~ Chapter 36 ~
The Family Business
"I introduced the group to the family today, well at least to my Uncle. My Uncle Lou, named after his father's father, Luciano. They spent the day on the farm learning how to be Pokémon Breeders and ranchers while I retook my Breeder's test—that darn license can be a pain sometimes. But even though I only got to spend a half a day with my friends and my Uncle I was able to enjoy what time I did spend with them. And hey, Professor Rowan was right, the gift my Uncle had for me was one of the best gifts he could have gotten. I have never been more thrilled in my life when I saw what he got me. Overall, a good day."
The group looked out at the vast amounts of land that made up the Accardi Pokémon Ranch and were fascinated with what they saw.
Fields as far as the eye could see, and definitely farther, covered in fences and Pokémon from all over the Sinnoh Region and beyond.
"Wow, this place is huge," said Jeremy as the group passed beneath the wooden arch that labeled the entrance.
"So, this is where you used to spend your summers?" asked Alyssandra in awe, "This is amazing."
Sam nodded, a wide smile brimming his face. "I loved it here," he said, "You can see why; all the wide-open space. Plus, there's nothing like spending a summer with a bunch of Pokémon. Breeding is in my blood—naturally I loved it; still do."
"So, where is the homestead?" asked Niya, "I don't see one."
Sam laughed. "This place is forty-three thousand acres, and it's another twenty from here to the homestead."
"So how are we supposed to get there?" asked Jeremy with a frown, "I don't feel like walking all the way there."
Sam motioned for the others to follow him, and he walked towards a wooden stall that looked like a pay station for a toll road. The station was attached to a small shed; old and wooden and riddled with holes. A short bald man sat sleeping at a desk inside of the booth.
Sam knocked on the frame of where the door would be, and the man at the desk shot up.
"How can I help you?" asked the man as he stood up, knocking over his chair.
He turned around and fumbled to turn it back up again, then combed the remainder of his hair over to the left and fumbled over towards the group.
Sam chuckled and shook his head. "Still falling asleep on the job, eh Hunter?" asked Sam.
Hunter looked down at Sam, his eyes squinting as he tried to examine his face. "Well, I—you see…you…Sam?" he asked. Hunter jumped back, he was smiling wide and then pulled Sam into a big bear hug. "Look at you! You grew!" exclaimed Hunter, "Ha-ha and these must be your travelling companions, right?"
Sam nodded. "They are."
"I take it you've decided to go on a Pokémon Journey then?" asked Hunter, stroking his toothbrush mustache. He was a large man with a wrinkled and purple face. Age and exhaustion definitely covered it. "I mean, I'd heard whispers—but I'm just a guide and a gate guard. I don't hear much beyond that."
"It's true," said Sam, "And yes these are my friends. Alyssandra, Jeremy and Niya."
"Ah, you used to talk about them a lot," laughed Hunter, "So! How can I help you today Master Accardi?"
Sam waved his hand as Hunter stepped out of the booth and onto the road. He stood a whole head shorter than Sam and the others and was forced to look up at them as he spoke.
"Hunter we've been over this for years. My uncles are Master Accardi," said Sam, "I'm just the heir apparent, per say. I haven't even taken over the business yet. Please, call me Sam."
"I can't, Master Accardi," he said dutifully, "You're an Accardi and one of the family. Therefore, you're one of my employers, and I must show you the proper respect."
Sam sighed. "If you must."
"So, I take it you will be needing the car to get up to the main homestead?" asked Hunter, "Will you be needing an escort as well?"
Sam shook his head as Hunter led the group towards the shed. "No thanks," he said, "I can drive us."
Hunter nodded and gave a small bow, then threw open the rotted doors of the old shed. As he did, the light poured in, revealing an old jeep. It was old, and yellow, but it looked sturdy enough carry the four of them. There were two front seats, and two back seats, and only a frame where the roof the car would be.
"The truck's full of gas, and the keys are in the ignition. It's yours to take," said Hunter, "I'll return to my desk."
"You mean your nap?" laughed Sam.
Hunter laughed as well and returned to his small booth.
Sam hopped into the driver's seat, while his friends argued over who would get the passenger's seat.
"I want it!" said Alyssandra, "I'm the girl, and I deserve it."
