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Daniel exited the local bath house. Lazuli joined him from the rooftop she was exploring. It had been thirteen days since he started training with Motobu. The process was both more and less intense than he was expecting. The regimen was simple. One intense day, followed by one less intense day. Then one extreme day followed by a relaxing day.
He sparred almost every session but felt he wasn't getting much better as Motobu continued dominating him. He felt similarly about igniting his aura. It never burned longer than a minute. Daniel knew it could burn longer as Motobu did it every waking hour. At least he was good at sensing aura.
Today was a relaxing day, so after a short run and a few katas, Daniel was free to spend the rest of his day as he saw fit. So he spent the morning at the local bath house. It was a small, hidden building shaped like the others on the island. Relaxing with a nice hot bath after all that training was bliss, even if he had to share the water with others.
But that's alright. I don't have anything to be ashamed of.
It was two hours until lunch, so Daniel tried to find something to do until then. He still had over 500 Pokedollars left over from Hana's job, so maybe he could buy new clothes. His only two outfits were his Seviian hippari and a karate gi. At least he had clean underwear now.
Daniel wandered towards the fountain square, passing unfamiliar shops. One had a sign depicting a pokeball and the name "Gantetsu" under it.
This must be that stingy old man's workshop. I wonder if he's visited the island yet. Daniel stepped inside.
A twinkling bell announced his arrival at the quaint shop. The place smelled of lacquered wood and floor polish. The walls were flanked with fine wooden cabinets filled with handcrafted Pokeballs. Some came in sets while others were one-of-a-kind. Each was lit by its own spotlight, tactically shining the wares and not the prices.
500, 750, 2000!? Gantetsu must be world-famous to charge hundreds of bowls of ramen for one Pokeball.
A stately lady with her silver hair in a bun entered from a workshop behind the counter. "Welcome in lad, how can I help ye?"
"Oh, I'm just wandering the town on my day off," Daniel said.
"Say, aren't ye Motobu's new student?" The lady narrowed her eyes.
"Yeah, that's me," Daniel said.
"And the one who helped Hana when her husband was sick?"
"I did that too."
Lazuli peered into the cabinets and the Pokeballs they contained.
"And the lad who found an island filled with tumblestones. An island my husband keeps risking himself to go to. Are ye that lad?"
"Um," Did I tell Gantetsu about the Krabby or other dangers on the island? "Is Gantetsu alright?"
"Aye, he is, but he isn't some young adventurer anymore who can cut costs by fetching the materials himself. But that's not yer fault. Is there anything I can help ye with?" The lady asked.
"Can you tell me how these pokeballs are made? Why are they so expensive?"
Gantetsu popped in as his wife was about to respond. "Ah, Daniel! Welcome, welcome. Yer quite the adventurer aren't ye? Surviving on that island and all. Tell me, did ye accidentally burn that hut down or was it struck by lightning?"
Daniel tried to restrain the memories. "Um... I don't recall telling you about... my time on the island."
"Lad, this is a small island. The ladies haven't had much to gossip about in years. Yer probably the most exciting thing to happen to this place since the biker gang left. Oh, and yer island is bursting with tumblestones!"
"I see..." Did I tell anyone about the Salamence? Or what I built and made?
It was unlikely. He didn't like thinking about that place. The lady must have noticed the look in Daniel's eyes, so she tried steering the conversation elsewhere.
"Gantetsu, didn't ye say that the lad was just a poor sap who was looking for a quick buck? What's with all this enthusiasm?"
Daniel chuckled. Not because the comment was particularly funny, but because it helped banish the memories.
"Well, that's before I found out he was telling the truth, Karin. I even had old Ken Ryoshi sail me out there and he told me all about finding the lad. That's when I decided to... oh! Let me go get it," Gantetsu bolted into the workshop.
"I've not seen him move like that in years," Karin shook her head.
Gantetsu returned with a shiny Pokeball in his hand. Its top half was blue and the bottom was white. "This is for ye, Daniel. Ye have no idea how much fun I had adventuring. And all the money I saved."
"Thank you," Daniel took the Pokeball reverently. It was heavier than the primitive Pokeball he had thrown together. It had tiny scales carved into the blue half, with white wings reminiscent of a Dragonair painted on either side. The design stayed within each scale, like how pixel art colors remained in each square on a grid.
"I noticed yer Dratini didn't have a pokeball. The island is abuzz with gossip about the mysterious wild lad and his mischievous Dratini. I thought you could use a proper Pokeball," Gantetsu nodded proudly.
"I would call Lazuli more curious than mischievous. But, thank you. It looks amazing," Daniel turned to Lazuli who eyed the Pokeball curiously. "Well let's try it out," He tapped the little dragon's head. The button clicked and the contraption sprang open, revealing a tumblestone cut perfectly in half and held in place with metal fittings. A beam of light shot forth, capturing Lazuli. The ball shut shook once, then clicked.
