Watcher of Arceus - Path of the Immortal

by The Shadow Master of Weapons

Watchers, the direct descendants of Arceus herself, sets of twins born with her power. Born in pairs, these twins were meant to bridge the gap that had come between humans and pokémon, one a gifted human, born beside a pokémon. Inseparable immortal twins, the godchildren wandered the world. But now, a single pair remains. Full summary inside. Reboot of Watcher of Arceus.

12. Chapter 12 : A Few Large Purchases

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:

-X-This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

~xXx~ This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

"Human Speech" 'Character Thought' {Pokémon Speech}

Co-author: Catsithx

The following is a total and complete Reboot of the story "Watcher of Arceus".

~xXx~

Chapter 12 : A Few Large Purchases

Sure enough, by the time that Thomas had woken up late in the afternoon, everyone but Mewtwo and Rebecca were laying on their sides with swollen, stuffed stomachs. Thomas just shook his head, and completely ignored them, letting them suffer their own mistakes and refusing to hear how it wasn't the famous treat that his ancient blood sister Gali had made so frequently for them.

Of course with the still gloomy over cast day, Radara, Juno, Suicune, and Saber were all still more than happy to spend it with upset stomachs laying down and resting, having heavily over eaten on the imitation treat. This left Mewtwo to his own devices though, having spent the day quickly learning and almost mastering various forms of both spoken and written Japanese dialects.

"You've been busy." Thomas stated, looking over the table where Mewtwo had taken to writing dozens of notes and equations on all the paper he could find, just letting it all pile up on the table as he continued to look over various things on the internet he had access to.

'And you have not in your rest.' Mewtwo merely stated as he finally looked up, opening the door and removing both cartons of miltank milk. 'I find this substance flavorful poured over the cubes of frozen water... ice cubes I believe you call them. You have failed however to show me where discarded objects that no longer have a use are to be deposited, and the others have felt content to not get up complaining of stomach aches.'

"I figured as much... I also assume that they have complained that it is not proper Zansuu." Thomas added, moving over and just looking over a few of the papers while pouring himself something else since the milk was gone. He also took the two milk cartons and opened up small door to reveal the garbage can and showed Mewtwo where to put the added waste products. "What's all this?"

'Home work, test work, and other musings of interest to test the extent of how much I have learned over these written languages.' Mewtwo stated. 'And there are many great fools and those who promote violence on this internet.'

"Give people a place to hide their identity and no longer have respect to others in general, and the worst of them shall try to abuse it. They are only so well known however because people insist on trying to call them out and unknowingly help make a larger scene in most cases. Of course, only a very small number actually mean anything they say, and those that do usually follow up on their threats are charged the same as any other who might attack someone in person." Thomas said, pulling out his pokedex and looking it over.

'And yet, they seem to be very numerous.' Mewtwo countered. 'Are you so sure that they mean no harm?'

"I am sure that out of the millions of users who access the internet, only a very small select group who would break laws in person would try to actually assault someone else in some manner. Those that do are already of questionable states of mind or were already intent to ignore laws and not abide by them anyway. But once again, remember that they are only a few. You can't judge the internet by them either, and when on the internet, you always need to check your sources and work. People will write anything, but that doesn't make it true after all." Thomas replied.

'Yes I've noticed. There are many false statements on this internet. How gullible are people to believe so many lies. I've seen structures and cultures on this internet and yet, looking at the sheer stupidity of people on the internet, I have trouble thinking that the same people could possibly be the dominant species on this world.' Mewtwo added as he got up and moved to the window looking out over the large ocean towards the main land just barely visible for him. 'Are they truly so numerous as to be in almost every part of the world?'

"They are, and yes, this vast culture spreads across the world. As for the lies, yes people can also be that stupid to believe them, but only a small group actually believe them. It's a different place from the real world though... And tomorrow, I'd like to show you more of it. After I pick up the package my foster father sent me, I'd like to head to an island called Mandarin Island South. The people there are more connected to pokemon and you'll get to see how they interact peacefully and can happily share space with each other. You'll also get to see how pokemon and humans will band together for various reasons, things like daily life, sports, pokemon battles in a safe environment, and other things." Thomas said getting up and moving over to a large map on the wall that displayed a quick view of the various islands, pointing to a very large island along the southern end of the map.

"You may also get the chance to see how people and pokemon will band together to protect pokemon from the less than liked trainers who might abuse their pokemon. I can also show you a place that my kind call home. There are hundreds of them over the world, we could let you have one if you want even." Thomas continued as he just continued to look over the map before moving his finger up to a set of four very close islands rather far up north again, much closer to Halmin Island.

"After we spend a few days there, we can then head to Shamouti Island and the Elemental Islands. They'll have a festival there that they hold every year which honors some of my older brothers and sisters. I don't really intend to be there for the main event, but it will be a good place to show you how pokemon are as much a part of human culture as much as anything else. I also want to do some shopping there at the bazaar, there are some special things I want to pick up that relate to my own culture." Thomas explained before turning back towards Mewtwo.

Mewtwo just barely nodded and moved to look over the map of the islands himself. 'Mandarin Island South, Home of Kanto's and Johto's Indigo League Elite Four Trainer known as Lorelei where she also gives lectures on pokemon battling every week when the Indigo League is not currently active. The island also has six major cities, twelve large towns, and three small villages. It is a central point of pokemon and human interactivity and so-called bonding. The center of the island is a large desert however and mostly left unclaimed and multiple groups are trying to lay claim to it, although so far the most dominant groups are working to make the entire desert a pokemon reserve and are stopping any form of industry from being able to start operations in the desert.' Mewtwo rested his fingers over Mandarin Island South, before following Thomas's path back up North.

