I apologize for it taking so long, but between my laziness and my other updates, not to mention being sick infrequently, this was put on the back burner. I don't expect this to make it up to you all, but I hope you enjoy the chapter nevertheless. The next chapter will feature the Darkrai movie events so stay tuned for that!
Hong-Meirin, Ollie Z: I'm glad the Crasher and Team Galactic battles were well received. I try to make the characters of Pokémon shine despite my amateurish prose.
Blaze2121: Paul definitely has some unfinished business with the Pyramid King. As for the Battle Frontier, that sure is a nice suggestion, but Paul is aiming for a much higher amount of prestige. Although Ash and Paul are similar in a lot of ways, here, after an attitude adjustment of sorts, Paul has a much larger advantage to achieving his dreams.
RHatch89: Thanks bud! Appreciate your support.
Please review to give me feedback. Regardless of my update schedule, I wanna hear if I did a good.
"You remade the whole marsh? With your Garchomp?" I asked with a probably stunned face.
"That is a bit of an exaggeration on my part. With the help of both Gastrodon and Garchomp, we made sure the marsh was a comfortable environment for the Pokémon in the area. We didn't make it exactly as it was haha," Cynthia said casually. As if her Pokémon doing what she did isn't insanely difficult! I don't doubt the abilities of a Champion, but she's very easy going when mentioning her feats.
"Hmm, how is this supposed to go now? Are you going to go after them?" I asked, referring to Team Galactic.
Cynthia's sly smile widened slightly at that question. "Not exactly. The police will be investigating the matter and Flint will be at the forefront of the matter. I have my own mysteries to solve."
"I sincerely hope you'll be able to solve them then." Getting ready to leave, I passed by her saying, "As much as I'd like to battle you, I just got done with a gym battle and both my Pokémon and I are exhausted. I assume you'll deal with the police?"
Cynthia tilted her head and shrugged her arms. "I guess I'm obligated to be the responsible one here. Although if you don't mind me asking, how fun was your battle against Crash?"
That question threw me for a loop. Why would she even ask something like that? Regardless of her reasoning, I had my answer from the get go. "It was pleasant. Crasher can put up a mean fight, but my Pokémon and I are prepared to challenge any obstacle."
"Ah, I see," she said, nodding her head. I took that as a sign that I could leave. Maybe next time I see her, I can test all the work we've put into training. For now though, I need to prepare for my arrival into Alamos Town.
(-)
After resting up the latter half of the day with my Pokémon, I fully expected to be able to take the time of the next entire day to prepare for the events I would have to encounter with Barry as well. I may even have to deal with Ash and his entourage. I thought that preparing for that chance would be necessary.
But all my plans went out the window when I saw Cynthia waiting in the Pokémon center lobby.
"Hey, I didn't catch your name," Cynthia greeted me. I wasn't even going to address the amount of eyes that were on me right now because the Champion was talking to me. Thankfully, I wake up early, so there weren't many people around to see this. Only Nurse Joy and a few others.
Staring at her, I said, "Paul. What business do you have with me? Aren't you busy uncovering the 'mysteries' of Sinnoh, Champion."
"Of course I'm still pursuing them, but I find myself wishing to see how a trainer of your caliber enjoys their day to day life. Surely you have some fun activities planned?" she said, her smile widening.
"Training is on the schedule among other things."
Cynthia's expression morphed into a frown. "Oh come on, surely you can do better than that. Why don't you enjoy the day with your Pokémon?"
"I already do that every now and then. What'd be the difference now?" Really, I don't know what she's getting at. Is she just teasing me or is she trying to give me tips?
"Why, I think you've been missing out on partaking in a few events that might be fun for a trainer like you. Maybe you can learn to smile," she said.
"So? Are you suggesting I do something else?" I asked with an eyebrow raised. She's leading me to something else but what?
"Precisely," Cynthia said with a smile.
From there, the Champion herself took me to an unexpected place, a Pokémon farm. For what reason I'll never know.
