"Whoaaa... I can't believe it's been just a week. The ships here are really fast." Koume gasped in ave, seeing from the window in her small room that her ship already made it to the port of so called New Bark Town. Not the most original name but she didn't had the time to discuss that. "Let's go Buneary, we have many things to do today!" She added, taking her go-to partner in the arms before grabbing her geniuenly big backpack and and her other personal things from the room walking out of it into the corridor and locking the doors with the key given by the crewmate the day before.
"I guess it was only a one-time sail this time?" A sailor in his freshly cleaned attire asked her as she handed him the keys right after locking them.
"Indeed, I am here to uptake the gym challenge and then the leauge if I get lucky." She explained to him with enthusiasm.
"You're not in usual age for this stuff, but that honestly makes it better. I wish good luck!" Sailor shrugged his arms, waving his hand to her as she began walking away.
"Thank you! I need every help there is!"
"Now that's something you don't see every day." Sushil smiled, browsing one of Japan's websites dedicated solely to having people of all kinds announce that they were looking for a job. And what caught his attention? A messeage with recommendation of a friend. From a secind-grade student at a partially forgotten school called Oarai nothenless, which meant bonus points for exoticism in his eyes.
"Miho Nishizumi... As if it wasn't odd enough for me to check." He thought, seeing the official name of the person who created the post. "Mako Reizei. No prior job experience, extremely sleepy, freshly relegated from Oarai for skipping classes." He read in silence, catching up on spare but satisfying informations given for him to see.
"Kroo!" A Rowlet called out to him, gently placing a cup of tea on the table.
"Thanks mate, I needed that." Sushil responded, patting him on the head while inputing the phone number to Miho for a call. Quite a cruciual development was about to happen.
"Pokemon Contest... Last chance for a Queen of Hoenn? I don't understand but at least I know that pokemon can do more than just fight eachother." Koume said to herself, reading ocassional posters placed here and there on lone, thick poles meant for the streer advertisents. So far she didn't even left the town and the place was about enough to make her feel like back at the Kuromorimine. Just without the pressure on winning from everyone around which was a good thing for her to say at least.
"Hmm!" Buneary suddenly poked her in the leg, making her look down and see her business Rotom-phone ringing.
"Oh, thanks Buneary." Koume nodded, taking the phone out and amswering the call. "Who's there?"
"It's me, Sushil." Familiar face responded as the face of her de facto boss appeared on the screen. "I'm calling to tell you about two important things. But first, do you want to hear the good or personal one?"
"Good one, I think."
"Fine then. We'll getting a new locator back at our base." Sushil explained. "Her name is Mako and she'll be with us on the same terms as you, althrough her Grandmother is staying back in Japan under the watch of person related to the personal information."
"Uhhh, and who exacly?" She asked, takingna stop around the corner of the street and resting her back on the wall with a clear look on the local battleground for pokemon trainers.
"You'll see soon." Sushil responded, showing her a phone number. "But first, write that down and then call on your phone. I promise you won't be disappointed."
"Alright then, thanks." Koume smiled weakly, writing the phone number down before confirming doing so to Sushil and ending the call. "What do you think Buneary? Call or not?" She asked her companion who patiently waited near her leg like a good dog.
"Meep." Small pokemon responded, jumping up and down twice.
"Right, we should trust him." Koume assured herself before inputing given phone number into the contact section and making the call.
"Halo?" A familiar voice came from the other side, making her jump from happiness.
"Miho!"
"Koume! How good to hear you!" A girl with light brown hair and eyes responded, connecting to her with the visual from what seemed to be a small apartament for a single person. "Makes me feel silly for not having our phone number exchanged earlier on."
"Me too, especially since I didn't got to thank you for saving me back there." Koume responded, feeling her eyes becoming wet.
"It's fine! After all you did it now." Miho smiled politely, having her calm down. "Oarai is quite a nice place, even up to the point I stayed in Sensha-do and I'll lead the school in the next National Championship."
"Really? That's great!" Koume gasped in ave, before having a struck of an idea and taking Buneary into her arms. "I've actually changed profession since I'm in a place where basically no one is intrested in Sensha-do."
"Nobody is? Then what they do all day?" Miho asked, suprised up to the level of being disturbed. After all, this martial art was a mainstream for good few dozens of years worldwide.
"They live and battle with pokemon. Such as mine friend Buneary!" Koume explained, showing her brown bunny up in the front of the screen, where it let out a happy snort and waving her hand to her.
