Arclight: I will sink this ship myself, so help me god!
Clay, 9Trials, TheAbyssWatcher: Thank you all for the support and nice comments. Reading them brightens my day.
Snare: Interesting that you bring up Castform, because I had actually written a scene of Reid catching one before encountering Swalot, but I just couldn't picture a Castform reaching the levels that I plan for all the team members to reach without it being a major stretch of logic.
Niftu Cal: It's nice to see the appreciation for the characterization, but if don't be afraid to mention criticism when you feel I deserve it. I'm trying to write write Reid as an abrasive and slightly too arrogant character who bases that arrogance in incredible amounts of effort. It's a fine line to walk between writing a character like that, and writing an unlikeable dickhead.
DragonBallaca: I'm happy that you are enjoying the concept. I've always felt there are far too many Pokémon for everyone to focus on the same 20 or even 50 when playing, talking or especially writing fanfiction!
During Reid and Goly's battle with Ash:
Two people and one Pokémon watch the ongoing battle between Ash Ketchum and an unusually large brat from a nearby rooftop.
"Jessie, what's going on with that Linoone? It's making the twerp look like a weakling." A flamboyant voice makes an observation at the sight of Ash's Treecko getting knocked out in a single move.
"Well, James, it's certainly fast, but Pikachu hasn't fought yet. We'll see if it can keep that win streak up against the twerp's powerful Pikachu." A tall woman with blood-red hair, nearly as long as she is tall, responds coldly.
"Whatever the case, that speed makes Linoone a primo Pokémon for us to give to the boss!" A bipedal cat stands between the two and speaks in a raspy, human voice.
"Oh?" James looks surprised at the idea. "Would the boss really want a Linoone? He certainly has many much stronger Pokémon already."
"Besides, If we waste his time by giving him a pest Pokémon, we might get demoted even further." Jessie sulks.
"Y'alls are missing the point!" Meowth insists with his arms spread wide. "Imagine this, for just a moment. The boss wakes up after a beautiful night's sleep, but he's a busy man. He has to eat breakfast, brush his teeth, get dressed for a meeting, and have a coffee on his way there. There's entirely too much to do! A man as great as the boss needs his downtime to relax and plot out his schemes. That's where Linoone comes in!"
"How's that? It's not like a Pokémon can eat his breakfast for him." Jessie responds with sarcasm.
"Let Meowth finish! He always comes up with good ideas at times like this." James puts a finger to his lips and makes a shushing motion.
"And how many of those ideas have actually worked!" Jessie bites back with growing agitation.
"Quiet, both of yous. This is where it gets good!" Meowth's eyebrow twitches in annoyance. "You see, with speed like that, Linoone could bring the boss everything he needs before he can even stand up out of his bed! Breakfast, toothbrush, clothes, coffee, you name it: Whatever the boss needs can be in his hands faster than he can blink! Just imagine the rewards we would get from giving him such a convenient Pokémon!"
"Ooooh! That sounds pretty good!" James smiles happily, already envisioning the kind words and wonderful Pokémon his boss would reward him with.
"That's actually not bad." Jessie's face turns bright at the thought of being promoted ahead of that irksome Cassidy.
"Sable, Sableye!" Eris's grin widens as she considers some nasty plot, as per usual.
"What do you mean it won't work? Have a little faith!" Meowth's good mood is ruined by the disapproval of his plan.
It takes all of 5 more seconds for the Team Rocket trio to realize that the dissent came from someone who isn't a part of their group.
"Ahh! What's that!" Jessie screams and jumps away from the small purple figure.
"A Ghost!" James jumps into Jessie's arms such that she is forced to carry him bridal style.
"Wait! Who the heck are you?" Meowth, as the only Pokémon in the group, turns to question the interloper who appeared from the shadows.
"Sableye!" Eris answers with enthusiasm, somehow expecting this encounter to lead her to much entertainment.
"So your name's Eris, huh? Then why do you think our plan to nab that Linoone won't work? We're experts at Pokenapping! The best there are!" Meowth puffs out his chest with unearned pride.
"Sable, Sabe. Sableye." Eris's tone is even and very matter-of-fact, but her answer must have been something unexpected. After all, Meowth turned white as a sheet and froze on the spot.
"Well, what'd the little ghost say? I don't have all day to just stand around looking at the two of you." Jessie demands, dropping James to the ground.
"I'm no expert in Sableese, but she seems to be threatening us." James helpfully supplies from where he now sits on his backside.
"Eris here says that if we try to kidnap the Linoone, she'll kill us!" Meowth translates after gulping down his nerves. "How could you say that so casually?"
"Huh? Are you serious?" Jessie looks scornful at the idea. "This tiny thing couldn't even hurt James, and she thinks she can kill me? That's funny."
Eris grins even wider, nearly splitting her face in two, at the insult. She then sinks into her shadow and reappears on Jessie's shoulder, emerging from the shadow cast on Jessie's body by her hair. The little Sableye lightly drags a long, sharp claw across Jessie's neck. No damage is done and she doesn't break the skin, but the message is clear.
"Sableye." Her voice betrays the fact that she finds this situation all too amusing.
"I don't know Jessie," James is pale and stands on shaky legs. "I think she can do it."
"F-Fine!" Jessie shouts, far more rattled than she tries to let off. "We only really want Pikachu anyways. We'll leave the stupid pest alone! Is that better?"
"Sable!" Eris hops off Jessie's shoulder and walks up to Meowth, who shivers at her approach. "Sableye?"
"'Why do we want the yellow rat?' You ask." Meowth repeats her question out of consideration for his human allies. "Well, that there Pikachu is crazy powerful, so our boss would love to have him."
"That's right!" James jumps into the conversation. "I can't even tell you how many times we've been blown sky high by that supercharged Electric-Type."
