Chapter 2: First Steps into a New World
Miho and Ross stepped out of the Ruins of Alph lab into the late afternoon. Around them were several ancient buildings and a path that went both southeastward and to the north. "Professor Elm said that Violet City was northward, so we need to head that way," Ross said, pointing to the path that went north through a grove of pine trees that surrounded the ruins with his free hand. Since Miho was carrying Natalie, he had the bag that Professor Elm gave them.
"Good idea, hopefully Violet City isn't far. I don't think our school uniforms from Oarai will make good traveling clothes," Miho replied.
Ross looked down at his plain white button-up shirt and dark green khakis. "Yeah, you're right," he added. Miho had it worse, with a white Serafuku with green trim and a green shirt that barely reached her knees. Their simple brown leather shoes weren't fit for walking long distances either. "If your arms get tired, I can carry Natalie for a bit. I wish I had my baby carrier, it'd make things a lot easier. Hopefully, this 'Pokémart' has one," Ross said.
"Hopefully," Miho said as they began walking north. The path was simple gravel with no paving, but it was sandy and smoother than the gravel they were used to. They walked in silence for a moment when Miho had a thought to share. "Do you think anyone else got sent here?" she asked.
Ross shrugged. "Maybe. It wouldn't hurt to see more familiar faces," Ross replied. He took out Cyndaquil's Pokéball from his pocket and clicked the button. The ball had been shrunk to fit in his pocket but expanded outwards to fill his palm. It had a plasticky texture and a little shine.
"I hope so, but do you think our world is still going on while we're here? Like will people notice we're gone?" Miho asked.
Ross frowned at the thought. "I don't know. It'd be a heck of a story to explain when we find a way back," he replied.
Miho nodded solemnly. "At least I'm here with you and Natalie. I don't think I could handle this without you two," Miho said. She brushed Natalie's blunt bangs aside tenderly. Natalie smiled and giggled at the ticklish sensation.
"I bet you could. You've strong," Ross replied.
Miho giggled. "Maybe," she said while taking his hand and leaning against his arm slightly.
Ross smiled and shifted the bag onto his shoulder. He pulled out the beginner's guide from the bag. "We may as well learn a bit more about how this world works while we're out here," he proposed.
"I don't know. I kinda like just walking with you and saying sweet nothings," Miho joked with a giggle.
Ross chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, yeah, there'll be time for that later," he said while opening the book. "Pokémon are creatures of all shapes and sizes who live in the wild or alongside their human partners called 'Trainers'. During their adventures, Pokémon grow and become more experienced and even, on occasion, evolve into stronger Pokémon. Hundreds of known Pokémon inhabit the world, with untold numbers waiting to be discovered," he read, "most Trainers go on a journey through a region which involves traveling from place to place, catching and training Pokémon, and battling against other Trainers' Pokémon on a quest to become the Pokémon League Champion. An additional goal is to catch and catalog all of the many species of Pokémon within the region. Pokémon battling rarely severely injures the Pokémon involved. Although the goal is to make the opposing Pokémon weakened to the point of fainting, a responsible trainer will know when to stop to prevent serious harm to their Pokémon. Pokémon battling is a natural activity practiced in nature and by trainers and their Pokémon. Humans and Pokémon have a special relationship that allows Pokémon to become far stronger than they could in nature, thus it is often considered advantageous by Pokémon to be captured by humans. By becoming stronger, Pokémon lead better lives and increase their chances of reproducing. Most Pokémon will even enjoy battling and training, thus it is not seen as an unethical activity. However, trainers should be attentive to their Pokémon's needs and not push an unwilling Pokémon into battle. Many Trainers also take part in many other activities, including talent and beauty contests, camping, cooking, and fishing with their Pokémon."
"So trainers have their Pokémon fight each other?" Miho asked.
"Looks like it," Ross replied. He flipped the pages to reach the section on Pokémon battling. "Pokémon battles are fights organized by trainers, typically two opposing trainers, to strengthen their Pokémon and see whose Pokémon is stronger. However, there are many elements to Pokémon battling, so a generally stronger Pokémon may not beat a weaker Pokémon every time. Each Pokémon can express its power with four or fewer moves that can express the user's capabilities through various effects. For example, many beginner-level Pokémon use basic moves to inflict damage. Each Pokémon has a type that expresses certain attributes and capabilities of that Pokémon. Traditionally, the three starter Pokémon that regional professors give to beginners have the Grass, Fire, or Water typing. Many Pokémon also have a secondary type. Moves also have a type attribute. These types can inflict more damage and reduce the damage taken by types it has an advantage on. For example, a fire type Pokémon will inflict more damage on a grass type Pokémon with fire type moves and the grass type Pokémon will inflict less damage on the fire type Pokémon with grass moves. However, if the grass type has a secondary type that opposes the fire type, such as the water type, the damage will be neutral and the grass type may have access to water type moves that can damage the fire type more effectively."
