Chapter 9: Things to Consider

Nori faced the double doors of the Rustboro Gym. She had taken Agni for a little extra training on route 116, north of the city. It had boosted her confidence greatly to see the damage that her new combusken could do to her opponents. With her recently acquired fighting-type skills, Agni would be able to destroy the rock-type gym leader…as long as she wasn't hit by too many rock-type attacks. Even so, Nori couldn't help feeling nervous. Based on weakness and resistance, the match could go either way, so it would depend on how powerful the gym leader's pokémon were…

As she walked over to the reception desk, Nori noted how similar the interior of the gym was to Norman's gym. The only differences were the couches, trainers and lack of cardboard boxes. There were four trainers sitting around the room, all holding slips of paper and occupying various states of nervousness.

"'Scuse me, I'd like to register to fight the gym leader," Nori said, leaning against the receptionist's desk.

"Your trainer's license," said the woman without looking up, still facing her computer screen and typing rapidly.

Nori took out her license, black plastic with silver text, and placed it in the woman's outstretched hand.

The receptionist quickly filled out a form on the computer with Nori's personal information, printed it out and placed it on a stack of similar papers. She handed Nori back her license and a slip of paper marked with a number five, wordlessly, before going back to typing.

Nori wandered over to an unoccupied armchair and sat down, checking the time on her pokégear. She had arranged to meet Dom in the pokécenter at around two in the afternoon—she had figured that would be enough time to put in a bit of extra training and then win her badge. It was a quarter past twelve, now.

The time passed slowly as new trainers signed up and old trainers rose and entered the double doors to the left of the receptionist's desk, emerging a short time later with expressions of disappointment or triumph, but mainly the former. Finally, the last trainer exited the arena.

Nori stood up, surprised by the sudden jelly-like quality of her knees. She could feel the anxious attention of the other trainers on her, and was determined to get out of it as soon as possible. She pushed open the arena's double doors harder than she meant to, and the result was something of a dramatic entrance. It was a pity that no one was around to see it. Nori looked all around her, even up at the ceiling. The arena was empty.

"Um…hello?" she called into the stillness. There was no answer. Well, whatever, she thought, I'll just wait, I guess.

She had heard that every gym had a unique battle arena, especially suited for the type that the gym favored. It seemed to be true; this arena was littered with sand and rocks of different sizes.

Eventually, a girl appeared, emerging from a doorway at the other end of the arena. She was of an average height, wearing a blue blouse and skirt and pink tights. Her crow-black hair was pulled into pigtails with large pink ribbons, and Nori wondered how anyone could stand to dress like that every day, or any day, for that matter. She walked forward and stopped at the edge of the arena.

"Greetings," the girl, presumably the gym leader, said. "I am Roxanne, the leader of this gym. If you prevail over me in battle, I will award you with a badge. We will fight with two pokémon each." Her words were formal: clipped and precise, verging on robotic.

Nori nodded, also walking to the edge of her side of the battlefield.

"Very well. We shall begin. Geodude!" she tossed a pokéball lightly onto the field. What appeared to be a floating head with arms, all made of rock, appeared.

"Go, Agni!" The combusken appeared with a cry and flexed her powerful limbs. Now that she had evolved, the black tips on her crest were more pronounced, and she had a few small black stripes here and there.

Nori took her pokédex out of her pocket and pointed its sensor at the unfolding battle. Sprites of both pokémon and hit point bars appeared on its screen. Agni was listed as being level eighteen, while Roxanne's geodude was level fourteen.

"Lovely. Agni, double kick!"

"Geodude, defense curl."

Agni delivered two swift, hard kicks to the geodude as he seemed to fold in on himself. Even so, the geodude's rocky skin visibly cracked under the impact and he dropped back, panting.

Roxanne frowned. "Tackle her, Geodude!"

"Give him another double kick, Agni!"

Agni was once again the swifter, and her second set of kicks sent the Geodude flying into a wall, leaving a dent in the concrete.

"Ha, great work, Agni!"

Roxanne's haughty demeanor seemed to be crumbling as she recalled her Geodude.

"Don't start celebrating yet," she said, warningly. "Go, Nosepass!"

Nori stared at the bizarre pokémon for a second or two. She was a chunk of rock with stubby arms and legs, but her most prominent feature was her huge orange nose. Nori shook her head. As long as she was a rock-type, she was good to go.

