xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Oreburgh City, 9:03 a.m. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Outside of the Oreburgh Pokémon Center was Keats, Anik, Ambrose and Tamara with all but the teenage ghost hunter sporting smiles on their faces as they looked at the sight in front of them. Before them was a series of stalls and vendors for the Fossil Festival event that was occurring that day with a large crowd of people and their Pokémon congregating.
"Okay... I'll ask only once." Ambrose said as everyone turned towards him with smug expressions. "Why are we attending this festival and not heading towards Mt. Coronet like we planned?" He asked with a disgruntled look in his eyes.
"I felt like putting it to a vote last night." Anik said with a smirk as she adjusted her glasses.
"And we outvoted you." Tamara said with a smile on her face as shifted her head away from everyone else.
"It took a while." Keats commented as Anik and Ambrose raised an eyebrow at him. "I took the time to count how many Pokémon we all had so there wasn't a loophole in the voting process." He said with his arms folded.
"Completely unnecessary step, Keats." Anik said with half-closed eyes towards her friend as Ambrose shook his head.
"We're on a tight schedule!" Ambrose complained.
"We can afford to spend a bit of time here. It's important for the thing me and Keats are doing." Anik said as she looked at the teenage ghost hunter.
"And I wanted to try a "Rock Pot Pie!"' Keats said with a smile as he pulled out a pamphlet. "Little pot pie filled with peas, carrots, potatoes, gravy and Tauros beef." He said as he walked over to Tamara and bent forward to get her to look at the image of the pot pie.
"Oh wow, that looks good... If I could see it." Tamara said with sarcasm as Keats forgot for a moment that Tamara was blind.
"...Oh yeah." Keats said with a red face as Anik shook her head with disappointment at her companion's usual bizarre behavior.
"If this weird manhunt you're on is going to work in your favor, you're going to want to stop being so forgetful." Ambrose commented.
"Really wish I could turn on Rotom to help with his brain functions." Anik thought as Keats put away his pamphlet.
"I resent that statement, kid." Keats said as he turned towards Ambrose. "I am a grown man who has loads of responsibilities that he-" He said until suddenly getting cut off by the sound of a loud female scream as everyone looked back towards the Pokémon Center. "Aaaaand Nurse Joy found the life-size dough skeleton I left in the kitchen! Okay, let's move!" Keats said with a nervous smile on his face as he grabbed Tamara and Anik by their wrists, pulling them into the crowd to get away from the Pokémon Center.
"This is so stupid..." Ambrose thought with a headshake as he followed after Keats, Anik and Tamara.
After getting out of Keats' grasp, Tamara shifted herself in multiple directions as her sensory abilities allowed her to hear and smell everything around the group. Taking in the heavy air that was mixed in with smells of different kinds of food from the stalls, Tamara formed a bright smile on her face as Keats and Anik looked at her.
"Can't even see anything but she looks like she's enjoying herself." Keats said as he looked at Anik as she took her hand out of his grasp.
"Yeah, seems like it." Anik said with a smile on her face as Ambrose approached.
"...Well... I guess it isn't too bad." Ambrose said as Anik and Keats looked at him. "She really wanted to go, huh?" He asked towards the older members of their traveling party.
"She said something about you never letting her have any fun." Keats said as Anik raised an eyebrow.
"That's wildly inaccurate..." Ambrose said with a slightly offended expression. "I'm just trying to keep her safe from the stuff I deal with on the regular." He said in response. "She's not a trainer with a Pokémon of her own and even with her psychic powers, she still has a handicap." Ambrose said as he looked at Tamara darting around in different directions whilst tracing her cane along the ground.
"She wants to be a trainer too, yeah?" Anik asked.
"Like I said before, I let her spend time with my Pokémon every now and then. Get her acquainted with them but it's not very often I let do something more intense like battling. I don't know how much it could affect her senses." Ambrose said as he looked at Anik and Keats. "And another reason I didn't want to bring her here was the crowds..." He thought.
"Oh, I had an idea." Keats said.
'"Uh-oh."' Anik and Ambrose muttered as Keats made an angered expression.
