Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Game Freak.
Hi all,
Here's the next chapter. There has been a time skip, and Lucas and his Pokemon have made incredible progress.
Chapter 10
Sabrina accompanied Lucas, Delia, and Ash as they returned to town in the carriage. The woman had become attached to them after their initial meeting at the harbour, bombarding them with questions about the town. At first, she appeared to be a typical tourist, but Lucas noticed that some of her questions were directed at specific topics of interest.
Sabrina usually wore a placid expression that was difficult to read. But he noticed a few subtle reactions when they were discussing the mayor, the Fearow gang, and Oak's laboratory. When Delia mentioned that she and Lucas worked at the lab, it sparked a series of questions. Given Professor Oak's fame it was understandable that she wanted to learn more about the lab, but her interest in the mayor and the gang was strange.
His gaze remained fixed on the girl as he tried to figure out the mystery surrounding her. There was an undeniable aura around her, a mix of innocence, noblesse, and unwavering determination. She spoke in a formal tone as if she had been raised as the daughter of a noble family, but struggled with social interactions.
"Do I have something on my face?" Sabrina inquired, her hand reaching up to touch it.
Lucas averted his gaze, embarrassed that he had been caught staring. Delia laughed as she saw his expression.
"How long will you be in Pallet Town?" Delia asked.
"I intend to stay here for at least a few weeks," Sabrina stated. "Whether or not I stay longer will be determined by the town's ability to keep my interest."
"Are you not planning on going to Azalea Town when the ferry leaves tomorrow?"
"I had always intended to stop here," Sabrina explained. I want to explore Eastern Kanto more before continuing my journey westward. I have never travelled far from Saffron City, so everything is new to me."
"Did you come here with a specific purpose?" Lucas inquired. Why would she choose to spend weeks in a small town like Pallet Town when Viridian City was only a short distance away? It did not make any sense.
"Not particularly," Sabrina replied, her face expressionless.
"So you do not have any business to attend to?"
Sabrina simply smiled, refusing to answer the question.
"Why are you asking such a question, Lucas?" She is on vacation! "There is no need for you to interrogate the poor girl," Delia chastised him.
"Please forgive me," Lucas murmured as he decided to stop questioning her. He had no idea why he was being so rude. The woman appeared to have cast a spell on him, causing him to become completely befuddled.
When they returned to Pallet Town, the driver dropped them off in the business district. Sabrina took in the sights around her with keen interest.
"Is this the main shopping district?" Sabrina asked.
"That is correct," Delia replied. "Have you made a reservation? I recommend that you check in early in order to secure your room before other tourists do."
"The inn would never dare to cancel my reservation," Sabrina said arrogantly.
"That's right!" Ash exclaimed. "They would be stupid to give away a gym leader's reservation."
"Lucas would be delighted to show you the way to the inn," Delia offered kindly, not hesitating to offer his services without first consulting him. "He can even give you a guided tour of the town if you want."
"That would be very much appreciated," Sabrina said, bowing.
Lucas wheeled Sabrina's luggage behind him and motioned for her to follow. She approached him from the side, coming close enough for her yakata to brush against his leg. He tried to ignore the wave of attraction that overcame him as he inhaled the scent of lavender coming from her.
"Mr. Walker, it seems like you have a lot of misgivings about me," Sabrina said.
"Please call me Lucas," he said. "I am sorry if I came across as such. I have no business interfering with your private matters."
"Call me Sabrina," she said graciously. "I do not think you have given up trying to learn more about me. "Are you going to follow me around and spy on my every move?"
"Considering the Pokémon you have on your team, that might not be the best idea," Lucas chuckled.
He led her to the inn a few streets away, where she checked into her room. Lucas led her upstairs and deposited her luggage on the floor.
"Excuse me for a moment while I freshen up," Sabrina asked, taking some clothing from her bag and disappearing into the bathroom.
She had no sense of self-preservation. He was a complete stranger just an hour ago. She is now inviting him into her room while she takes a shower.
Lucas sat in the plush chair next to the bed. As the sound of running water came from the bathroom, he consciously avoided picturing Sabrina naked. He passed the time by grabbing a magazine from the coffee table and flipping through it.
"Banette!" exclaimed a voice from beside his chair.
