Chapter no.46 : TM Royalties
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Change.
Why do some want to change?
Why do others dislike change?
Change of time is inevitable.
Change of weather is inevitable.
But a change in a person is a choice for the better or the worse.
The answer is that change is at the very heart of being human. It is inherent to strive for progress, to seek out new experiences and opportunities, and to grow and evolve. Without change, we would become stagnant, stuck in the same patterns and routines. We would lose our sense of curiosity and adventure, our ability to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world.
Change can be difficult and scary, but it is also necessary for us to reach our full potential and live the most fulfilling lives possible not all change is for the better.
Life can change one into someone bitter, someone cynical, or even someone who thinks that if they change then people will accept them but is change always for the best.
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[ Celadon City - Pokemon Center ]
The Pokemon Center of Celadon City was a bustling hub of activity. Located in the center of the city, it was a large, two-story building with a sleek, modern design. The exterior was predominantly white, with large windows that allowed natural light to flood the interior. The roof was sloped and covered in solar panels, giving the center a futuristic look.
Inside, the main lobby was spacious and open, with high ceilings and a polished marble floor. There were several areas for trainers to rest and recharge, including comfortable couches and chairs, a cafe serving hot drinks and snacks, and a large television playing the latest Pokemon news.
The pokemon center was equipped with state-of-the-art medical machines and potions, and the nurses were highly trained and compassionate.
There were also several smaller rooms for trainers to use for private battles, as well as a shop selling a variety of Pokemon-related items, such as potions, Poke Balls, and special items that could only be found at the center.
The communication room was a bustling hub of activity, filled with the hum of computers and the flickering glow of screens. Located deep within the heart of the Pokemon Center.
The room was spacious, with high ceilings and a sleek, modern design. The walls were lined with screens and monitors, displaying a constant stream of news and messages from across the region of Kanto.
The communication room was lined with rooms where trainers could call anyone without anyone disturbing them.
Brock sat in his usual outfit of a red vest over a white shirt, paired with blue jeans and black sneakers. He looked around the room, taking in the quiet room that was unlike anything he had seen throughout his journey
It was a simple, unassuming room, with white walls, a plain carpet, and a single window that looked out onto a small courtyard.
In the center of the room stood a single computer, its screen glowing softly in the dim light.
" Busy day, Brock." The voice of Professor Oak echoed throughout the room with Brock nodding along.
" That's how life has always been," Brock answered back causing Professor Oak to chuckle.
" It's always a surprise to see such words from someone as young as you, how is misty?." Professor Oak exclaimed with Brock chuckling.
" Well, I had to mature quickly and as for misty, she has changed but professor, may I ask why did you call me ?"
" Well, Brock I have heard that you want to be a breeder and I have a pokemon egg with me. I have heard quite the praise on your skills and I believe that taking care of a pokemon egg will be a great experience for you." Professor Oak cheerfully exclaimed as Brock asked.
" Who praised my skills ?"
Professor Oak suddenly stopped as he tried to think of an answer but Brock saw through Oak and exclaimed.
" It was Ash, wasn't it ?"
Sweat dripped down Professor Oak's face at Brock's words.
" How is he ?"
" He ... wait, what ?!" Professor Oak exclaimed as Brock repeated his question.
" How is Ash doing? Is yellow with him ?"
Professor Oak was left speechless by Brock's words as Austin had told him that they went their separate ways Oak figured that they must have a falling out or something for them to suddenly go their separate ways but Brock's concern was something Oak didn't expect.
" Ash, from the talks I have had with him, seems to be doing alright and yes, yellow is with him."
Brock's shoulders visibly relaxed as if the burden he was carrying loosened.
" That's good to hear," Brock whispered to himself with a smile.
" Brock, can I ask why you and Ash separated ?" Professor Oak curiously asked.
" Well, Ash thought that we were holding him back and he left."
" Your tone tells me that you don't believe that."
" Well, yes; I have known Ash for quite a while and he isn't the type of person to delve too much into his defeats rather he uses his defeat to better himself. I think Ash left because of something else that happened on the ."
Professors Oak pursed his lips and asked," Do you have any idea what could have happened?"
" I have one idea and professor, can you help me with it ?"
" Of course, I would be happy to help; my boy."
" I believe that Ash lost a pokemon on the ."
" ... " Professor Oak's eyes widened as he didn't expect something like that.
" W, Why do you believe that to be the case ?"
Brock took a deep breath before answering," Professor Oak, a few years prior my mother had died in an attack from the helix cult. Well, my father blamed himself for not being able to save my mother and in his drunken stupors I would sometimes hear, how he wanted to hunt down the helix cultists, and then one day he just left. Maybe it was for our protection but I believe my father tried to hunt down the helix cult when he left us. I never once blamed my father for walking out on us, even though we needed him; he was angry at himself, and in his anger, he was blind to see that we needed him. Even though I don't have the best relationship with my father, I could never bring myself to hate a man who felt wronged by the world."
" And you think Ash is the same."
" Yes."
" So, how am I supposed to help ?"
" Can you check the pokemon registry ?"
" You want me to check if one of ash's Pokemon died."
" Yes."
" Brock, you do know that the pokemon registry only tells if a pokemon is captured or released."
" Then can you check if Ash released a pokemon around the time of the SS. Anne incident?"
" Let me check."
" ... "
" ... "
Brock frowned as he saw Professor Oak's eyes widen as he checked his computer.
" So."
" On September 11, right about 9 pm Ash's Pokemon Raticate was released."
" T, That's the ..."