"Hey! I didn't even have to cover my face and hunch over for this idea!" Keats replied to their skepticism.
"Huh?" Ambrose mumbled.
"Long story." Anik said towards Ambrose.
"Other people have their Pokémon out. How about we take some of ours out?" Keats suggested as he reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his Pokéballs. "Have Tamara walk with one of them so-" He said until he turned back to look at Tamara and noticed something wrong.
"That's actually a good- huh?!" Anik said, agreeing with Keats until seeing Tamara wasn't there anymore.
"Oh no!" Ambrose said as he looked around for Tamara. "Tam!? Tam!?" He exclaimed as Keats and Anik started looking as well.
"Crap! Crap! Crap!" Keats shouted loudly as he and Anik failed to spot her amidst the vast quantities of attendees.
"Oh! Let's use whatever we have that can fly to look for her!" Anik said, making a suggestion as Ambrose and Keats pulled out their respective Pokéballs. "Come out, Minior!" She said as her meteor-like Pokémon emerged from her Pokéball.
"Minior!" Minior said as it floated in the air.
"Porygon, you're on call!" Keats said as he opened up his ball, his polygonal Pokemon appearing.
"Poooor!" Porygon said as it floated next to Keats.
"Dodrio!" Ambrose said as he opened up his ball and out came a large, brown ostrich-like creature with three heads, each making a different expression with one sad, one happy and one angry.
'"Drio!"' Dodrio said in unison as Keats made a confused expression.
"...Hold on." Keats said as Ambrose and Anik looked at him. "We said "Pokémon that can fly."' He said in Ambrose's direction.
"It's a Flying type Pokémon." Ambrose said with an annoyed tone.
"Its wings are smaller than my hands!" Keats commented as Anik raised an eyebrow.
"...Dodrio, use "Fly!"' Ambrose ordered as the three heads of Dodrio nodded.
"Do!" The joyful head of Dodrio exclaimed.
"Dri!" The angry head of Dodrio exclaimed.
"O!" The sad head of Dodrio exclaimed as the Normal and Flying type Pokémon ducked and proceeded to jump dozens of feet into the air.
Airborne, Dodrio proceeded to kick its long legs at unbelievable speed, the force of its movement preventing it from falling back towards the ground. Looking on, Keats and Anik watched in surprise as Dodrio was managing to stay in the air as Ambrose made a confident expression.
"That's..." Anik said, unable to comprehend a flying Dodrio overhead of the group. "Dodrio can do that?" She thought.
"So cool..." Keats said, admitting he was impressed.
"Can we start looking for my friend now?" Ambrose said as he caught Anik and Keats' attention.
"Oh yeah, Minior. Look for a little girl with sunglasses and a white cane." Anik said as she looked at her Rock and Flying type Pokémon.
"Miniii!" Minior said as it floated into the air where Dodrio was.
"You too, Porygon." Keats said towards his Normal type Pokémon.
"Poooor!" Porygon exclaimed as the three flying Pokémon dispersed to search the area for Tamara.
"Let's look too!" Anik said as the trio started running. "Split up and we'll cover more ground." She said as Ambrose and Keats agreed with the astronomy enthusiast, running off in different directions to look for Tamara.
"I'll look around the vendors!" Keats shouted.
"I'll head for the activities area. Knowing her, she may have headed there." Ambrose said as Anik nodded.
"Looks like I'm heading for the outdoor arena. Tamara likes Pokémon, maybe she'll go there to listen to the battle." Anik thought as she headed off towards where the battle between the Sinnoh gym leaders was taking place.
Passing through the crowds of people in her search, Anik slowly tried to look around for signs of the blind psychic girl, hoping to find her.
"Tamara! Tamara!" Anik shouted with some of the sounds of the crowd, drowning out her voice. "Darn it, there's too many people out here... If she's having another panic attack like back at Marie's place, she might be stationary at the moment from the pain in her head. Maybe, it'll be easier to-" She thought until someone bumped into her, knocking her glasses off her face. "Ah! My glasses!" Anik muttered as her eyesight started to fail her.
