. It offers several functions that increase the versatility and viability of his skills.
Functions:
[Skill Sort]
[Skill Combine]
[Skill Recycle]
[Skill Bank]
Lucas didn't waste any time checking out the new function. There were four tabs, with the first three Tabs being new.
The first tab showed off all his current skills but sorted them into different categories. It cleaned up his skills and made them easier to peruse.
The second tab was an exciting function. {Skill Combine} allowed Lucas to combine compatible skills into one, so there would be fewer skills to manage but still have the same benefits. If he came across a particular combination, there even might be bonus abilities.
There were already three compatible skills: Isometric Training, Novice Training and Intermediate Training. Lucas didn't hesitate to combine them into one.
[Fitness Guru] (Active) [Lv: 2] (Next: 23%) [Cost: 0]
Description: The only skill the player needs for all his training needs. The pursuit of the ultimate Physique, but not the ultimate Beef-Cake! The higher the level, the more refined the player's Physique becomes without bulking up to extreme degrees.
Muscle regeneration + 54%
Muscle preservation + 54%
Physique training speed + 54%
Titan Body: Chance to avoid injury when not protected by Aura Sheen of Armament.
Jumping Jack: You can jump twice as high.
The third tab was just as helpful, in his opinion. {Skill Recycle} allowed him to throw away unwanted skills and regain the experience earned from them. That means he could grind easy throwaway skills and use the experience to level more essential skills. The only problem with this function was that any skill thrown away would not be recoverable.
The {Skill Bank} was not a new feature, but it was important because it showed all the skills he learned but put a hold off acquiring. There were over two dozen skills, with some being very useful. Lucas didn't want to take any more skills on at the moment. The {Skill Master} perk allowed him to learn a certain amount of skills, depending on his {Intelligence}. Lucas still had quite a few choices left, but he wanted to keep them in reserve. With the upcoming trip to the Pokemon Trainer Camp, he was sure he would learn some valuable skills.
Now, he had to decide what feature to request with his first {Prayer}. Thinking of his journey, he could think of a suitable choice. Although he only had to activate the skill to be heard, he did a whole ceremony of genuflecting on the floor in worship as a way to tickle Arceus's funny bone. Did Arceus have a funny bone? The only thing left to do was wait for the result.
Lucas broke out of his thoughts as he noticed the girl tapping her foot against the floor, sitting to his left. The girl had a fierce expression, which looked odd on such a face with delicate features. Lucas had never heard her speak or interact with anyone else n class. He watched her fiery red hair in fascination, the sun streaming in from outside, revealing some golden curls peeking through her braid. Jason nudged him, and it was then Lucas realised he was staring.
Lucas saw her for the first time when she sat at the table with the other orphans. He wanted to speak to her for more reasons than gaining information on the orphanage. It was the first time that he had felt attracted to someone since he arrived in this world.
It may seem strange that a guy who had the mind of a thirty-year-old would feel an attraction for such a young girl. But the more time he spent in this world, the more distant he felt from his old life. Not to mention that he felt like he was going through puberty again. Lucas felt like a fourteen-year-old because his body had a lot of influence on his emotions and thoughts. So, he would not aspire to some high moral ground and avoid dating because he technically had the mind of an older man.
So far, he has had little information on the orphanage. He even walked past the place, which looked much more rundown than the website advertised. His curiosity may have started because of his own experiences living at an orphanage, but why was he so concerned? Was he a Saint? The second coming of Mother Teresa? Not quite. Lucas received a quest, naturally.
New Quest received!
New Hope Orphanage
Description: What's going on at the New Hope Orphanage? Initial observations suggest that something suspicious is happening behind the scenes. Solve the mystery by playing detective.
Current Objective: Obtain information from an orphan.
Time Remaining: Four Months.
Lucas noticed that the System no longer displayed the rewards and potential consequences for failing the quest. It certainly made things more lively.
He returned his attention back to the class.
"Now, let's turn to a new topic. Specifically, Geography and Native Pokemon. These two subjects are closely tied together."
Mrs Price stood in front of the class, her hands held behind her back as she lectured.
"As you are undoubtedly aware, the Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh regions are part of one continent. Johto is to the west of Kanto, and Sinnoh is to the north of Johto. So my question is, why is there only a small amount of the other region's native Pokemon in Kanto?"
Jason raised his hand. "Because the government wants exclusivity on the Pokemon in their regions."
"Correct. But why would the government want this?"
