Chapter 7: Motostoke Follies
To say Keifer slept like a rock was an understatement. The rooms at the Budew Drop Inn were top-tier; sleeping in the bed felt like laying in a cloud compared to sleeping out in a tent.
Keifer almost didn't want to get out of bed, but that would've meant no progress towards the long journey ahead of him.
The only difference to starting out this morning compared to the last few was that Keifer was able to sneak in a shower, the young adult jamming out to some tunes, completely forgetting what today was-
"Incoming call from Rika! Answering!" The music completely stopped as his Rotom Phone floated in front of him, the camera turning on.
Keifer had forgotten he had set his phone to auto answer calls from family.
"HOLY SHIT!" Keifer screamed, nearly ripping the shower curtain off as he tried to cover himself, Rika laughing on the other end.
"You act like I don't know the family secret, Keif." Rika teased Keifer as he reached for a towel, quickly wrapping it around himself to save some form of grace.
"Well, that doesn't mean I like answering my calls nude!" Rika smirked, and Keifer knew she was remembering the last time they had spoken. "…okay, can I just have a couple minutes to get dressed?"
"Alright, what's up Rika?" Finally dressed, Keifer was making sure his bag was ready for the day ahead while speaking to his cousin.
Rika was related to him via Theodore; once again proving that everyone on Theodore's side… save for Theodore himself, were great people.
Although after the divorce they weren't technically related anymore, the two still kept one another as cousins. Rika had been around for a few holidays and once or twice Jullie and Keifer had been around her place in Paldea for the holidays.
"Y'know. Same old same old. I could tell you how I actually had to fail a few people's entrance exams into the Elite 4… or I could tell you Happy Birthday!"
"OH SHIT!" He said it again, laughing alongside Rika this time. "I almost completely forgot!"
"How's it feel to be 18 now ya' clod?" Rika chuckled. "Got any fun plans for today. Mr. 'Gonna become Galar's New Champion!'?"
"Don't go busting my ass when you KNOW I'm gonna take Leon's title!" He spoke with a fire of confidence in his voice. "And uh… I just planned on continuing my journey. I was gonna take some time to walk around Motostoke and maybe buy a few things before hitting the road to Uncle Milo's Gym."
"Fair, fair. Now… please tell me that you remember type-coverage, right? Your little leaf dino might be strong, but you can't just put her in front of Milo because 'grass resists itself'!"
"I know my matchups Rika. Some of em' don't make any sense, but I know them." Keifer had 0 clue how or why a Steel Type hit a Fairy Type like a freight train…
But personally, he didn't wanna be on the receiving end or find out for himself frankly.
"Good! I guess while we're on the topic, I do have something to give you for your Birthday." Keifer raised an eyebrow and an audible gasp escaped him when he saw Rika lift an egg into the video's frame.
"You're sending me a Pokemon?!" The older girl nodded.
"Mhm. Clod and Crusher decided to go at it recently, so you're either gonna be getting a Wooper or a Gligar – and not one of those water ones." She referred to the former Pokemon's Johtoian form. "But I want to put a little wager on it."
"Arright. Let's hear it." Keifer felt a bit of excitement rushing around inside him. Rika was one of Paldea's Elite 4, and he'd seen her personality in battle go from 100 to 1,000. So…. who knew what she was gonna think up.
Even if it meant potentially losing his birthday gift.
"I could send the egg now… or, if you can be in the Top 10 trainers to beat Kabu over there in Galar, I'll send whatever little cutie comes out of this egg with some personal training from me under their belt. And if it's a Gligar, I'll send it over with a Razor Fang so you can evolve it when you feel ready."
Keifer didn't even have to think about it for more than a couple seconds.
He planned on making it to the top no matter what it took afterall!
"I'll take your wager Rika!" He had a confident grin on his face. "And I'm assuming if I don't make that goal, I don't get the hatched Pokemon?"
"You'll still get them, but training them will fall on you. That, and you might have a hell of a time finding a Razor Fang out there in Galar; I know they're pretty rare in a lot of regions." The green head had a fair point. "I do at least want to send you something more immediate though."