'Shamouti Island, a far less developed island, but as described by many, a place rich in cultural values, although they have taken to tourism as a means of primary income in recent years. The island has one potential major city, two large towns and several small collective groupings of buildings that are debated to be more home steads rather than small villages. Their biggest cultural event is the Legend Festival, where they celebrate the place where many debate life originated from. The festival is a three day event, with almost a week of build up, and is known for the Trail of the Chosen One which takes place on the day of the festival and the following days. The full legend is a rather lengthy tale, but in far more simple terms states that if the three titans of the elemental island engage in aggressive combat, then the world itself is at risk of being turned to ash. The ocean houses some kind of guardian who can bring peace to the three titans, but not alone. The treasures housed on each of the islands however can supposedly bring peace to a great beast of the sea.' Mewtwo stated, only to shake his head, not believing the full truth of the legend, but still having done fair amount of reading.

'The actual festival celebrated on the island however is that a chosen hero will journey to the three elemental islands, collect a treasure, and then the maiden of the festival shall play a song to calm the ocean beast and bring peace to the three elemental birds who reside upon the islands. The town picks one of their youthful females to play the role of the maiden, and a pokemon trainer among the tourists is chosen to play the part of the hero. I question the entire thing, but there are considerably long pages of reports of accidents and injuries, as well as multiple deaths attributed to the inhabitants of the three elemental islands however.' Mewtwo continued.

"You have certainly done more reading on the islands then I have." Thomas said, a bit amazed at how much Mewtwo had learned on his own in such a short time.

'You do not find it wise to learn as much as possible about the area before traveling there? Whether or not this glorified warning about the end of the world is true, the danger of the three elemental islands appears not to be a myth.' Mewtwo questioned. 'This seems foolish and unwise to travel to without knowing the dangers of the locations you intend to visit as well as intentionally trying to travel to a place that is very clearly known for a moderate death toll.'

"Well, for starters, I can say for certain that the three elemental islands are not as dangerous to me as they would be to be others. As my guest, you would be safe as well, as the three legendary birds who inhabit the three elemental islands are among my brothers and sisters. There is some truth in that legend though, my brothers and sisters are known to have arguments of their own, those three perhaps more than most. The three of them combined control the weather and if they should indeed try to really hurt each other again, then it would cause a large degree of global weather changes." Thomas said just shaking his head a bit.

'So you can disprove the dangers of those three islands... but what of the others? Are you saying that you know enough to feel safe just traveling in general.' Mewtwo questioned.

"I know more about the land and cultures in general than most other people will ever come to know, but yes the cultures and people of the regions have changed since I was last here. But I learn best by traveling and experiencing it in person. The internet is still very new in my way of life and while I understand how to use it, and I know what questions to ask on the internet, I really only started to use it during this life time. All of my ancestors learned by going to places, experiencing things properly there and having to spend time traveling. While reading about some things let me know important things like any laws and things that I need to be aware of before traveling, I still find it far better and easier to learn if I travel to wherever it is that I intend to go." Thomas replied, just giving a small shrug as well.

"I don't know, it just feels right to be there, to learn in person and not spend all my time looking at a screen having it all explained to me. There are some things that I will take the time to look up and learn on it, and it's good if I have a question about where to find something or need to answer something that I don't know, but I think I would just rather learn something like I have most of my life before, by practice and experience." He finally said after a few, before getting up again and looking over Radara and the others, before looking up to Rebecca who was starting to move.

"I'm down here Rebecca, I haven't left you." He said loud enough for her to hear, hoping to avoid making her scream out again only to finally look around proper and then notice the giant stuffed braixen plush. "Wait... why there is a giant braixen doll here?"

'The pink thing from the island appears to have sent it with a letter. Suicune asked me not to dispose of it because she believes it looks cute... I personally care not for it.' Mewtwo stated as Rebecca looked down from the loft to make sure Thomas was indeed there and then worked her way down.

Unlike Thomas however, as soon as Rebecca was down, she quickly noticed the giant stuffed toy. 'Oh wow! This looks so cute. When did you get this Thomas, I thought you didn't like collecting large things.'

"It's not mine... apparently Mew tried to give it to Mewtwo." Thomas explained as Mewtwo handed him the letter that went with.

'I do not approve of the little pink annoyance.' Mewtwo stated bluntly before going back to his studies.

"This … this is clean... and direct." Thomas nodded, understanding why Mewtwo may not want to play, he certainly didn't seem the child type after all, and with as much power and quick understanding of his surroundings, Thomas doubted that Mewtwo may ever be the playful type. Still, he was left wondering how he was going to take it with him.

~xXx~

Thomas left early the next day, making a quick stop at The Lapris Express to collect the package that Andrew had purchased for him as well as getting a larger travel pack. Radara as usual was at his side, still a bit annoyed from her stomach ache, having found a few more of the paradise buns that Thomas had supposedly hid for himself and Rebecca for later and enjoyed them, only adding to her stomach ache.

This left Mewtwo to follow them from a distance, still not trusting Thomas enough to be stored in a pokeball, or rather not trusting that others would be leaving Thomas alone and safe on his own. Sticking mostly to the skies and hiding in or just below the low over cast that was over the island for now, it was easy for him to follow along without really being seen by human eyes.

