Chapter 4—A walk in the park—

After my first service assignment, I continued working and training my Pokemon on my days off. It was nice getting to know the others too. We kept going until it was time for the show the others were practicing for—members of the Elysian Opera who weren't involved in the show were allowed to watch in special seats. Even better, we got free seats to boot! This was my first time watching them perform… I had to admit, I was excited! The show was called "Sheena" and the main actors were Luka and Kaito. In it, Luka played a character named Sheena, who was a shy and quiet girl who was lonely and sometimes targeted by bullies… but Kaito played a character who was a kind, friendly guy who talked to Sheena and spent time with her. He built her up until she eventually started encouraging others in a similar manner and helping people independently. It showed the importance of treating everyone with kindness, even people who weren't noticed.

After the show, we quickly packed up and prepared to move. When everyone was all ready, we got together in a separate car before we eventually headed off. As we were en route, I said: "Garrows certainly was a nice place. Where are we headed to this time?" "We're going somewhere pretty different this time… Garrows was a smaller town, but this time, we're moving to Yorsha. It's a big city located further north. It's one of our first big breaks, so it's very exciting for us!" Luka said before I said: "Is that so? Well, congratulations then! I suppose big cities are more likely to get bigger audiences." "You called it, Lucas. And that means that we can get our company's name out further, as well as our own names. Of course, that also means it's important we do a good job onstage, so we're going to have to do our best!" Miku said. "I think you've got this. I mean, Luka and Kaito did a great job in the last show—I loved the moral and Luka did a great job playing a character that wasn't like her. That show already was fantastic and if watching only two of you perform was so awesome, then getting to see more of you up there on the stage will be great!" I said before everyone smiled and Luka said: "Thank you, Lucas. I'm glad you thought I played the part well… but you get assignments like that when you're an actor—not all your characters are like you personally. If you can play both characters that are like you and characters that aren't like you, you have an advantage over someone who can't." "Makes sense. I'll remember that nuance. But once again: good job, Luka. Kaito." I said before Luka looked happy and Kaito said: "Ha ha! Thank you, Lucas. It's good to know we satisfied our patrons, but knowing that I satisfied a friend I knew personally is very gratifying too."

We kept going until we arrived in Yorsha a matter of days later. It was much more familiar to me than Garrows—Yorsha had tall buildings, more impressive streets, fancier architecture and had good roads. The buildings weren't chrome and exquisitely designed like I was used to, but it felt a lot more like home. Upon our arrival, I helped to set up the tent in a remote corner of the city and as soon as I and the other crew members in charge of building it were finished, we all called it a night.

I continued working until my first day off here, at which point I took a walk in the city. I found apricorn trees grew here too, so I picked some and made more apricorn balls that evening. The next day, I was working on making clothes for the upcoming performance before I heard a: "Hey, Lucas! Are you available?" It was Kaito! I turned to him and said: "Hi, Kaito. I have some time, yes. What is it?" "Well, Mr. Victor said you volunteered to support us in our service assignments. That's right, isn't it?" Kaito asked before I said: "It is." "Good. Then in that case, are you ready to come along? He was going to inform us about our next service assignment here in Yorsha." Kaito said before I said: "Absolutely. Let's go, Kaito!" And we went to George's office.

When we arrived, we entered George's office (and I saw Meiko was here too) before George said: "Welcome, Kaito, Lucas! Thank you for coming." "Certainly, sir. Now then, what was our service assignment this time?" Kaito asked. "I've contacted the city about this and secured permission for you, Meiko and Lucas to go to Honeysuckle Park and plant some flower seeds around the area. Nothing like some flowers to make the park beautiful, wouldn't you say?" George said. "That's a wonderful idea, sir. But how do we know where to plant them?" Meiko asked before George said: "The groundskeeper at the park has marked the spots with orange flags. Your job will be to plant them within the marked areas." "I see. That's certainly convenient." I said before George went on: "The seeds and tools you'll be using have been set aside in a wooden bin near the tent's entrance with a bag, so pack them up in the bag before you leave. You'll need to have the seeds planted by sundown, so be sure to give yourselves enough time to finish." "Understood. We'll do that, sir." I said before George said: "Good! Then off you go—I'll be waiting for your return!"