"Still, we'll definitely steal it next time," Jessie grumbles, stroking her neck. "We've already learned enough from our failures. No matter how strong that Pikachu is, it's no match for our incredible plans."
"Sable? Sableye?" Eris sounds like she doesn't quite believe them and points a doubtful finger at the battle while asking her question.
"Of course Pikachu is strong! Would we have struggled for so long to catch a weakling?" Meowth replies to Eris' insulting question with outrage, but it melts away when he looks down to see the battle. Pikachu is being bounced around the battlefield, helpless to defend against the unbelievably fast offensive rush from Linoone. "Hey, hey, hey! What the heck is going on down there?! Why's Pikachu looking like a Pikachump?"
Eris crosses her arms smugly when all three Team Rocket members look down at the battle with open-mouthed shock.
"It would seem that Linoone is simply too nonstandard. A freak of nature, not unlike Pikachu himself!" James reasons.
"Still, there's no way our Pikachu will lose this. Just watch." Jessie sits down and intently observes the battle, looking more like a fan than a criminal.
All four sit in silence as they watch the battle. Three of the four are watching intently with bated breaths. The fourth, Eris, is struggling to stay awake: the combination of her built-up fatigue and the boringly predictable battle both contribute to her nodding off in equal parts. All of that changes with the massive burst of electricity that lights up the battlefield.
"Yes!"
"Get that weasel!"
Zap him! Fry him!"
The Team Rocket trio jumps up with excitement at the unexpected turnaround. As for Eris, she once again wears a devious grin. This just might be fun after all.
"Sableye?" Eris asks Meowth for confirmation.
"Huh? Yeah of course we're gonna keep trying to nap that Pikachu. Now quiet down, I'm trying to watch."
Usually, Sableye would rip off the mouth of any foul miscreant who speaks to her in such a flippant manner. This time, however, she just hummed to herself and turned back to watch the remainder of the battle.
As she expected, Goliath didn't have much trouble finishing off the squeaky rodent. Still, that isn't important. She doesn't care about how strong the rat is. After all, she could have both Goliath and the rodent eating out of her hands if she wanted to. No, what matters to Eris is whether or not they are interesting. The first member of her new team is a matter of course, but that Pikachu seems like he will be fun to play with too. The tenacity to stand up, even after taking such powerful blows: how fun would it be to shatter that tenacity into pieces?
"So close!"
"Come on, Twerp! How can you lose to that pest!"
"Try harder, Pikachu! You're making us look bad when you lose like that!"
While Team Rocket laments their favorite Pikachu's loss, Eris comes to a decision of her own. She soon announces her decision to Meowth, so that the feline may relay her will to his humans.
"Sable, Sableye!" Her eerie grin turns into a self-satisfied smirk. "Sabe, Sableye."
Meowth turns to the Ghost in surprise, unsure of how to respond.
"Well, out with it!" Jessie demands. "What'd the Ghost say?"
"She says that the next time we meet, she will help us capture Pikachu!" Meowth shouts. "She said she can't help now because her Trainer is leaving the Island soon, but that she knows we will meet again."
"She wants to help us?" Jessie just looks confused at the idea.
"That's wonderful!" James, on the other hand, is all for it. He kneels down before Eris and reaches out for a handshake. "Then next time we meet, you will be an honorary member of Team Rocket! It's lovely to have you, Eris."
"What?!" Jessie screeches, still upset about the previous threat against her. "How could you welcome her so easily? Have you forgotten what we both had to go through to join this team?"
"Cool it, Jess." Meowth intervenes before a fight can break out. "The more powerful allies we have, the better."
"Sable, Sableye." Eris waves goodbye and begins sinking into her shadow. Just then, a devilish light glints in her jeweled eyes and she decides to act on an impulsive idea. She emerges from the shadows directly in front of Meowth, puts her hands on his chest, and says one last thing before disappearing. "Sabe."
The effect is instant. Heart shapes fill Meowth's eyes and he sways on his feet. All the while, he giggles foolishly to himself.
"Hello? Meowth? She's gone now, so tell us what she said!" Jessie doesn't look pleased with the cat's behavior.
"She, no, my beautiful lady Eris said that she needs to leave now, or else the pink thing and Belle will nag her. … and then… heheheh" Meowth's voice is as out of focus as his eyes and he breaks into a disgusting fit of lustful laughter.
"Stupid cat," Jessie yells. "Then what? Finish translating already!"
"She… She said," Meowth's cheeks turn bright red and he holds them with both paws. "I can't say it!"
"ARGH!" Jessie screams like a banshee and grabs her head. "For the love of…"
"Calm down Jess," James mediates. "Can't you see that Sableye turned Meowth loopy with love?"
"James," Meowth calls out, his voice now light and melancholy. "When do you think I will see her again?"
It takes a long while for Team Rocket to turn their semi-mascot member back to his usual self. When they finally succeeded, the damage had already been done. Poor Meowth had to add a new page to his dark history book.
"So you're Reid! When Lily told me that the infamous super rookie who's making waves in the Gym circuit was at my doorstep, I thought to myself 'This is it, I've finally driven my lab assistants crazy from overwork.' But lo and behold, you're actually here. Guess I should be more trusting. Hahahahaha!" The man dressed in a typical dad's loungewear with a lab coat slapped on top rambles on and on, yet I'm struggling to focus on the conversation.
I came here specifically to speak with this man, so I should be paying close attention to what he says. Unfortunately, my mind can't help but constantly circle back to a single question. What does that Email say?
Having done plenty of research on all the important characters I can remember from the series, I'm well aware that Karen Neil is THE Karen! My favorite elite four member from the entire Pokémon franchise and a member of the Indigo League. Out of all the successful Pokémon Trainers in the world, she is also the one whose ideology most closely matches my own.
I haven't had time to open her Email because Birch showed up so quickly, but I'm dying to know. What in Arceus' name does that Email say? Unfortunately, my curiosity can only wait for now.