"I've never seen such a quick catch. Ye two must share a powerful bond," Karin said.
"Yeah. I found her abandoned on the island," Daniel stared at the ball, sensing Lazuli's contentment. "I hatched her and raised her. She definitely likes coconuts more than I do."
"Wow. Raised her all by yer self on that tiny island?" said Gantetsu.
Daniel's memories threatened to surface. "Yeah. It was difficult". He felt a warmth radiating from Lazuli. Even in the Pokeball, she still cared.
"Well, I've never seen Gantetsu be so kind to a stranger before. Makes me wonder where my Pokeball is," Karin huffed.
"Ye know that importing parts is expensive these days," said Gantetsu.
"It is a real miracle then, that we've come across a bounty of tumblestones and apricorns."
"I'll get to it after the summer orders," Gantetsu's reply sounded practiced.
"I see," the lady removed a simple red pokeball from her Kimono's sash and released an Aipom from it. The purple creature rested lazily on it's tail's palm as if it were a pillow. She then tossed the pokeball to Daniel, who scrambled to catch it.
"Oh dear, I seemed to have misplaced Aipom's Pokeball. You wouldn't mind making me a new one would you?" Karin stared at her husband, anticipating his response.
"I finished a batch recently. You could ha-"
"You wouldn't mind making a new one for me, would you?" Karin gave Gantetsu another chance.
"... Certainly, dearest. Well, thank ye for visiting, Daniel. But you must excuse me. I have work to do," Gantetsu hastened into the workshop.
"Aye. Thank ye for visiting," The lady winked. "I'm sure ye will find our handcrafted Pokeballs to be of the highest quality".
…
It was strange to walk around without worrying about Lazuli's curiosity. It was stranger still to have his pockets feel so full. Daniel could sense Lazuli content and cozy within her Pokeball. He was on the road to Berry Forest after a lunch at the market near the docks. Daniel was on a quest to find a new Pokemon to add to his team. Hopefully, it could watch Lazuli and keep her out of trouble. It was convenient to keep her in the Pokeball, but Daniel wanted to let her roam free.
But, when she evolves or when we enter big cities, She'll have to remain inside. I guess it's best to get her used to it now.
Daniel didn't know the rules or etiquette behind Pokeballs. He assumed that you had to keep dangerous Pokemon in their Pokeballs, but he didn't know what exactly a "dangerous" Pokemon was. A Pikachu could electrocute you, but he had seen tourists with theirs' out in the open. He even saw Ryhorns and Taurous pulling carts filled with goods or people. Were none of these Pokemon dangerous?
As Daniel continued down the winding road, the clustered buildings and houses of Three Island fell away behind them. Ahead, a meadow edged by trees stretched into the distance. Its knee-high shrubs and grasses were dotted with wildflowers in full bloom. Pink petals fluttered on the breeze as scores of Hoppip floated lazily among the colorful blooms.
The tiny balloon Pokemon drifted on the wind, carried this way and that in their seasonal migrations. Apparently, Three Island served as a rest stop for the Hoppip as they crossed the sea. Daniel observed their carefree movements, smiling faces peering out from beneath everyone. He wondered if their simple expressions indicated foolish joy or deception. Compared to the intelligent, emotive Lazuli, these Hoppip seemed content to float aimlessly without concern or design.
Daniel took this opportunity to practice his Aura Sight. Motobu had said that it was possible to pick out a single aura in a crowd and lock on to it. The old master had asked Daniel to practice the skill whenever he got the chance. Looking at the sea of auras before him, Daniel stirred his Aura and concentrated on one. It was riding a thermal several feet up in the air with many others. He kept his attention focused on this individual. He locked on to its presence, its thoughts, or rather its lack thereof. As he concentrated, the Hoppip got worried. It felt like it was being watched. This surprised Daniel enough for him to lapse. He couldn't find that particular aura again.
Huh, I guess that Hoppip also had a sixth sense.
Daniel continued the exercise, trying to track his targets for as long as possible. The breeze kept him cool under the midday sun. Eventually, Daniel opened his eyes to a strangely un-bright world. His eyes hadn't adjusted despite his shut eyelids. That was one of Aura Sight's strange quirks.
He turned, running nearly face-first into a floating Hoppip.
"Whoa!"
The Pokemon deftly dodged, drifting in the wind of Daniel's motion. Why hadn't Daniel sensed this Pokemon's presence? He might be new to these powers, but he certainly would have sensed an aura mere feet from his head.