"So it's a giant game of rock-paper-scissors?" Miho asked.
"I guess that's one way to look at it" Ross replied.
"So then our Pokémon have a certain type. I guess since Totodile is blue, it must be the water-type starter," Miho assumed.
"Cyndaquil is a fire type then, based on the fact that it can literally command fire from its back. I still can't get over how cool that is," Ross enthused.
Miho giggled. "That means I have an advantage over you," she jabbed playfully.
Ross rolled his eyes. "Well can Totodile command water as Cyndaquil can with fire?" he asked.
"Probably, he is a water type!" Miho said excitedly. She let go of Ross's hand to pull out Totodile's Pokéball as they stopped walking. She pushed the button and let Totodile out of his ball. Totodile emerged from his ball in a burst of light blue light and landed on the ground in front of them. "Hi Totodile!" Miho greeted. "Can you hold Natalie for a moment?" she asked to Ross.
"Sure," Ross answered while taking Natalie from Miho.
Miho knelt in front of Totodile. "So Totodile, do you know what moves you have?" she asked.
Totodile hopped from one foot to the other excitedly. Once he stopped, his eyes narrowed and one of them shined threateningly. After it used that move, his left claw started glowing white light and he swung his arm a few times like it was scratching the air. "Oh, that's a good start!" Miho exclaimed. It's basic, but I bet it'll learn more moves when it gets stronger.
Totodile hopped from one foot to the other happily. "Let's see what Cyndaquil can do," Ross suggested. Miho stood back up and took Natalie and the bag from Ross. He opened Cyndaquil's Pokéball and his Pokémon materialized on the ground in front of him.
"Quil," Cyndaquil quietly squeaked.
"Hey Cyndaquil, do you think you could show us your moves?" Ross asked while kneeling in front of her.
"Quil," Cyndaquil squeaked. She stepped a few paces back before glaring at Ross with an intimidating light in its left eye as Totodile did. Then she started charging at Ross as fast as she could and flung her body at him. Ross moved out of the way before Cyndaquil could hit him. She flew past him and skidded to a stop on the ground. "Interesting, I bet you'll learn some fire-type moves when you get stronger huh?" Ross accessed.
"Quil," Cyndaquil squeaked and flared her back flames a little. From Miho's arms, Natalie stared in awe at the flames. She cooed a little and reached out to Cyndaquil.
"Do you want to pet Cyndaquil?" Miho asked. Natalie nodded excitedly.
"Be careful, are you okay with that Cyndaquil?" Ross requested as Miho slowly walked over.
Cyndaquil nodded and let her flames die out. She stood up so that Natalie wouldn't have to reach out far. Natalie gently patted Cyndaquil's snout and giggled at the ticklish feeling of her fur. Miho and Ross smiled while watching their daughter bond with the Pokémon. "We should probably get going. It's going to be evening soon and we should reach Violet City before it gets dark," Ross suggested.
"Right," Miho replied while standing up. Natalie frowned but didn't pout at not being able to pet Cyndaquil anymore. "Do you want to stay out here and stretch your legs Totodile?" Miho asked.
Totodile nodded vigorously while bouncing on his legs. "How about you Cyndaquil?" Ross asked.
"Quil," Cyndaquil squeaked while shaking her head.
"Prefer the ball then? I guess I can't blame you," Ross said while returning Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil was absorbed by the Pokéball's red light and disappeared into the ball.
As they began walking again, Miho had another question for Ross. "The book mentioned something about a league champion or something? What's that about?" she asked.
Ross pulled the book back out and reopened it. He flipped a few more pages until he found the answer. "So it looks like there's some sort of gym challenge. Each regional league has eight gyms that give out badges once you beat the gym leader in a Pokémon battle. Once you have all eight, you can enter the tournament to earn the right to challenge the Elite Four and champion, five trainers who are the strongest in the region," he explained.
"And how do trainers make money traveling this much?" Miho asked.
He flipped the pages again. "Alright, so it seems that after winning a Pokémon battle with a trainer, the defeated trainer gives some money to the winner. Many trainers also collect or make items that can be valuable and sold at Pokémarts," he answered, "however, Pokémon Centers offer many services to trainers for free, such as basic lodging, meals, and medical services for people and Pokémon healing."