Lucas screamed in terror as he jumped out of the chair, quickly spinning around to find the source of the noise. A Pokémon, a purple humanoid with piercing red eyes, was suspended above the seat. It smirked at him, showing off a large set of white teeth. The Pokemon was undeniably creepy, but that could be said of the vast majority of ghost-types.
Species: Banette
Level: 68
Condition: Perfect
Threat Level: Zero
He took a few steps back as the Pokémon advanced, its short arms reaching out towards him.
Sabrina dashed out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel. He might have been more distracted by the sight of all the bare skin if he had not been so focused on the Pokémon in front of him.
"Salem!" Sabrina shrieked, clutching the towel to her chest. "Please refrain from startling my guests in this manner."
"I am assuming this Banette belongs to you," Lucas said.
"No, I do not own him. Salem has been following me around since I was a child," Sabrina explained. "Do not worry about him; he should not be a danger to you. Salem simply wanted to meet you out of curiosity."
"The key word there is should," Lucas said, casting a sidelong glance at the eerie Pokemon. That inspires little confidence in me."
At least the description indicated a threat level of zero. But he had no idea how quickly that could change in the blink of an eye.
"Please wait a moment," Sabrina said as she turned and reentered the bathroom.
"Hello, Salem," Lucas said as he waved to the Pokemon. "It's... nice to meet you."
"Banette," the ghost replied before fading from sight.
Lucas' nerves heightened as he looked around, no longer able to see the Pokemon. How did it disappear so suddenly? He relaxed when Sabrina returned, now dressed casually in black jeans and a sweatshirt. She appeared to prefer dark clothing, which contrasted sharply with her pale complexion.
"Where has Salem gone?"
Sabrina took a seat on the bed. "Your knowledge of ghost-type Pokemon appears to be rather limited."
"I am trying to make up for lost time," Lucas grumbled.
"Well, a ghost-type Pokemon is unique among all the other types," Sabrina said. "They are referred to as ghost-types rather than ghosts because they are not true apparitions. Their bodies are made up of abnormal elements that allow them to phase through solid objects, turn invisible, and make them more difficult to hit with physical attacks. They are not immune, however, because they are vulnerable to dark-type attacks. If they sustain enough damage, they can be hurt and even killed."
"That makes perfect sense," Lucas said. "How can these Pokemon not be considered real living beings? After all, they can breed like other Pokemon."
"Indeed," Sabrina said. "They are Pokemon, albeit with unique characteristics. Although my team is mostly made up of psychic-type Pokemon, I have a soft spot for ghost-types. It is disappointing that they are not more popular. They have a bad reputation because of their proclivity for mischief and playing tricks on people."
"I am sure their ability to become invisible and phase into walls does not help," Lucas observed..
"Yes," Sabrina acknowledged. "It is a serious problem because people use them for espionage and illegal activities. Those who want to protect their privacy and belongings must employ methods to protect themselves from ghost-type Pokémon."
"So, what is Salem's story? Why is he following you around?"
He immediately regretted asking the question. Her face darkened, revealing her most acute display of emotion to date.
"That is none of your concern," Sabrina said coldly.
He realised he had brought up a sensitive subject, so he reminded himself not to bring it up again. Despite his belief that she overreacted.
"I apologise," Lucas said, raising his hands. "How about I show you around town right now?"
Sabrina regained her composure. "I would greatly appreciate it."
Lucas was too preoccupied with his own affairs to spend much time with Sabrina during the next two weeks. When he did get to spend time with her, she seemed to be distracted by something. It fueled his suspicions that she was not here for a normal vacation but for some unknown reason.
His weekday schedule had remained consistent for the past two weeks. He would spend his time after work either making healing salves or going outside to look for hidden items. He conducted a methodical search, hoping to find every hidden item possible. He not only discovered several valuable items, but he also drew a detailed map of the area and discovered a plethora of ingredients.
He accumulated a significant number of experience points for both his Pokemon and himself, but his progress came to a halt when Icarus and Maximus reached level fifteen. They no longer received experience points because the level difference between his Pokemon and wild Pokemon was now five. He could not cheat by accumulating experience points in their cache, either, because it counted towards their overall level. For instance, if Icarus had one level's worth of experience points in his cache, that would count towards the level restriction.