Professor Oak finished Brock's words with a grim look on his face.
" That's the exact time and date of the SS. Anne incident."
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Three years ago, Saffron city was associated with a different name, a different gym, and a different gym leader. For decades, the Fighting-type gym, first created by gym leader Marcus around a hundred years ago, tested the mettle of conference aspirants who were on their way to challenge the Indigo League Conference. Back in those days, the Saffron city gym stood at number 2, second only to the infamous Cinnabar gym under the mysterious and elusive Fire-master Blaine—in terms of difficulty level for an average aspirant. There was a reason after all, why most people tended to avoid the Saffron gym—choosing to try their luck with the alternative options instead.
Then, roughly sixteen years ago, Alfred Marvil, a renowned psychic and a resident of Saffron city, had a daughter—Sabrina, a young girl who from her infantile period, demonstrated a high proclivity towards psychic abilities. Over time, her skills encompassed apportation, claircognizance, telepathy, telekinesis, psychometry, and levitation. When she turned nine, Sabrina demonPokemonstrated abilities enough to equal a newly-evolved Kadabra, and had begun to demonstrate affinities towards the powers that the Abra line was famous for. At the age of twelve, she was already classified as one of, if not the most powerful human psychic in the world.
That was when things became much more interesting.
Sometime before her thirteenth birthday, Sabrina registered herself as an aspirant for the Ever-Grande Conference of Hoenn, creating another world record by acquiring the necessary eight badges within a time frame of exactly twenty-one days—just in time to submit her name for the conference held that very year. She then went on to defeat each and every single opponent in the conference, using the same six psychic pokémon under her command—and eventually became the Ever-Grande League winner.
Then, she returned to Kanto, and using her status as an Elite trainer, challenged the Kanto Elite Four- a family that back then, comprised of the Ice-Master Lorelei, the Ghost-Master Agatha, the Fighting-Master Bruno, and the Fire-Master Blaine. In a series of quick and decisive battles, Sabrina defeated Blaine, Lorelei, and Bruno, exactly in that order, before meeting her match in Agatha, to which she succumbed and for the first time in her life, tasted defeat.
That was how Sabrina ended up winning the position of the Second Elite Four, causing Blaine—the then fourth Elite Four to lose his position as Bruno and Lorelei were demoted down from their second and third positions to third and fourth respectively.
A month later, Sabrina Marvil walked up to the infamous Fighting-type gym, then run by gym leader Anthony—a descendent of Marcus, challenging him to a battle with the future of the gym at stake. Should Anthony be able to defeat her, she would give up her position as Elite Four. Conversely, should she win, then Anthony would have to shut down his gym for good.
Three minutes.
Three minutes was all that took to completely humiliate the Fighting-type gym leader, as Sabrina walked out, with the position of the new Saffron city gym leader—another notch on her belt. The once powerful fighting-type gym was now reduced to a mere dojo, as Sabrina Marvil settled herself as the new psychic-type gym leader of Saffron city.
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Inside the Saffron City gym, Sabrina suddenly opened her eyes as she whispered to herself in utter apathy.
" Why is the chosen one here ?"
Of course, the boy—Ash Ketchum, though someone a little younger than her, had been… interesting, but not that interesting. Of course, she understood the significance of attaining the interest of pseudo-legendaries and legendaries alike, but unlike Agatha—Sabrina thought with a scowl—she had better things to do than to place her faith on something as woolly as that. Most people would say that with the amount of psychic potential Sabrina wielded, she would be the Altar of clairvoyance, believing in the existence of grand prophecies and totems and omens and all of that stuff.
Most people, Sabrina thought, were absolute idiots.
Yes, she had immense psychic potential, but like pokémon, her potential had its affinities and limitations. Sabrina had always been somewhat of a manipulator of force, as far as psychic energy was considered, rather than exploring its more… esoteric abilities. Of course, that was not to say that she hadn't cultivated that side of her powers, but they were simply tools at best. That was why she preferred having Alakazam and Bronzong around, and not flocks of Xatu.
Of course, being able to simply see through the sequence and formation of events, use her mental faculties to calculate permutations and combinations, and select the most… probable path that events were likely to shape into… could also be termed Clairvoyance, by layman. However, that hardly meant that she could see through the lines of Time and Fate and locate confluences in quantum time locks of the Multiverse. Why Lance couldn't see things her way, was beyond her.
Sabrina looked up at the ceiling light as she closed her eyes.
What actions should she take when the chosen one was near her?
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[ Saffron City - Silph Cooperation ]
Austin walked along the busy streets of Saffron City
' It's almost like a miniature New York,' Austin hummed as he peered up at the tall buildings of Saffron. 'Second largest city in Kanto, yet only five-hundred thousand people live here. I wonder if the census counts pokemon? Hard to say… Idly, Austin wondered what his big brother would think of Earth's population of eight billion when the entire pokemon world doesn't even boast an eighth of that number. 'Then again, pokemon outnumber humans so that figure might be a bit skewed… and Earth's population probably isn't that high anymore…'
A nip on his ear from Pikachu pulled him away from such morbid thoughts as they stop at a crosswalk with a red light.
" Ready to visit the biggest cooperation in Kanto," Austin asked causing Pikachu to rub the back of his head nervously.
" Come on, buddy, weren't you going to assure me to not be nervous ?"
" Pika."
"Great input," Austin said causing Pikachu to turn his head to the side.
" You know imagine they have a test site or some indoor range with a pokemon that can make force fields on hand. Bill said that he warned them that these moves are no joke."
