Chapter 3: Re-hitting the Open Road
Stephen stood on a bench on the battlefield's sideline, waiting for Zach to get the staff at the Möbius Gym. He rolled his head around as he waited, before letting it fall back.
"You three can stay here if you want." Stephen seeming spoke at the ceiling of the gym. "This won't take long." He rolled his head again, this time turning to look at Sam, Kei and Alvin. "It's mostly giving a plan of action to the staff here."
As he finished the main door opened with Zach and seven other people entering the gym, four women and three more men.
"Who are they?" Sam whispered to Jessica. "Your gym trainers?"
"Well four of them are?" Jessica replied, pointing out the trainers, all of which had been battling outside. "Zach, Cathy, Terrance and Kimmy." Jessica moved her finger over to the remaining four. "The other four are the caretakers of the gym. They help run the place, cleaning the battlefields, sorting out the computers ... all sorts of things." Jessica explained.
Stephen beckoned them over, waiting for the murmuring to stop. "Right, nice of you all to make it." Jessica stood behind Stephen as he spoke. "As I'm sure Zach has been telling you Jessica and I have acquired some legendary Pokémon." For a second noise filled the gym, stopping instantly once Stephen raised a hand. "I am about to explain. Earlier today I received a package from an anonymous donator containing Cherish Balls which contained four young legendary Pokémon."
"Can we see them?" A girl in her early twenties, standing at the back asked.
"Sorry Cathy but no." Stephen shook his head. "They are back at the house. For now it is best that the Pokémon receive the minimum of human contact." Cathy sighed and looked down at the ground. "This is because the League Administrator has requested that Jessica and I investigate these Pokémon."
"But we're currently in the middle of the Gym Season." Zach stammered, shaking his head and throwing his arms forward in shock. "We can't just close the gym."
"The League Admin has cleared the Gym to close for however long this will take." Stephen explained.
"So what about us?" A deep voice filled the gym, odd when compared to the wire-y figure that it came from, the dark-skinned man glared at Stephen. "What are we supposed to do?"
"Train," Stephen smiled as he replied. "Terrance this is actually a good thing. Your four now get a chance to go away from Redux for your training." He hopped down off of the bench and walked over to the group. "Now it's up to you but I would suggest going up to Davenport as a group and training with some of the early league qualifiers. The majority of them congregate there so you will have a lot of high class competition."
"But what about trainers who are trying to challenge the Möbius Gym?" A shy voice trickled through. A girl in her late teens stood next to Stephen, looking up at him.
"We are going to use the 'Seven Badge Only' rule." He patted Kimmy's head; the short girl glaring at him. "Don't give me that look." Kimmy rolled her eyes and took a step back. "So it will be like the last couple of months of the season, just for a while longer than normal. It will mean reduced challengers, so that's why I would like if you all went away and train while Jessica and I are away."
"That's all fine and dandy but what about us?" The remaining four called out in unison.
"Think of this as paid leave for all of you." Jessica replied. "It's a once in a Blue-eyed Lunatone event. We will probably be gone for two months minimum."
"That's really it guys." Stephen continued. "The Gym has no pending challengers so we'll be leaving tomorrow." He dug into his trouser pocket and pulled out a set of keys. "Jack, you'll be in charge of doing the shut down." He threw the keys to a middle-aged man, who clumsily caught them. "You know the drill."
"Sure thing," Jack replied. "How is the closure being explained?"
"You need to call the admin." Stephen answered. "Candace is getting the explanation ready." Jack nodded and walked off towards the back room. "As for the rest of you. You had better grab anything you'll need before Jack leaves. The gym will be locked down while Jess and I are away." The other seven nodded and followed Jack into the back of the gym.
"Now that has been sorted, we can get onto the fun stuff." Stephen turned to face Sam, Kei and Alvin.
"I'm not too sure if I trust your idea of fun." Alvin snarkily responded.
"HA! Funny guy," Stephen words dripped with sarcasm, before returning to an excited tone. "Anyway, Jessica and I need to plan where we are going; as well as how we can do data analysis on those Pokémon."
"Why not come with us?" Sam shouted out, his young eyes shining with eagerness. "It would be awesome to travel with two powerful trainers."
"Oh yes please!" Kei joined in with Sam's shouts, the two stopping after a glare from Alvin.
"They have a point." Alvin contemplated for a moment. "I would love to do analysis on those Pokémon. Plus I can get data on the habitats of some of the rarest Pokémon in the world."
"Well I don't have a problem going with you three for a while." Stephen looked over at Jessica, standing with her ruby red eyes glittering and a large smile on her face. "And Jess looks fine about it too." He gave Jessica a pat on the shoulder and headed towards the doors, with Alvin, Sam and Kei in tow.
As they left the gym, all five flinched as the setting sun caught their faces. After some muttered moaning about how it had gotten so late, Jessica snapped her fingers.
"I've just had a thought." She pointed at Alvin, her slender green white finger catching the light. "How are you three moving around?"
"Walking," Alvin replied, using his hand to shield his eyes from the sun. "Why?"
"That's going to take far too long." Jessica pulled a wallet from her trouser pocket, taking a card from it. "Take this and buy yourselves some bicycles. It's my league account card." She handed the card over to Alvin. "The PIN is 0282. Guess why?" Jessica laughed as Alvin frowned. "Don't worry about the cost, there's a few hundred thousand on that card ... so I expect change." She and Stephen broke out laughing as they saw the stunned look on Sam, Kei and Alvin's faces.
"Just don't go nuts with it!" Stephen gave Alvin a rough pat on the shoulder, snapping him out of his trance. "The bike shop is to the north east." He pointed in the general direction. "While you are out it would be best if you gather any supplies you need. I don't want to waste any time tomorrow morning." He sighed. "We'll meet you back at the house ... You do remember how to get there?"
"I'm sure one of us will remember how to!" Kei gave sunny smile and a wave in reply.
"Good, we'll see you in a while then." Jessica smiled back at Kei before mounting her bicycle and turning to leave with Stephen.
As soon as Stephen walked through the front door he dashed into the living room collapsed onto the couch with a long drawn out sigh. Jessica chuckled and walked through into the kitchen, grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge.