He will need to explore specific areas deeper within the forest and the mountain range along the coast to find Pokemon that are more than level ten. It was, however, too dangerous because the Pokemon Rangers did not keep their levels in check, causing their levels to vary greatly. They were only in charge of areas near densely populated towns and cities, as well as major routes. Their levels ranged from five to the mid-thirties. With his Pokemon's current strength, he did not dare to enter. If he wanted to continue gaining experience points, he needed to go to Viridian City and explore the areas beyond it, such as the vast Viridian Forest.
There was also a well-known mountain range called Mount Hideaway, which was located to the west of Pallet Town, near the coast. It was not an option, though, because the Pokémon that lived there had even higher levels. He promised himself that he would return and explore the area in the future.
One evening, he shut himself away in his room. He had made significant progress in the previous two weeks, prompting him to take some time to reflect and set some new goals.
Lucas threw all of the hidden items he had dug up onto the bed.
"Kid!" Max exclaimed as he stood on the floor and peered over the top of the bed, amazed at the treasure on display.
"It's a nice haul, right?"
He found twenty-one items in total, mostly related to healing. Among them were two super potions, four antidotes, two paralyse heals, five potions, and one full heal. He also found four pokeballs, two pearls, and a nugget. The last three items were all worth a minimum of eight thousand Pokedollars. Because the size and quality were so variable, it was impossible to pinpoint the exact value, so it was only a rough estimate. If he were to buy the pokeballs from the store, it would cost him six thousand pokedollars.
He has also completed four more portrait commissions in the last two weeks. When he added everything up, he had amassed a substantial amount of Pokedollars. He was almost there with the fee for the Pokemon Breeder's licence test. Because that was still some time away, he could spend it on other necessities for the time being.
Lucas stored the items in his inventory. To keep the Fearow Gang from finding out, he made the decision not to sell the pricey items in Pallet Town. He would surely run into problems if they found out he was earning so many Pokedollars.
He opened his menu and assessed his progress over the previous two weeks.
Lucas Walker
Level 19
Next: [7/100%]
Exp Cache: [0]
Skill Points (SP): 8
Profession:
Pokemon Trainer Lv.4
Pokemon Breeder Lv.2
Alchemist Lv.3
Skills:
Insight [Active/Passive] (Level 2/5)
Coach [Passive] (Level 4/5)
Bountiful Gains [Passive] (Level 1/3)
Pokemon Friendship [Passive] (Level 1/5)
Salve Mastery [Active] (Level 1/3)
Green Thumb [Passive] (Level 1/3)
Functions:
Inventory (Capacity: 30 slots) [Unlock 10 slots: 10,000 Pokedollars]
Itemfinder: (Range: 5-metre radius) [Increase radius by five metres: 10,000 Pokedollars]
Pokemon Search: (Number of searches per week: 1) [Increase efficiency: 10,000 Pokedollars]
Lucas had levelled up nine times and now had eight skill points to spend. He had spent five skill points to level up his Coach skill, resulting in a decent amount of experience. He now got four hundred experience points for every stat point Icarus and Max gained, and his training efficiency had improved as well. The amount of experience required to level up was increasing exponentially, but by improving this skill and grinding, he was still making good progress.
Pokemon Search was the new feature he gained after reaching level fifteen. The feature allowed him to search for a specific Pokemon within a five-square-mile radius. One of its best aspects was its ability to drastically increase the likelihood of encountering Pokemon with higher potential or rare characteristics, such as the elusive Giant or Shiny variants. He was going to experiment with this feature in the near future to see if he could find some amazing Pokemon.
Furthermore, all three of his professions had advanced in level. He gained a new skill for his Alchemy profession, while the cost of levelling up two of his other skills decreased. His new skill was called Green Thumb, and it proved to be quite useful.
Skill: Green Thumb Level 1/3 Next: 2 SP Type: Passive Charges: -
Description: The player is an expert at gathering ingredients. Each ingredient they pick has a twenty-five percent chance of being of the highest quality. Additionally, there is a twenty-five percent chance that they will be able to harvest two ingredients with just one plant.
