Edwin sat in the back of the rickety green pick-up truck as it clumsily made its way down the road which connected Jungle Harbor to Fortree City. Edwin lifted his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow and then tapped his marshtomp on the shoulder. Poseidon sprayed Edwin with a small burst of water, but even that was warm and not very refreshing. This part of Hoenn was only slightly warmer than the rest of the region, but the main problem was the humidity.
Since most of Edwin's pokemon were injured, he decided that it would be safer to hitch a ride and take the poorly-paved road to Fortree rather than follow the jungle paths. A kind elderly farmer offered Edwin a ride to Fortree, and he was grateful to have an easier path to the city. However, now that they were actually navigating the pockmarked dirt road, Edwin would describe the journey as anything but easy. Potholes were numerous on the road, and each time the truck drove over one Edwin and Poseidon felt as if they would be thrown out of the truck.
After what felt like hours of travel in the sweltering heat, Edwin noticed the remains of the National Hoenn Weather Research Facility on the side of the road. Parts of the building had burned down, and shattered glass was littered all across the ground. Even though it had been a few days since the attack, police, men in suits, pokemon, and a few soldiers still stood around the facility.
"Damn. Wonder why they would even attack the place," Edwin said to Poseidon. The marshtomp croaked a reply, but Edwin didn't understand much of it. It was said that experienced trainers could almost perfectly understand their pokemon, a phenomenon unexplained by science. Edwin could not wait until he could do the same, though he knew that it would be a gradual process. He could already understand a lot of what his pokemon were trying to say, but he was clearly a long way from understanding them perfectly. Edwin knew that the weather facility marked the halfway point between Jungle Harbor and Fortree, so they still had a long way to go. Edwin checked his phone but to his dismay found that Faustina had still not responded to his texts. He put his phone away and closed his eyes. I'll probably find her in Fortree. She sounded desperate to get there, so she might still be there. Edwin drifted off to sleep, thoughts of Faustina and his upcoming gym battle taking over his mind.
Edwin awoke to find Poseidon shaking him. The truck was stopped, and Edwin heard the old farmer open his door.
"Here we are. Took a while, but we're here," the old man chuckled.
Edwin groggily got to his feet and blinked a few times. Poseidon jumped down beside him and let out a croak. "Thanks a lot. Sorry, I don't have much money on me..."
"That's no problem. I was going this direction anyway," the farmer replied.
Edwin thanked the farmer again and walked deeper into the city. Edwin had been to Fortree before, but the sight of the city still amazed him. Fortree was more of a large village than a city; there were no skyscrapers, no paved roads, and no billboards advertising hair care products or pokemon food. Fortree was surrounded by dense foliage on all sides, and it rested in the heart of the jungle. Residents lived in houses atop trees, and large staircases, ladders, escalators, and elevators provided passage to the city's upper level which was located in the rainforest canopy. Though there was much activity in the trees above, the ground floor of the city was also bustling. The gym loomed in the distance, and the pokemon center rested next to it. There were no cars, no blaring horns, and no bright lights, and one could even look up at night and see the stars poking out of the leaves of the trees. The smell of dirt, rain, and grass was prevalent, and the air was humid and hot.
"How do you like it, Poseidon?" The marshtomp croaked happily. The humidity was comfortable for the water type, and the feel of dirt underneath his feet instead of concrete appealed to his ground-type component.
"I should probably let the others out. They've been stuck inside their balls since we left Petalburg," Edwin said, releasing his other five pokemon.
Shira was a mightyena with a glossy black coat and the hard eyes of a hunter. She was loyal and devoted to her trainer, traits that are not normally common in dark types. Elric was a large pidgeotto. He was had a cast on his wing and was confined to the ground for the time being, and injury he received during the fight against Norman. Edwin's next pokemon was a beedrill called Revina. Revina was a prickly, ill-tempered insect who at times preferred to ignore Edwin's orders during battle and fight her own way. Nevertheless, she was an integral part of Edwin's team and had great respect for her trainer and teammates. Ajax was an electabuzz, and he immediately began sparking and flexing upon release. He was a brave but reckless fighter, qualities that could be useful at times but also qualities that got him knocked out by Norman's slaking fairly quickly. Finally, Elena was a ninetales whose fur shone as brightly as her eyes. She yawned upon being released and frowned after looking around and being assaulted by the humidity. Like Revina, Elena often times ignored Edwin's commands and did as she pleased. Unlike the beedrill, however, Elena had no love for Edwin nor her fellow teammates. She was Edwin's most recent catch, and also one of his most powerful pokemon. Unfortunately for Edwin, Elena did not deign to use her skills to help him win battles.
"Alright guys, this is it. Fortree. Now, I know most of you are injured, but we should probably resume our training as soon as we can so we can challenge the gym leader." Most of his pokemon said something in reply, and Ajax even began buzzing with electricity in anticipation of the fight.