"Niya's a girl too! Besides, you guys use that excuse for everything," complained Jeremy, "I think I should get the front seat."
"I don't care what kind of claim you have to it, I just want the front seat," said Niya simply, shrugging her shoulders.
Sam snorted; Niya was probably the most honest of the three of them.
"I'm choosing who gets the front," said Sam, "Niya you get it. You were the only one truthful about why you wanted it."
Niya smiled and jumped beside Sam, while Alyssandra and Jeremy grumbled about having to sit in the back.
Sam turned the keys in the ignition, and the engine roared to life. The gear was shifted into drive, and the gas pedal was tapped, and the four friends rolled out of the garage and onto the dirt road that led to Main Homestead of the Ranch.
"I didn't know you could drive," said Niya over the whistling of the wind and humming of the engine.
"There aren't exactly a lot of cars in Twinleaf Town," joked Sam, "But I got my license last summer. Because I have a summer job here at the Ranch, my uncles were able to pull some strings and get me my license a few months early—driving makes transportation across the Ranch easier."
"Makes sense," noted Niya.
The remainder of the trip was spent looking out past the white fences to the fields of Pokémon.
There were Pokémon of all kinds, from all regions and in all sorts of habitats. Some of them were even being herded together for shipment to the other ranches for sale to specific clients as Sam pointed out. They would be brought to a specific part of the ranch where they'd be placed in their Poké Balls and sent to a shipping port before being sent to the people who ordered them.
"Mass shipping is usually only for Pokémon Professors from other regions, and Safari Zones. It's mostly done when they want Pokémon that my family doesn't raise at the Ranch in their specific region," explained Sam, "Sometimes we transfer the Pokémon to their new Trainers, and other times, usually the more popular option, Trainers will come pick up their own Pokémon."
The drive continued for a little while longer, until Jeremy pointed out a group of Fearow and Spearow flying at top speeds back and forth over an open field.
"What's that?" asked Alyssandra, looking at where Jeremy was pointing.
"That's where we train the Fearow and Spearow who will one day become part of the National Fearow Transportation Service," stated Sam as if this was an everyday occurrence, "Fearow transportation needs to be fast, that's why people take it, because it's faster than walking and cheaper than driving a car or taking the train. So, we train our Fearow to fly at minimum speeds of sixty kilometers an hour. They take a few days walk and condense it into a few hours and seeing as how the average walking speed is about five kilometers an hour, that is what makes it a preferred method of travel to most people."
Alyssandra smiled at Sam; something about how knowledgeable he was about the subject of Pokémon breeding seemed to make her happy. She wasn't sure why, but that he cared about something as trivial—to outsiders anyway—as breeding was refreshing. Though she knew it was much more than "just breeding"; to Sam this was a livelihood, a family duty; a destiny and his future.
In a few years, Sam would be in charge of this ranch, and it would be his responsibility to oversee the training of these Pokémon.
Alyssandra gave an inward chuckle, knowing that somehow, she'd end up a part of that life; Jeremy and Niya too. The four of them were friends. They were inseparable.
The group continued the drive, silently, until finally they reached the homestead. They pulled up into a semi-circular pebble covered driveway that led to a large, blue farmhouse. It was baby blue, with white windows and aluminum paneling. There was a porch on the left side, and a black, shingled roof. It was quaint, and looked homey, but was in fact, quite large for a farm house, and looked as if it could fit most of the ranch's workers inside comfortably.
In the distance, but still within walking range, was a large barn that no doubt housed many Pokémon and attached to the barn was a fenced-in field where Pokémon were no doubt kept during good weather in the day.
They weren't out, and Sam explained that they were probably out in the fields being watched by a few farm hands.
As the group approached the door, they noticed another truck had been parked out front. This truck was newer, a bit smaller, and was definitely a different model than the standard jeep the ranch hands usually drove, meaning the Ranch didn't own it.
Sam figured it was just a client coming to visit or place an order.
The group exited the vehicle as Sam put it into drive and turned it off, taking the keys with him as he unbuckled his seatbelt and together, they walked towards the front door.
As Sam was about to open the door, it opened from the inside, pushing out towards the group, causing the foursome to jump back out of the way to avoid it.
Out of the doorway walked two men.