With her vision blurring, Anik started to scramble along the ground in an effort to find her glasses as she reached out in different directions. As she failed to find her glasses, a muscular man with brown spiky hair suddenly approached Anik, dressed in a white sleeveless shirt with a brown cloak, boots, grey miners' pants and holding a shovel.
"These yours?" The man said as Anik turned her head in the direction of the voice she heard as she reached out her hand and grabbed her glasses from the muscular man's hand.
"Ahh! Thank you! Thank you!" Anik said in a grateful tone as she put her glasses on and looked upward at the man in front of her. "At least someone around here was nice enough to help!" She thought as she looked at the other people around her as the man offered a hand, Anik taking it in response to get back to her feet.
"Always happy to help! Can't go fossil hunting without proper eyewear, milady!" The muscular man said with an enthusiastic tone as he lifted his shovel over his shoulder. "You here for the dig pit?" He asked towards Anik.
"Th-thanks for the help but uhhh, no I'm not here for the "dig pit."' Anik said with a slightly confused tone. "He seems chipper..." She thought as she looked at the man. "Who are you?" Anik asked.
"Byron's the name. Canalave City gym leader." Byron said, introducing himself as he held out his hand for a handshake, Anik grabbing it in response.
"Canalave- oh! You're one of the gym leaders having that exhibition today, right?" Anik said, recognizing the man.
"The very same! And ready to once again beat my son's Rock types with the power of Steel!" Byron said in a boastful tone as he pointed his shovel high in the air.
"Uh-huh..." Anik mumbled, slightly embarrassed by the brash personality of the Canalave City gym leader. "Quite the colorful soul... Oh, wait!" She thought until an idea formed in her head. "Are you free for a moment? I need to ask you about someone. Did you encounter an eccentric person on the gym circuit recently?" Anik questioned towards Byron.
"Hmmmm... "Eccentric person?"' Byron said, not fully sure what she meant. "Got any specifics? I see trainers of all sorts coming to my gym." He continued.
"Does the name "Birdclaw" sound familiar?" Anik asked as Byron's eyes widened.
"Ahhh! That young man!" Byron said, recognizing the name. "That was quite the interesting day he stopped by! The battle was pure intensity!" He said as he reminisced in his head.
"...I know I should be looking for Tamara but... This might be the only chance Keats is going to get with getting some information on this weirdo. I'll just have to leave finding her to him and Ambrose for now." Anik thought as she looked at Byron.
Meanwhile, on another side of the Fossil Festival, Ambrose was looking around for Tamara. Patiently walking past some kids taking photos with a large sculpture of an Aerodactyl, he stopped moving for a brief moment to think.
"Tamara, can you hear me? Listen to the sound of my voice." Ambrose thought, hoping for his companion to read his thoughts before shifting his eyes around the crowd at the Fossil Festival before looking upward. "Nothing yet from the Pokémon either... Grrrr..." He thought further, mentally grumbling at the lack of success with finding Tamara.
"Come and paint a stone, with luck you might have yours found in the Fossil Festival dig pit!" A woman behind a stand said loudly in front of a small group of people.
"Rock Pot Pies! Delicious Rock Pot Pies!" A food vendor loudly proclaimed next to a line of people looking to purchase one.
"Artifacts from the Ransei region! Come check out lost artifacts from a bygone era!" Another vendor said loudly as they displayed samurai-style swords and kimonos at a stand to a small amount of interested people.
"All these people around, she's gotta be screaming her mind off..." Ambrose thought with worry. "Wait... Wait, maybe she's at that "dig pit" thing." He thought as an idea formed in his head as he quickly rushed in the direction of the area of the dig pit.
Reaching the marked outdoor area, Ambrose stopped in front of a massive mound of ground soil and looked upward as it stood several feet high. Taking a deep breath, the ghost hunter pulled up his sleeves and dug his hands into the dirt and began to climb the mound.
"I can't believe I'm thinking this, but I'd rather be fighting Ghost Pokémon right now..." Ambrose thought, mentally complaining as he continued to climb.