Keifer got a ding and noticed a transfer that put money-signs in his eyes. Rika just sent him 10 Grand – that was almost 3 years' worth of allowance!
"Arceus Rika! You're making me feel bad." The Paldea girl laughed.
"Hey, you only turn 18 once, you clod. Get yourself something nice, alright? And keep me updated! I plan on watching your matches but if something comes up, don't hesitate to call, k?"
"Alright. Thanks again Rika." She nodded, and with one final wave goodbye between the two, the video call ended.
Keifer was beyond excited by the prospect of getting a Pokemon from his cousin, ideas running through his mind of how the potential new team member would turn out; a powerful Gliscor, or a tanky, hard hitting Clodsire…
There was one thing he had to take care of before leaving. Taking out his phone before leaving his room at the Budew Drop Inn…
"Rotom, don't ever auto-accept a call if I'm naked or in the shower."
Despite winter being right on the Galar Region's doorstep, the weather was still rather nice in Motostoke, Keifer stepping out onto the sidewalk of the Big City as he left the Budew Drop Inn.
"Let's see… need to go get registered for the Gym Challenge, then I'll check out some of the local stores and shops…" Of course, Keifer had been to Motostoke over a dozen times growing up, but typically only on quick grocery runs with his mom or dad.
Today was different. He was now 18, had plenty of spending money and was on his own. Forming a small list of potential things to buy, Keifer made his way towards the gym; a walk towards the northern end of the city got him on the lift to the upper-section of Motostoke, putting him in front of Motostoke Stadium.
The stadiums were as big as they were for a good reason; Galar's Gym Battles were a massive spectacle, especially with the Gym Challenge that one had to face beforehand to pump the crowds up. The Gym Stadiums could seat thousands of people, and of course, the battling was broadcast for the whole region and world to see too.
Stepping into the decent-sized lobby, Keifer made his way to the front desk, being greeted by the lady behind it.
"Good morning! Here to sign up for the Gym Challenge?" Keifer nodded. "Alright, perfect!" She typed a few things and asked the green head a few general questions; date of birth, age, weight and height. He'd already filled out all the waivers almost 2 weeks ago, so he was set on that.
"And can I see your Letter of Endorsement?" He nodded and had his phone transfer it to her. "Alright, you're all set! Before you go, I just have one last question – what number do you want on your uniform?"
He thought about it for a moment. Kassi had threatened both him and Hop with a bad time if they chose Number 0, so the two had made a bro-pact to stay a thousand miles away from that.
"There's one number that's important to me. The number me and mum hold near and dear…"
Keifer grinned.
"Number 475!"
Not being one for clothes shopping, that didn't quite eliminate Keifer's options. Galar wasn't home to just a bunch of clothing stores and nothing else.
Throughout the morning and almost going into the afternoon, Keifer went in and out of various stores; getting a few things for his Pokemon, himself, and things for the journey ahead; more cooking ingredients, an extra pillow plus one designed for smaller Pokemon, the works.
He once again silently thanked Arceus that he didn't have to awkwardly fit it all in his bag; instead, all of it was stored in his P.C. He did have to buy an extra space in it for the Pokemon Pillow, but he didn't mind; it didn't hurt his spending money at all.
He'd even gotten something for his mom and dad, having sent it over to them and getting several heart emojis in response.
Keifer thought he had gone into every shop he had wanted to see, almost being ready to head out of the city, but then his eyes caught sight of one last place…
"Lineback's Trading Post…?" Keifer had never seen the place before – although to be fair he'd never been this far in Motostoke before either. The building's theme definitely matched the rustic city, and there were some rare looking treasures, knick-knacks and other do-dads on display in the windows.
His train of thought being that maybe he could find something nice for himself or his partners, Keifer walked into the building. There were a few shelves here and there of similar objects to what he saw when entering; rare-looking gemstones, Pokemon Held items, jewelry…
Keifer also took notice of a shelve of neatly organized . Ever since he was younger, his grandpa had gotten him to build his own collection of TMs and TRs, the greenhead throughout the years building a decent set of the discs; which, now that he was on a journey would finally pay off.