"Oooh, it's so cute! I never seen any in my life!" Miho responded with overloading excitement, almost falling off her chair.
"I know, she and many more are a main reason this place ignores Sensha-do and vice versa." Koume explained, looking at her five other pokeballs. "By the way, how much time do you still have to talk?"
"About an hour. I'm not feeling hungry and the day itself isn't very busy from now on. Why do you ask?"
"Because I want to explain everything and show the rest of my team!" Koume responded, looking forward at the empty arena for local battles. "And I think I found just a place for that..."
"Hmm, that's a very few people for a so big ship." Mako thought as she took a seat on the plastic chair in what seemed to be a small stadium for extremly simplified soccer or just rugby. "But if it means I can help my Grandma by earning some money then I accept."
"Hey there! Mako Reizei, right?" Sushil asked, walking up to her and taking a seat two places to her right.
"Yes, now tell me what's the job and let me slee-AAAH!" She was about to send him off, but jumped in place and fell on the ground upon seeing a seafoam green ceramic teacup with human face painted on it who was floating in front of hear and moving freely.
"Mrrr..." A silent gurgling sound came from the cup as it nodded slightly in front of her and moved her body back to the standing position while being outlined with pink and gold outlines before returning to normal.
"Wh-what was that?!" Mako exclaimed, shaking in place while barely holding onto reality and moving her eyes around in panic.
"A showcase of ghost being a kind, helpful creature." The boy explained, shrugging his arms. "Sushil Kalloe, glad to meet you."
"M-Mako R-Reizei." She stuttered, unable to move her body. "I-I didn't expected ghosts to be r-real."
"Very few within Sensha-do cultural sphere do, no offense taken." Sushil smiled, before looking back at the floating teacup. "This here is a Sinistea, a pokemon who volunteered for being your friend."
"Pokemon? What's that?"
"What we have in here instead of typical animals in your previous place of living. Some are still animal-like, some are spirits inside tableware who make it fly." Sushil explained, smiling to her. "They also replace Sensha-do in terms of entertainment, althrough the application of violence is similar in terms of limitations."
"That explains a lot." Mako nodded, looking back at the Sinistea. "So you want to be my friend, right?" She asked, returning to her moody self and taking two steps up to them.
"Weee!" Ghost pokemon responded with lackluster screech, excited up to the point of wiggling all over the cubic meter of free space he had.
"I'm sorry but I don't know. I'm just scared of ghosts." Mako sighed, looking slightly down with shame.
"Not all ghosts are here to scare you." Sushil countered her just while a two punks approached them.
"Ey, shmucks!" A late-teenage boy with short pink hair, leather jacket and a pokeball in hand shouted towards the two.
"Battle us?" A second one with peanut brown hair and a white shirt added, taking out another pokeball his own. "Winner gets two thousand."
"Naaah bro, that won't be necessary." Sushil smiled, turning around alongside Sinistea. "I take both of you on. No issue?"
"Pffft! Of course no issue, you makeshift Team Galactic!" The first one responded with sarcastic laugh.
"Better count your savings because deal is a deal." Second one added as the two left them with loud laugh.
"Wait, why did you even agree?" Mako asked, confused about the whole situation.
"Simple, my dear." Sushil narrowed his eyes, looking back at her. "To show you just how wrong you are about Sinistea."
"What?" She asked again, slightly thrown off the beat of the topic.
"I'll show you that she actually wants to be with you, has what it takes to that and fear of ghosts is a thing you can overcome with her on your side." He responded with determined voice before walking past her thanks to both of them being rather slim human beings. "Let's go Sinistea, we have a show to put up." He added before a floating teacup followed after him, giving Mako a sad bow before flying away.
"... Weird. What did I even say here?" Mako thought to herself before taking a seat and resting her head on hands, who themselves had their arms placed on her knees. "Wait, why am I not getting sleepy again???"
"They are all so great!" Miho smiled widely, just as Koume managed to get her team in order after a storm of hugs and praise. "But I would really like to see the pokemon battle... If you agree that is."
"I want to do one too, but I don't see many-!"
"Hey! Waiting for a challenger?" She was interrupted by a tall girl with long white hair, deep pink eyes and a dressed in long dark dress with short brown boots asked, throwing her pokeball up and down with nervous rhythm.
"Sure thing! I actually waited for one." Koume responded, giving her Rotom-phone to be held by Buneary. "How many rounds?"