" Pika ?"
Seeing the confused look on Pikachu's face, Austin frowned.
" Buddy, do you know why we are here ?"
" Pi, Pi, Pi." Pikachu nervously laughed as he patted Austin's cheek.
" Remember TMs."
" Pika."
" We are going to Silph Co. to make some TMs."
Austin's words caused Pikachu to do his signature surprise face.
Another thirty minutes of walking led them to a fifty-story building in its small corporate park near the outer eastern part of the city. The grass was cut short, the shrubs are all trimmed square, and the windows of the building are all sparkly and clean. At the top of the building is a large sign spelling out "Silph Co" in stylized letters.
Austin double-checked his Pokedex one final time before nodding. "This is the place. Let's go."
Stepping inside, the human and pokemon pushed past the revolving door and take in the lavish lobby of the Silph Co building. Austin in particular looked down at himself afterward, now very conscious of the wear on his clothes and the dirt on his boots in the face of the immaculate room.
"Do you feel a little underdressed too?" Austin said causing Pikachu to pat his body as if he was saying that he didn't wear clothes.
The duo made their way to the reception desk in the middle of the lobby.
As they approached, the smartly-dressed woman manning the reception desk look up from her computer screen with a smile. That smile shrank when the first thing she saw was Pikachu causing Pikachu's ears to drop. "I'm sorry, but Silph Corporation has a no-loose pokemon policy on the premises. I'll have to ask you to..!"
The Secretary's words cut off as she saw a black badge pinned to Austin's jacket.
" I, I am sorry Mr. Executive. I will immediately call the president right away."
The Secretary said as she quickly picked up the phone beside her meanwhile Austin and Pikachu looked at each other in confusion.
What had just happened?
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[ Silph Co. Presidential Office ]
At the top of the Silph Cooperation building was a spacious and opulent room, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a stunning view of Saffron City's skyline. The decor was a blend of modern and traditional elements, with sleek, black leather furnishings and plush, cream-colored carpets. A massive mahogany desk took center stage, it's surface a jumble of papers, files, and sleek electronic devices. Behind it sat the CEO himself, a man in his mid-sixties with piercing blue eyes and a no-nonsense demeanor.
Samuel sat at his desk, surrounded by stacks of documents and flickering screens. He was deep in thought, his brow furrowed as he pored over the details of the shipment deal with politician Lionel Giovanni. It was a complex and delicate matter, and he knew that one wrong move could have serious consequences both for the company and himself if this shipment deal was found.
Just as he was about to initiate the final page of the contract, his phone rang, the sound jolting him out of his concentration. He sighed, resisting the urge to throw the phone across the room. He knew that this was part of the job, but sometimes the constant interruptions were overwhelming.
Samuel looked at the phone before his frown vanished as he realized that the Executive phone was ringing meaning an executive was currently in the building.
To be an executive of Silph Cooperation meant that one had to contribute something revolutionary for the company like Bill Monterey who was the creator of the TMs.
" Secretary Wang, Is Executive Monterey in the building ?"
Secretary Wang replied," No Sir, but there is someone with a black badge in the lobby. He seems to be a trainer under Executive Bill."
The president's eyes lit up as he ordered," Call Mister Aarons and tell him that Executive Bill's assistant is here."
" Yes, Sir."
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[ Silph Co. Lobby ]
The young woman suddenly looked up, "Sir, your meeting with Mister Henson…" She returned her eyes to her computer and quickly typed in a string of words, she painted nails, and the large ring on her left hand flashed in the sunlight. She pauses, then typed something else. "Alex Aarons will be seeing you in just a moment, Mister Ketchum."
"Thank you," Austin responded kindly.
She nodded and smiled back unsurely.
It took only a moment of waiting for one of the elevators near the back of the lobby to chime and open, letting out a smiling man in a black suit who beelined for Austin and Pikachu. "Mister Ketchum! Alex Aarons is the name, and thank you for coming out here today!"
Austin scanned the approaching businessman with an appraising eye.
Aarons was a handsome man in that difficult-to-place age range of the late twenties to mid-thirties. The skin of his angular face was flawless, and his platinum blond hair was slicked back and shiny in the bright fluorescent lights of the office. There wasn't a single wrinkle on his three-piece suit, and his perfectly white teeth almost glinted through the narrow gap in his lips made by his easy-going smile. There's an aura about the man, one that would charm almost anyone with his smooth voice and attractive face.
In the back of his mind, Austin can't help but draw a comparison to Patrick Bateman from the old movie American Psycho that his brother loved to brag is the greatest movie of all time. He called his brother, an idiot for thinking that the greatest movie in his opinion is ... obviously Forest Gump.
"And thank you for taking the time to talk to me, Mister Aarons," Austin reached out and clasped the man's hand with his own in a brisk shake. "I know you must be busy around here."
Aarons lets out a single short laugh and lets his smile widen just a smidgen. "Please, call me Alex, and for one of Kanto's rising stars? I can make time." He withdraw his hand and gestured to Pikachu before letting it fall to his side. "Congrats to you and Mister Pikachu on your superb journey, your win record speaks volumes about you."
Pikachu blushed in embarrassment but Austin saw through the man's act. He knew that the only reason he was here was that Bill pulling some strings.
" Let's take this to my office, shall we?"