A few hours on the water by boat and they were at Trovitopolis, one of the major cities on Mandarin Island South. Before they even arrived however, Mewtwo was given multiple new views of how humans and pokemon could work together. There were dozens of people working hand in hand with pokemon to perform all sorts of jobs, all of them sweating and sharing the work, doing what they all could as equals in many ways helping each other and actively working together. There were also dozens of trainers all happily pampering, training with, and even battling pokemon with each other, all done safely and enjoyed by both parties.

For as many as there were, Mewtwo was a bit surprised to see only a few trainers were oppressive towards their pokemon, and each them were quickly called out. Only one trainer really tried to push things though, but that was quickly to put to rest as well when a lady in a very clear and different blue suit came up grabbed the trainer, locking their hands behind their back and dragging them off somewhere else.

Thomas merely gave him the quick explanation of that person being one of the local police officers whose job was to keep the peace and handle those who would try to break the law, such as abusing pokemon, trying to force a fight, or other such things.

From there, Thomas quickly moved south on the island heading to the edge of town and looking for an out of the way but still large and pokemon accepted place to stay. Given that Mandarin Island South was easily a major pokemon trainer focused island even if it was not officially part of the Orange Battle League, it was easier than Thomas had expected as he looked over a few tour guide pamphlets to find a place to stay for a few days.

In the end, Thomas went with one just outside of town. Although a bit more fancy than Thomas would usually go for, it did allow for pokemon and had rooms large enough to let his group out without being crowded. Heading straight for it just to simplify things, Thomas's first order of business for now was to have a place to stay for a few days.

A quick jog to the edge of the town where the hotel was and Thomas had the keys to his new temporary lodgings, and Thomas had let out his pokemon once again to rest in the room. A fair bit fancier than his usual places that Thomas stayed at, the hotel was a collection of small buildings around a large shared pool and open cafe space.

All it took was just a little gentle push from Radara and Thomas easily got a room on the side of the hotel grounds, right next to a side entrance where it would be easy to hide his coming and going, and more importantly easily hide his group of pokemon. Thomas still made sure to look the place over before letting his pokemon out though, and of course made sure that all the windows were covered and closed before looking over the room for anything that his pokemon really shouldn't mess with before letting them out for the day.

It was quickly planned that tomorrow, Thomas would head towards the center of the island, towards a private oasis that few knew of, where all of his pokemon could get some much needed exercise after being cooped up for a little too long for understandable reasons, but the rest of the day would be once more for Mewtwo and his questions.

Instead of taking Radara with him though, Thomas had asked Juno to join him as he walked throughout the city today, who readily agreed, the two able to talk if far more slowly than usual without Radara's help. Still, Juno knew why Thomas had asked her to walk with him, and Radara was perfectly fine with it without even asking. She would spend the day happily talking with Suicune and Rebecca, and possibly Saber if he got over his fear of the legendary beast. A few hours of time away wouldn't risk any discomfort after all, which they had thankfully managed to avoid while Thomas was with Rebecca for the night alone.

~xXx~

Mewtwo was watching from the top of the largest buildings as usual once more. Having learned quickly how to hide himself easily, but instead of hiding himself as a xato like Radara had hid him, he chose a different route. With his vast collective of power, he just started to lightly influence everyone in a large radius around, making himself boring in a way.

People would still look at him but he was as normal and such a common sight, it was no different than the annoying overly large number of butterfree that frequented the island at times. While not invisible or even hiding himself to much anymore, the sheer fact that people thought his form so common and ignoble, he might as well have been invisible.

Looking down from his current rooftop, he was merely following Thomas for now once again, but his questions this time were all technical, and mostly ignored the people, even if he moved around different rooftops to personally observe various interactions between the people and pokemon. He was mostly watching things close to Thomas and Juno as they walked around, but as they rounded another corner, they could easily see the Trovitopolis Contest Hall, as well as central pokepark.

Once more, Mewtwo moved to a new position, and found something of interest as he looked over the contest hall. The building itself easily stood out for him with it's very different design, a large circular shape and numerous flashing lights, but what drew his attention more were the screens of various pokemon and humans in similar outfits putting on some kind of strange display.

The various screens all showed off the highlight reals of the top coordinators from last year's contest season, all of course fancily dressed up and matching their pokemon as they walked out onto the various stages, various timers all displayed showing the official start date of the upcoming regional contest seasons.

With various scattered clips of the advanced pokemon battle stage portions, but far more so a focus on the pre-battle performance stage, showing the skill of the pokemon and many of the best coordinators of course were an active part of the show. There were a few extra clips that show cased a bit of extra information about various coordinators as well as showing a number of fan favorites.

Thomas just smiled a bit though, seeing some fresh clips of Sarah and her prized dragonair and some clips of her arcanine as well. He didn't like the way that he just flatly ditched her back in Hoenn, but he knew he had to, he couldn't risk putting her in danger recklessly. Still, he felt bad though, and just moved over to the large park in front of the contest hall.

The pre-season warm ups and unranked contests had just started up a few days ago and so the place was a bit crowded, but already people were eager, and Mewtwo could just feel the excitement from the crowds. More so, he felt a closer connection between people and their pokemon here, of how they both had a very clear shared desire with each other.

'Thomas, what is this area? These partners here are far more eager to share a similar passion than others I have felt.' Mewtwo asked, looking around more over the people than he had at all since his joined Thomas on his journey of learning.

"That building there is the Trovitopolis Contest Hall, and most of the trainers here present prefer the term coordinator. Most contests are held in two stages, the first of which is a showmanship round where the pokemon and coordinators go on a stage one at a time and need to earn the favor of the judging panel by putting on a few minute display of skill, control, grace, and putting on a show for the audience. Those with the best scores from the judges and a few of the fan favorites from the first round then get to advance to the next round. The second round is a much more strict five minute pokemon battle. If one pokemon is knocked out, then they do still lose the round, but it's far more common for this battle to either last the five minutes and be decided by who has the most points left, or for one contestant to lose all of their points and lose in that manner." Thomas explained.

