Silverstone - Pokémon Rancher
Chapter 05
By BigTofu
Anthony Silverstone
I held the hoove between my thighs as I mucked, filed and polished the soon to be super durable keratin of the Ponyta before fitting her final shoe. Once I was finished, I then inspected her four legs for any imbalances before sending her a little smile.
"You're such a good girl," I coo'ed at her as I removed my gloves and reached into one of the covered buckets at the side. The little Ponyta did a little dance stamp of her hooves as I gave her a scratch under the chin while I fed her a few berries. Once I had given her a few berries, I gave the little Poyta a nudge to get her out of the way and turned to the rest, "Who's next?"
The little Ponyta jostled between themselves before the lady Rapidash decided to break things up. For that I gave the ladies some treats before going for that one silent Ponyta is the back. I started with inspecting his coat to ensure no bruising was on his body. Then I gave him a nice brush, checked his temperature before also putting a GPS tracking tag in his ear.
My table beeped as it pinged the GPS tag on his ear, and I smiled at the battery, stating that it had three months' worth of charge. After unmucking his hooves and giving him another few brushes, it was time to tackle the rest of the horses. It was a bit of work to deal with all of the excited little Ponyta as they jostled for position as they wanted to be next so they could get the treats I had to offer.
The mares and some of the male Rapidash were a lot more respectful of their spacing. Then again, I think that was because Prince the Alpha was standing a few feet away. While I went about taking care of the Rapidash, a few of the lady horses bumped and rubbed against Prince as they circled around and waited their turn.
Keeping my attention on what I was doing, I was unaware of the affection and possible mating rituals going on over at the side. Prince, like the big bastard that was, was preened under the attention of the lady horses. Too bad for him, because mating was not on the menu until I was able to get my hands on a Slowbro or Alakazam I could teach Psychic Terrain, so I could then have Bulma replicate the effect across a localized area. Then again, I might just pay someone from one of the higher gyms so Bulma could run a few scans.
There was also a strong chance that Oak just might volunteer his own Pokemon so he could get in on the research. As fun as the thought might be, I would have to revisit them later as I finished caring for the horse Pokemon. Prince the leader of this little herd gave me a bump of impatience as he pushed passed to go mingle with the ladies.
Ignoring the big brute, I had a Machop help me put the gear away before heading over to the bull pens and double-checking things. Now that Bulma had the base antenna system up and running, I planned to release them into the fields later this week or next week and put up towers while I was at it.
The plan was to put the towers in a grid pattern to help relay information and keep track of things all around. Right now the only hold up was that I also Bulma to build things with modularity in mind so we can plug and play other options later once they become available.
I also wanted to be able to plug in more batteries as we went along with solar panels to allow it all to run without having to put in a power cable for things. Then again, when I last looked into the lab, she was working on some sort of miniature fusion system that she had hopes to power everything with.
Sigh, just more money burning through my pockets but if she was able to pull this off then the payouts would be beyond monumental. Normally, I wouldn't say that I was being greedy but I was already in 5 million on her lab with another 5 million for the ranch and still money was going out in droves.
As I arrived at the bullpen, I checked my scouter and found that I still had 192 in this heard fully accounted for. A few more taps of the side buttons put little ID tags above their heads as the system pinged each of the tags. With the scouter active and focused, it gave a highlight around the pokemon as it also chirped A little summary into my ear.
Tauros is a normal type omnivore, a field Pokémon known to be wild and rowdy. It weighs 194 and its abilities are…..
I had to cut it off there since it then went into information that I very much didn't really need. At the end, Oak even included dishes that the beef would enhance along with cooking techniques.
Pushing all that aside, I focused on the power scale because of course Bulma included one of those. I had no idea how Bumla rated these things but this particular pokemon had an overall power rating of 490. The health was relatively mid at 75 but that attack at 100 and speed of 110 really had me pondering.
Woth my finger on the scroll wheel I watched as this particular pokemons attacks were listed, I nearly choked with I noticed a certain attack. This particular tauros knew the moves zen headbutt, that was a psychic move. Not a particular powerful one as it was a special physical move buy still. That was a move worth keeping on the ranch since it could then be taught to others by this pokemon if it cooperated, or just removed with a TM-machine.
Good chance Bulma would love to see it in action. With that In mind, I made sure to change the ping color of #72 since he was going to be the lucky boy. With this task done and that side quest logged, I went for the pokemon training area. The gym wasn't that large but it was a combination outdoor, indoor, and swimming area all rolled into one, at least two football fields if I was being honest.