Austin and Pikachu followed Aarons back to the elevator, where the businessman took them up to the 3rd floor and to a wooden door labeled "Tech Machine Dept" guarded by a keypad lock, one that Aarons swiftly entered the code for. As they enter and make the trip to Aarons' office, Austin glanced at the open-floor office and glass dividers taking up much of the floor space, each desk occupied by a well-dressed worker, many of whom looked up to see himself, Pikachu, and Aarons. The air was filled with the sounds of shuffling paper, the ringing of desk phones, and muffled conversation.
Austin narrowed his eyes at Aaron and thought.
' Why did this man bring someone up here? He should have taken them to the demo site, not to show off his new client. Is it because I have a connection with Bill that he breaking the no pokemon rule? Seems like Aarons is quite the opportunist, to say the least.'
Along the outer perimeter of the large room are several private offices behind closed doors, several of which pass, then they come to a stop by one labeled "A. Aarons - Sr Licensing Rep."
The four people and single shoulder-riding fox step inside, finding a tidy, modern office with little in the way of personal effects, though Austin was surprised to find three guest chairs before the desk. He seats himself in the middle one with Pikachu flanking him.
Aarons sat lightly behind his desk and folded his hands over one another. "Can I get you all anything? Water? Coffee?"
"Thank you, Alex, but I think we're fine," Austin spoke up while he rubbed Pikachu's ears who wasn't going to ask for Ketchup "I understand there is a demo process before any ink touches paper, so forgive me if this comes off as a little rude, but why bring us up here?"
Aarons smiles once more. "Mister Ketchum, I think we both know that for a trainer of your caliber, the demo is just a formality. TMs are especially in vogue right now due to the difficulty of their manufacturing process, so your takes on Pokemon moves will most assuredly sell out quickly."
"Really?" Austin raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair as Pikachu jumped onto his lap. "Why do you say that?"
The businessman's eyes seemingly twinkle. "Ah, that's a little secret of mine, but I can give a bit away I suppose. A great way to tell how well a TM run will do is to look at the Gym Leaders of the region, and the usual route aspiring challengers take between them. Grass is so popular right now because of the average starting and ending point of most trainers taking the circuit."
" The order of the gyms from weakest to strongest is normally Pewter than Cerulean…" Austin's eyes widen when heard the words. "Both of which are weak to Grass!"
Aarons' smile turned into a small grin. "Right on the money! The data doesn't lie, and trainers want everything they can get when they first begin and are about to end a journey. In the middle, there is quite a bit of drop-off since everyone has a good idea of their power in relation to the Gyms, but the last Gym is always intimidating. There are other factors at play of course, such as TM rarity, the cost per unit, who the TM is being copied from, and media attention given to specialists of the same type." The blonde man laced his fingers and sets his elbows on the desk. "With Grass being the answer to starting gyms, and the unexpected defeat of Erika to the rising Grass specialist Valorie Forrest, Grass is hot. A limited run of brand new Grass moves will sell out from preorders alone."
'Huh, I never thought about it like that,' Austin silently mused. 'With the price tags on TMs, it must be a lucrative business.' Aarons' enthusiasm makes more sense. 'Ah, if he's the one doing all the behind-the-scenes work, then he probably gets a nice cut.'
"Understandable," Austin nodded along. "So, how does the process work here?"
"First," Aarons held up a finger. "We'd establish an outline of the technique you intend to propose to Silph Co. I've already done so here if you'd like to review it," he said, opening a drawer on his desk and taking out a packet of paper. He dropped it to his desk and slide it over. "Pending the demo, Silph Co can then choose to move forward with the process or decide to not take the proposal, and if denied you won't be able to submit your move again for a full year. No need to worry about that one I think with your status as an assistant to Executive Bill," he smiled. "Upon choosing to move forward, Silph Co will have you sign some forms giving us exclusive rights to be your TM manufacturer and distributor, along with a few more giving us the right to use your name and likeness as marketing material. Once complete, we'll have the boys in the lab copy the move from your pokemon and send it off for TM transcribing. When the disks hit the shelves, you can start collecting your royalties."
"Name and likeness, huh?" Austin crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "And how long do you get to use it afterward?"
Austin focused on Aarons for an answer.
"Just for the TM run," he cooly replies. "Once the last batch of disks leaves the warehouse, the contract is over. Typically a standard limited run is two-hundred and fifty units."
"Does Silph retain the rights to the move itself at all?" Austin asked as Aarons's answer wasn't enough for him.
"As in, can Silph Co just decide to make more copies of the TM after the contract is over and cut us out of the equation entirely?" Austin amended, watching carefully for Aarons's reaction.
If Aarons is perturbed by the line of questioning, he hides it masterfully. "We do reserve the right to create copies of unpatented moves without the input of the trainer who submitted the move for copying." He admitted. He opened another drawer on his desk and took out another packet of paper, setting it before Austin. "Silph Co can submit the move for patenting on your behalf for a fee which will be deducted from your royalties until paid in full. If you'd like to read over the forms for yourself, then please go ahead. Now, your royalty rate does drop two percent if you decide to patent, keep that in mind."
With the beginnings of a frown, Austin took the paper offered to him and held it so Pikachu can read along with him.
'Fee of 11,500 for the patent app, followed by losing fifty percent of my four percent of the royalties until paid back. If a basic TM is roughly 2000 pokedollars, and assuming my specialty TM would be worth a bit more at 3000 pokedollars… ' Austin crunched the numbers in his head. 'That's 37,000 pokedollars for both runs after the fees. Holy shit…' He blinks in surprise. 'That's a lot of money even with Silph chunking me for not giving up the rights to it… Or I could get 90,000 pokedollars from the six percent and no fees just by letting them have the moves. Hell, they might price the TM even higher than 3000 and push that payment into six figures…'
Austin looked away from the form in his hands, feeling slightly lightheaded. It might take weeks for the TMs to sell, but that's still a dizzying amount of money. If these are the sort of figures high-level trainers play with, then Austin suddenly understood how they afford to care for their rare and powerful pokemon. 'Pay to win? No. It's just free to lose.' He shook his head and looked down at Pikachu.