"Drink up." She dropped the bottle of water onto Stephen's chest; he took a swig and looked up at the ceiling.
"Do you think we should phone Aspen?" Stephen looked over at Jessica as she gracefully drunk from the bottle. "Just to let him know that we're going to be travelling with Alvin."
"How is it Aspen's business?" Jessica replied. "He doesn't need to constantly know what Alvin is doing."
"Maybe so but I think he may appreciate knowing what Alvin is doing." Stephen looked back up at the ceiling as he tapped his trouser pockets. "And he will be able to get some more information for us ... There it is!" He pulled his phone from a pocket and flipped it open, searching for Professor Aspen's number; he brought the phone up to his ear as it rang.
"Hello, this is the Redwell Town Pokémon Research Facility, Professor Aspen speaking." The Professor spoke in a deep and slightly menacing voice.
"You need a catchier name for that place." Stephen chuckled into the phone, only to receive an unnerving silence. "Anyway. Hello Professor, this is Stephen."
"I know lots of Stephens; you will need to be more specific than that." Stephen shuddered as Aspen's voice intimidated him.
"Fine, this is the Möbius Gym Leader Stephen Warren."
"Ah, good to hear from you Stephen," Aspen's voice seemed to lighten up. "Would you happen to be called about four Pokémon you received?"
"Creepy bastard." Stephen thought to himself. "Yes I am ... how did you know?"
"Candace phoned me. She told me about the four Pokémon and how you and Jessica have been asked to release them." Aspen coughed as he finished speaking.
"Well yeah, and I was phoning to tell you ..." Stephen tried to speak but was cut off.
"That you were planning on travelling with Alvin." Aspen finished Stephen's thought. "I figured as much."
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Stephen rolled his eyes.
"Well it's not every day that you hear this sort of news." Aspen replied with a chuckle. "And it's a fantastic coincidence, Alvin will benefit greatly from assisting you find the natural habitats of those four Pokémon." He coughed again. "It is also a great chance to study those four species of Pokémon as they grow."
"So what do you suggest we do?" Stephen sighed as he thought. "Seeing as Alvin is travelling with that Sam kid ... they'll be heading east."
"Well, the Suicune you have more than likely came from The Eastern Basin and Darkrai could have easily have come from Birchwick Town." Aspen explained. "Latias tend to roam as a herd so I can't really help you there and Deoxys could have come from one of the many meteorites that hit Actopon around the same time the first Deoxys were discovered."
"Any idea which meteorites?" Stephen stood up from the couch and stretched, balancing the phone with his shoulder.
"As a wild guess ... Icebourne Mountain or the island to the south east of Springhall. Both were hit by sizable chunks and due to biological damage to the surrounding areas were quarantined. Perfect places for the Deoxys to form and breed."
"Thanks for the tips Professor." Stephen frowned as he thought of the information. "We will probably swing by at some point in the next couple of months."
"I hope so; it would be nice for you to give Alvin back to me at some point." Aspen chuckled. "Goodbye Stephen, give my best to Jessica."
"Bye Aspen, see you sometime soon-ish." Stephen took the phone from his ear and ended the call.
"Looks like we get to go travel in a group for a while," Jessica said cheerfully, leaving the living room and heading upstairs.
"I suppose." Stephen looked at the clock before following Jessica. "You want to start getting the gear ready before they get back?" Jessica simply looked back with a smile. "Silly question I know." He sighed. "It's going to be weird travelling with Sam, seeing as he's challenging the gyms." He stopped for a moment.
"What's up?" Jessica cocked her head to the side as she looked back, Stephen seemed lost in thought.
"He's a good trainer, a little rough around the edges, just like any kid." Stephen shook his head. "I don't know why but ... there is something else. Jess, did you feel anything about him?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary no," Jessica closed her eyes and rubbed her temple with a finger. "But I know what you mean."
"Maybe it's just the Pallet Town thing." Stephen shook his head and continued up the stairs. "It doesn't matter; it might be worth spending a little time with him refining his skills."
The two entered their rather large bedroom, which was filled with items Stephen and Jessica collected during their journeys. Ranging from small trinkets and memorabilia, to reproductions of the trophies won in league tournaments. Against the back wall were two beds which were separated by a small table, above each bed was a large frame, inside of which were all of the badges that the two trainers had won over the years along with medals from the league competitions.
The opposite wall was solely made up of plate glass windows; anyone lying in the beds had a fantastic view the grounds. Stephen walked over to the far bed, got on his hands and knees and crawled under it, while Jessica sat on the other.
"Don't just sit there." Stephen called out from under the bed, to which Jessica groaned before standing up, walking behind Stephen. "You need to get your bag." He received a quick kick in the bum, the jolt causing him to band his head on the wooden frame. "Ow!" Jessica giggled slightly as Stephen rubbed his head.
After looking under his bed Stephen pulled out an object. "Oh wow, it's been a while since I have used this." Stephen spoke with glee in his voice while holding up a small beige backpack. The backpack was covered in a multitude of pockets each of which had a small stylised Poké Ball logo on them. Jessica turned and laughed; she shook her head and went back to rummaging through her wardrobe looking for her gear.
"How long has that been under there?" Jessica grunted as she moved a heavy object in her wardrobe. "And why am I physically moving this crap?"
"About 5 years and because you're a silly girl?" Stephen teasingly replied. He shook his head before focusing back on his bag, checking in the various pockets and compartments. "Everything's still here. Well nearly everything ... wait ... where's my empty Cherish Ball?" He looked over at Jessica who was sitting on her bed while telekinetically sorting through the mess.
"Where is my damn bag?" She looked over at Stephen, and cocked an eye. "Your empty Cherish Ball ... you put it in the safe."
"Thanks." He hurriedly left the bedroom; returning a couple of minutes later, tossing the deactivated ball into his bag.
"Speaking of Cherish Balls ..." Jessica motioned towards a table where the Cherish Balls they had received. "Are you going to let those four out?" Stephen walked over to the balls; he picked one of them up, running his fingers over the sticker, 491.