"Economics," Lucas answered. "A huge part of the tourism business is the attraction of finding Pokemon from other regions. If people could get all the Pokemon in one region, there would be less incentive to travel. Especially because travel is not always without some risk."
Mrs Price nodded and turned back to write on the whiteboard. "Indeed, but it goes beyond that. It is a very lucrative business because if a trainer wants to capture a Pokemon from another region, they have to pay a fee and register the Pokemon with the local government. The rarer the Pokemon, then the more it costs. Furthermore, you need special permission to breed Pokemon from another region. It keeps their exclusivity safe, and they earn a lot of Pokedollars at the same time."
"How would they police that? Wouldn't people be smuggling Pokemon over the borders?" Another student asked.
"It's a tremendous problem," Mrs Price said. "One of the major responsibilities of the Rangers is to patrol the borders of the regions to stop any smugglers."
"What about a Neutral Pokeball?" Lucas asked. "All they need to do is set a location for their destination. They wouldn't need to transport Pokemon physically."
Mrs Price raised an eyebrow. "Let me ask a question in kind. How is a Pokeball calibrated to a specific location?"
"By using a computer and accessing the government website." Lucas paused as he began to realise.
"A Pokeball has a unique identifying code that the government tracks via satellite. When a person first presses the button on the ball, it scans the person's energy, which gets added to their database. Think it like a fingerprint."
"Isn't that awfully 'Big' Brother' of them? They can keep tabs on anyone at any time." A heavy-set girl argued.
"Technically, that is true. However, your location will be only tracked if you are suspected or have already committed a crime. Or perhaps a person is missing. Otherwise, the database is in the hands of Porygon, the artificial Pokemon."
"Porygon?" Lucas asked, surprised.
"He is the first artificial Pokemon developed from computer code. Think of artificial intelligence that is given a physical form. It is responsible for government databases and the entire World Wide Web. Ever since its creation, cyber crimes have fallen to zero."
"Wait, so Kanto developed the Pokemon responsible for the internet?" Jason asked.
Mrs Price shook her head. "It was a collaboration between the world's greatest minds. Every region has a Porygon running its networks. It's very efficient."
"There must be still room for exploitation." A girl said from the front. "Or else there wouldn't be criminals like Team Rocket."
"There are always ways around the problem. For example, the technology for creating Pokeballs lies with the Aura Guardians and the government. Is it highly classified, but they have leaked the information before. Some criminals are already manufacturing their own Pokeballs that have no identification code. A very nasty creation that Team Rocket employs is called the Fracture Ball. It not only transports a Pokemon away from its owner but interferes with the bond. The bond will break if it goes on long enough, and the Pokemon will become wild again."
A heavy silence fell in the class at that statement. Lucas shivered in horror at the cruelty of Team Rocket. A bond was sacred. How dare they interfere in such a way to pursue profit?
"I didn't mean to go on a tangent," Mrs Price apologised. "Or bring the mood down. Are there any other questions before we continue?"
"What about Pokemon who can use {Teleport}?" Jason said.
"It takes an elite trainer to be able to resist the severity of {Teleport}. Remember, it uses Red Energy, which is corrosive to humans. You would have to have a very close bond and a strong physique. If it is used to transport items, then it is a hard {Move} to counter. Thankfully, Psychic Pokemon are the third-rarest type out of the eighteen in terms of their overall population. Like Dragon and Fairy types, they find it hard to breed eggs, even in the wild. Also, the Technical Machine for {Teleport} was discontinued when it got heavily abused."
Mrs Price walked down and stood beside Lucas's desk. "Mr Walker, your Ralts there will learn the skill when he gets stronger. Be sure not to abuse it because it comes with some harsh punishments. There are areas set up in towns and cities for {Teleport}. You may face prison time if caught using {Move} outside of those areas."
"What about my house?" Lucas asked.
"You would have to get permission from the Kanto government. But it's not impossible."
Lucas hummed. That was good to know. Maybe he could ask his mother. Was it possible that Mr Mime had learned the skill?
"What about Pokemon found in all three regions, like Pidgey, for example?" Somebody else asked.
"Flying-type and Water-type Pokemon are harder to control because they migrate frequently. However, for the most part, these Pokemon stay in their regions. It will take something significant to cause them to change territories.
"Besides those, there are Pokemon that are shared between the three regions," Mrs Price said. "Because some of the more common Pokemon grow too fast, they became overpopulated. The three regional governments agreed to exchange some Pokemon between themselves to balance out the ecosystem. This is also an important area of research to combat the Pokemon's overwhelming advantage in terms of population."