'I am unfamiliar with this point system. How does this differ from a regular highly advertised pokemon battle?' Mewtwo asked, moving a bit closer.

"I'm not that well informed honestly, but it's far more a battle of skill. Repeated use of the same move, being boring, and missing attacks are all counted against you, but I'm not sure how that's managed properly. I assume that the judges have control of it, so it varies region by region... even match by match I think." Thomas said, just watching the screens himself for a bit. "You could look up the official rules and such on that tablet I got you."

'No, that would be rather useless. The device you have presented me with is currently occupied with trying to download other programs. There is not room enough on the device to manage all the learning programs and other things I wish to use. It is also far to slow for trying to run everything I want to run at once.' Mewtwo explained.

"What... all are you trying to run at once on it?" Thomas asked slowly, a bit worried.

'I am attempting to learn as many of the languages as possible to obtain a broader understanding of the world, as well as follow their news programs. You told me experience the world, and understanding the world of news that each country allows their general population to hear is a good way to start to understand the basic culture of each of the human's empires. This leaves me little room to explore science and history. The forceful nature of advertisements and this business of pornography both trying to force itself onto the device is annoying however. I have made sure never to include names as well as block my location access as much as possible on the device as much as I can, but it's still not powerful enough to do what I need.' Mewtwo stated looking around.

'If I am to further my personal knowledge of the world, I require something more powerful. Is the purchase of a mobile computer device an option for travel. For the brief attempts I have made looking over variable devices that would better suit my needs, it would appear that a device labeled as a gaming laptop may be the best device that I may find for travel purposes. I require long battery life, processing power to run multiple programs and applications at the same time, and a large screen in order view more programs at the same time.' Mewtwo added, before directing Thomas's attention to a computer shop.

"You've had that tablet for a few days and you've already filled it up with learning programs, news apps, and more, to the point where it can barely run? You didn't get any viruses did you?" Thomas asked, a little worried, but Mewtwo was very confident in his answer.

'There have been attempts, all of which have failed. A direct attack on the device may prove successful as I lack the knowledge of programming to manage it myself, but the onboard virus protection has managed itself while my own selective and careful selection of programs and reviewing information has ensured that I have not been discovered in my studies. There have also been multiple attempts to acquire information on me, but I will not share anything, and I have also disabled the onboard cameras and microphone imports. I shall take similar precautions on the new device that is acquired, whenever that shall be. Sooner is far more preferable, but I understand the transactions of currency and have obtained none myself.' Mewtwo explained.

"You are several times more skilled with technologies than myself..." Thomas stated after a moment of silence.

'And you would be far wiser to learn of it's uses and applications. Barring a catastrophic global event, technologies shall be on a continued rise for decades to come. If you wish to continue to be part of the human culture, it may be wise to invest time to learn yourself as to be able to use it in a convenient manner.' Mewtwo countered.

"I guess... being born for the first time in this age, you would be most comfortable and well learned around these technologies." Thomas said, pulling out his pokedex again and looking over his funds once more. Andrew had sent him a very generous amount anyway and he still had a large sum himself saved up from over the years.

"What do you think Juno?" Thomas asked looking down to Juno who was just laying in the grass beside him, having mostly been silent and just enjoying the walk with Thomas, waiting for Thomas to start asking opinions from her, but on a different topic.

Thinking it over for a few, Juno slowly got up and just nodded to the computer store herself. 'Let him explore the world on his terms. He seems to know not to trust everything he reads and is clearly very thorough.' It was vastly different from Radara's usual voice in this head, Juno's words far more of a ghostly nature and slower, more an echo around his ears, her illusions speaking for her just outside Thomas's ear, but with a the soft gentle murr and fox like whine to them. Juno usually preferred not to speak in this manner and while Thomas's own abilities were helping, if barely at the moment due to not being fully evolved himself, it was mostly Juno speaking on her own.

Thomas just nodded a bit, and headed towards the computer shop, Mewtwo now focusing heavily on him as he started to approach the store, and Mewtwo quickly had another question.

'Those small devices, on the shelving up front? Those display the contests?' Mewtwo asked, moving to a far better spot to see in, a number of small trainer grade outdoor televisions were on display, showing the same content as on the screens above and around the contest hall.

"They're apparently... trainer grade wilderness wireless televisions. Depending on what signals are in the air, you can view different things like news, or as it's advertised, watch your favorite coordinators or trainers on the go when camping out, or just in the privacy of your hotel rooms." Thomas said, giving the ad display a quick glance.

'I have interest in these contests. Would you add one to the purchase of a laptop?' Mewtwo asked, Thomas just giving a small shrug.

"I guess we do all have our own hobbies. Who am I to stop you since we will be traveling for a while so you can see things for yourself." Thomas said, just giving him a bit and heading into the shop.

-x-

A very quick and easy shopping session for a new rather powerful laptop with some extra batteries, a trainer's charger, and a pair of roll up rubber keyboards as well as an external hard drive to give Mewtwo some extra storage space, and Thomas left the store. Moving to a very secluded space where Mewtwo wouldn't be seen, Mewtwo came down and collected the items, before telling Thomas that he would stay in the space around the contest hall to learn more about it. He also told Thomas to go take care of his own shopping as well in the time while he would stay put.