"No." Stephen stared at the ball in his hand. "I don't want to get attached to these Pokémon; they are going to be released, we need to minimise human contact." Stephen put the Cherish Ball down, and went back to readying his gear. Jessica took them off the night stand and released the Pokémon inside onto her bed. The Latias, Suicune, Darkrai and Deoxys all started to play on the soft bed, before seeing Stephen who was back to crawling under his bed pulling out his exploration gear and jumping. It was a couple of minutes before Stephen came to his senses.
"Jessica ..." Stephen was cut off by Latias slamming into his chest. "Why?" His voice was hoarse as he recovered from the impact, Latias rubbing her neck against his.
"They need to spend some time out of those balls." Jessica stoked Latias' wing, the Eon Pokémon squeaking in delight. "Even if they just sleep on the floor downstairs," Stephen sighed and stood up, supporting Latias' weight as she continued to embrace him.
"But that's where Alvin, Kei and Sam are sleeping." As soon as he finished the door bell rang. Jessica's eyes flashed blue as she opened the door.
"H...Hello?" Alvin called out as he walked into the house. He looked up the stairs to see Stephen standing at the top, Latias still in his arms. "Wha...?"
"Jessica released them in the bedroom." Stephen bluntly stated before setting Latias down. "They're going to be allowed to roam the house tonight."
"I thought we were going to limit human contact?" Alvin looked up questioningly as Sam and Kei ran into the house, barging into the living room.
"We are." Stephen sighed. "We're going to try and limit the amount of people who see these four." He moved out of the way as Jessica walked down the stairs, with Suicune and Deoxys closely following. "It's going to be next to impossible to stop them having contact with the five of us."
"Four." Jessica looked over her shoulder with a smile. "You four, I'm a Pokémon too dummy. I can spend as much time as I want with them." He turned to face Alvin. "You, Kei and Sam will be sleeping in the living room tonight. We're not exactly set up for guests."
"Hey I'm used to sleeping on the open road in a tent." Sam popped his head out from the living room. "I'm just thankful to be somewhere warm tonight."
Alvin laughed and shook his head. "Too true."
Stephen chuckled and walked down the stairs, leaving Latias to her nap. He entered the living room with Jessica and Alvin close behind; Suicune and Deoxys continued their exploration of the house. Kei was busy reading a magazine as everyone piled into the room, finding a seat.
For a while the group sat and talked, the conversation following no particular order drifting from subject to subject. From Sam's proud boasting over his gym battles, to Stephen explaining what he thought about some newly discovered Pokémon.
After a couple of hours everyone was beginning to feel tired, Kei had already fallen asleep on the couch with Alvin covering her with a blanket. Latias had joined her on the couch and refused to leave. Suicune and Deoxys had fallen asleep against each other behind one of the other chairs. Darkrai however was still upstairs.
Stephen, Jessica and Alvin had left the kids in the living room and were sitting around the dining table quietly chatting; while Sam had prepared his sleeping bag and was lying on the floor next to the heater, listening in.
"What time will we be leaving tomorrow?" Alvin picked up his watch and started to fiddle with it.
"And how far is it to the next city?" Sam piped in. "In fact what is the next city?"
"I would like to leave around about eight in the morning." Stephen replied tapping the table for a moment. "We can hold off to nine if we have to." He leaned back on his chair to look over at Sam. "It's about thirty miles to Rockmount City and about half of that is uphill." Sam groaned and flopped back.
"It isn't as bad as it sounds." Jessica added, her voice a sweet whisper. "The road is designed to make the climb easy on foot or cycle."
"Let's aim to leave at eight."Alvin yawned. "It would be best to get to the foot of the mountain as soon as possible." He stood up and stretched, stifling another yawn. "I'm so tired."
Stephen looked over at the three legendary Pokémon. "I think it's best if we leave those four out tonight." He yawned as he stood up and walked towards the door; Jessica followed, rubbing her eyes.
"Darkrai's up in our bedroom." Jessica mumbled as she staggered along. "Along with the Cherish Balls."
"That's fine, it's not like there will be any trouble tonight." Alvin sighed as he dropped to the floor. "See you guys in the morning." He gave a slight wave to Stephen and Jessica before they left the room, closing the door behind them.
The two walked up to their bedroom, opening the door to find Darkrai had fallen asleep on a chair in the corner of the room. Keeping quiet Stephen crawled into bed while Jessica pulled a box from under her bed.
"How are you planning on taking?" Stephen asked as Jessica lifted the box onto her bed opening it to reveal a large number of neatly arranged Poké Balls.
"Not sure yet," Jessica responded while staring down at the Poké Balls, Great Balls, Ultra Balls, along with a few differing types of ball in the box. She picked one of the Poké Balls up and placed it on her belt. "Well Ray is coming with me no matter what." Ray is an Empoleon which Jessica received from Professor Aspen when she started her Career as a trainer. "And I have to take Abigail; I'd be lost without her." Jessica clicked her Absol's Poké Ball onto her belt. Jessica pulled out a Great Ball, clicking it to her belt. "You'll be perfect for those times the computers at the Pokémon centres annoy the hell out of me Hakha." Hakha is a Porygon-Z that Jessica caught as a Porygon during her journey around Kanto, it was well known for 'playing' with computers.
For a while Jessica rummaged around inside the box. "Oh there's my Safari Ball, whose is it?" Jessica mused as she held the ball up. "Ah yes, it's Magik, forgot about him." Magik is Jessica's Breloom which she caught as a Shroomish in the Pastoria Great Marsh in Sinnoh. Jessica grabbed a Repeat Ball. "I had better take you too Blobby, it's nice to play mimic sometimes." Blobby is one of Jessica's 50 or so ditto, but it's the only one she uses for battles, the rest just have a good time being rented out to trainers.
"Well that's five, you taking a sixth?" Stephen muttered as he rolled onto his side, snuggling down into his blanket.
"No, five should be enough." Jessica tidied the box of Poké Balls away before clambering into her bed. "Who are you taking?"
Stephen looked over at Jessica. "Arkbird," He simply responded. "Oh and you," He smiled at Jessica, before rolling back over and closing his eyes. "Good night Jessica, see you in the morning."
"Goodnight."
Stephen's eyes jarred open, wincing in pain at the sound of the alarm clock going off. He lunged towards the source of the blaring noise, swatting at the buttons before finding one that shut off the alarm, taking a moment to look at the time, 8AM. No sooner had the alarm died off he collapsed back into bed, curling up in the warm blanket and closing his eyes.