The discussion continued, and Lucas listened attentively, fascinated.
{0(((..)))0}
"Let's sit over there," Lucas said, pointing to the table next to the orphans.
"It's kind of weird how they keep to themselves," Jason followed him.
They sat down at the table. While Jason chattered on, Lucas subtly increased his hearing. He wanted to see if he could pick up any conservation between the group. Consequently, his ears picked up dozens of voices that merged together into a discordant noise. Lucas put a hand to his head in irritation.
"Is everything okay?" Jason asked.
"A slight headache," Lucas lied. He turned to look at the table and noticed the girl from his class seemed to be the group's leader. It was no surprise as she appeared to be the eldest by a couple of years. The youngest looked to be only six years old.
They were discussing something in whispers when the girl looked up and noticed him looking. She scowled, her beautiful green eyes narrowing, warning him to mind his business.
Lucas merely grinned. Turning back to his lunch, he began eating his food. He decided to talk to her because she seemed to be the one who would most likely have the information he needed, and he wanted to speak to her as well.
"Dude, are you interested in her?" Jason smirked.
Lucas threw a bread roll at his head. "If I even dared get ideas about asking her out, she probably would string me up by the balls."
"So, your into that kind of thing? Eh, whatever floats your boat," Jason laughed.
"What a comedian. I wonder what Rachel likes? You know, that cute girl you like? Oh, wait, she doesn't know you exist."
Jason rubbed his chest. "That hurts. Why did I have to be friends with such a handsome guy? I'm practically invisible."
"You're only turning fifteen next month. Are you that desperate for a girlfriend?"
"I have a lot of love to give," Jason raised his arms in the air just as a group of girls walked past their table. They giggled and started whispering to each other.
Jason slumped down in embarrassment.
Lucas nodded sagely. "At least those girls are aware of your generosity. I hope they spread the word."
Jason's response was totally inappropriate, involving a rude hand gesture.
"Dude, are we on for a stream tomorrow?" Jason asked.
"Yeah. I even have a surprise."
"What do you mean?"
Lucas didn't respond because he noticed the girl was getting up from the table and walking towards the exit.
"Can you put my lunch in the rubbish?" Lucas stood. "There's something I need to do."
"It was nice knowing you," Jason smirked.
Lucas followed the girl out of the exit, but she had already turned down another corridor. Lucas turned on {Aura Sense} and found her walking quickly towards a classroom.
The girl entered, and Lucas followed her, careful not to startle her. He paused inside the room, confused when he didn't see her. Suddenly, a fist flew at his face, and Lucas parried it with his hand. The girl had sneaked up on his side, which was strange. How had she tricked his {Aura Sense}?
She aimed a kick between his legs, which Lucas blocked. He grabbed her and shoved her against the wall. The girl struggled like an alley cat, hissing and spitting, but Lucas trapped her arms.
"Peace. I just want to talk." Up close, he noticed a dusting of faint freckles on her nose.
"Why were you following me?" She hissed, ceasing to struggle.
Lucas let her go cautiously, holding his hands up to show he was not a threat. "I just wanted to talk. Do you always greet people with a fist?"
"Only ones I don't like," she snarled. God, she was beautiful. Lucas blinked, then shook away his errant thought. Bloody hormones.
"You don't even know me," Lucas pointed out. "How about we start over? My name is Lucas Walker." Sitting down at a desk, he aimed a smile in her direction.
"Faith," she said, leaning against the wall.
Lucas tried something. He lowered his sense of taste, touch and smell to zero and increased his sight. It worked because he could see her face in more detail and see the subtle shifts when she displayed emotions. Would he be able to pick up on visual clues when he asked her questions?
However, he had to remind himself not to get distracted by her features. Her face was pale and without a blemish, and her lips full and pouty; it was a face he could stare at all day.
"How could you tell I was following you?" Lucas asked curiously.
"None of your business," Faith replied with an unfriendly cast to her expression.
"Fair enough," Lucas shrugged. "So there's something I was wondering about."
"Keep wondering," Faith turned to look out the window.
"So I got curious about the orphanage because something seemed suspicious. Am I being paranoid?"
Faith remained stubbornly silent.
"I'm interested in donating to the orphanage. Do I need to talk to the Director?"
Lucas noticed she reacted to that by tensing slightly. A brief look of disgust crossed her features before she smoothed out her expression.
"So talking to the Director would be a bad idea," Lucas said.
Faith turned to him with an incredulous expression. "How?"