"I guess we'll need to battle a lot to make ends meet," Miho supposed.
"I guess so, but maybe we can learn to make a thing or two from the wilds and sell them. It doesn't look like all the land is owned so I guess we can just take from it to use," Ross replied.
"So what, are we going to learn how to make baby formula from pine trees?" Miho asked jokingly.
Ross rolled his eyes. "No, just foraging and whatnot. There's got to be something we can make and sell," he replied.
"Alright, well we can worry about that once we reach Violet City," Miho said, "I bet Yukari or Hana would be able to do something like that though."
"Yukari would be right at home out here," Ross commented, "I bet Hana would be able to tell us all about the plants around here."
"Yeah…" Miho said, trailing off. She looked ahead longingly but shook her head. "I should just be glad I'm here with you and not alone," she said.
Ross shook his head. "Nah I get it. I miss the others too. Hopefully, if they did get brought here, they're doing fine," he wished. In the distance, he saw a tower barely peaking above the pine trees around them. "Hey look, there's a tower over there," he pointed out.
Miho looked up and recognized the design of the tower. "That looks like a pagoda," she noted. The tower had several tiered purple roofs with a golden pillar on top with more tiers. Under the roofs, the walls were made of dark wood and looked Japanese. Immediately, it piqued their interest.
"We shouldn't be far then!" Ross exclaimed. As they approached, they noticed that a lot of the houses on the outskirts were traditionally styled like older Japanese homes, and in front of the tower near the center of the city was a large lake that had an island in the middle. A pair of long bridges led to the island and then to the tower. A few buildings stood out; however, a modern store with a bright blue roof and rotating blue sign were near the edge of the city and the path that led to it. On the other side of the city was a similar-looking building with a violet roof. Then near the center was a round building with a brown domed roof and orange pillars. A bright sign above the door had a symbol that resembled a Pokéball. As they got closer, the path started to change from gravel to cobblestone.
Soon they reached the outskirts of town. "Let's head to the Pokémart first, is there a guide on what we should buy in the book?" Miho asked.
"Probably," Ross replied. He flipped through more pages and found what they needed. "Better shoes for one," he said. Even after just a few hours of walking, his feet were pretty sore.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Miho replied.
"But on the plus side, we won't need to buy a fire starter if we have Cyndaquil," he mentioned.
Miho giggled as they neared the Pokémart. "No, I guess not," she replied and returned Totodile to his Pokéball.
The first thing they needed to buy was a proper backpack to store their things in, especially if they were going to be on the road often. Thankfully, the Pokémart seemed to have everything they needed. In a dedicated outdoors section, they found an aisle for bags and clothes. They looked over the options and prices. Instead of Yen or USD, the price tags had a P with two lines striking through the middle. "Weird, is this like a Pokémon dollar? A Pokédollar?" Miho commented while holding a price tag.
"Yep, looks like the currency in this world is called Pokémon Dollars, or Pokédollars for short," Ross answered while looking in the book.
"Interesting," Miho commented, letting go of the price tag. She looked over the backpacks displayed on the shelf in front of her and contemplated which she should get. "We need to maximize space without compromising comfort. If we overload ourselves, then we'll overstress our backs and legs and hurt ourselves…" she considered, "and of course, we still have to consider our budget." Unfortunately, Natalie didn't give her any expert commentary and advice, so she was left to decide on her own. One backpack caught her eye. It was reasonably priced and fairly large, about the size of her back. It was black and had plenty of separate compartments on the outside. "It look's like Yukari's backpack," Miho commented. She picked up the black handle at the top and pulled it off the display. "Have you found one?" Miho asked.
Ross held up a backpack that was similar to Miho's but instead of a large central compartment, it had a carrier for Natalie to sit in so they wouldn't have to carry her over long journeys. "Try it on, I'll put Natalie in it," Miho suggested.
Ross nodded, slung the backpack over his shoulders, and turned around. Miho set her backpack on the ground and lifted Natalie up and into the carrier. After that, she carefully latched her in. Natalie settled into the carrier and smiled as she relaxed into it.
"How does it feel?" Miho asked.
"Much better than constantly carrying her," Ross answered while adjusting the straps.
Miho giggled. "I'm sure. You two look cute together!" she commented.
"Cute and practical huh? Can't ask for much more," Ross said with a laugh of his own. He carefully took the backpack off and unstrapped Natalie. "I'll hold Natalie here since you carried her on the way here. That means you're in charge of the bags."
Miho stuck her tongue out at him playfully and took the bags. "Alright fine, what's next?" she asked.