Just as he got comfortable he felt a hand grab hold of his ankle, he just sighed and his best to ignore it. What he couldn't ignore was the scratching of fingers over the sole of his foot. He burst out laughing as he bolted upright. He looked towards the end of the bed to find Jessica standing with his foot in her hand while smiling deviously.
"Now that you're awake," Jessica dropped his foot and stood with her hands on her hips. "Get up and give me my morning hug." Stephen got out of bed and playfully glared at Jessica as he walked towards her. For a moment the two stared into each other's eyes, pale and joyous blue meeting vibrant and passionate red. The Human and Gardevoir smiled as they threw their arms around each other, a soothing warmth flowing through their bodies.
"Happy?" Stephen whispered into Jessica's ear while nosing the fleshy growth.
"Very." She tittered before releasing him from the embrace. Jessica turned, grabbing her bag and flinging it onto her shoulder. "Get dressed and get your stuff, I'll meet you down stairs." As she left the room Jessica looked over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of Stephen stripping out of his nightwear. The two made eye contact, resulting in a Jessica receiving a sock to the face. She hurriedly left the room before a second could make contact.
A few minutes later Stephen bounded down the stairs wearing his usual clothes, an old black and red long sleeved t-shirt, however the left sleeve extension was missing, leaving his lower left arm bare. He coupled the lopsided t-shirt with a pair of well worn jeans and sneakers. He casually swung the door to the living room open and was greeted by a red and white blur.
After several minutes Stephen recovered from the shock to find Latias sitting on his chest with a look of utter glee on her face. He sighed and pulled her Cherish Ball from his belt and quickly returned Latias to it.
"It is far too early for that." Stephen held up the remained three Cherish Balls and returned Suicune, Deoxys and Darkrai, who apparently roamed around the garden during the night. "Are you three all set to go?" Stephen asked Alvin, Sam and Kei; the three nodded in reply.
"Yeah we're all ready and raring." Sam cheerfully replied as he headed for the door.
"Good, let's get outside, get the bikes set and go." Stephen turned and led the group out of the house.
Over the next half an hour the group made their final preparations to leave, before moving the front of the house and saddling up their bikes.
Alvin and Sam had the map out and were arguing over which route to take, while Kei watched on giggling quietly to herself.
Stephen looked back at the house he had lived in for the last eight years while serving as Gym Leader. "It'll be nice to leave this place so I can finally get back on the open road." Stephen's eyes shimmered slightly as gave a weak smile. "Still, I'm going to miss being here." Jessica patted Stephen on the shoulder.
"Come on, stop reminiscing and let's get going!" Jessica said in her own cheery way. "Although, I wouldn't let those two lead the way." Jessica pointed towards Alvin and Sam who were still arguing over which route to take.
"Not going to be a problem Jess." Stephen jokingly commented as he slowly rode up to Alvin and Sam. "HEY!" Stephen shouted so he could be heard over the arguing, causing Alvin and Sam to stop and turn to face Stephen. "Good. Now I have you attention, I'll be able to show you which way we are going to go." Stephen reached across so he could trace a path on the map. "We'll stick to the northern edge of the city. There is no reason for us to head into town so we should have less people wanting to talk to me or Jessica. We will follow the southern route to Rockmount City ... it's longer but is a lot less steep." Stephen looked around to check if Kei and Jessica were ready as Alvin put the map away, before looking down at the Pokénav he had attached to the handle bar of his bike.
"Well it's coming up to twenty to nine. So if everyone is ready I think it's time to leave." Stephen stated to which the other four nodded in agreement. "Ok let's go!" and with that the five trainers set off on their bikes.
Over the next four hours the group made steady progress. Thankfully the early hour meant that, as Stephen had hoped, the transit through Redux City was unhindered by citizens wishing to talk to the Gym Leaders. As they made their way around the outskirts of the city, an occasional break in the suburbia allowed for breath taking glimpses of the Actopon Regions landscape. Towering in the distance was the Peak of Rock Mountain, a monolith compared to the flat rolling plains that surrounded it.
As the group approached the eastern route out of the city the area around them suddenly changed. In a blink of an eye they left the sleeping suburbs and found themselves in the crisp clean countryside, the meadows slowing drifting by as the group trundled along on their bicycles. From the side of the road the group would see the usual fare of small grassland Pokémon, with the occasional Rattata or Skitty dashing across the road and Taillow and Starly flying from tree to tree.
Despite, or possibly in fact of, the early hour, several trainers were working hard along the route. Most were travelling on foot, carrying only one or two Pokémon with them. And despite Stephen's attempts to stop him, Sam had to battle as many as he could.
"I still can't believe it!" Sam chattered away as he led the group along the route, not looking where he was going. "That guy had a Hippowdon. It was tough for Snorlax, I'm sure glad you had that revive Jessica." He gave Jessica a smile, before looking across at Stephen, who was staring wide eyed as Sam swerved along the road. "So how far before we hit the mountain?"
"Well if you would look where you were going..." Stephen forcefully sighed as Sam turned around.
Moments later Sam came to a screeching halt, with Stephen having to evade his stationary bicycle. "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!" Sam shouted a few of the small Pokémon that had been nearby scurrying away. "You said this wasn't going to be steep!" Sam turned to face Stephen, staring accusingly at him.
"I said it was going to be less steep than the main route." Stephen emphasised the word 'less'.
"It's going to be impossible to cycle up that hill." Kei whined slightly as she slumped over the handlebar. "We've been going for hours."
Jessica dismounted her bicycle, pushing it towards a grassy bank at the side of the road. "Well let's have lunch now." She opened one of the panniers on her bicycle and pulled out two clear plastic boxes, each filled with food, before resting it down on the back.
"Cool, food." Sam pedalled towards the back before jumping off his bicycle, letting it fall to the floor with a crash.
"Maybe I won't feel as tired after some lunch." Kei gave a weak smile as she carefully laid her bike on the ground next to Jessica's. Unlike Sam, Kei had been very careful not to do any damage to her new bike. "What did you bring along?" Jessica looked across at Kei with a mouth full of sandwich and mumbled unintelligibly.