He had eight skill points to spend, which was both a blessing and a curse because he did not know where to spend them. Because the final level of his Coach skill was too expensive, he decided to abandon it for the time being. While looking through his remaining skills, his gaze was drawn to Insight. Levelling this skill was only going to become more important going forward.
He had read through the Pokemon Breeding books that Professor Oak had given him, among other things. The amount of information he needed to know was significant, and creating Pokemon Eggs was extremely complicated. The first challenge Pokemon Breeders faced was locating or raising Pokemon with the appropriate egg moves. Furthermore, they had to be compatible with one another. You could not force two Pokémon to produce an egg together. This point was repeatedly emphasised in the books he had read on the subject.
His Insight ability could potentially eliminate much of the guesswork, allowing him to produce eggs more quickly. Taking all this into consideration, he decided to increase Insight. But first, he wanted to look at his Pokemon's parameters to see how they differed after the skill levelled up.
Species: Elekid; Electric Pokemon
Gender: Male
Status: Owned
Favourability: Liked: 50/2000 (+5% stats)
Favourite Food: Lightning Infused Bamboo;
Nutrition: Maximus Recipe X
Condition: Excellent
Level: 15
Next: [4/100%]
Exp Cache: [0]
Current Level Potential Met?: Yes
Special Ability: Static
Attack: 39 (38)
Special Attack: 40 (39)
Defence: 42 (40)
Special Defence: 29 (28)
Speed: 33 (32)
Luck: 9
Moves:
Quick Attack
Thundershock
Charge
A change had occurred that affected both Pokemon—their favorability had increased to Liked, giving them a five percent boost to all stats. Although the current bonus wasn't that good, it will only get better as their favorability grows.
Except for his speed, all of Max's stats significantly improved. Because he was transforming Max into an offensive tank, he needed to concentrate on increasing his attack, defence, and special defence stats. He needed to teach him some new moves to broaden his options in battle. While his current moves were adequate for dealing with low-level wild Pokemon, they would not be sufficient against trained Pokemon.
Next, he examined Icarus' parameters.
Species: Pidgey; Tiny Bird Pokemon
Gender: Male
Status: Owned
Favourability: Liked: 320/2000 (+5% stats)
Favourite Food: Iaflepettle Seeds; Icarus Recipe X
Condition: Excellent
Level: 15
Next: [2/100%]
Exp Cache: [0]
Current Level Potential Met?: Yes
Special Ability: Big Pecks
Attack: 39 (38)
Special Attack: 32
Defence: 27 (28)
Special Defence: 25 (24)
Speed: 53 (51)
Luck: 10
Moves:
Tackle
Quick Attack
Gust
Sand Attack
Icarus has made significant improvements as well, particularly in terms of his speed and offensive stats. His position on the team would function as a glass cannon, characterised by powerful offensive skills but limited defensive capabilities. Icarus' main strategy would be to eliminate the opponent as quickly as possible. He would rely on his speed to evade attacks, and Lucas considered the idea of teaching him Protect in order to assist him in mitigating his weaknesses.
Soon, he would need to consider Icarus' evolution, as it shouldn't be too far off. From what he remembered, Pidgey usually evolved around level eighteen in the games. He had ample time to further research evolutions and determine if there were any specific preparations required for Icarus since he had full control over his levelling. Max still had a long way to go before he evolved, so he didn't have to worry about him yet.
Lucas spent three skill points and increased his Insight skill to level three. When he examined Icarus' parameters once more, he was confused when there were no new additions to his parameters. Then he noticed the presence of a new tab at the top of his status window.
How can I access the new tab?
As if in direct response to his thoughts, the window seamlessly switched to display the other tab. Lucas's eyes fixed on the new information presented before him, and a surprised exclamation escaped his lips.
Icarus
Hidden Stats
Intelligence: 7
Endurance: 4
Energy: 4
Aptitude: 6
Affinities
Normal: 37%
Flying: 21%
Ground: 4%
Move Proficiency
Tackle: 32%
Quick Attack: 57%
Gust: 41%
Sand Attack: 3%
Egg Moves
Air Cutter: Flying Affinity = 40% required
What do these hidden stats even mean?
Picking up the guidebook, Lucas started leafing through its pages to find the latest entry that would provide him with the answers he needed. After reading through it, he put the book down to think through the ramifications.