Keifer heard footsteps finally, turning towards what looked to be the main counter with a large entry way to the back, a man stepping out.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" He stood just as tall as Keifer himself. His skin was on the tanner side, complimenting the color scheme of his outfit and grey-greenish hair that had a flat hat sitting on top. "I don't get youngsters in here that often, so what's brought you in?"
"Kinda rude… ish. But to the point." Keifer thought to himself. "First time getting to explore the city on my own and I saw this place. Figured I'd come in and take a look around."
"One of the squirts competing in the Pokephile League?" Keifer nodded to the man. "Hmph. I've gotten a few in here today. Some real 'hotshot' tried to stiff me on my goods… you aren't gonna do the same, are you?"
"If I know who I think you're talking about, I promise I'm nothing like him." The older gentleman nodded. Keifer continued to look through the assortment of Rare T.R's the man had, finally settling on a few he hadn't been able to find when he was younger.
Before he could go to the counter and get himself checked out, however…
He noticed that there was an entry way to another section of the shop. It didn't look as well lit… but he was here, so might as well check it out, right?
"Hey, uh…" Fuck he didn't catch his name.
"Lineback the third. Although I can't expect everyone to call me that, so just Lineback will suffice." Keifer had to resist the urge to repeat that exactly.
"Lineback, is it okay if I go look around over in there?" Keifer pointed over his shoulder, the older man cocking an eyebrow.
"Hmm… I'm not quite sure you'll find much of anything back there; that room's just a depressing extension my great grandfather never did much with. But, shoot; knock yourself out squirt."
Keifer nodded to him. Holding the few TRs and TMs close that he had pulled from the shelf, he walked into the room. Sure enough, 'depressing' was a pretty good word to describe it.
The shelves were taller than Keifer, but many were barren or had old, faded objects on them that looked like they'd be better scrapped or given away. That didn't quite deter him though, the greenhead pressing on to make sure he didn't miss something cool, like a rare stat-boosting item or even some crazy rare book holding the secrets to the Universe.
As he rounded the final shelf, he didn't at all expect to find what he saw, his heart dangerously skipping several beats as he gasped.
A few cobwebs were visible on the definitely dusty shell. The usually gold paint was faded, now the same greys as the body and dress. The eyes, due to the lack of a Soulheart in the empty chest cavity were lifeless…
Sitting there in the back of Lineback's shop was a Magearna. It was completely lifeless, but it was still a Magearna regardless.
Keifer reached a hand out carefully, the steel cold to the touch. Nothing about it screamed 'fake' though; not a gag gift, joke or scam; it was real.
"Huh… I honestly forgot that thing was back here." Keifer almost didn't notice Lineback had entered, his full attention on the lifeless robot Pokemon he now faced.
"How long has it been like this?" Keifer didn't take his attention off of the Magearna as he spoke to the shopkeeper.
"For starters, it's a 'she'. And second… she belonged to my Great Grandfather. My grandfather would tell me stories from how he remembered her helping here in the shop when he was younger, but one day, her little heart fizzled out. They and my own father spent time trying to fix her before my old man gave up and I guess he put her back in here after he finished the expansion."
Keifer nodded slowly. That meant that, at minimum, the Magearna in front of him had to be at least 100 years old; a testament to how well made this elusive Pokemon was.
"Is… is she for sale?" Keifer knew it was a long shot; hell, he probably wouldn't even have enough money for her. But… something in his heart was telling him to try.
"Well… if I got her out of here, maybe I could start to tidy up this part of the shop a bit and use it finally. And your little journey is going to have you visit the different corners of the region, so maybe you have a shot at fixing her, Squirt." The older man tapped his chin in thought…
"25 Thousand. You seem like a decent enough kid-"
"I'll take it." Keifer had a smile on his face. While that was the remainder of his birthday money, plus almost all of his battle earnings and some savings, he already had taken care of the important things he'd need for the next couple of days; plenty of time to battle more trainers and make more money.
