I was stunned-I'd never expected Chee to betray me like this. She'd been mopey about the idea of me leaving, but I never thought she would stoop so low as to interfere in the battle...
Well okay, I have to admit the execution was perfect. Only Blue noticed anything was amiss, even I only realised by examining the battlefield afterwards. If this was a real war I would have to give the idea a begrudging note of admiration. But in a setting where I wasn't allowed to break the rules, it was a cheap shot.
Nonetheless, I would give the girl a chance to come clean and explain herself, so I decided to give her space until tomorrow. She seemed hesitant to approach me for the rest of the day-Maybe she realised she'd done something bad.
Seeing as I wasn't playing with Chee or training with Yeller-My partner was still pretty exhausted after the battle with Blue- I decided to have a fiddle around with the strange system again. One of the first things I realised was that despite all the time that had passed, I'd never officially accepted the reward for clearing Oak's challenge three weeks ago, so I started by accepting that.
...Open.
[Cyan Hughs
Status:
HP: 24/25
Atk: 8
: 0
Def: 10
Sp. Def: 5
Spd: 12
Stat Points (15)
Skills:
Eye to Eye
Regression System
Pokemon Status Lv 1
Type Proficiency 14% {Tap to Expand} ]
Looking at my status now, over the past three weeks I'd managed to figure out what most stats correlated to.
HP = Stamina/Energy, how much HP you have left is proportional to how healthy you are in a daily sense. Even when you're flat out exhausted it only seems to drop to 0 if you lose consciousness. As my training increases my stamina the maximum seems to increase.
Atk = Physical Strength, raw might. Every time this stat increased I noticed I could lift heavy things more easily, or push harder than before. It also mostly increased in reaction to the times I wrestled directly with Chee, who is much stronger than you'd expect of a girl her age.
Def = Endurance. The higher this stat went, the less I got hurt by being hit with balls and wild Pokemon attacks. It rose incredibly fast from playing 'Forest Ball' with Chee.
Spd = Dexterity/Fine motor control. This stat only increased twice, once when I spent all day trying knots and crafting things, the other time being when I actually managed to improve my aim and land several hits on a moving target. It was also currently my highest stat which made sense-Even if I was in a body I wasn't very used to, I'd been training to adapt to it and I was pretty dexterous to begin with.
All these stats had increased when I was playing my butt off with Chee. A part of me wanted to try pouring all the points into Atk or Def to see how much stronger or more resilient I felt, but I saw something that made me reconsider.
There were still two and - both of which hadn't increased at all despite how much the other stats went up. It's possible that the method for increasing them was different, but I wasn't sure whether they could be raised at all without using stat points, which made me hesitant to try.
I decided to once again put aside the issue of stat points, and instead I opened up the type proficiency menu to double check something.
[Normal Proficiency: 255% {VIEW REWARDS}
Fighting Proficiency: 0%
Flying Proficiency: 0%
Poison Proficiency: 0%
Ground Proficiency: 0%
Rock Proficiency: 0%
Bug Proficiency: 0%
Ghost Proficiency: 0%
Steel Proficiency: 0%
Fire Proficiency: 0%
Water Proficiency: 0%
Grass Proficiency: 0%
Electric Proficiency: 0%
Psychic Proficiency: 0%
Ice Proficiency: 0%
Dragon Proficiency: 0%
Dark Proficiency: 0%
Fairy Proficiency: 0%]
Hmm? Did something change?
I tapped on 'view rewards', and I was presented with a more detailed page.
[Normal Type Proficiency Level: 2
To next level: 45%
Level 1 Reward: S.T.A.B. (Skill) {CLAIMED}
Level 2 Reward: Normal Type +5% Damage]
So apparently my 'Normal Type Proficiency' had gone past 100%... I hadn't checked it since the first time I got a reward while fighting blue, but fortunately it seemed that the Level 2 reward didn't need to be manually claimed anyway.
I dismissed the windows and returned my attention to my partner, who had been beaten up pretty badly by the attacks he'd received from Blue's squirtle. I could hardly blame Blue for fighting seriously, but I still felt sorry for my poor little Rattata.
...Chee had until tomorrow to apologise, otherwise she was in trouble.