"One on one, that's all." She responded before releasing a Houndour who seemed to lust for battle.
"Fine then, you're up Spheal!" Koume exclaimed before turning back to Miho. "I guess you'll see one right now!" She added while Drone-Rotom flew up to the middle of the arena and made the announcement while other people began to form the spare crowd who got attracted by the battle.
"The battle between competitior Gamorra Ferri and competitior Koume Akaboshi can now begin!" The drone announced just as both girls and their pokemon took the stances at the ends of the arena and signalised their readyness.
"Houndour! Use Thunder Fang!" Gamorra shouted, her pokemon quickly filling his teeth with electricity and rushing forward to deliever the shocking bite.
"Spheal! Try Rock Smash!" Koume exclaimed, while her chubby partner flexed his back and rushed forward with a smashing force applied throu his fins and towards the head of his opponent. The collision resulting in a huge explosion that send both fighter back under the ending lines and their trainers.
"Are you alright?" Koume asked, getting two short, but determined cries from Spheal.
"Stand up and fight Houndour! Now use Incinerate!" Gamorra shouted in a meanwhile, her pokemon standing up with eyecotic anger coming from his face as he began accumulating fire in his mouth.
"Fire attack now? Better prepare Water Gun." Koume advised, to which Spheal nodded while charging up his own attack that leaves the mouth.
"Whoa... So much determination." Miho thought, watching the spectacle from the other side of the screen, held by five other Koume's pokemon. "If such little creatures can go for their trainers on that scale, then there is no reason I can't stand up with what I have in Oarai. I will do my best!"
"Fire!/Go wild!" Both Koume and Gamorra shouted, their pokemon firing charged blasts against eachother with great force and creating a huge blast with smokescreen upon collision.
"No matter what..."
"We have some time now, set up Aqua Ring!" Koume commanded, to which Spheal responded by creating a bright, blue aura around himself and breathing clearly.
"Incinerate again!" A sharp shout was heard from the other side of the smoke, followed up by a flashing fire coming straight towards the two.
"Ack!" Spheal reacted, rolling to the side and then changing his direction to rush forward at where his opponent was supposed to be.
"Rollout?" Koume gasped, looking with confusion towards the clearing smoke, and seeing Houndour failing to connwct his Thunder Fang against blue ball who switched to hit and run tactics for a time being. "Then I roll alongside it. Use Rock Smash!" She added with excitement, which ended with Spheal and Houndour's Thunder Fang contacting with eachother and another great explosion which sent both competitiors back.
"Ack, ack!" Spheal squeaked with determined face, his physical being eased with Aqua Ring.
"Huh? How are still standing?!" Gamorra exclaimed, her eyes twitching while her Houndour shaked in place after sustaining large damage.
"Aqua Ring I set up earlier heals Spheal over time." Koume explained calmly just before Houndour fall on his knees and closed his eyes. "All I had to do was stalling."
"Houndour is unable to battle!" Drone-Rotom informed, flying up to the dark-skinned dog and seeing his rolling eyes. "Victory goes to the Koume Akaboshi!"
"Great job my little ball!" Koume smiled, grabbing her pokemon in hand and walking back to the rest of her team.
"Ack, ack!" Spheal responded, clapping his fins with excitement while the rest of her team cheered for their victory.
"You did amazing! I think I understand now why people in here ignore Sensha-do." Miho congratulated her, making an awfully cute face in front of phone's camera.
"I know, right?" Koume laughed lightly, placing Spheal back on the ground and taking her Rotom-phone back in hand. "Who could have know such different but similar world is in reach of a boat cruise."
"Right... Anyways I must end now. Friends at school need me." Miho nodded before sighing and telling about her necessities.
"No issue! I also need to go now." Koume responded, smiling back to her. "See you next time! Good luck at Oarai!"
"You too! Good luck!"
"The match between competitior Sushil Kalloe and competitiors Edgar Skally and Matsumo Okawa can now begin!" Drone-rotom announced, opening the battle at the ship's inner arena while Mako and several other travelers took their seats and observed it from the stands.
"Go all out Sinistea!" Sushil called out, his floating teacup quickly coming forth with pumped up attitude.
"Get them Misdreavus!"/"Smash it down Machoke!" Edgar and Matsumo also shouted, sending their pokemon into the battle.
"Psychic on Machoke!" Sushil commanded quickly, to which Sinistea obeyed by lifting the bulky pokemon up and then smashing him into Misdreavus, both of them ending on the ground.
