Excalibur – Charcadett (f)
Cú – Hisuian Growlithe (m)
Fatalis – Charmander (m)
Cookie – Butterfree (f)
Chapter 16:
"Man, I totally had you!" Cissy said between bites. "How could your Charmander even learn two moves in one fight? Two?!"
"Days of training for the first. The other? Pure chance, though the little guy showed signs for it once before." Arthur replied simply, sipping on his drink. "Next one's going to be a bit harder."
"Really, what's it gonna be? You taught him a Steel move against Flint … can he learn any moves against the Cerulean gym leaders?" She asked, an intense look in her face.
Given that her team shared the same weaknesses as the Water specialists, it was only natural she wanted to know. That didn't mean he'd tell her, however. "Not telling."
"Oh, come on!"
"It was nice of them to give you two cards to the museum." James chimed in from Arthurs side.
Due to their draw in the finals, there had been some confusion on how to handle this outcome. After a few minutes of debating back and forth, the prizemoney was split fifty-fifty and a second all-season card for the museum handed out. Given that entry to the museum didn't cost much to begin with, this token prize didn't matter too much anyway.
What did matter was the attention they, or more accurately Cissy, had received. While Arthur himself was already in the public's eye due to his scientific achievements, and a known sponsored trainer of both Professor Oak and a Gym Leader, Cissy wasn't known as much just yet. Luckily for her, she'd gotten attention from a representant of a Cerulean City store-chain dealing with everything water-related, such as swimming and fishing gear. The money she could get from a prominent sponsorship would make her journey a lot easier.
Sponsorships could be a pitfall, though. Blaine had made it very clear that Arthur should watch out and read every contract very carefully. Which was why Arthur had convinced Cissy to let James take a look at it before signing anything. Being the crafty man he was, James would surely be able to notice anything off in the contract and maybe even haggle out a bit more. He was relatively easy to convince as well, only demanding some bottlecaps as payment, which she'd surely amass considering that store had its own drinks too.
"Yeah, I just don't know if I'll use it more than once, if at all." Cissy said. "It's not like a museum gets a lot of new stuff to look at, especially in just a year."
"True, but it'd be rude of us not to go there with our free cards." Arthur argued. And who knew, maybe they had or would get something in the future that could help with his starter's evolution.
"I guess …" she grumbled. "So, go there tomorrow to get it over with?"
"Sure, I've got time."
"Do you now? Don't you need the time to train your team?" She argued. "All your pokemon have a disadvantage against Flint and his gym trainers, you know."
"They get enough training, or do you want to spend the whole day in there?"
"Hell no." She waved him off with a laugh before turning to Jessie and James. "What about you two?"
Despite having thought otherwise, Arthur had been surprised when Jessie and Cissy got along well. Maybe it was because Cissy would follow up on Jessie teasing Arthur, maybe it was because she complemented the older girls' figure. Either way, he's happy there was no animosity between them. He could do without the doubled teasing, though.
"We wouldn't want to interrupt your date." Jessie answered with a wide grin. "Isn't that right, James?"
Thankfully, his fellow teasing victim had his back. "I'd rather disrupt theirs than go on one with you."
"Now that you say it, I think you're right." Jessie said, wearing a dangerous smile. "I wouldn't want to be seen with a wimp like you in public anyway."
"You should go with Art then, I'm sure he's man enough to handle both of you." James smirked back. Wait, what?
Both girls turned their heads towards Arthur, sharing the same grin. "What a brilliant idea!" Jessie began.
"Yeah, and after the museum he can take us out to eat!" Cissy continued.
"I heard the walk from here to Cerulean is really tough. We should totally go shopping for some fitting clothes." Jessie added.
Arthur threw a betrayed look to James, who shrugged. "You heard the ladies. Besides, I got something to look up on. Undisturbed, if possible."
"James, there're children present!" Jessie hit him in the shoulder, laughing.
"N-not that kind! Art, can you lend me your pokedex? I might need it."