"Another double kick, Agni."

"A rock tomb, Nosepass."

Agni kicked the odd pokémon twice, but it seemed to have less of an effect than it had had on the geodude. The nosepass raised her arms. Agni glanced around in worry as large rocks started to collect around her. Suddenly, the rocks flew toward the point at their center, which also happened to be Agni. The combusken tried to flip out of the way, but she wasn't fast enough. The technique lived up to its name as Agni was buried under the rocks.

There was stillness for a few agonizing moments. Images of Agni completely crushed flitted through Nori's mind like butterflies. To her relief, there was a scratching sound, and then a number of stones at the top of the pile fell, tumbling down the sides. Agni emerged, scraped, disheveled and covered in sand. With an enraged screech, she leapt at the nosepass and treated her opponent to a barrage of kicks and fireballs.

When the onslaught had ceased, the nosepass toppled over, beaten.

Roxanne recalled her pokémon in disgust. She threw Nori a small drawstring bag, which she caught easily.

"Great battle," Nori called.

Roxanne gave a derisive snort and left the arena the same way she came.

Nori shrugged. "Sore loser, I guess," she remarked before turning her attention to Agni.

"Are you okay, Agni? When all those rocks hit you I thought you were knocked out, for sure."

Agni grinned, a bit weakly. "It takes more than that to take me down. Ken. What did she give you?"

Nori checked the bag. "Hmm, let's see…the badge, a technical machine…ooh, and money! What do you say to a victory lunch?"

"If it's food, I'm there," said Agni in agreement.

"Excellent. You're a great battler, Agni, I'm going to enjoy training you, I think."

"Likewise," Agni replied, laughing.

Nori grinned, and recalled the combusken into her pokéball.

~*~*~

Nori felt refreshed, her confidence restored, as she left the gym. She had one badge, so she was one-eighth of the way there, right? What was stopping her from collecting them all? The day seemed to be brighter and more free. Her good feeling was not to last, however…

She was exiting the pokémon center, having healed Agni, when a number of cries caught her attention. She raced up the street, following the shouting, dodging traffic and people. Near the outskirts of the city, she finally caught up with the source—that same incompetent businessman from before! Ed Notley's face lit up when he noticed her.

"Oh, it's you! You're that trainer from before! You know, you never told me your n—"

"It's Nori. Now what's the matter, this time?"

"Well, Nori, the problem is that I was going to my car to deliver some important goods to a man by the name of Captain Stern, but on the way that same Team Aqua grunt ambushed me and took them! I gave chase, but I stopped when he ran into the long grass."

"So where could he be?"

"He'd have to be in Rusturf Tunnel. It doesn't go anywhere, but there's only cliffs and ledges around this route."

"Sounds good…I imagine you'd like me to get your stuff back?"

"If you could," said Notley, plaintively.

Nori sighed. "Alright." Sometimes she had such a Good Samaritan streak, it wasn't even funny…

~*~*~

The grunt wasn't hard to track—he left a trail of stomped grass wherever he went. The grass grew thinner and thinner as she got close to a set of high, gray cliffs, but it was obvious where he would've had to go. It would be nearly impossible for anyone without climbing equipment to scale the cliffs, so the grunt had obviously entered the large cave at the cliff's foot. She speeded up, knowing that her quarry was close, but was hailed by a hysterical-looking old man.

He was short and white-bearded, but the strength of his youth was still apparent.

"Trainer! That Aqua grunt in there, he stole my pokémon!"

"I see. What sort of pokémon is it?"

"My darling Peeko is a wingull. Oh, tides, I hope she's alright…"

Nori nodded, a tad resentfully. "I'll get her back," she said, before turning and resuming her run. With all these people wanting favors…by the gods, she'd better be getting something in return.

~*~*~

The cave was cold and damp, and filled with some kind of unnatural fog. She had to make an effort not to walk into rocks or slip on water-slick pebbles. To her surprise, the grunt suddenly appeared out of the gloom, walking toward her and holding a struggling wingull.

"What the—who's there?"

"Remember me?" Nori called, taking Bitey's great ball off her belt. It was about time the little wolf saw some action.

"You! Oh, I am going to kick your ass, this time!" He fumbled for his one pokéball as he tried to keep a hold on Peeko.