I let out a sigh, drinking in the boringly plain walls and ceiling of my room. Unlike Chee and Blue I wasn't intending to live here for long, so I hadn't bothered to decorate in any way. The stock standard wardrobe, desk and bed were all here, but otherwise there was barely anything to see.
Maybe I should at least put a poster up.
...
Day 23 at Professor Oak's Lab:
When I opened the door a young girl was sitting there waiting for me. She seemed pleased somehow, and her eyes were excited. Guess you'll still be here for a while, want to play?
I could immediately see that Chee was not planning to apologise to me, so I just ignored her for now. I could give her a bit more time before confronting her. I walked past her barely sparing a glance, and left for the training field in order to train Yeller.
A few hours later I spotted her peeking at me shyly from around a corner. Ordinarily in such a case I would go talk to her, but I put it out of my mind for now and continued training. Quick Mode had more or less been a success, but the fact remained that whether Yeller was sabotaged or not, he went down in one hit.
So for today, we practiced Quick Mode landings, making sure that if it really was due to a botched landing that Yeller wouldn't fail again. The training was pretty tough, but Yeller didn't slip up often, even when I started throwing buckets of water on the ground. And even then, when he did slip he was still able to walk afterwards with no problems.
...Blue's right, it really does seem like sabotage.
After finishing my training for the day and eating Dinner, I decided to return to my room. On the way there I found myself physically blocked by Chee, who was shaking slightly. She looked desperately into my eyes.
...You can still tell what I'm saying right? Please tell me you can still hear me...
I sighed, figuring it was time to relent and actually confront her.
"I can still hear you, I'm just upset." I grumbled slightly, folding my arms in a show of annoyance. I could tell this caught her slightly off-guard.
O-oh, then d-do you wanna play together? Maybe you'd feel better if...
"When Yeller tripped." I cut into her thoughts, and she flinched slightly, staring down a the ground defensively. "Was that because of you and your Bulbasaur?"
Her eyes went dark, and Chee continued to refuse to meet my gaze. She most likely knew that trying to lie to me with the way we communicate would be ineffective at best, and was electing for the visual equivalent of keeping her mouth shut-Not thinking of anything.
If she was going to be like that, I could wait until tomorrow. My plans to leave had recently been delayed anyway.
Wordlessly I pushed past her, and Green let out an alarmed squeak. She tugged on my sleeve but I ignored her, freeing my shirt from her grip and pushing forward to my room. I heard her footsteps urgently trailing behind me but I ignored them.
I opened the door to my room and went inside, closing it behind me without even looking.
For a few seconds she tried slamming on the door, when that didn't work I heard more panicked squeaking, following by panicked squeaking while bashing on the door.
Eventually everything went quiet for a minute, only to be followed by a quiet hiccuping as she began to cry.
Finally I opened the door a crack to peak out. Green sat by my door with tears in her eyes. She looked up at me. ...I'm sorry. I did it, please don't abandon me.
"Haah..." I breathed out heavily, but I opened the door to invite her in. Stifling her sobs, Chee walked into my room.
...
Chee sat on my bed with her hands clasped together, still shaking ever so slightly.
After giving Chee some time to calm down, I'd settled on my course of action. It was fairly obvious to see that she'd never heard even an inkling of the idea that Oak planned for us to travel together, and she was pretty stressed about it. Oak had asked me to keep quiet, but I decided to forgo his orders in order to keep his intent, so I would have to tell her myself. Despite that, we most likely will have to go our separate ways eventually, and I don't really want her to pull something like this on me again at an important moment.
"Well, I think I have some idea but... Why did you interfere in our battle?"
Chee wrapped her arms tightly around her waist, clearly missing the Pikachu plushie that she normally kept for comfort. Her eyes flickered around, not wanting to meet mine but also not wanting to avoid the question and get kicked out again.
...I'm sorry.
"Look," I sighed. "I want to stay friends with you, and I want to understand. Please let me know what was going through your head."
Her eyes seemed to glisten with moisture for a moment and she squirmed slightly under my gaze, but after taking a breath she finally met my eyes.
I was scared of you leaving. It's been so long since I've had someone I could play with I... The thought of being all alone again... It hurts... Her eyes shifted from sadness to a hint of desperation.
Chee, like Blue, was incredibly intelligent for her age. She had powerful instincts and an incredible talent for battle. Despite that, she was still a child. Perhaps Chee just needed it to be explained to her in a simple and easy to understand manner.