A Pokemon's hidden stats had a significant effect, but their influence was difficult to see until they attained a higher level—Intelligence being the only exception. Every Pokemon had a fixed amount at birth, and they all maxed out at ten. You could use Pokemon breeding to somewhat influence them. Aside from the legendaries, none were intrinsically maxed out at ten. He recalled reading that there might be pills out there that could improve a Pokemon's hidden stats.
Intelligence was straightforward in that it determined their cognitive abilities, but it also affected their mental resilience. Battles cause mental stress in Pokémon, which builds up over time. They needed to rest whenever they became overly stressed, regardless of their condition, to avoid becoming seriously ill. This was why his Pokemon could not spend the entire day grinding battles by feeding them a bunch of healing salves.
Icarus had an above-average intelligence stat of seven. He had seen multiple instances of Icarus demonstrating his intelligence, so it came as no surprise that it was so high.
The two hidden stats, endurance and energy, had an effect on a Pokemon's condition. The better their stats, the slower their condition deteriorated.
Endurance directly influenced the amount of damage a Pokemon could take, which increased with each level up, increasing the amount of damage they could take. In this regard, Icarus' endurance stat was below average. The best part was that if you were successful in increasing the stat, the Pokemon would receive all of the benefits they had missed out on in previous levels.
Energy determined the energy reserves Pokemon received when levelling up. It worked similarly to endurance, allowing you to significantly boost the Pokemon's reserves by retroactively increasing the stat. It also had an effect on their ability to improve their affinities.
Aptitude determined how many stats they could train at each level. Even though having a higher aptitude was a significant advantage, it only made a difference at higher levels. One reason for this is that Pokemon at lower levels tend to level up quickly, so trainers fail to adequately train their Pokemon in order to fully benefit from all available stat points. This factor began to have a greater influence only after reaching higher levels, where levelling up became significantly more difficult.
In terms of the other information revealed by the tab, it was useful to know where he stood with his Pokemon's affinities and move progression. It would be more convenient to track their progress and set specific goals to strive for in the future.
The second tab also displayed a Pokemon's egg moves, which did not appear in their main tab. This was a huge benefit for his breeder career, as he would be able to find Pokemon with the right egg moves much easier. He was pleased to discover that Icarus possessed an egg move, though he knew it would take some time for him to learn it.
Lucas then looked at Max's hidden stats. His intelligence, endurance, energy, and aptitude were all five, seven, four, and six, respectively. He had a one-point advantage over Icarus overall, and he possessed one egg move: Hammer Arm. The requirement to learn it was a seventy percent fighting-type affinity, so he was not going to get it any time soon.
Lucas closed the menu, opting to save the rest of his skill points for the time being.
"What's your problem?" Lucas asked after noticing Max and Icarus making strange faces at him.
It was not the first time he had noticed that look on their faces. If they could talk, they would say, "What a weirdo! He spends long periods of time staring off into space."
He ignored them in order to maintain his dignity. How was he supposed to explain the system to them?
Lucas took out a notebook and scribbled down some short-term goals. Having financial security allowed him to be more ambitious and complete tasks that he had been putting off. After he finished, he turned off the light and crawled into bed. For the first time, he had a restful night's sleep free of nightmares.
Lucas returned to work the next day. Daisy greeted him as he entered the reception area with a smile on her face.
"Lucas, you are just in time," Daisy said. "Two of the lab's Pokemon, a pair of Glooms, are about to produce a Pokemon egg. Would you like to watch it?"
"Did you really have to ask?"
This was a fantastic opportunity. Not only had he never seen a Pokemon egg before, but he also got to see one being formed. He had read about the process, but nothing could compare to seeing it in person.
Lucas followed her outside, passing several large enclosures until they arrived at a smaller enclosure where the ground was mostly hidden beneath a thick layer of dense foliage. The two Glooms were reclining on a small patch of grass near the fence line.
"We will stay behind the fence," Daisy said. "A human's presence may disturb some Pokemon while they are producing an egg."
Lucas gave a nod. He used Insight to record the Gloom's parameters because he wanted to see what changes occurred after the egg formed.
