Rejuvenation
I don't own Pokemon or Pokemon Rejuvenation. If I owned either, they would suck.
…
"Apologies, but this train station has been experiencing a Power Outage all day. You'll have to come back later." The Guard in front of the train station informed me, blocking the entrance. I shrugged and walked away.
Well…since the train's been dead all day I doubt that the Professor's daughter is in Goldenwood Forest, unless she has a Flying Pokemon, or was staying there since yesterday, in which both cases I'm useless. I doubt it's the latter though, since the article didn't mention anything about any residential areas in the forest, unless she's sleeping in a cave.
…
Well, nothing to do now but…explore, I guess.
I headed over to further East Gearen, and ended up in the shopping street. I quickly checked my balance, ₱1,500. I had a decent allowance to spend. Wasn't a lot, but it was enough to get me by…I think. Hopefully. Treecko showed interest in the berry store, so I walked in. It was a fairly generic store, a wide variety of berries were stocked on shelves all around the store, along with green tiling, which I'm guessing was to match the nature theme. I turned towards the Grass-type, who seemed in awe at the variety.
"Hello! Welcome to my humble store. Would you like to purchase anything?" The woman behind the counter greeted, gesturing towards the wide variety of berries. I glanced at my Partner, who walked towards one of the isles, picking up a variety of berries and carrying them on his arm. He seemed really eager to eat.
And yes, Treecko is a Male. I checked in the Pokedex.
"Oh…" The woman seemed to have an apologetic look on her face.
"I'm sorry, but certain berry types need a certain number of badges from the trainer. You see, it's not easy getting this much harvest, especially in Gearen City, so there are limits to preserve certain berry types." Treecko seemed disappointed in that, returning the berries. Poor guy.
"Oran Berries and Pecha Berries are available to all, of course." She followed up. I glanced at Treecko, who nodded, accepting the available berries. I shrugged to myself and picked up a bit of the avaidable berry types, handing them towards the woman.
"Okay…10 Oran Berries and 8 Pecha Berries…That will be ₱360 sir." She counted up. I nodded, and pulled out the money, handing several bills over. She nodded contently, piling up the berries and giving me a dark green pouch with a Pokeball design on it. I raised an eyebrow.
"Oh! This is a complimentary pouch given for every trainer's first purchase. Hope you enjoy!" I was, again, pleasantly surprised at that. The people here seemed a lot nicer than what the atmosphere would first imply.
I walked out of the store, Treecko following as it munched on some berries I gave him.
I continued to explore the city, passing by the factory, the park, the hotel, and some…out of place tent in the corner of the city.
The thought of the Hotel reminded me that I needed a place to sleep tonight…Well, I heard that Pokemon Centers provided free overnight-stays, although considering the Pokemon Center is a Laboratory, I might have to sleep on a bench or something.
That would suck…but I'll think about that later. I glanced at Treecko again, who walked beside me with crossed arms. Wonder what he was-
"D-O-G-A-R-S, DOGARS!"
Music that would literally make someone deaf suddenly exploded from the house we were passing by, instinctively making me jump from the sudden outburst of music. Treecko had to cover his own ears because of the booming song.
"VERONICA! I DEMAND FOR YOU TO TURN THAT MUSIC DOWN!" I barely made out a feminine voice coming from inside house.
"HOLD ON A SECOND, THE BEAT IS ABOUT TO DROP!" Another voice obnoxiously responded, singing along with the lyrics. A loud thump could be heard coming from inside, as if slamming down against a table.
"FO YOU KNOW THE COMPLAINTS I'VE RECEIVED FROM THE NEIGHBORS?! POLICE HAVE COME TO OUR DOOR THREE TIMES THIS WEEK!"
"SCREEW THE POOOOOOOOOLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCEEEEEEEE!"
I…didn't know what to think of what I was hearing right now…I glanced at Treecko, who seemed unimpressed at the voices coming from inside. We should probably be moving on.
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH!"
The music suddenly cut short, and a second later, a purple haired-girl was dropped down from the second floor, slamming down onto the grassy terrain. I widened my eyes and instinctively walked over to her, Treecko following.
"Ugh…" "Veronica" groaned, weakly holding out an arm.
"…Are…you okay?" I asked…that was a really stupid question.
"Ugh…I…don't think I'm going to make it…" She began, as if choking on something.
"Listen…bro…I don't know who you are…but please…grant a girl…a last wish…A Pecha Berry…please…" She requested, weakly holding out a hand towards me.
…I can believe her getting hurt, but dying is a no…Nobody dies that suddenly from a fall, and there wasn't any blood anywhere either…and who would ask for a Pecha Berry for their final wish?
…
And being the idiot that I am, I decided to still give her a berry, dropping it onto her palm.
"Th-thanks, bro…" She thanked, and I could tell Treecko was giving me a deadpanned expression…I don't know, Treecko, okay? Berries are cheap anyways…
"I-I, don't even know your name…but it feels like we've known each other for a lifetime…" She drawled again, letting her arm rest on the grass as she coughed up a bit.
"I can see the light…The Horizon looks beautiful…Thank you…friend." She finished, closing her lavender eyes.
…
It was obvious that she was still breathing…she was wearing a skinny black tank-top. It wasn't that hard to see her breathing. An awkward moment of silence passed by, and I was beginning to wonder how long she was going to keep on with this charade.
…
"You can leave now." I resisted the urge to facepalm at that, while Treecko did actually facepalm. "Veronica" realized her mistake and began coughing wildly.
"I-I mean…you don't have to watch me die…Do you get a kink out of that or something?" I rolled my eyes, and she could tell that the jig was up as she bounced right back onto her feet, dusting off her short white skirt.
"Guess I'm not fooling you, huh? 'Sup. Name's Venam. Remember it." She introduced herself with a finger gun snap.
"…Aevis." I responded as Treecko jumped onto my shoulder. " This is Treecko." The Grass-Type gave a light wave to the girl.
"Cool, Aevis. Call me Venam. Name's Veronica because of my mom, but don't call me that." She suddenly leaned closer, a burning rage in her eyes.
"Do that and you'll need more than Oran Berries to heal your wounds." I hurriedly nodded, gulping a little, and Treecko remained emotionless. That explains its Pokedex entry a bit. Venam leaned back and let out a chuckle.
"Anyways, looks like I got kicked out again." I tilted my head at the girl. Again?