Reaching the top of the mound and getting his bearings, Ambrose stood atop the mound and started to clean his hands before wiping his pants with them. Shifting his attention forward, Ambrose's eyes widened in shock as he saw multiple mounds of dirt spanning several miles with numerous kids and adults digging into them.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding- me!" Ambrose said aloud to himself until the area he was standing on suddenly gave way and he slid down the opposite side of the mound he climbed up.
Tumbling down to the ground and now even more dirty, Ambrose made a face of pure aggravation as he sat up as kids walked by. Turning his head in different directions to try and find his companion, the teenage ghost hunter proceeded to get back to his feet.
"I swear to god Tamara, if you're not here- ow!" Ambrose said to himself as he started to walk before suddenly hitting his foot against something similar to a rock. "Urgh! For the love of, what the hell?!" He thought as he looked downward at the ground after shuddering in pain.
Bending down, Ambrose picked up an unfamiliar stone that was brown in color but seemed to have four small circular holes on the very top. Confused, the teenage ghost hunter placed his index finger on top of one of the holes and begun to feel a sense of heat coming off it.
"What the heck is this thing? Don't look like a normal rock..." Ambrose thought until looking down to his right side and spotted another unfamiliar rock. "Another one?" He said as he picked up the other stone with his free hand.
The second rock was similar to the other one but instead of four small holes, it had a single clam shell imbedded in the top.
"Oh hey!" A man dressed in a collared shirt and shorts said as he approached Ambrose. "Good finds!" He continued.
"Huh?" Ambrose muttered.
"Oh sorry, I'm a worker from the gym in charge of managing the dig pit. I happened to notice you managed to find two of the rarest stones we placed here." The gym employee said.
"Uh-huh..." Ambrose said, partially disinterested as he was more focused on looking for his companion.
"It's not every day you find two rare fossils like those!" The gym employee said.
"Yeah, that's nice. Hey, you wouldn't happen to know if there's a little blind girl walking around here with a cane, do you?" Ambrose asked as he extended his hands, attempting to give the two fossils he found to the employee.
"Oh, I'm sorry but what you find in the dig pit is yours to keep." The gym employee said. "As for your friend, I'm sorry, I haven't seen anyone like that. But hey, it's a big search zone, sure to be here somewhere." He said as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Damn it..." Ambrose said as he looked around at all the people digging in the pit. "Guess I better start walking... Hope the star girl and the tubby oddball are having better luck than me." He thought as he put the two fossils in his duffel bag.
Meanwhile, away from where Anik and Ambrose were, was Keats. As he searched for Tamara as well, Keats made a worried expression as he had yet to find her, just like them.
"Tamara!? Tamara!?- oh! That guy is selling churros!" Keats said until he turned his head and noticed a food stand, getting distracted as he rushed over to it. "Give me one for every finger and toe I have!" He said with an excited tone as he slammed a random amount of money on the counter, startling the vendor.
Now holding a bag containing sugary sticks of fried dough, Keats returned to walking around the Fossil Festival in an effort to find Tamara.
"Tafera!" Keats muttered with a mouth full of churro in an effort to shout Tamara's name. "Turgera!?" He continued to no avail.
"Hey." A male voice said, catching Keats' attention as he swallowed the massive pile of churros in his mouth. "Hey buddy. Over here." He said once more.
"Hmmm?" Keats mumbled as he looked around until suddenly looking to his side and spotting the location of where the voice was coming from.
Standing in front of a vendor table that had a Magikarp in a fish tank on top of it was a middle-aged man with a pencil moustache, a short brown hairstyle and wearing a white band around his head. Sporting a white shirt with two small buttons, a pair of green pants, sandals and a massive brown belt around his waist, he sported a welcoming smile in the direction of the husky framed trainer.
"Come over here." The man said. "Found my next sucker! Hehehe." He thought with sinister intent.
"Me?" Keats said as he pointed at himself.
"Yes, you. Come over here. I got something that might interest you." The man said with the salesmen's smile still on his face.
"Hmmmm... Last time someone offered me to come over to them, they hit me in the head with a golf club and stole my wallet. How do I know you're not going to do the same thing?" Keats asked with a skeptical expression on his face.
"Look around, my man. You see any golf clubs?" The man said while waving his arms. "Can't guarantee the wallet though." He thought as he looked at Keats.