Miltank, Tauros, Bouffalant and even Ponyta were the most prevalent of the Pokémon on the farm. Most of them were bred from birth to be racing Pokémon, some were bred to be traded off to other Pokémon. What Cynthia had in store for me here, I never would've guessed.
That is, milking a Miltank and attending to various crop Pokémon like Oddish and Sunflora that help out to provide optimal conditions for domestic crops.
"Why exactly are we volunteering at a Pokémon farm right now?" I asked while I was getting all too close to a Miltank. While an experience that I'm not kicking and screaming doing, it was certainly something I wouldn't look fondly back on.
"For a couple of reasons," Cynthia responded, not really focused on me as she was engrossed in brushing a Ponyta. "I thought this would be a nice change of pace from your constant battling yesterday. Also, it serves as a learning experience for how humans and Pokémon interact in a space less competitive than your own. It's intriguing is it not?"
I nodded hesitantly. "I can't lie. I've never taken the opportunity to find out for one reason or another, so the new experience is somewhat… refreshing."
"That's good," Cynthia said, laughing lightly at my cautious words. What exactly is amusing about my reactions? All of this is just very random. In fact…
"How's you get to just waltz in with only a few words to the owner. Did you use your Champion authority?" I asked, not expecting a particular type of answer.
Cynthia gave a light smile. "The people in charge here know me well enough from the past times I've volunteered here. They appreciate my help so much, sometimes I'm given a few bottles of Moomoo milk as compensation.
Does that really mean she's volunteering still? Looking back towards the job I was put up with, I don't know if I was even concerned about if I was going to receive Moomoo milk. I won't refuse it if I'm given it, but I really am starting to waver from annoyance to disgust.
Thankfully, it wasn't long until I was put up to a different activity.
Bouffalent were not particularly known for being great racing Pokémon but it was evidently a competition for the Tauros and Bouffalant bred in this farm to see who's the fastest. I was elected to ride on a particularly eager Bouffalant while a farm hand rode upon a Tauros.
Having no experience at riding Pokémon I can say with full certainty that I was going to win this race of sorts. Bouffalant is extremely motivated and raring to go. I aim to match that spirit.
"You seem excited. I wish you and Bouffalant luck." Cynthia said, now tending to a Rapidash.
Bouffalent and Tauros lined up a ways from the farm so that they could race to it. Another farm hand counted us off.
I steadied my weight and pushed my hands into the thick hair on Bouffalant's head. Leaning down, I was set.
"Go!"
"Bouffa!" my partner in this race cried out before stepping hard into his first steps and then blasting off.
Tauros was smaller and so didn't have as much weight to pull, but Bouffalent's steps were powerful and had amazing momentum. Tauros was leading, but we were not far behind.
Trying to lean farther into Bouffalant, I ignored the uneasiness that laid in the bounce of each step and instead tried to melt into the saddle.
Bouffalant is a mighty Pokémon, so being a part of his mighty stampede is surprisingly special. Riding him is pretty difficult, but having been a part of my team's training, I was fit enough to handle it.
Bouffalent was consistently getting closer to closing the gap, but the end of this race was getting close. We had to step it up!
"Let's do this!" I yelled out to pump Bouffalant up. WIth a roar, Bouffalant answered my call with a faster pace, catching up faster to Tauros.
The end was nearly there. I could see Cynthia watching closely. Huh, I wonder if she has ever raced in a Pokémon race before. This one may be just for fun, but I wanna win.
With one final push, Bouffalant ran, catching up to the leading Tauros and passing the makeshift finish line.
"Oho, today must've been a good day for you Bouffalant. You managed to beat Tauros today. Good luck next time Tauros," the Pokémon Farmer said. He had been the one to stand at the finish line and judge. It seems that he enjoys officiating the match between the two.
Getting off from Bouffalant, I felt his thanks when he leaned in closer. He may not be my Pokémon, but it's fun to partner up with various Pokémon that are very strong and respectable.