"Yeah, again." She clarified. "I play my music too loud, my mom kicks me out, and I get some poor sap to go buy me some food…Seems like you're the poor sap this time." I frowned a bit at that.
"Ah! Relax, I'm just teasing you, now wipe that kicked Growlithe look off of your face." She grinned.
"You seem cool, so why don't you hang out with me and my friends?" She suggested. I tilted my head, but didn't get a chance to respond.
"Relax, my friends are a lot more responsible than I am, so it probably won't go bad. We hang out by the sewers, directly south of here. I promise it'll be a lot of fun." She assured, relaxing her head on her hands. I sighed, before nodding. Might as well take mom's advice and try to make friends, I guess.
"Great! If you don't show up I'll make you buy me more food." She joked, before walking away.
…
Okay, people like Venam were what I was expecting when I arrived in Gearen. She's…a punk, a rebel, a renegade…but she seemed like a nice person...mostly…I think.
"…She's an interesting character." I noted to Treecko, who nodded in agreement.
Walking south, I walked down a small path, ending up in what looked like Docks of West Gearen. Only now I saw how…murky, the water looked. It didn't look poisonous…but it was gray, and was a bit…polluted. Treecko seemed to sigh in disappointment. Couldn't blame him, although I've heard Aevium was a new region, so who knows? Maybe there was an accident, or, something.
I headed towards the somewhat out of place building…to see my "Rival", and Venam, the latter of which was lying on the ground…again
"Please…Oran Berry…Berry…Emporium…" Venam drawled again, and I could feel Treecko facepalming on my shoulder. I stifled a chuckle under my hand.
"Come on Venam, you're not fooling anyone with that act." Ren stated, which went completely ignored.
"Please…it's…my last wish…" She began violently coughing, but was no more convincing than before. Ren groaned in annoyance.
"Just get up already, Veronica-"
Faster than I could process, Venam instantly got back up, her eyes burning with rage, and punched Ren square in the face, leaving a noticeable bruise on his cheek. Note to self, never piss her off…
"Don't call me that!" She seethed. Ren seemed uncaring as he continued on, dusting his face off a bit. A part of me wished that I had the confidence/poker face he had.
"You can't expect free food all the time, you know." He stated again, arms crossed. Venam made a fake hurt expression.
"You're a horrid person, Ren. You wouldn't even answer a lil' ol' girl's dying wish?" Venam pouted as she crossed her arms.
"Girl? I thought you were a Primeape."
…
That was really rude…but at the same time I couldn't stop myself from snickering. Venam didn't seem to have the same thoughts as she silently glared at Ren, which seemed to have no effect on him...Either that or he had a really good Poker face. Venam finally seemed to noticed I existed though.
"Aevis! Can you believe this guy?" Ren turned around, surprised to see me and Treecko there.
"Hello." I greeted, waving my hand a bit.
"Aevis? You were the one Venam was talking about?" He asked, eyebrow raised. Venam released a sigh of relief.
"Oh, good. Looks like I won't have to bother you with introductions. Come on! Melia's waiting down there." She reminded Ren, heading down the sewers…wait, Melia? As in the Professor's daughter?
…That was incredibly convenient. Either that or Melia was just a really common name. Ren turned back to me, shrugging.
"Well, looks like this works out for everyone. Come on, I'll show you around the sewers." Ren offered, walking ahead as I tailed behind him. I glanced at my partner, who didn't seem too eager to go down possibly poisonous sewers, so I had put him inside his Pokeball, with his approval of course. Ren was inside, gesturing for me to follow him down a set of stairs.
I walked down the stairway, being greeted with a smelly stench. I walked down onto the purple tiled concrete floor, noting the waving sewer waters, that seemed…poisonous…Why were people hanging out down here?
"Welcome to the abandoned, sewers, home to teenagers, weird techno-geeks, and a surprisingly decent restaurant." Ren welcomed with open arms. I raised an eyebrow at the last one, how would you run a restaurant in a sewer? Why would you ruin a restaurant in a sewer?
"…Yeah I chose not to question the restaurant part a long time ago." He shrugged. I continued to follow Ren, curiously observing the area, wondering why the hell people would hang out in a sewer. I mean, up above wasn't a bad place, was it?
"Eh. You get used to the smell. It's not too bad, it's not really any worse than the air above after a while of staying down here. The place is pretty average in terms of looks though." Ren assured, noticing my lingering eyes. I found a bit of a hard time believing that the air above was any worse, it's the sewers, after all.
…
"So, what do you think of Venam so far?" Ren asked, turning his head towards me.
"…She's an interesting character." I answered the same thing I told Treecko. Ren chuckled lightly at that.
"It's okay, you can be honest with me. She tricked you into giving her a berry, huh?" He teased, a grin on his face. I felt my face get a bit red in embarrassment, and I tipped my cap slightly to hide my expression.
"…I didn't think she was dead…I just gave her one because…I'm an idiot." I admitted, muttering the last part and gazing away for a moment. Ren seemed to laugh at my response and gave me a pat on the back.
"Eh, it's fine. You're new to Aevium, so I wouldn't expect you to get used to things like that quickly. We're still rivals, you know?" He reassured me, lightly punching my shoulder. Rivals, right. Eventually, Ren lead me towards a door near the end of the sewers, where Venam waited outside, leaning against the wall.
"You two took your sweet ass time, come on!" She rushed through the door, me and Ren following…until it closed right in front of us.
"What…?" Ren questioned, before groaning. "Did the power seriously flicker? Again?"
Again? How often does this happen? Was this even safe? Were we even allowed down here? Am I thinking of too many questions and not actually asking them?...Yes.
Ren whined a bit, before turning towards me with his arms crossed.
"Well, whatever. The generator's nearby anyways. Shouldn't be too hard to reset ourselves." Ren suggested. I shrugged and followed him, hoping that he knew what he was doing.
After another moment of walking, we got to the generator room, which consisted of three large metallic white devices, with the same purple tiling and gray walls.
"Alright…now…" Ren scratched his chin, as if trying to remember something.
"Koff-Koffing!"
Me and Ren turned our heads towards a duo of Koffing emerging from the back, heading towards us, one on the left, one on the right, both expelling a large amount of gas everywhere, which was filling up the room a bit. We glanced at each other, before pulling out our Pokeballs.