"The only reason I'm allowed to be here is because I'm going to go on the Gym Challenge." I sat next to her, letting my voice get a bit softer to make sure she understood I wasn't trying to be harsh. "And that's what I want to do... Do you understand, what you did to Yeller... It hurts Yeller, it hurts my dream, and it hurts me... Is that what you wanted?"
Her eyes seemed to widen with surprise. N-no! I don't want to hurt you-I don't want to hurt anyone! I just...
"I believe you. But your actions have consequences." I cut her off. "In order to try and stop yourself from hurting, instead of talking to me or Oak or Blue and try to find some other way to handle it, you chose to hurt me instead. That may not have been your intention but it was the wrong way to handle it."
I locked eyes with her, making sure she was getting everything I was saying. "Do you understand?"
She nodded quietly as tears began to fall from her cheeks. ...I do... I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have... I'm sorry.
"As long as you understand that much, you're fine." I smiled, leaning over and stretching my arm out to her. "I forgive you Chee, so let's keep being friends."
Rather than a handshake, Chee seemed to take that as an invitation to give me a hug. She wrapped her arms around me and sobbed into my chest for a few moments, squeezing tightly.
A little too tightly.
"...Ch...Ee!" I wheezed, hardly able to breathe. "Too tight! Too... Tight!"
She let off the pressure, and I could feel the air returning to my lungs. As I looked down and saw her figure wrapped around me it reminded me of something important.
Right now, I was also a child. I had the memories of my past life and the drive of knowing some of the things that will happen, but even then I have been behaving more childlike and immature since I found myself back here.
It seems obvious in a way, but it did leave me with a scary question. If my behaviour was more childlike than it should be, was it possible my judgement was too? What if my memories would fade away as I got older?
...I made a mental note to write down as much random information as I could remember from my past life in my free time.
Chee finally pulled away from the hug, rubbing what tears hadn't been smeared into my shirt from her eyes with her big bushy gloves. ...Thank you.
She finally looked back to herself, even if her eyes were a bit mushy. With the root problem resolved, I now felt that I could move on without encouraging the bad behaviour she had engaged in prior.
"Would you like to come with me?" I asked gently, and she froze up for a moment, meeting me with a questioning gaze. "...On the Gym Challenge, I mean. Oak and I already talked about me bringing you along so that we can do it together, but I don't want to force you into something you might hate."
Chee looked down, and she seemed to be genuinely thoughtful. Her eyes clouded over- presumably remembering whatever traumatic experience she'd had when she left Pallet Town last time- and I began to feel that I shouldn't have brought it up so soon.
Perhaps I should have given her more time to rest before asking her something that might be hard-Or so I thought, but quietly she started nodding. She smiled for the first time all day, and her face was surprisingly tranquil.
I'd like that.
...
Day 24 at Professor Oak's Lab:
Chee had gone with me in the morning to explain what had happened to Professor Oak. He seemed pretty surprised by the news, but agreed to give me another chance to prove myself if I could convince Blue to battle with me again.
I had expected Chee to keep challenging me to distract me, but she told me that she felt bad for hurting my chances and she'd let me spend more of my focus on convincing Blue for a while-though she still insisted I play with her at least some of the day.
So now in the afternoon I was searching the Pokemon Enclosure half-heartedly, as I'd come to a rather frustrating realisation.
I had absolutely no clue where Blue went during the day.
I knew that he was training every day-much like I wanted to- but he was rarely ever at the inside or outside battlefields, and I'd checked his room without finding him either. Chee and I usually spent quite a bit of time in the Pokemon Enclosure as well, but we'd never seen him in any of our usual hiding places.
So after spending an hour rummaging through the random locations Chee and I didn't regularly visit, I went to the place I'd first met Blue-The lake where he'd caught his Squirtle. When I arrived at the lake, I found that he was there with the large turtle already.
"Alright Squirtle! One more try, you can do it!" Blue commanded, and the Squirtle formed a ball of water from it's mouth. The water grew in size and began to cover the Pokemon's entire body, but just when it looked like the ball had grown large enough, it burst. The water went flying everywhere, and the Squirtle began to look sheepish.
"Damnit!" Blue growled bitterly, and the Squirtle shivered under his glare. Quietly, he relented a little. "...Take five, I need to think."