Four corners of the area had gravity generators with nodes at regular intervals, there was no point in powering the entire feild if it wasn't in use. Plus, I wanted nothing to do with being locked in a metal Building with gravity weighing me down. It was also alot easier for Bulma to build what I needed once I pointed out the pokemon field protection systems and what they might be able to perform if someone as capable as her got her hands on them.
Yeah, I stroked Bulma's ego, and it got me what I wanted.
I strolled through the gym and out the back but stopped In the checkered caution area as I noticed gravity was in effect. Machoke shuffled from foot to foot at my side as he watched but it was clear he also wanted to join.
Out in one of the fields, Nova my arcanine was running laps with massive weights on a sled attached to his vest that encase Parts of his chest and collar. Ace my Pedigot was doing hard turns and breaks through hologram loops with weights on his own vest. Champ was near a dry cracked part of the land as he also wore a weight vest but instead of working on speed and strength. Champ was working on Power, even from the distance I could feel the heat build up as he charged a flamethrower.
It was like a miniature sun was summoned before unleashed like Godzillas atomic breath blast. The grass around Champ was already charred black but now there was a furrow in the ground from his attack.
Good, it was clear that Champ was taking my advice to heart. His build up had went down from 4.2 seconds to 3.4 seconds, he was getting to critical power for his attacks a lot faster. Not only that but he Had also figured out how to condense the power which made it even more powerful.
Rob might have given me my pokemon from the last game i played but reality didn't have levels. It would be up to me to get them trained to what I thought would be a proper levels so they could battle if the needs must. A few taps on my scouter showed me the weights my other Pokemon carried.
Ace was pushing hard at his carry limit with just over 600 pounds which was wild since the gravity was set to 1.7x normal. Nova had me worried with his own stacked-weight sled at 1,324 pounds. That was a lot of freaking power to say nothing of their current levels of elemental powers.
I stood there and watched my Pokemon train for a little longer before deciding to hit the big red button, which brought things to a full stop. A small alarm rang out around the localized area, as flashing yellow lights signaled that there would be a change in gravity soon. At this signal and change in status, my Pokemon stopped what they were doing as I raised a hand and waved it for them to approach.
"Alright team, gather around, we need to prep before heading into the city," I called as they each shuffled over . The first to arrive with the gravity lowered was Nova followed by Ace and then Champ.
When they arrived, all three was panting from their activities, but I said nothing as I had Machoke help me get all of their gear removed. Each got an Oran berry as I removed their weights and its accompanying pack. I then gave them a light rub down with some potion on a cloth. While I took care of their needs, I ran a scouter scan over then and made a note of their improvements.
Ace had shifted upwards on the power scale from 470 and finally reached the 502 in power which I considered to be a good thing. That was a solid jump in power for a Pokemon I only had in minor battles. My Charizard Champ had shot upwards from 530 three days ago to 540 which was an alright increase but the real impressive note was that it was all in his special attack and defense. Nova had an all-around increase in everything from his speed, to attack, to even his defense.
That might even have something to do with his muscular growth since he had also gained mass and height. Again, I has very happy with the scouter, but it needed some modifications. Maybe a Bluetooth link between phone or tablet, clean up the interface and have data comparisons. If I didn't have notes on my phone I wouldn't be able to tell the improvements.
Honestly, it might help with a data-saved function since the scouter can clearly pick out Pokémon's aura power. Maybe she will be able to add a function that can tell Pokemon of the same species apart. All of these little thoughts and anecdotes were included within a text document as I walked back to the house.
Instead of taking the short way back, I took the long route through the garden near the lake. A few grass types like Oddish, Bellsprout, and a Hoppip scampered about but I just smiled at them while the scouter did light surface scans. I didn't call out because I didn't want to disturb the garden, but I found Sweetie in the middle of the roses as a Bellossom danced back and forth for my Meganium with its fellows.
She turned her head and gave me a little tilt with a smile as she brayed at me. I returned her expression with my own smile as I stroked her long neck and delivered her chin scratches. I then gave her scratches on the side of the neck and between her attention stems, Sweetie was fully enjoying herself.
Sigh, it was times like these where being an avid Pokemon fan and animal lover acted against my best interest.