And then we all left before Meiko said: "Okay, so now that we know what we're doing, all that's left is coordinating our schedules." And then she turned to me and said: "Lucas, can you leave now? Kaito and I are ready to go, so if you're ready, we can leave right now." "I am ready. However, there's something I should ask you, Meiko, Kaito…" I said before she said: "Hm?" And I said: "Do you and Kaito have your Pokemon with you for this outing?" "Yes! I couldn't say no to a chance to let Machop out of his apricorn ball and see a little action!" Kaito said before Meiko said: "No, I don't… but what's the big deal? You're our bodyguard, aren't you, Lucas?" "That's true, but there's more to their use than being able to protect you from other Pokemon, or worse, a Voxort. If there's a Pokemon you want to catch, you won't be able to do it without a Pokemon of your own—then it'll escape and you'll lose a wonderful opportunity, as well as a Pokemon friend you could have had." I said before Meiko said: "Hmm… that's actually a good point. Alright, wait for me at the tent's entrance—I'll meet you there." "Understood. We'll meet you there when you're ready." I said before Meiko went off and Kaito and I went to the entrance. Not too long thereafter, Meiko arrived and she said: "Alright, I've got Elekid. Sorry to keep you." "That's fine, Meiko. And before we go, I have something for you both, too…" I said. "Huh? Like what?" Kaito asked before I took out the apricorn balls I had made and said: "Take three of them, both of you. Now you can catch any Pokemon you find who you want to befriend." "Oh wow, how generous! Thank you, Lucas." Meiko said before she and Kaito each took three and she went on: "That was wonderful, but with that settled, all that leaves is who will carry the supplies. And with that said… would you be willing to, Lucas?" "Naturally. I said I'm good with heavy lifting after all." I said as I put the supplies in the bag and Meiko said: "Thank you, Lucas. You're a really big help." And then I took the bag as Meiko said: "Alright then… shall we?" "Absolutely. Let's hit the road!" Kaito said before we left the tent.

We headed into the city and walked to Honeysuckle Park—it wasn't entirely close to our tent, so we had to go a little way into the city. Eventually, we arrived somewhat before noon in a wonderful park with trees, fountains, benches and beautiful scenery all around. Meiko looked a little happier as we walked in and said: "I like places like this. There's nothing like a well-maintained park to relax you after going through a big city." "I agree. Places like this really have their charm." Kaito said before he turned to me and said: "What about you, Lucas?" "It does have its charm, but I liked the city too. As I said before, I am very accustomed to big cities, so I like them too—I'm used to them. But places like this are nice too. I can see how you'd find it relaxing." I said before Meiko said: "You really grew up in the concrete jungle, huh?" And Kaito said: "Even so, appreciating different kinds of places is a good strength too—you can find beauty in wherever you are, that way." "I agree, Kaito. Thank you for saying that." I said before I looked around and soon saw an area marked with orange flags before I pointed to it and said: "Oh, there's an area where we were supposed to plant in right there." And then they both turned to it and Kaito said: "I didn't expect to see one so soon, but whatever. Let's get planting!" And we went over and planted some flower seeds.

After that, we went around and found more of the marked spots and planted more seeds. When we were headed to the next one, I turned to Meiko and Kaito and said: "So Meiko, Kaito, how did you get started on this? What made you two want to join the Elysian Opera?" "In my case, I did it because I love the thrill of the stage. I really realized my passion for it in drama when I was in middle school—there's nothing like getting up onstage and acting in front of a crowd. After I refined my skills for a few years, when the Elysian Opera held an audition in my hometown, I tried my luck at it and got a job offer, so here I am." Kaito said before I said: "You're certainly fearless, Kaito. There are lots of people who would be desperate to avoid getting onstage, myself included." "Yes, there are a lot of people like that. I understand it's not a common strength. But then, you weren't the least bit frightened when we encountered that monster—a Voxort, you called it?—so long ago. When I first saw it, I was sure we were going to die and felt terrified, but you stood up to it like it was nothing. I'd say we can relate to each other for that reason." Kaito said before I said: "That's true. Different people are suited for different things."

And then I turned to Meiko and said: "And how about you, Meiko?" "Oh, well… my story isn't quite as pleasant, but I'll still tell you. When I was growing up, my mom and dad loved me very much, but their love rarely extended to each other—they used to fight all the time. It really took its toll on me, especially when I was a teenager." She said. "Oh, Meiko…" I said before she went on: "When I was getting into my later teenage years, I was starting to get fed up with it all… and yet there was one day when a troupe of musical actors was visiting my hometown. On a whim, I bought a ticket to it and watched the show—there were a lot of characters in it, but one of them who caught my attention was a character who had no parents and was living as a drifter and was losing hope as a result…" "It sounds like you could identify with them a little." I said before Meiko said: "It was true, when they explored that character's story, I felt a sense of rapport with them. But what really inspired me was a different character who gave the drifter hope to get up and try again at life. In the show, the drifter did and put their life back together, but my attention was really on the actress who played the character who inspired the drifter—seeing that message made me feel hope, but seeing how the actress played her part so brilliantly and how she had inspired me and doubtlessly other people in the audience to keep trying and to believe something better was possible… it was a beautiful thing. It made me realize how one performance on one night could change someone's life and how the right actor can convey a message that can bring back someone's sense of purpose. When I saw what she did for everyone in the audience, I wanted to be that kind of actress, so I practiced my singing and acting and eventually, the Elysian Opera held auditions where I lived. I gave it a whirl, hoping for the chance to prove myself, and I actually got in! It made me so happy! From that moment on, I devoted myself to being an actress like the performer I saw those years ago."

