Chapter 06 is out a little later than I'd thought it would. Work has been interesting to say the least, but hopefully it won't be an issue anymore. Anyways, like always, I do Not own Pokémon or RWBY and they belong to their respective owners.
Admittingly, the small trek up to the nearby base camp wasn't all too bad in Jaune's opinion, it was actually pleasant in all consideration. Beside him, Juniper seemed much more lively, excited to continue traveling as she trailed along with the three humans up towards where Professor Laventon assured them they would be resting before the eventual test. Continuing up the trail, Jaune contemplated more about this new world, having spent around a full half-hour or so now of walking and seeing the area around him.
The Obsidian Field lands, truly a place that lived up to its name. It reminded him of an acre of the Ever After, the untouched wilderness with strange and unusual creatures around him, some of them seemingly friendly, others clearly dangerous, should Captain Cyllene's final warning ring true to her words. 'The Survey Corps... Pokémon' Jaune pondered in his mind, ignoring the conversation Akari seemed to have with the professor regarding some sort of rumor about the disappearances. 'And those disappearances...' he recalled, wondering just what was going on. Was it Pokémon, or something else?
Jaune remembered how settlements in Remnant would be overtaken by Grimm, no doubt on Salem's orders for more than a few of them, he wouldn't doubt the immortal witch who commanded those nightmares he and everyone in his home world considered the "Greatest Threat."
The Grimm where a threat, but he knew better now. It wasn't just the Grimm; it was the ones controlling it. Thinking about it, a frown began to form. 'Salem is immortal, she has two relics... and Vale is still too exposed' he thought as he shook his head away from the sudden issue coming to mind. He couldn't afford to think about Salem, why his thoughts turned to her was something he couldn't know himself. Maybe he was just thinking too much to calm his nerves. His eyes turned to see what looked like a creature covered in green leaves, a black head that remained hidden in the branches, munching on a nearby blue berry.
"Eva?" he heard Juniper cry out to him, his thoughts turning from himself back to the world around him.
"Huh?" he muttered, seeing the fox's eyes looking at him with a sense of confusion. Looking up ahead, he noticed that Akari and Laventon stopped, turned and noticed his lagging behind. "Oh" was all he said as he increased his pace, catching up to the two remaining hikers.
"You were lagging behind, are you alright?" Akari asked, curious and looking at him with a slight bit of concern in her own eyes, Laventon crossing his arms as a result. Jaune smiled, trying to reassure them.
"Yeah, just thinking about just what I have to do" he said, in regard to his test to officially become a member of the Survey Corps. Akari had a look of understanding, recalling the feelings she had just a little while ago when both she and Rei took their own tests. They each had to catch a Pokémon, for Rei it was simple, to catch a single Starly, and for herself...
Her mood darkened slightly as she remembered having to catch a Shinx. She would easily admit that between the two of them, she had the roughest challenge. Her and her big mouth for boasting she supposed. Then again, it wasn't that bad of a battle. The borrowed Pokémon she was given for the test was capable of handling any Pokémon that stood in her way.
The attacks from those said Pokémon, less so. Looking at Jaune, she had to wonder how he felt about this. 'He said he was traveling for a while now, so camping wouldn't be too bad on him. He certainly seems confident enough to handle the physical labor' she said, eyeing him curiously. Her eyes however stopped at the sword she had seen him carry on him. 'And he isn't unarmed either' she said, despite the condition of it, she knew it was still capable of doing some levels of damage. Just another reason why she was unsure what to think of him.
"Hm... well, I can't say I'd blame you" the professor said, deep in thought himself. "You said you never caught a Pokémon until we met, and here you are now, needing to catch four of them. To be honest, I can somewhat understand the captain's reasoning..." he pondered as he looked back on the woman's choice. 'It would certainly test him to see how well he does in the field' he thought, recalling the Pokémon in question.
"I'm sure I'll be fine" Jaune said, though he didn't sound too confident. Instead, he just pulled out a Poké Ball from the small Sachel attached to the waist, the small capsule having his given Pokémon within it. "All I have to do is use these Poké Balls to catch them, like Cyndaquil... and that Rowlet Pokémon" he said, Akari smiled.
"Yeah, it's actually pretty easy once you know what to do" she said, her hands moving to her hips. "And you have me and the professor to back you up" she said while Jaune nodded, his eyes turning to them both.
"You don't need to worry about running out of Poké Balls" the professor remarked, a smile of his own showing. "I have my fair share of them. Once we begin your test, I'll be sure to give you a good amount and then some" he said, Jaune nodding at the older man's words. "Now then, we should nearly be there. Let's make our way forward" he declared eagerly with a new spring in his steps. Jaune looking at the man with Akari chuckling a little.