Kei laughed at Jessica. "You shouldn't talk with your mouth full." Kei sarcastically said while wagging a finger at Jessica. "It's not very good manners." Kei dropped herself next to Jessica, grabbing a sandwich.
Stephen and Alvin left Kei, Sam and Jessica to chatter away as they had their picnic, choosing to stop underneath the shade of a nearby group of trees. The two sat side by side, leaning against a large Elm, turned away from the road.
Stephen rolled one of the Cherish Balls in his hand, taking care not to hit the button on the front.
"Whose is it?" Alvin asked Stephen as he stared intently at the ball.
"Darkrai's," Came the one word reply from Stephen. "Can I borrow your Pokédex for a moment?" Alvin fished the small device out of his bag. "It would be nice to know a little more about it." He broke his gaze at the ball to look at Alvin.
"Him," Alvin said as he passed Stephen the Pokédex. "You mean him right, not it."
"Bit presumptive, aren't you?" Stephen took the Pokédex from Alvin with a frown. "How do you know Darkrai is a male?"
"I did scan him when he was released from his Cherish Ball." Alvin emphasized the gender as he spoke, shaking his head slightly.
"Sh ... Shut up." Stephen gave a slight laugh as he opened the Pokédex. The brightly coloured touch screen flickered on, displaying a Poké Ball that filled with the colours of a master ball as it loaded. The screen faded before displaying a complex array of buttons and menus. Alvin leaned over and pressed a few buttons, bringing up Darkrai's page. For a moment Stephen just stared at the screen. "Fuck me ... There is a ton information here, more than I've ever seen in a Pokédex." Stephen poked Alvin who was idly watching his sister talking to Jessica and Sam. "What's the deal?"
"Hmmmm? Oh yeah, that's a research Pokédex. Has more data than the standard one given to trainers, it's full of info that field researchers use, most of the data is still being confirmed or re-analysed before getting public release." Alvin explained as Stephen flicked through the reams of data. "What are you looking for?"
"Mostly what is known about Darkrai as a species," Stephen replied picking up the Cherish Ball with his free hand. "There doesn't seem to be a lot."
"Darkrai are elusive." Alvin took the Pokédex from Stephen. "Most of the information in here is based on two reports: one from Sinnoh and another from Almia. The report from Almia had a lot more reliable data; it was gathered from a group of Pokémon Rangers in an incident at the Altru Inc. Headquarters."
"Fascinating!" Stephen's voice was dripping with playful sarcasm. Alvin glared at him, only to receive a fit of giggles from his trouble. "Lighten up; I do care about where the data comes from ... just not enough to hear about it." He held the Cherish Ball out in front of Alvin. "You want to get some more hard data on Darkrai?" Alvin nodded in reply.
"Darkrai come on out." The Cherish Ball popped open in Stephen's hand with a flash of light. The light dissipated leaving Darkrai sitting on the floor, his white hair billowing out behind him.
"Hi Darkrai, how are you feeling?" Stephen asked Darkrai, the Pitch Black Pokémon simply stared back with a quizzical look in his deep blue eyes. "Nothing, huh? Only to be expected you are still young." Stephen looked across at Alvin. "There goes my first plan, just ask them where they came from." Alvin laughed, closing his eyes as he shook his head. "Do you want to take a closer look at him?"
Stephen looked forward, only to see that the Darkrai had disappeared. "Wait, where did he go?"
Alvin pointed up and Stephen followed the line to see the Darkrai jumping from tree branch to tree branch, occasionally phasing into the shadows only to pop out somewhere else.
"We are not here to play; we need to know a more about you, so come down here so we can get a closer look." Darkrai jumped off the branch landing a couple of meters away from Stephen. "Good, now..." Stephen trailed off as he saw the Pokémon start to run away from him and Alvin. After running a few meters Darkrai turned around to see Stephen holding up the cherish ball from which it came.
"Why?" Alvin pulled Stephen's arm down. "He just wants to play."
"I'm not here to bond; I'm here to find out information about this Pokémon then release it." Stephen bit his lip and turned his head away slightly as to hide the sadness in his eyes from Alvin. "Darkrai, please come back here so we can take a closer look at you." Stephen beckoned Darkrai to come back, the Pokémon reluctantly agreed and came back to Stephen sitting in front of him. "Good. Now, Alvin and I are just going to have a look at you so we can get some data. Just relax." Stephen put his hand on the Pokémon's shoulder and immediately Darkrai started to rub his cheek on Stephen's hand. Stephen tried to remove his hand but the Pokémon grabbed his arm and closed its eyes while laying his head on Stephen's hand.
Alvin decided it would be better not to comment on the tear he saw run down Stephen's face but rather get on with the task of recording as much data about Darkrai as he could while it was resting.
For twenty minutes neither of them talked and Stephen barely moved; however his mind was racing. He was torn over what he should do with the four young Pokémon we had been given by the league. "I cannot bond with them, they are not mine to keep and train. Yet they seem to want to bond with me, probably because they are so young, they just want a parent to care for them." Another tear ran down his cheek. "Damn, I have to keep myself together," He felt Alvin wipe the tear from his cheek.
"Try not to think about it." Alvin whispered. "It's better if they can act naturally with you, rather than trying to keep them isolated."
"I'll do my best." Stephen returned the resting Darkrai to his Cherish Ball. "I need something to eat before we get going." Stephen looked over at Jessica, Sam and Kei as he and Alvin quickly tidied up.
Sam lay on his back staring at the sky; the lunch had done wonders for his motivation. He looked over at Kei and Jessica, the two locked in a conversation about something girly, but he knew better than to disturb them. Sam let out a long slow sigh, closing his eyes as a rogue cloud masked the bright sun.
Without warning Sam was sent flying, slamming into the ground with a yelp. He jumped up staring at the ground, only seeing a small hole where whatever attacked him had retreated down.
"Sam you alright?" Jessica called out with a worried tone of voice. "What was that about?"
"I'm fine." He called back, wincing as he rubbed his back. "Something hit me really hard." He unclipped a Poké Ball from his belt. "Pikachu, I need you." The Poké Ball split open, releasing the yellow mouse. "Pikachu can you take a look at that hole for me?" The Pikachu nervously walked up to the small hole in the ground and peered in.