"Quick to the draw – I like that. Whenever you're ready, bring her and those discs up to the counter and we'll seal the deal." Lineback spoke and, with a curt nod, returned back to the front of the shop.
As Keifer lifted the Magearna into his arms, so many different thoughts and possibilities swirled through his mind; if he could find a Soulheart somehow – anywhere, he'd have a flipping Magearna on his team! Its' typing meant it had very few exploitable weaknesses and he had read and heard stories of how a Magearna could hold its' own and then some against some crazy powerful Pokemon.
Keifer expected the robot to be much heavier, but as he hoisted the Magearna into his arms, he certainly wasn't complaining. Maybe it was his time on the farm and his workout routine…
Making it up to the counter, he put the Magearna down next to him and let Lineback take a look at the TRs and TMs.
"Hmm… interesting assortment there; are you a collector?" Keifer nodded. "That explains it. My father had a man that looks like you in the face come in and always buy out our stock."
That made Keifer smile; he knew it had to have been his Grandpa Luke!
"Your total is coming out to 9,999 Rupees… wait a minute, stupid old register!" Lineback hit the side of the thing. "Sorry, old currency my great grandfather used. Your total is 34,500 PokeDollars."
It took Keifer a couple minutes to count out the bills, but both he and Lineback made sure he had paid the right amount of money, the older man giving Keif a simple written receipt of purchase.
"Now, as far as I'm aware, you can put it into a ball until you find a heart for it." Lineback was referring to the Magearna.
"Thanks. I'll do that later, but right now… there's someone I think might be able to help me get a start on waking her up." The older gentleman nodded and, with a final wave goodbye, Keifer stepped out of Lineback's shop, Magearna in hand and TMs/TRs all sorted away into his pack.
From where he was at now, Keifer wasn't too far from his Uncle Chuck's Machine Shop. As he started walking, he decided to finally put a certain phone number to good use; maybe they'd be able to help track down a heart if his uncle had nothing.
And only a few rings later, their faces came into view.
"Hey Keif, what's up?" It was Wolf who spoke; it looked like he and Kat were outside somewhere as their video call feed stabilized.
"There's something I want to show you two that I just got." Gesturing, his phone hovered in front of the Magearna Vessel as he was somehow holding it in one arm – Keifer once again not noticing what should've been a very heavy Pokemon.
"Well, ain't she just the cutest thing!" Kat fawned about the Magearna before Wolf spoke once again, his tone a little more serious.
"Two things Keif – one, where did you get the vessel and, two, where are you at right now?" Keifer hadn't expected that to be asked, but he certainly wasn't about to complain.
"I got her from a shop in the more Northern part of Motostoke – I'm heading to someone who might be able to help me out, but…" He quickly sent them the location on his phone. "See you guys in a bit?"
He didn't know how busy they'd be, but it was worth a shot…
"We'll be there as soon as we can. The shell looks authentic, but I've got someone who can verify it for you." That made Keifer grin.
"It'll be nice to see ya, so… see ya soon sugar!" Kat's words made Keifer go a little red in the face before both parties hung up the call.
Suddenly though, Keifer's Magearna seemed much heavier, or his arms suddenly just got tired… and given that he was now waiting for his friends to arrive…
Keifer found a bench and stood his Magearna in front of him as he sat down for a moment, allowing his arms some rest and letting him get an even better look at her in the afternoon sunlight.
Despite her eyes being empty, Keifer knew there had once been life in them; life he was starting to strive to bring back. He knew that a Soul Heart was the only Power Source that could work, but-
"My my… what do we have here!" He'd been so distracted that he hadn't noticed the older man now standing just a few feet away from him and Magearna. His entire look screamed an Old Telly Sales man; from the overly frayed suit, to the greasy black hair and moustache… and the glint in his eyes that showed dollar signs.
"What do you want?" Jullie had always told Keifer to avoid wandering sales people; too often they were trying to pedal scams or entrap people; something that the greenhead definitely wanted no part in.