The one in front who had opened the door was in a tweed jacket and had neatly trimmed and pressed tweed pants. His shirt was of the purest white, no doubt cotton, and he wore a black bowtie. An overcoat was slung over his arm, and his hair was pushed back beneath a bowler cap. The man was aged, and wrinkles covered much of his somewhat chubby face. He had a thick walrus mustache—a style Sam felt was becoming increasingly over popular.
Sam did not recognize him, but he recognized the second man.
In a blue dress shirt, blue jeans, and heavy, muddy boots with a worn-out leather belt. His head was balding slightly, but it wasn't visible minus a retreating hairline leaving his forehead a bit more exposed than a normal man. He was aged, but he didn't look it, and his nose was hooked and little crooked like it had been broken in some accident.
"Uncle Lou!" cried Sam happily, "Hey! I was just about to come look for you!"
"Hey, look who it is," cried Uncle Lou as he walked forward and hugged Sam tightly. Like a father would embrace a son. Alyssandra noticed that Sam's uncle was a fairly tall man, standing a little over six feet, and wondered if Sam would ever grow to be that height.
"I see you've finally made it here," laughed Lou, "It took you forever."
"We got held up," said Sam, half lying. He wasn't about to explain everything that had happened with Team Galactic or the Garchomp a few days ago, as his Uncle didn't need to know more than he did right now.
"I can't complain I suppose. You got here, and that's good enough," smiled Lou.
"How are our Pokémon doing, you haven't had trouble trying to care for them, have you?" asked Sam, though he knew that everyone one else was wondering that as well.
Uncle Lou chuckled. "They're doing just fine," he said, "They've all found friends of the same or similar species and have blended in to this ranch life really well. We use some of them as liaisons between us and the Pokémon we raise. In fact, your Chimchar has become somewhat of an ambassador for most of the Pokémon and the leader of our Chimchar here. Your Croagunk's also become very close with Chimchar and helps him and us around the ranch when Chimchar is busy. It's quite fun to watch really."
"How about my Mime Jr.?" asked Alyssandra.
"He's doing just fine," answered Uncle Lou, "He has many more friends, but he still spends time with your Happiny and Bonsly, which is actually quite cute."
"And my Garchomp hasn't been causing trouble has she?" wondered Jeremy, almost worried about the answer.
Uncle Lou waved his hand dismissively though. "No of course not," he replied, "Though she's a new addition to the ranch she's adjusting well. She's a little temperamental sometimes, but she's come to taking in a group of orphaned Gible we found out in the mountains the other day, so the desire to see her young child has dissipated, and it's given her something to do and keeps her happy."
As the group beamed, satisfied with their answers, Uncle Lou spoke again. "Actually, it's perfect that you made it here today," he said towards Sam, "Because you've got your Breeder's Test to rewrite."
"Wait what?" asked Sam, surprised and unprepared.
"That's Mr. Donovan from the Pokémon League," explained Uncle Lou, pointing Sam toward the oddly dressed man.
Sam shook his hand, and the man, stuffy and uptight as he was, began to speak down his nose. "Yes," sniffed the man, looking at Sam through the pair of glasses he had held up to his face, "I was here today to renew your Uncle's license to be a Breeder, and I noticed yours was about due as well. I don't normally do this, but it would be so much more efficient if I squeezed you in now."
Sam wanted to groan and complain. He loved being a Breeder, but he hated the test. So much studying was involved, and Sam had forgotten all about it. He thought he would've had more time than this and he wasn't prepared. But he had no choice.
"It's just a written test, right?" asked Sam as Mr. Donovan began to rummage through his battered leather briefcase.
He looked up, pausing for a second and then smiled widely. "Not anymore. We've added another part to it now," he said simply, as if he was deciding what flavor ice cream to have, "The other part is an evaluation of your relationship, cooperation, and teamwork with your Pokémon. As well as an examination of their care, grooming, maintenance and rearing methods."
Sam paused for a minute, his mind going right to his Gible. He had tried to make a few attempts to bond with it the past few days since its capture, but each time he did the Pokémon tried to bite or attack him. Sam knew that that kind of behavior could cost him his Breeder's License.
"All right, let's get started then," said Sam, feigning excitement, and preparedness. In truth, he wished that he could have another week or two to do this. By then he could have Gible under control and working well as part of his team.
