DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokémon or any other brand, product, song, etc. I should happen to mention in this story. The only things I "own" are the characters, and even then, I use the term loosely.
Pokémon: Zeta Advance
Chapter 2: All That Glitters
"You're Pokémon are now fighting fit! We hope to see you again!"
"Thanks!" Carburn seemed chipper for someone who'd just lost to someone over three times his strength. "So," he said, taking a seat across from me. "Exactly how strong are you?" I didn't want to lie to him, but I didn't really have much choice. Nice as he was, I still didn't trust him. Then again, it'd been so long since I really did trust someone, I forgot what it felt like and how to do it.
"Double S-class," I said casually. He nearly jumped out of his seat.
"D-double S-class?! Really?!" He asked in shock. Technically speaking, it was true. Double S-class trainers are, essentially, Pokémon masters.
"Yep," I replied through a mouthful of fries. Poké Centers usually served really good food, and Oldale Town was no exception. I had ordered a cheeseburger and fries, plus food for all of my Pokémon the second I walked in.
"Hey, I've always wondered... Where, exactly, does meat come from?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I've never heard of anyone eating Pokémon before, so where do we get it?"
"A long time ago, some genetic engineers found a way to create plants that bear meat, so we wouldn't need to kill Pokémon anymore for food. Those trees, technically, aren't plants," I explained.
"Oh... YO! TWO TACOS, STAT!" The chef did a small salute with his spatula, and started on Carburn's order. Carburn then turned around and stared at me, his brown eyes wide with awe. "So... Double S-class... You must've won at least six regional league challenges!"
"Uh-huh. This is actually my second time in Hoenn." I took a bite of my burger. "I'm thinking about taking the league challenge again."
"Huh? Why would you take it again?" I thought about the answer for a bit.
"To prove a stubborn old bastard wrong, I guess," I finally said. This was actually entirely true.
(Flashback)
"Hey, Grandpa! I did it! I won the Hoenn League challenge!"
"Did you? Well that's fantastic! But I bet you can't do it again!"
"What?! What do you mean by that?!"
"Ha ha ha! It's a challenge in itself! If you can beat the Hoenn League again within the next ten years, you can have my old Impala!"
"Deal! I can't wait to prove you wrong!"
"Ha ha! You're definitely my grand kid! Ha ha ha ha ha!"
(End flashback)
I felt my eyes were about to tear up, but I managed to keep myself from doing so. "What about you?" I asked. "Why are you here?"
"Um..." He took a second to think. "Well, originally, I'm from Violet City in Johto. But my mom's from Kalos, and my parents split up when I was a kid. My dad helped me catch my first Pokémon, Dunsparce, and a Remoraid before I went to stay with my mom for a month when I was seven. She helped me catch Pumpkaboo. When I did, she was super excited and proud. But, she wanted me to go to a snobby boarding school, and I didn't fit in. So, I left. My old man's still fuming about Mom trying to force me to stay in Kalos. So, I traveled around with my brother and my sister for a while, went back to Dad for about nine years, and I decided to start my first solo adventure here."
"Eevee!" Eevee called from the phone booths.
"What does it want?" Carburn wondered aloud.
I stood up and replied, "He says I have a call." Carburn's face changed back to shock.
"You can understand it?!" He asked.
"Of course. What, can't you understand Dunsparce?"
"... Not... In it's speech, no."
I then remembered that the person I was speaking to wasn't a Pokémon master or an aura guardian. He couldn't understand Pokémon speech or read their aura. He was a normal trainer. "Sorry," I said. "I forgot that not everyone can do it. It takes a lot of time to get a bond that deep with a Pokémon. Most of the people I've been hanging out with for a long time have that bond with their Pokémon." I walked over to the phone, and picked it up. It was one of the last people I was expecting to be calling me, but I was glad to hear from him.
"Afternoon, George! Professor Birch told me you were in Oldale Town, so I figured I'd give a call," said the white haired old man on the screen before me. He looked like he could fit into a Sherlock Holmes book, due to his large sideburns and equally large mustache.