"Now then, no such need for a rash introduction! I couldn't help but notice this Magearna Vessel you were holding onto. A Rookie like yourself couldn't quite possibly begin to have a handle on how to, how do I put this… handle one! Now, a man such as myself who's been around the world-"
"She's not. For. Sale." Keifer felt agitation rising in his chest.
"Tsk, tsk. You haven't even let me make my offer-"
Keifer started to get up at that point. "I said she is not. For. Sale." His tone had never sounded like that before. And as he refused to back down, something on the salesman's face changed.
"You should've listed to my offer… ah well. There's always the alternative. Attention everyone! This young man has offered to auction off this Wonderful Magearna Vessel!" The older man's voice boomed down both ends of the street, several people running and forming a crowd.
"You ASS!" Keifer shouted at the man who had a shit-eating grin on his face quickly-turned sales-pitch grin. Keifer quickly grabbed his Magearna as the crowd started shouting increasingly large amounts; he wasn't giving her up without one hell of a fight.
"Don't be shy – come and see the Magearna!" The people got even closer, some even reaching out to Keifer and his Pokemon, causing the boy to back even further into non-existent space…!
He held his Magearna close, when suddenly…
"WHO!" Keifer whirled hard as he felt himself being violently dragged through the crowd, somehow holding onto and not letting go of his Magearna. His fist almost slammed into his friend as he whirled around…!
"Whoa, easy there." Keifer instantly felt bad when he realized it was Wolf who had just saved him and his Magearna.
"I… holy Arceus, Wolf I'm sorry I just…" Keifer felt embarrassed.
"You're fine Keif – looked like they were eating you alive."
"You're not wrong! Some dickhead salesman tried to auction Magearna off when I wouldn't sell her."
"Well… you're both okay, right?" Kat smiled when Keifer nodded, the greenhead making sure his Robot hadn't been damaged by the crowd that was shouting, the Salesman's false claims and words drowning out as they quickly moved away from the scene.
"Thanks. For getting me out of there." He gave a fist to Wolf who returned it.
"It's no problem, Keif. We couldn't just not come after what you showed us – that, and consider us even." Wolf joked and the three shared a laugh before the older boy looked at the lifeless robot. "She definitely looks authentic. I'm gonna send some pictures over to someone who can confirm it for us."
"Thanks Wolf." Once more, Keifer lifted Magearna into his arms.
"What do you plan on doin' with her in the meantime sugar?" As Kat asked him this, Keifer realized just how close they were to his destination.
"Why don't I show you guys – if you have a few minutes to spare?" Both the twins nodded to him, and with a little more walking, they stood in front of Keifer's destination.
"Chuck's Motostoke Machines…?" Wolf read it aloud, but Keifer motioned for them to follow in, the greenhead smiling. He had meant to stop by sooner to see him, but, well… Keifer hadn't expected to find a Magearna Shell that afternoon either.
As they entered the shop, the hum of machines could be heard on the other side of the big wall separating the front 'waiting' space from the shop itself, a doorbell ringing as the three made their way in.
"Just a second!" Keifer heard his Uncle Chuck's voice from somewhere inside the shop. Kat, Wolf and Keifer only had to wait a few moments before the older man walked through the door leading into the shop.
"Uncle Chuck!" Keifer had sat Magearna down and quickly walked up to the older man to hug him, the other man returning the embrace.
"Sonny boy! What a surprise. Still kickin?"
"You know it." Keifer pulled away. "By the way, these are my friends – Wolf and Kat."
"Nice to meet ya Chuck." The Sinnoh Duo shook hands and Chuck couldn't help but chuckle.
"Unless my eyes are decivin' me, these are the Wolf and Kat who's your and your friends' idols! I bought him his first poster of the two of ya!"
"UNCLE CHUCK!" They all shared a good laugh despite the greenhead's embarrassment.