"Hello, Professor Birch. It's a pleasure to meet you." I quickly decide that this isn't the time to play up my persona. I desperately desire something from Birch, so it would do me no good to antagonize the man.
"No, no, the pleasure is all mine! I always look forward to meeting outstanding Trainers such as yourself." He smiles and reaches out to grasp my hand in a brief but firm handshake. "Now, I'm sure you came here for a reason, but seeing a rare Pokémon like your Sableye here, I really can't contain myself. Would you allow me to have a look at each of your Pokémon?"
"Sure, that isn't a problem at all," I agree easily, seeing no downsides to getting an expert's opinion on the health of my Pokémon. "What I'm here for isn't urgent, so it can wait until you're done."
"Perfect!" Birch claps his hands together to punctuate his exclamation. "Then please follow me."
What follows is a very brief tour of the lab as Birch leads me out the backdoor. As we walk, he introduces anything notable that we walk past. Most of what he says is meaningless techno-jargon to me, but there were a few notable things that caught my interest.
First was the hatchery. I had thought that Elm was the only professor who put much focus on Pokémon eggs, but that seems to be inaccurate. Birch has a rather large room filled with rows upon rows of incubators. Three lab assistants walk down the aisles, stopping before each incubator and taking notes.
The second is only interesting due to my knowledge of this world's storyline and how unexpected it was to see here. This was a small room with only one assistant inside. The topic of research: The effects of extreme weather conditions on local Pokémon populations. Seeing this room made me wonder if Birch might be aware of the plans of Magma and Aqua, at least to some degree.
The third and final point of interest in our mini tour was just sitting on a table in Birch's office when we walked past. He didn't even point this one out to me, I noticed it all on my own. After all, it's the reason I came here. On the table rested a single red device. Its appearance was somewhat reminiscent of a flip phone. Now how do I convince him to give it to me?
I don't have much time to dwell on that question. All too quickly, we find ourselves standing in the backyard of Birch's laboratory. A small table is in the middle of the yard and a fence that likely does more to stop people from getting in than Pokémon from getting out surrounds the property line.
"Now then, we can start with Sableye, seeing as she is already out." Birch looks at my little diva with a friendly smile and gestures toward the table. "Go ahead and stand there for me, please."
The more that I interact with the burly man, the more that I get the sense that he truly moves at his own pace. I've hardly even introduced myself, and I've somehow found myself introducing my team to him for inspection. Regardless, our dear professor is sorely mistaken if he thinks he can just command Eris to do something for him like that. Even I need to be careful with my words when ordering our fickle queen outside of combat.
Just as I expected, Eris doesn't let the perceived slight against her go unpunished. At first, it appears that she is being agreeable enough, as she sinks into the shadows to leave her perch on my shoulder. However, the place she emerges from is not on the table. That would be too compliant of her. No, Eris instead decided to emerge from the shadows of Birch's lab coat, right next to his heart, and startle the unsuspecting man with a yell.
"Sableye!" Eris lurches up so her toothy grin is directly before Professor Birch's eyes.
"AHHH!" The lab coat and sandals-wearing professor jumps in fright and falls squarely on his backside.
"Sasasasa!" Of course, Eris finds his pathetic form to be worthy of nothing but laughter.
"Eris, please behave yourself and sit on the table for the professor," I can only sigh at the ensuing headache. Eris pauses in her laughter at my plea, but her name wouldn't be Eris if that was enough to stop her mischief. She slowly begins sinking back into the shadows giggling at some new plot she thought up the entire time. I'm just glad that I don't have Goly out right now. Dealing with them one at a time is already enough of a struggle. "I heard there was another contest being held in Rustboro in three weeks," She freezes in her tracks, listening carefully to my words instead of continuing her descent into the shadows. "I had been planning to rush through Petalburg and the Gym there so we could make it there in time to compete, but maybe that's not such a good idea after all."
"Sable! Sableye!" Eris disappears and I feel a light weight on my back. The sound of my backpack's zipper being undone follows. Having a decent idea of what she's doing, I patiently wait for her to finish. In the meanwhile, Professor Birch has pulled himself up from the ground and is watching our interaction with curiosity. Soon enough, the weight disappears and Eris appears on the table, an old and worn magazine in her hands. She excitedly points a claw at the picture of Diantha on the cover, then points back at herself. "Sableye!" she insists.
"I don't know, I heard that Diantha does all kinds of physical care routines. Can someone who isn't even willing to get a check-up from an expert really pull off a performance like hers?" I have to hide my amusement as Eris frantically waves her hands at me in protest. "Maybe we shouldn't do the contest after all. You don't like to listen during our practices, so I can't imagine us coming up with a good routine."
"Sable!" Eris shakes her head fiercely and gives me a pleading look. She holds that old magazine close to her chest the whole time. That reminds me, I really need to get around to buying some more of those for her.
"Well, if you can behave for your check-up, I think that would be a good first step towards becoming contest-ready." I give the last push, already knowing that it will work.
"Sable!" Eris sits still on the table and acts like the sweet little angel that we all know she isn't. After a few seconds, when Birch continues to simply observe, she glares at the burly professor as if to say: 'Get over here and get to work already!'
"Hahaha!" Birch bursts out into laughter as he walks to the table. "I see that little lady Eris's robust personality isn't limited to her battles! She's just as much of a joy to see in person as she was to watch in battle. Truly, it has been a long time since I've laughed as hard as I did while watching her make young Brawly blow up like that. What a fun dynamic you two have."
"I'm just glad that her mischief doesn't bother you," I admit with a bit of relief. After all, I need to get on his good side here.
"Of course, it doesn't bother me. I'm a Pokémon professor! If I didn't understand and love the wide variety of distinct personalities that these wonderful creatures have, well, I wouldn't last a day in this profession!" Birch waves off my concern and begins his examination of Eris. "Eris, please open wide so I can see those pearly whites." As he observes, pokes, and prods, the professor writes down various notes about who knows what.