Arthur handed the device over before he let his head fall onto the table. This idea of James better be worth it. He only had one afternoon to deal with these two at once, but a whole day? And shopping on top of that? He felt the Gym battle would be a cakewalk in contrast.
With his schedule for the next day set, Arthur was ready to hit the hay early once they were back at the pokemon center. An unexpected call postponed that idea, as Nurse Joy informed him about Blaine calling for him. Wondering what his mentor wanted to talk about all of a sudden, he made his way over to the private booth that he'd been assigned.
Did he make some progress regarding his reanimation machine? It'd make sense that the fossils Cassidy and Fotch snagged from Jessie and James would go to Blaine. Maybe some news about the pirates from Sinnoh or even about his starter? That reminded him; he should bring up the topic of Magmortar with Blaine sometime. Wouldn't Cinnabar have troubles with its volcano anyway? Maybe absorbing all that energy would stabilize it …
He sat down and called Blaine back, his trusty puppy Cú wagging his tail beside him. Some feedback on how to train the Hisuian Growlithe's to learn Rock type moves would surely help Blaine get them up to speed too.
After a few minutes, the man took the call, plopping down in his chair with a sigh and nursing what seemed to be a headache. "There you are, lad. Busy training, eh?" Cú yapped happily once he recognized the man and put his front paws on Arthur's leg to look up. "And our prime specimen looks like he's doing well too."
"Of course, we're making progress on the Rock moves after all." Arthur answered, petting the puppy as he did. "Once he got them down, I'll send you over my notes so we can adjust the training of the others."
"I guess Flint gave you a hand, huh?" Blaine hummed. "His position as a Gym Leader improved a bit thanks to you giving him credit on your project, so I'd say that's the least he could do."
"Yup, and his oldest is helping me train too-"
"Then let's hope he actually sticks around, unlike his deadbeat wife." Blaine interrupted with a grunt. "He excused himself from our first monthly Gym Leader meeting this season so he could take his youngest to the doctor. Imagine leaving nine children behind …"
Arthur blinked in surprise. Flint's family circumstances were nothing new to him, but he didn't expect Blaine to talk about it like that. And considering how many of the trainers participating in the tournament were orphans, this problem didn't appear to be small either. "It is despicable." He nodded, momentarily stopping to pet Cú, who turned towards him with a worried whine.
"But Flint looked fine when I met him, at least. I'm sure further encouragement will make sure he doesn't follow in his wife's footsteps." At least he hoped so. Was there a way for him to help? The man had his hands full with his children and the stress of being the first gym – at least in tradition – probably wasn't helping with that. Brock said they had other gym trainers beside him, but maybe some extra hands and support would do the trick. Something to figure out during his remaining time in Pewter for sure.
"Then he can at least manage to present himself well enough in public." Blane huffed. "Moving on; I saw you caught yourself a Bug type of all things. Feisty one, considering how that Metapod of yours managed to fight back at all."
"She's a force to be reckoned with for sure." Arthur chuckled.
"How comes? After I saw you registered that Charmander on your profile I was sure you'd become a Fire specialist like me." The man raised his eyebrow in question.
Now Arthur couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, that catch was completely spontaneous. I guess she just stole my heart back when I met her as a Caterpie. I do plan on having more than just Fire types, though."
"Is that so." Blaine mused and rubbed his chin. "Make sure not to spread yourself too thin, lad. You're on a tight schedule, and generalists need a lot of time to match up with specialists. It'd be a lot easier if you just went pure Fire types."
"I am aware." He nodded in return. Teaching Fire types new Fire moves his other pokemon already knew was easier than training a pokemon with no type connection at all. Aside from that, he'd need to come up with a new diet for every one that didn't match that of his Fire types too. The money wasn't the problem, only the time. "No need to worry, though. I'll manage."