"Murkrow! Let's go!"
"Treecko!"
The two Pokemon dispersed, standing on their respective sides. I was surprised to see not Froakie out of Ren's Pokeball, but stayed silent.
"I'll take the one on the right. You take the left." Ren stated, walking towards the right side. I nodded in agreement as I turned back to Treecko, who nodded back to me, before turning towards our Koffing. Guess this was going to be my first Wild Pokemon Battle. This should hopefully be quick…Damn the Type advantages though.
The Poison-type let out a wicked smile, before regurgitating Sludge towards Treecko, who leapt into the air to dodge it.
"Razor Wind!"
Treecko's tail blazed blue, front flipping in midair and firing a barrage of crescent-shaped attacks from its tail. Koffing suddenly began to spin, faster, faster, and faster, giving its body a blue hue before charging towards Treecko, maneuvering around the projectiles and impacting Treecko in midair, knocking him towards the wall.
"Bounce off the wall and Counter with Quick Attack followed by Acrobatics!" I ordered.
Treecko gently landed on the wall, swiftly bouncing off the walls and speeding towards Koffing, leaving a white trail, before blazing blue and unleashing an outbreak of kicks and smacks. Koffing took the onslaught head-on, but began to spin again, using Gyro Ball, which noticeably gave Treecko some recoil damage. The Grass-Type finished it off by smacking Koffing to the ground, before landing safely.
"Finish it, Quick Attack!" I commanded as I outstretched an arm. Treecko hurriedly obeyed, nimbly dashing towards the Poison-type, which was slowly falling onto the ground...glowing..?
"Treecko stop!" I ordered instinctively. Treecko halted abruptly, observing Koffing as it began blazing white…absorbing itself…?
…
It was using Self-Destruct.
Crap.
If it used it here, the generators would probably get damaged, and Treecko, Ren, and his Murkrow would also take damage. I didn't have much time to think as Koffing began to glow brighter and brighter…
I looked through my bag for something to help me out…The Pokeballs Jenner gave me caught my eye.
"…Pokeball!" I enlarged it, before promptly hurling the Pokeball towards the Poison-Type, which successfully impacted onto its body, absorbing the Pokemon in a flash of red, the ball falling onto the ground.
*Shake*…*Shake*…*Shake*…
Ding!
…
I…Guess I caught a Koffing? I gazed at Treecko, who seemed minutely injured from the battle. I didn't buy any Potions yet, so I settled for giving him an Oran Berry. Better buy some later though. I walked towards the Pokeball on the floor, holding it in my hand, staring at it.
…
Is it weird that I feel bad for this thing? I mean, this thing could probably have a family or something…
"You caught it?" Ren asked, head tilted as Murkrow was perched on his shoulder, before promptly being returned. I nodded, before returning Treecko back into my Pokeball. My Rival shrugged at me.
"Huh. I won't judge your Pokemon preferences." I raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't say anything. I sent out Koffing from its Pokeball, floating in midair. I stared at it, it staring back right at me. After an awkward moment of staring, I tilted my head at the Poison-Type.
"Um…Hi?" I awkwardly greeted. It coughed in response, but mostly seemed uncaring though, as it twirled in place. I brought out my Pokedex to analyze it.
Koffing: The Poison Gas Pokemon
If Koffing becomes agitated, it raises the toxicity of its internal gases and then jets them out from all over its body. This Pokémon may also overinflate its round body, then explode.
Ability: Levitate: Gives the Pokemon the ability to hover/fly.
Moveset: Sludge, Gyro Ball, Self-Destruct, Smokescreen
Gender: Male
I kept my Pokedex back into my pocket and returned Koffing to his Pokeball.
"Alright, now that that's been taken care of, let's go back to resetting the generators." Ren suggested. I nodded in agreement as Ren scratched his cheek.
"Alright, if I remember correctly, Melia mentioned something about "3+1+2 is the solution to our generator problems.", doesn't take a genius to figure out that one." He stated. I went on over to the right, left, and middle generator, in that order. Apparently, resetting an electric generator only needd a push of a button. The more you know, I guess.
"Alright, now let's get a move on. Melia and Venam should be waiting for us back there." I nodded in agreement and headed out of the room, following behind Ren, keeping my hands in my jacket's pockets.
…
"So, what do you think of Aevium so far, Aevis?" Ren asked, before blinking. "I just realized how similar those two names sound…Are you sure you're not from Aevium?" I stifled a chuckle, and shook my head.
"Haven't seen much. Got here…a few hours ago, actually." I answered, scratching my neck a bit. Ren raised an eyebrow at me.
"Wait, you just arrived a few hours ago? How long have you been here when I first saw you?" He questioned.
"…Around an hour."
"How'd you get here? Don't you have any folks with you?" He followed up. I was about to answer…but…
"There's a troll in the dungeon! There's a troll in the dungeon!"
Memories of the ship suddenly flooded into my mind…I stopped walking and just stood in place, my consciousness filling up with more crashing noises of debris and attacks.
Screams of agony, panic, and pure frustration suddenly filled my ears, the sound of roaring thunder, falling piles of debris, and destructive detonation overlapping over the shrieks of pain. My hands were visibly shaking at my side…
"Aevis…I'm sorry…but this will be goodbye for now."
My eyes were shut tight and I could hear practically see it happening in front of me…I heard her voice, alongside the charging of an attack, getting louder and louder, echoing through my thoughts…
"Flash Cannon."
…
"AEVIS!"
Ren shook me back to reality, his hands firmly grasped onto my shoulders. I opened my eyes again, stepping away, clutching a hand to my chest, hyperventilating a bit…What the hell is wrong with me?
"You okay? You kinda zoned out for…Are…are you crying?"
I blinked, once, twice, thrice, trying to stop these stupid tears from emerging. I tilted my head towards the ground, before finally stopping myself, or, at least, make it look like I wasn't thinking about it.
"…Sorry." I muttered. Damn it Aevis, you literally just met this guy today, stop acting like an Arcues-damn baby in front of him-
"Sorry, for, uh, asking. You can tell me when the time comes." Ren commented, scratching his cheek. I sighed, whether it was in relief or disappointment in myself was debatable. Just relax Aevis. It's a problem, everyone has a problem of their own.
The walk was relatively silent after that.