"Before I go, do you think I could leave this egg in one of the incubators?" asked Sam, holding his egg out towards his uncle.
Sam's uncle nodded and took the egg. "Good luck," he whispered as Sam walked back towards Mr. Donovan who had pulled a stack of papers out of his briefcase and began walking back into the farmhouse.
Uncle Lou turned back towards the others and pointed towards the barn as he spoke. "Come with me in there," he said, the egg tucked underneath his arm carefully, "I'll place this egg in the incubator and we can grab some Rapidash. I'll show you what a day at this ranch looks like."
"Sweet!" exclaimed Jeremy, "I've always wanted to see what ranching and farming was like."
"Learning some breeding skills might be good for your training," said Niya to Alyssandra, "And I can put some of the tactics I've learned in Pokémon Trainer Weekly to good use."
"You subscribe to that magazine too?" asked Uncle Lou as the group headed towards the barn.
Niya nodded. "I find the articles very helpful as a Trainer and Coordinator, and it's great for travel advice. I'm helping train Sam and Alyssandra to become better at their respectively fields. That magazine does wonders as a teaching guide—though skill and experience are also a great help, and I've got tons of that."
Uncle Lou laughed. "You'd make a good Breeder," he said, "Your attention to detail, and your ability to keep up to date with the modern methods and respect for the traditional ones is exactly how we run things here."
"Maybe I'll come back and apply for a job one day, once all our travelling is done," joked Niya.
The group reached the barn, and as Sam's Uncle threw it open they could see the many types of Pokémon kept within. Rapidash and Ponyta, Miltank and Tauros; even Spearow and Fearow roosted in the rafters with the Starly, Staravia and Staraptor.
"These are just a fraction of the Pokémon we have here," explained Lou, "These are what we classify as 'Barnyard Pokémon', so we usually keep them in the barn when they're not grazing or out in the fields. We have other barns and sheltered habitats for other types of Pokémon and such. But they're much father out in the fields than this."
Lou explained the breakdown of the ranch as he walked over to a large machine, placing the egg—and the glass container it was in—inside an oven-looking opening. Everyone assumed that was the heated chamber where the eggs were incubated.
"Isn't that too much heat?" asked Alyssandra, "It's technically already in a miniature, portable incubator."
"Actually, the portable incubators provide very little heat, and are more meant for keeping the egg safe," explained Lou, "Breeder's usually use these things when the egg is close to hatching or when travelling. You wouldn't happen to know how far along this egg is, would you?" Alyssandra shook her head, and Sam's Uncle simply shrugged. "He's lucky though. It's not always you find an Eevee egg."
Niya raised an eyebrow. "That's an Eevee egg?" she asked, "How can you tell?"
"The ring patterns," explained Uncle Lou, pointing at the egg from behind the glass, "The brown and white jagged rings give it away. Hasn't Sam identified it yet?"
The group shrugged. "If he has, he hasn't told us," replied Alyssandra.
Uncle Lou shrugged again. "Well, I've taught my nephew enough to trust he knows what he's doing," he said with a smile.
Alyssandra nodded. "He's quite the good Breeder," trying to defend Sam's reputation, "Sam's good with his Pokémon, and he bonds with them quickly. I'm sure you've heard from Professor Rowan or his grandmother that he's able to communicate with his Empoleon without even speaking to it."
Uncle Lou raised an eyebrow with intrigue, not only at Alyssandra's claims at Sam's Pokémon telepathy, but at her sudden—and partially unnecessary—defense of Sam's skills as a Pokémon Breeder.
Alyssandra noticed this as well because she quickly ended the subject. She wasn't sure why, but she felt the need to make a good impression in front of Sam's family, for herself and for an absent Sam.
"I'm sure he's as good as you say," said Uncle Lou politely, not wanting Alyssandra to feel embarrassed, "Though I haven't heard these rumors—this sounds very intriguing. What does Professor Rowan say about Sam's connection to his Empoleon?"
Niya stepped up for Alyssandra, watching Uncle Lou gather several harnesses and saddles and bringing them towards the Rapidash pen.
"Professor Rowan couldn't explain it either," she stated, "He was amazed, though he says that Professor Oak calls it the Pokémon-Trainer Bond, and it occurs when a Trainer and their Pokémon are extremely close. He didn't say much else about it though, it was during the middle of a battle so most of us were paying attention to the fight."
