Chapter 7 Finishing Touches
"Uggghhhh…." I said as I scratched my head in annoyance as I fixed what felt like the hundredth grammar mistake from my research report.
Today would mark the thirtieth day in the world of Pokemon. My ticket to the big leagues was nearly finished, and the two-hundred-page report looked nearly perfect.
The beginning forty pages were a bunch of filler focused on what brought about my theory of Wyrdeer's evolution, my talk with the elder stantler, and observing the herd with the help of Minato to find the most psychically talented.
What followed was a hundred pages of 'fake' failed experiments that eventually led to the process I detailed as the theory of 'Move Required Evolution'. Detailing the steps that led to me deciding to try and mix headbutt and Torrent's only psychic move at the time, hypnosis.
The final sixty pages detailed my results and theories. The results were obvious that with enough training, any stantler could learn Wyrdeers signature move, Psyshield Bash. A powerful physical, psychic attack that, when used, also boosts the Pokemon's defensive stats.
A signature move was the secret to the discovery and confirmation of my 'Move Required Evolution' theory.
I further speculated that any child Torrent had would have a significant chance to have Psyshield Bash as an egg move. Effectively reviving what the Elder stantler claimed to be an 'evolution lost to time.'
I left the last page as a thank-you for everything that helped me. Sighting the elder stantler and all three of my Pokemon.
Thus finished, "The Ultimate Steed' a guide to Stantler's Lost Evolution by Elijah Conners, assisted by Minato of ." I hummed at that as I turned to Minato, who had twenty papers in the air that he was rapidly going over for mistakes. "Why not go by Minato the Kadabra? Sure has a nice ring to it….." I asked curiously only to receive a shrug in return. 'Still down in the dumps about your loss huh buddy?'
'No, I'm merely slightly annoyed that you could read my movements and decisions so easily' Spoke in my mind as it seemed I projected my thoughts a little too loudly.
"I'm your trainer, if I couldn't defeat you then what worth would I be?" I asked seriously, Minato put on a thoughtful expression before continuing to pout.
"Enough of this. This research report has been finished for a week, if not more. It's time we leave this forest." Minato said as eyes lit with psychic energy, the papers in my hands and spread between us floated into the air. In a display of control and skill, Minato made a tornado of paper that broke off and began stacking itself. Within moments, the front page was stacked atop the rest followed by a stapler snapping on the corner.
It spoke volumes that Minato had memorized the placement of every page without even looking.
"You think we've got a shot?" I asked my partner as I grabbed the report out of his psychic grip, once again re-reading the entire thing.
"Surely and you can prove it to. How many lost evolutions do you think you could bring back?" Minato asked with a small smile. What a loaded question that really left me thinking.
"It depends on what has already been discovered; I need to get on this world's version of the internet. But a clue just for you? I know that Eevee has a total of eight evolutions, yet I'd bet that particular Pokemon could evolve into any type. Now the limit is three? I know of five more, what's stopping it from evolving into every type" It was my biggest theory and something I would only share (For Free) with my partner.
"Eight!... What world did you fall out of?" Minato was both impressed and surprised by my knowledge.
"A shit hole, a few bad days away from a nuclear apocalypse. But the entertainment industry? Couldn't be beat." I said with a sigh, as that was the only I missed since I'd been in the world of Pokemon. Maybe I could try recreating a few areas of entertainment once I was
"But if what you're saying is true? They'd be fools to let you leave that lab without a job and a bank account overflowing with poke dollars." Minato said as he teleported next to me and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"Fine you win, gather everyone at the entrance its time we left this place behind….." I said with a sigh as I tried my best to let my nerves slip away.
"The little one is going to be ecstatic; she's been jumping off the walls at the chance to participate in a real trainer battle, I find myself just as antsy," Minato said as he popped out of existence.
Little Noel the Horsea, eager to fight and prove herself. I felt bad as she's been part of my team for over two weeks now and I haven't had time to battle with her once. I didn't completely disregard her but set her on some personal training while we've been busy.
Nothing major, aim training with roped targets tied to trees to help her accuracy. Balance training with a rope tied between two trees, only a foot tall to not risk her hurting herself, but I hoped it would improve her land mobility.
She had a snake-like body that rolled and unrolled itself to dodge attacks, swim faster, and jump. Her main way to move on land was to 'cutely' hop around. Training her balance would allow her to move more surely on land as if she were back in the lake I found her in.
The best thing about this training was that it would carry over into her time as a Kindra as her body would still have the curled-up tail.
I hummed as I finished the entry of another project I was working on. From Seahorse To SeaDragon, the truth of Kindra.
I had no way to know if people already knew about Kindra, but another research report on the subject wouldn't hurt. I was training a horsea anyway, so I might as well record my findings in case it hadn't been discovered yet.
Deciding I'd stalled enough I put two duffle bags onto the table. I filled one with the report and every research paper I had, along with notebooks and every other office supply I deemed worth taking from this place. Packed and ready within five minutes, well, everything except a pocket-sized notebook I kept in my lab coat's breast pocket.
"Speaking of jackets….." I looked down at the first one I'd ever taken from the rack. Quickly taking it off, I opened the closet and took ten of the same while tossing my old one back inside.
I slipped on one of the fresh coats and stuffed the other nine into the duffle bag that held all of my Pokemon supplies. Which amounted to 13 great balls, eight potions, and ten unknown .
Slipping both bags over my shoulder I headed for the door of my office. After a few turns and down a hallway, I couldn't help but smile.