Thomas decided to take the chance to call his foster father and thank him for the gifts before heading out though. At the same time, he also asked about his trainer account status was happy to hear that Hanna had managed to quietly remove the timer from his account so that Suicune and Mewtwo wouldn't be added to the local registry at all.

Sadly, the talk wouldn't last long, Andrew was rather busy after all. Thomas still made sure to ask one last question though, wanting to know if Andrew knew of any good high end jewelry stores on the Orange Islands, and sure enough, there was one that Andrew trusted well enough in Trovitopolis, one that Vivian frequented and went to every time she was on the island.

It was a bit of walk to go where Andrew had recommended, but Thomas just followed Anderw's advice. The place was rather fancy, a very clear stand alone shop like a few more beside that was easily a step above the shopping plaza that was just down the road.

Stepping inside, along with Juno, there were just a small number of very well dressed patrons and others looking over the counters of jewelry as well, and a few with pokemon as well. All of them, even the pokemon were very well groomed and had an air of class around them though. Thomas and Juno just ignored them as they looked around.

Juno just looked over the counter with Thomas, both of them looking over a collection of gemstones as they moved carefully through the fancy jewelry store. It was a weird feeling for Thomas to just to be inside a place like this, something he usually avoided, but today was something special and he was taking the chance to make some unique purchases. Already, he was getting the occasional glance from some of the other patrons, but made it a point to try and ignore them, uncaring for their actions as they looked over other cases or pulled out a notepad.

A fair bit under dressed though, even if he was fully washed up and in clean clothes, he still stood out easily among the other patrons of the shop though, and so he was of course the last to get a clerk to come to his needs. He expected this of course, and he honestly didn't care as he looked over a large selection of various fancy necklaces and a few rings.

The jewelry was nice and well crafted for the most part, although Thomas could find a few very flawed pieces that were trying to be passed as high end pieces, but it wasn't his place to make such statements, not that he was really looking for jewelry itself. What he was looking for was still on display though, the various gemstones set in the pieces were of interest to him as he looked up just in time to see one of the clerks with a sour look on their face coming up to him.

"Can I help you, sir?" The lady asked, fully dressed up in a proper full on business suit, easily trying to show a position of class and social standing. Her tone was already trying to show her superiority over him though, if still calm and polite, but it was just a bit strong.

"Yes please. I have some questions. I was informed that this establishment was in the business of selling finely cut gemstones in addition to finely crafted pieces and had some very high recommendations to come here. I'm looking for some gems for pieces of custom jewelry." Thomas said.

"I see... Well yes, we do have a stock of various gem stones in a large variety of cuts, but I'm not sure you can afford the selection of stones we have. There is a case of practice work along that wall however that may be more in you price range." She stated, her tone mostly calm and trying to be nice, but it wasn't working too well, and Thomas could easily see through her lies and her want of him to just leave thinking that he just wasn't worth the money for the place.

While annoyed though, Thomas still remained civil though, wanting some high grade gems for what he had planned and didn't try to pick a fight. "There's no need for you to be rude just because I find a suit uncomfortable, to say nothing of the impracticality of wearing a suit for lengthy travel. I have cash, and I need a small selection of gemstones, with a preference towards trilliant, pear, radiant, and marquise cuts. If you lack the service of selling precut gemstones, then you only need to say so and I shall take the services I request to another establishment." Thomas said, keeping his voice and tone nice and calm the entire time.

Behind her, the manager was starting to take notice of things now, and like the clerk was at first giving a silent sigh, annoyed with someone who appeared to be well out of their price range wasting their time and possibly making the other clients feel uncomfortable. Still, he merely watched for now, doing nothing else.

"We do have a very large selection of local and exotic gemstones to choose from, both finished products as well as take orders for custom pieces. Our show floor selection only displays a small portion of the pieces we have at any given however and so if there is a more specific piece you are looking for, you can readily view our online catalog from the comfort of the nearest pokemon center." The clerk continued, looking over to a map on the desk next to them, already looking for the closest pokemon center for him.

"You did hear me when I said that I have cash on hand to make a purchase, and that I know exactly what I am looking for and know the expected prices for them? I came here under recommendation with a proper budget for this kind of store." Thomas asked as Juno just looked on, barely giving a shake of her head, already unamused with this chosen clerk. She knew that in most cases Thomas would have walked off already, but she also knew the reason why Thomas had asked her to come along, because this wasn't for him, it was ultimately far more for Rebecca.

"I would still point you in the direction of the case with our practice cuts, the blue and gold one, along the northern wall, by the door you entered from. If you find something that you like within your reasonable budget, then I shall see it packaged for you. The rest of our line of exotic gemstones shipped her from all over the world would merely instill a sense of jealously for one such as yourself. All of our prices are fair of course, but a simple trainer such as yourself, as fancy as you groom your ninetales to be, would merely find our selection of high quality stones well outside of your allotted budgets." The clerk merely stated, her tone still steady and clam, but doing little to hide her disgust with Thomas.

'This girl is clearly full of herself. Arrogant, self centered, and a poor liar. She might make better kindling than a person. We still have a day before the full moon, and this is a large city, so there may be other options.' Juno stated softly if slowly. Her soft and yet elegant tone showed easily, Juno having intentionally sounded as though she were indeed a royal class pokemon, the aura of grace and command around even felt by the clerk, but the girl still kept her composure even as Juno spoke her proper words to Thomas.

"I know Juno... I know. If this is indeed the way that you choose to treat your clientele, then I shall tell my father that the Falstons are not welcome within this establishment. Shame as my father gave you such high recommendations." Thomas stated and started to turn away.