…
We got inside the…Control room, or something. I gazed around the room, nothing was too notable other than this room also had a sewer-water river. When we got in, we were greeted by Venam…in her usual antics.
"Pecha…Berry…Ple-"
"Now you're just doing this to be annoying." Ren complained, arms crossed. Venam jumped right back up, shrugging nonchalantly.
"I'm freaking bored, okay? Melia, how's your progress with that computer thing?" The purple-haired girl asked, turning her head towards the right side of the room, where a blonde girl was fiddling with a large device, tapping on a small computer screen on it.
"Unfortunately, that's definitely a negative. I can't pinpoint what the problem is, or figure out what caused the problem to begin with." Melia answered, turning back towards Venam, before noticing me…she stared at me for five straight seconds of awkward silence.
…
"…I'm sorry but have we met before?" Melia finally asked, head tilted. I tilted my head back…before recognizing her as the girl I bumped into at the Lab…neat? I guess?
"You already know Aevis? He only arrived in Aevium today." Ren questioned, eyebrow raised. The blonde girl snapped a finger in realization.
"Oh. Right, I bumped into you at Gearen Laboratory. Sorry about that by the way." She apologized, bowing her head a bit. I didn't say anything in response, instead just nodding at the girl.
"…You're a quiet one, aren't you?" Venam noted.
"…Sorry." I muttered, shrugging. The punk-girl shrugged back.
"Eh, whatever. How'd you meet Ren anyways?" Venam questioned, leaning against the wall. I turned towards said Rival, who began to nervously scratch his neck.
"Well, I was off to visit Professor Jenner, and Aevis just so happened to receive his first Pokemon…So…I battled him…" He drawled out, stuttering a bit.
"And?" Melia beckoned for more.
"Well…He kinda, sorta, maybe, I don't know, perhaps, just a chance, that he-"
"He lost." I answered for him, ending his sputtering.
"I was getting to that…" Ren pouted.
"You lost to a noobie? Wow, you've definitely hit a new low Ren!" Venam teased with a cocky grin. Ren's face grew red, and Melia seemed to remain neutral in the conversation.
"He-he chose a Grass-Type! He had a Type advantage!" Ren excused himself.
"But doesn't your Froakie know Aerial Ace? And it has Protean?" Melia questioned, a light grin on her face. Venam was now silently snickering as Ren hunched down in embarrassment…Poor guy. I patted him on the back in consolation.
"…You put up a good fight." I comforted, though I don't think it made him feel any better. Sorry, I think?
…
After Venam finally stopped laughing (mostly), I decided to ask a question…which was probably the first time I was the first to talk in a conversation…I think.
"Why are you guys in the sewers?" I questioned, head tilted. Melia shrugged.
"Since the train to Goldenwood Forest was closed, I decided to head down to Gearen Sewers to check up on my experiment." She answered.
"Experiment?"
"Melia's trying to see if the rumors about Trubbish and Garbodor were true, about how they were mutated from garbage bags and…well, garbage." Ren answered. So…they were trying to "create", a Pokemon? That's…actually pretty cool.
"Sounds interesting." I noted. Melia nodded in response.
"That's not the only reason though, we're going to see if we Melia's superpower kicks in again!" Venam exclaimed, making Melia's face fluster a bit.
"V-Venam, I don't have any sort of special abilities, please just give it a rest…" She requested, hand on her forehead.
"Hey! Take pride in your ability! Nobody can attract Shiny Pokemon like you can!"
…Shiny Pokemon? She can attract Shinies? How does that work?
"Venam, that's not even confirmed yet. It's likely to be one big coincidence." Melia denied, arms crossed over her black long-sleeved sweater. Venam groaned.
"Come on! You-"
Chomp! Venam was then cut short by a loud bite, followed by the gnawing of metal. The four of us turned, A Garbodor on the other side of the sewer river, its garbage body colored…Azure? And its top was a…dark purple, matching the tiles in the sewers.
…
"Is…that a Shiny?" I questioned. Venam snapped her fingers.
"Hah! I told you so!" She exclaimed, pumping her fists up in victory and doing a little dance. Melia wasn't concerned with Venam at the moment, and seemed more worried about the Poison-Type on the other side.
"That must be what was causing the Power Outages!" The blonde girl exclaimed, but then had a confused look on her face.
"Wait…weren't there three trash bags on that side?" She questioned…She just jinxed it.
Two normal Trubbishes suddenly jumped from the sewer-river, landing onto the ground. The Shiny Garbodor swam through the river afterwards, reconciling with its…Brothers? Sisters? Co-Creations?
"We'll take care of this Melia!" Ren assured, holding out a Pokeball.
"O-Okay. Excuse me for this." Melia pardoned, walking away from the Poison-Types. I tilted my head at that. Does she not have a Pokemon, or…what?
"Froakie! Battle Stance!"
"Treecko!"
"Seviper, wreck'em!"
The three Pokemon emerged onto their respective trainers, and I was clearly at a disadvantage...Crap.
"Hey, don't worry Aevis, I got your back." Ren reassured, feeling a hand on my shoulder. I sighed, but this time in relief. I turned back to Treecko, giving it a nod once more, before turning towards the garbage trio.
"Let's do this!" Venam cheered, her Seviper crying in agreement.
"Trubbish-Trub!"
The two Trubbishes leapt into the air, regurgitating multiple Sludges towards our Pokemon.
"Razor Wind!" Treecko's tail energized bright blue, before spinning its tail upwards, discharging a multitude of White Crescent-shaped attacks, countering the Sludge barrage and hitting the Trubbishes in the process, knocking them back to Garbodor, who took initiative afterwards.
"GAAAAAARRRRBB!" Garbodor screeched, before holding up an arm, shooting out Toxic Spikes in the air, before falling on the ground. Ren grit his teeth.
"Careful! You're Treecko's gonna get poisoned, try to stay in midair." He advised. I had no idea how I was supposed to do that, but I rolled with it.
"Seviper! Poison Tail!" Venam commanded. The Snake Pokemon swiftly slithered towards one of the Trubbishes, tail bursting with purple energy, before knocking it into the air. Ren took this as an opportunity to attack, snapping a finger.
"Use Water Pulse on the airborne Trubbish!" Froakie conjured up an orb of water, firing it towards the trash Pokemon in midair. Garbodor roared as it held out two arms, blasting Sludge Bomb to counteract the Water Pulse.