"Alright girl, I have to go run some errands but I don't know if you want to stay or come with." I told her as I felt her lean into my touch. She looked at the garden as her legs shuffled in place. I didn't have the heart to force her to come with me and it would be fine to have some more watchers on the Ranch while I was gone.
Before I could finish, a vine stretched out and tapped her pokeball, smiling down at my waist, I just took that for what it was as pulled a few treats out of my lower cargo pocket. Offering up the treats, I let Sweeties friends eat from my hand, now it was time to collect Bulma.
When I got back to the house, I found Bulma in her lab infront of a machine as she had Chewie spike his electricity and shoot it into a rod. Standing by the door, I watched them celebrate. On the little screen was power rating scale. I noticed the previous 62 score and watched impressed at the 74 score that was now on the board.
Huh, now that I'm thinking about it, this might be the secret behind why Ash's Pikachu was so powerful. The games were static in a way in which the abilities couldn't get stronger but the Pokemon could raise in levels. In the anime, Pokemon didn't have levels but it was also clear that they could get stronger with a little bit of training.
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
The rooms occupants flinched from the sudden sound popping the bubble of their little world.
"Hey Anthony, did you see that?!" Bulma asked with clear excitement in her voice.
Smiling at her, I leaned on the doorframe as I made a motion towards Chewie the Pikachu, "I did and your making solid progress."
Bulma preened at this, then made a motion towards me, "Enjoying the scouter?"
"Yeah, I really am, good chance its going to revolutionize this world actually, especially that power rating system you included." I then rubbed a hand across my chin. "We might need to only sell them in limited quantities due to the implications it might have on the trainer system, or better yet get a partnership with the Nurse Joys for the Pokemon centers."
"Wait, wait, hold up, time out." Bulma
"Hmm?" I questioned as I finally got out of my own head.
"What do you mean sell them in limited quantities?" Bulma questioned with wide eyes and slack jaw.
I waved a hand to calm her down, "With the way the world is set up, Im worried they will go the way of the Saiyan's and get hung up all over the power scale. Socierty will buckle under it and the wildlife will suffer as certain types go in search of high power levels to capture or battle." I then shrugged. "It's a complicated chain for sure."
She pouted at me, then put her hands on hips. "Fine, I'll just use the power scale for our own devices, but the type energy and other sensors are staying."
"That's fine, I still think limited quantities so we can charge a decent amount should be the way to go." Then I waved it all away. "But that's not why I'm here right now."
"Well, why are you other than to rain on my parade." She replied with her nose stuck into the air.
Smirking at her, I walked over and placed an arm around her waist before pulling close. "Because, the League cycle just started and I got us day one seats."
There was a pause in the moment as Bulma blinked then looked at my hand which had the two tickets for her to see.
Then she was in my face, hands on my own as she stared at me with sparkle in her eyes. "Ohh my god yes, I want to go! I'll change real quick!" Then Bulma was off like a shot as her and the Pokemon ran out of the lab and into the house.
With a chuckle and a shake of my head, I went around the lab turning off lights while making sure not to close out the computers and accidentally mess up her experiments.
( - Transition Cut - )
I relaxed into the front row seats with Bulma at my side as I got myself ready to watch what should be a high stakes battle. It wasn't one of the high caliber fights since it was only a four badger, but from my readings this should turn out to be a solid showing. The Cerulean Sisters weren't known as the biggest battlers around but from my research online, they had a solid standing in power especially with them fielding a few powerful Pokemon.
It was noted that they had a rather powerful Gyarados, Seadra, and a massive Tentacruel that kept tickling my hentai senses but I was really trying to ignore those thoughts if I was being honest.
"Here, hold this." Bulma spoke as she pushed a couple devices into my hands.
Before I could say anything to refuse her, Bulma pushed a little radar dish into my hand along with various other devices and sensors.
"Bulma…"
"Ohh, and I need a full spectrogram reading."
"Bulma," I tried again to catch her attention.
Still she ignored me as more devices came out and I watched a little impressed as both Pikachu and Eevee helped in the set up of a couple devices. T this point we were drawing attention and things were starting to get embarrassing. Well, it would be embarrassing if I cared about what others thought, but I was more worried about us getting kicked out and me losing these seats.
The more Bulma talked the more attention she drew and I had to do a double take as the person next to her held one of the tablets. The two of them were in Ranger Uniforms with a mountain scape and number on the side. Well, the younger lady had the mountain number, it was clear the older gentlemen was retired but he wore his old uniform regardless.