"Makes sense," We continue to chat as he works. "But I'm surprised to hear that you were a fan of her battle style. I figured that a lot of the big names in the Pokémon battling scene would find the way she fights to be dishonorable."
"A lot of them probably do," Birch agrees as he lifts up one of Eris's arms. "But I find myself agreeing with a lot of what you said after the battle. Far too many of the world's leading Trainers think of battling as little more than a clash of power. True battling is far more intricate and complicated than that. The fact that you are currently proving that to be true is the reason that I was so excited to hear that you stopped by my lab. You've got more fans than you think, Reid."
Our conversation continues to bounce back and forth, from one topic to the next. We never spend too much time stuck on any one thing, and I think that has a lot to do with Birch's personality. He's eccentric, even among the other Pokémon Professors. He seems like the type of person to find an interest in just about everything around him.
"Well, I think that about does it for little Eris here," Birch leans back and takes one last look at all the notes he has written before turning to a blank page in the notebook. "She's a shining example of a healthy member of the Sableye species. Her skin is a very deep shade of purple, indicating that she has a more fulfilled diet and is receiving more beneficial vitamins and minerals than most of her wild counterparts. All in all, I would say that you are doing a fantastic job with her."
"Thank you," I return Eris to her ball and decide it's finally time to get to business. "Now, I came here to speak with you about something rather important."
"I see," He nods seriously at me. "I expected as much," Then his eyes stray to the Pokeballs on my belt and I can see the sidetracking coming from a mile away. "But I'd really love to take a look at the rest of your team! They are all wonderful examples of Pokémon performing at levels that other members of their species usually fail to reach. How about we talk while I give them a quick check?"
I can't help but feel a flicker of annoyance. I get that he means no harm by it, but I'd like to at least get to my request, so I know whether or not I'm wasting my time here. Still, I can do nothing about it. That's just the way Birch is.
"That should be fine. As long as we can talk about it, I don't really care if we multitask."
"Wonderful," Birch claps his hands together and moves away from the table and towards an open plot of grass. "How about bringing out your Tropius next?"
"Come out, Mirabelle," I release the only calming presence on my team and let her know the situation. "The professor over there is going to give you a quick physical check-up. Please cooperate with him."
"Tropius." Mirabelle's reply is a bit sluggish, still displaying her fatigue from this morning's battle. Still, she walks over to Birch without any fuss.
"Mirabelle is her name?" Birch asks with a grin, looking like a kid in a candy factory. The man truly loves Pokémon. "What a beautiful young Tropius, and very well-developed and powerful for her age!"
"Tropius," Belle responds to the compliments by smiling and leaning her head towards Birch, offering him a fruit.
"This is for me?" He appears inordinately happy with the gift and carefully plucks one of the yellow fruits from her chin. "Then I will accept it gratefully. Thank you, Mirabelle."
"Trop." Belle nods sleepily, then turns to look at me and tilts her head, extending her offer.
"Thank you, Belle," I'm not about to reject such a delicacy. "You're such a sweetheart. Never let the other two influence you."
Mirabelle responds to that with an exacerbated huff before lying down and drifting off to sleep. It would seem that even she finds the notion of her acting like Goly or Eris to be ridiculous.
Mirabelle's checkup takes significantly longer than Eris's for a variety of reasons. The obvious one is her size, Birch had a lot more ground to cover if he wanted to be as thorough as he was with the much smaller Pokémon. The second reason is that our starting point was delayed by his insistence on writing down a full page-long analysis of the fruits. The page covered everything from the taste to the speed at which new fruits grew before our eyes. The final reason for the increased time was the most wholesome in nature. Essentially, he just took care to work more slowly to avoid waking the tired girl.
All in all, most of what he told me was within my expectations. She's incredibly healthy, as most well-cared-for Grass-Types are. She is still in her juvenile phase and will be hitting a couple more significant growth spurts. An interesting piece of information was that Birch suspects that she will soon be able to handle growing Sitrus berries with Harvest, based on how quickly her fruits grew back. However, it was the last thing he told me that had the largest impact.
"Based on her current development and musculature, I'd say that it won't be long now, definitely no longer than a month." He observed, clicking his pen under his chin.
"What won't be long now?" I ask, still a bit peeved that he hasn't given me the chance to bring up my purpose here yet.
"It won't be long until she is able to fly with a passenger, of course!" Birch exclaims. "Mirabelle is far more powerful than most Tropius at her age, but this isn't something you can rush without risking long-term damage to her wings. However, I simply must give credit where credit is due. From both of the Pokémon, I have seen so far, it would appear that you spare no effort or expense in ensuring that your Pokémon receive a very beneficial diet. I promise you, if you give her another month to develop, eating the same way that you have been feeding her, she'll be ready to take you up to the skies!"
Now, that is exciting news! The ability to travel by air will open up all kinds of new and interesting opportunities for us. The increased mobility means that sidetracking won't mess with our schedule anymore. Besides, just the idea of riding my magical dinosaur through the sky sounds awesome.
When we got to Goly's turn, he surprised me by acting rather subdued. I don't know if it was a result of him being satisfied by his battle with Pikachu or if it was just a sign of his growing maturity. . . On second thought, it definitely wasn't a matter of maturity. Still, Goly sat uncharacteristically still and allowed Birch to begin his check-up. For the professor's part, he seemed no less excited to look over a common Pokémon like a Linoone than he had been for my other, less commonly seen team members.
"Incredible," Birch muses with a hand on one of Goly's hind legs. "How is it possible for a Linoone's musculature to be this well-developed? His entire body is completely nonstandard, but his legs especially feel like they come from another species altogether. In fact, the musculature in his legs feels more similar to what you might see in an Arcanine than a Linoone!"