"So, it looked like you had a lot of fun. Don't look too worn out yet though, there's a few more places you're visiting." Cynthia said, sneaking up on me.
"You have more places in mind?" I asked. I thought that this was going to be a one and done scenario. I suppose that if she means to have me go to more places than this, it'll take the whole day.
"I recall mentioning plans for a few events, not just one." Cynthia said with a quirked eyebrow. "Don't worry, you'll have just as good of a time elsewhere. Although, I don't think it'll be as exciting as that race you had. You really bonded with Bouffalant on the spot there." Her expression makes me think that's an impressive feat or something.
"Bouffalant is a lot like my own Pokémon. He's got a competitive streak in him and I can relate to that. Simple as."
"Ah, I guess that would explain a few things." she said. Cynthia really is a weird, but strong person. I can't really get a read on her or her intentions, but I guess I'll keep going with the flow here.
"So, where are we headed next?"
"Hmm, how about we have a taste from the fruits of our labor," Cynthia suggested as a half grin sneaked its way on her face.
(-)
"I'll have two Miltank Supreme Swirls," Cynthia said to the ice cream stand seller.
Ah, so that's why she showed me to a bench.
Cynthia came back readily with two cones in hand. "I hope you don't mind that I ordered for you."
"No complaints here. Big fan of ice cream?" I asked, "I can't see why you'd go out of your way to eat here otherwise."
"Alas, I can't deny my sweet tooth," she said with a smile, "Ice cream also serves as a nice conversation starter. I can't help but be interested in the trainers of this generation. Especially one that is as active in wild Pokémon rescue as you."
"That time at the Marsh was the only time I've acted in that position. That place was a nice training spot for Crasher, so getting wiped out from those goons would not have been acceptable to me."
"Ah, you certainly must train a lot then," Cynthia stated. "How many badges are you at?"
Taking out my badge case, I said, "Four for now. There's a ways to go until the league starts though, so I don't know whether I should keep up my pace or not," I stated plainly.
"You're quite quick on the mark for this. Usually trainers take long enough from the start of the season to the end of it until the league starts. You'll be finishing it a few months earlier at your rate," she enthusiastically said.
"I plan to slow that down a little bit. I'd rather not wait that long until the league. Maybe a few weeks," I muttered, "My biggest priority right now is refining my Pokémon's current skills while catching up with some of my newer additions to the team. That Garchomp of yours is no small threat and I don't intend to be underprepared for when I face it in battle.
"I await your challenge then. Just don't make me wait too long," she said, her familiar confident grin showing her own competitive spirit. "Just remember to take care not to overwork your Pokémon trying to attain that amount of power. It's not a bad idea to take it slow in some parts of your training."
I think I know what she's talking about. From how my Pokémon and I do it, you'd think we don't do anything else, but things such as battles and adventuring are only a fraction of what I do. Spending time with them with activities other than training for battle is an obvious thing to do. They're my friends in this adventure of mine.
"I understand that. There are some that just need their own pace to grow." picking out a pokeball, I said, "Stand by, Trapinch." Releasing her on my lap, I petted her head while saying, "This one just hatched the other day, so I'm aware that she'll grow in time." Feeding her the last of my ice cream cone, Trapinch relaxed with a calm, "Piiinch." Since I only fed her the cone, she wasn't ingesting anything too cold for her to handle.
"Ah, a Trapinch. So you're raising a dragon of your own. Do you need any tips?" Cynthia said, joking but mostly serious.
"From what I've heard, most problems with dragons come from the more aggressive species out there. Trapinch's line is pretty tame. Trapinch especially is obedient," I said, politely refusing.
"Ah, what a shame. You're right though. You're also a strong, kind presence for your team, so they're sure to respect you." Cynthia stated, finishing up her own cone. "I'm glad you have experience with baby Pokémon. It'll be a good skill to have at our next destination."
"Uh, what?" Which place requires a skill like that?