"Pika!" Pikachu sounded scared as he looked back at Sam; shaking his head he slowly edged away from the hole.
"Is there something down there you don't like the look of?" Sam crouched down looking his Pokémon in the eye.
"Chu, Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu responded, nervously glancing around. "Pi?" Pikachu looked down to see the ground cracking at his feet. Moments later Pikachu was send sprawling onto his front, the thunderbolt tail sticking up into the air. Sam looked past his Pokémon to see a small brown cylinder with two small black eyes and a red nose poking out of the ground.
"DIGLETT!" The small Pokémon cried out in a voice unfittingly loud for its size. Sam's Pikachu stood up and walked over to the Diglett, his acting passive while speaking hurriedly. However Pikachu's attempts at reconciling failed as the Diglett ducked back underground, tunnelling between Pikachu's legs before knocking the yellow mouse onto his back.
Pikachu jumped back up, with the red pouches on his cheeks sparking with electricity. Sam ran around behind his Pokémon.
"Looks like this Diglett isn't going to play fair, so let's teach him a lesson." Sam was completely focused on the Diglett in front on him, unaware that the other four where watching but keeping their distance. "Okay Pikachu use Iron Tail." Pikachu responded and jumped into the air its tail glowing with a silvery light before rolling over in mid air and slamming it against the Diglett.
However Pikachu landed on the ground with a thump and the Diglett was nowhere to be seen. "Pikachu be careful, that Diglett is underground." Sam called out to his Pokémon. Pikachu nodded and pricked its ears up trying to hear the Diglett moving underground. Sam quickly changed his mind and held up Pikachu's Poké Ball.
"Pikachu return." A red beam pulled Pikachu back into his Poké Ball; with a deft flick on his wrist Sam clipped Pikachu's Poké Ball back onto his belt while changing to another Poké Ball. "Go Drifloon."
The purple balloon Pokémon came out of its Poké Ball, floating above the hole where the Diglett had been. There was a rumble as Diglett remerged forcing its head up against what it thought would be a Pikachu, but only hit thin air.
"Ha, got you now. Drifloon use Hypnosis." Sam punched the air as Diglett look around confused. Drifloon floated over towards the Mole Pokémon, his eyes glowing with an eerie light, sending out waves of psychic energy toward the hapless Diglett. Moments later the Diglett had slumped forward, fast asleep.
"Excellent, now use Shadow Ball Drifloon." Drifloon responded firing off a ball of shadowy goop at the sleeping Pokémon, the hit causing Diglett's body to bounce around in its hole.
"And another one, but be careful." Sam's Drifloon fired another ball of shadowy goop; the ball making the slightest of contact, just enough to hurt the Diglett without causing any major damage.
Sam pulled an empty Poké Ball out of his bag, clicking the button to enlarge and activate it. "Good job Drifloon, it looks a bit weaker now. Go Poké Ball!" Sam threw the Poké Ball at the sleeping Diglett; the ball hit the still sleeping Pokémon on the back of the head, bouncing up into the air while splitting open with a loud pop. The Diglett disappeared into the ball with a bright flash of light and the ball closed dropping to the floor.
Sam looked on nervously as the Poké Ball shook violently, then it shook again with noticeably less energy, the ball shook for a third time with even less movement. Sam bit his lower lip, hoping that the ball would stay closed. Each second seemed to drag as the Poké Ball stayed motionless, the tension rising.
A loud click broke the silence, the Poké Ball emitting sparks as the Diglett stopped his struggle to escape.
Sam cheered, punching the air with both fists before pulling his Drifloon into a hug; the Balloon Pokémon deforming with the tight hug, bouncing back into shape as he was released. "Thank you Drifloon, when we get to the next city you'll be getting a treat." Sam held up Drifloon's Poké Ball, returning him as he walked over to his newly caught Diglett.
"Congratulations Sam that was a good capture." Jessica smiled and clapped as Sam picked up his Poké Ball. "So, what name are you going to give your new Pokémon?"
"Diglett, of course," Sam shrugged. "That is what he is called after all." Jessica's smile instantly vanished, replaced with glaring rage.
"Excuse me?" She spoke through gritted teeth, her anger building. Kei whimpered slightly, shuffling away as Jessica clenched her fists.
"Wha...?" Sam stammered as Jessica's glare burned through him. "What's wr ... wr ... wrong?"
Jessica growled, opening her mouth to shout. Sam flinched but nothing came but a gasp. He looked over to see Stephen standing next to Jessica, his hand resting on her shoulder. Jessica was panting softly, her expression calming and eyes closed.
"Jess, it's okay ... calm down ... It wasn't a personal attack on you," Stephen's voice was barely audible, he stroked Jessica's shoulder. She opened her eyes; the rage had dissipated, replaced with her usual serene composure.
"What just happened?" Kei whimpered as she stood up. "Why was Jessica angry?"
"Sorry for scaring you Kei." Jessica smiled, tilting her head to the side as she looked over at the scared young girl. "I just got a little out of control." She looked back over at Sam, the teen shaking slightly.
"I'm sorry." Sam's voice jittered as he spoke. "But I can't think of what name to give my Diglett."
"Well try," Jessica took a deep breath. "It is better to give Pokémon personal names. Pokémon feel closer to their trainer when they have a personal name." Sam nodded, also taking a deep breath to calm himself down.
"Would you mind letting your Diglett out for me?" Alvin asked as he waved his Pokédex in the air. "The 'dex's info might help you with you naming." Sam tossed the Poké Ball forward releasing the Diglett, the flash faded with Diglett already buried in the ground.
"Diglett, the Mole Pokémon." The Pokédex's electronic voice sounded bored. "Diglett burrows through the ground at a shallow depth. However its skin is very thin. If it is exposed to light, its blood heats up, causing it to grow weak." Alvin scrolled to the page which showed the moves Sam's Diglett knew.
"This Diglett knows the following moves" Alvin declared to the group. "Dig, obviously, Scratch, Sand Attack and ... Pursuit?" He frowned as he read out the last move, looking up at Stephen and Jessica confused. "Diglett don't usually learn Pursuit."
"As far as I can remember, they don't learn it naturally as they grow." Stephen mused as he racked his brain.