"So there is way more ghosts in here. I'm so done now." Mako thought, looking at the battle with unrelenting sorrowness.
"Misdreavus! Go out with Hex!" Edgar took his turn as his pokemon flew from below the Machoke and rushed forward with intense look in the eyes.
"Got you!" Sushil cried out, suprising the offensive duo. "Sucker Punch!" He added, to which Sinistea quickly swinged around its axis and smacked Misdreavus with it's handle before throwing it backwards.
"Attack with Knock Off!" Matsumo shouted, joining the battle as his Machoke rushes forward with clenched fists.
"Try Psychic again, then follow up with Mega Drain." Sushil said calmly, to which Sinistea obeyed by stopping Machoke in the place, then slamming him back at unprepared Misdreavus and ending the turn by sucking away Machoke's power into it's drink.
"Monsters, ghosts, magic, fighting with them... I can't get worse than that." Mako gritted her teeth behind closed mouth, looking more and more pale as the match progresses. After all, she did had fear of ghosts without knowing that they can actually suck your life away, throw your body around like a ragdoll or slap her in the face.
"Is that all you got?" Edgar asked angrly.
"Yeah! We are still standing, y'know?" Matsumo added while their pokemon stood up from the ground with very cross facial expressions.
"I have a one small trick up my sleeve." Sushil smiled, taking laid back pose and giving Sinistea low effort hand signal.
"Let me guess, Shadow Ball?" Matsumo asked again, after which a few seconds of tense silence passed.
"Better." Sushil smiled towards them before Sinistea disappeared in the air, much to other's confusion.
"Night Shade?" Edgar asked, looking around with sweat drop going down his face.
"No, no, no. You are mistaken." Sushil rised his left eyebrow upon seeing his pokemon between the two of his opponents. "Phantom Force!" He shouted with sudden rush of energy just as Sinistea appeared physically between Machoke and Misdreavus, knocking them both several times before ending the battle with two uses of Psychic that made it's opponents stuck in the ground in not fully concious state.
"Misdreavus and Machoke are unable to battle! The winn goes to Sushil Kalloe!" Drone-Rotom announced in hisnrobotic speech while Sinistea flew back to Sushil and revieved a generous hugging alongside obligatory complements.
"A small cup of tea can wipe the floor with actual ghost and muscular monster..." Mako thought, rubbing herself on the chin. "I guess I did treat them not in a way I should... They were geniuenly confident in their way of fighting. And while I'm not very intrested in it, I do have to make money for Grandma somewhere..."
"Fhrooo..." A light howl sounded in her ears, making her turn to the left and face a rather positive looking Sinistea with Sushil behind it.
"... Sorry for being so rude to you two earlier." She said towards them, making teacup pokemon chuckle in a childish way.
"It's fine. People often dismiss distrust as such." Sushil spreaded his arms widely, almost as if he wanted to hug them both. "Now, do you accept Sinistea as your partner?" He asked afterwards, adjusting his jacket.
"Do you want to stay with me?" Mako asked, looking back at Sinistea with almost instantly flew up to her and tried to push itself into her chest. "Alright, alright... Just not that hard." She added after a while, taking enough courage to hold her in arms as if she was drinking it's contents.
"Always lovely to see a new trainer with their first pokemon." Sushil commented, walking up to them while still keeping personal space.
"By the way, while I'm not asleep." Mako asked him, turning her head away from Sinistea. "Why was she so insistant on joining me?"
"You know, when I had an early look for volunteers that could join you Sinistea instantly got moved by your situation." Sushil explained, showing the screenshot of job announcement Miho posted in her name. "Her previous owner also lived only with a single grandparent and felt a lot of pain because of it."
"Oh... I think I get it all now." Mako nodded, smiling weakly as her emotions forcet their way throu her usual moodyness. "Wait, how did you find her?"
"Other girl who recently joined me called Koume told me about her back when they were students at Kuromorimine." Sushil responded, handing over the Rotom-phone. "She's currently far away on her very own pokemon journey, so I'll have to warn you she isn't always available for a talk. Maybe after she returns from Johto you'll be meeting face to face."
"I can manage with that." Mako nodded, taking the device from his hands and instantly finding the way to pokedex. "But can I go to sleep now, I can't be awake forever..."
"Of course you caaannn... Damn, She's sleeping while standing still. Impressive."