They both drew my attention but it was the man that really tickled at my thoughts because he had that superman hair curl, bald head with an amazing mustache to frame his square jawline. Something about him streamed Full Metal Alchemist, Alexander Armstrong to me, but that couldn't be right.
Bulma didn't notice but the two who were clearly military types were Pokemon Rangers and they were entranced with her tablet and the data is had on display. Okay, looks like I had to curse ROB some more because clearly the bastard was playing some type of shenanigans on me. There was no way in hell that my front row seats just happened to be next to two rangers, and they were from the Armstrong family at that. I didn't remember the sisters name, but I knew she had to be of his bloodline with those massive anime tits, pouty lips, small frame, long glorious hair.
If that didn't give it away, then the sparkle that appeared next to her along with the same that her brother produced was a very big indicator to the bloodline.
"Yes, yes, I see, by reading the aura produce by the Pokemon its able to gauge within a variable range its strength." The female Ranger next to Armstrong spoke as she looked from the table to the Pokemon within the battle arena
"Ho! Ho! It even has a scan of the attack with comparisons to others by Pokemon of same type along with Pokemon of various types capable of the same, impressive." Armstrong replied with a chuckle and one of those focused glares of his.
"Ohh, you spot that, I wanted to do a more comprehensive run down and comparison but we didn't have all that many Pokemon on the ranch and I only had the data available on . Even now, I'm running a retime comparison over the Silverstone cloud network." Bulma went rapid fire as she found a pair that could keep up with her, but I could already tell that Armstrong was thinking about its application during combat or training.
It was the sister that I knew really understood the severity of what Bulma was offering and that was something that I might need to look out for. For now though, I was just going to help Bulma, from what I could see. The two Rangers were waving away the gym trainers that were approaching which I was also worried about to begin with.
My attention shifted back towards the four badge battle that was taking place as Daisy switched out the Goldeen she was using for a Dewgong. She had the Dewgong open up with Hail, then dove underneath the waves.
Her opponents Persian hissed like the wet cat that it was as the trainer had it change platforms.
"Yes, yes, look at the speed readings, clearly something is being held back." Lady Armstrong stated to Bulma as she pointed out more specs from the scan they were looking at.
Clearly, neither of them was watching the battle anymore, but that was alright. The battle wasn't as high class as I had hoped, but that should have been obvious with the gym we were currently in.
Persian sat there in the hail with his tail flicking back and forth, for anyone paying close attention, they would be able to see just how pissed off that Persian was. The slight hitch of its shoulders and the narrow menace of its posture even as the Pokemon played at being relaxed.
The moment Dewgong breached the waters on the Pokemon left, it burst into action. There was a burst of speed as the wind kicked up and I could easily see that the Persian was going for the kill. It used Aerial Ace to move with a Metal Claw on its claws. Dewgong might not be weak to metal, but that didn't matter with all that momentum and attacking power smashing into it.
"Ohh, see here, the shift in power, that slight fluctuation as Persian shifted between stationery and attack." Bulma pointed out.
"Could be due to injury." Blonde mustache replied as he pointed towards the Pokemon down on the battlefield as it stayed off a single paw.
Cute and pouty lips even pointed at a section of the tablet. "Look at the aura reading from Dewgong, interesting, even capable of reading the poke-ball return."
Sigh, I guess there was just no enjoying this battle, granted. The sisters did not meet my standards not even their opponents. There was just nothing that had me on the edge of my seat white knuckled gripped to see the outcome. With a sigh and a roll of my eyes, I settled in for the swap out on Pokemon as Daisy of the Cerulean sisters sent out her final Pokemon.
The moment the light cleared and a Seaking was released into the gym pool, I knew that this fight was over. Nothing against the Pokemon but it clearly wasn't raised for battle, then there was also its energy signature. A fresh Seaking had the same energy signature as a damaged Persian, that wasn't good at all. The Seaking came up for an Aqua-Ring and caught a face full of Hypnosis, then the Pokemon landed on the platform asleep with no way out of the situation.
Well, this might have been a waste of an one hundred and fifty poke-dollars, then I looked to the side and changed my mind. Bulma might not have been watching the match but she was enjoying the science of the situation so that made it worth it.
"Persian, finish it off with a Power-Gem!" The generic trainer yelled from his box.