At the professor's praise, Goly preens and puffs himself up like a peacock. I've never had a problem with those who are talented taking pride in themselves, but I'm seriously going to find a way to reel back some of the vanity that Goly carries with himself.
I give Birch some noncommittal responses as he continues his observations until I finally decide that it's time to get this show on the road. Let's get down to business. I've already wasted enough time here as is.
"Alright Goly, get over here," My starter runs to my side when I figure Birch has had enough time. "Now, let's get to the purpose of my visit here."
"Of course, of course," Birch scratches the back of his head and even looks slightly embarrassed. "I really am sorry about that. Whenever I get the chance to work with some new Pokémon, I tend to lose my head and become a bit too engrossed in studying them. So, what is it that brings you here?"
"To get straight to the point, I want a Pokedex," Not one to beat around the bush, I decide to strike while the iron is hot. "There's no better way to track the growth of your Pokémon, so I wanted to suggest a sponsorship deal where I represent your lab or do some field research for you in exchange for being granted a Pokedex. What do you think?"
Birch's face already clues me into my answer, before he even speaks. The man began frowning as soon as I said Pokedex. He doesn't look angry though, it's more a face that expresses that there isn't anything he can do here.
"Hmmm, that would be a bit of a problem," Birch strokes his chin in thought. "I don't actually have the authority to hand out Pokedexes to whoever I want, believe it or not. The Pokedex's creature, Professor Oak of Kanto, patented the Dex through the Pokémon League. As such, the league regulates who is allowed to have one. The reason is that Pokedexes are just too useful. For one, they act as an ID, so you need the league's approval, just for that. Beyond that, they contain up-to-date, extensive research on just about every species of Pokémon. In untrustworthy hands, that is potentially some very dangerous information. As a result, for me to give someone a Pokedex, they need to have the recommendation of someone with suitably high authority and an extensive background check from the League."
I hadn't expected acquiring a Pokedex to be all that difficult, considering that Ash basically gets a new one in every region he goes to. However, I should have known better. Why is it that we hardly ever see other characters in the anime, outside of Ash and his companions, using a Pokedex? The reason is that they aren't easy to get a hold of. Furthermore, it's not a matter of qualifications, but rather it's about your connections. Who do you know? Ash has Oak, May has Norman, and Dawn has her mother, but who do I have?
"I see," I can't stop the disappointment from seeping into my voice. "But could you vouch for me so I can apply now?"
"I could," Birch surprises me by agreeing. "However, the recommendation is the easy part. The League doesn't exactly move fast when approving things. If we sent in a request now, it likely wouldn't even get processed for at least a couple weeks. Then they would need to start the background check, which takes anywhere from three weeks to over a month for them to finally get out of the way. After all that is done, it would still take another week for me to finally receive the approval message. If you're willing to pause your journey for a month and a half, I can do it, but never expect anything involving the League to move quickly."
It's annoying, but it seems that governments are the same, no matter what world you are in. I can't help but feel that I've wasted far too much time here as is.
"That's too bad," I turn around and walk towards a gated part of the fence, intending to leave for Petalburg as soon as possible to make up for lost time. "I'll get out of your hair then."
"Now, wait just a moment friend," Birch quickly stops me and runs back into his lab. About two minutes later he comes running back out, panting hard. In his hand is a small computer chip. "I may not be able to give you a Pokedex, but you said you wanted it to check your own Pokémon's progress, right?"
"Well, yeah," I admit, unsure of where this is going. "I really just wanted to be able to check their abilities, moves, growth, and health."
"Perfect!" Birch lets a relieved smile cross his face. "It just so happens that Sinnoh's Professor Rowan and I have been working on something that will allow you to do just that! Here, plug this into your Poketch." He hands me the computer chip which I promptly slot into my device.
"What's this?"
"An app that Rowan and I developed for both the Poketch and the Transceiver!" Birch answers proudly. "Since Oak made the Pokedex so exclusive and inaccessible to the average Trainer, we decided that we wanted to make something similar that everyone can use. While Samuel is always so worried about supporting talents to reach the top of the battle scene, we wanted to support all Trainers to increase the overall level of Pokémon training. This app doesn't contain research into each Pokémon's habits, physiology, habitats, or whatever else. However, it will scan the Pokémon that you do have and tell you their current state, their abilities, moves, and conditions. On top of that, you will be able to look up all moves that their species is known to be capable of using. I know it doesn't exactly match the standards of a Pokedex, but I still believe that it is a great support app!"
As he is talking, a new app has finished downloading on my Poketch. I tap on the app titled "Poke Tracker" and open it up. After putting in my name and creating an account, the screen states: 'Welcome Trainer Reid Redwood! You currently have 0 Pokémon registered. Please scan a captured Pokemon next to its Pokeball to receive detailed information.'
"You're really just giving this to me?" I can't help but ask. After all, people would pay huge amounts of money for this app. Never underestimate the amount of money a Trainer is willing to fork over to improve their training efficiency!
"Of course," Birch looks completely unbothered by the fact that he is missing out on a chance to profit. "We just finished developing it and haven't officially put it on the market yet, but Rowan and I agreed to make this cheap enough to download that every aspiring Trainer can afford it. More importantly, go ahead and scan Goly. Tell me what you think."
I take out Goly's Premier Ball and use the app to scan both the ball and Pokémon. There is a processing time of about a minute before my screen is filled with information.
'Linoone
Type: Normal
Gender: Male
Age: Juvenile ~1 year old
Height: 0.8 M
Weight: 43.6 Kg
Ability: Quick Feet
Notes: This specimen is much larger and has far denser musculature than most Linoones. It is likely that this specimen will excel in battling in a manner utilizing its physical prowess.
Known Moves:…
Learnset:...
Recommended moves:...'
The app displays far more information than I had expected, especially considering that Birch claims it doesn't even compare to a Pokedex. What exactly does a Pokedex do then, give you links to 10-page research dissertations on each species or something?
