After a few hours of walking, Hariel decided that a break was in order and it was as good time as any for a snack.
She and Absol found a small clearing that would make for a great resting spot. After laying out a picnic blanket, she took out some berries, milk, and a package of chocolate chip cookies. Perhaps she could make some homemade ones another time. She gave some Oran Berries and a bowl of milk to Absol before she took out Luxray's ball.
If Luxray was going to be on her team from now on, they would have to get along. With a sigh, she released him from his pokéball.
Luxray looked sharply at his surroundings before his red eyes settled on Absol, and more importantly, Hariel.
Hariel made no sudden movements and kept eye contact with the pokémon, showing no fear. She could tell that he was searching for something in her gaze.
"I mean you no harm, Luxray. If you are not content with me, you are more than welcome to leave. I will not force you to stay. If you're going to stay and travel with me, it's because you want to, not because you're obligated to," Hariel said, never breaking eye contact with Luxray.
"Lux," the electric type said gruffly with a hint of respect. He sat down and tentatively allowed Hariel to pet his mane. He eventually joined Absol in eating Oran Berries and drinking Moo Moo Milk, of which he really seemed to enjoy as he gone through two bowls of the stuff, while Hariel occasionally slipped them some chocolate chip cookies.
She then spent the next half hour brushing both Absol and Luxray. She wanted to keep their fur nice and soft. She would have to remember to pick up some shampoo for pokémon in Oldale Town.
After brushing her pokémon and eating milk and cookies, she packed everything up.
"Luxray, do you want to walk beside me or do you want go inside your ball?" Hariel asked.
Luxray looked at the pokéball then at Hariel before nuzzling her side.
"A walk it is then. Let's go," Hariel said with a smile with a quick look at her PokéNav, they were off.
After picking up some supplies at Oldale town, the trio were now on their way to Littleroot where she would be able to get her pokédex.
"Help! Somebody please help me!" a voice cried out.
Hariel looked at her pokémon before dashing off towards the voice. The three ran for a few minutes before finding the source of the cries for help.
It was a middle aged man hanging off a tree branch with several dog like pokémon snapping at his heels.
"Hello there! Can I please get some assistance?" the man asked sheepishly.
Hariel nodded with a small but amused smile at the man's predicament.
"Luxray, will you allow me to command you in battle?" Hariel asked.
Luxray looked at her for a moment and nodded with respect and anticipation.
"Alright then. Luxray, use Discharge!" Hariel commanded, mentally thanking Steven for identifying Luxray's abilities.
He knew Flash, Swift, Electric Terrain, Discharge, Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, Iron Tail, and Wild Charge. A good move set but not too surprising considering Luxray had once belonged to another trainer.
"Luxray!" the electric pokémon cried out and fired out multiple bolts of electricity, hitting each of the dog pokémon and sent them packing.
"Good job, Luxray," Hariel praised, petting the pokémon with happiness.
Luxray purred from the affection, warming up to Hariel quickly.
"Thank you very much. That was quite a Discharge," the man praised. "My name is Professor Birch, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Hello there Professor, my name is Hariel Evans," the witch greeted in kind, shaking the man's hand.
Professor Birch smiled, "Now what brings you here all the way to Littleroot Town?"
"I'm actually here to register as a trainer…" Hariel replied.
"A trainer? May I ask why you're starting now?" Birch asked curiously.
"Due to family issues, I couldn't start my journey until my affairs were settled," Hariel said, sounding a bit flustered.
"I see," the professor said with non-judgmental eyes, "Well then, better late than never, nm?"
Hariel nodded and was glad that he didn't pry.
Professor Birch led her back to his lab where she was given a red pokédex, six pokéballs, and the option to choose a starter pokémon like every other beginner trainer.
"Now you're in for a treat! Professor Oak from the Kanto region agreed to lend me the Kanto starter pokémon for my research. But you're more than welcome to choose one of them if you wish despite the fact that you already have two pokémon of your own," Professor Birch said, lining up six different pokémon on the display table. "There are the Grass types, Treecko and Bulbasaur. The Water types, Mudkip and Squirtle. Then there's the Fire types, Torchic and Charmander. Now, which would you like?"
Luxray and Absol looked at the row of pokémon curiously while Hariel thought hard. What would be a good addition to her team?
She gave them all a good once over before settling her eyes on Charmander.
"I choose Charmander," Hariel said finally, making the lizard pokémon jump with joy.
"Good choice!" Professor Birch nodded and handed over Charmander's pokéball. "Now then, good luck on your journey!"
"Thank you, Professor Birch," Hariel said, smiling happily as Charmander jumped into her arms.
"Okay, let's check you guys out," Hariel said, settling in a small park nearby. She took out her pokédex and pointed it to Absol first.
A picture of Absol showed up on the screen and spoke "Absol, the Disaster Pokémon. When disasters are detected with its horn, Absol comes down from the mountain to warn people."
Hariel's eyes scanned over the extra tidbits of information on the screen.