"I hope you're right, because our friends weren't quite pleased with your performance in the tournament." Blaine said and shifted both in his seat and in his tone. They were using public space, so naturally they could go talking about Team Rocket openly. "While I'd say you did well in the finals considering your match-up, they'd rather have you win against all odds rather than just tie."
Arthur fidgeted in his seat, not having expected to be reprimanded like this.
Blaine continued. "I understand you wanting to give your new pokemon some experience, it's the reasonable thing to do. But our friends have made it quite clear I tell you to make sure you don't lose. Especially not in public tournaments or Gym battles."
"So, either make sure they're strong enough to stomp the competition or pull out the pokemon that vastly outperform any rookie trainers." Arthur grumbled and rested his head on Cú's. He didn't want to do that. He fully intended to keep Excalibur and Cú out of any official matches at least until after he got his fourth badge, maybe longer. Neither of his pokemon were happy about this, but they understood that giving their teammates a chance to catch up to them was important.
Blaine waited for a bit, knowing full well how Arthur looked when in thought. "I denied their idea of sending you a strong pokemon to make sure of that. I did however request a high-grade firestone for you to use once you see fit. I imagine these Growlithe will require them as well, and if not feel free to sell it for something of use. But I reckon both your starter and Growlithe should be able to handle anything up to the halfway point in my eyes."
Arthur nodded, patting his puppy on the head as he raised his own. "Thanks, I think so too. I guess I don't want to know what happens if I don't meet standards?"
"No." Blaine answered blatantly, before his voice become a bit softer. "But if you're diligent and take this to heart you won't have to worry about that. Just don't get cocky, you hear me? You're a bright and talented lad, it'd be a shame to see you fail because of something silly as pride and overconfidence. Arceus knows that having a Dragon trainer as Champion is bad enough for us."
"I'll keep that in mind, thank you." Arthur replied, chuckling about the well-known pride every Dragon specialist seemed to have. Lance even more so. "Now, my Charmander got a Steel and Dragon move down to deal with Flint. Any advice on how to teach him and Cú here some Electric moves against those pesky Water types?"
Blaine bellowed in laughter before going on a rant.
"And people go here for fun?" Jessie moaned as the trio of her, Cissy, and Arthur rounded the next corner of the museum's exhibition.
"Fun is a very broad term." Cissy joked, looking rather uninterested herself. "I think it's mostly for people that're really into certain stuff? Like rocks, or history, or whatnot."
"It's less about fun and more about showing what else there is in the world." Arthur added, scouting out the different paintings and ornaments for anything remotely interesting. "That's why schools usually do trips to museums. Broaden the children's horizons and maybe they find something they're interested in. You know, besides pokemon battling?"
"Really? Nothing I've seen so far was interesting to me." Cissy said.
Other than a few crystals that looked pretty, as well as evolution stones, there were only historical artifacts such as tools and different art objects. Not really the most interesting items to look at for a teenage girl and a young woman. Sadly, there were no ancient armors lying around ready for the taking either.
"We're still on the first floor, you know." Arthur replied. "The second might've something for you. Fossils and aquatic stuff. Third one's the smallest as it's space related."
She perked up immediately. "Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go!" Then, she dragged both Arthur and Jessie upstairs, before quickly detaching herself to go around and look by herself.
The second floor was filled with earthen plates holding imprints of pokemon and human alike, reconstructed skeletons of known and unknown pokemon, as well as petrified plants and the like. The most impressive sight was the massive skeleton of an Aerodactly hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room, with a reconstructed Kabutops not far from it. The plaques didn't read as such, rather asking what they could be. In Kabutops case it was "Ancient Scyther?", while the one for Aerodactly read "Ancient predator; ancestor of Charizard?"
It was also made clear that these weren't fully made up of fossilized remains, with quite a few additions made from artificial bones to complete them. Arthur was sure that otherwise a certain organization might've tried to steal them, if they hadn't already with complete sets.
Jessie grumbled to herself when they walked through the different isles, and after some time Arthur had enough.
"What's wrong, Jessie? Hungry already?" He stopped and asked.