After a brief moment of silence, the two figures leaned into each other. A dazzling glow radiated from them, similar to the light that shines forth when a Pokemon evolves. Except the energy was not white; it was a vibrant mix of purple and green, representing poison and grass types. Above them, energy began to coalesce and take the shape of an egg.
A Pokemon egg is formed through a fusion process in which two Pokemon align their energy frequencies and willingly contribute a portion of themselves to the creation of the egg. This is why compatibility was so important. They needed frequencies that could easily combine together for the fusion to work.
A female and male pair are usually required to produce an egg, but this is not a hard and fast rule. Certain Pokemon do not have a gender, but they are still capable of producing Pokemon Eggs. Gender did not have the same meaning for Pokemon in the traditional sense because they lacked sexual organs. However, because their energy frequencies were so different, scientists decided to categorise them as female and male in order to distinguish them. Scientists discovered that pairing a female and a male usually produced the most eggs.
Lucas double-checked the Gloom's parameters as the egg continued to form.
What the heck is going on? Both Pokemon's levels had dropped by one, which had an effect on some of their stats. It dropped again a moment later. Lucas shook his head in disbelief. He was aware that the parents had to give up a part of themselves to produce an egg, but he had not considered the fact that it would literally affect their parameters. The Gloom dropped two more levels before the egg fully formed.
The egg fell, and the Gloom caught it quickly with the flower on top of its head. The egg had a predominantly blue colour with green accents, mirroring the actual colours its body would have when it hatched.
Lucas examined the egg with Insight. He had always wondered if his Insight skill could read the parameters of a Pokemon's Egg. Consider the possibilities. He could walk into a Pokemon Breeder's shop and select the highest-quality eggs for himself.
Nothing happened. Lucas sighed in frustration. He would have to find another way to examine the egg. He might learn the skill if he kept levelling up his Pokemon Breeder profession.
"Thank you for treating me to such an incredible sight," Lucas told Daisy.
"It is fine," Daisy replied. "Now, I am going to show you something new today. Pokemon grooming! It is an important part of caring for a Pokemon, and some of our residents are in desperate need of a groom."
"All right, I am looking forward to it."
Later that morning, he deeply regretted making that statement. While grooming it, he was knocked over by an overly enthusiastic Tauros, resulting in a significant bruise on his side. He was going to hurt the next day.
"It could have been much worse," Daisy said sympathetically.
Lucas carefully slipped the t-shirt over his upper body. "Yes, that is what came to mind when I found myself lying in the mud."
"If it is any consolation, Tauros appeared remorseful," Daisy smirked before checking her watch. "You are free to go home and relax for the remainder of the day. We are not very busy."
After she left the infirmary, Lucas stood up and grabbed his bag. At that moment, taking a bath at home sounded like a good idea. He headed out of the infirmary and down the corridor. As he approached an intersection, he heard voices raised, so he slowed down to quieten his footsteps. He leaned against the wall, cautiously peering around the corner.
Two scientists from the lab stood close to each other, speaking quietly. One of the people was elderly, while the other appeared to be in his thirties. Their demeanour and actions appeared suspicious, prompting Lucas to strain his ears to hear what they were saying.
"Next time, use more discretion," the old man hissed as he raised his head to look around. Fortunately, Lucas retracted his head just in time.
"Please do not be angry with me," the other man said. "Can't you see that I'm feeling stressed? "I am not sure how much longer I can keep doing this."
"You must do as you are told, or face the wrath of the leader."
"But that woman is in town, poking her nose into everything. It will not be long before our entire operation is exposed."
"Do not worry about her," the old man said with a smirk. "The leader will deal with her shortly."
Lucas held his breath as they walked away. He was left to mull over the conversation he had overheard after they had left. It sounded suspicious and as if they were planning to harm someone.
"Banette."
When Salem emerged from the wall, Lucas almost screamed. This was the second time the Pokemon had caught him off guard. What in the world was he doing here?
He was about to say something when he noticed Salem's expression, and the words died in his mouth. The extremely sinister expression on his face caused his insides to freeze. Fortunately, it was not aimed at him. Salem looked in the same direction as the men. What had they done to aggravate him?
Wait a second. Were they talking about Sabrina?
So, what do you think? What is Lucas going to do now? Should he just leave it alone or poke his nose where it doesn't belong?
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Thanks for reading.