" Pika."
Making up his mind Austin sets the form back on Aaron's desk. "I'm going to patent them. Now, any other details?
...
Austin and Pikachu followed Aaron out to a testfire range that Silph created for demond just like this one, Austin's had by his side; Bulbasaur.
The testfire range looked much like a gun range back on earth.
A long stretch of barren land roughly one hundred yards leads back into a tall dirt berm to act as a backstop. The range was pockmarked with craters and burns, likely from other tests. Off to the side and leaning over the range from high above, a structure of metal beams like a leaning power pylon looms over the range. On the point of the pylon, a camera-like dome shines in the sunlight.
Behind Austin and Bulbasaur; Aaron, Pikachu, and several Silph personnel holding tablet computers stood behind a screen of ballistic glass.
Aarons turns his eyes to the techs. "Gents, are we ready?"
One of the three men, a tall, gangly man with limp black hair nods his head. "Beginning sim. Standby."
'Sim?'
Above Austin and Bulbasaur, the dome-like apparatus on the point of the leaning pylon glows a dull blue, and down on the ground, a hazy shape standing a head taller than a man and thrice as wide begins to take form.
Startled, Austin took a step back as Bulbasaur narrowed his eyes and took up a defensive stance before his trainer.
The mass crackled like TV static and coalesced into a shape with two thick legs, equally thick arms ending in claws, a long muscular tail, and a wide head with a shovel-like plate along its skull.
'A Kangaskhan?' Austin wondered as the pixel-like details filled in on the pokemon like a loading video game. In just a second, the details sharpen to a life-like level, and there stands a Kangaskhan minus a youngling in its pouch. 'Some kind of hologram?'
The fake Kangaskhan grunted and slammed its tail into the ground, making a tremor run under the feet of everyone in the field. Its eyes are flat and lusterless, but they focused on Bulbasaur with a disturbingly life-like gaze.
'Not a hologram.'
"Whenever you're ready, Mister Ketchum!" One of the Silph techs call. "Have your Bulbasaur attack the Kangaskhan construct with a combo move!"
Austin cracked his neck and said," Let's do one of the new combos; Seed Blast."
Bulbasaur growled as the miracle seed that sat inside its bulb, suddenly began to glow with a soft, greenish light. The light grew brighter and brighter until it filled the entire bulb. The seed seemed to pulsate with energy, and as it does, a greenish aura began to form around it. The aura grew and expanded, filling the bulb with its vibrant light. As the aura reaches its peak, the entire bulb is bathed in a glowing green light.
Bulbasaur's bulb glowed as the grass-type aura channeled into its mouth. He trained his eyes on the Kangaskhan's center mass and worked his jaw. Then with a flourish, Bulbasaur spat a shotgun blast of seeds with an ear-ringing bang!
The seeds flew in a tight cone trailing with yellow light, spreading only to the size of a volleyball in the twenty yards they flew. Then Seed Blast crashed into the Kangaskhan's thick hide with a series of loud cracks, throwing bits of the Kangaskhan's rock-like armor that dissolved into static before they hit the ground. Several seeds were lodged in the armor, sizzling with unburnt Grass energy.
The Kangaskhan reeled back with a realistic gasp, holding its cracked stomach armor with a paw. It retreated with several lumbering steps, watching Bulbasaur warily. Above the Kangaskhan, a green HP bar of all things appears and drops to roughly 90%.
"Not bad at all…" One of the Silph techs murmurs as he taps away at his tablet. "One direct hit dealt considerable damage to a high-level construct." He taps a button on his tablet and the damage on the fake Kangaskhan vanishes as its life bar refills to 100. "Again, please."
Bulbasaur looked up towards Austin, who nodded back. "Let's give it another one. Everything you've got. We don't need to worry about pacing ourselves here."
Bulbasaur turned to the Kangaskhan and charged another Seed Blast, a combo of bullet seed and seed bomb, drawing up even more seeds than before. The muscles of his jaws quivered as he struggled to keep the attack contained, and once he could hold it no more, he snapped his mouth open and fired a wide-spanning blast with a bang like thunder.
This time, the seeds spread out rapidly, but since there was a veritable storm of them, the Kangaskhan was struck over nearly its whole chest and head. The fake pokemon cries out and stumbled back, a number of seeds buried in its flesh. It covered its head and ducked, avoiding several botanical bullets that whizz by. The wounds on the fake pokemon didn't bleed, instead leaving behind simple holes that glow a faint blue. The HP bar above Kangaskhan's head jumped down to 45%, the green color changing to yellow.
" O-Oh wow…" Austin looked back when he heard one of the techs gulps. The middle tech glanced down at his tablet and cleared his throat. "Well, I uh, think we have enough data to work with on that one. Let's move on, shall we? I believe the next one is called Seed Scope?"
Once again, the Kangaskhan stood straight, its wounds vanishing and its expression returning to uncanny neutrality.
This time, Bulbasaur needed no prompting, taking a deep, lung-filling breath while grass-type energy was fueled by the miracle seed. Like with Seed Blast, he stood still for several seconds, letting the power behind the attack build before spitting a single hyper-sonic seed the size of a marble. The air cracked sharply as the seed broke the sound barrier and crossed the distance as little more than a streak of light.