"Professor Rowan! It's been a long time! How are you?"
"Oh, I'm doing excellently! In fact, I'm on the verge of a breakthrough concerning Mega Evolution! By the way, weren't you supposed to return to headquarters after receiving the newly discovered Mega Stones from Professor Birch?"
"I'm incognito. Taking a much needed vacation. Not a word to the Council or the World League, and I'll owe you a huge favor."
"Interesting you should bring that up. Another of my old students, a Gym Leader in-training, is currently in Hoenn, looking for someone to train under. Perhaps you could travel with her!"
"Uhhh..." I didn't know what to say to the old man. He gave me a Turtwig when I started my travels in Sinnoh, and he took me under his wing as a trainer, and my sister as an assistant. Plus, he was covering for me with the Council. I couldn't turn him down. I sighed heavily. "Okay, you win. Where is she?"
"In Petalburg, I believe. Thank you, and safe travels!" With that, he hung up. I put the earpiece back onto the receiver, and walked out of the booth.
"Who was that?" Carburn inquired.
"Professor Rowan, my old mentor," I stated. "He wants us to meet up with another one of his students, a GLIT." A GLIT, or "Gym-Leader-In-Training," is normally an S-class trainer with a specific type theming to their party. They spend about a year, on average, in a special school that teaches them the basics. Then, they find a full-fledged Gym Leader to study under for about one to two years. At that point, they can get their own gym, or take over for another Gym Leader. After about six months, they are considered full-fledged Gym Leaders, and can have Glits of their own.
"A girl's gonna be traveling with us? Score!" Carburn stated.
"No, she'll be traveling with us until she finds a mentor GL. We'll probably barely even learn her name." (Looking back, this is probably what triggered what happened next.)
The road to Petalburg was shorter than I remembered, but I didn't care. I was too busy watching Carburn battling a wild Poochyena.
"Dunsparce, Rollout!"
"Duuuuuuuuuuuuuun-SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRCE!" The attack just winged Poochyena, but it was enough to weaken it a substantial amount.
"Alright! You're mine, Poochyena!" Carburn threw the Pokéball, and watched as Poochyena was enveloped in soft, red light, and pulled into the Pokéball. It shook once, twice, thrice, and... Click! "Yes! I caught a Poochyena!"
"Good work, but you rely too much on Rollout. Also, next time you use Rollout, have Dunsparce tuck it's wings in. It'll allow it to turn and hit it's target more easily."
"Okay. I'm just so excited!"
"What for? Adventure? New experiences? The thrill of battle?"
"No. I'm excited for the girl joining us!" He hadn't shut up about it for five minutes. I reached into my backpack, and threw a bottle at him. "Ow! What was that for?!"
"It's a water bottle. You must be dehydrated, 'cause you're the thirstiest motherfucker I've ever met," I retorted casually. I could tell that I had pissed him off.
"G-H-F-YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'M THE COMEDIAN IN THIS GROUP, GOT IT?! I WILL NOT HAVE MY ROLE IN THIS GROUP BE TAKEN FROM ME!" I couldn't help but smile to myself. It was never not fun to piss people off.
We got to Petalburg City at about half-past-two, so we could probably at least get to the Petalburg Woods before nightfall, if we found this girl soon. "Alright," I said. "Carburn, you go check the Poké Center and the Poké Mart. I'll check the Gym and the park. If you find her, text me on my Poketch. Here's the number." I handed him the paper.
"Right-o!" Carburn said as he took the slip of paper and punched the number into a very old kind of Poké gear. We split up, me with Eevee on my shoulder, and Carburn with Dunsparce hovering along the ground at his side.
Obviously, I should check the Gym first. If I know Norman, he'll keep talking about how "unfortunate it is" that he's got the max number of Glits the League allows, I thought as I ran towards the Gym. As it came into view, I could see Norman in the doorway talking to another person. Once I was in earshot, I heard this.