"You can say whatever name you like, but allow me to explain to you in far more simple terms so that might understand. You lowly trainers cannot hope to match the appeal and proper standing as the real clients that we would happily provide for here at this fine and proper establishment. You are foolish to think your pathetic winnings could provide you a budget that could be suitable for our selection. So if you would kindly take your mutt and leave before you disturb our proper clients, it would serve as your sole kind act for the day." She stated if a bit quickly, having finally gotten fed up with Thomas and made a small scene, even as Thomas had started to walk away.

"Let's not insult my pokemon sh-" Thomas started, only for Juno to growl a bit. Taking a few steps back, and then sitting down, spreading her front legs some and closing her eyes, just barely tilting her head up and to the side, her tails all rushed to her left side.

Juno's entire body began to give off a soft glow, her tails rising up in a full fan behind her, each tipped with a willow-wisp flame, the blue fire harmless, but strong and powerful. Her entire body was encompassed with a soft commanding glow as though her entire body was made of fire, and her form was nothing but the figure of graceful and commanding. Where the clerk in her anger and disgust had chosen to cause a scene and try to force Thomas from the building, Juno's response had a very different effect.

All the patrons present and their pokemon, even the other clerks and the manager were in awe of the grace and elegance that Juno had just displayed, her head slowly turning back to face the clerk, her eyes bright and golden, soft and caring, quickly went red and were filled with hate as she bared her teeth for a second before turning quickly, showing her own disgust with the clerk. Two of the patrons even pulled out their fancy high class pokedex's to take an image, while another was jotting down some clear notes or something.

Just as Thomas was about to reach the door, the manager had moved around the corner, finally recognizing the name that Thomas had given. He gave a quick bow, before looking over Thomas again. "Excuse me sir, did you mention the family name of Falston? As in Andrew and Vivian Falston?" He asked, his tone very clearly well practiced, rehearsed even, but polite.

"They are my foster parents yes, and it was on Andrew's recommendations that I come here first looking for gemstones." Thomas replied slowly.

"My deepest apologies for Julia's behavior, she is always so strict about things. Julia my dear, do apologize our wonderful guest Mr. Thomas Falston, the adopted son of Mr. Andrew and Mrs. Vivian Falston, two of the lead researchers for Devon Corp in the Hoenn Region. Their butler called in about an hour ago saying he would arrive sometime today." The manager stated, giving her a very firm glare himself.

It was very clear that Julia wasn't amused by it though. "My apologies, Mr. Falston Junior." She stated, in the same well rehearsed tone as the manager now.

"Now then, my name is Nathaniel and if I heard correctly, you were in the market for some precut stones?" The manager asked, making a soft hand motion towards the counters once more.

"Excuse me sir? Are you a breeder by any chance. I've not seen such a strong and yet commanding, elegant ninetales in decades." Another of the patrons asked rather quickly however still looking over Juno who finally gave up the personal glare against Julia and slowly turned towards the new comer with a far more gentle look.

"No, sorry. I'm just on vacation so to speak." Thomas said.

"Is your ninetales open fo-" The woman started to ask, only for Juno to quickly turn her head up and away, make a small wall with her tails between herself and the woman making it clear that she wanted nothing to do with the woman.

"She's not up for trade or breeding, she's very picky about things and among them is staying at my side." Thomas stated, slowly following the manager back to the counter. "Have a good day though." He said, a bit hesitant to follow the manager, but giving them another chance for now.

The woman was clearly offended however. "How dare you mock me so quickly by not even allowing me to speak." She stated, only for Thomas to just lightly to point to Juno.

"I think she made that choice herself. To my knowledge, she's over 300 years old according to papers I found about her that my biological father had. Do you think that she will listen to anyone she doesn't want if she's even close to that old?" Thomas asked, Juno waving a single tail in front of wall of tails as if to shoo the woman off.

"You clearly have no control over your pokemon, such a shame for could be a powerful contest pokemon." The woman stated, before going back to her own shopping.

"Now now Mrs. Yagami. I know a thing or two about ninetails myself, and that is one that you do not want to upset. The kid's right, she's not at his side because he told her to walk with him. She's probably older than three hundred, maybe five or six. You don't just tell one like what to do. She'd put gym leaders in their places if they annoyed her by the looks of it, even if they had type advantage." Another patron stated, still looking over the ninetales, writing a few notes or something down on a small note pad she had.

Thomas just ignored them both however as he slowly returned to the counter. "So Mr. Falston, what kind of purchases are you looking to make? Surely we have something easily within your allotted budget that will meet your standards. I'd even be happy to offer you a discount on some of our best pieces, just to ensure that you have a pleasant time here." The manager smiled and continued.

"My foster father informed me that this place was supposed to be very good for gemstones and I'm looking to make some custom pieces, but I need some gems for them. As I tried to tell your other clerk, I have a preference towards trilliant, pear, radiant, and marquise cuts, although I'm not sure just what kind of gems those will be yet. My ninetales here has an eye for gems though and will be helping me make my final choices." Thomas said, trying to keep calm for now, Juno giving a small nod as she slowly moved back to Thomas's side, her tails still keeping a fan up between herself and the previous woman however.

"Very well, I'm sure we have something that is suitable for this piece. Do you know what kind of piece it is that you're currently designing?" Nathaniel asked.

"Not... entirely no. You could say that it would be a composite piece, but it's not a traditional piece by any means." He stated, only for Juno to move a tail over to a small flower vase that was used to provide some decoration.