"I guess the professor is just as eager to see what you're made of than I am" she said, earning a look from the blond-haired knight. "Being serious for a second here, you already caught two Pokémon before, right?" she asked as Jaune frowned but nodded.
"Yeah, but I don't really know too much about catching them" he said, Juniper frowning a bit as she recalled herself being kicked by the owl during his "oh so brilliant plan" to have her play the proverbial distraction. "The professor was kind of giving me advice the whole way through, and I'm pretty sure I got lucky when I caught them."
"Hmm... Well, if you want some advice, I can give you some good tips" she offered, Jaune quirking an eyebrow before recalling how she cleared the trials herself. "Though, I won't lie, you have one heck of an uphill battle" she said with a somewhat uncertain expression forming on her face. "I mean, me and Rei had to catch one, and had fully trained Pokémon with us when we did..." she said, looking at Juniper before coughing nervously. "N-no offense" she said apologetically.
"Eve..." Juniper yipped annoyed, her cry coming out as a warning of some sort as Jaune chuckled a little.
"None taken" he said, earning a mild glance from his silver- colored, furry friend. "Besides, I could use all the help I can get, I haven't really done this sort of thing before" he said. If anything, he was either running from Grimm while commanding his team, fighting Grimm while commanding his team, fighting people like Cinder, Tyrian, and playing the support role in comparison to his friends, or acting as a guard for Alyx and Lewis, traveling around the Ever After while playing the part of the Rusted Knight.
"Right" Akari said, thinking about it. "Well, for starters, you should consider the Pokémon you're trying to catch and how you need to catch them" she began, both of them making their way after the professor who was no doubt waiting for them. "Each Pokémon is different, and as a result different tactics are important" she said as she brought up her own test. "For example, you will need to keep in mind that some Pokémon are more aggressive than others. No doubt they'll attack you at first glance" she said, a little nervous.
"...I see" Jaune said, simply looking at her with a frown, no doubt thinking about her words. "I take it you've seen if yourself?" he asked, earning a small groan from the young girl.
"Seen it, I've had to deal with it" she remarked, clearly annoyed as Jaune winced a little at her sudden mood shift. "The Pokémon I had to catch was a Shinx" she explained, a frown on her face showing just how she probably felt about trying to catch it. "Unless you get the drop on it and get lucky enough to catch it on your first shot, then you're going to have to battle it. Trust me when I say that its electrical attacks are something to be wary of" she said.
"Electrical attacks?" Jaune asked, thinking back to a maiden's magical abilities, or perhaps going back to the concept of lightning dust. "You mean it can shoot out bolts of lightning, right?" he asked, Akari nodded.
"Yeah, they might not seem too intimidating at first, but they are really dangerous. I nearly got the shock of my life when I tried to catch it" she said, her expression turning a little more light-hearted. "Still, I managed it well enough, and we both still have our partners with us" she said, Jaune agreeing, still holding Cyndaquil's Poké Ball in his hand. "That Cyndaquil you have, it's a decent choice to face a Shinx, but a ground type Pokémon, like a Geodude for example, would have an easier time" she said.
"Ground type?" Jaune asked, not sure what she meant. Akari nodded, recalling what the professor told her and Rei earlier.
"According to the Professor, all Pokémon each have a type or two. Currently there are a total of around eighteen or so different types and each one has their strengths and weaknesses. Take you Eevee for example" she said, addressing the Pokémon that seemed to turn towards her, having been mentioned by the blue-haired girl. "Eevees are a normal type Pokémon, meaning that certain Pokémon like Machop would have the advantage" she explained.
"...So, certain Pokémon have an advantage... like rock paper scissors?" he asked as he managed to break it down to an easier level. While not at all as simple as that, it did seem to be on the right track of some sort. "...That means those other Pokémon... Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawot..." he said, trying to recall their names as Akari nodded.
"Yep, and they're the best way to describe it. Rowlet, Rei's Pokémon, is a grass type Pokémon. Meaning that against a fire type like Cyndaquil, it would be at a disadvantage. Meanwhile my Oshawot, a water type Pokémon, wouldn't fair too well against it. But against your Cyndaquil, we'd be a pretty tough challenge" she said, a smile on her face while Jaune could compare it to someone like Nora, who was eager to boast about a fight or a challenge. Jaune smiled a bit, a familiar memory of his old team coming to mind.