"See, that power build up, look at the typing." Bulma stated as she pointed out the readings to her new friends.
"Fascinating." Glorious blonde mustache replied.
The pretty pouty lips beside him popped the bubble though, "Accuracy is shit."
Everything changed once the match was officially over and the gym Badge was handed over by the Cerulean sisters. The younger one took the lead as she placed Bulma's items down and stood forward.
"Now, introductions are in order, I am Pokemon Ranger Commander of the 5th, Olivier Armstrong, and this is my brother retired Commander Alexander Armstrong."
This sudden change caught Bulma off guard as she clearly wasn't paying attention to the type of people she was seated next to and could keep up with some of her ramblings. That was fine, I was here to make up for the difference.
"Anthony Silverstone, owner of the Silverstone Ranch, and this lovely lady is Bulma Briefs, genius inventor extraordinaire." I stated with a hand pushed forward to engage them into a shake to break things up.
Ranger Commander Olivier gave a firm nod of the head. "I see…." She looked from Bulma then back to myself. "On the behalf of the Pokemon Rangers, I would like to set up a meeting to discuss the use and application of your technology."
I took the information in and tried not to show anything on my face as I kept things neutral, Bulma on the other hand gave the game away as she gripped my shoulder. "I'm sure we can come to an understanding, but before that, how about a battle, one on one."
"Oh oh, my my you a daring one," Big mustache Armstrong stated as he stepped forward, a twinkle at the corner of his eyes. As he came forward, his arms went around in a smooth motion as he performed Arnolds infamous under-curl. Then he took that into a rotation twist to show off partial back and side profile. "My agust self shall accept this bold challenge that you have laid down before us."
Before anyone could blink, Armstrong and I was facing off against each other across one of the public battle courts. The wind blew in from the east, this kicked up a little dust from the moderately clear surface. The battle court wasn't a field, it was a clear dirt area like a baseball field with a couple boulders here and there.
We stared across the battlefield at each other as the wind whipped across between us. The both of us was so into the zone that we didn't even noticed when Olivier had announced the rules, yet we both moved at the same time.
My hand slid back across my belt as I cleared my waist in a quick draw then snacked my hand forward as if I was taking the shot. This was all done in one flowing motion as Armstrong did his own signature draw which had him going through a flex rotation that produced a underhand toss before he finished in a double bicep flex.
On Alex Armstrong's side of the field a Medicham appeared which I could honestly say that I wasn't very surprised about. Of course, the big guy would field a fighter type, the fact that it was a dual typing made things even better.
For myself, Sweetie my Meganium appeared in the backfield, okay this was going to be an interesting battle. My single element type wasn't weak to his and neither was his weak to my own.
"Let's show him how Calm we are under the sun Medicham." Armstrong called as his Pokemon went into a state that allowed it to glow.
Yeah, two could play at that, "Sweetie, lets set the field with some spore." I commanded and smiled as Meganium followed my instructions as she swayed side to side, her leaves fluttering in the wind as it releases poison powered across the mid field.
Armstrong did another rotation, "Axe Kick the ground then Force Palm in front, punch through."
With a classic Pheonix Wright, I pointed a head to lead the way, "Sweetie, lets meet him head on, Bulldoze!"
Standing in my trainers box, I watched with rapt attention as the two bore down on each other like runaway freight trains only to meet in the center of the battlefield. They clashed in the center with a mighty boom, for a moment they stalled and I thought that Sweetie was going to loose the clash. Turns out that my fears were mistaken as the size disparity became evident as she pushed the Medicham back furrowing the ground.
"Grab hold with Vine-Whip, its Giga-Drain time," I called as I could state the possible victory.
"One-Two Fire Punch Medicham." Armstrong called and that sent shivers down my spine.
"Throw her Sweetie!" I yelled before the flames could even begin to manifest. That call wasn't nearly enough as Medicham used the vines to pull itself closer and unleash a nasty super effective punch onto my Pokemon.
"Follow up with Low Sweep," Armstrong called as he went for the finisher.
"Zen Headbutt," I called as Medicham shifted stance and I got lucky as Sweetie gave the Pokemon a real nice shiner against its forehead.
"Endure, Medicham." Armstrong called.
I grimaced at the show of burn taking effect, then decided to use it because this just might be the edge I needed, "Facade Sweetie."
Armstrong shifted his stance, "Detect."
Shit… with that, Medicham was able to avoid the attack, but this also allowed the two to disengage and return to their part of the field.