"Intercept Sludge Bomb with Razor Wind!" Treecko once again unleashed another barrage of crescents, blowing the Sludge Bomb away, much to the Garbodor's annoyance, and allowing the Water Pulse to impact blasting the Trubbish into the wall, knocking it out.
"Awesome!" Ren cried out. I glanced at Venam, who seemed to be handling the other Trubbish on her own. I turned my attention back to the fully evolved Poison-Type, cautiously observing it. I felt a light tap on my shoulder.
"Aevis! Let's go after Garbodor!" My Rival insisted, a fist clenched and pumped. I nodded in agreement, but returned Treecko to its Pokeball. Couldn't risk it getting poisoned from the spikes. I pulled out my Koffing, sending it onto the field.
"Koffing!" I yelled out as he emerged, a cheeky grin on his face…body…thing. Ren had the same idea, pulling out Froakie's Pokeball, returning the Pokemon.
"Froakie, Return!" He pulled out another Pokeball. "Murkrow!" The Dark-Type emerged, flying in midair. Garbodor roared even louder, its cry echoing off the walls. It centered its two arms to its chest, forming a large spherical rock, before continuously blasting a multitude of them at our Pokemon. Koffing and Murkow hovered from side to side to avoid the attacks.
"Wing Attack!" Murkrow's wings burned blue, before promptly charging towards the Garbodor and slashing at it with its wings. Garbodor recoiled back, but threw a rock directly in front of Murkrow, blowing it back to Ren.
"Damn it! It's using Rock blast!" Ren cursed. Garbodor can learn Rock Blast? Since when? Garbodor howled powerfully, and unleashed another barrage of rocks at Koffing.
"Counter with Gyro Ball!" Koffing began to spin faster and faster, giving it a blue hue, and charged directly at the rocks, obliterating the rocks to mere pieces of rubble. Garbodor was even more agitated, and was going offensive as it sprinted towards Koffing, its right arm glowing blue.
"Intercept!" I ordered. Koffing spun directly into Garbodor's Pound, knocking the two back and stopping Koffing's rotation...Wait, did Poison resist Steel or-
"Aevis! Let's combine our attacks!" Ren suggested. I nodded as he outstretched an arm. "Drill Peck!"
"Gyro Ball!"
Our two Pokemon did their respective attacks, zooming towards the Poison-Type. Garbodor merely crossed its rubbish arms, tanking the hit. The attacks seemed to grind into its body, but had no effect on the Poison-Type itself. Garbodor outstretched its arms, cancelling their attack and throwing them back.
"That thing is tanky." I noted, hand on my cap. It combined its arms again, firing another Sludge Bomb. Seviper suddenly popped out, and knocked the attack away with its Poison Tail attack, sending it into the wall. I glanced at Venam, who was juggling a Pokeball, and finally rejoined us.
"Sup, you guys need my help?" She asked, Seviper slithering back to her.
"That thing can take a lot of hits, we're going to need to attack with something really powerful to knock it out." Ren explained. Venam raised a finger to her chin thinking…not exactly the best time as Garbodor was charging towards Koffing again, arm glowing blue with Pound.
"Intercept again with Gyro Ball!" I ordered as Koffing executed its attack, colliding once more with the Garbage Pokemon, the two Poison-Type rebounding again. I grit my teeth. Maybe I could send out Treecko to use Quick Attack with Koffing's Gy…ro…
Idea!
...I'm…so sorry Koffing.
"Aim for his center! Again! Gyro Ball!" Koffing executed its attack, swiftly charging into Garbodor's center body, continuously grinding into it. It didn't have any effect though, Garbodor simply tanking t he hit again. I heard my Rival whine in frustration.
"We need a stronger attack! Something to take it out in one go!" Ren exclaimed. I sighed sadly, glancing at Koffing, who was still grinding against the Garbodor.
"Sorry, Koffing." I muttered, before raising an arm with an open palm.
"Self-Destruct!"
"Huh?" Venam questioned.
Koffing's body began to glow brighter, and brighter, and brighter, continuously spinning into Garbodor's center. It tried to wiggle it off, but to no avail. It began to panic and tried to force it away with its arms, but its rotation made it difficult for it.
"Murkrow! Return!" Ren exclaimed, returning it to its Pokeball.
"You too Seviper!" Venam followed up. I sighed, and walked back a bit, covering my face with my cap as I awaited the blast.
An overwhelmingly loud blast flew past us, along with a mix of smoke, dust, and shreds of debris. The two Poison-types now engulfed within the smoke.
Once the dust settled, Garbodor was lying on the ground, fainted. I tilted my head down, seeing Koffing rolling towards me, the swirls over his eyes. I…freaking hugged it, I mean it literally blew itself up for me, how could I not? He seemed to let out a pleased cry before I pulled out his Pokeball.
"Return…you did a great job, buddy. Thank you." I thanked my Poison-Type as the capture signal absorbed it into the pokeball.
"Nice thinking, Aevis." Venam complimented. I shrugged. It was just a Self-Destruct. Nothing revolutionary, although I really had to thank Koffing for it.
"Good job you three!" Melia complimented form behind us. I felt a soft smile appear on my face at the compliment. It wasn't too often I heard those from people besides my mom…And I'm fairly sure those don't count.
"Look!" Venam called out. We turned back at the Garbodor, which was now silently retreating back, giving a glance at Melia before leaving.
"Gaarb…"
…
"Anyways…" Melia continued. "Thank you, Ren, Venam, and…Aevis, was it?" I nodded my head in confirmation.
"Thank you, although, we weren't in any real danger to begin with." She followed up. I raised an eyebrow. That thing literally chomped through metal. What was she talking about?
"Not as long as I had this!" She went back towards the machine, where she apparently hid…a gray briefcase.
"Wow!...What is it?" Venam questioned, hands on her hips.
"It's a briefcase that my father gave it to me before I left Goldenwood Forest. It's full of Pokeballs, Potions, and stuff like that. Although my father said that if things went south, I'd have to insert a super secret code, and we'd be safe!...I think." She answered. That didn't really clear anything up. What was inside? A Pokeball with 100% catch rate?
"Uh…okay." Ren said doubtfully.
"In any case, we've solved the cause of the problems. Some of the adults should be coming here shortly to repair the pipes and wiring. We should get going."