"Good to know" he said, thinking more with the Pokémon they each had. 'So Akari beats me, Rei beats Akari, and I beat Rei?' he thought, understanding a bit more, his rock paper scissors metaphor being a bit more realistic than he probably meant it to be. "I take it there are other type matchups then?" he asked, recalling she mentioned around eighteen different ones. Akari nodded, her arms crossed as she seemed to recall some of them.
"The professor can probably tell you more of them, but I know a few basic ones. Flying types are strong against bug types, and weak to electric type Pokémon. Meaning that a Starly will be weak against a Shinx. However, a ground type Pokémon would make easy work of an electric type, while a flying type Pokémon would be immune to any ground type moves" she said while Jaune nodded.
"Okay, so... Pokémon each have a type, and they battle against each other, how does that work out for me and Cyndaquil if we have to fight a Pokémon that can shoot lighting?" he asked, wondering if there was something more to it than that. Akari grinned a little, seemingly liking the concept of teaching a newcomer about Pokémon.
"According to the professor, alongside a Pokémon's type, they are capable of learning certain moves, like Shinx's Thunder Shock, or for example, my Oshawot's Aqua Jet" she said while Jaune listened to her examples. "A Pokémon is capable of using these moves to battle, it's up to us to direct them and help them battle. Think of us like leaders directing a team to battle or something" she said.
Jaune stared at her for a second, before he suddenly busted out laughing at the irony of that. Juniper was confused, not understanding why her partner was doing so. Akari seemed to be in the same boat, not expecting that reaction from the blond-haired swordman. Nervously, she dared to ask as he calmed down a bit. "Jaune...?"
"Yeah?" he asked, a smile on his face, his attitude going from uncertain to fully confident in himself, as if a weight was lifted from his shoulders. "Is something wrong?" he asked, his normal sense of confusion she had seen him have throughout most of the time she was with him coming back around.
"...Why did you laugh?" was all she could ask by that point, blinking slightly as Jaune crossed his arms, a smile on his face now with a slight chuckle being her response. "You seem livelier now... why?" she asked with a frown now, wondering if there was some sort of ulterior motive regarding him. He didn't react like this until she mentioned him commanding Pokémon. Did... did he think it made it easier for him? To command Pokémon to do all the hard work for him?
"Heh, sorry... it's just, for a second I thought a Pokémon battle was something entirely different" he said which made her frown more towards confusion than concern. "You see, back home, me and my friends would spar with others. I was the weakest of us, but I made up for it with tactics and planning" he said, Akari quirking her own eyebrows. "If a Pokémon battle just needs me to give them instructions, then I'll be good. For a second, I thought I'd have to fight them myself" he said, sounding relieved if she heard right.
"...Wait, your friends... did they fought Pokémon?!" she asked, thinking she misheard as Jaune shook his head. No, hell no in fact. Then again, knowing Nora and Yang, they probably would just to see what it was like. Pyrrha probably would've too if she wanted to have a good battle with one of them.
"No, we fought against each other" he said, making Akari look at him, not sure what to think. "Let's just say I know how to take a punch" he said, or a mace... or a swinging log that was currently on fire. Heck, all he had to do was play it smarter, not harder, and do what he can to support his Pokémon.
His semblance came to mind almost immediately, he could help them recover if they had aura, amplifying them, helping them in fights. And if he could plan around a Pokémon, then maybe he might have a chance at catching one. Akari however seemed to disagree, happy that he wasn't fighting Pokémon by himself but not sure what to think about how he and his friends managed to fight each other. Her eyes once again drifted to his sword and a question came to mind.
'He fought with his friends' she thought, sparing he called it. He said he could take a punch, so it was hopefully unarmed. "No one, not even the commander, could take on a Pokémon without one of their own" she said, ignoring the fact that some Pokémon, like a Bidoof, a Wurmple or some other weaker Pokémon could probably be bested by their leader. But if he was to face a Pokémon like a Golem, a Snorlax, or even an Onyx or worse, then the thought of someone, anyone, going in without a Pokémon was suicide to her. Even with a weapon like Jaune's or rather a weapon better than Jaune's rusted weapon, she could only imagine what would be left of the fool who tried.
Jaune smiled regardless, wanting to tell her otherwise. Heck, huntsmen and huntresses trained to kill Grimm, and they could probably hold their own against a Pokémon. "Oh, Renny, let's fight that Pokémon right there, we'll ride it into battle" he could hear Nora's voice call out to her friend as she probably would've mounted some large bear Pokémon and rode it like she had done that Ursa back in the Emerald Forest. "Oh, you want to go? Let's go then!" he could hear Yang declare, challenging some sort of Pokémon that would probably be a better fight for her than some others back home probably were. He probably would include himself on that list.