"... The maximum number of GLITs this year, and some stayed from last year's group. I'm sorry, Rain."
That must be the chick Rowan was talking about. As soon as I got close enough for them to hear me running towards them, Rain put a pair of headphones on, and started walking away. "Hey! Wait! Dammit, she can't hear me! Eevee, get her attention!" I brought my arm back like I was going to throw a sloppy punch, and Eevee ran down my arm and jumped off my fist once I launched it forward. Eevee spun and twirled through the air as if he could evolve into a Flying-type at any second. He landed right in front of her, sticking the landing like a boss on his hind legs. She stopped walking, pulled her headphones off, and watched Eevee do a little dance. I finally managed to catch up to them, but I doubled over, gasping for air. "Thank God... I... Caught up... I need... To talk... To yo-" I finally looked up, and saw what she looked like.
Her eyes were a sort of pale golden color, and her hair was long and blue. She was wearing a dark blue hoodie with a couple of ice blue bands on her sleeves above the elbows but below the shoulders. She had a pair of black denim shorts on that stopped a bit above her knees. Her skin was lighter than my own, despite Rowan describing her as 'Quite outdoor-sy.' Her running shoes were somewhat worn, suggesting they were relatively new. I noticed that what I thought was a tan and brown scarf was, in fact, a full-grown Furret.
"Fur?" Muttered the fluffy Pokémon.
"Uh... What did you need to talk to me about?" I snapped out of my stupor, regained my breath, stood up straight, and steeled my nerve.
Wait, why do I have to steel my nerve? I questioned myself. "I was told to accompany a Glit around the Hoenn region. From the description I got, it appears it's your lucky day," I said.
"Okay... Meet me at the Pokémon Center after you're done with the gym." She put her headphones back on and started walking away. I thought about what she said, and I did what anyone in my situation would do. I followed her.
Since she had her headphones on, she couldn't hear me behind her, but I had to be careful of Furret. I made sure to duck in and out of alleyways to keep from being seen. I also angled my feet between each step, so that the outsides of my feet fell first, and I just rolled it flat, rather than stepping heel-first like people normally do. Thus, my footsteps were almost silent. An old cop trick my grandpa taught me.
Then, three thugs stepped out of an alley and surrounded Rain. "Hey, girl," one of the thugs said. He was wearing sunglasses and had more Pokéballs on his belt than the others, so I assumed he was the boss. "You're too pretty to be on your own in this part of the city! Don't worry, we'll keep you company."
"Uh, no, thanks. I'm actually meeting someone later," she responded.
"Oh. Well, it's too bad we're not asking." They grabbed her and dragged her into their alley.
"No! Let me go! Furret! Iron Tail!" I peeked around the corner to see Furret's tail glow with a silver light, and attempted to beat the now five thugs away from its trainer.
"Little pest! Venomoth, Stun Spore!" One of the thugs cried. As directed, a large, purple, insect Pokémon emerged from one of his Pokéballs, and scattered a yellow powder on Furret, making it unable to move. "Now use Tackle! Teach that overgrown Raticate not to mess with The Hell Spores!" Venomoth slammed its body into Furret, sending it into a wall.
"Furret!" Rain cried, trying even harder to struggle free.
"Venomoth, how about you keep our guest from leaving prematurely?" Venomoth used its Stun Spore on Rain. They let her go, and she fell to the ground, spasming slightly.
Oh, that's the last fucking straw! I grabbed three Pokéballs from my belt.
"What's the matter? Gettin' a little hot down there? Then you shouldn't of pissed us off. Ah well, I'm nothing if not merciful," the leader rambled. "Shiftry, come out and give her some air." His Pokéball opened, and a short, white-haired, wooden troll-like figure with fan-like hands emerged. I saw Rain's eyes go wide with fear. Shiftry took a single step forward, but didn't make it any closer.
"Flamethrower!"
"Toooor-KOOOOAAAAL!" Shiftry was blasted into the wall on the other side of the alley by the flames, which didn't let up for a full minute.