"Eh, I'll stay and supervise." Venam shrugged. "Not like I can go back home. Got kicked out again." I raised an eyebrow. She was going to be sleeping in the sewers..? That…was kind of sad, then again though, this probably happens to her a lot…
"Have fun with that. Don't forget to stop by later tonight though, I'm gonna ask dad if he can let you sleep-over tonight, and we still have that game night, right Ren?" Melia reminded the punk girl, before turning to Ren.
"Yeah." He simply responded.
"Will do." Venam saluted. Melia nodded contently. These three seemed like a Best-Friend-Forever trio you'd find in cartoons, made me feel really awkward being in the middle of them though.
"Oh, and Aevis? Would you like to go to Goldenwood Forest with me tomorrow? It's a common place for newbie trainers to train their Pokemon. I'm heading there for my father, but I'm sure you could benefit from the trip too."
…
I…seriously could not believe this. Seriously. We met…literally ten minutes ago, and now she's asking me to accompany her to the wild forest? The hell? Was that stupid or was that generous? I really couldn't tell.
…
Like father, like daughter, I guess, but my point still stands…
"…Sure." I answered after a moment of silence. Melia beamed at my answer, bowing in gratitude. Maybe I was the stupid one for agreeing to this kind of thing twice.
"Meet me in Route 1 once the Train Station comes back on tomorrow." She followed up, walking out of the room. She's…really trusting.
"Yeah, I know, almost too trusting." Ren agreed…I blinked. I said that out loud, didn't I?
"Eh. I'm sure Melia knows what she's doing. You seem like a nice guy anyways." Venam added, but quickly turned to me…A venomous look in her eyes.
"But if you dare try anything I'll make sure you don't walk again." I gulped heavily, nodding like a little wimp…To be fair though…no wait, I was a little wimp.
"You don't need to scare him." Ren pointed out. Venam shrugged.
"Eh. Just making sure. I guess I trust you though. You're quiet, but seem like a friendly guy." She added. I released a sigh of deep relief. She was a really scary girl when she wanted to be.
"…Thanks." I responded. Venam waved it off.
"Well, time for me to go. Professor Jenner asked me t o do some research in the library." Ren brought up, walking out of the room himself. I sighed, before walking out myself.
…
Now what?
I'm aimless in terms of what to do next…The given thing to was make some money, but that would mean having to find other trainers to fight…Wait...Ren still owed me some money…
Eh. Too late for that. I should probably go look for some trainers, but…I'm not sure if talking with random people and asking them if they want to battle would be efficient, or something I was willing to do-
"Hey, you!" I turned my head, a youngster behind me. He shifted his cap to the back, and pulled out a Pokeball.
"Let's battle!"
…
Or…they could come to me…Well, that makes my life a lot easier.
-LINE-BREAK-
"Here's your Chinese Food!"
I nodded in thanks as I took the carton, along with the chopsticks, tilted my head down at the table. I had won three battles in the sewers so far, mostly won by Treecko, with Koffing helping in the last battle against that Techno-Guy. A few wild Pokemon showed up too, and I was tempted to catch the Noibat for the sake of its Dragon-typing, but decided not to for now. I got my first Pokemon today, and catching Koffing was more on instinct than anything.
The battles brought my balance up to ₱1,460. I spent ₱300 to buy some Chinese Food though, even if I didn't know what a Chinese was. I hadn't eaten since…the…ship.
I shook my head at the thought. I need to stop thinking like this. I raised my head, seeing my two Pokemon across the table. Treecko was nibbling on some Oran Berries from my pouch, and Koffing was hovering on the table, munching on Pecha Berries, ironically. Guess I'm going to have to pay for their meals...Maybe I can get some Pokesnax, or whatever those brown things were called. I'd need to learn how to cook though.
I decided to let my thoughts linger for a while. I only had Treecko and Koffing so far. The Poison-type munched sloppily on its berries, accidentally spitting a bit onto the table, and from what I could tell, his spit was poisonous… Treecko sneered, and shifted away from the table a bit.
I sighed. The two…weren't exactly friendly with each other. I guess it was because they were somewhat opposites in typing, or maybe their personalities were just different, but what would I know? I don't speak Pokemon. Even if I did I'm not sure if they would even want to talk with me.
In terms of battling, they weren't the best type combo. Grass had a lot of weaknesses, and Poison didn't have much of an advantage over other types. At least neither of them had the same weakness…I think. A Rock type would help, it would cover four of Treecko's weaknesses, but it would also add a weakness to Steel-types, I think, depending on if Steel was effective or not against Poison.
Best not to think about this too much, I'm bound to find some other Pokemon along the way.
Money…not much to say there. I could gain a decent amount by battling, and that's what I'm planning to do for now. There was also a Help Center, which could potentially give me a decent paycheck, although that might be a short-term idea. I'll have to train against wild Pokemon if the trainers start becoming tougher though, so I should have a decent amount of money just in case I lose a few battles.
After spending ten minutes on figuring out on how to hold chopsticks, I decided to get a plastic fork from the table and ate with that, somewhat embarrassingly. I finished my food and returned my Pokemon to their Pokeballs.
"Now…I need to find a place to sleep…" I muttered to myself, hands in my jacket's pockets. I prayed to Arceus that Gearen Laboratory had available guest rooms for trainers…
-LINE-BREAK-
"I'm sorry, but we're full. Sorry, but there's not too many rooms in here compared to normal Pokemon Centers, since this is mostly a Laboratory for the Professor's experiments. We hope you understand." Nurse Joy apologized, bowing her head from behind the counter.
…Greeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.
"Not even one?" I asked again. Nurse Joy checked her small PC again, and shook her head.
"I'm sorry, but most of them have been reserved by people who should have arrived today from the S.S. Oceana, and due to how wealthy they mostly were, we can't risk anything given Aevium's current status." She explained, which made me widen my eyes a bit. Right…they never arrived.
"We deeply apologize for the inconvenience. Please let us know if there's anything else we can help you with." I sighed. I could ask if my Mom had made a reservation…but I don't think that I should do that. They'd know I was from the ship, and they'd ask questions. What kind of questions? I don't know, and I don't want to find out. I would rather not have any attention on me.
…Damn it. Guess I'm sleeping on a bench tonight…Not the best way to spend your first night in a new region. I glanced at the clock. It was already past dusk, and I might as well take a rest. I'm dead tired after everything today…
I ended up going to further East Gearen to find a bench for me to sleep in. I probably should've just asked someone if I could sleep on their couch, but I was already tired and lying down on the bench, my Pokemon inside my Pokeballs.