(-)
I was quickly brought to a realization when Cynthia brought me to the destination. Like the Pokémon farm, there was lots of grass for Pokémon to play in, except these Pokémon were much smaller and were interacting with lots of very different Pokémon. Unlike the farm, it's more confined and smaller so it can be managed more effectively.
The Pokémon Day Care. Lots of them are set up in each town and even outside of towns on routes. Their goal is to ensure baby Pokémon are able to grow to be in a safe environment to grow while their trainers are on their journey with little time to care for them especially. Sometimes, the baby Pokémon, in interacting with many different types of Pokémon, can gain some experience while in the day care.
Although some Pokémon can be in the day care for a while, most are only kept in for a short time. According to the day care lady, the common trainer usually puts up a Pokémon for a day as they take on a gym or something similar.
"It appears that Tyrogue is trying to imitate you," Cynthia said, pointing to the Pokémon sitting nearby me. The small group of Pokémon Cynthia and I were helping manage were the actual small Pokémon that are just getting their bearings.
Tyrogue was indeed watching me closely and since I was sitting cross legged, he did the same. Cynthia had her hands full with a Torchic, Igglybuff, Budew. Funnily enough, one of the strongest trainers attracts Pokémon quite easily. There's probably a good reason for that.
"At least I'm useful somewhere. You're making my part to play small," I commented.
"That was not my intention, believe me," she laughed at how popular she was with the baby Pokémon. "I enjoy hanging out at Pokémon day cares often so maybe some sort of friendly experience rubbed off?"
"Probably. I'm glad I at least have one on my side," I said, patting Tyrouge's head. This little fighter is quite the impressionable one. I hope he has a trainer that'll help him grow well.
Cynthia smiled and asked, "This is the last destination I planned for the day. I hope you don't mind how much I dragged you around, but I'm curious, do you understand why I took you where I did today?"
"Yes," I said after a few seconds of contemplation. "The Pokémon Farm is an interesting place to see how groups of Pokémon interact with people in a way that isn't really seen with conventional training. This day care, on the other hand, shows how Pokémon grow at their own pace and how they continue to improve even while the trainer is away."
"Hmm, I guess those lessons will suffice for now," Cynthia said, "Although you missed an important one with the ice cream."
"Really? Somehow I doubt that," I said, recalling the face Cynthia made when she was eating the cone. To me, she was satisfying her own hunger.
"Of course it's a lesson! It shows the result of what can happen when people and Pokémon work together. It can create something truly amazing."
"Ah, only you could create a takeaway like that." All champions tend to have a close connection with Pokémon, but to connect it to ice cream? That's all Cynthia.
"Huh, is that a compliment or an insult, I wonder?" she said.
"Neither, just a statement of fact. You have a close relationship with Pokémon regardless." I clarified. This wasn't a hard job, caring for baby Pokémon. None of them are too excitable to where they're trouble. Tyrouge especially just made the job an easy excuse to lounge around. I could even recline in the grass and look at the clouds up high.
"Don," I heard, muttering above me as I gaze into the eyes of the Pokémon that was right above me.
Wait, I recognize this Pokémon. That pink and brown head belongs to Gastrodon, from the marsh. "What're you doing here?" I asked him. "Are you with a trainer now?" That's the only explanation I could come up with for why he's in a Pokémon day care.
"Gastro," he shook his head.
"Oh, so you followed me here, why?" I figured, getting a nod in response.
Gastrodon's head served as a way for him to point at me. What is he trying to communicate… Wait a second.
"You want to be a part of my team?" I asked, eagerly anticipating the answer.
"Gastro-don!" Gastrodon affirmed in a happy cry.
It seemed that the baby Pokémon stopped playing in favor of watching me interact with Gastrodon. Maybe they're curious about what's about to happen. Cynthia was amused by the situation and commented, "Ah, that's the very same Gastrodon from yesterday, huh. You must've made an impression on Gastrodon for him to track you down."
Rising to my feet, I nodded my head. "Yes, but at the same time, Gastrodon made an impression on me. He was a huge help in beating Crasher. Now he'll be able to help more directly." Taking out a pokeball, I put it in front of Gastrodon.