It was only at this point that he noticed me. I'd expected his face to scrunch up in annoyance as it had most time's I had met up with him, but his expression remained mostly unchanged. "Hey." He called to me calmly. "Did you need something?"
"Oh, uh. Yeah I was looking for you actually..." I walked into the clearing around the lake instead of hanging around in the bushes, caught off guard by the lack of spite in his tone. For the first time since I'd met him, I felt like I could actually start a conversation. "Is this where you usually go during the day?"
Blue nodded a single time in response, his silver eyes relaxed and focused. "Yeah, I like to train in terrain that's hard for my Pokemon to handle, so I've been training by this lake for as long as I can remember."
I frowned at that comment. "...Isn't a lake the sort of terrain that Squirtle would excel in?"
He paused with his mouth open for a moment, as if I'd inspired some deep thought in him. Finally he returned his attention to me. "Yeah you're right. Habits die hard I suppose."
"...Right, well. Oak agreed to give me another shot at being ready for the Gym Challenge, would you battle me again so that I can have my chance?"
"No," Blue responded curtly. "I can't do that right now."
I had to swallow my surprise as I met his gaze. "What? Why?"
Blue shrugged quietly. "It wouldn't be fair to you. Just tell Gramps I said you won the battle."
My eyebrows furrowed and I began to feel a growing sense of suspicion in the back of my chest. "...This doesn't seem like you. Why would you suggest lying about a battle? Don't you... I dunno, hate me?"
This finally got a more typical response out of Blue, whose blank face tightened into a distinct glare at my comments. "Well like it or not, I'm still me." He crossed his arms in annoyance. "As far as I'm concerned you won the last match we fought anyway. If that loser hadn't stepped in you would have won. And if you can beat me... Well, I thought you were worthless when you first showed up, but maybe you're not."
Blue huffed in annoyance, and he seemed to purse his lips in a way mildly reminiscent of the way that Chee puffed her cheeks when she was upset. Although it looked markedly more intimidating on him than it did on Chee.
"Besides!" Blue pointed at me threateningly. "Next time, I'm gonna win for sure! Until I teach Squirtle this new move so I can beat you fair and square, I'm not battling!"
He called to his Squirtle and continued to try the same process of forming a bubble and having it pop on the Squirtle over and over, while I decided it probably wasn't worth trying to convince him any further for the day.
I went back to the Lab and spent some time playing with Chee instead. She was very happy to see me.
Day 25 at Professor Oak's Lab:
After losing another daily battle with Chee-I insisted that we at least do the battle for the sake of tradition-I found myself once again going to see Blue at the enclosure's lake. He seemed to be even more frustrated with his Squirtle than the day before.
He spotted me again and seemed annoyed to see me, but after listening to him ramble about how I was annoying him and he wasn't going to do the test with me, I finally asked the thing that had been on my mind since yesterday.
"...Um, what exactly are you trying to achieve?" I asked cautiously as I watched his Squirtle once again pop it's water bubble.
Blue sighed, avoiding looking towards me. "...I'm trying to copy Quick Attack." He admitted quietly, rubbing his chestnut hair roughly. "After I saw what you did with it, I couldn't stop thinking about how useful it would be if Squirtle could do something similar to that."
He folded his arms, looking indignant. "So I did some research-Turns out Squirtle can't learn Quick Attack, but in some cases they know a different move called 'Aqua Jet'-Which is a similar move. Usually only if one of their parents was a Golduck... Well I figured, that must mean they learn to do it because of how they were raised! It should still be possible for a young and impressionable Squirtle to learn the move! So I've been trying to get it to do something like the move but..."
The bubble burst again, splashing water across the field. The Squirtle recoiled, almost as if it had something fowl-tasting in it's mouth.
"...It's not working." He finished. "The water doesn't seem to increase it's speed as much as I hoped, and it keeps bursting."
I was thoughtful for a moment, my hand on my chin. The move aqua jet was one I'd seen before-Admittedly not incredibly often, but I'd seen it nonetheless. The way that the water was flowing from Squirtle seemed... Wrong somehow.
"...Which move are you having Squirtle use to generate the water?" I inquired cautiously.
"Bubble, since the water is easier to form that way."
There it is. I think I see the problem here.