"Don't see any clubs... Okay, I'll bite." Keats said with a shrug as he walked over to the man.
"Look over here my friend. See this?" The man said. "This here is an ultra-rare Magikarp! An especially rare Pokémon that came all the way from Sinnoh's ancient past when it was known as the Hisui region!" He said as he presented the Magikarp in the fish tank next to him. "Any trainer- no, anybody worth their weight would be willing to get their hands on one of these!" The man continued.
"Hmmmm..." Keats muttered as he bent forward to lock eyes with the Magikarp in the tank.
"See? Look at its majestic form! The stare of a champion! And that sheen off its red body! For you my friend, I can offer it to you for just the right price, no one else!" The Magikarp Seller said, pitching to Keats. "Come on, put your money on the table for this Magikarp I found in a pond!" He thought, hoping to con Keats into making a bad purchase.
"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..." Keats continued to mumble as he stared at the Magikarp.
"So? How about it? You want it? This deal is worth more than four Legendary-grade Pokémon, friend!" The Magikarp Seller asked towards Keats. "Hurry up already!" He thought, growing impatient.
"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm-" Keats continued to just make noises as he stared at the Magikarp until the seller spoke up.
"Will you stop just making weird sounds and buy it already!?" The Magikarp Seller shouted as Keats quickly stood up in surprise.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just looking at it. It reminds me of this one sushi roll I once ordered." Keats said in a casual tone as the Magikarp Seller looked at him in confusion. "You know, those rolls... Where they take the fish Pokémon and they lay the slabs over the rice? It tastes great with soy sauce and wasabi." He said, going off-topic as the seller's eye twitched.
"That's... Neat. Anyway, you want to buy this really amazing Magikarp?" The Magikarp Seller said, trying to hold back his frustration from chatting with the easily side-tracked trainer.
"Hmmmmmmm..." Keats mumbled once again. "I'm not sure if I could really use a Magikarp. I know they evolve into Gyarados but I don't think I could-... Hold on... Birdclaw has a Steelix... A Steelix vs Gyarados... Yo! That would look sick visually!" He thought until an image of a Gyarados and a Steelix having a fight entered his mind and piqued his interest.
"Damn it, he's doing it again! I'm getting nowhere with this weirdo." The Magikarp Seller thought with growing aggravation.
"...I don't know. I don't think this is your best Magikarp." Keats said as he scratched his beard. "This guy's trying to haggle me, isn't he? Well, it's not going to work on a shrewd individual such as myself!" He thought, thinking himself smarter than the man before him.
"Excuse me? This is a rare Magikarp all the way from the ancient past of this region!" The Magikarp Seller replied towards Keats. "Does this guy seriously think he can haggle with me now?!" He thought, bewildered.
"Magikarp Seller!" Keats shouted as he slammed his hands on the table, startling the Magikarp Seller. "I demand your strongest Magikarps! For I am going into battle in the future and require strength!" He said in a dramatic fashion.
"Huh?" The Magikarp Seller muttered. "What's with this guy? Asking me for my "strongest Magikarps?" There's no such thing!" He thought, further confused.
"I will only accept your strongest of Magikarps for my cause!" Keats exclaimed.
"This guy is super annoying... Maybe if I pissed him off enough, he'll just go away." The Magikarp Seller thought, now deciding that Keats was a lost cause for a con. "...No..." He said as Keats made a surprised face. "You're not worthy of my best Magikarps!" The Magikarp Seller said.
"Magikarp Seller..." Keats said with a hostile tone. "I desire only your strongest Magikarps..." He said while pointing at the man.
"My strongest Magikarps aren't for sale to people like you..." The Magikarp Seller said with an angry tone.
"And why won't you sell me your Magikarps?!" Keats exclaimed in an agitated voice.
"Because you're weak! And I suggest weaker Magikarps!" The Magikarp Seller replied loudly to Keats.
"Oh!?" Keats screamed in an offended tone. "I don't remember what I was supposed to be doing earlier but this asshole is selling me a Pokémon whether he likes it or not!" He mentally screamed in frustration.