"Alright sonny, I can take a hint. What's got you all here in my shop today?" He eyed the three of them, and as Keifer moved to the side the older man's heart nearly skipped a beat. "Holy Arceus…"
"I found and bought her at that treasure shop on the North End of town, unc. Wolf and Kat helped me get her here after some scumbag tried to auction her off from me." Chuck nodded, absorbing what his nephew was saying. "I know she needs a Soulheart, but… is there anything you can do?"
Even Wolf and Kat looked to him. The gears in Chuck's mind turned and whirred for a few moments, but it seemed like a metaphorical lightbulb suddenly came on.
"As a matter of fact… I think there is! C'mon you three." He motioned for them to follow, leading them towards his personal workspace. "As I'm sure you know, there's two key components to a Magearna; the vessel, and the Soulheart. The former is the body, and the heart is the Spirit, yet, there's proof that the vessel holds a part of the spirit even when the heart is gone. Regardless of that, it's the SoulHeart itself that possesses the infinite energy needed to give a Magearna life; crazy ancient tech and machinery I can't wrap my head around even with 20 years of experience!" The older man chuckled as they entered his personal workshop.
They watched as he looked through a few things. "A few weeks ago… some… Micro Casmics Employee… I think that's the name, brought this in!" He held up what looked like a Soulheart.
"So, wait; you've had a SoulHeart for a while now?" It was Wolf who asked this, but all three of them were equally intrigued when Chuck shook his head no.
"Unfortunately, this isn't an exact SoulHeart. They wanted me to try and figure out the inner machinery of this replica to make it work. I spent several days on it… but no dice. They let me keep it – saying something about 'engineering the perfect one' or something like that." Keifer, Kat and Wolf nodded. "However, there is something this thing IS good for!"
"What's that Uncle Chuck?" Keifer obviously felt a little excited; maybe this would save him from having to hunt a heart down…
"It should give you a moment to speak with your Magearna; We hook this Soulheart replica up to a special cable I have somewhere far in the back, and I'd say you have about a minute before it fizzles out from high voltage."
Keifer nodded and completely failed to see Kat whispering something into Wolf's ear.
"Hey Chuck, I can come help ya find that cable – if that's alright." Wolf looked between the older man and Keifer, both nodding.
"That works. It might take a bit to find the cord – it's out in storage."
"That's perfectly fine Mr. Chuck – I needed to talk to Keif about somethin' anyway." Kat winked to the greenhead who felt his face go a little red. Chuck didn't notice the implication, or more possibly, didn't mind it.
"Alright then. Wolf, if you'll follow me." He was certainly doing a better job of being around the Sinnoh Celebs his first time than Keifer was, but in fairness Chuck was far older than Keif.
After they had walked out…
"Keif… I never got to thank you for what you did for me and Wolf last week." He noticed Kat's tone was different, Keifer's face going hot as she walked up to him.
"Well… I mean… you gave me your and Wolf's numbers and let me get those pics." He stammered a bit.
"But we both know that's not a proper thank you." Kat teased him, and if her intention wasn't clear, then her hand grabbing at the hardening bulge pushing against Keifer's pants should've been.
Over the next several minutes, the two fucked right there in Chuck's private workshop like two Lopunny in heat; skipping the foreplay not even a minute into it, given that they could be caught at any moment…
That just made the sex that much hotter. Keifer had one of Kat's legs over his shoulder as his shaft slammed in and out of her tight love channel, the Sinnoh Contest Star moaning loudly, the work table she was leaning against shaking violently with each of Keifer's thrusts.
They fucked around the room; against the desk in missionary, in Chuck's chair with Kat riding Keifer Miltank Girl Style (only stopping that bit when they heard the old leather chair starting to strain under their weight), and their final position being Keifer railing into Kat hard and rough, the two moaning loudly as he held her in his arms against the wall.
The second she said to let it out, Keifer didn't hesitate; Kat's several climaxes in their rapid, intense public sex session had finally pushed him over the edge; the girl's pussy clamping down on his dick like a vice, his seed shot straight inside of her, hot rope after hot rope of his cum pouring into her womb.