"As a Pokémon on my team, I'll make it my mission to bring out the best of your abilities so you can achieve great things. That'll require great effort on your part. Are you willing to go the distance?" I asked.
"Gastro!" he affirmed before pressing the button to the Pokeball. None of the lights even came up before the confirmation for the successful catch showed.
"Gastrodon, welcome to the team." I said, releasing him as my Pokémon for the first time. Scanning him with my pokedex, it was evident that Gastrodon was a very strong wild Pokémon for the longest time. I could've figured that out by how he was fighting Team Galactic.
"Congratulations," Cynthia said, the baby Pokémon cheering in response to her words. Their understanding of a capture like that makes it probably seem more special than it is. This is somewhat of a first for me, even for the past me in other regions. Usually it was catch and go, but to bond with a Pokémon and to have it wish to accompany you, it's… special.
Staring at Gastrodon, I could tell one thing about him, he wanted to battle. I see, he wants to prove himself.
I'm about to do something stupid. "Cynthia, can you grant me a one-on-one Pokémon battle with you."
"Oh? For Gastrodon? Is that such a good idea?" she asked, hesitant to agree.
"It won't be a problem. I gotta show him what level to strive for," I reassured her.
"Hmm, that sounds interesting. Sure then." Turning to the baby Pokémon, she told them, "Please be safe and play a little away. It might get a little messy over here," Cynthia said, persuading the baby Pokémon to not get in the way.
"Alright then, Gastrodon. You face the Champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia. She's at a level we're striving to be at, so don't expect anything for yourself. Let's try to learn a thing or two, alright?"
"Gastro!" he said, motivated to prove himself.
Moving towards a free part of the daycare, Cynthia stood on the opposite end of me. She picked a pokeball from somewhere and threw it out. "Garchomp, show them the fruit of our efforts."
There, her signature Pokémon stood, tall and intimidating. He looked extremely healthy and powerful, it was almost intimidating enough to back down.
Almost.
"We gotta see how far we can go! Gastrodon, use Rain Dance," I commanded, allowing for a light rain to pick up. Nothing that would trouble any of the Pokémon spectators. I had to get as much as a boost as I could.
Cynthia countered with nothing, amused to see what I was planning. A smirk came over my face. I think I know how this is going to go.
"Gastrodon, use harden!" Even despite knowing what was going to happen, I wasn't going to go down without a fight! Gastrodon's defense needs to be pretty built to tank anything Garchomp has in store.
I'm not even going to try to act as if Cynthia not acting is a free ticket to keep raising my stats. I don't wanna push my luck. Our attack comes now!
"Gastrodon, you're powerful, so make this count. Muddy Water!" A controlled amount of mud-like water emanated from Gastrodon before he shot it off, leading it over Garchomp.
"Dragon Rush," Cynthia commanded, calmly. Gastrodon, who was currently towering over Garchomp with mud-water that was nearing contact with Garchomp, was blasted away as Garchomp rushed above, bashing Gastrodon in a single blow through the air and where he started on my side of the stage, dispelling the attack.
It was almost like the stat changes weren't there! Gastrodon never had a chance and that one attack exhausted him on contact. So, this is how far I have to go. "We'll improve from here, Gastrodon," I said, returning him.
"Good job, my friend," Cynthia said, petting Garchomp and then returning him. "Are you satisfied?"
"More than satisfied. That battle showed me a large difference in power." I nodded.
"Just keep at your own training at your own pace. Don't rush your growth. Where're you headed from here?"
"Checking the date in my Pokedex, I said, "Alamos Town. I agreed to meet a friend there." I also happen to know just how much I'm going to get destroyed now with my level of power. Thanks for that.
Getting ready to leave for the Pokémon center, I was going to wish my goodbyes to Tyrouge, but his expression caught me off guard. Ah, I've lost the one Pokémon here on my side.
For some reason, that fact made me chuckle.