Bulbasaur's aim was off even at the short distance, as rather than the center of Kangaskhan's chest, it hit her left shoulder, pushing in deep enough that the bones of a normal pokemon would be pulverized by the impact. The seed then explodes into shrapnel, shards digging into the skin and making a ghastly wound. The fake Kangaskhan went pale and grasps the hole with its opposite paw. Above its head, its HP dropped to 30%, which flashed red in a warning.
Austin turned back to the spectators, taking in their reactions.
Pikachu smiled slightly.
The Silph techs look between their tablets and the hard-light Kangaskhan with dropped jaws.
Aarons?
Aaron just smiled. "Mister Ketchum?" He calls over the ballistic barrier. "Fantastic showing. I believe you have one more?"
"We do," Austin nodded. Then an idea hits him, one that he pauses and mulls over. "Say, Alec? Is there any wiggle room on that royalty percent if we show something really impressive?"
A look crosses Aaron's face, one that stands at the midpoint of predatory and hungry, then it vanishes and is replaced with his pleasant resting smile a split-second later. "I… could be convinced to argue such a case to upper management for a better payout. What do you have in mind?"
" While we're not going to let this move be released for copying, it's proof that we have a lot to bring to the table." As Austin spook, Pikachu was already briskly trotting around the ballistic glass.
Aarons rubbed his chin folded his arms behind his back and gave Pikachu a searching look as he and Bulbasaur traded places.
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KABOOM!
Austin calmly watches as he felt the explosion wash over him and nearly take him off his feet.
The explosion was deafening. Even with his ears covered, Austin felt them nearly pop, and the shockwave is like a kick to the chest. Dust rushes past, dirtying his clothes and forcing him to close his eyes. The sheer, burning heat was present only for a moment, but it warms his skin to an uncomfortable level. Through the trees and off the building behind them, the echoes of the explosion roll through Saffron, rousing countless frightened bird pokemon from their perches and into the air.
As the dust settles, Austin rubbed the dirt from his eyes and opened them to take in the destruction.
Where the Kangaskhan was, there is now just a limp green wireframe in the vague shape of a pokemon, as if the fake pokemon had its hide blown clean off. Under it is a smoldering crater nearly a foot deep and fifteen feet wide, and the dirt within hisses as it cools from red-hot back to a burnt black.
Above the crater is Kangaskhan's HP bar. There is no number, just a flashing warning saying "ERROR".
Austin smiled and bends down, taking Pikachu into his arms without a fight and rising again. He wrapped his arms around his middle with his back to his chest, letting his hind paws and tails dangle. When he leaned down just enough to kiss his scalp, the electric mouse's ire cools considerably. "How about that?" He turns on his heel to the spectators.
The trio of Silph Co techs is struck dumb, all three of them glued to the tablets in their hands, all of them emitting a warning chime.
Aarons worked his jaw, seemingly speechless. His eyes look between the crater, then to Pikachu, then up to Austin. After a long moment, he smiled and combed his hands through his hair, brushing away debris that flew over the ballistic glass screen. "Oooh yes," he purrs. "We can work with this but what do you call this move."
" I call it, Raijin's judgment."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
[ A Few Days Ago ]
As the sun set on the bustling metropolis of Saffron, the city began to come alive with vibrant energy. The towering skyscrapers that dotted the skyline were alight with the glow of thousands of windows, each one a little world of its own.
The streets were filled with people, rushing to and fro as they went about their business. Street vendors hawked their wares, the smells of sizzling meat and sweet pastries filling the air. Music spilled out from the open doors of bars and clubs, the beats pulsing through the city like the very lifeblood of Saffron.
As the night grew deeper, the city seemed to take on a different character. The neon lights of the storefronts and advertisements cast a garish hue on the streets, lending a frenetic energy to the crowds. Everywhere you looked, there was something new and exciting to see and do.
[ Saffron City - Pokemon Center ]
[ Communication Room ]
Silence filled the room as Austin stared at Bill in his Aerodactyl costume.
" So, is that a yes or no ?"
" Let me think about it, Mr. Furry; I didn't expect you to suggest selling my combo Moves as TMs for money."
" Well, It's one of the more surefire ways to make a lot of money."
" What's the other way ?"
" Pardon."
" You said that's one way to get money, what's the other way ?"
" Oh, it's to have lone out pokemon like Tauros or miltank to a pokemon ranch since things like Tarous Fur and moomoo milk can be easily sold to get money."
Austin released a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
" Now you tell me this."
Austin whispered to himself as he could have played an Ash and given all the Tarous from the Safari Zone to pokemon ranches for a lot of money.
Damnit
" Huh, Is something wrong ?"
" No, continue; How I can sell my Combo Moves as TMs ?"
" Before that, I have a question."
" Shoot."
" Aren't you worried that your combo-move TMs will fall into the hands of someone like your rival?"
Austin nodded at the question while he thought.
' Is Bill dumb or something... if he thinks I am going to sell my most powerful combos, let's just sell some of the weaker combos while showing it from the hands or paws of someone who can amp that attack to be like some powerful godlike move, I could have Pikachu use his light orb or Bulbasaur with his Miracle Seed or even give any of the others a life orb. That should be enough to amp the weak combos into something that people want. Ho, Ho, how much money is that going to generate?!'
" Ash !"