Hopefully, the sounds of the Machinery in the main shop had masked their combined orgasmic moaning, the two holding together for several moments before Kat's cunt would finally let Keifer pull out.
"Well… you certainly fucked me silly." Kat giggled and Keifer blushed a little. "You're tellin' me you don't have a girlfriend or boyfriend sugar? They'd certainly be lucky!"
"Thanks Kat… you were great too." Keifer was still a little dazed, but he pulled his pants on with extra care, quickly grabbing a paper towel from his uncle's shelf so Kat could clean herself up and not leave any 'hints' behind of what they had done.
Wait a second…
"Oh my Arceus Wolf might fucking kill me." Whatever sexual drive was left in Keifer from the sight of Kat trying some of his jizz was instantly gone. However, Kat quickly stopped his panic attack.
"Oh no he won't! If you had just left me out to dry, then he might've. Wolf ain't like that sugar, so you don't gotta worry." She showed him a genuine smile as she finished buttoning her blouse back up. "Where should I…"
"Here." Keifer took the dirtied paper towel from her and, praying to Arceus that it wouldn't smell, put it at the bottom of his Uncle Chuck's personal trash under other garbage. "Well… how do we look?"
"Hopefully not like we just fucked like two Buneary in heat!" They both laughed at Kat's joke, straightening themselves out a bit more before Wolf and Chuck walked in a few minutes later.
"We found it!" Chuck held up a special, very long cord. "And, if it hadn't been for Wolf, I mighta been done in by a massive box of spare machine parts."
"It was nothin' Chuck." Wolf spoke to him in a chill tone, but Keifer knew how heavy those boxes could be.
"Thanks for catching it regardless." Keifer thanked him as Kat walked up to her brother and whispered something.
"Alright. It's gonna take me a minute to get this plugged in, so why don't you chat among yourselves?" Chuck turned away and sat to his self-appointed task.
"So, Keif, why don't you catch us up on how the challenge has been goin' for ya while Chuck gets Magearna situated?" Wolf looked to him with his question, the green head suddenly letting out a sigh of relief he didn't know he'd been holding in.
"Man, where do I even begin…"
Over the next few minutes, he told them almost everything; how he caught Rascal when he got home, setting out and fighting Cross, and his trek across the wild area and even meeting up with Sonia.
For a moment, he hesitated. A few times now, he thought he'd heard his Pokemon speaking to him. For a moment…
He decided to try and push that down.
"…and then there was today. I bought Maggie from Lineback, you guys saved my ass and now we're here." Keifer smiled as he looked down to the robotic Pokemon.
"Maggie? That's a cute name!" Keifer hadn't even realized that until Kat pointed it out, and despite how simple the nickname was…
Keifer loved it.
"Alright, finished!" The three looked to Chuck, who had just finished securing the replica SoulHeart into Maggie's chest, a massive wire of several, rainbow-colored cables now running to a massive outlet with a switch. "This is gonna draw all the power from my grid in order to power that heart. It's only gonna last about a minute Keifer, so make it count sonny boy."
"Got it Uncle Chuck." Keifer got closer to Maggie, getting down in front of the Magearna.
"Keif, sugar, do you want some space?" Kat offered politely.
"It's fine. You guys can stay if you want." Wolf and Kat nodded to him as Chuck finally reached the switch.
"Ready sonny?"
"Ready Unc!" Keifer gave him the go ahead, and as soon as Chuck pulled the switch, the lights in the shop flickered and a massive wave of energy flew through the mass of rainbow-colored cables, the wires now shining brilliantly as that energy transferred into the Magearna.
Within seconds, Keifer could see life in the Pokemon; her eyes lit up, and her body moved a little.
"W… where am I?" She was speaking-speaking. Not the bits Keifer thought he was hearing, no; the Pokemon spoke in a robotic, yet soft and sweet-sounding voice; perfect English.
"H… hi Magearna." Keifer spoke gently to her. As he reached a hand out, she did too. When they touched, the metal didn't feel cold anymore; it had that same warmth that a living being did. "You're here in my Uncle's Machine Shop. I found you in an old store. My name… is Keifer. It's nice to meet you."