Uncle Lou nodded and scratched the light surface of stubble that covered his face. "I see, interesting," he said simply.
The next few minutes passed silently as Lou prepared several Rapidash for riding. He soon reappeared on the back of a Rapidash, leading three others in tow. All three of them stood there, majestic, and proud, their manes flowing with a bright and passionate fire.
But the last one, the fourth, stood just as proud, but it's mane, instead of the usual orange and red flame, was a proud grey-blue, mixed with shades of white. It was oddly coloured, yet still just as beautiful a remarkable sight, if not more so than the other Rapidash.
"What's up with that one?" asked Jeremy, pointing to the oddly coloured Pokémon.
Uncle Lou looked back and smiled. "I'm glad you asked," he said cheerily, "You see, that's what people call a Shiny Pokémon. Not because they sparkle or anything, but because they're oddly coloured."
"I've heard of them," said Niya pensively, "They're extremely rare, the odds of finding one in the wild or through breeding your Pokémon is extremely small. You have a better chance of winning the lottery, some say."
"Wow," said Jeremy, impressed, "That's cool. So, who's is it? Is there a story behind it?"
Uncle Lou nodded. "Yes, its Sam's," he said nostalgically, "It was the first time my brother and I let Sam handle, care for, incubate and hatch an egg. The Ponyta that came out had a blue flame, instead of the usual red one, and it was supposed to be Sam's birthday gift, so we just let him keep it. He bonded with it, and every time Sam came to the ranch he'd use the Ponyta to help do his chores. Eventually it evolved into a Rapidash, and it always travelled to the ranch Sam was at. He calls it Grey Flame, because of its oddly coloured fire."
Alyssandra smiled; she couldn't help but think how cute that was, but it was also very nice to see one of Sam's oldest Pokémon, even before he became a Trainer.
Before Alyssandra knew what was happening, Grey Flame walked towards her, and began to sniff the air around her. Alyssandra froze, standing still, as not to spook it, and just as quick as it had come to her, it started to nuzzle her cheek.
Uncle Lou looked at the scene with amazement. "Grey Flame doesn't usually take well to others, at least those who aren't with Sam when they're introduced to him," explained Sam's Uncle, "I don't know much about the Trainer-Pokémon Bond, but I do know that Pokémon and Trainers get very close. I suppose Grey Flame can sense that you're also very close with Sam. So, I guess this means you'll be riding him today."
Alyssandra stroked the Rapidash's neck gently and hugged it closely. She was okay with that. The heat from its flame was warming and inviting, more so than the other Rapidash, and it was nice to have the special Pokémon.
Niya and Jeremy got onto the other Rapidash, while Alyssandra struggled to pull herself up onto Grey Flame. She refused help several times, but after many failed attempts and several heavy tugs on the straps of the saddle, Alyssandra was finally mounted upon the Pokémon.
"All right, kids," said Uncle Lou as the group exited the barn on their Pokémon, "Let's get going to the fields. We're going to bring some Miltank and Tauros home from the outer fields and keep them in the fields near the barn. We're going to ride there, are you all familiar with the control commands?"
Everyone shook their heads, and Sam's Uncle began to explain. "Our Rapidash are trained with voice commands. The reins are merely there as reinforcement. If you want the horse to go, you have to use the corresponding verbal cue. Like so—" Lou make a click sound from the side of his mouth using his tongue to demonstrate "—One click is a walk, two is a trot. To canter, you make a kissing noise—" Lou demonstrated again, puckering his lips and making a quick puckering noise "—like so. That indicates for the Rapidash to canter. Two of those is gallop."
Everyone nodded, and he continued.
"To slow down is 'easy', to stop completely is 'whoa'," he explained, "If you want to turn right, you tug on the right rein and say 'gee', for left, tug the left rein and saw 'haw.' Do you all understand?"
Once again, everyone nodded, though a bit more confused than before. Uncle Lou noticed this and calmed them down with a small smile. "You'll learn by doing, I suppose," he said, spinning his Pokémon around, facing the road they were to follow, "And if you forget just ask. Now come on, let's get going."
Uncle Lou made a short kissing noise and his Rapidash began to move.