" Sorry, I was just lost in my thoughts and to me, it doesn't matter, it's not like my combo Moves are anything special right ( pfft ) "
" I guess you're right. I should be able to get you through all the nitty gritty processes for TM manufacturers."
" Really ?!"
" Of course, you're looking at the inventor of TMs."
" ... "
" Hey, what's with that look ?"
" No, I just didn't expect the inventor of TMs to be ... a furry."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Austin opened the door to his room and he saw something he didn't expect.
Yellow sat huddled on the couch, her small frame shaking with sobs as she clutched a blanket tightly around herself. The Pokemon that sat in a circle around her looked on with concern, their eyes filled with sadness.
The apartment was quiet, save for the sound of Yellow's sobbing and the soft murmur of the Pokemon as they tried to comfort her.
The only light came from a small lamp on the coffee table, casting a warm glow over the scene.
" Oh, look who decided to show up, monster," Lucario exclaimed while trying desperately to hide his enjoyment.
Austin ignored the aura pokemon and approached Yellow, he could see the tears streaming down her face and the obvious pain etched in her features. He knelt beside her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Yellow, what's wrong?" he asked softly. "Why are you crying?"
Yellow looked up at him, her eyes were red and swollen. "Ash, our baby is gone," she choked out causing Austin's mind to go blank for a second while everyone's jaw dropped to the floor Lucario burst out laughing.
" Pika."
" No, you dumb rat; a baby between these two is physically impossible," Lucario exclaimed poking his paw at Pikachu's cheeks.
Charmeleon seemed to be offended by Lucario's words as he stepped up to defend his trainer's dignity of having the ability to conceive a child.
Charmeleon's shout seemed to break open and close the gates of everyone as they began to shout if Austin and Yellow had or hadn't conceived a child as pokemon calls echoed throughout the room.
A tick formed on Austin's head as he shouted.
" Guys! That's enough! Either go into the other room or go into the Pokeball!"
The arguments stopped as everyone scattered.
Austin sighed and turned to Lucario.
" Leave "
" You got it."
Lucario answered before he seemingly vanished.
Austin shook his head and turned to Yellow.
" Yellow, what do you mean by baby ?"
" T, The ( sob ) pokemon egg we found in the canyon."
" Oh, I gave it away to Professor Oak."
Yellow suddenly looked up and for the first time, Austin saw a look of fury on her face.
" You what ?! Get it back and give me my baby back!" Yellow yelled as she grabbed Austin's collar.
Austin took a deep breath before pulling out a mochi bun from his pocket and presenting it to yellow who seemed to momentarily forget her anger and focus on the bun.
As Yellow ate, Austin asked her a question.
" Yellow, what do you think we are doing ?"
" Traveling," Yellow answered while eating her mochi bun.
" We are going to war with Team rocket, if I let that baby pokemon stay with us the baby could have gotten hurt or worse."
Austin's words caused Yellow to look down in shame.
" I, I just wanted us to be like a family," Yellow whispered to herself as Austin smiled and answered.
" Aren't we all just like a family ?"
Austin's words were met with a shout from the other room as the duo heard multiple groans while Lucario shouted out.
" Ha, take that; I win the bet."
Austin turned from the room back to yellow who was left a blushing mess as she asked.
" A, Are we like a family ?"
" Yeah, of course; you, me, Pikachu, and everyone else are all like a family."
" Mew Damnit, No !"
Austin heard from the other room while Yellow smiled at Austin's " oblivious words"
" Yeah, we are like a family."
Lucario popped his head out from the other room and asked.
" Hey, what's my role in this family?"
Austin looked at Lucario and answered with four words.
" The gay emo cousin."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
[ Tomorrow morning ]
" Ash, we got a problem," Yellow exclaimed anxiously while Austin was choosing what he should wear since he was going to the Silph Co.
" Ash !"
" Huh, Yellow did you say something ?"
" Yes, we have got a huge problem."
" ... "
" ... "
" Aren't you going to say something?"
" Oh, we have run out of Pokefood!"
" All of it ?"
" Yes."
" Even the hidden stash."
" Yes."
" ( ~Sigh~ ) Why now ?" Austin pinched his nose as he knew the meeting with the Sliph Co. would take a while.
Seeing Austin's visible frustration, Yellow suddenly had a bright idea.
" Ash! I can go shopping for the food while you can do what you were doing ?"
" ... " Austin looked up and then down at Yellow.
" No."
" Come on, I can do it. Just trust me."
" ... " Seeing Austin incredulously look at her, Yellow stomped on the floor.
" Ash! I can do it."
" Fine," Austin said as he didn't have any time to argue. Taking out his wallet, Austin gave Yellow a few thousand pokedollars.
" You are now on shopping duty"
" Yay !"
Yellow said while raising her hands in the air.
" Now please get out, I have to change."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Shopping… It was one of the things that Misty loved to do. She would drag Brock and her to a big department store while Ash would somehow manage to slip out every time.
Yellow thought with a melancholic smile.
She missed Brock and Misty.
" Where are we going ?" Lucario said while holding Wartortle who was struggling to get out.
Broken out of her thought, Yellow pulled out her Pokedex while Scizor approached them with a struggling Ninjask in his claws.
" Dexy, how close is the nearest Pokémon Mart?" Yellow asked while flipping the Pokédex open.
The map showed 16 blue dots that marked the locations of different Pokémon Marts in Saffron City.
Yellow whistled while Clefable hopped towards them alongside a grumpy Charmeleon who was carrying Magikarp, Charmeleon's face showed that he didn't want to be there.