"Breeding," Jessica cut in. "Diglett learns Pursuit through breeding. However it is extraordinarily rare for it to be seen in the wild."
"How so?" Sam asked. He knelt down next to his Diglett, petting the small Pokémon on the head as it bobbed on the ground.
"Because it requires a female Diglett or Dugtrio to breed with another species of Pokémon altogether." Jessica shuddered slightly. "The first Pokémon that comes to mind is Absol." All four looked at Jessica with a large hint of disgust on their expressions.
"Eugh ... I don't even want to imagine how that works." Alvin grimaced as he closed his Pokédex. "It's nearly as bad as Skitty and Wailord."
"Yeah ... Wailord can also breed with Diglett." Jessica replied with a cheeky smile.
"SHUT UP, SHUT UP AND SHUT UP!" Alvin covered his ears in an attempt to ignore Jessica. "I can't unsee that!"
"Alvin, how do Pokémon breed?" Kei asked in an almost cliché way. Alvin simply blushed, replying in a hushed whisper that he would explain later, while silently hoping Kei would forget about it.
"Chase." Sam changed the subject back to his Diglett. "I'm going to call you Chase, is that ok?" He petted Chase as he bobbed excitedly, nodding frantically.
"Why Chase, Sam?" Kei asked, crouching to pet Sam's Diglett.
"Because the move chases Pokémon who are trying to switch out of the battle?" Sam shrugged as he thought of an explanation.
Jessica looked down and shook her head. "It's a start but he has to get a lot better with the naming." She then looked across to see Stephen, Alvin and Kei tidying their bikes up and getting ready to leave. She flicked her eyes down at her wrist, before double taking, staring down at her wrist in shock. "Damn, where did I put my ... You forgot it didn't you Jess." Jessica buried her face in her hands.
"Forgot your Pokétch Jess?" Stephen called over with laughter in his voice as he walked over pushing his bike. Jessica simply grumbled from behind her hands. "I'll take that as a yes." Stephen stopped next to Jessica who parted her fingers so she could see him. "Then you'll be glad I brought this." Stephen took out of his pocket a black Pokétch with a white wrist strap, which had Jessica's name written on it.
Jessica slowly dragged her hands from her face, snatching the Pokétch from Stephen while avoiding his teasing gaze. "Where would I be without you?" Stephen chuckled, giving Jessica a pat on the shoulder. She smiled and shook her head before looking at her Pokétch.
"Okay, it is 12:30 now." Jessica sighed and tapped the side of her head "If we hit the mountain now, we should make it to Rockmount City by about 7 p.m. give or take thirty minutes depending on how fast we can go as a group." A low groan went through the group before Kei perked up.
"At least we will make it before the end of the day." Kei cheerfully jumped onto her bicycle. "That way I get to sleep in a bed tonight." Kei sped off along the road up the mountain.
Alvin quickly stuffed his Pokédex into his bag, mounted his bicycle and gave chase to Kei; all the while shouting at his sister to slow down. Jessica smiled as she watched Alvin and Kei sprint off into the distance, smiling and rolling her eyes at Stephen and Sam before mounted her bicycle and following.
As Stephen checked to make sure nothing had been left behind Sam mounted his bicycle, rolling it back and forth while waiting for Stephen.
"Can I ask you something?" Sam shyly spoke, as if intimidated by the fact he had been left alone with a Gym Leader.
"Go ahead Sam." Stephen looked over his shoulder to reply before focusing back on his bicycle.
"What was up with Jessica when I said I wasn't going to give Diglett a name?" Sam sheepishly asked as he nervously rubbed his arm.
Stephen sighed, straightening up as he finished tidying up. "Sam, you have to understand; Jessica is unique. She is the only Pokémon in history to become a Pokémon Trainer themselves." He mounted his bicycle, looking over at Sam. "But before that she was my Pokémon." Sam's eyebrows rose in mild surprise. "Yeah, Jessica was my starter and for ten years I trained and used her in battle. She was a key component in my team." Stephen beckoned for Sam to start riding as he slowly pedalled away.
"She always said that having a personal name made her feel unique." Stephen smiled and looked up into the sky. "In her mind it showed that I truly cared for her." He let out a long wistful sigh as he brought up old memories. "Ever since Jessica became a trainer herself, she has always championed the concept of 'nicknaming' Pokémon. She isn't usually so aggressive about it though."
"So why did she shout at me then?" Sam asked as he slowly rode alongside Stephen, taking care to watch the road as it began to wind its way up the mountain.
"It was more the way you said 'Because that is what he is called'." Stephen suddenly swerved, narrowly avoiding a Sentret that scurried across the road. "To her you sounded like you didn't care for your Pokémon, that they were just your tools. Now I know and deep down she knows that isn't true, you're too nice of a guy to be like that." Sam looked away, blushing slightly as he remembered the way he had been thinking and speaking.
"I guess I was being a little cold hearted." Sam spoke in a low voice, embarrassed by his actions.
"Well don't dwell on it." Stephen looked up the twisting road and sighed. "Besides ... we have a literal mountain to climb and an insane little girl to catch." Sam coughed a laugh, a smile returning to his face. The two began to speed up as they followed the twisting road.
The sun was beginning to set as the group arrived on the outskirts of Rockmount City. However the weary travellers, exhausted from their seven hour journey up the mountain, were given a glorious reward for their effort.
Before them was a beautiful landscape, a city seemingly growing out of the mountain rock. The buildings following the slopes and ridges of the mountain; every individual house was uniquely shaped and positioned, fitting perfectly onto the mountain. The streets were draped along the side of the mountain like spaghetti, each one twisting and turning along the contours of the mountain. To top it all off, the city was bathed in a beautiful golden yellow from the setting sun.
The group slowly made their way towards the town centre, the twisting streets made it difficult to work out what way they were going. As a result it took nearly forty-five minutes, a lot of double backing and some squabbling, to find the Pokémon Centre ... that was only 500 meters from where they had started.
As the group finally entered the centre of town they were greeted with yet another fantastic view. The centre of Rockmount City is a plateau, with the rest of the city tiered around and below it. Most of the area on the plateau is given up to businesses and office space, along with the Pokémon Centre and Rockmount City's Pokémon Gym. However a large park sits on the edge of the plateau, offering jaw dropping views of the western half of Actopon.