"I'd love to see you try. Go, Bitey!"

"Go, poochyena!"

The two miniature wolves circled each other. They were about the same size, but Bitey's coat was fuller and glossier, while the grunt's poochyena had a thin, hunted look about it.

"Poochyena, tackle it!"

"Dodge and use your howl, Bitey."

Bitey dodged his opponent's attack for the most part, then bayed, chillingly.

"Try biting it, poochyena!"

"Tackle, Bitey!"

Nori's poochyena charged the grunt's head-on, hitting him powerfully, but the poochyena sunk its pointed teeth into Bitey's neck. They rolled on the cave floor, snarling and scratching, the battle dissolving into a free-for-all. Abruptly, the grunt's poochyena yelped loudly and made a whining, choking noise.

Nori glanced at her pokédex. Bitey's selection of attacks blinked as a new one, 'Poison Fang', appeared.

The hell? Nori thought. Poochyena doesn't learn Poison Fang…

Bitey tossed the unconscious poochyena to the ground at its trainer's feet.

The grunt swore and let go of Peeko, then tossed a small box to the ground at Nori's feet.

"If you want it all so bad, take it!" he said, before recalling his beaten pokémon. He pushed past Nori and started running toward the exit. Nori let him go.

"Great work, Bitey! Where'd you learn that attack?"

"Che, I don't know. I just knew it." He panted excitedly. "Haha, I was so great! I showed that mangy old—"

"Peeko? PEEKO, you're safe!"

"Eh?"

The old man had suddenly appeared, and was holding his wingull, obviously overjoyed. He turned toward Nori.

"Trainer, I thank you! Call me Mr. Briney. I must repay you in some way…tell me, have you gone to the gym in Dewford Town, yet?"

"No, I haven't."

"It is a long way across the sea…it can be perilous, traveling by rowboat or pokémon. Would you care for a ride? I can take you to Dewford, and then to Slateport."

"Would you? That would be great!"

"Wonderful. If you would follow me back to the city?"

"Oh, I have some things I have to take care of, first, though…and is it alright if I bring a friend, so to speak?"

"A traveling companion? Of course. My boat is anchored at the docks, number fifteen, I believe. Meet me there."

Nori nodded. The old man started toward the exit at a surprising speed, Peeko flapping along beside him. Nori bent and lifted the box the grunt had left—looking inside, she saw that it was filled with computer disks. She wondered who or what they could possibly be for, but decided to hurry with her task of returning them. She was probably late to meet Dom, already.

~*~*~

Edward was overjoyed to see Nori as she came back to the city.

"Did you get the goods?"

"Yeah," she said, holding up the box.

"Great! Come with me, my boss wants to meet you."

As they walked, Nori wondered if this guy was always this, well, simple, or if he was just being friendly because she was undoubtedly younger than him and had pulled his arse out of the fire twice now.

"Here we are," Notley said eventually, "Devon Corporation!"

It was an enormous dark sand-colored building, with almost gothic architecture. Its imposing double doors lay under large stone arches, its floor paved with dark stone.

"The architecture is a bit of an inside joke," he explained, "it's meant to scare visiting competitors."

And everyone else, thought Nori. She didn't know much about Devon, only that it held a government-regulated monopoly on pokémon trainer supplies and equipment in Hoenn, which annoyed Silph to no end. Silph Corporation controlled Kanto and Johto as far as she knew. Briefly, she wondered who controlled that new region, Gaiien…

The inside of the building reeked of misplaced wealth. Black marble was everywhere, along with paintings and sculptures. An enormous crystalline chandelier hung from the ceiling. She followed Notley into a glass elevator, trying not to look at everything like some easily impressed country bumpkin. Edward swiped a key card through a slot and the elevator rose, quickly and smoothly. Nori had a feeling that they were going straight to the top floor.

"Normal employees aren't allowed to go up to the higher offices," Edward said, proudly. Nori wondered how he could've risen above assistant or paralegal.

"That floor is where they're developing new technologies," he said at one point. "If you ever find a fossil, those guys in the lab might be able to revive it for you," he said, laughing. Probably another inside joke.