"Anyways, I think I get how it works... to some degree" he said, Akari frowning as she let out a sigh. No, she wasn't sure if he did.
"Jaune, it takes more than ordering a Pokémon around to battle properly" she said as Jaune nodded, actually agreeing with her, much to her slight surprise. "...Never mind, let's catch up to the professor, he's probably waiting for us" she said before looking back up to where the professor was and making a dash up the nearby ascent. As Jaune watched her run towards the camp, Jaune followed with a run of his own, Juniper behind him as he did, her cries of wanting them to wait up falling on deaf ears.
Sometime later, they made their way to the campsite, Professor Laventon smiling once again, despite the questioning on what took them so long to catch up with him. "Well, here we are" he said, more towards to Jaune than Akari, the blue-haired girl having made the journey up here not too long ago. For his part, Jaune seemed impressed, it looked much better than his small campsite from his time with the Ever After.
Around the small opening at a flatter area of the hill leading more into the field lands, were a few tents scattered about. Three to be exact. A single campfire in the middle as two others sat around the flames, apparently cooking some food for their lunch, a man who wore a red colored uniform, 'Security Corps' Jaune thought to himself, remember seeing others working for the branch under the command of someone named Captain Zisu. The other was a girl in a similar attire, sitting near the flames as well, both of them having Pokémon beside them, one Jaune recalled seeing in the pastures of the village, and another which caught his curiosity.
The man in question, seemed to be a bigger man in terms of muscle, much like the others in his division, having black hair and sideburns that made the swordsman whether it was required, not seeing too much difference from several of the other members of the division. There were differences to be sure, he was a larger man than some of the others, a faint scar on his face below the right eye.
The woman with him was looking a little impatient but wore the standard uniform as her male counterpart, her hair cut or in a style similar to the other women he had seen in the Security Corps. To Jaune, this seemed to confirm a thought he had about uniforms. His time back at Beacon coming to mind, but not to such a degree. Unlike the man in question, she seemed to be wearing a shade of red lipstick, her slate gray eyes barely seen under the hat she wore.
Next to her was a yellow Pokémon, one that looked like some sort of bell if one could believe it or not. It hovered beside its potential partner, having two appendages that looked like red and white string on the back of its bell-like head... body, whatever you could call it.
Beside the man however was an orange, weasel-looking Pokémon, something that stuck out to the swordsman was that on its forearms were blue fins of some sort, its orange tail being split into two parts at the end and having some sort of collar or floatation device on its neck. It suddenly turned onto them, alarmed at their arrival, standing up on its two hind legs with a curious expression on its face. "Bui" it called out, earning a confused look from its partner.
"Buizel, what's wrong... oh!" the man began to ask, before seeing them, or rather perhaps, the professor, who seemed to bring a smile to the two of them. "Professor Laventon, I hadn't expected to see you out here again so soon" he said, standing up as the professor nodded.
"Dorian, it is great to see you're doing well out here, I take it you're still looking for that bigger Buizel you wanted to catch?" the professor asked, walking up and extending a hand, a hand in which the other man took and shook, clearly both of them really close to one another.
"Not this time" he said while his gaze turned to the young woman beside him. "Captain Zisu asked me to help our newest recruit with her new duties and put her through her paces" he said, the woman beside him standing up and bowing respectfully at the professor.
"It is nice to see you again, Professor Laventon" she said as Laventon seemed to try and recall her name, no doubt wondering why Captain Zisu was so assistant in the dress code. "Tradition" as she called it, something the Commander came up with. It was understandable, if not a little difficult to tell at first when nearly everyone in the Security Corps looked the same at times.
Suddenly, he recalled the woman, a smile forming on his face as he did. "Ah, now I remember, you're Zeke's younger sister, Wanda... are you not. I see you finally decided to join the Security Corps Afterall" he said, happy to see her in the outfit, knowing the test to join the Security Corps was rather strict. 'Then again, being trained by both the commander and Captain Zisu... I can only imagine what that would be like' he thought for a second.
"Indeed" she said, happy to meet the man who had done so much for them before she and her brother arrive not too long ago. Her eyes scanned to the two behind him, Akari and Jaune, both having somewhat different expressions. While Akari seemed happy to see them, recalling meeting the younger girl during her own test for the Survey Corps, it was Jaune's slightly nervous and cautious look that made her grow a bit more curious. "Oh, and you are?" she asked as she addressed the swordsman with interest. Meanwhile, Dorian turned to see Jaune and grew just as curious as his partners had.
"Oh, another newcomer?" he asked, addressing Jaune with a gaze that clearly sized him up, his arms crossed as he seemed more confused by his looks. "You... look different than most of the other villagers" he addressed the obvious, causing the professor to chuckle a little.