A Pokeball on Yellow's belt opened revealing Iny, the Dratini who wrapped around her neck as they went on our way to find the PokéMart.
Yellow was curious how it would look but when they found it she wasn't really surprised but to Lucario, it was a shock.
Such a huge building was available to the public and not just the nobles.
The Pokemart was placed in the middle of a shopping area and had a big blue roof with the Pokéball symbol on it, underneath was written: Pokémon Mart
The storefront was filled with all kinds of posters, announcing discounts on certain items, a battle between Lance and some random dude, a new tv show, and one that encouraged people to become Pokémon trainers.
Yellow entered the store and discovered it was a very roomy building from the inside.
A large blue counter with a man standing behind it filled the left part while the walls were filled with shelves that colorfully displayed the items that could be bought with special baskets for discount items.
Large blue couches were placed in the middle of the room, backs to each other so they were forming a square together.
Computers were mounted into one wall and one guy with raven black hair was swiping away at the screen, he wore a black belt with 3 Pokéballs attached to it so Yellow assumed he was a Pokémon trainer as well.
It was a very big but neat place that perfectly combined professionalism with style and comfort.
Yellow suddenly stopped as her eyes glanced at a Mochi poster.
Oh, they have an oran berry mochi and Peca berry mochi, and even the limited edition mago berry mochi.
Yellow's mouth watered as she thought about the mochi meanwhile Scizor was showing the star-eyed Lucario a gumball machine but they had forgotten one important thing.
Wortortle and Ninjask had practically disappeared while running into the Pokémart.
Clefable and Musharna flew after the duo so they won't cause any trouble.
Yellow meanwhile shook her head.
' No, Yellow you didn't come here to buy mochi, you came here to buy pokemon food.'
Yellow walked over to the pokemon food aisle that held shining bags of pokemon food on display and yellow stopped in front of it to study them.
Suddenly her mind had gone blank when remembering which brand she should buy.
Iny was a bit slower, taking the time to give everything a good look.
Next to yellow stood a young girl with green braided hair, she held a potion in her hand and was discussing with another boy around her age.
The boy had green hair too, too short and curly. He seemed rather annoyed by whatever the girl was talking about.
A woman with blond hair stood in front of the Pokédex with her back yellow, and in her left hand, she held a book.
Yellow picked up a bag and weighed it in her hand, giving it a studying look.
Honestly, she was just trying to look like she knew what she was doing but honestly, this bag looked the same as every other bag.
Next to the shelf was a poster plastered on the wall detailing the instructions for catching Pokémon and all that other thing.
"Iny, what do you think of this one?" Yellow asked as she knelt to show Dratini the Pokémon food he just picked up, "Don't you think this one is perfect?"
Dratini looked confused.
" Excuse me miss but are these your pokemon ?" A red-haired clerk asked.
Yellow didn't turn at the clerk's question as she stood there with the pokemon food bag in her hands.
" Excuse me." The clerk asked again as he tapped yellow's shoulder who suddenly jumped up scaring the poor man.
Yellow yawned and outstretched her hand while the clerk thought.
Did this girl just wake up from a nap?
" Huh, what is it ?" Yellow asked the clerk who looked confused before remembering what he came for.
" Miss, are these your pokemon ?"
Yellow turned to where the clerk was pointing as she saw Lucario trying to get gum off his fur with Scizor helping.
Wartortle and Ninjask were whistling to the side while Charmeleon glared at a blank-eyed Magikarp who had pieces of some kind of berry around his lips.
Musharna and Clefable looked down in shame.
" Yes." Yellow trailed off as the clerk handed her a bill.
" This is for the mess they caused."
Yellow absentmindedly nodded before looking at the bill.
Her eyes almost popped out of her socket as she looked at the bill.
1950 pokedollars.
Yellow helplessly chuckled as she looked towards the group of troublemakers who suddenly felt ashamed for their actions as they looked down at the floor.
" Well, here you go," Yellow said as she hand the necessary amount to the clerk before turning to the group.
" I am telling Ash," Yellow said causing the group to freeze except Lucario.
They knew their trainer wasn't going to let this slide which meant extra training.
" But " Yellow's sudden word caused the group to look up hopefully.
" I won't tell if you help me raise enough money to get the pokemon food."
Lucario curiously asked," How ?"
" By pokemon battles," Yellow said happily as she skipped to the door while the group of pokemon looked at each other.
" Doesn't she know that she would have to win 70 or so battles to even make what Austin gave her? " Lucario asked while everyone sighed.
" Carp !" Magikarp happily said before Charmeleon threw him towards Scizor's face.
" Char, Char, Charmeleon," Charmeleon said grumpily.
" Then I guess you are a coward." Lucario taunted back causing Charmeleon to stop and turn.
" Char, Charmeleon, Mellon?"
" Coward!" Lucario said causing Charmeleon to glare back as he said, " Charmeleon !" before the small dragon followed after Yellow.
I'll show you.
Lucario suddenly smirked before Scizor handed him a Magikarp.
Magikarp looked at Lucario before bursting out crying.
Lucario looked up from the crying Magikarp as he saw everyone flowing after Yellow while he was left behind.
Lucario sighed and looked back at Magikarp.
" How much can I get if I sell you? 10, 20 pokedollars."
Lucario's question caused Magikarp to look at him in the offense as if the fish was offended that Lucario had him at such a low price.
" Carp !"
" Yeah, I doubt you're worth that much."
" Carp."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 [ AUTHOR NOTES ; credits to borne of caution. check it out it is a more amazing story than this dumpster fire ]
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