The Pokémon began to canter down the road, and after a few tries, Niya, Jeremy and Alyssandra were following him down the road a little behind.
Sam sat nervously at his desk as his placed his pencil down on the table.
It took him two hours to finish his test, which was now a mound of filled out papers on his uncle's desk. It was ridiculous how much writing he had to do.
Theory after theory, after theory, after practice, after procedure, after medicinal recipe, after proper herbal names, after medicine, after annoying, little meticulous detail.
Sam's head was pounding, and he never wanted to write the test again—though he knew in another four years he would have to, and it pained him more than anything knowing this.
But now was the worst part, the part where he would have to show how well he got along with his Pokémon to Mr. Donovan.
Empoleon would be a good way to start or end, probably better as an end, because after he pulled out Gible he'd need a lot to make up for it.
Mr. Donovan took Sam's test and placed it in his briefcase. "The results of your test should be sent back to you shortly," explained Mr. Donovan, "I have them checked back at my office in Hearthome City, and I'll send you the results once it's marked. But right now, it's time for the Pokémon-Trainer Cooperation test. These results you'll get back right away."
Sam dabbed at some nervous sweat with his wrist and stood up.
"Come with me," said Mr. Donovan, "We'll do the test out in the back—we don't want to mess anything up in here."
Sam silently followed Mr. Donovan out to the back of the farmhouse. For once Sam wished that he had only a few Pokémon in his team, and then this test would be over faster.
But he had five, not including the Pokémon that would inevitably hatch from the egg and whatever other Pokémon he caught along the way that he would keep on him.
"Release your first Pokémon please," said Mr. Donovan, pulling out a clipboard and pencil, ready to write down everything Sam did.
Sam nodded, still silent, and chose his first Pokémon. He played it safe and first released his Staravia. It erupted from the Poké Ball and let out a proud cry.
"Staraaaavia!"
Sam called to him, and the Pokémon landed beside Sam on the ground.
Mr. Donovan nodded and knelt down to look at the Pokémon. "First, I will look at your Pokémon's health. Assess how well you've raised it and how you've kept it," explained Mr. Donovan, "And then I'll ask you to use a few maneuvers and combinations you two have worked on in order to test your teamwork together. I understand you're entered in the Pokémon League to get your Gym Badges, so that shouldn't be too difficult for you."
Sam nodded, still silent.
Mr. Donovan looked over Staravia, measuring its wings and tail feathers and even the curl on the top of its head. He examined its claws, its beak, and the sheen of its feathers, and when he was done, he stepped back with a confident nod and scrawled something fast on his clipboard.
"All right," said Mr. Donovan finally, "I'll have you attack that target over there."
Mr. Donovan pointed towards a straw dummy. It looked heavily abused and beaten, and Sam was sure his uncle kept it around as a practice dummy for his own Pokémon team in times leading up to these tests or for training Ranch Pokémon.
Sam let out a small exhalation of breath, just as Niya taught him, and kept his cool. He leveled his breathing to an even rate and slowed his heartbeat down to a relaxed pace. Now was his time to shine.
"Staravia!" cried Sam, "Go in for a Quick Attack! Then double back and finish it off with a Steel Wing!"
Staravia flew towards its target at top speeds and passed right by the straw dummy.
The dummy moved, and a small dent appeared in the side of the dry straw. In a flawless maneuver, it flew up in the air, spinning in a helix as it did, and then doubled back, swooping down, its wings glowing white. Within seconds it had lapped the target again and slashed right through the side with its wings.
It swooped back in towards Sam, and leveled out, slowing down, and landing gently on Sam's outstretched arm.
Mr. Donovan nodded. "Very good," he said calmly, "You two work well together. Now, release your next Pokémon."
Sam thanked Staravia and returned him to his Poké Ball. Next, he selected Cranidos. Sam hadn't used his Cranidos too much, but he had tried working with her a lot in the past week, and she was working with him a lot better than Gible was, so she was definitely worth a shot.
Besides, Sam could follow her up with Luxray if anything went wrong. Of all of Sam's Pokémon, his Luxray, Staravia and Empoleon had been with him the longest, and worked best with him. They were his main go-to Pokémon.
But Sam knew he needed to start branching into his new Pokémon, or they'd never be usable for battle, and he'd need every Pokémon he had for the Elite Four and for Valentina.