This Hoppip seemed different from the sea of others. It wore a frown instead of a smile. Its eyes were intense, like those of a predator on the hunt. It floated calmly in place, defying the breeze's whims. It spit a single, yellow glowing seed right at Daniel.
"Shit!" The attack hit Daniel square in the chest like a fist, sending him stumbling back.
What the hell? I should have sensed something before that attack. What's with this Hoppip?
In the fight with the Salamence, Daniel could sense its anger, and a hint of power before it spewed fire. Motobu's aura flared slightly whenever he threw a real punch. Attacks could usually be anticipated with aura sense. But this little Hoppip gave no such signals. It's like it wasn't even there.
Daniel fished for Lazuli's Pokeball and threw it. The Pokeball fell to the ground, released Lazuli, and then bounced right back at Daniel.
"You ready, Lazuli?"
She nodded, and Daniel could sense her enthusiasm.
The Hoppip shifted its eyes to Lazuli and nodded as well. Apparently, it was looking for a fight. It continued strafing in the air, blown by its own wind.
"Lazuli, Dragon Rage!" The little dragon quickly spat a ball of purple fire.
Amazingly, the Hoppip dodged out of the way. It remained unfazed as it returned a stream of Bullet Seeds right at Lazuli.
Lazuli was pelted with a few glowing seeds as she evaded, but they didn't seem to faze her.
"Counter with Thunder Wave!" Daniel's hair stood up as Lazuli complied. Electricity arced from the gem on Lazuli's forehead right at the warrior Hoppip and missed.
What the hell is this Hoppip? Well, I know what I'm using this Pokeball for.
Daniel was thinking too far ahead. First, he had to hit his target.
The Hoppip willed a pink gust of energy right at Lazuli. It slammed into her, throwing her across the road. The damage was completely unexpected. Lazuli had never been hit so hard before, not even when fighting the Salamence. She raised her head, stunned by the new experience.
Damn it. That must have been a fairy-type attack. We have to finish this soon. "Lazuli, Dragon Rage!"
Lazuli sluggishly moved to obey, but was hit with another Fairy Wind. This time she was thrown into the meadow beside the road. She landed in a heap, flinging resting Hoppips into the air.
"... Lazuli?"
She lay there, unable to battle further.
"Lazuli!" Daniel rushed to her side as the cold Hoppip simply watched.
Daniel shooed away the Hoppips that were landing around her. For a terrifying moment, Daniel was back on that beach. He remembered Wilson and his battered, bleeding body. Daniel took Lazuli's head in his arms and found her breathing regularly.
"Oh, thank god."
She was only unconscious, in fact, she seemed more tired than injured. The attacks had barely left a mark.
Hoppips aren't even that strong. What the hell was that?
Daniel looked at the warrior Hoppip. It met his eyes as it hovered in the air, defying the wind. Daniel felt rage well up inside him. How dare this puny creature hurt Lazuli. He could ignite his aura right now and charge it. He would...
Wait. Stop. Calm down.
Daniel wanted to be a Pokemon Trainer. Would he let himself get angry after each loss? No. He cared a lot about Lazuli and hated the thought of her getting hurt. But she had agreed to battle. She was eager to do so.
Just like the Hoppip, she wanted to test herself.
Daniel returned Lazuli to her Pokeball. The warrior Hoppip nodded and turned, floating up into the sky. Daniel watched it go and noticed something odd.
That Hoppip, all the others are avoiding it.
As it moved to join a clump of its fellows on the wind, the others lurched out of the way. For the first time, Daniel sensed a wave of emotion from the swarm. They were disgusted and afraid of that warrior Hoppip.
Huh. I guess those Pokemon aren't as kind or simple as they look.
With Lazuli safe in her Pokeball, Daniel jogged back to town.
Daniel waited in the Pokemon Center lobby as Lazuli was healed. He wondered about the Hoppip he had battled. It was obviously different. It had a minuscule aura, which usually meant a creature was weak or mundane. But it had soundly defeated Lazuli. It wore a frown instead of a smile. And its eyes were so focused and intense.
Daniel looked around the clean lobby. It wasn't too busy at this hour and there were only two Pokemon in the play area. The old TVs were playing the same things, the news, soap operas, and Pokemon Center programs. Sunlight streamed through the windows onto a bookshelf. Daniel wandered over to it and browsed the spines. There were novels, children's books, encyclopedias, even a cookbook, But one caught Daniel's eye.
Pokemon Index: Sevii Islands. Fourth Edition.
Daniel hefted the large tome from the shelf and took a seat. The pages were glossy and full of colorful pictures. It was filled with information about the Pokemon found in the Sevii Islands, and the Sevii Islands itself. The Pokemon were sorted like the National Dex but with some Pokemon missing. Daniel assumed that the Sevii Islands only included Kanto or Johto Pokemon. He was surprised to find several entries on Hoenn Pokemon.