Finally, the elevator doors opened to reveal a heavily furnished office. In the center was a massive table—oak, or mahogany, perhaps. It was polished to the extent of one being able to use its surface like a mirror. Its eight legs were skillfully carved in an old style: what appeared to be paws, gripping spheres that rested on the ground. Around it were enormous leather armchairs, all black, save for the one at the far end. It was a blood red. Nori guessed that this was where the president of the corporation and the executives met to discuss matters of importance—probably over lunch.

There was another set of double doors at the end of the room, behind the red armchair. These were made of very dark wood, also polished to perfection. The inlaid silver was mirror-bright.

"Wait out here just a moment, I'll tell the boss you're here," Notley said, before disappearing into the next room.

Nori went over to the nearest window. The walls were ceiling-to-floor windows, with a thick support column at regular intervals. She looked out onto the city: the Devon Corp. building towered over every other structure. She had to take a step back, looking down at the street below. The anti-grav vehicles looked like toys, and the drop was dizzying. If she were to somehow fall, she'd probably break her spine on a ledge on the way down…

"Nori? Come on in." Edward's voice broke her out of her reverie, and she followed him past the double doors.

The president's office was even more extravagant—she had been beginning to doubt it was possible—than the previous rooms she had seen. In each corner of the room was a silver tree in a gold-colored pot: she strongly suspected that these artificial plants were made entirely out of those precious metals. The carpet was a rich, plush ebony, the walls wood-paneled until halfway to the ceiling, where a mosaic of all the lands under the sky filled the rest. Deserts, mountains, forests, even an underwater scene. Light played across the fine glass and precious stones, making the eye want to believe it all was real. The president sat behind a huge, curving desk in another of those huge armchairs, smoking a cigar. He was an older man, hair gray and thinning, and was wearing an obviously very expensive dark gray suit. He watched Nori approach with an expression of mingled amusement and disdain.

"So, you're the one who saved Notley, here, not once but twice, indeed!"

"Yes sir, that's me."

"Team Aqua never bothered us before, or Magma, for that matter. It used to be perfectly safe to send out an executive to deliver important documents or disks. I'm going to have to organize armed guards, or perhaps trainer mercenaries. Ha!" he laughed and took a long drag out of his cigar.

"In the meantime, I was hoping you could do me a favor. Not for free, of course!" he added, perhaps seeing Nori's very slight pained grimace. "I need you to deliver those disks to a man named Captain Stern in Slateport City. Also, I would be grateful if you would deliver this letter to a man named Steven Stone. I think he's in Dewford Town, but he does get around a lot, so I can't be sure."

Nori nodded. "Okay, I'll try to track him down." She took the letter from the president's outstretched hand.

"In return, I give you this," he said, placing what looked like a small black box on his desk, near to Nori. She picked it up and examined it. It was a box, essentially, with one open side. On the inside, there appeared to be circuitry, almost invisible due to the low light.

"Forgive my asking, but what is it, exactly?"

"It is a device that lengthens the life of a technical machine. The one you have is a prototype. You can get six or seven uses out of one TM with that. We're planning to release it onto the open market soon, but we have to get it down to maybe two or three uses, first. Even then, it's going to be pretty expensive." The president smiled, a bit unpleasantly.

Nori smiled. "Thanks, this'll be really useful."

"Also, I wanted to give you something else, not in return for anything, just a gift." He slid a key card on a short chain toward her. "That key card will give you access to most areas of the building. That way, if those goons down in the lab ever get that fossil reviver working, well—" Both the president and Edward started laughing.

Definitely an inside joke, thought Nori, trying to look politely amused.

~*~*~

"Oh, before you go," said Notley, as Nori left the building. She turned to face the businessman. "Listen, I just wanted to thank you personally for recovering those goods for me. I probably would've lost my job."

"It's no problem. I've already been reimbursed in full, I'd say." Nori hefted her now heavier pack as evidence. She hadn't had time to convert her new items into data.

"Heh, well, even so. I wanted to give you this pokémon." He took a pokéball from his pocket and handed it to her.

"It's a pokémon Devon created a long time ago, but there aren't many in existence. The only other person I know who has one is the president's son…"

"If you had a pokémon all this time, why didn't you defend yourself?" Nori asked.

"Well, the problem is that, in its current form, it's quite useless. I've been leveling it up, very slowly, for a while. One of the scientists gave it to me when I first joined Devon. I amused her, apparently." He shrugged. "Once you get it to evolve, though, it'll be unstoppable. Think magikarp to gyarados, I guess."