"Quite right" Laventon said, deciding to introduce the two of them to the so-called "Newcomer." "Dorian, Wanda, I would like you both to meet Jaune, he's an upcomer for the Survey Corps" he introduced. Jaune smiled, his right hand extended, showing a sign of friendship.
"It's nice to meet you, sir" he said, being respectful as Dorian seemed to continue inspecting him before taking the hand, a small smile forming on his face.
"A firm grip, you seem like a good recruit for Captain Cyllene" he said before addressing his current clothes. "Though I have to say, your clothes seem strange, I haven't seen something like that on any of the villagers before. Are they a new style of Anthe's?" he asked curiously as Jaune frowned in some uncertainty. Not sure what to say, Laventon spoke up for him once again.
"Not quite. our friend here is a traveler, who seems to have found himself in quite the sticky situation. the commander offered him a place on the Survey Corps while he looks for a way to reunite with his friends" he said, earning an alarmed look from Dorian and a shocked one from Wanda.
"What?" he asked, looking at Jaune once again. This time, he could see him in a slightly better context, the rusted sword he carried seemed to be proof of a means of protection, his attire clearly unlike anything he had seen. He silently turned towards the professor, who just as quietly mouthed off something no one else understood. "I see... well, I suppose if it's the commander's decision, i have no real complaints."
"You're a traveler?" Wanda suddenly asked, catching Jaune off guard as she seemed to look at him with more interest than before. "You must be rather brave to travel alone" she said before Jaune laughed a little hesitantly. More memories of his teammate came to mind as the woman's eyes seemed to sparkle at him, the concept of meeting a fellow rookie as it were. Her eyes seemed to drift slightly, Juniper standing beside Jaune, hiding behind his legs and peaking from beside them before Wanda seemed to catch her. "Oh my, what an adorable Pokémon" she called out, leaning down to try and get a better look, causing Juniper to try and hide behind Jaune once again.
Jaune just laughed a little, being the traitor to her as he was, moved away and allowed the other human to see her clearly now. "This is Juniper, I guess you can say she's a partner of mine" he said, the fox frowning a bit but greeting her with a sense of happiness. Wanda practically brimmed with happiness now, wanting to just pick up the small fox in her arms and hug it. It was Dorian's own words that stopped that train of thought.
"Wanda, enough" he ordered, causing the woman to freeze and suddenly recompose herself. Dorian sighed, shaking his head, albeit looking amused at the woman's antics. "As a member of the Security Corps, you must remember the commander's words. Pokémon are not to be taken lightly, even if they belong to a comrade" he said, recalling Kamado's words as Wanda frowned slightly.
"...Yes sir" he said, addressing her senior with a bit of wounded pride. Not like there was anything wrong with it, was there? The small fox, an Eevee, was usually very social and didn't seem to attack others. If anything, she recalled them fleeing from conflict instead. And this one, as strange and unique as it looked, seemed just as worried about them as they probably did it.
"Juniper won't hurt anyone, I mean... she might scratch or bite you if you annoy her too much" he said, picking her up in her arms, a slight struggle lasting only a second or two came about as he held her with a smile on his face, a contrast to the slight humility she seemed to have, her own face buried into his shirt.
"Hm, I'll take your word on it, then. So then, I take it you're to take your survey tests then?" he asked, Jaune nodding his head. "I see, so which Pokémon has Captain Cyllene issued you to catch?" he asked. Akari frowned a bit and sighed.
"Several of them" she said, Wanda turning towards her. "She wants to see just what Jaune is capable of. So, she asked him to catch four different Pokémon" she informed the two, their reactions serving as a reminder to how absurd the challenge must've been.
"What... Four?!" Dorian called out, looking at Jaune in disbelief, who just seemed to be annoyed at this point. Seriously, was catching a Pokémon that hard? Lookining at the other man, he seemed confused as to why that was such a big deal.
"I don't know what's wrong about that" he said. "I mean, I caught two when I first met Professor Laventon" he said as Wanda spoke up next.
"Wait, seriously...?" she asked, Laventon's laugh practically confirming it.
"Indeed, he proved to be a much better Pokémon catcher than I was. Since Jaune needed a place to rest, the commander no doubt struck a deal with him. To be honest, he probably could've been into any of the divisions we had" he said before Jaune sighed.
"I chose the Survey Corps because I wanted to explore the Hisui Region" Jaune clarified. "I figured why not kill two birds with one stone." Dorian looked at him, nodding his head before crossing his arms.