"I'm not that gluttonous." Jessie answered with a frown. Her stomach didn't agree, however. "But no, that's not it. I'm just pissed that whatever breakthrough we might make with the fossils from Mt. Moon will be credited to Cassidy instead of us."
"I'm pretty sure it'll go to the scientists working them." He replied, but the glare he got in return clearly told him it was the wrong answer. "B-besides, there are other ways to make your impact. Not like those where the only fossils either."
"What makes you so sure?"
"There's over two hundred different pokemon in Indigo alone. Don't you think that there'll be more than one or two fossils from ancient species?"
"I mean, I guess, but what's the chance of us finding any where there are dozens of people searching for them?"
"Believe me, we will." Arthur reassured her, patting her shoulder. He knew just where to look for a group of still very much alive ancient pokemon. And given the timeframe, they should be able to go there completely undisturbed too. "I for one think this one isn't just some stone either." He pointed at an Old Amber that was displayed near the skeletons. "There's something inside, most likely some form of DNA."
"That tiny thing? What could that even do?"
Apparently pretty much, if an Aerodactly could come out of it. Although Arthur had no idea how that feat would be achieved. "Something an expert could most likely tell you. But I'm not one."
"Whaaaat? Our junior scientist doesn't know something like that?" Jessie teased him, putting an arm around his shoulder before ruffling his hair.
She only stopped when behind them a pair of elderly citizens watched them with a chuckle. "Oh my. I haven't seen such an affectionate young couple in quite a while." The woman said before she turned to her husband. "When was the last time we were like that, honey?"
When he looked up, Arthur found that Jessie looked surprisingly dumbfounded. It was a returning Cissy that broke her out of her stupor.
"Hey, don't hog him all to yourself! This isn't a date just for you two!" She then promptly grabbed Arthur's arm and broke him out of Jessie grab with an amused laugh. "I think I'm done here, lets quickly go to the third floor so we can get out of here."
"Oh no~. How could you cheat on me like that, Arty." Jessie followed up, theatrically holding her head.
"Sorry, Jess. I guess the exhibition showed me just how old you truly are." Arthur responded, quickly grabbing Cissy and running for the stairs as Jessie exploded behind them.
The most fun part of their visit was only interrupted when a security guard scolded them for running around, at which point they decided it was time to grab a bite to eat.
Arthur was exhausted when he fell forward onto his bed. After the museum, they'd gotten some street food before he had been pulled through every clothing store in town. He didn't think he could ever visit a shoe store ever again; those had been probably the biggest torture of them all. Luckily for him, Pewter City wasn't exactly known for those kinds of stores, otherwise they'd still be out and about. He shivered at the thought of having to go through this again when they reached Celadon City and its massive shopping centers.
He groaned into his pillow before he rolled onto his back and looked over to the table where James was sitting ever since he'd returned.
"Sounds like you had a lot of tun, Art. Going shopping with Jessie sure is an experience, wouldn't you say so?" James said with a smirk.
"You'll pay for making me go through this. Better watch your back." He glared at his friend, but there was no edge in his words. Just tired joking.
"Don't you worry, I believe I have just the thing to pay you back." James replied, turning the small laptop with Arthurs pokedex attached to it, so he could see the screen.
"Yeah? How?"
"Remember our talk about the pokenet? I decided to look further into it and search for ways to use it to our, or more appropriately your, benefit." James said with a smile.
That got Arthurs attention. "Yeah?"
"Mhm. I found a forum about professional trainers, both new and old. From well-known faces like Gym Leaders over Ace Trainers to promising rookies. You can look up their battles and info, as well as sponsors and public stories related to them." James began to explain. "I decided to verify your account for you, since it's been created by the league when the season started."
"Your sponsorships from Cinnabar Island and Professor Oak were already linked, but I decided to add the several news outlets that reported on your scientific achievements too. The tournament final battle is also linked, along with every pokemon you've used publicly until now. And lo and behold; you already got a few mails for interviews and sponsorships, special invite-only trainer boards like the 'Professor's Assistants' too."