"I'm very observant," Lucas placed his hand on his chin. "So are you going to tell me why the mention of the Director makes you angry? I want to help."
"Why do you care so much?"
"I don't know," Lucas said. "Maybe I'm nosey. Whatever the reason, I want to help. I don't want to brag, but I know some influential people."
"Forget it," she looked discouraged. "This goes beyond the Director. There's nothing you can do about the situation."
Lucas wondered what she was talking about, but then he remembered the picture of the Mayor standing with the Director on the website. Were they in this together?
He leaned forward earnestly. "Look, it may seem an impossible situation when you are on your own, but it also makes you lose perspective. There are people who care, and they will help you if only you ask."
Faith shook her head and moved towards the doorway. "I'm leaving."
"Okay," Lucas replied. "I will just have to ask one of your friends."
Faith spun around, marched towards him, and poked him in the chest with a finger. Her eyes glittered with fury. "You leave them out of this."
"Then tell me how I can help you," Lucas implored.
"Do you think people will help us when they know the truth of who the orphans really are," she spat. "No, we will be shunned. It will only make things much worse."
"It cannot be that bad," Lucas said sceptically. "You are only minors."
Faith turned and walked away. "Just stay away from us."
{0(((..)))0}
June 6th
The next day, Lucas was starting his next livestream. They were set up downstairs in the music room. Jason was behind the camera, counting him down.
Lucas sat on the loveseat with Dante and Sandee next to him. They decided that their new companion would join in on the fun. He held the acoustic guitar in his arms and a microphone set up in front of him.
They had gone live, and Lucas looked into the camera.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome back to another livestream with PokeLife. My name is Lucas, and this is my Pokemon, Dante. We have a special guest today. Everybody say hello to Sandee, my friend Jason's new companion."
In the background, Jason was at the computer, highlighting comments for him to respond to, and Lucas looked at his laptop next to him.
Ash-Hole: Dude, Sandee is a lame-ass name for Sandshrew.
"Well, I won't argue with you about what we consider a good name. I don't want to be an ash hole."
Princess _Peach: What's your kind of girl? Do you like younger women?
"Madam Peach, will you stop changing your username? It's creeping me out."
Gamerboy123: Sandee looks cute. Can she say hello?
Dante nudged Sandee, and the Pokemon raised her hand and waved.
Curious_Naomi: Why are you holding a guitar? Are you going to play a song?
"That's right, Naomi. So as you may already be aware, I'm starting my Pokemon Journey in a few months, and I got inspired to write a song that reflects my hopes and dreams. I call this song Gotta Catch' Em All."
Lucas started strumming the guitar, opened his mouth, and began singing.
"I wanna be the very best
Like no one ever was,
To catch them is my real test,
To train them is my cause,
...
Jason's head jerked up, and he stared incredulously at Lucas as he belted out the chords. Dante was shaking his hips and bopping his head. Sandee cocked her head at the music, still unsure if she liked the song.
Lucas finished and took a breath. He couldn't lie; it felt incredible to sing in front of an audience, even if they weren't there in person.
The chat exploded as viewers began responding to his song.
Saltwater_Sammy: Dude, you can frickin' sing! Wow.
Geek_With_A_Purpose: An instant classic. You're a star!
Shady4l: Do you have a copyright for this song? If not, then...
TalktoBetty: Play it again!
...
Lucas finished the stream two hours later, overwhelmed by the response to the song. Jason switched off the camera and came running over to him.
"What the hell. How did you hide having that up your sleeve?" Jason grabbed his shoulders and shook him.
Lucas pushed him off and stood. "I told you I would give you a surprise."
"I don't think you understand how big this is going to get," Jason said seriously. "Have you heard the mascot song for the Pokemon League in Kanto? It's utter garbage. Your song blows it out of the water. I sure hope you got a copyright for the song."
"Way ahead of you," Lucas said. Walking over to the table, he grabbed a bottle of water and took a drink. "I got my Dad to register it a couple of weeks ago."
"Great," Jason rubbed his hands in glee. "After I post it on your Poketube channel, it will blow up like nothing before. Man, I'm going to get even busier."
"Meh. I will increase your pay."
"You already give me way too much," Jason protested. "Now that mother has Vincent supporting her; I'm saving up a tidy nest egg for when we travel."
Lucas sat down, lifted Dante onto his lap, and began playing with him. "Besides paying your salary and costs associated with running the channel, I'm going to donate the rest to charity."
"I thought you didn't want to mooch off your parents?" Jason asked.