Edwin glanced over his pokemon, examining their injuries. Poseidon couldn't use one of his arms, but the staff at the pokemon center told him it would heal quickly. Shira's injury was probably the most severe, and she couldn't exhaust herself too badly, no matter how eager she was to fight. She would probably sit out the gym battle. Elric's wing was injured and he couldn't fly, but that would also heal quickly as long as he didn't exert himself. Revina was fine for the most part, but she did sustain a lot of damage during the battle against Norman so she would probably be sore. Ajax had a sprained right ankle and limped when he walked, and that would definitely hamper his speed for a while. Elena had one of her paws broken but could fight well for the most part, though Edwin doubted that she would be of much help anyway. Overall, the pokemon center had done an excellent job healing his pokemon and he figured that it would only be a matter of days before the majority of his team was healthy enough to fight a gym leader.
"I guess you guys can have another day to rest. We'll start training tomorrow, but for now we can just look around the city. As long as you all behave, of course. We don't want another incident like that time in Mauville," he said, glancing at his electabuzz who growled in protest. Back in Mauville Ajax had been so energized by meeting and battling the electric pokemon at the gym that he lost control of his electricity and accidentally destroyed some power cables, cutting off electricity to a couple of houses. Faustina explained the situation to the authorities but even after that they were forced to pay a fee and were kicked out of the city. The thought of Faustina made Edwin remember his other reason for visiting Fortree. Faustina still had not replied to his messages, but Edwin figured that he could explore the city and look for her at the same time.
"Hmm, maybe we can go to the upper level. The view from there is amazing." Poseidon croaked in reply.
"Yeah you're right. Ajax would probably accidentally knock someone off a platform and Elena would do the same, except on purpose. What else is there to do on the ground floor?" Fortree had a unique market in the middle of the city where they sold things such as talismans and gems and spices that could be found nowhere else, so Edwin decided to take his team there.
The market was bubbling with activity, and traders were advertising all sorts of goods. Edwin found an affordable but nice open-air restaurant, and he and his team sat down to eat. He knew his pokemon's preferences well enough, and he ordered food for them which befit their diets. He himself ordered roast tailow kebabs, a speciality of Fortree.
Edwin and his team were almost finished their meal when a man dressed in all black with silver gloves and combat boots on approached them. He had plain brown hair and eyes, and his face was unremarkable and easily forgotten. A bright red "R" was emblazoned on his chest, by far the most interesting part about the man. Shira growled as the man approached and Ajax barked a warning, but the man sat down across for Edwin anyway.
"Sorry, I don't mean to intrude," the man began, "but I noticed you have quite the team there."
"Yeah, thanks," Edwin awkwardly said as he swallowed a bit of tailow.
"Oh, I should probably introduce myself. My name's Steve. I'm a recruiter for Team Rocket," the man said, reaching his hand across the table. Edwin wiped the grease off his fingers and onto his napkin before cautiously shaking the man's hand.
"Team Rocket? Isn't that some sort of criminal group?"
"Team Rocket? Criminals? Of course not," Steve said with a smile. "We're the opposite of criminals, in fact. We help people. Sure, we get paid for our services and yes, we are sometimes forced to use violence at times, but always in the name of justice and all that is good in the world. We supply arms to police forces, private militias, we fight common criminals and we help run charities and shelters, but most importantly we aid local and national governments all across the six regions. You see, when the government wants something done that would be unwise or immoral for a police force or military to do, they call us. Have you seen the news lately? About Slateport?"
Edwin shook his head and desperately tried to think of an excuse to get out of the situation. He didn't feel like sitting and listening to Steve preach about how good Team Rocket is.
Steve smiled again. "It's all over the news, it happened just an hour ago. Someone attacked the Slateport Harbor, and they believe that it was a group of Unovan spies. See, if Unova had employed Team Rocket instead of their own spies, we would have gotten the job done and not gotten caught. Now there's trouble for everyone, and war could even break out because of this."
Edwin was shocked to hear this. An attack by Unovan spies would definitely not help the already high tensions between the two regions.
"My last example wasn't very good," Steve continued. "I did not mean to imply that Team Rocket is on Unova's side. We are on everyone's side, and we help anyone who can pay. The point is that Team Rocket helps keep the world in order, whether it be on a small scale or a large scale, and with the war bound to start soon, we could use good trainers like you to help out. Oh! I almost forgot. I've been talking so much that I almost forgot to ask your name."
"Edwin," the blue-eyed boy said, his voice untrusting. "Look, I'm kind of busy right now, maybe we could talk about this later..." Shira growled again, punctuating Edwin's desire for the man to leave.
"Of course. Here, this is my business card," Steve said, sliding a silver card with a bright red "R" stamped on it across the table. "If you ever feel like you want to do something bigger than just travel the region and challenge other trainers, give us a call." With that, the man called Steve finally left Edwin and his team and disappeared into the crowded marketplace.
Edwin glanced at the fancy card and then tossed it into his pack. "That was weird. I didn't really understand what that guy was trying to say." Poseidon croaked in agreement and Shira growled again. She clearly did not like the man. "Oh well. Let's go to the gym and register for our battle. It always helps to do these things in advance."