"Blue, you've made a rookie mistake here." I smirked confidently as I spoke. Blue scowled at me in annoyance.
"Hey! I'm no rookie! Don't gloat just because you've made a few cool tricks!"
I shook my head. "No, you're smart-You just don't realise the mistake you've made. When you want to toy with moves like this, there's an important step I think you've skipped over." I met his eyes dead-on. "You need to understand every element of the move."
I pointed to the Squirtle. "Here, for instance. Have your Squirtle use Bubble the way you've been trying to do it until now.
He frowned at me, but he seemed to understand I was trying to show him something. He commanded the Squirtle. The turtle formed a perfectly still bubble of water and air, and it once again burst as it got large. He gave me an incredulous look as if to say 'see?', but I ignored his sass.
"Alright, now have him use the move normally, and propel it into the air." I continued.
He gave me a look like I was insane, but as instructed he told the Squirtle to fire a bubble into the air. It formed a perfectly still bubble of water and air, which it launched skyward. A few moments later...
The bubble burst, and the water came cascading down. The timing from when it formed the ball and when it burst was almost identical to the one it had formed around itself.
"Do you see the issue, Blue?"
Blue was thoughtful for a moment, but then his eyes lit up. "Ah! Bubble is fundamentally a move that bursts!"
"Exactly!" I grinned at him. "Bubble is slow-moving and it bursts after time passes-It's a terrible choice for trying to replicate Aqua Jet."
Blue nodded slowly, understanding filling his eyes. "I think I get it. Thanks."
"Well, if you want to thank me, you could help me to-"
"Not yet."
"Come on, I scratch your back, you-"
"The answer is no."
"...Please?"
"No."
Disheartened, I returned to the Lab for the rest of the day. I needed some way to convince Blue to help me... Chee helped cheer me up, but I still didn't have any good ideas for how to convince Oak that I was worthy of the Gym Challenge.
Day 26 at Professor Oak's Lab:
I took a break from trying to convince Blue, instead opting to spend some time with Yeller refining techniques, and playing with Chee a little to refresh my brain. We spent some time trying to come up with a way to convince Blue, but it seemed that Chee didn't know any real way to persuade him either.
Day 27 at Professor Oak's Lab:
When I opened the door to my room in the morning, I was startled by the sight of a brown-haired boy with an attitude. Without waiting for my response he grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and dragged me out to the battling arena.
"Alright, check this out!" He proclaimed, summoning his Squirtle to his side. "Squirtle! Use Aqua Jet!"
"Dude, it hasn't even been a week." I groaned. "There's no way that-"
I clammed my mouth shut however, as the Squirtle let water flow out from it's body, surrounding it in a torrent of flowing liquid. Then in a burst of sudden acceleration it sped across the field with speed and power easily rivalling my Rattata's Quick Attack. It came to a halt suddenly and the move dispersed, the Squirtle looking exhausted.
"It's not perfect yet, but that's definitely Aqua Jet. Wouldn't you say?" Blue grinned at me with a sense of superiority. "After we talked yesterday I got the water to flow consistently using water gun, and by combining that with the research I did on Golduck..." He shot me a thumbs up.
"I was able to teach my Squirtle an Egg Move it didn't know!"
I stood there in stunned silence, my mouth agape, for at least a few minutes before I finally spoke. "...You... You taught a Pokemon a move it can't learn...?"
Blue tapped me on the forehead a little too hard. "No, I taught it a move people thought it could only learn as a child. Big difference."
His grin widened. "And it's all thanks to you Cyan! I'm gonna go tell Gramps, and I'll make sure to put in a word for you about the Gym Challenge!"
Blue energetically skipped over to Oak's office, while I could barely stand by in complete dumbfounded awe.
About an hour later, Chee found me still trying to process what I had just seen. It felt like my entire perception of the world had just been torn down. I had to take the rest of the day to wrap my head around the things I had witnessed.
[Log:
In your pursuit of knowledge, you have increased your intelligence! Sp. Atk +1]
Day 28 at Professor Oak's Lab:
After Blue had talked with Oak, he managed to talk him into giving me another chance to prove myself via an alternative method. Blue took Oak to me and explained how I'd helped him teach the Squirtle an 'egg move', as well as why he felt he'd lost the battle with me a few days ago.