"Old store… does this mean my previous master passed on?" Her tone sounded hurt. Keifer nodded glumly. "I understand. Does that mean… you're my new master?" She looked up to him, light in her eyes.
"I don't want you to see me as your master. I… want us to be friends, Maggie. When I can get you a real heart." Keifer spoke softly, the Magearna finally taking notice of the synthetic heart.
"Oh… I can feel it now… I'm going to fade again soon, aren't I?" She sounded sad, and at that moment, something settled in Keifer's mind.
"Maggie, I swear to you, I won't leave you behind. I will find you a new SoulHeart so you can properly live again. Because that's what friends do." Keifer hugged her and the Magearna gently returned it.
"Friends… I like that." As she hugged him, Keifer could feel her warmth, her life. "I look forward to seeing you again, Keifer." She sounded content and hopeful as she hugged her new friend close.
"I promise Maggie, I promise." Keifer held her close until the synthetic heart failed, his heart twisting as he heard the heart power down a few moments later, the synthetic device crumbling to dust.
"That's gotta be one of the sweetest things I've seen in a long while…" Kat had tears in her eyes that Wolf gently thumbed away, Keifer just sat there in front of Maggie until his Uncle Chuck put a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"You'll bring her back for real next time, sonny." The older man gently reassured him as Keifer stood up and turned to the twins.
"Keif… you're crying." The greenhead hadn't noticed it, but a quick feel and sure enough, tear streaks ran down his face.
"Guess I just… didn't notice it." Chuck handed both him and Kat tissues, the two of them quickly sorting themselves out. "Wolf… I hate asking a second favor, but if you hear anything at all… about a SoulHeart, or leads… can you please tell me?"
"Already ahead of ya Keif." When he said that, the greenhead didn't hesitate to hug him, Wolf a little surprised but, regardless, the Sinnoh Champion and his sister returned it.
"I'll help too… but it might have to wait until tomorrow. Me and Wolf have somewhere to be sooner than I realized."
"It's okay. You guys take care. And thanks again." Keifer waved goodbye to his friends as they went out of his Uncle Chuck's personal shop and out the front doors.
"I'll keep my ears open too, sonny. One of the boys in the shop might know or have connections. Bit of food or extra pay goes a long way, hehe!" He loved his uncles laugh.
"Thanks, Unc." Keifer hugged him tightly for a moment, the older man returning the embrace.
"No problem, sonny. You're my favorite and only nephew; I'll always break an arm or two for family." Chuck chuckled. "I won't hold you for too much longer; you can use a Pokeball on the Magearna vessel. From there, not sure what you want to do with her."
"I'll send her home to be with mum." Keifer had already decided that if his roster was going to hit more than 6 Pokemon, he'd send them home. They'd be able to train and help on the farm while on the bench. Of course, Maggie wasn't alive… yet.
"Alrighty, sounds like a plan." Chuck safely removed the cords and synthetic SoulHeart residue from the Pokemon before Keifer put her in one of the extra Pokeballs he had bought earlier that day.
And with all that taken care of… it was time for him to set back out.
"You take care sonny, and don't you give up; not for a second. You've got Penn Blood in you; adventure runs in our veins." Chuck spoke to him with full confidence and hope.
"Thanks Uncle Chuck. You take care too." The two adults shared a final hug before Keifer stepped back out onto the street.
Keifer wouldn't forget about his promise. While becoming Champion was his primary goal, finding a SoulHeart for Maggie was now on his list of important tasks next to that goal as well.
With the rest of his birthday ahead of him… and the fact that he couldn't set out until after the Opening Ceremony tomorrow, Keifer sat back out to the city, ready to enjoy his birthday.
A.N: Hey all, FairyHat here! I want to thank
you for making it through another
chapter of the story! I just wanted to let ya know that there IS
a Discord server where readers of this story or any other GTiG Content can
join and read stuff early or just make some friends!
discord dot gg slash R3g9js4efK
(P.S, reviews would be greatly appreciated!)