…
I found it a hard time sleeping. Call it paranoia, but sleeping in a city like this out in the open wasn't too appealing, and I was basically a hobo until further notice, so who knows what could happen to me. I shook of the thought, and placed my hands in my pockets again, the air was actually a bit chilly.
…
I eventually managed to close my eyes for a few minutes, the feeling of sleep finally overtaking me.
-LINE-BREAK-
…
"Aevis?"
I felt someone shaking my body to wake me up. I sluggishly opened my eyes…to see Melia's eyes right in front of me.
…
"Hi."
"SWEET LORD HELIX!"
I fell off of the bench, landing with my back against the floor. I groaned painfully, sitting back up with my knees up and hand on the floor. I rubbed my eyes with my other hand, and raised my head towards Melia…who was holding back a laugh. I looked around the area, and whoever was around to see that was snickering. I hid my face with my cap as I felt my expression get red.
"...Shut up." I muttered, which only seemed to make her struggle to hold her laugh more.
"I-I'm s-s-sorr-y…" Melia "apologized", chortling at me. My face was still covered by my cap, but I couldn't help but feel really, really embarrassed right now, even if there was barely anyone around.
"U-Um, a-are you okay?" Melia asked, calming down a bit.
"…Yeah...Why'd you wake me up?"
"Well, it was getting late, so I thought that I should wake you up, it's not exactly comfortable to spend your first night in Aevium on a bench. You have a place to live, right?" Melia asked with her hands behind her back. I mareepishly scratched my neck.
"Yeah…sure." I lied, although it was obvious from her face that she could tell I was lying.
"You do have a place to sleep, right?"
…
"No?" I reluctantly replied, raising my cap to face Melia, who was expressionless. She blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice...and whatever comes after thrice. Quice?
"What about the Laboratory?"
"Full, apparently."
"Someone to take care of you?"
"…No?"
…
"One sec." Melia backed away for a moment, opening her CyberNav and dialing someone. I just continued to sit on the ground…like an idiot. Who was she talking to?
…
Once the call ended, she went back to me. She gestured for me to stand up, which I did, before she grabbed my hand and began to drag me…somewhere.
"…What are you doing?"
"I'm not going to let your first night in Aevium be on a bench! There's a spare sofa in my room you can use." She replied.
…
I pulled back my hand and I began sputtering out excuses faster than I could think.
"That's not necessary-I'm fine I know I'm just going to inconvenience you anyways-I've done nothing for you-We've only met today why are you doing this-I'm fine you can leave me be-Venam's literally sleeping in the sewers just give it to her-I appreciate the offer and-"
"Aevis, one more word and I'll slap you."
"…I'm just saying-OW!" Melia sighed afterwards, crossing her arms.
"I'm fairly sure that a sofa inside is better than a bench outside. Why are you resisting so much?" I timidly scratched my arm, hesitantly trying to come up with a response. In all honesty, I was somewhat confused myself.
"…Because we just barely met today and my conscience is telling me that I'm just going to inconvenience and annoy you?" I replied shakily, avoiding eye contact. Melia blinked. Once. Twice…before she laughed softly and began to drag me again by the hand.
"You're such a doll, Aevis." I tilted my hat to cover up the reddened expression on my face. I reluctantly followed Melia.
"…Shut up." Why did I say that? I don't know but it felt appropriate. Melia chuckled at that.
"Aevis, it's true that we've only met today, but you're…shy. Really shy. I…can relate to that. If it wasn't for Venam and Ren I probably wouldn't have any friends here in Gearen." She began.
"I know how it feels to be in the situation you're in, except I had dad to keep me company, which only makes your situation worse…I won't make you answer my questions for now, but, even if we only met today, I'm your new friend, even if we've just met today, I'm more than happy to help!" She beamed, the same optimistic smile on her face.
"…Thanks…a lot…Seriously." I thanked, completely genuine. She was ridiculously kind, although, again, a bit trusting. Then again though, I trusted her, someone in a place where I've never been in before, so I was probably the idiot here. She turned back and continued walking, me trailing behind her.
-LINE-BREAK-
Melia lead me to her room…where Venam and Ren were waiting…Oh yeah…They mentioned a game night or something…This is going to be an awkward night, isn't it?
"Hey guys!" Melia waved. Venam waved back and Ren seemed confused on why I was there.
"What's Aevis doing here?"
"Aevis apparently had no place to stay for the night, so I invited him to sleep on my couch for tonight." Melia replied. I couldn't help but cover my face in shame from that.
"…Sorry." I muttered out of habit. Venam stared for a moment, but shrugged.
"Eh. Whatever, I was already going to sleep in the sewers anyways." She waved off. A part of me felt really bad for her, considering that I was the newcomer here.
"Melia, since you don't have a gaming console, go grab your board and card games."
"UNO?"
"UNO."
I raised an eyebrow. I knew what UNO was, but I didn't get how it could be fun. It was just matching different colors and numbers. Then again, I never played it before so who knows-
Ten Minutes Later…
We were sitting around the table in Melia's room, playing this game of colors and numbers. I stared at that purple-haired bitch beside me, flaunting that Blue Skip Card like she just won the lottery.
"Woops." She laughed, banging the card against the table like she owned the place.
"Eh, relax, I got you Aev." Ren said, handing down a Blue Reverse card, which was when I decided that he was a good person. At some point in the game they started to nickname me Aev, which felt weird at first…but for now I glared at that purple-haired wench and slammed down my card like it was my entire purpose in life.
"Wild Draw Four. Red." Oh the pissed of look on Venam's face was so damn worth it. She scowled, her eyes burrowing through me as she drew her four cards and skipping her turn. Yes. That's right. Now-
"I feel like you two are taking this game a bit too seriously…" Ren sweatdropped.
…
"…Sorry." I mumbled. What the hell was I thinking? This was literally just a game of cards…I should probably apolo-
"Red Skip, Ren." Melia called sweetly.
"OH SCREW YOU!"
…
We ended up all laughing and playing together for the rest of the night…It was…actually really soothing, actually. Just sitting down…playing this card game without a care in the world…skipping my turn three times in a row…It was…really fun. I guess I was part of their little group now? I think?