"I see, that is a good idea. The Survey Corps will have their hands full with catching Pokémon, as well as raising them in the pastures. If you were to be under Captain Tao Hua or Captain Zisu, then I doubt you would have as much freedom as you would under Captain Cyllene" he said.
"Yeah" Jaune agreed, recalling the commander's reasoning for him to join the Survey Corps. It was still either this or that Ginkgo Guild the man mentioned, but according to Kamado, they seemed to be busy with those disappearances that were happening around the Hisui Region.
"Well before we begin with that test of yours, why not have us some food first" Laventon said, causing Akari to agree with the man. She already had to skip breakfast when she was told to meet up with Captain Cyllene, and she would admit, she was getting hungry. Dorian nodded, returning to the campfire with a smile on his face.
"You're in luck, we had Buizel catch some nearby fish from the river, and I had Wanda have her Chingling gather some berries as well" he said, though looking a little annoyed. "Though how you managed to wander all the way to the Horseshoe Plains, I won't ask" he muttered to himself, Wanda, who overheard that, at least had the decency to blush.
Okay, so maybe she was a little lost, it was technically her first week in the Security Corps. She didn't have the best sense of direction either, understandingly she was prone to getting a little turned around. It wasn't like she was a hazard with zero sense of direction, was she?
Professor Laventon smiled, joining them by the campfire. "We appreciate the offer; we'll be sure to pay you back when we're out in the fields ourselves. Until then, let's have ourselves a hardy meal, shall we?" he asked, looking at Jaune and Akari, both of which had to agree. As Jaune sat next to Wanda, Juniper joining the other Pokémon as he did so, he couldn't help but smile, being surrounded by people once again, despite a small hesitation in doing so.
"And to protect his friends, the Rusted Knight drank the poison" he recalled his sister's voice, having read the tale of Alyx to him. His blue eyes closed, a sensation of fear threatening to emerge. No, this wasn't Alyx, this was different. Looking at Akari talking to Wanda, seeing Professor Laventon discussing things with Dorian, Jaune could only focus on the future, all while unknowingly, a pair of eyes looked at him, noticing what seemed to be sadness.
Noticing the downcast look, Akari spoke up. "Is there something wrong, Jaune?" Akari asked, snatching the knight's attention from his thoughts. Looking at her, he gave a small smile.
"Oh, no... nothing at all" he said, reassuring her as she and Wanda looked at him with different expressions. While Akari frowned, her face showing she didn't believe a word of it, Wanda just seemed concerned. Knowing he was caught, Jaune gave out a tired sigh. "I guess, I'm just lost in thought" he said, Wanda curious as to what he meant.
"What do you mean?" she asked, by this point Juniper made her way towards her partner, followed by Chingling and Buizel making their way to their own humans as well. Jaune's smile persisted, a good-natured laugh escaping as he looked at the food he was given.
"It's been a while since I camped out with others, well, except Juniper" he said, the silver fox yipping as she brushed her head against the knight, Jaune smiling as he patted her head gently. While the girls seemed curious, it was Laventon's voice that continued the conversation.
"That's right, you traveled in a group before" he said, Dorian curiously looking at the professor. "I would assume it makes sense for you to reminisce a little" he said with a smile on his face. "But you know as they say, a meal shared among friends and good fellows is better than one lost in solitude" he said, Akari giving the man a bit of a laugh.
"Well, I guess you're right on that" she said before looking at Jaune with a bit of a grin. "Besides, if we're going to be working together, we might as well get along" she said as Dorian added his own two cents to the conversation.
"Speaking of which" the man said, catching Jaune's attention. "I know it's not my place to intervene, but I was curious if you could do me a favor" he said, earning confused looks from the group around him. "One of the Pokémon you have to catch is a Buizel, is it not?" he asked, Jaune looking at the man before nodding.
"Yeah, why?" he asked as the man grinned.
"Why not have a bit of a contest" he said with a hearty laugh, his gaze directed towards his own Buizel, "This Buizel of mine serves as my partner, however he is a little on the smaller side when it comes to his kind" Dorian said, Jaune looking at the Pokémon in curiosity. "Since you're going to try and catch a Buizel, how about trying to catch a bigger one than mine?" he offered, the challenge declared to Jaune in front of the entire camp.
"Well... uh, what are the stakes of this?" he asked, not sure where he was going, Dorian however kept up his mirth-filled grin.
"No stakes, nothing to lose or gain" he replied, "Just a fun little competition to see how good of a Pokémon Catcher you are. Afterall, if Captain Cyllene asked you to catch four different Pokémon, then you must have some potential within you" he praised as Jaune seemed nervous.