Gender: Male
Ability: Super Luck
Hidden Ability: Justified
Super Luck: The ability to sense an opponent's weak points.
Justified: Attack power is increased when hit with a Dark Type move.
Moves: Shadow Claw, Night Slash, Dark Pulse, Megahorn (Egg move), Psycho Cut, Razor Wind, and Future Sight.
Hariel hummed and pointed her pokédex at Luxray next.
"Luxray, the Gleam Eyes Pokémon and the evolved form of Luxio. Using the power to see through walls, Luxray can track down hidden opponents and even locate lost children."
Gender: Male
Ability: Rivalry
Hidden Ability: Guts
Rivalry: When facing an opponent of the same gender, its attack power increases. When facing opponents of the opposite gender, its attack power decreases.
Guts: When the pokémon with this ability is afflicted with a status condition, its attack increases.
Moves: Flash, Swift (Egg Move), Electric Terrain, Wild Charge, Thunder Fang, Ice Fang (Egg move), Discharge, and Iron Tail.
Damn, two egg moves? Must have come from a high grade breeding centre then.
Charmander next.
"Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon. When the tip of Charmander's tail burns brightly, that indicates it's in good health."
Gender: Female
Ability: Blaze
Hidden Ability: Solar Power
Blaze: When the pokémon with this ability weakens or tires, its Fire Type attacks are powered up.
Solar Power: In the weather of harsh sunlight, its special abilities are powered up dramatically, however, it loses more stamina than usual.
"Let's see here…you have Scratch, Growl, and Flamethrower," Hariel smiled. "A good starter move set!"
"Char!" Charmander cheered happily and started to shoot off Flamethrowers in every direction in exuberance.
That was probably the reason why it knew Flamethrower in the first place instead of the usual Ember attack…
Before she could say anything else, something was twirling her way. It looked to be a pokémon with blue hair wearing a tutu.
Her Pokédex activated automatically when the pokémon stopped right in front of her, "Kirlia, the Emotion Pokémon and the evolved form of Ralts. Kirlia uses the horns on its head to amplify its Psychic powers, and when this occurs reality becomes warped, and future events can be seen."
Pokémon being able to see the future? Why wasn't she surprised anymore? And why was this Kirlia coloured differently than the one in the pokédex?
"Oh dear, it seems that Kirlia has taken a liking to you!" an elderly woman said, slowly walking up to her with another pokémon by her side.
It kind of looked like a fox holding a pair of spoons.
"Alakazam, the Psi Pokémon, and the evolved form ofKadabra. With the brain like a super computer, it possesses many different supernatural powers."
Hariel curiously probed Kirlia with her magic, and it twirled in happiness as a response.
"I think Kirlia wishes to go with you," the woman said, smiling.
"H-Huh?" Hariel flustered when Kirlia nodded. "Why me? I mean, she just saw me just now…"
"You're a Psychic, aren't you?" The woman asked with a knowing eye.
"H-How-"
"Did I know? Well dearie, I'm one as well. Which is why I get along so well with Alakazam here," the woman smiled. "My name is Martha."
"I'm Hariel."
"You're a very strong Psychic. I sense it now. Maybe that's why Kirlia is so taken with you. Kirlia can see the future, so she must've been waiting for you," Martha said with a smile.
"Waiting for me?" Hariel asked, confused.
"Yes. Kirlia came into my care about a month ago. She told me that she was waiting for someone. And then today of all days she bolts out the door and finds you!"
How the hell do pokémon just fall into her lap like this? Couldn't she just do the regular battle and capture these days?
It was Fate…It had to be. There was no other way.
'Dammit Fate, can't you stop interfering already? I want to do this on my own!' Hariel thought furiously.
Martha gave her a knowing smirk, sending chills down her spine.
Without further ado, Kirlia used Psychic to levitate a pokéball from Hariel's belt and used it to capture herself, as if to say the pokémon would not take no for an answer.
By this point, Martha disappeared, making Hariel look around in paranoia. How did the woman and her pokémon leave without her noticing?
With a sigh, Hariel scanned the pokéball to see what types of moves Kirlia had.
Teleport, Disarming Voice, Misty Terrain, Magical Leaf, Psychic, Heal Pulse, and Shadow Ball.
Gender: Female
Ability: Synchronize
Hidden Ability: Telepathy
Synchronize: If the pokémon with this ability is afflicted with burn, paralysis, or poison, the pokémon that inflicted the status condition with gain it as well.
Telepathy: When participating in team battles, this pokémon will avoid its allies damaging moves.
Hariel sighed. Kirlia was a great pokémon. Evidently, even in another world, she still couldn't be normal.
"Okay, I think a Water Type pokémon would be a great addition to my team," Hariel said as she, Absol, and Luxray settled down on the side of a pond. According to the instruction guides, the best way to get a Water type pokémon was to fish in rivers, ponds, lakes, and the ocean.
