Chapter 5: A Thriving World
"Ohoh, I see!" The stout old man exclaimed, shoving a magnifying glass into Rissoella's face like he was trying to inspect her genetic makeup. "Very interesting, very interesting...!"
Zach sat with Kirlia and Poipole as the little man waddled back and forth through the room.
"So, you've got some injuries, but you're from another dimension. You also have a Pokemon that's not native to this world, and you're quite sure you have no idea how to get home?!" The man stopped, spinning around to face her. "Fascinating, yes indeed! Very fascinating! You're a scientific marvel!"
"You're not going to dissect her or anything, right Professor Ginkgo? Promise?" Zach asked.
"You're close!" Professor Ginkgo smiled, snapping a rubber glove onto his hand, making Rissoella jump in her skin. "I'm going to disinfect! Then I'll give her some bandages and a brace for the stability!"
Rissoella sighed with relief, before sharply inhaling as he disinfected her wound.
"Don't worry, he's good at what he does, even if his specialty is in Pokemon." Zach giggled, watching the medical process.
"I'm surprised you can fix me up. I assume we would be far more different." Rissoella said, looking over her shoulder at the professor.
"Oh no no no, not in the slightest! Aside from the difference in pigmentation, your skeletal structure appears almost identical! You're human, just like us." Professor Ginkgo explained, wrapping her up in bandages before grabbing the back brace. "Though I'd bring some sun block, if what you told me is true. Maybe some sunglasses!"
As he laughed at the circumstances, waddling over to his short desk and computer, Rissoella smiled to herself. The blatant change in scenery was certainly difficult on the eyes at times, and she wasn't used to feeling the warmth of the sun's rays.
"She'll be better now, right?" Zach asked, as Poipole hovered to her palm, nuzzling against it.
"She'll be better than ever! Just don't fall through any trees, and watch the bending." The Professor laughed, tossing a lollipop at Rissoella. She caught it and looked it over in confusion, before Zach took her hand and helped her up.
"Thank you professor, we really appreciate it!" Zach waved.
"Anytime, anytime! Oh, show her around the Osburn place, you hear?!" Ginkgo yelled.
"Will do!" Zach grinned, before leading her out.
"The Osburn place?" Rissoella asked.
"See, the Andaros region is a strange case. Used to be a farming community, not really on the map." Zach explained as they walked down the path towards the vibrant town. "No gym challenge, no real history to it. That being said, it wasn't long before some of the interesting details of the region got brought to light."
"What sorts of details?" Rissoella asked curiously, trying not to fiddle with her back brace as she felt the cool breeze.
"Well, for starters, there was a lot of archaeological finds. Ruins and remnants of an ancient civilization. Thing is, they started on the surface." Zach looked at her. "Then, visiting archaeologists started digging. Sure enough, the stuff they found up here was the very top. Underneath Andaros, there's a ton of ancient stuff, really impressive. We've got probably thousands of years of history under our feet."
"Seriously...?" Rissoella asked, as their shoes hit the pavement and they walked between colorful houses.
"Yeah! Some historians even think that the Andaros Region and the Sinnoh Region to the west might've been the same landmass at one point, since they'd fit together pretty well. Others disagree pretty heavily, since it's not like continents just drift apart within that time span." Zach explained, as Kirlia hopped off of his shoulder and skipped along beside him. "Gotta say though, the idea is really weird. What happened to move all of that history underground, why is it all buried?"
"So all of that was just forgotten... it's kind of sad." Rissoella said, watching Poipole protectively cling to her arm. "So this is a work site now?"
"That's the thing. Since this place is big on agriculture, you can't just dig everything up. That's why they stepped in." Zach pointed up at a white building with pristine glass windows.
The modern building was adorned with a big logo, that said AFES. Inside, there were nice plants and reception desks manned by well dressed people.
"The Andaros Foundation for Ecological Safety." Zach recited. "They're the ones that manage the divide between excavations and agriculture, since the soil is at risk. Some of their sectors are really devoted to the archaeology, and they partner with organizations to help get it out of the ground."
"Interesting... so what's the Osburn place...?" Rissoella asked, still not having gotten an answer.
"Oh, right." Zach laughed awkwardly. "I got carried away. Aunt Osburn--that's what we all call her--runs it, it's one of the larger farms in the region. She's also a sort of Pokemon breeder, you'll see!"
"I am curious about the Pokemon here, I will admit. My home didn't have too many." Rissoella said, looking down at Poipole.
"Then let me introduce you. You'll find the place full of them!" Zach beamed.