Lost child! Someone please report a lost child! She can't see and she might have the ability to know what's in your head! More at eleven! Preparing to start their trip, the team voted out Ambrose from the decision-making process and have decided to enjoy a day at the Fossil Festival before heading on their way but slight problem: Tamara is nowhere to be found. Splitting up with their flight capable Pokémon to search for the young girl but all three of the group are now preoccupied with something else each; Anik has met Canalave City gym leader Byron, Ambrose is searching the dirt pit and finding a pair of mysterious fossils and Keats is... Doing Keats things and met a man selling Magikarps that he's currently waging a war of words with! Will Tamara be found safe and sound? Find out next time on Wannabe!
Keats' Pokémon:
1. Pineco. Gender: Female. Ability: Sturdy. Moves: "Spikes," "Explosion," "Rapid Spin," "Bug Buzz."
2. Stunky. Gender: Male. Ability: Aftermath. Moves: "Dark Pulse," "Toxic," "Smokescreen," "Sucker Punch."
3. Porygon. Genderless. Ability: Download. Moves: "Tackle," "Thunder Shock," "Psybeam," "Recycle."
4. Venonat. Gender: Female. Ability: Tinted Lens. Moves: "Tackle," "Poison Powder," "Bug Buzz," "Sleep Powder."
5. Dragalge. Gender: Male. Ability: Poison Point. Moves: "Poison Tail," "Toxic Spikes," "Double Team," "Water Pulse."
6. Cloyster. Gender: Female. Ability: Shell Armor. Moves: "Take Down," "Aurora Beam," "Supersonic," "Iron Defense."
In rotation:
1. Raichu - Alolan Form. Gender: Male. Ability: Surge Surfer. Moves: "Psychic," "Spark," "Light Screen," "Quick Attack."
2. Druddigon. Gender: Male. Ability: Rough Skin. Moves: "Bite," "Hone Claws," "Flash Cannon," "Dragon Tail."
3. Sizzlipede. Gender: Female. Ability: Flash Fire. Moves: "Ember," "Smokescreen," "Bite," "Wrap."
4. Gurdurr. Gender: Male. Ability: Guts. Moves: "Brick Break," "Smack Down," "Focus Energy," "Scary Face."
5. Swalot. Gender: Male. Ability: Liquid Ooze. Moves: "Sludge Bomb," "Stockpile," "Shock Wave," "Body Slam."
Released/Traded away:
1. Diglett - Alolan Form.
2. Surskit.
Anik's Pokémon:
1. Kingler. Gender: Male. Ability: Hyper Cutter. Moves: "Guillotine," "Harden," "Swords Dance," "Crabhammer."
2. Cleffa. Gender: Female. Ability: Magic Guard. Moves: "Splash," "Pound."
3. Oricorio - Baile Style. Gender: Female. Ability: Dancer. Moves: "Air Cutter," "Revelation Dance," "Calm Mind," "Helping Hand."
4. Minior - Green Core. Genderless. Ability: Shields Down. Moves: "Swift," "Confuse Ray," "Defense Curl," "Tackle."
5. Vigoroth. Gender: Male. Ability: Vital Spirit. Moves: "Shadow Claw," "Endure," "Slash," "Counter."
Ambrose's/Tamara's Pokémon:
1. Furret. Gender: Female. Ability: Keen Eye. Moves: "Shadow Ball," "Quick Attack," "Dig," "Coil."
2. Crawdaunt. Gender: Male. Ability: Hyper Cutter. Moves: "Liquidation," "Night Slash," "Harden," "Guillotine."
3. Dodrio. Gender: Male. Ability: Early Bird. Moves: "Fly," "Tri-Attack, "Assurance," "Roost."
4. Helioptile. Gender: Male. Ability: Sand Veil. Moves: "Thunder Shock," "Tail Whip," "Charge," "Mud-Slap."
Author's Note: (It's been a while since I posted moves, so I figured I'd do that to keep everyone up to date. Sorry this chapter took so long. We're almost out of the summer where I am and THANK GOD... I am not a summer person. Also look up Dodrio flying in Pokémon Stadium for a laugh.)