…That thought made me feel…Happy.
...
"So, Aev, how'd you get into Aevium? Ren said that you were new here, I don't really see you with anyone, and you don't have anywhere else to stay." Venam asked, rolling her two dice in Monopoly. I felt myself twitch a little at the question.
"So, what? Are you a stowaway, or-"
"Venam! You just stepped onto my property!" Ren interrupted quickly, promptly winking at me. I sighed in relief. Ren was a really, good person now.
"What-OH COME ON!" We shared another laugh. I gazed around the room, where our Pokemon were...Poke-talking, or whatever. Melia said that it would help them bond a little bit with wild Pokemon once they got used to trained ones.
Treecko was leaning against the wall, chatting with Melia's Togepi, or Hapi, which was also, apparently a shiny...Wow. Koffing was just floating around, hanging out with Venam's Seviper and Whirlipede, and Froakie was talking with Murkrow. I should probably let them roam outside their Pokeballs more often.
…
Venam and Ren eventually left, and by that point, I was tired. I let Treecko and Koffing sleep outside of their balls, the two lying down on a white carpet, a small distance away from each other. Melia's Togepi was sleeping on a pillow beside her bed.
Melia wore a red long-sleeved polo and red pants for her pajamas. When she asked why I didn't have any, I replied:
"It's probably at the bottom of the ocean."…And the tiredness/elatedness must have gotten to me, because I wasn't thinking when I replied with that. I shortly realized what I said once I saw Melia's expression.
"What..?"
"…I'll tell you another time…" I sighed. Wasn't in much point telling her what happened, anyways. She's done only good things to me, so no point in telling her for the sake of some pity. Melia didn't seem satisfied by that, but dropped the topic anyways.
…
I lied down on the sofa on the left side of the room, eyes closed and hands in my pockets. My head was rested on one of the sofa's armrests, and a cozy blanket covered my body from neck to toe.
"Goodnight Aev!"
"…Goodnight, Melia."
…Despite the awkward event just a few minutes ago…I enjoyed today. This definitely wasn't how I anticipated my first day in Aevium going…but it was definitely one to remember, for good and bad reasons…
I sighed, again, and tried to fall asleep. I ended up tossing and turning on the small couch for about…thirty minutes, before I fell asleep. Probably just a feeling of Paranoia.
-LINE-BREAK-
Welp, I guess that's chapter 3. Sorry for the fluff above. We don't really see anything of Ren, Venam, and Melia unless you count Melia's Audition Tape in her room, and because Aevis needed an actual reason to care when Melia "died"…yeah.
Was this scene a bit cheesy/stupid/completely cringy? Yes, but friends always do stupid things with each other, and Rejuvenation always seemed to have a point of being optimistic in an unfair world. Of course, it can go from optimistic to ridiculously naïve at some points, but that's my personal opinion.
Was this scene inspired by Where Love Lies?...To be honest it wasn't intentional, but once I realized it, I just rolled with it.
"There's not a sofa in Melia's room!"
There's also not a bathroom anywhere in the Rejuvenation universe, unless you count time traveling. And a majority of the routes are actually fairly short, even Terajuma Jungle, unless you count V8 and below…Or was it V6? Idk, so expect some of those routes to be extended to be bigger than what you'd see in game.
Also, like I said last chapter, there will be no shipping. I didn't add that scene for shipping.
Well, not much to say here. On with the Omake!...I think. I think it's called an Omake.
-LINE-BREAK-
OMAKE:
The sound of the ship's horns' blared through the halls of the ship, making me cover my ears at the loud noise. I sighed, walking down the wooden flooring, looking for something. I gazed out a window, curiously glancing through the night. A full moon was high in the sky, a single star twinkling, and the ocean solemn and calm. I turned back to the hall, walking.
I spot my mom, smiling and waving at me. She said nothing, but grabbed my hand and led me through the hall, a warm smile on her face. I followed without a second thought.
We began walking, passing by a small group of children, who were playing amongst themselves. I didn't pay much mind to them.
Mom led me to a large set of double doors. We pushed the doors open, and blackness was everywhere as far as the eye could see. I walked in without a second thought, somehow walking on nothing.
I turn back, and all I could see were the double doors, and Mom. She smiled sweetly, and said:
"I'm sorry."
I didn't say anything back.
The doors closed, Mom gone. A light flashed abruptly before my eyes, brighter than anything else I've ever seen, and suddenly, I was on the ship's front deck. Thunder was roaring and rain was falling harshly onto the deck.
I turned back, where that woman stood, her tied-purple hair flying in the wind, a sinister smile on her face. She snapped her fingers, tentacle-Pokemon emerging and surrounding me, centering their tentacles and charging. I felt myself shaking, my hands trembling at my sides.
Numerous blasts thundered around me, engulfing me in light.
Before I knew it, I began to fall, faster, faster, and faster, descending deeper, and deeper into nothing. Everything around me was pitch black. The "Nothing" around me was pitch black.
I couldn't do anything but let myself fall, endlessly...
I glanced at my torso, which was slowly becoming darker, as if falling deeper and deeper into a hole and losing light. Eventually, my own body was pitch black. I couldn't even see myself.
I was nothing.
…
I remained frozen.
…
My eyes opened, a sharp gasp escaping my lips.
I began hyperventilating a bit, laying a hand over my chest. I slowly sat up straight on the sofa, carefully gazing around the dark room. Melia was in her bed, sleeping peacefully, and everything else was as it was before. I sniffed, and pressed a pillow against my face, tears beginning to emerge.
I curled my knees up into a ball and cried my eyes out, doing my best not to wake Melia or my Pokemon up.
…
I miss Mom.
-LINE-BREAK-
…Yeah that was short. But it was a dream, and dreams are short…right?
I barely remember my own dreams, and I used a lot of clichés in dream symbolism, which I'm sure is just ridiculously vague that it doesn't make sense since I just Googled it for about 10 minutes, simultaneously finding out dreams usually last for about 5 minutes. And since I'm generally terrible with emotional scenes in general…
So, most likely a bad Omake. I'm sorry. I'll try and get better with "emotional" scenes.
Anyways, not much to say here, really.
Feel free to leave your criticism, tips, ideas, suggestions or just thoughts on the story so far in the reviews! No reviews this time around, which isn't really surprising.
Thank you for reading, and have a great day.