"The next thing the book recommends is a device called a Pokégear," Ross replied.
"And what's that?" Miho asked.
"I guess it's like a type of phone? The book says they have four important functions for trainers, a clock, map, phone, and radio," Ross answered.
"Sounds like a good tool to have," Miho commented. They went around the store until they found a section of different colored Pokégears displayed on a shelf. They came in a bunch of different colors and looked similar to flip phones. Immediately, Miho picked up one that had the same dark blue color that her Panzer IV did when they first found it. Ross picked up a steel-gray colored Poképgear similar to his Type 100 tank's color. "Looks cool, right?" Miho asked.
"Sure," Ross replied. Natalie reached out and touched the box the Pokégear was in. "You want to take a closer look?" Ross asked and held the Pokégear box closer to Natalie. She felt the box and looked it over before losing interest. Miho laughed.
"She likes boxes, doesn't she?" Miho asked.
"Yeah, she's always reaching for things," Ross answered.
Miho chuckled and took the Pokégear box from Ross. They continued their search through the store until they eventually made it to the clothing section. "We'll need clothes with lots of pockets," Miho stated.
"That's a good idea," Ross added. They both picked out white t-shirts for a base. Miho added a green jacket with long sleeves and large pockets near the bottom. She also picked out a pair of black cargo pants and magenta-colored sneakers with white trims. For sleeping clothes, she picked out a light blue set that reminded her of her pajamas at Oarai.
Ross picked out a similar green jacket, but with tan sleeves and a pair of dark blue jeans. He also added a pair of red sneakers. For pajamas, he got another white t-shirt and sweatpants. For Natalie, he got her a pink onesie like the one she often wore at Oarai. They also bought a couple extras so they didn't need to wash them every day. "Next, camping equipment and groceries, then we're done," Ross said.
"Alright, what do we need for a camp?" Miho asked.
"A tent would be a good start," Ross answered. After Miho grabbed a cart to put all their things in, they returned to the outdoors section and looked over the tent options. They picked out a basic olive green tent for two people and a two-person sleeping bag with enough room for them and Natalie and extra padding. Other camping essentials they bought were a portable and collapsable fire pit stand, collapsable chairs and a table, collapsible cookware, and other essentials. "I can't believe it all fits in my backpack," Miho commented.
"That leaves plenty of space in mine for other stuff, mostly fun stuff like diapers," Ross added jokingly. They left the outdoors section again and went to a more general goods section. They first stopped in an aisle for baby products and picked up some bottles, formula, and other necessities. Ross looked over the different options for diapers and saw a logo that caught his interest. He picked up the package and looked it over. "Huh, biodegradable, maybe we won't have to worry about trash after all," he said, "I'm going to go find an employee to ask more about it."
"Alright, I'll finish getting everything we need," Miho replied.
Ross walked off to find the nearest employee. Near the exit, he saw an employee at the only cash register looking over papers so he went over. "Excuse me," Ross said.
The employee looked up and smiled. "What can I do for you?" he asked.
"So I was just wondering about this biodegradable logo on these diapers. Do you know how I should properly dispose of them while I'm out of town? I'm a beginner trainer, and I'm not really sure how I should dispose of my trash," Ross explained.
"Oh, you can just bury it," the employee answered.
"Really?" Ross asked surprised.
"Yeah, if it has that logo on it, it means it breaks down completely without harming the environment. Just make sure it's buried about a foot deep and covered when you're done like any other outdoor latrine so there's no risk of spreading disease," the employee informed.
"Thank you, that's pretty convenient actually," Ross commented.
"Yeah, is there anything else you need?" the employee asked politely.
Ross nodded. "I'm not done shopping just yet, but I'll be back in a bit," he replied. He turned around and started heading back to Miho. When he returned to the baby aisle, Miho was already finished and waiting for him. She had a small smile on her face as she saw him. "That was fast," she said.
"Yeah, I found someone who could tell me about the diapers. Apparently, burying them works fine," Ross answered.
"That's convenient," she said, "so is there anything else we need?"
"I don't think so, but we probably can easily purchase anything we need later as it comes up," Ross replied.
Miho nodded. "So, what next?" she asked.
"Check out, and then we should probably stop at the Pokémon Center for the night," he answered.
They checked out and left the Pokémart. On the way to the Pokémon Center, they saw the tower that they had seen above the treetops as they were approaching Violet City. It was still large and impressive. "It's pretty high up there... I wonder why they built it so tall," Ross commented, staring at the tower.
"Good question..." Miho said.