"I don't. But I have been making incense and have come up with a new recipe. Once I perfect it, I can make a lot of money."
"Dude, can you stop being so talented?"
"Making incense isn't hard. It's doing research into new recipes that takes work."
"Forget it," Jason shook his head. "Come on, Sandee. Let's go home."
{0(((..)))0}
June 7th
"Who are you," a little boy asked, peering up at him from the doorway.
Lucas knelt and held out and hand to shake. "Hi, My name is Lucas. Is Faith home?"
Lucas tackled the issue by visiting the orphanage. He decided he would get closer to the other orphans to endear himself to Faith. It was a petty tactic, but he needed every advantage if she was going to open up to him.
Jason stood beside him, holding his camera bag. Lucas brought him because he wanted to take Faith and the kids shopping for some new clothes and toys. A record of the shopping trip would stop the Director from trying anything underhanded.
"How do you know Faith?" The boy asked protectively, crossing his arms protectively.
"I know her from school. What's your name?"
"Adam," the boy replied grudgingly.
The door opened fully, Faith stood in a pair of jeans and a grey hoody. "What are you doing here?"
"Hi, Faith. Ready for a shopping trip?"
Faith shifted nervously. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I said I was interested in donating some money to the orphanage, but that sounds boring. Instead, I will be donating directly to the kids in the way of a shopping trip. We can even go to the movies and lunch." Lucas looked at her hopefully, begging for some praise.
"Really?" Adam asked eagerly.
Faith closed her eyes and took a breath. "Adam, go get the others. Lucas will take us shopping."
"Okay," Adam ran back inside.
"Hello," Jason waved.
Faith ignored him and took a step closer to Lucas. She looked like she was going to take another swing at him. "That was a dirty trick."
"What? I'm just being a good Samaritan."
"If the Director…." Faith began.
"That's why I'm bringing Jason along," Lucas pointed at his friend. "He's going to record some footage. If the Director tries anything, then we have evidence."
"I don't you want to record the kids getting handouts," Faith growled.
"It won't be shown to anyone unless it's absolutely necessary," Lucas promised.
The door opened, and a dozen kids, ranging from six to twelve years old, spilt out. Just like Faith, their clothes looked second-hand and needed repair.
A little girl bounced up to him. She looked about seven years old, with dark hair tied in two ponytails. Her blue eyes peered up at him inquisitively. "Hi," she beamed.
"Hello. You remind me of a Clefairy, bouncing all over the place," Lucas teased.
The girl giggled. "Adam said you were taking us shopping?"
"That's right. May I know thy lady's name," Lucas bowed with a flourish.
"Haley," she curtsied clumsily.
Lucas took a photo out of his wallet. "You remind me of my sister. Isn't she the cutest?" He gushed, showing off the image.
"Who's the tool?" A boy demanded. He was a head shorter than Faith but looked to have a big attitude.
"Be polite, Seth," Faith tapped his head. "Lucas is donating to the orphanage, or more specifically, you guys."
"What did you have to do for that?" Seth stood in front of Faith, glaring at Lucas. "Your not the first guy to come sniffing around her, and she didn't give them the time of day."
Jason stood behind Lucas, already recording with his camera. He sported a massive grin on his face.
"She doesn't have to do anything," Lucas said calmly. "I'm doing this because you deserve to have some new clothes."
"Where did you get the money from?" An orange-haired girl with glasses asked. She looked to be the oldest next to Faith.
"I livestream on Tweak," Lucas replied. "I have quite the following, and they are generous. It's more accurate to say that the money comes from them."
"Well, even if you have to give away your virtue, Faith. At least he's cute," she said, patting Faith's shoulder. "I appreciate the sacrifice."
Faith rolled her eyes. "Let's get going.
They spent the day shopping, and Lucas spent an enormous amount of Pokedollars on the kids. He even convinced Faith to buy herself a wardrobe, though she argued the point for ages.
Afterwards, they had lunch at a kid's restaurant before watching an animated movie about an adventurous Pikachu going on a journey with his friends. Lucas considered the day an enormous success.
[Edit]
So what do you think? Next chapter Lucas finds himself in danger from an unexpected source.
So I wanted to mention something that grinds my gears.
People don't have to like certain aspects of my story or like it at all, which is fair enough. However, if you're going to be vulgar and demand I change it like a petulant child in an anonymous review, I'm simply going to delete it. I don't really care if people want to remain anonymous when leaving reviews, but please be respectful.
Cheers.