"Go, Cranidos!" called Sam, "Let's show people what we've got!"
Cranidos landed on the ground, her pride evident from her magnificent cry. "Craaaaaanidos! Craaa!" she roared in her small, yet loud voice.
Mr. Donovan let out a small chuckle. "It certainly has lots of spirit," he noted, "And you don't see too many Trainers with Cranidos. Have you had her long?"
"A week or two," said Sam, "She's a fairly new addition to my team, but she's full of spirit as you see."
"I see," said Mr. Donovan before he fell silent and began examining Cranidos.
Sam's Pokémon wasn't too happy about it, as it snorted in annoyance as Mr. Donovan attempted to look inside its mouth and examine its teeth.
"A bit of a temper," he sniffed, "But that's to be expected from these Pokémon. It's only natural, and it's new to you, so you'll have plenty of time in the future for you to fix this kind of behavior through training. Let's see what it can do."
And so, this was how the remainder of the hour went for Sam.
With Cranidos, he showed off the sheer power the Pokémon held in a single Headbutt. That attack shattered the dummy and sent it flying back several feet.
It was replaced by one of the farm hands, and Cranidos was returned to its Poké Ball, its performance seemingly acceptable.
Next, Sam unleashed Luxray, knowing full well that his third oldest Pokémon would be able to impress Mr. Donovan just as much as Staravia had.
Unleashing his Luxray proved well. Within minutes Luxray had proved himself more than impressive, using his array of Electric attacks and his Iron Tail to bring down the dummy, once more needing for it to be replaced.
Mr. Donovan again, allowed Luxray to return to his Poké Ball without a word, and so Sam let out his next to last Pokémon.
He knew it would either be Gible or Empoleon. Either one could make the entire test go either way.
If he brought out Empoleon first, maybe Mr. Donovan could overlook Gible, and any screw-ups that might occur with using him.
But if Mr. Donovan didn't, Sam was in trouble; which meant that Sam should send out Gible first. If Sam screwed up with him, he could make up for it with Empoleon and his non-verbal commands.
But, at the same time, Sam worried that if Mr. Donovan was as big a stickler for the rules as he seemed, nothing Sam could do would make up for Gible screwing up.
Sam exhaled again, and once more let his heart rate drop. He felt his nerves go down like Niya taught him and blindly, calmly, reached for a Poké Ball, praying with every fiber of his being that whatever he chose, all would go well.
Jeremy, Niya and Alyssandra leaned against the fence draining their canteens of water.
Uncle Lou returned to them and dismounted his Rapidash, tying it up to the fence where the group had tied theirs. They had been ranching all day, riding across the fields, from fenced-in field to fenced-in field—as they were all connected—in order to bring a herd of Miltank and Tauros back towards the main farmhouse.
The Pokémon were now happily grazing in a field a few kilometers north of where the farmhouse sat.
Jeremy had fallen off his Rapidash once or twice, and Alyssandra almost got attacked by a Tauros while trying to prod them through the fence one at a time. But after much frying under the sun and a lot of laughs, they had finally made it.
"That was fun," exclaimed Jeremy, "I can see why Sam loves spending his summers here!"
"I'm sure Sam's a bit more of a help than we were," winked Niya with a laugh.
Alyssandra chuckled, and even Jeremy and Uncle Lou joined in. "Well, Sam's had a few more years training than you guys," he said defensively, "But you were a big help too. Besides, when Sam first started out he used to make mistakes just like you guys. No one's perfect, right?"
"Least of all Sam," joked Jeremy.
Again, everyone laughed, but it was cut short by a loud, double honk. Everyone wheeled around to see Sam pulling up down the road in the truck. He stopped the car, halting it at the side of the road and ran towards them, smiling wide.
"How'd it go?" asked Sam's Uncle as he leaned back on the fence.
"I think I passed," said Sam happily, "At least, that's what Mr. Donovan told me. I passed the Pokémon-Trainer Cooperation test and I did so with flying colours!"
"Congrats!" cheered Alyssandra, giving Sam a small hug.
Niya and Jeremy shook his hand, and Sam's Uncle clapped him on the back with pride.
"How'd you get Gible to work with you?" asked Niya curiously, "He wanted to bite your head off the other day."