Nori pocketed the pokéball. "Hmm. Well, thanks a lot. I'm sure it'll serve me well."

"You know…I can't help feeling I know you from somewhere. Does the name Naedalya Theron mean anything to you?"

Nori shook her head. "No, never heard of her."

"Oh well. I guess I'm just being silly."

Nori shrugged. "Well, be seein' ya, I guess." She started walking away.

"Yeah…see you."

~*~*~

"You're lucky I didn't leave without you," said Dom, as Nori gave the nurse Bitey's great ball.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," said Nori, not sounding very contrite. "Why weren't you here when I came back and healed after getting my badge?"

"You got your badge? Great! But in any case, I was out buying trainer junk. You know."

"Yeah, I getcha."

"What happened, anyway?"

"It is a lengthy and involved but ultimately very boring tale, my good sir, but it culminates in my good self acquiring this group transport."

"Can you run that by me again, slower?"

"We're getting a ride to Dewford!" she said, brightly.

"Oh. 'Kay."

~*~*~

Mr. Briney welcomed Dom and Nori enthusiastically aboard his yacht. It was a small vessel, but large enough for a few people. Nori guessed that perhaps the old man had more regular passengers at one time, though it just seemed to be him and Peeko, now.

Once Nori and Dom were sure they had everything they needed—Dewford Town tended to be a bit isolated, so you couldn't buy much there—Briney skillfully piloted the craft out of the harbor and out into the open ocean. The boat traveled at a leisurely pace along the calm ocean, its motor propelling it faster than a small rental boat, but probably slower than Leviathan could have taken her. That was perfectly fine for her: riding a gyarados could get incredibly uncomfortable.

~*~*~

A while later, nearing dusk, Nori stood at the ship's prow, her elbows resting on the gunwale. Mr. Briney's life obviously revolved around sailing, and she could see why. There was something undeniably enjoyable about having the wind in your hair, and an ungoverned sense of freedom…

"So, having fun?"

Nori glanced toward Mr. Briney. "Yeah, a lot."

"Where's your friend?"

"Dom? I think he said he was going to have a nap down below."

Briney laughed good-naturedly. "I see. Tell me if I'm being too prying, but…you seem…lonely."

"Lonely? Well…that's true, actually."

"Tell me about it. Indulge an old man."

Nori was silent for a while. "I find…I find that I seem to drive people away."

"People come and go, like the tides. Eventually, everyone moves on. You're never alone when you've got your pokémon with you." Briney looked fondly at Peeko, perched on the main cabin's roof.

"Hey, who's driving the boat?" asked Nori, changing the subject.

"I put it on a sort of autopilot."

"Oh."

The silence lasted a little while, before Nori broke it.

"What are those rocks, there?" she pointed toward the west.

Black against the setting sun were huge spires of rock, curving inward slightly, resembling claws. At their center was a small hill or mountain, squat but still pointed.

"That is the Isle of Winter…no one really goes there, it always seems to be cold, despite it being summer and all." He spoke more quietly. "I've heard stories about that place…strange storms, lights in the water, voices…no one seems to know anything about it, except those on that island, there." He pointed at a tree-covered lump further to the south. "That's Froré Island. It's an odd place, split in two with the sea running through the middle. There's a small town, there. Everyone who lives there fishes for a living. They say that the island is protected by an ancient magic, the same one that makes the Isle to the north inaccessible."

"Magic?" said Nori, one eyebrow raised. "And here I was hoping it was some sort of bizarre natural force…"

"Oh, magic is quite real and quite potent. Anyone with pokémon should know that," said Mr. Briney, pointedly.

"Magic is everywhere. It's in the rocks and the trees, the sky and the ocean, and most of all, in pokémon. It's hidden in plain sight. You just have to know where to look." Briney's eyes twinkled merrily.

Nori still looked doubtful.

"We could go there, if you like," he said, gesturing at the islands.

Nori stared out at the strange rocks for a long time.

"No…another time, perhaps…"

~*~*~

Squee! My longest chapter yet! How's that for plot development, eh? Anywho, I'm going on holiday again (-_-;;) on Saturday, so don't expect any more chapters until I get back on the 16th.

Oh yes—cookies to anyone who can guess what pokémon Edward gave to Nori. Freshly baked! Woo-oo!

Don't forget to review!