Fortree Gym was located on the ground floor of the city, and on the outside it looked like all the other pokemon gyms, except for the fact that jungle vines and moss covered parts of the building's exterior. The inside of the gym was spacious, and the furniture was rather plain. Towards the back of the gym, Edwin could see the battlefields and training grounds. The battlefields were grass, and it looked like there was no flooring for that area of the gym. The ceiling was extremely high, which was expected considering it was a flying-type gym. There was no air conditioning in the gym, and Edwin suspected that this was done on purpose to see if the challenger and his pokemon could withstand the jungle heat. Also, Winona's own pokemon would be flying, and the air flow from that would cool them down, giving her an extra advantage. Edwin walked up to the main desk of the gym, behind which was a secretary who had her dark hair in a ponytail and a bored look on her face. She wore a tank top and her skin was covered by a sheen of sweat.
"Hi, I'd like to make an appointment for a gym battle," Edwin said.
The secretary looked at her computer, which looked out of place in a city like Fortree, and then glanced up at Edwin with the same bored look. "The soonest date we can offer you is five days from now. Is that okay with you or would you prefer a later date?"
Edwin thought it over for a second. He figured that most of his pokemon would be healed by then, so he agreed. He then showed the secretary his trainer ID and gave her all the necessary information before leaving the gym. He had signed up for a three-on-three battle, as the last full-team gym battle he fought had not gone so well. Besides, he didn't plant to use all of his pokemon against Winona anyway. Edwin figured that he would go to the pokemon center next and book a room. He hadn't seen Faustina anywhere in the market or the gym, so she might be at the center.
The pokemon center was, as expected, the same as all the other centers across the region. The large lobby was well-lit and the furniture was comfortable, and six flat-screen televisions were mounted on the walls, three on the right wall and three on the left. Sofas and chairs were set up around the televisions, and most of the screens were tuned into the news channel which was talking about the event at Slateport that the Rocket recruiter had told him about. The pokemon center was air conditioned, and relief was plain on Edwin's and his pokemon's faces. Edwin checked in and went upstairs to his room. The room was like any other pokemon center room: relatively small with one bed, a television, a computer, a desk, a small drawer, and a bathroom. The one thing that differed from center to center was the view. Edwin looked out his window and saw some of Fortree's modestly-sized buildings, but the main thing that he noticed was the jungle. The wall of leaves and tropical trees was clearly visible in the distance, and even within the city jungle foliage was prevalent. Many different bird pokemon could be seen flying about, ranging from tailow and swellow to swablu to chatot.
Edwin turned to his pokemon made sure that he hadn't lost anyone. They were all there, even Elena, who jumped up onto his bed and then curled up and went to sleep.
"Here's the plan," Edwin started. "We'll do some light training starting tomorrow, and, as you heard, five days from now we'll challenge the gym. Sound good?" His reply was a chorus of affirmative growls, chirps, buzzes, and other noises. Edwin nodded to his pokemon and then sat down at his desk to rest since his ninetales had taken up the bed.
As Edwin rested his eyes for a moment, he found his thoughts drifting to Faustina: her violet eyes, her lustrous black hair, her slender waist and her curves... Edwin shook his head and chased away those thoughts. He knew that Faustina had feelings for another and that he did not want to ruin his friendship with her by telling her how he really felt, but he was still young and such thoughts were expected. He had spent the whole day in the city and still had not found her, and he was beginning to think that it was hopeless. Though not as vast as other cities, Fortree was still pretty big, and it would be extremely difficult to find someone who did not want to be found in the jungle. Faustina had still not responded to his messages, and Edwin was beginning to think that she had abandoned him for good. Even so, the optimistic part of him figured that she just hadn't seen his messages yet.
As his electabuzz and beedrill started squabbling over something Edwin could not understand, Poseidon walked up to him and let out a croak.
"Yeah, I'm worried about her too. Hopefully she's here somewhere. But there's nothing we can really do about that. For now, let's just focus on beating Winona." The marshtomp croaked in agreement and Edwin sat back in his chair and once again fell asleep to thoughts of Faustina and his gym battle.
Dex entry #038: ninetales
"Anger a ninetales for one day, a thousand years of curses you will pay." - Kantonese proverb
Ninetales are rare pokemon known for their illustrious fur and sly temperaments. These pokemon are native to Kanto and Johto but can be found in a few other places across the world. Though ninetales can be spiteful and violent towards those who mistreat or annoy it, the claim that these pokemon can place a thousand year curses on others is dubious at best. Despite this, the story of Lavender Town in Kanto suggests that ninetales may be more than they appear to be. At its founding, Lavender Town was a picturesque village full of flowers and sunshine and the sound of laughing children. However, after the founder of the town angered a ninetales and was cursed by it, disease struck the town and people and pokemon alike died each day. After that, a devastating fire started in the town and caused many more deaths. Now, Lavender Town is home to only a few brave folk, and a permanent fog looms over the city. No flowers grow there anymore, but it is said that the laughter of children can still be heard if one goes out on a moonless night. Ninetales are considered a level two threat on the Pokemon Threat Scale.