"That was an admiral showing, let us bring this fight to a close," Armstrong spoke in his nice and loud but boisterous voice. Then he did a hand motion that nearly caught me off guard, I said nearly because I never forgot about Medicham' s second typing. Yet, again, Armstrong showed his powers as Medicham charged up an attack that I thought I would never see unless I somehow found a Lucario.
Inside, I could feel my aura churn as instincts took over the call that was made, "Reflect,!"
The psychic glass shield popped into place a split second before a massive Aura Sphere smashed into its face. The attack continued to press forward and I could feel the strain Sweetie was under as she fought back against the powerful Pokemon move.
Lights flared and the shield crack, but Meganium was finally able to throw off the attack as she put her all into defense.
"Splendid, splendid, I do think that this might be a draw." Armstrong called as he clapped in excitement. I was no where near happy with that, but one look at my Pokemon told me that she didn't have anymore in the tank.
It was the reaction of the Medicham on the other side that said I might have had a chance as the Pokemon shivered from something. With narrowed eyes, I spot the slight tremble of limbs along with the white around its lips. Medicham was poisoned. Huh, I guess it breathed in some of the Poison Powder when it dashed through the smoke cloud.
Yeah, okay, maybe the draw wasn't so bad now that I gave it a thought. Plus, I would really need to re-evaluate the use of status effects and layering the field in way set up for later take downs. Meeting the eyes of Armstrong across the way, I gave him a nod of the head as my pokeball re-appeared in hand as Sweetie was taken off field.
Armstrong had taken the same action as his sister called the end of the match. We met once more at the referee spot as we clasped hands in a very manly shake.
With a nod, I turned towards Olivier, "Will three days suffice?"
Olivier took a moment, then offered me a hand to shake, "Three days will be more than enough, ill send you a clearance for entry to the Ranger Station."
Huh, she took the initiative for the locations, which was alright, couldn't always get my way with things. "That works."
Before anything else could be said, one of her pokeballs popped open and they all vanished in a teleport, that cheeky minx. There was nothing to be said as I shook the image of that massive Metagross out of mind.
From the edge of the battlefield I could hear Bulma as she went classic "Watch it brat."
With a look to the heavens, I prayed for some salvation, then gathered myself to see what was bothering Bulma. When I got there, I found a ten-year-old with some smudge on his cheek looking over the gear Bulma had with envy hidden in his eyes. At the start, I was going to be nice because it was a kid, but I then noticed his clothing.
The shirt looked a little big and the shorts was a little lopsided, the shoes had some pull near the toe. As I noticed that everything he wore spoke of being second hand, I decided to take another approach.
I gave him a simple wave to get his attention. "Hey, kid, want to earn some pocket money?"
Clearly the brat was a smart kid because his answer wasn't a instant yet, first he looked around to see who else was here. Then looked between us to with his eyes narrowed. "What you want old man?"
I snorted, "Nothing brat, just help the lady pack away her gear and not steal any of it."
The kids face twisted like he sucked on sour lemons, "Aye, I ain't no thief."
Smirking at the kid, I just stepped back and raised my hand in surrender as he scowled at me with clear displeasure. Bulma poked the kid and went about like a seasoned General as she gave the kid orders and scared him to work. Deciding not to get into that mix, I pulled out Sweetie's pokeball and released her next to where I was.
The sight had me grimace at how scuffed up my baby girl was right now. Sweetie put on a brave face as she leaned forward into my chest.
"I know girl, I know," I whispered to her as I ran soothing motions down her neck. With one of my free hands, I went for my capsule case. I pressed the top and tossed it to the side as the stasis locked item appeared in a puff of harmless smoke.
Sweetie back up at the sudden appearance of the item box, but that was all the space I needed. Reaching over, I pulled out the burn salve and got to e work. Sweetie was still sensitive, so I started from the outer sections around the burned area before working my way across the burned area.
Instantly the aura of fire that came from the burn section died away as I rubbed in the burn cream. I finished her care as Bulma and the kid finished putting away all of the gear. Once I was happy with Sweeties recovery, I returned her to the pokeball as I stood to the side and watch Bulma and the kid argue.
"I already put them away you hag!"
"What you call me you little shit?"
"You heard me you old hag."
*CLAP!*
"Alright, alright, that's enough you two." I called as I got between the angry pair.