They walked down a winding road through an orchard of trees all filled with fruit. The greenery didn't cease to amaze Rissoella, protruding from every single part of this new world. The fluffy clouds in the sky were a treat for the eyes, even if they stung slightly from the natural light.
They came by a huge flower tilting in the breeze, and Rissoella couldn't help but stop to look. She traced her hand across the giant yellow petals, before the entire flower suddenly tilted up and she was greeted by two huge eyes.
Rissoella yelped and jumped up, surprised by the creature.
"Oh! Hey! It's Rosearade!" Zach laughed, walking over. The Pokemon looked at Rissoella with concern, before looking at Zach.
"A Pokemon? Is it wild?" Rissoella asked.
"Not at all!" Zach said, stroking the top of the flower hat she wore. "This is a variant of Rosearade unique to Andaros, they're very friendly!"
The Rosearade turned back to Rissoella. Past her arms which looked the texture of coarse plant matter, she had overalls with hanging manmade tools. The golden flower, worn like a hat, must've shielded her eyes from the sun while also catching it for photosynthesis.
"Hello there..." Rissoella said, as the Rosearade walked over and happily helped her to her feet with her wood-like hands.
"Rosearade from other regions are very flowery. Andaran Rosearade are much more basic for some, but there's a good reason for it." Zach said, crouching down to Rosearade's level. "Would you mind showing us where Aunt Osburn is?"
"Rose!" The Rosearade said, pointing them towards the field, before leading them off through the dirt.
The soil was rich and fertile, and even through her shoes, Rissoella could feel how soft it was. The cold hard rock of Ultra Megalopolis felt like steel by comparison, as her feet sank into the soft ground.
They approached a clearing between fields, and as Zach pointed her out, Rissoella gasped in amazement.
The young woman sprinkled water out of her watering can, making the soil rustle. Out popped a little potato, happily chittering and tottering around in the water. She moved onto the next, calling up another potato. She continued, with a single file line of them following, dancing cheerfully behind her. Without much motor control, they frequently fell over before hopping back up to continue after her.
This all culminated in the young lady rousing an entire parade of happy little spuds, all following her around and cheering happily. Rissoella bore witness to the cutest sight she'd ever laid eyes on, as these tiny spuds felt joys beyond her wildest dreams from the smallest sprinkles of water.
"That's Aunt Osburn!" Zach said. "Time for the daily Spudew Parade!"
"I-... I love them..." Rissoella muttered, watching the happy little spudew tottering around on their tiny feet, treasuring every droplet of water.
"Aren't they special? Rosearade typically finds water for her family of spudew in the wild, but they've got a symbiotic relationship with humans now. Need to go at it alone." Zach waved to Aunt Osburn, who waved back. He then pointed to the armored wooden figures lining the field. "The Roselia act as scarecrows, defending the spudew while she's gone, and overall their very life cycle makes the soil amazing for plants. The fertility of the soil in Andaros is almost solely due to these Pokemon."
As Rissoella watched their celebratory parade, she fully immersed herself in the beauty of this life filled world, feeling the warm sun on her skin and the contagious joy of the little creatures.
This was heaven.
It's been a while since I updated, so it was a little hard to get back into it. Hopefully you've enjoyed it, and please feel free to leave suggestions or feedback in the comments.
I definitely don't want to make just a rehash of other Pokemon adventures, so I've made sure to focus this region on a few key things that you'll see later. The most prominent one of course is showing off everything that Ultra Megalopolis doesn't have, like water, food, and plants. The Spudew line of Andaros is easily one of my favorite ideas, and a great way to show not only the cycle of nature, but also symbiotic life with humans.
When Spudew get strong enough to defend themselves, they become the quick, powerful guardian Roselia that defend their family, and protect their little spudew from intruders or predators. Very rarely, a natural evolution will create a Rosearade, who has the endurance to go find water and use makeshift tools like primitive bowls to bring back water for their family. In the wild, this becomes roaming families that hibernate during the winter and rest by burrowing into the soil where it's cool and moist.
With humans, however, you have fully fledged fields of Spudew guarded by Roselia that will happily extend their circle of protection to other crops nearby, even if they're not Spudew. Rosearade happily collaborate with humans as long as their goals align, and since the Spudew increase soil fertility with their natural life cycle, there's no need to cook and eat them. This symbiotic relationship makes Andaros an incredible place for agriculture!
Definitely one of my favorite ideas, I love the happy Spudew and their resourceful lifestyle. I don't know if I'll top it, but there's always more of Andaros for Rissoella to explore!
By the way, sorry for all the exposition. Hopefully the world building is interesting, and it'll play in more later as well.