'Rebecca is the love of your life, the flower that gives you hope. You should inspire your crests around the image of the daffodil, for this would be a true rebirth for yourself, a new beginning, and would certainly bring joy to Rebecca.' Juno stated slowly, looking up at Thomas now, a tail slowly and just barely tracing the flower.

"Well... that's very direct." Thomas just said after a moment, the manager looking on a bit confused. "I guess... I'm making some flowers out of gemstones."

"You do seem to take … her opinions very strongly." Nathaniel said slowly himself, watching the ninetales a fair bit himself now.

"She's wise, far wiser than me anymore it seems. She's saved my life more once and even helped raise me, the least I can do is listen to her." Thomas said as he still just looked over a few pieces, before looking up fully. "May I see a selection of precut stones?"

"Of course sir. Of course!" Nathaniel stated rather quickly. "I believe you said that you would be favoring trilliant, marquise, and pear cut stones?"

"In addition to radiant, but those are merely what I prefer first. I'll likely be getting some other types of cuts as well. Can I see some... so-" Thomas replied slowing wondering what kind of gems he would be getting to start, only for Juno to give her opinions as well.

'Some emerald and malachite...' Juno started.

"Some emeralds and malachite, maybe some sapphires." Thomas continued. Already the manager's smile was growing some, he knew now that Thomas was serious about a purchase and it would be a sizable one.

"Most certainly, anything you would like to see, you need only ask." Nathaniel smiled, giving Julia a quick glance, only to see her properly busying herself with another customer, a well rehearsed smile on her face and doing proper and being friendly once more.

Moving up to the wall behind him, he moved the glass cover from a large set of enclosed shelves and drawers, before looking over them and starting to pull out a few select trays.

'You will of course look over some lapis lazuli and rose quartz. I may also recommend some rubies.' Juno continued.

"Yes Juno, I know..." Thomas said, nodding lightly and giving her a slow gentle rub along her ears as the manager returned and set down a few trays.

"I hope you don't mind, but I've seen others purchase similar gems as well. I do so hope I'm not being overly presumptuous, but it sounds like this piece that you desire to make may be some kind of wedding or engagement band? I've pulled up a few other stones that are rather popular among other patrons who are making similar items." The manager stated.

Thomas just nodded a bit. "Do you have a spare tray that I can put some gems that I'm considering to purchase in. I intend to make a... well noticeable purchase today." Thomas said, the manager nodding quickly and reaching below the shelf and pulling out a small spare empty tray.

"Oh? Well, I can allow you to use a spare tray, but it may be easier to just pull any gems that you are favoring into something else over the ones you just have an eye for. It would make it easier to see which gems you really like first." The manager stated. "I'm sure you intend to make a good purchase today as all of our products are sought after, but I just don't want to pressure you into buying every gem you look after. A man of fine tastes musts be sure of his purchase after all." He continued, not trying to force a hard sale, but certainly not stopping himself from doing what he was asked. Years of experience had taught him the delicate balance of making the largest sales without pushing them with just words.

Thomas just ignored it though as he started to look over the gems. "That's not so much a concern for me honestly. I consider finely cut gems a nice investment. Even as currencies change, and should I travel over a great distance, the value of a finely cut gem is held very well even over time."

"A true man of taste and refinement. I do still deeply apologize for Julia's behavior, she couldn't have known what a fine man you are." The manager said with a slight nod, but still growing smile.

"Can I look over them with my hands, or do you have a spare set of tweezers or something?" Thomas asked.

"May I see your hands first?" The manager asked, Thomas readily extending his hands out for the manager to look over.

"I spent some extra time washing them today knowing that I would be coming here, but I don't want to impose if you would prefer me not to touch them directly." Thomas said as he allowed the manager to inspect them.

"I see I see. And for you, I will allow you to handle them. Your hands are nice and well cleaned." The manager smiled and Thomas nodded and then started to slowly look over the various trays laid out before him, starting to carefully selecting some gems, looking them over carefully and either putting them back exactly where he got them impressing the manager even more, or putting them in the spare tray to purchase.

The talking was quickly slowed now as Thomas just focused on that task, only listening to the occasional suggestion for type of gem he should look at, and Thomas almost always picked up a few of the type of stone or gem that Juno suggested, a small pile of gems growing quickly that would easily be the single biggest purchase that Thomas had ever made of his own desires in this life.

"Is there anything else that you would like to look at?" The manager asked, his smile still growing as usual by now.

'The red diamond.' Juno said quickly now, Thomas of course just repeating what she had been suggesting for the past few selections.

"The red diamo-... JUNO! What?!" Thomas just was on auto-pilot for the most part when repeating Juno and of course started to repeat her question, only for it to click what she just said, and half yelled at her, instantly looking down at her.

'It holds very special and true meaning among your kind... you're not leaving without it. I'll burn your shoes clean off if you try.' Juno stated, just looking up at him.

Already the manager was in utter delight, moving behind the counters and quickly moving over to the prized pieces section of the display, a heavily reinforced and secure stand built into the middle of the of the back wall. The manager gave it another quick glance himself, before vanishing back through a door into the backroom to get it, already smiling greatly about the massive commission he had gotten his own hands on.

Thomas however was quick to quiet himself down and was now speaking in a very soft tone trying to have a private conversation with Juno. "You know how rare those things are, even a moderately sized one like that is rare and I'm already spending a small fortune just getting the selection I have. An-"

Juno just shook her head and then looked up at him. 'The rarity of the red diamond has always been a gift of the World Mother. Humans have always given it many meanings and value it greatly for it's rarity, but for your kind, it has always represented the truth and life of reincarnation, the truth of ones self, of always remembering who one truly is and Suicune agrees entirely. It's also the very embodiment of hope and time of peace for the union of a watcher and their mate.' Juno stated.