"Wait ... we cycled all of THAT in one day?" Alvin exclaimed as he looked down towards Redux City.
"Yeah! One fourteen hour long day." Sam whined as he sat on the grass. "I just wanna eat and sleep."
"Alvin my legs hurt, carry me." Kei grabbed onto her brother as she fell off of her bicycle. Alvin wobbled as he sister pulled on him, nearly being toppled by Kei.
"Don't worry Kei, I'll carry you." Jessica smiled as Kei released her brother and struggled to her feet. Her eyes flashed blue as she lifted Kei onto her shoulders; the young girl gripping on to Jessica's dense green hair.
"Are going to be okay Jess?" Alvin looked on, slightly worried about his sister. "I can carry her if you want."
"I will be fine." Jessica rolled her eyes, a pale blue tint catching the setting sun. "Being a psychic Pokémon is awesome." She turned to look at Stephen and Sam, the two looking over the city. "Can you two gentlemen please take mine and Kei's bicycle to the Pokémon Centre?" Sam and Stephen both scowled at Jessica, the Gardevoir smiling back. The scowls quickly changed to a look of defeat and a sigh. "Thanks boys!" Jessica teasingly cheered before walking off, Kei sleepily bobbing with each step and Alvin closely following, pushing his bicycle.
Stephen and Sam arrived at the Pokémon Centre with Sam rather clumsily pushing both his and Kei's bicycles; a thin trickle of blood coming down the back of both of his legs, thanks to the pedals on their new bicycles having sharp points for better grip and those same sharp points jabbing him if the bicycle got to close to his legs. Stephen collected Alvin's bicycle and went around to the bike shed at the back of the centre.
"Stephen?" Sam hesitated as he spoke, deep in thought.
"Hmmm?" Stephen replied while looking for a space to put the five bikes. "What do you want?"
"How did you and Alvin meet?" Sam stumbled over his words as he quickly added "If you don't mind me asking?"
Stephen laughed as he placed his and Jessica's bicycles next to a rail, threading the lock through the spokes of the front wheels. "Alvin was my next door neighbour. I was six when he was born so I spent a lot of my last four years in Janham Town with him." He looked over his shoulder, making eye contact with Sam before looking back at the lock, securing it against the rail. "Even by the time he was four and I was preparing to leave he was desperate to learn about Pokémon, he would sit in my room trying to read the books and guides on Pokémon I had received before I started."
Stephen sat on the tarmac floor of the bike shed smiling to himself; it has been a while since he had thought about his childhood. "After I left he apparently stole all the books out of my room and read them non-stop for weeks." Stephen looked across at Sam who was taken aback by the amount of things being told to him. He shook his head, chuckling to himself. "Sorry, I can get a little carried away when I start reminiscing." He moved Alvin, Kei and Sam's bicycles to a near-by rail and effortlessly locked them up; he gave the locks a quick tug to check that they were secure before turning to leave.
Sam remained silent as he followed Stephen around to the front of the Pokémon Centre. The two walked in to find Jessica, Alvin and Kei sitting at a large table with a generous spread of food. Sam immediately smiled at the sight of such deliciousness.
"Save us any?" Sam joked as he walked up to the table, sitting down between Alvin and Kei; he grabbed a plate of food and ravenously ate. Stephen followed but rather pulled up a chair and sat on the edge of the table, slowly sipping from the drink Jessica had got for him.
Between mouthfuls of food Sam asked. "So what do we know about the Rockmount City Gym?"
"The Rockmount City Pokémon Gym." Kei read from the league guide book, to which Stephen mouthed along. "The Official Actopon League Pokémon Gym for Rockmount City is the Mount Gym. The Mount Gym specializes in using rock type Pokémon and awards the Mountain Badge to successful challengers. The Gym Leader is Emma 'The precious and diamond hard Gym Leader'."
"Not very imaginative calling it the Mount Gym is it?" Sam retorted; once again Stephen mouthed along, so much to Jessica's amusement was barely able to stop herself from giggling.
"Been there, said that, need a t-shirt to finish the gag." Stephen flatly replied, to which Jessica gave up and laughed, a lot.
"It's not that funny Jess." However Jessica didn't care, she just continued to laugh. Stephen rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Anyway, this gym should not be too much of a challenge if you are prepared for it." Sam nodded, ignoring his food for now. "I would suggest changing your team around. Lose the Pikachu and Snorlax; neither are going to be massively advantageous." Stephen sat back and took another sip of his drink.
Jessica finally recovered from her fit of hysterics and added, "Emma normally has 4 Pokémon in her team to battle. She always leads with a Rampardos, and then follows with Graveler or Rhydon, then Shuckle and Aerodactyl. However the order is not always the same for those."Sam nodded and went back to stuffing his face.
It was approaching nine p.m. by the time the five finished eating. Kei was barely able to stand under her own weight; she staggered off to bed with Alvin following closely behind. Jessica left the Pokémon Centre for a short while, visiting a near-by shop to buy Sam some guides. While she was gone, Sam and Stephen sat at one of the computer terminals sorting out what Pokémon Sam had in storage. After Jessica returned she gave Sam a book about rock type Pokémon and strategy, before heading off to bed herself. Stephen and Sam quickly followed suit.
By ten p.m. all but Sam were fast asleep; he was sat up in his bed, flicking through the book Jessica had brought for him. For the most part he wasn't reading, just looking at the pictures and some of the captions.
"Why do I feel so nervous?" Sam thought to himself as he put the book down on the bed side table. He snuggled down into the blankets, looking up at the bunk above him where Kei was sleeping. She was a heavy sleeper, however she had a tendency to kick in her sleep; Sam's train of thought was distracted as she kicked the frame of the bed.
"It's just a gym battle, I know what to do. I've done it three times already here in Actopon ... and sixteen more times back in Kanto and Johto!" Sam tried to close his eyes and sleep, wishing that his exhaustion would knock him out. "On top of that it's a rock type gym; the one back in Kanto was a breeze." Sam shook his head. "No need to worry about that now I need to sleep," Sam forced his eyes closed; he rolled onto his side allowing sleep to envelop him.