Arthur whistled at that. "Wow. Sounds like it was a really good idea to look into."
"What can I say? You're not the only genius here, Art." James declared with a flourish of his hair. "We should look over it together when you have time. While I fully offer myself to deal with this, you should know how everything works yourself.
"While it may sound odd, I suggest you talk with Blaine and Jessie about your public image. Yes, Jessie too." James continued. "Once you have a clear idea, we'll have to make sure you behave like that online as well. Although I don't believe you'll have to change anything, just be consistent. A friendly, trustworthy, and competent persona with your already good official background should make you popular if you ask me." He then whispered something to himself that sounded like he'd already gotten more private messages as well.
"No rest for the wicked, eh? Let's look over it tomorrow?" He replied and James gave him a thumbs-up.
The crash course for the pokenet and trainer board hadn't taken long, nor did the subsequent call and meeting towards Arthurs public image. They all agreed with what James had said, so acting like he naturally did going forward. The 'Natural' part being key. That and making sure he didn't let himself get played by rivalling trainers and the media. Although used to dealing with teasing from both Jessie and James, they'd decided to schedule a bit of training so that he'd be prepared for any malicious public attacks.
Other than that, training his team went full steam ahead to prepare for the Gym Battle. He had Fatalis train to shatter projectiles with his Metal Claw, as well as being able to use his Dragon Breath on demand. Meanwhile, Cookie got more proficient with her new flying capabilities and new moves such as Gust and her different Powder Attacks. She hadn't yet learned Confusion, but given her deft dodging of incoming attacks, Arthur had no doubt she'd manage despite that.
Cissy decided to challenge Flint the same day as Arthur, just after lunch instead of in the morning. She wanted to both watch him and be watched by him and her new friends. And since they'd leave soon after, she saw this as her best chance.
Which was why she joined Jessie, James, and Meowth up in the stands with a drink in hand.
"The challenger Arthur Anderson of Cinnabar Island has requested to challenge the gym gauntlet. The rules are the following: The challenger may use as many pokemon as he has on hand but only switch out once per battle. The defending gym trainers and Gym Leader may not switch out. Any pokemon going unconscious mustn't be used for the rest of the challenge." The referee announced, who turned out to be a league official, rather than a gym trainer. He looked like any sports referee Arthur could imagine, with a fitting indigo-colored shirt.
Arthur took his position on his side of the field, several lights going on to illuminate the battle field. It was very much like the one he remembered from the show, with rough earthen terrain and differently sized boulders all around. The referee released a Mr. Mime, which got to work setting up psychic barriers to keep the battle inside the battlefield.
Despite having seen this when he'd been a gym trainer himself, Arthur marveled at the sight of the barriers shimmering into existence before growing transparent without any visual effort of the pokemon raising them.
His eyes shot over to the other trainer box, where Brock made his stand, nodding to him with a neutral look on his face.
"This is a first badge battle, so only one gym trainer will battle before the Gym Leader. Trainers, get ready to release your pokemon!" The referee announced and raised both his flags.
Both Arthur and Brock unclipped a pokeball from their belts, enlarging them and holding them tight.
"Release!"
"Go, Geodude!" "Cookie, you're up!"
On Brocks side, the floating form of a fierce-looking Geodude appeared, flexing its fingers with a grunt. Opposite of it, Cookie appeared with a cheery chirping as she flapped her wings, briefly waving at their audience.
Said audience wasn't just Arthurs friends, but also most of the trainers that had participated in the rookie tournament a few days ago. A couple of other trainers and young adults, and even the elderly couple from the museum joined the ranks as well.
"Go get them, Arty!" Jessie cheered loudly, waving a flag with his name on it. James and Meowth chimed in, the later wearing a large foam, hand with '#1 Trainer' written on it. How they got those, Arthur didn't know, but it embarrassed the hell out of him.
"Ready … Begin!"