They arrived at the Pokemon Center and entered. The nurse at the counter greeted them as they came in. "Welcome to the Violet City Pokémon Center! How may I help you today?" she asked.
"We'd like to stay here tonight," Miho answered.
"Of course, please sign in on the sheet on the counter and then come with me," the nurse responded. Ross signed them in on the sheet. Then Nurse Joy led them to a room where they would be able to rest. "Do you need to have your Pokémon healed?" she asked.
"I don't think so, we haven't battled or anything like that," Ross answered.
"Okay, well if you need me, Chansey and I will be at the front counter. Have a nice stay!" the nurse said, smiling.
After dinner, they decided to relax in the room. Ross put his arm around Miho while they sat together in the middle of the bed in their pajamas. "So, how are you feeling?" he asked.
"Pretty good right now, although I'm a little tired from all the walking," Miho replied.
"Same, I think we both need some time to relax," Ross added. Natalie sat in front of them on the bed petting Cyndaquil's head. Cyndaquil was proving to be very docile and calm with Natalie.
"She really likes Cyndaquil huh?" Miho commented.
"Yeah, she does," Ross replied nonchalantly. He idly watched his daughter pet Cyndaquil before she yawned and stopped petting Cyndaquil to stretch. "Looks like it's time for bed," he noted with a smile. He got up and picked up Natalie to change her into her pajamas. Once they were done, Ross sat back down on the bed and gently laid her down in the center of the bed. Almost as soon as she laid down she fell asleep.
"She must have been really tired," Miho whispered as she slid under the covers.
"Yeah," Ross whispered back as he joined them. His face fell and he frowned as he looked over Natalie.
"What's wrong?" Miho asked.
Ross sighed. "I feel horrible that she was left alone in that room at the Ruins of Alph. I know I couldn't do anything more about it… but I still feel guilty," he confessed.
"I understand, but you did everything you could do. You don't need to beat yourself up, okay?" Miho assured.
Ross nodded and sighed again. "But still-" He was interrupted when Natalie woke up briefly to grab his hand.
"See? She doesn't blame you for anything," Miho said with an amused smile, "let's get some rest, we've got another day of walking tomorrow."
Ross nodded and smiled. "Yeah, good night," he said.
Miho leaned over carefully and gave him a quick kiss. "Good night, I love you," she whispered. She also gave Natalie a gentle kiss on her forehead as well. "Sweet dreams."
"I love you too," Ross whispered.
A middle age woman with long black hair and blunt bangs stood over a desk with a corded phone held up to her ear. "I-I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" she asked shakily.
A shaky voice replied back. "Y-yeah, Miho, Ross, and Natalie have disappeared with… with well, most of the Oarai Sensha-do team," he replied.
"How could something like this happen?! What's going on?" Shiho asked anxiously.
"We don't know! They've disappeared without a trace! I'm working with the police right now, but they can't seem to find any leads. We were going to surprise Ross and Natalie with a new crib after she was discharged from the hospital and then as they entered the room there was a loud flash and horrible screeching like a flash bang grenade and then EVERYONE in the room was gone!" William explained, "Joseph, Saori, Hana, Yukari, Mako, Jody, Miho, Ross, and Natalie, all gone!"
"Oh my God," Shiho whispered as she fell back into her seat. Her heart was racing with anxiety and fear for the safety of her family. Her eyes began to water when she wiped them away with a handkerchief. You are the head of the Nishizumi family, the Iemoto of the Nishizumi Style of Sensha-do, you must be strong. She steeled herself and took a deep breath to calm down. "I understand. I will be traveling to Oarai as soon as possible," she stated.
"Alright, stay safe, Mrs. Nishizumi," William replied.
"Save your worries for my daughter," Shiho replied before placing the phone back in its holder, disconnecting the call. "Maho!" she called out to her oldest daughter.
Only silence followed. Her eyes widened. She knew Maho was here, and that she would answer any call from her mother. She stepped out of her office and into the hallway. With concern, she went quickly to Maho's room where she would be studying. "Maho?" she called out again at the door. When silence only followed, she opened the door and entered.
On a Chabudai table in the middle of Maho's room was an open school textbook. Everything was neat and orderly. Next to the textbook was an open notebook with a pencil on top of the paper. However, Maho was nowhere to be found. Shiho hurriedly pulled out her phone and called Maho's number. After a minute of anxious waiting, the call failed to connect. Shiho slowly lowered her phone from her ear. She was on the verge of hyperventilating as she called 110, the Japanese police emergency number.
000
Next Time on Panzer und Pokémon: XY!
Chapter 3: On the Road