"It wasn't my head he was aiming for," laughed Sam, "But honestly I don't know. All of a sudden, he was responsive, and worked really well with me. Working with Gible was like working with Empoleon. It's like he knew what I wanted him to do, and the feeling I got working with him was really familiar like Empoleon too. It was amazing to behold. You should've seen Mr. Donovan's face after Empoleon and Gible were finished their display!"
"Well, that's good then," said Alyssandra happily, "Now you have one more Pokémon you can use in your gym battles without worry."
"I know," said Sam as he rubbed his hands together, "I'm thinking of using Gible in the next Gym Battle I have. I have a good feeling about him."
"You should. I think—" started Jeremy, but before he could finish.
Sam had walked off towards the Rapidash. His face was in awe as he looked upon the one with grey fire bursting from his neck. The Rapidash whinnied and attempted to break free from the harness before Sam came by to untie it.
Sam hugged the Pokémon tight around the neck. "It's Grey Flame!" he exclaimed happily, "I thought he was out in the Kanto Region, helping Uncle Agostino with his ranch work there?"
"I had him transferred back here," smiled Uncle Lou.
"Why though?" asked Sam, "I mean, you didn't need to take Grey Flame back if he was still needed."
"I spoke with my brother and he agreed you need Grey Flame more than him now," smiled Uncle Lou as he walked over to Sam, "I did say I had a gift for you, and this is it. You're a Pokémon Trainer now, the more Pokémon you have the better."
Sam smiled, and he and his uncle embraced in a hug.
As they finished their hug, Uncle Lou looked over at Jeremy and Niya and Alyssandra and gave them a look that prompted them to walk over towards Sam and him and join them for a talk.
"Now, I have something else to tell you all," started Uncle Lou slowly as he stepped back to lean against the fence again, "Professor Rowan told me you discovered ancient Pokémon living in the Mt. Coronet foot hills."
Everyone nodded, and Uncle Lou continued. "Well, when they passed by the ranch we had them wrangled—humanely of course—and brought to an area of our ranch that emulates where they like to live. We have them living here under conservation; hundreds of Rampardos, Cranidos, Bastiodon and Shieldon. Jeremy, I've been using your Bastiodon and Rampardos, and your Shieldon, Sam, to help us communicate with the ancient Pokémon. They're just guests, so they aren't available for sale and our protection of them is only known to Professor Rowan and a few of his trusted colleagues, Professor Birch, Professor Oak, Professor Juniper, and Professor Elm. We've also kept Valentina from the Pokémon League in the loop, and she agrees with the need for secrecy. We're keeping them here to protect them from Team Galactic and others who would do them wrong."
Sam bit his lip nervously. "Are you sure that's wise?" he asked, worried for the safety of his uncle, the farmhands and the other Pokémon of the ranch, "That's taking a big risk, isn't it? Team Galactic is determined to fulfill their goals, and if their goals involve taking ancient Pokémon then they'll do it no matter what."
Uncle Lou nodded. "Yes, but it's better than leaving them unprotected in the wild," he said firmly, "Besides, no one knows they've been moved into captivity. If Team Galactic goes around looking across Mt. Coronet they won't find them. They won't think to look here. No one would think we've taken them."
Sam nodded. "I suppose you're right. But be careful," he said with warning, "We don't want anything happening to the workers, the other Pokémon or us, you know."
Uncle Lou raised an eyebrow. "When have you ever been one to look out for personal safety?" he asked.
Alyssandra, Jeremy and Niya laughed in agreement, and even Sam let out a chuckle. But nothing was said further. Sam knew it was the best choice.
After the conversation finished, everyone mounted their Rapidash, except for Alyssandra who jumped onto Grey Flame behind Sam, holding on tight to his waist as they raced back towards the farmhouse.
A farmhand brought the truck back to where Hunter's stall was, in case someone else would need it later.
As the group reached the farmhouse, they knew that it was time to relax after a day of hard work for everyone. All they needed to do now was unpack a bit, maybe take a small power nap, and then prepare for dinner and they would spend the night at the ranch before leaving in the morning.
Finally, things felt like they did before Eterna and Route 205.
People were happy, giddy, in good spirits and there was good luck and cheer abundance.
Things were finally back on track.