Through the large front window, I saw my team, Minato, floating with his arms crossed, trying to be cool. Torrent stood with his back to the building as if he was inching to trot through the entire region. Little Noel bounced around both of her stoic brothers, bursting with excitement at the battles in the future.
I opened the door but stooped to turn back, a silent goodbye to my life as a hermit in an abandoned research faculty, ready to take on the world.
"Everyone ready?" I asked as the three stood or at least tried, in Noels' case, in front of me.
Receiving nothing but excited nods we got down to business.
"Alright, let's plan our first journey of many," I said as I gave Noel a few head pats before returning the little ball of energy to her Pokeball.
"The town we need to go to is Newbark Town, I don't believe I've ever been there," Minato said as he took away our fastest mode of transportation.
"That's fine I've had plenty of time to study this," I said as I took out a map of the region I found in the offices. "And I'm about ninety percent sure we are somewhere right here. Between routes 46 and 30 directly above route 29 and Cherrygrove City."
"So we just head directly south until we either find Route 29 or Cherrygrove?" Torrent's deep voice asked as he tilted his head slightly.
"Exactly, unluckily, we don't have a compass. But if your suns anything like my world then…." I'd gone over the path the sun went offhandedly every day, as the saying goes, it rises in the east and sets in the west." South should be that way!" I said with excitement as I hopped on Torrent's back and pointed directly behind us.
Before long we were miles away from our former home, blitzing through the region on the back of a monstrous steed.
I had no idea how downscaled the games were, but when we stopped for the night six hours of travel later I estimated it was easily a hundred times the size of the games. I based this on what information the map showed me on the scale.
Now, if that applied to the cave systems? Well, I'd either fly over them or simply go around, giangic cave systems sounded like pure nightmare fuel.
Which I doubted was an overestimation, as it only took most gamers forty hours to complete the game. That included traveling the whole region, collecting badges, defeating the remnants of team rockets, and catching a legendary or two. Obviously, this doesn't include traveling to Kanto and doing all of that again in the post-game.
So let's say twenty hours of that was just traveling routes, battling trainers on those routes, and so on. If it was a hundred times bigger? It'd take someone two thousand hours to travel all of Johto, which without sleep, was eighty-three days.
With sleeping, eating, and every other distraction that might pop up? Easily half a year could go by, which for half of an entire island? Sounded about right.
Which cross-referenced close enough with the map's scale.
The whole point? We'd arrive in Newbarktown tomorrow afternoon at a comfortable pace thanks to Torrent's speed and efforts. Less than twenty-four hours before, I'll have to try to sell myself to Professor Elm as a great mind worth helping out.
"It'll be fine, stop worrying so much. Now quit wasting time staring at a map and get some sleep." Minato said from across the fire, one eye cracked open from his usual nightly meditation session. I found out quickly that the abra line barely slept, it seemed to mediate, and circulating the psychic energy in his body was enough to constitute 'rest.'
Nodding to my start I laid back against the snoring Torrent. Within minutes I fell asleep.
Barely another hour of travel was all it took to find signs of a trail, another half hour and I was sure were on the route. Turning to my right I could see the signs of civilization, while to my left was a rather large forest. It was rather obvious we were extremely close to Cherrygrove City.
As much as I craved civilization, I could wait another couple of hours. Based on my map, route 29 was about 200 miles. So by mid-afternoon, we should be nearing the town gates.
"Onward Torrent" I pointed with enthusiasm to the left.
"As you say," Torrent's voice came into my mind as he took off, even faster than usual, due to how level and straight the dirt road was.
We flew through the forest trail at a breakneck pace; Torrent seemed to be taking this chance to really show off. I'd bet he was pushing seventy or eight miles per hour in these conditions. Truly a marvelous steed.
We would have made it in record time if a kid had not jumped in front of our path with his arms crossed.
"Torrent! Stop!" I yelled as I didn't want to have to hide a body my Pokemon crushed to death, at least not in broad daylight…..
He skidded to stop right before a boy looking up at us without an ounce of fear on his face. Despite the fact, he had nearly been run over by a two-hundred-pound deer.
"Kid, what the hell is wrong with you, get out the road!" I yelled at the boy with a reversed blue snap-back hat.
"And miss out on challenging a scrub like you to a battle? I think not." The kid couldn't be older than eight, but I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at this little goblin.
"Fine," I sighed, hopping off Torrent to stand ten feet from this annoying child.
"Hmm, are you a prof.. Proffessi, no that's not it" The kid tried to ask his question as he rubbed his head trying to remember the word 'professor'.
'Arceus help me' I said as I scratched my own head in annoyance.
Name: MInato
Species: Kadabra
Type: Psychic
Level: 20
Ability: Inner Focus (Prevents Pokemon from flinching)
Moves: Psybeam, Confusion, Teleport, Reflect, Hypnosis, Calm Mind.
Name: Torrent
Species: Wyrdeer*
Type: Normal/Psychic
Level: 22
Ability: Intimidate (Cause a Pokemon to slightly flinch in the presence of this Pokemon during battle. Lowering the opposing Pokemon's physical attack)
Moves: Tackle, Hypnosis, Stomp, Sand Attack, Bite (egg move), Double Kick (egg move), Psyshield Strike.
Name: Noel
Species: Horsea
Type: Water
Level: 22
Ability: Swift Swim
Moves: Leer, Water Gun, Smokescreen, Twister, Dragon Breath, Aurora Beam (Egg Move)