"It represents a lot more then just that an-" Thomas started again, only to be once more cut off.

'I stand by those words, and everything that stone represents is another reason why you need it... and I was very serious about burning your shoes off if you try to leave without it. You'll have a long walk tomorrow and I'm sure some singed soles will make that walk a lot harder than it needs to be.' Juno stated again, partially growling to make her a point, a tail moving this feet as a single willow-wisp returned.

"You wou-"

'Shall we test this?' Juno asked, making it very clear about her stance just as the manager returned. A small secured case contained the single cross rose cut gem about the size of Thomas's thumbnail, along with a small stack of authentication paper work, the manager grinning hard as Julia looked over just in time to see what was being shown off, a horrible look of shock present for just a second.

"Here we are my good sir!" The manage smiled as Thomas just gave it a small look over, then looked back at Juno.

"Juno... n-" Thomas started, only for Juno to growl a bit more. "Juno, I-" he tried again, only for Juno to press her tail against his shoes.

'This was decided among all of us.' Juno quickly stated, Thomas's foot just barely starting to heat up as he dropped his head.

"I'll... take it..." Thomas said slowly, through barred teeth, reaching into his pockets and pulling out a rather large banking envelope.

"Perfect! Perrrfect!" The manager smiled and quickly put it with the small collection of other gems, Julia just giving a small gasp, the manager quickly giving her a very stern look out of the corner of his eye while Thomas wasn't looking, before taking the collection of gems to the main register.

With his full purchase in hand at last, and closing it up tight in a small portable trainer's safe that he slipped into a small hard to reach pocket inside his bag, Thomas just barely nodded to the manager again for his service, at least trying to be nice for now.

With that done, he finally left as the manager turned to the previous clerk Julia.

"Sir... if I may? Who was that lowly looking trainer. He did not fit with our proper clientele." Julia asked quietly.

"That was apparently the adopted son of Andrew and Vivian Falston, the latter of which spends several thousand here every few months on a regular basis just as little gifts she hands out for whatever reason I'm told. More importantly, Mrs. Falston orders a number of various custom pieces every year, and comes here of all our stores just to pick them up and make sure that they are crafted properly. We do NOT … turn away the Falstons." Nathaneil stated very firmly, not even trying to hide his voice or words to make his point.

Of course, someone was still in the corner looking over a case still, and still taking notes even as she was talking with her own clerk, the same woman who had been taking notes ever since Thomas walked into the place.

~xXx~

A man leaned up against the railing of a scenic overlook viewing the ocean, a large black bag at his side resting up against the railing with him, a very high end camera in his hands. He just kept up his little looks around though as he adjusted the screen and raised it up looking quietly over the ocean and a few islands along the coast of Trovitopolis. An older man with a lengthy beard, a slightly too large bowler hat in a rather plain white shirt and black slacks, he just appeared to be a slight better dressed tourist that didn't stand out in any real way.

Of course, when he brought up his camera however, which was looking over the island and a few of the nearby islands, the digital screen showed a very different view as he gave the quick glance around making sure no one was looking at his camera's display.

Happy with the test shot of what it was really displaying showing the store fronts behind him, he began to fake taking pictures of the ocean and some of the sea life that was nearby. His backpack, currently resting up against the railing had a powerful set of spy cameras set within, connected to the display and controls of his physical camera as he just waited now, knowing exactly what kind of man he was actively looking for.

He had a very good idea who he was looking for, and just watched the jewelry shop intently for now though, trying to get a good image of his target. It took a fair while, and it looked early on like his target was just going to walk out, but then the manager came up and seemed to almost pull him back. While annoying, he didn't let up though and just waited, trying to get a better view until at last, the man left the store.

Adjusting his camera slightly, his target came into clear view, nice and several times more clear then most of the other images that he had been handed prior, but still of the same man, and one of the pokemon he traveled with. He just made sure to record the young man for a few, as well as the ninetales that he was traveling with as he exited the high end jewelry shop for now.

Hitting one button, he pulled up a copy of one of the better images that he had been given a week ago. While the man wasn't openly traveling with the one pokemon that was said to always be at his side or nearby, the man couldn't argue that young man he was watching now was a perfect match to the man in the image that he had been given.

"Huh... so what are the chances of that. Some easily 30 year old image of a man, an espeon, and a ninetales and I find the man who looks exactly like him, but a bit younger..." The man muttered to himself, thinking about it quite a lot. He could easily tell that this wasn't a case of plastic surgery to revitalize a look, he had seen too much of that. More, the young man was easily just that, a younger man, without the entire full build of the man in the image, he still had some growing to do. He even quickly dismissed the thought of something such as the man he was taking images of being related to the man in the image, the face was too perfect a match. Thinking about a few more things though, his thoughts slowly turned to why his faceless employer wanted to keep tabs on this boy, and why he wasn't allowed to be hurt by their hands, but a smile slowly crossed his face. "Well... if someone else got younger, maybe I could too..."

Putting the camera away and walking off, just barely opening a side pocket on his backpack and just grabbing one of the dozen phones inside, before making a quick call. "Hey Tiger... got a drop for you to pick in about twenty minutes. Be a gentlemen and get it would you." The man said quietly, before ending the call, and then just giving the now useless phone to his pokemon, a jolteon who eagerly began to chew on it, draining the device of all power as well as frying everything else on it.