Yeah, potential, or maybe it was luck. Looking at his food once again, he gave a small grin of determination, his blue eyes shining as he knew he had to put his best foot forward. "I'm going to give it my best shot" he said as Wanda spoke up next.
"Still, catching Pokémon is a hard task, but with your Eevee, I'm sure you can hold your own" she said, Jaune nodding his head, despite knowing Juniper didn't want to battle at all. Akari looked at him and suddenly perked up. An idea coming to mind as she rose to her feet.
"Hey, Jaune" she called out, earning his and the camps attention. "Since you never had a Pokémon battle before, why not have one right now with me?" she asked, surprising the group. "...What, I'm curious to see how well he does" she defended, it was Laventon who spoke up next.
"A fine idea, perhaps after lunch we can see how well both of you can battle. If I'm not mistaken, Akari, this is your first battle as well, right?" he asked as she nodded.
"Yeah, me and Rei were going to have a practice battle today, but with Jaune's test and everything..." she trailed before looking at Jaune with a bit of excitement gleaming in her eyes. "So, how about it, you want to see what we're both made of?" she asked, earning a small smile from the swordsman.
He didn't know much about a Pokémon battle, but it sounded to him like it was more akin to how he led his team at Beacon, the swordsman directing his team in comparison to joining in the fray unless he had to.
"Sure, I'm kind of curious myself" he said as the match was decided. Not only would it help him better understand what a battle was supposed to be like, but also helped him see what kind of skills his Cyndaquil had. 'Every Pokémon has a type, has its strengths and weaknesses' he pondered before standing up himself. "So, when do we start?"
Meanwhile, back in Jubilife Village, Rei was grinning, busy focusing on his work as he sat down at his work bench, his nearby tools resting beside him as he finished another one of his works. Beside him were piles of brown fruits of some sort, a pile of red stones not too much farther away. "Heh, looks like another success" he said softly to himself, inspecting the newly created Poké Ball that he made with care. Behind him, with a red berry in its beak, Rowlet finished its lunch and gave its trainer a hardy hoot in agreement before returning to another bowl of water its partner provided while he worked.
By now, he was sure they had made it to the Field lands Camp and was curious to know how it went. Taking the freshly made Poké Ball, he placed it in a pile with a handful of others, so far, so good. And now to work on Poké Ball number eleven. Grabbing another Apricorn, he was interrupted by a new voice, Rowlet's head swiveling to see the friendly man who allowed Rei to use his work bench.
"At it again, are ya?" a man asked, a smile on his face as he crossed his arms. Rei nodded, continuing to work on his Poké Balls, having bought enough supplies to make well-over fifty Poké Balls. He would have to thank Captain Cyllene for the money when he got back, then again these were supposed to be a gift for Akari and him after passing their tests. "Your work is as well as ever, not a single noticeable flaw" the man said, taking one of the Poké Balls the young man created as Rei turned to face him fully, the brown apricorn and red tumble stone resting on the bench alongside the tools. "It's rather amazing though, that the professor's inventions can actually capture Pokémon."
"Yeah... we really lucked out there" he said, the newest member of the Survey Corps standing up to take a small break, wanting to talk to the man who helped teach him his skills. "I'm just glad I can help out a little" Rei said, his Rowlet hoping towards him while the older man seemed amused.
"Help out a little?" he asked, a small grin on his face. "Nonsense, you do more than that. Your technique in Poké Ball crafting is top tier. The shine of them, the density and smoothness. Truly, no, assuredly, you have what it takes to be my successor!" he declared a little dramatically. A new voice speaking up soon after.
"Dad, you can't just keep trying to force Rei to be your successor" a woman's voice called out, both men turning to see a young woman with lighter brown hair and silver eyes looking at him with a deadpanned stare. "Honestly, we had this conversation enough already" she scolded her father slightly, the man nervously coughing into his fist as Rei laughed nervously.
"O-of course. I would never think about forcing Rei to become my successor. His skills in the Galaxy Team are more important than running a shop. Plus, I'm sure you'll have it in good hands when you take over, Simona" he said as the woman frowned a bit.
"Yeah... if I do" she said with a bit of a wince. "You know I'm not good with crafting even the basics" she reminded her father, the man recalling his daughter's previous attempts with a frown. While his daughter might have inherited many qualities from him and his wife, her crafting abilities were, well...
...left to be desired, to put it rather nicely.
The older man sighed, understanding his daughter's plight. Instead of continuing the topic in question however, the older man decided to change it. "So, tell me. Who was that young man that you, Akari and the professor were with last night?" he asked, recalling seeing them from the shop while they talked about the professor's project. Rei quickly knew what the older man meant.