Before even starting to fish, she decided to release all of her pokémon for a good relaxation under the tree shade, though Charmander preferred to settle on a high rock and Scratch the hell out of another boulder. Great, she had a training nut for a pokémon.
It thankfully didn't take long to get a bite and she fished up…some sort of ugly carp.
"Feebas, the Fish Pokémon. Feebas' fins are ragged and tattered from the start of its life. Because of its shoddy appearance, this Pokémon is largely ignored. It is capable of living in both the sea and in rivers."
"Ignored…" Hariel said as she looked at the pokémon she caught, who was staring up at her blankly.
How many times had she been ignored in her childhood? How many times had she been shoved into her cupboard under the stairs and was not allowed out for hours on end? How many times did the teachers at school ignore her tattered appearance and eyes that called for help? She had tried to seek help once, but the Dursleys quickly cut in and spread rumors and lies about her, prompting almost any adult she encountered to ignore her as well.
"Alright! I've decided! You shall be a new addition to my team!" Hariel said with finality. "Charmander? Ready for your first battle?"
Charmander eagerly hopped down from her rock and stood in front of Feebas with a fierce expression.
Luxray gave a huff. Clearly he was a better choice due to his type advantage, but he supposed that Charmander needed battle experience.
"Charmander! Use Scratch!"
"Char!" Charmander charged in and scratched at Feebas' hide.
"Now throw it out of the water and use Flamethrower!" Hariel commanded.
Charmander grunted as she grabbed Feebas' tail and threw it into the air before launching a Flamethrower attack.
Before the attack hit, Feebas glowed with some sort of reflective aura. When Flamethrower hit, it was sent back looking twice as powerful as before.
"Dodge!"
Charmander scrambled out of the way as the Flamethrower burned the patch of grass she was previously standing on. Kirlia was quick to use Psychic to levitate some water to put the fire out, otherwise they would have had a real forest fire on their hands and that was not a great way to start a pokémon journey.
"Quick, use Scratch again!"
As Feebas fell and flopped on land, Charmander landed another Scratch attack.
Hariel then threw a pokéball at Feebas and it was captured moments later.
"Great job Charmander!" Hariel praised, making the pokémon jump in joy.
"Now let's heal up Feebas and introduce it to everyone, hm?" Hariel said happily.
She filled a large tub with the pond water. Originally the tub was supposed to be a basin to wash her dishes and cooking utensils in, but it would do for a bathtub for now.
She released Feebas into the tub and pulled out a Super Potion, spraying the scratches with it and gently cleaned off the dirt and grass from its fins.
Feebas looked up at her curiously.
"Even if you're ignored by everyone else, I promise I won't ignore you," Hariel said quietly. "Are you willing to work with me, Feebas?"
Feebas looked at her and flipped its fins in joy.
"Outer beauty doesn't mean much if you don't have an equally nice personality to back it up," Hariel said, "So no matter what, I'll train you to be a great Pokémon. One so great that everyone will have to notice how awesome you are!"
"Feebas…" the pokémon said, tearing up before glowing.
"Huh?" Hariel dropped her towel and watched in awe with the rest of her pokémon as Feebas' form glowed brightly and elongated.
As the glow faded, what once before was an ugly fish was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen. It was some sort of sea serpent with a primarily cream-colored body. It had red eyes with long, pinkish antennae above them. Additionally, there were long, hair-like fins above its eyes, which began thin and thickened towards the tips. The eyebrows extended to half of the pokémon's body length. On top of its relatively small head was a straight spike. Running down either side of its neck were three black dots, similar to gills. Its lower body had a patterning of blue and pink, diamond-shaped scales outlined with black and the tail consisted of four large, blue fins with pink ovals in their centers. Each of the tail fins overlapped the next slightly, causing it to resemble a fan. At different angles, its scales varied in color, causing the pokémon to shimmer beautifully in the sunlight.
Hariel numbly brought out her pokédex.
"Milotic, the Tender Pokémon and the Evolved form of Feebas. Milotic is said to be the most beautiful of all the Pokémon. It has the power to becalm such emotions as anger and hostility to quell bitter feuding."
Gender: Female
Ability: Marvel Scale
Hidden Ability: Cute Charm
Marvel Scale: When a pokémon with this ability is afflicted with a status condition, its defense increases.
Cute Charm: If the pokémon with this ability is hit by a move that makes contact, there is a chance that the opponent can become infatuated if the opposing pokémon is of the opposite gender than the pokémon with this ability. This ability has no effect on genderless pokémon.
Moves: Mirror Coat (Egg move), Water Pulse, Refresh, and Twister.
Milotic cooed and nuzzled Hariel, making the witch snap out of her stunned state and laugh.
"Reminds me of the story of the Ugly Duckling," Hariel mused, "Did you just need someone to acknowledge how wonderful you can be?"
Milotic cooed.
But seriously, where was her normality? By her third day in this world, she had five pokémon. FIVE POKÉMON!