Regardless, this app is easily able to cover my own purposes for wanting a Pokedex. It would seem that spending a couple hours watching Birch poke and prod at my Pokémon was well worth it after all.
"Thank you for this," I give a slight bow of gratitude to the casual professor. "This will be a huge help."
"Think of it as payment for letting me see such wonderfully healthy and exceptional Pokémon," Birch waves off my gratitude. "Now we plan to release the app at the start of the next Gym circuit, so let me know if there are any problems with it."
"Will do."
Birch and I exchange contact information before saying our goodbyes. After that, it's a two-hour trek through the wilderness to find a spot to train and set up camp for the night. I decided to skip stopping at Oldale Town and just cut through the forest in a straight line path to Petalburg instead. During this walk, I let my whole team out to roam around me. I scanned them all on my new app before letting them all run wild but I wasn't paying them much attention. After all, I had another important piece of information to chew on. Sitting on Mirabelle's back as she leisurely walked through the forest, reinvigorated by her nap at the lab, I finally found the time to open up my email.
Sender Karen Neil
Subject: Introduction
Hello Reid Redwood,
I'm Karen Neil, a member of the Indigo League's Elite Four. You may be surprised to be hearing from me, considering that we have had no previous contact, but a Hoenn Ranger recently forwarded me your information, along with videos of your Gym battles and subsequent Emails. She was strongly insisting that I consider you for sponsorship and even as a possible apprentice, citing that we have compatible ideals and personalities.
Typically, I would ignore such a request, as we receive similar ones often in our position as Elite Four members. However, the fact that she was a Ranger from an entirely different region, coupled with her fervent insistence (several different emails from 2 different accounts) made me decide to take a look at you for myself.
Honestly, I am impressed. While it is certainly rare, there are several Trainers out there who are capable of competing at very high levels with Pokémon who the majority have deemed to be useless. I have always held close to my heart the ideal that there is no such thing as a Pokémon without the potential to grow powerful. In my time as an Elite Four member, I have come to find that there are many others fighting the battle to prove that ideal alongside me. The only difference is that none have reached the same heights that I have while still remaining true to that path.
Simply sharing that ideal isn't enough to move me, but you have proven yourself to be capable of more than that. Watching your battles and listening to your words, spoken with such conviction, invokes something powerful, something special. I believe that you are among the rare few who can inspire others to stay true to the Pokémon they love. I wasn't planning on reaching out to you at all until I listened to your interview after defeating Gym Leader Brawly. I have seen far too many Pokémon abandoned at the wayside, left forgotten at ranches, or turned from battlers into household pets after their Trainers found success with a more traditionally powerful replacement. In you, I see the possibility to put an end to many of those tragic stories that happen all over the world. Through your continued success, maybe fewer Trainers will treat those underappreciated Pokémon with such callous disregard.
As such, I have a proposal that I would like to make to you. Exactly three months from today, I will be traveling to Lilycove City to have an exhibition battle with Sidney of the Hoenn Elite Four. I will be staying in the city for a full week at that time. Prove yourself to be capable of continuing to enforce your ideals by earning 6 Gym badges in that time, winning all the remaining 4 in spectacular fashion. Do that, and meet me in Lilycove. I will have a suitable reward, along with an earnest offer of partnership for you then.
P.S. You likely know who the Ranger who recommended you to me is. Nobody would be that insistent for someone they weren't directly involved with. I just wanted to say that you're lucky to have someone who cares about you as much as she does. It's a rare thing.
Sincere regards,
Karen Neil
Indigo Elite Four
Now, that's a lot to chew on. It would seem that Tracy really went all out for me this time. The chance to even see a member of any region's Elite Four is precious and rare. For an Elite Four member to see you, and even go so far as to reach out to you, just how exceptional of an opportunity is that? I don't know exactly what she means by 'partnership,' but any kind of contact with such a high-level Trainer is worthwhile. Anything I can learn or any technique I can steal will directly aid me on my path to surpassing such Trainers. It also doesn't hurt that Karen is easily in my top 3 favorite Pokémon characters from the games.
It would seem that I might need to speed up my plans. Obtaining four more badges in three months means that I will need to defeat all the remaining Gyms that are on the mainland. Most of the time will be consumed by traveling, but there is still much else that can't be skipped. Eris still needs to compete in her contests. I still need to find three more team members. Everyone still needs to train as our lives depend on it, three times a day. I will not compromise on that end. I guess I'm going to be a busy man for the foreseeable future. Let's just hope I don't come off as annoying as Barry with as much of a rush as I'm going to be in.
With such thoughts consuming my mind, a campsite is soon found and set up. It doesn't take long before all three of my Pokémon are spread out and warming up while waiting to hear of my plans for tonight's training session.
The first thing I do is walk to Goly, who is still sitting patiently. Even for the entire duration of our walk, he hadn't strayed far from my side and had remained mostly silent. He almost appears to be in deep thought about something. Frankly, it's weird.
"So what's up with you?" I ask while equipping him with his Macho Brace. "What kind of nonsense has got those rusty gears in your head turning for so long?"
Goly looks up at me for a while, then furrows his brows in intense concentration. His eyes squeeze tightly shut and he appears to be pushing something inside him with all his force.
"Whoa, what's wrong, bud?" I back up a bit, somewhat concerned. "Gas bubble? You constipated or something?"
"LIN!" Goly starts to yell out as if he's charging up a Kamehameha wave. I preemptively plug my nose and back up several more steps. "NOONE!" A single strand of bright electricity bursts from his head and sails over my shoulder.
"What the hell was that?!" I shout out reflexively. There's no way, but did he just… "Did you figure out how to use Thunderbolt by fighting Pikachu?"