Oak didn't seem to entirely buy it, so Chee and I had a battle in front of him instead. I showed off Quick Mode again-This time without any mishaps- And that seemed to be enough to satisfy him. Or perhaps he just relented under the pressure of all three children insisting I be allowed to leave.
Either way, he told me that I could start on the Gym Challenge once he was finished training me in the camping and how to travel safely from town to town. With that in mind, he redoubled the training-Which ate up most of my free time for the foreseeable future...
...
Day 31 at Professor Oak's Lab:
The sun was already high in the sky-It wasn't yet noon, but it was probably getting close. I stood outside the Laboratory in the new outfit I'd been gifted by Professor Oak-A light blue jacket with a white rim, and a cap for adventuring stylised after a Great Ball. I wore dark grey clothes underneath, a breathable t-shirt and shorts, plus some long socks to keep my ankles protected from bushes.
I was currently waiting for Chee with my Mother, who seemed to be very proud that I was already going to be travelling out into the world, even as she very obviously worried about me.
"Are you sure you're going to be alright, Cyan?"
"I'll be fine mum, Oak has been teaching me all about camping and looking after myself. He even gave me emergency supplies and an alarm to call on if anything happens. We'll be fine."
I'd told the Pallet kids that I'd be leaving today, and Brittney and Rick had come to see me off, watching from a short distance away. Most of the other kids who were still following the daily training were there as well, though they seemed hesitant to approach for some reason.
Finally, the sliding doors to the lab swung open, and Chee ran out to greet me. Instead of her usual black casual clothes she wore a light blue sleeveless shirt over a black singlet, a red skirt and she carried a large yellow bag by her waist. Like me, she wore shoes with very long socks-though her socks were blue instead of grey. Her clothes were slightly baggy, seeming to have some consideration for the concept that she might grow into them further as we travelled.
I'm ready! Her silver eyes gleamed as her growing black hair fluttered behind her excited figure. We're gonna go on an adventure!
"Wait... Chee." Oak spoke up suddenly. "Aren't you going to bring your hat?"
Wordlessly, the mute girl reached into her backpack and withdrew a white round hat with a red line making it resemble a premier ball. She held it in front of her for a moment, then stuffed it back into her bag.
"...I see." Oak said with a smile. "Never mind then."
I felt like the sun beating down made it hat-wearing weather, but I was also pretty sure Chee was a lot better at dealing with the outdoors than me, so it wasn't a huge surprise if she wasn't bothered by the sun.
"Ah right, before I forget..." Oak reached into the pockets of his lab coat, pulling out two bright red mechanical devices. He handed one each to me and to Chee. "These are Pokedexes. You can use them to gather information about the Pokemon you have on you and the ones you encounter. They should help to make the journey a bit more manageable for children as young as yourselves."
I nodded gratefully as I received the crimson device. I'd seen Red fiddling with something similar to this in my army days, but I'd never had the chance to see a Pokedex in working condition. It almost felt like I was holding a priceless artefact.
"You've got a long quest ahead of you." Oak continued. In order to complete the Gym Challenge, you'll need to head north from here, through Viridian forest, and reach Pewter city. There you will find Brock the Gym Leader, who will give you your first challenge."
He placed one arm on my shoulder, and the other on Chee's. "Good luck to the both of you. I mean it."
Next up was my Mother, who embraced me in a loving hug. "I need you to be careful Cyan. I know you've been training hard, but stay out of trouble, okay...?"
I nodded quietly, gently reciprocating the hug of the mother I'd lost so many years ago. It felt reassuring to be wrapped up in her embrace again, but it was over almost as quickly as it had started.
Next up was Brittany and Rick, who both walked up to me at the same time, Brittany speaking first.
"So you're leaving already. Looks like our Leader is really talented after all!" She laughed.
"Remember us when you're famous, okay?" Rick said with a smile, offering me a fist. I placed my own fist against his.
"I promise." I responded.
After the two of them walked back, I did a scan of the area looking for Blue, but I couldn't see him anywhere. I figured it was just like him to skip an occasion like this, and I turned my attention to Chee instead.
"Here we are. You still wanna go through with this?" I asked out of concern.
She nodded with determination in her eyes. I'm ready.
"Alright then... Let's go!"
And we both started the long walk to Pewter City.