Bulma was huffing and puffing at this point, "You heard what he called me Anthony?"
I sighed, "Yes, I heard and we can talk with the kids guardian once we take him home."
The brat then snorted at me, "I don't need your pity old man."
My shoulders went up and down in a shrug, "It's not pity, plus I doubt you want to give up this chance I'm going to offer your parents."
It was clear that I said the wrong thing as the kids face screwed up in very obvious distaste. He then just watched us for a bit without saying a word as he clearly thought over the situation. Unlike myself, Bulma didn't have the patience to wait the kid out as she placed her hands on hips and glared at him.
"Well brat, lead on." Bulma replied with a hand wave.
With a tch, the kid turned away with a huff and walked off, Bulma shot me a look and I had to wave her off a bit. I was fine with the disrespect, the kid was allowed his feelings and I was more than sure now about his situation. This might be an Ash situation where the parent lefts or the kid could turn out to be an orphan. Very few things could explain his clothes and attitude and those two along with home abuse were clear indicators on why.
The kid barely said anything and Bulma shot me looks as I followed at a distance, but the sleepy little building said more than enough once she got a look at it. So orphan checked my 1 out of 3 options and I was alright with that.
Now, it was time to turn this into a long-term investment.
When we got into the orphanage, we were almost knocked over by one of the kids running through the halls. Right behind the kids was a lady that looked to be in her mid-twenties with what was clearly a shrine maidens habit on. That was interesting, if I didn't know better, I would have asked why it wasn't a nuns habit, but then again the Pokemon world was set in a Japan lite type setting and reality. So it was a good chance shrine maidens would replace what nuns were in my own world.
"Excuse me?" The Maiden stated as she came up short as she stopped following the kids. Then she didn't even look at us as she turned to the brat that led us here. "Billy, who are these people?"
The kid shrugged at that, "Some guy I helped, talked about some sorta reward, doesn't look shady or cheap, figured we could use the help."
The shrine maiden before us put a hand to her for head, "Ohh Arceus, what am I going to do with you."
This was my turn to break is as I held out a hand for the maiden to shake, "Names Anthony Silverstone, owner of the Silverstone Ranch, and my companion here is Bulma Briefs, the brilliant mind behind Capsule Corps."
Bulma stuck her hand out, "Nice place you got here."
"Thank, thank you," The Maiden replied with a smile, then went ohp. "I need to introduce you to the mistress." Then she reached forward and grab Bulma by the hand. "Come, come."
I looked at the kid and he shrugged at me. Well, guess there was nothing to it but to follow along as she led us through the orphanage. As we walked, I counted at least thirty kids of various ages. I was happy that I didn't find any that were still at the milk age, what I did notice was that a lot of them were of the schooling age and approaching that of time to leave on their journeys.
When we got to one of the center rooms, I found a familiar face looking over the homework with a line of kids waiting before her. One was clearly Mei Mei and the other was Orihime from Bleach, that bastard ROB was playing games again.
"Mistress Mei, a Mr. Silverstone and Mrs. Briefs would like to have a word." The Maiden stated before rushing off towards the little kitchen at the side. The kid whose name I now knew to be Billy snorted as he walked off. I watched as he settled into a fee seat on the couch to watch tv with the rest of the orphans.
Mei Mei said nothing as she continued to help the kids, she only turned once Bulma also took a seat at the table. One of the kids came up to me with their homework and I could only be impressed by their bold bravery. With a shrug, I picked the kid up, placed them on my lap as I proceeded to help them with their spelling homework. That simple act broke the damn as multiple kids approached me with their own homework for some help.
Time lapsed and before I knew it, I found myself helping the orphanage mistress clean up as Orihime and that other girl put the kids to bed.
Mei Mei wiped off the last of the counter, folded the washcloth and then tossed it into the sink, "Alright, now that the kids are gone, why are you here?" She questioned with a sharp look.
Rubbing my chin, I leaned back against the counter top as I thought over the last few hours. "To be honest, I was just going to make the offer for that Billy kid, but now I think ill change things up a bit."
Mei Mei grunted, "And whats this offer?"
"I had planned to offer Billy a sponsorship for his journey." I replied with a smile at her show of attitude. "But now, I think I might offer the whole orphanage a sponsorship with a few caveats of course."
The Matron scoffed at me, "And what are these caveats, and whats going to be the price of all this?"