Mirabelle and Eris are both watching our interaction at this point, both with very different emotions. Eris looks dismissive of the matter, still thinking of herself as far superior to the foolish weasel. Mirabelle, on the other hand, gives a resigned sigh. After finally feeling like she was catching up to her team leader, Goly showed off his unreal talent once again. Fighting two powerful Electric-Types, Jolteon and Pikachu, just those two battles, was enough for Goly to figure out how to manipulate Electric-Type energy on his own. Still, her expression hardens with resolve and she turns to look at her Trainer, ready to be given her task. What she must do doesn't change, she must simply continue to prove herself to be a worthy warrior.
"Linoone!" Goly yips happily and begins sprinting circles around my legs, excited to have finally sorted out the annoying tingly feeling he had been facing ever since his battle with the little mouse.
"That's impressive, Goly. I'm proud of you," I praise my starter, scratching his head. At the same time, I'm calculating exactly how useful this addition will be to his move set. "I was going to have you work on Hone Claws and maybe Odor Sleuth today, but it looks like you've already got something to work on. Thunderbolt is a decent ranged option for you, but you are mainly going to fight up close and personal. After you get the hang of charging up electricity quickly, work on turning it into a smaller, more controlled stream. I want you to try learning Thunder Wave, so come over to ask Eris to show it to you if you ever need help. Stay in motion by running the entire time you're practicing for some physical conditioning too."
"Lin!" Goly barks out in excitement before running off to get started.
"Now, Belle's next," I turn to my sweet Tropius and immediately see the determination to grow in her eyes. "We saw it against Brawly, but you need to have more close-ranged options before we keep building on your tanking abilities. All you have right now is Stomp, so I've thought of the perfect next step for you. If all goes well, you will even become Goly's teacher for a while after you master this."
"Pius?" Mirabelle looks at me with some heavy skepticism, doubting her ability to teach anything to the little freak.
"Yep, you heard me right. I want you to learn Stomping Tantrum, a Ground-Type move and something that will allow you to have another option up close," There are a few close-ranged moves she could learn, but I feel that this will be the easiest for her to learn outside of moves that share her natural typing. "This move is more suited to larger Pokémon, but Goly will need to learn it too, eventually. I'll be counting on you to pass your knowledge down to him then."
"Tropius." Belle nods solemnly at me, ready to get to work.
I pull up a video of a Mudsdale using the move and talk her through it.
"The main idea here is to feel the Ground-Type energy through your feet when you stomp down on them. After feeling that energy, you shake it to cause tremors in the earth. From what I've heard, tapping into your own frustration when connecting with the Ground-Type energy can make it easier to use and more powerful. For now, you don't know any Ground-Type moves, but the move Growth has you connecting with the earth, so it's very close. I have faith that you can figure it out, but go to Goly if you need help. Have him show you how he uses Dig."
"Tro!" Belle turns and gallops to the opposite end of the clearing, eager to get started.
Finally, it's Eris's turn. This is a bit tricky because Eris has by far the most things that she needs to work on. As things stand, she is an incredibly powerful asset, as seen against Brawly, but she is entirely too situational. She wouldn't have done nearly as well if that was a single battle.
"Eris, I'm going to need to ask you an honest question before we get started," I wait until she nods imperiously at me, graciously permitting my question. "How far behind the other two do you think you are?"
"Sableye?" At first, she appears confused by the question. That doesn't last long, however, as it quickly turns to outrage. She fiercely shakes her head, then points at Goly and makes an X with her arms. "Sable. Sableye!"
"True, you did beat Goly," I admit. "But now that he knows your trick, do you think you would beat him again?" She immediately puffs up her chest and starts to insist that she would. "Please, be honest. This is important if you want to become a star."
Eris slumps her shoulders and stares a hole into the ground. Her usual sharp-toothed grin is nowhere to be seen. Finally, she admits it.
"Sable." Her voice is quiet, but it was clearly an admission.
"Thank you for being honest, because this is important, like I said," I crouch down and pat her head. "Part of becoming a star means that everyone knows what you can do. Right now, you are very strong in the right situation, but very weak outside of those situations. We need to accept that fact before you can become very strong in all situations."
"Sableye." Eris peeks up at me, the color in her crystal eyes appears a bit less bright than usual.
"Right now, you have three major problems that are a higher priority than anything else," I start off while I still have her attention. "The first is that you are very vulnerable against female opponents. This was obvious from the fact that you easily beat Goly, but lost to Mirabelle. The second problem is that you don't have any powerful attacks. Belle had to finish off all the enemies in the Gym battle, even after you incapacitated them. The third problem is that we have a contest in a couple weeks, and you don't know the right moves to succeed there. We're going to try to take care of all three of these problems within these next three weeks. I hope you're ready!"
"Sableye!" Eris jumps to attention and clenches her fist with determination. In her eyes, her dream life depends on how well she can perform in three weeks.
"Now, there are so many moves you can learn that the hardest part was narrowing it all down, but I've chosen two to start with that should get us off to a great start! First, we're going to work on…"
Due to their close proximity, it's only 4PM the next day when I walk into the Petalburg Gym, Goly at my heels and Eris resting in my shadow.
"Hey, can I schedule a battle?" I waste no time walking up to the young man at the counter.
"What?" He startles a bit, looking up from his computer. "Schedule a battle? That's fine, but would you mind waiting a couple more minutes? Norman's battle is almost over." His eyes keep trailing back to the computer where the battle must be playing.
"Norman's battle? Who's challenging him?" I ask, not caring much for the answer. I just figured it must be a bigger deal than some random rookie if the receptionist is this engrossed in it.
"Tyson Tetsuya! It's so early in the season and he's already challenging Norman for his 6th badge! To make it even more awesome, it's a special rules 3-on-3 battle against Norman's personal team!" The receptionist gushes like a fanboy, but his words caught my attention.
If it's Tyson Tetsuya, then that's the man who is supposed to win the Ever Grande Conference this year, according to canon. Previously, I had done my research on him and found that he was in the top eight two years ago and placed runner-up last year. The man is a fifth-year Trainer with some real talent and a team of powerhouses.