"Sorry, boys, but I'm pretty sure the lady said 'no,'" I said. Let's see... Venomoth could be trouble if it stays in-play too long. Time to clear the field. "Swift!"
"Floooaaat-ZELZELZELZELZEL!" Floatzel, my current Water-type, fired hundreds of star-shaped energy bursts. And, as always, they found their mark, and Venomoth was out of commission. I walked into the alley, Eevee on my shoulder, Torkoal on my left, Floatzel on my right. I knew exactly what was going to happen.
"You three go protect the girl and her Furret. I'll handle these guys," I said. My Pokémon didn't hesitate, nor did they try to save me when the thugs circled up around me.
"You either got a lot o' balls or no fuckin' brain, challengin' us to a fistfight," the gang boss said. "You're outmatched. It's five-to-one!"
"Three-to-one," I corrected him.
"Wha?"
"Last two guys always end up running."
"Isn't that from a movie?" One thug asked.
"The book was better," I said calmly. "Oh, right! I forgot, you guys don't know what I'm talking about! See, a book is a thing with paper in it that have words on these things called 'pages.'" That did it. The boss rushed at me with his hand clenched into a fist and his arm cocked. Typical. Poor bastards don't realize what they're in for. I blocked his punch with my left arm, and punched him in the nose with my right. He didn't even see it coming.
Then, two of his goons took their turns together. Fun! I thought. I caught the one to my left, caught his arms, and used him as a shield. From anyone else's perspective, I probably looked like I was dancing around these guys, beating them shitless without effort. His friend did a good job at beating on his friend, which'll probably be embarrassing to explain, but that wasn't my problem.
In one swift movement, I dropped my meat shield and delivered a roundhouse kick to his stomach. He tried to kick back, but I caught his leg, due to him being in too much pain to really do any damage. I looked at the two guys still standing in their starting positions. I looked them dead in the eye, and I gave the guy I was holding one more good kick. Right in the balls. He dropped like a bag of rocks, and his last two friends stared at me. Then they exchanged looks of fear, and started running. Before they could escape, a large, blue, dragon Pokémon with enormous red wings blocked their path. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!" It roared. The last two guys passed out from fear. Ah, the perks of having an overgrown Salamence.
I walked over to Rain, and pulled a flask out of my backpack. "Drink this," I said. "It's Lum Berry juice. It'll help." She did as instructed with a level in distrust in her eyes. I walked over to Furret and used a Full Restore, a special kind of medicine that can make a Pokémon recover from almost anything.
"Why... Did you help me?" She asked, still feeling some of the effects of the Stun Spore.
"Professor Rowan asked me to accompany you until you found a mentor. Also, Poké Center's that way," I answered, pointing in the opposite direction she'd been walking in.
"And who are you?"
"I'm George Steinkreuz. I was one of Rowan's students, too."
"So what are you now?"
"You know, for someone who's supposedly 'anti-social,' you sure ask a lot of questions."
"That's not an answer. If I'm going to be kidnapped twice in the same day, I at least want a description for the cops." I couldn't help but smirk.
"Yeah, you really look like someone who would turn in a double S-class trainer for trying to help you." That seemed to catch her off-guard.
"What?! What do you mean 'helping?!' I could've saved myself!"
"You can move again now, can't you?" I asked, giving Salamence some food.
"Uh-!" She seemed to completely forget she was paralyzed at all. "Y-yeah..."
"Exactly my point," I said, returning Floatzel, Torkoal, and Salamence to their Pokéballs. "Now, if you want, you can leave Petalburg and get me in trouble with the Old Guy, travel on your own, or you can meet me at the Poké Center in 15 minutes. It's your call. But I'd say traveling with someone is the wiser choice." I then started to walk away.
'Ooh, nice play for psychology!'
What the hell?! Who are you?!
'Oh, I'm just your conscience. Y'know, the little voice in your head telling you right from wrong that you've suppressed over the years?'
You seem more like a split personality.