I snorted at that, "I don't need anything like that, if at least one of these kids do good on the trainer circuit and make it to the Ace brackets. That will be more than enough as they will be known as one of my sponsored trainers."
Mei Mei scoffed at this, "That's not free, now pull the other one, its got bells on."
Pushing off the countertop, I rolled my eyes at her, "You can put the knives away, I'm not here for anything like that." I then pulled a pokeball from my belt and released Princess. "This is my Gardevoir, her name is Princess."
Again, I noticed that she didn't reach for a pokeball of her own nor were there any other Pokemon in ear shot that she might be able to tall in for help.
"Long as the kids get good grades and your approval, Princess will teleport then to the Silverstone Ranch," I stated as I smiled at my Pokemon and offered her a berry. Then I looked at Mei Mei, "You can even send one of your assistants, don't matter to me."
Still Mei Mei narrowed her eyes at me, "And whats the thing with Billy?"
"The brat stood at the side and watched a battle between myself and a Ranger, then helped without asking for payment. "I replied with a chuckle. "That brats defiant and audacious, I want see what he can do with a team commanded by him."
Mei Mei sighed with a hand on my forehead. "What am I going to do with that kid."
I shrugged, "Send him to my ranch for some life lessons."
She turned and gave me one of those raised brows a parent would give a child who said something out of turn. I shrugged at her not caring.
"I own a Rapidash, Miltank and Tauros ranch, there is always something for a rambunctious brat to do." I replied. And if that's not good enough then my ranch is roughly eight hundred thousand acres. There's plenty going on."
This caught the Matron off guard as she really gave me a second look. Instead of replying, I gave a smile, then turned as I heard Bulma from a distance.
"Alright time for bed you brats, I already ready you three stories, now go to sleep."
The Matron and I both ignored Bulma, she leaned towards me with narrowed eyes, "How many of my kids will you sponsor?"
I looked at her from feeding another berry to Princess as I locked eyes with Mei Mei, "All of them if they pass the test, their scores will determine how much support they get from me." I leaned released a sigh, "My hope is to find the underdog that can rise above their lot in life and seize the offered chance."
"So what, my kids are just an experiment to you?" Mei Mei asked with gritted teeth.
I shrugged at her, "No, I have my Pokemon for that, I'm just offering the kids a chance since no one else will."
"Oak will," Mei Mei fired back with fierce determination.
"Yeah, but they have to score in the top 3 for any of the Kanto starters and in the top five for one of his pokedex and a bunch of other crap we don't need to get into." I replied with a meh wave of the hand. "I don't need any of that, I just need to see that they have the hunger at wanting to be better of wanting to change their situation."
Her finger tapped a beat on the table as she watched me, "I'm going to want more for my kids, the League won't be able to cover them once they start their journeys, only if they stay in school."
I let the silence between us stretch for a bit as I rubbed my chin, "Yeah sure, I can give them some pocket money, but I also expect you to teach them how to handle cash. There will be more obligations to the ranch though, just so you are aware."
Mei Mei did a very unlady like snort, "I'll make sure the kids are aware, now what are you going to do about their starters?"
I waved a hand, "That's not something you need to worry about, part of what I will have them do is care for pokemon. If they can perform the basics, I'll let them catch anything on my ranch within means."
Mei Mei narrowed her eyes at me, "What do you mean within means?"
"Exactly that, I'm not about to indulge one of the kids in catching a Pokemon they have no chance of controlling or being able to handle." I replied with a scoff.
Now it was Mei's turn to let the silence stretch out between us, "Alright, I'll talk with the League and give you an answer in a few days."
*CLAP!*
"Good, that's all I needed to hear," I stated as I got up and pulled my phone out. I then gave her my contact information along with my business card.
Ohh yeah, Oak was now going to deal with stiff competition, now all I had to do was poke Bulma untill she made me a far better version of the pokedex.
Author's Note :::
I hope you enjoy my approach to the Pokemon world. I see a lot of people who want to be the Pokemon champion but I don't see anyone who wants to be a Pokemon Professor nor a Rancher.
My hope is to do both as I start to lean into breeding unique Pokémon. There are a lot of cool pokemon you can find online that I might add but that's in the air for now, but I will be doing multi element types because those are just far to cool. Since the Pokemon world is a mega planet with megafauna, I plan to play around with Z moves, mega evolution in the wilds, and even gigantic-max versions of Pokemon. I think battling some of those would just be far too cool.