"Is it still open to spectators?" I ask, deciding quickly that this is worth seeing.
"Oh, sure. It's 20 Poke for a ticket. Norman's down to his last Pokémon though, so I'll give it to you for 10," A loud boom echoes throughout the building and a small vibration reaches even us. "That's Slaking's Giga Impact for you," The receptionist whistles. "Now, they're both down to their last Pokémon. Better hurry. It's that door."
I thank the young man before jogging through the door and over to the nearby seating area. Most of the seats are filled up, as there isn't much room for spectators anyway, but it's easy enough to find one.
"The final round of this 3-on-3 battle will be between Norman's Slaking and Tyson's Hariyama. Let the battle…Begin!" The referee's voice brings my attention to the two colossal Pokémon on the field.
The Hariyama is incredibly well-built, though clearly not as large as Brawly's had been. Furthermore, it clearly looks younger than the veteran beast I fought. However, there is a cool confidence in its eyes.
The Slaking, on the other side of the field, looks like a complete monster. Despite coming from a much smaller species, this Slaking is obviously much larger than Hariyama. Despite being a Normal-Type, its muscles are much more prominent than Hariyama. Despite being from a notoriously lazy species, it's standing up, looking like it's ready to leap at its opponent at a moment's notice.
Unbelievably, that monster of a Slaking is terribly beaten up right now. Electric sparks jump across its body, causing muscle spasms to wreak havoc on the beast's body. Scratches and cuts both large and small, shallow and deep, litter it from head to toe. Slaking may be the king of the beasts here, but he's on his last legs.
Looking at Tyson, his signature Meowth is nowhere to be seen, so I can only assume that it has already battled and helped contribute to that damage. However, the ensuing action ensures that I no longer have the time to consider it.
"Facade." Norman's only option is to attack. He can't afford to wait around for his opponent to make a move when his last Pokémon is in a state where it wouldn't be strange if she collapsed any second now.
"Get there first with Bullet Punch to Low Kick!" Tyson's response comes fast, and both Pokémon burst into motion.
Slaking begins to lumber forwards in a slow jog, impeded by her paralysis. Hariyama doesn't wait around for his impaired foe to arrive, instead the sumo Pokémon bolts across the room and delivers a silver punch to the ape's cheek. Slaking responds by showing herself to be much less inhibited by the paralysis than she appeared to be. The Facade was meant to lure Hariyama into a false sense of security. The king of the beasts swipes a heavy, earth-shattering palm at the young Fighting-Type, and it looks like it will connect.
"Dynamic Punch!" Tyson's voice is barely audible before a loud crash shakes the room.
"Counter!" Norman's powerful voice can be heard over the boom.
*BOOM!*
The noise of a massive body hitting the floor echoes throughout the room. However, the one on the floor is Slaking. Just before her palm hit Hariyama's head, her feet were swept from beneath her with a heavy Low Kick. Hariyama followed her falling form with Dynamic Punch, turning the low-accuracy move into a sure hit while his opponent was falling to the floor. Unfortunately, Hariyama didn't get that hit off clean. The evidence of this fact is that Hariyama's massive body just bounced off the ceiling.
That's right! While the sumo Pokémon's heavy punch smashed Slaking into the ground with super effective force, Slaking's Counter landed clean. In fact, it landed so clean, and with so much power that the 500-plus pound Pokémon was launched sky high and hit his back on the ceiling, far above the battlefield.
*Boom*
The noise of Hariyama landing breaks the silence in the room, and cheers erupt from the spectators. Both Norman and Tyson are leaning forward, watching their Pokemon closely. They both know that the battle is already over, it's just going to come down to which Pokémon can get back to their feet.
Slaking pushes hard off the ground, her teeth gritting with effort. Her pride in being the king of her team overtakes the natural laziness of her species. After several seconds that feel to her like hours, she is standing. When she looks across the field, her opponent is already up, looking back at her. They lock eyes for a single, long second. Then, Slaking's sight goes dark. She has fallen.
"Slaking is unable to battle!" The referee announces the result. It would appear that there is no MC in Norman's Gym. "This means that Hariyama and Tyson Tetsuya are the winners!"
While Tyson and Norman meet, shake hands and talk, I listen in on the conversations of the spectators. My own plans are beginning to change.
"When Tyson's Meowth took out Zangoose and Blissey, I thought it was over!" A man loudly exclaims.
"Right?" A woman answers him. "Then Norman brought out Slaking and I knew it would be crazy. Meowth and Donphan went down back to back. Then that big Counter at the end! What a battle!"
I ignore the rest of the conversation, having already decided on my next course of action. Let's pluck a page from Ash's playbook and go challenge Tyson, shall we? Though, maybe simply requesting a battle, as Ash did, is a little too dull. I'll do it in a way that's a bit more, let's call it: my style.
Reid Redwood
Badges: 2
Pokémon: 3
Goliath (Goly)
Linoone
Abilities:
Gluttony, Pick Up, Quick Feet
Moves:
Slash, Shadow Claw, Headbutt, Double Edge, Dig, Pin Missile, Iron Tail, Extreme Speed, Covet, Flail, Thunderbolt, Protect, Rest, Belly Drum, Double Team, Growl, Sand Attack, Tail Whip
Mirabelle (Belle)
Tropius
Abilities:
Harvest, Solar Power
Moves:
Air Slash, Magical Leaf, Sunny Day, Protect, Whirlwind, Razor Leaf, Gust, Leaf Storm, Leech Seed, Curse, Growth, Stomp, Sweet Scent, Wide Guard
Eris
Sableye
Abilities:
Prankster, Keen Eye
Moves:
Attract, Thunder Wave, Flatter, Sucker Punch, Shadow Sneak, Shadow Claw, Fury Swipes, Taunt, Detect, Disable