'Well, since I've been locked up, I've gone a little crazy. No thanks to you. Now, I'm your Deadpool boxes. So what's the plan to get that sweet-'
Don't you dare finish that sentence, or I will fucking obliterate you.
'Jesus Christ, it's almost like you're a love-sick bodyguard!'
She's a possible travel companion. That's all at this point.
'"At this point" you say? Well, at least that gives me something to work with!'
... You never were my conscience, were you?
'Nope!'
Try as I might, I couldn't shut the voice up. So I ignored him the best I could. Which was, in itself, difficult. I managed to make it to the Poké Center in about two minutes, meaning I had thirteen before heading out. "Hey, George, d'you fin her?" Carburn asked.
"Yeah, she-..." I shut my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. "What in God's name is on your head?" I already knew what it was, but I couldn't believe he was actually wearing one.
"It's a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool."
I looked at him again, grabbed the fez off his head, and spoke thusly. "Do you see a blue fucking phone booth?" He looked around and shook his head. "Then no Doctor Who references!" I threw the fez over my shoulder. Then Eevee ran over and put it on its own head. I sighed heavily. "This is gonna be a long journey..."
Well, her fifteen minutes are up.
'I can just feel the disappointment in life dripping from your thoughts!'
I decided to refer to the annoying voice as "ZYX." It was better than nothing.
"Alright, let's go, Carburn," I said, trying to pass any disappointment as boredom.
"Huh? Uh, okay," he responded. "Now then. How do we get to Petalburg Woods?"
It hit me that I had no idea how to get there myself. It'd been six years since I was in Hoenn last. "West" was all I had to go on. "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." I droned in hope the answer would work its way into the air. Luckily my stupid droning was cut off by a feminine voice.
"Sorry I'm late!" Said Rain, accompanied by her living scarf. "Thanks for waiting up a bit, I had to get some supplies from the Poké Mart, and I lost track of-... Is your Eevee wearing a fez?"
Eevee had, indeed, decided to keep the fez. "... Yes..."
"Awww! That's adorable!"
"But not anywhere near as adorable as me, right?" Carburn said as he slid up to Rain.
She looked at him for a moment, confused. "Okay, I give up," she finally said. "Who's the kid?" Carburn looked as if he'd been hit in the chest by a Geodude.
That's just Carburn. I met him in Littleroot Town, and I told him he could tag along. Don't worry, he's pretty much harmless. Although, we may need to call Bon Jovi," I answered.
"Why's that?"
"'Cause looks like he's been shot in the heart."
"And I'm to blame?"
"I guess you give love a bad name." Everyone but Carburn started laughing in our group.
"It's not funny!" He said
"Oh, come on!" I replied. "Even Dunsparce laughed at that!" Dunsparce was rocking back and forth on its back, in the middle of a laughing fit.
Once everyone calmed down enough to speak, Rain asked, "So what's our next destination?"
"Petalburg Woods," I chimed.
So how do we get there?" Carburn and I looked at each other, then back to the 5'10 girl with a live Furret around her neck.
"We actually... Have no fucking clue..." I muttered.
"No problem," she said, pulling a device from he backpack. "I have a Town Map!" Carburn and I sighed heavily in relief. Rain sighed almost defeatedly. "This is gonna be a long journey."
I should have mentioned this earlier, but the Pokémon sizes in this story have been, are, and will be either anime size or game-Pokédex size, depending on my ideals. For future reference, Eevee, Dunsparce, Sceptile, Torkoal, and Sunni, the shiny Swablu (who will "officially" debut next chapter) are anime size. Salamence is, at this point, unique, because it's larger than game size, but smaller than anime size. Basically, it's big enough for two fully grown adults to ride on it comfortably without impairing it's ability to fly. As you'll see in Salamence's appearance, I refer to it as "large," meaning "larger than average." If you want, you can safely assume that Salamence game size, but overgrown. See you guys when I upload the next installment of Pokémon: Zeta Advance! Later!