"Tropious mass migrate to the Sevii Islands from Hoenn every three to five years. It is unknown why they do this, however, it is suspected that it is linked to the weather."
Like the other entries, this one went on to explain the move pool, abilities, and natural range of Tropious, among other information.
I wonder if this can tell me anything about that strange Hoppip? Daniel flipped to the entry in question.
"Hoppip annually migrate across the Sevii Islands. It is a stop on their triangular migrations between Johto, Kanto, and Sinnoh."
There's Hoppip in Sinnoh? Was that in the games? I'm sure that Tropious migrations weren't. Daniel still had a lot to learn. He skimmed the passage until he found something interesting.
"Some Hoppip have been observed to be outcasts in their social structure. They act differently from typical Hoppip and aren't as easily moved by the wind."
That sounds like our opponent.
"Upon further investigation, it has been found that these individuals manipulate Pokemon-Sourced Energy differently than the majority of all Pokemon."
The book mentioned things Daniel had no idea about. Things like Sourced Energy, other dimensions, and the "Typeness" of energy. The book assumed the reader knew these terms, and from what Daniel could guess, they all had something to do with how Pokemon interacted with Pokemon moves. The entry had more to say about outcast Hoppips.
"These individuals possess the Infiltrator ability, which is most commonly found in the Espurr and Noibat evolution lines."
The entry didn't explain what exactly the Infiltrator ability did. Daniel suspected that the ability was what allowed the cold Hoppip to hide its aura.
"Ah, If it isn't the wild lad."
Daniel looked up from the tome to see a short man in a clean Hippari.
"Hey, Eddie," said Daniel.
"I just got word about yer trainer card. Kellyn sent it yesterday. Unfortunately, this ain't the mainland, so yer card will take two weeks to arrive by mail. Damn slopokes."
Daniel had figured out that Kellyn was the protagonist of the second Pokemon Ranger game. Daniel had played it when he was young, remembering the protagonist to be a bland boy in cargo shorts.
"Well, that's good to hear. You said that the League circuits will start after I get my card. How soon does Sinnoh's start?" Daniel asked.
"Indeed, lad. The Sinnoh League starts May 22nd. They give the graduates about a week to prepare."
Daniel blinked. This world used the same calendar. He shouldn't be surprised. That was one of the DS's features.
"What's today's date?" Daniel asked.
"It is April 23rd."
Daniel nodded.
"I hear yer training with Motobu."
"Yes. It's pretty hard. But I do get to sleep in the dojo instead of under a tree."
Eddie chuckled. "Aye. Yer a tough lad, but any man would take that trade. Where's yer Dratini?"
Daniel pointed at the healing machine. "I lost a battle."
"Ye did? And here I thought a dragon slayer like ye would breeze yer way past the first four gyms. Don't tell me it was one of them Hoppip?" Eddie said jokingly.
"Actually it was a Hoppip."
"What?! How did one of them balloons with ears get the better of ye?"
"It was a weird one. It had a frown and eyes like a tiger."
"What's a tiger?" Eddie asked.
"Nevermind. It had an intense look and the other Hoppips didn't like it. This book called it an outcast. It hit Lazuli with two Fairy Winds and she dropped."
"Sound's like ye met a ronin."
"A ronin?"
"Aye. A lonely warrior who wanders the world in search of battle. I remember Ken saying he spotted one take down a Ponyta. We all said he was full of shit."
"Wait. Ken? As in Ken Ryoshi?"
"Aye. The same. He, Gantetsu, Motobu, and I grew up together. Back then I was also going to be a fisherman, but I went to college in Kanto instead. We used to all meet up for drinks every Friday night, but that hasn't happened in years."
"What happened?"
"Hm? Oh, nothing bad. We're all still friends. We just got old. And Ken doesn't live on Three Island anymore. But I think ye knew that."
Daniel nodded. Three Island was a tight-knit community. Everyone knew everyone and they all talked.
"I really want to catch that ronin. Do you think there's a chance I'll find it again?"
Eddie thought a moment, stroking his chin. Then he nodded.
"In the stories, The ronin won't leave until it's sure that it has completely bested all worthy foes in the land. Ye just have to prove that ye are worthy of another fight."
Daniel paused. How would he prove that he was worthy of a fight? He and Lazuli had already lost once. That Hoppip would be impossible to spot among all the others. It hid its aura well.
Daniel's eyes lit up. "I think I know how we'll fight that ronin again"
I need to remember that I like writing. I want to write a novel's worth of words during November, but I make no promises. If I do it, I will end up writing either the entire second act for this story or a non-fanfiction work.
Anyway, thank you for reading!
