Chapter 5 – Growing the Team
There was a soft rustle along the ground as Arthur walked the beaten paths through the woods. There was a small similarity to the paths back around New Bark Town where the young man had grown up. Trainers just starting out on their journeys wound through the wooded areas searching for new Pokmeon. Typically, all one could find when starting their journeys were smaller, more common Pokemon. However, there was still something thrilling about battling in the wilds for the first time, or coming across other brand-new trainers looking to make a name for themselves.
For Arthur's part, this small leg between Accumula and Striaton was the perfect way to get to know his new team members better. Small Purrloin were numerous through here, their hissing and glaring eyes daring a challenge if one got too close. Patrat were also on constant alert, but Arthur felt comfortable with the team he currently had. In fact, Bakara was progressing at a very fast rate, growing stronger and stronger. She seemed to have taken Blaze's words to heart a bit more deeply than Quetzal who was still finding his groove with Arthur. Sanders on the other hand was so calm in her demeanor that half the time Arthur wasn't sure she wanted to battle.
While he wasn't trying to rush anything, Arthur still only needed just under a week to reach the first larger town in this area of Unova. Smaller apartment complexes lined the streets as Arthur wandered through looking for the Pokemon center. After checking in to a room and handing his Pokemon over to the nurse to check on them, Arthur began looking up the local gym and sights. A garden and ponds dedicated to a trainer who had hailed from the town was the major attraction to the west. But it was the Dreamyard that caught Arthur's eye. A disused factory which had fallen into disrepair after it was discovered that a psychic type discovered here in Unova nested there. Trainers could use the area to prep for the gym as it was so close to the city.
And speaking of the gym, Arthur discovered that the best restaurant in the city housed the local leader. Leaders Arthur corrected himself as he looked over the three brothers. The young champion was curious as to how they decided to do battle here. It was the first time Arthur had been to a place that held three leaders. It was then that Arthur realized a familiar feeling was hitting him. He had not come to Unova to challenge the League here. However, there was that allure, that pull, the thrill of battle beginning to take root once more in the Champion. It wasn't like he would be using the team that was enshrined back in Johto. Rather this time, he had new partners who would be helping him in this challenge. Grinning to himself, Arthur made a note of where the gym was found. First though, he wanted to see this Dreamyard for himself.
Arthur squinted up at the broken wall in the morning sun. The wilds had been quick in attempting to reclaim the land, with mansonry spread across the ground beyond. Arthur noted that these ruins weren't all that they seemed. Noting a plaque placed facing the dilapidated structure Arthur read.
This place used to be known as the Pokemon Energy Laboratory. It was to be the pride of Striaton, yet instead, an accident years ago had leveled the building, leaving only a few survivors. There was something eerily familiar about this story, but Arthur couldn't place why. Frowning, the champion turned to survey the surroundings. A memorial park had been set up outside the grounds here where plenty of young trainers congregated. Today that included a woman who was looking over the grounds with three smaller monkey looking Pokemon around her. Arthur made his way over. As he got closer, one of the monkeys, the blue one with a spout on his head, looked over.
"Hello?" Arthur could see he had startled the woman slightly. "Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you."
"No, no it's fine! I was just lost in my own head." Arthur nodded. As he did so, the blue monkey moved at lightning quickly clambering up Arhtur to his shoulder. The young man laughed as the Pokemon got comfortable.
"Panpour! I'm so sorry! I was taking these three out for a walk, but this one has always been a bit more on the adventurous side."
"It's alright! I'm a trainer myself so I definitely understand when Pokemon get curious." The woman however was looking oddly at the water type now residing on Arthur's shoulder.
"It's funny, I've been raising Pokemon her for some time now, and I've never seen a Panpour take to someone like this since Cress took his." Arthur raised an eyebrow at that.
"You raise these guys for trainers?" The woman smiled and nodded. The other two Pokemon were far less interested in Arthur than the Panpour it seemed, not that Arthur minded. The small monkey made his way to Arthur's other shoulder as though appraising the trainer. Slightly distracted, Arthur turned his attention back to the Dreamyard, but released his three Pokemon. The water type immediately jumped down and began checking out the team.
"What's the story behind this place?" Arthur asked of the woman.
"Oh the Dreamyard? Several years ago some people in town were researching something. I don't exactly know what, only that something went wrong and there was an explosion. There were about eight or nine people who died, and only three survived. Actually, one of the survivors was the lead scientist, she still lives in town." Arthur frowned at that. Now he realized why it sounded so familiar. It resembled the story from the Cinnibar Mansion incident years ago.
"What is the scientists name?" Arthur asked casually. It was probably nothing, but after everything Arthur had gone through on his previous travels, he did not want to leave any stone unturned.
"Dr. Fennel. I don't know her first name. I've heard shes become slightly more reclusive since the accident."
Finally, Arthur looked down to see his three Pokemon all rather confused by the blue monkey who was seemingly trying to gain their confidence. The woman started laughing as she too noticed what was happening.
"How would you like to take that little one with you?" Arthur looked up at her in surprise. "These little guys deserve to travel around and you seem like a good trainer. Plus, I know he'll be of some help if you're taking on this cities gym."
"You know about the leaders?" Arthur asked.
"Chili, Cress and Cilan share the duties. But they usually battle in a type advantage situation depending on what Pokemon you started with." Arthur knelt down.
"What do you guys think? Time to welcome a new team member?" Quetzal rolled his eyes, but Bakara and Sanders seemed more than happy. The woman smiled as she handed Arthur the pokeball.
"Do you have a name?" Arthur asked of his newest team member as he made his way back into the city. The little blue Pokemon was more than content to ride on Arhtur's shoulder for now. There was a small shrug from the water type in response, as if non-commital.
"You can talk to Arthur, he understands us!" Sanders quipped up from below as she trotted alongside her trainer.
"You can?" the monkey replied shocked. Arthur nodded in affirmation. "So, you're like the other one then?" Arthur stopped walking, checking his surroundings before frowning towards his newest team member.
"The other one?" the champion asked in a low, yet serious tone.
"Just a little while ago, another person came by to see us. He spoke with my brothers at the time, but there were other people watching too. I didn't like them very much." This caused Arthur's brain to start running like mad. If N had passed through here, there was a good likelihood he was searching for something as well. But what could another person who also spoke with Pokemon be wanting? And why would he be hanging around with a group of people who were more interested in 'liberating' Pokemon?
"Did they say why they were here?"
"I didn't really hear. I stayed away from them."
"Why did you greet Arthur then?" Sanders asked, the canine's thoughts more towards the new team member rather than a different human.
"I dunno. Something different about him." The water type jumped down and stood beside Sanders, looking up at Arthur. "I'm Mizaru though!" Arthur finally smiled kneeling down to his newest partner.
"Nice to meet you Mizaru."