"Jaune, you mean?" he asked, earning a nod from the other man. If that was his name then he would hope to meet him, should he be another potential customer. "He's a traveler, he found himself traveling Hisui and is hoping to find a way back to meet up with his friends" the cap-wearing boy said.
"I see, so he was invited into the village by the professor then?" he asked, earning a nod from Rei before shaking his head. "I see, I suppose that that young man, John, was it, must've made some sort of impact on the professor. Or perhaps Laventon was being too nice again, he always did seem to trust others a fair bit too easily-"
"Father" Simona snapped somewhat, hearing him indirectly, and perhaps unintentionally, insult the man who was not only his biggest customer but the mentor to the boy that just gave him a flat look for his words.
"Oh, er... not that I meant that in a negative way" the man said as a means of him trying to face. "He is indeed a good man, but I just worry others might one day take advantage of him-"
"So, what is this John guy like?" Simona suddenly said, saving her father from somehow making things worse than what they probably were, changing the subject towards Jaune instead of Laventon. Rei said nothing at first before answering, sating Simona's intrigue.
"Jaune is... kind of hard to get a good grip on, really" Rei said honestly enough, "I mean, he seems like a good enough guy, but he seems, I don't know, cautious, hesitant, as if he's too lost in thought and thinking about something else" he said, recalling on what the swordsman said about needing to find a way home. Then again, he couldn't blame the blond knight whatsoever. Apparently, he fell from the sky, the time-space rift from above and was not from Hisui. "I like to think he's someone who wants to help others, but he probably has too much on his mind."
"I see... and I take it those rumors regarding him, his "falling from the sky" as it is a part of such things?" the man said, somewhat rude and his tones filled with obvious distrust. Again, Simona wanted to scold her father for being rude, but to a degree, she would agree that it was strange to know that someone actually fell out of that thing. Curiosity filled her, questions lingered in the air of the village regarding the mysterious young man. "Well, I suppose we'll let the commander and the captains settle it. But should he think about trying anything with my wares, or worse, my daughter, whatever this so-called "Almighty Sinnoh" those clan's worship... My vengeances shall fall greater than even the mightiest of lightning!"
"Father!" Simona shouted again; this time embarrassed at what he had suggested. "I'm... he's not... we aren't going to just start dating or anything" she said as the man nodded.
"Indeed, we need to find you a man worthy of your beauty and heart... Rei, please do me the honor of marrying my daughter-" was as far as he came before a broom slammed him in the back of the head, a woman giving him a deadpanned expression with a white squirl-like Pokémon following suit.
"Honestly, Anvin... will you leave the kids alone" the woman, his wife, muttered with some minor annoyance. While she loved the craftsman dearly, he could have his moments. Seeing him nurse his head, the woman placed the broom down, it now leaning against the nearby wall. "Though, perhaps in a few years' time..." she trailed, earning a moan from her mother, and a stuttered response from Rei.
"It won't/ I-it won't ma'am" came their shared responses as Simona just sighed, turning heel and walking out of the workshop with her Pachirisu behind her. Honestly, she viewed the boy as a brother, why did her parents have to be like this? Rei just went back to his work, trying to get is mind off of it while Rowlet cocked its head slightly, not understanding what the older woman said.
As the older woman picked up the broom to continue her sweeping, Anvin sighed, returning to the front of the store in order to run his business. As they left, Rei sighed, double-checking the supplies and the Poké Balls he had already made. However, as he did, he noticed something off, a quick count made him frown a bit as instead of the ten Poké Balls he had made earlier, only nine remained in the small pile.
'Huh? That's odd... I'm missing a Poké Ball' he thought to himself while looking around, perhaps it rolled away? Did Pachirisu take it when they weren't looking?
While Rei looked for the missing Poké Ball, a young girl smiled, tossing said "borrowed" ball in the air with a smile on her face. She was sure one Poké Ball wouldn't matter or be missed, and she had a need for it when her little Dusky returned. As she glanced back, she smiled, placing the Poké Ball in her pocket and making her way back to the beach to wait for her friend's report on the mysterious swordsman that fell into their hands.
And with that the chapter's is over. I'm not sure if people prefer bigger chapters or are fine with shorter ones like this. On a positive note, I found a way to help with the spell-check so hopefully there won't as many typos as possible than before. Anyways, I'm going to head out and work on the next chapter. I have some more free time now so I might be able to write more. If you like the smaller chapters or want bigger ones, let me know. While they're short I kind of like writing these smaller ones than the bigger ones, but I digress. Have a great day or night.