And I smiled and said: "That's a wonderful story, Meiko. That's a very noble reason to get involved in theater." "Ehe… thank you, Lucas. I was only doing what came naturally to me." She said before we started walking by a fountain and soon I heard Meiko say: "Oh! What a cute little Pokemon!" And Kaito and I turned our heads to see a small duck Pokemon flutter out of the water and stand on the fountain's edge… it had a light blue body with yellow webbed feet, yellow legs and a yellow bill. It had blue feathers around its hips and had light blue plumage on the top of its head, as well as light blue tailfeathers. It had white eyes with black pupils and was very short.

And then Meiko approached the Pokemon before it looked it her and she said: "Hi, little cutie. I haven't seen a Pokemon like—" And then it sprayed water at her, which she narrowly avoided! The Pokemon looked amused as it said: "Du-u-u-cklett!" And I said: "It would seem this Ducklett has a rascally personality… what do you think? Are you going to go for it?" "Huh?" Meiko said before I said: "Your apricorn balls I gave you. You can catch her, because you have Elekid with you." "Oh! Yes, you're right!" Meiko said before she took out Elekid's apricorn ball and said: "Go, Elekid!" And she called him out before Ducklett assumed a confrontational stance and I said: "Be careful before you attack, Meiko… Ducklett is a water and flying type, so it takes very high damage from Elekid's electric attacks. If you were to use one, Ducklett would probably lose all of its health and a severely injured feral Pokemon will run if that happens. If you want to catch her, use an attack that won't overdo it at damaging Ducklett." "Thank you for the tip." Meiko said before Ducklett sprayed Elekid with foamy bubbles that popped when they made contact before Elekid recovered and Meiko said: "Elekid, attack with ice punch!" And Elekid said: "Ele!" And he ran up to Ducklett before his fist suddenly became coated in ice crystals and he punched her (with the ice crystals coming off and flying forward as he did) and Ducklett recovered before she spat a blob of water that exploded when it hit Elekid and Meiko said: "Elekid, one more ice punch!" And Elekid attacked with it again… but then Ducklett suddenly started shivering and fell over! "Oh, that's awful… what just happened?" Meiko said before I said: "You've got her now, Meiko! Ducklett just got frozen and frozen Pokemon are incredibly easy to catch! Use your apricorn ball now!" And then Meiko pointed it at Ducklett before it emitted a red laser and when it made contact with her, it sucked her in! The apricorn ball shook a bit in her grasp before it stood still and Meiko said: "It stopped… does that mean…?" And I said: "Yes! Good job, Meiko! You caught Ducklett!"

"Well that certainly is a good feeling, knowing my first attempt to capture a Pokemon was a success. Looking back on it, it's clear I wouldn't have succeeded if you weren't here, Lucas." Meiko said. "It's all part of the process, Meiko. You're still learning quickly and that's fantastic!" I said before she said: "Well it's nice to have that cute little Ducklett on board…" And then she suddenly looked discouraged before she said: "But I do feel bad about seeing her get frozen… she looked so cold and uncomfortable… I don't want to do that again…" "Sometimes you can't control it, Meiko. Some attacks Pokemon can use have an imperfect chance to inflict status conditions like freeze and you don't know if they will until it's too late." I said before Meiko said: "Then I will do what I can not to make Pokemon suffer from status conditions like that. I wish I could help Ducklett now… just thinking of her shivering inside that apricorn ball all alone, it…" And she wouldn't finish her sentence before I said: "Don't worry, Meiko—status conditions like that wear off over time. None of them last forever. Eventually Ducklett will warm up, recover and be good as new."

And then Meiko looked happy and said: "Oh, what a relief…" And I smiled and said: "But your attitude really shows what a gentle person you are, Meiko. The fact that you would treat the tiniest Pokemon with such kindness shows what a good heart you have." And Meiko blushed before I said: "Anyway, we still have lots of spots left to plant in. Shall we?" "Yes, that sounds like a plan." Meiko said before we got back to work.

Later on, we made it about halfway through the park and we had just finished planting seeds before we got up and starting walking further in before Kaito said: "We've been at work for a while. How many seeds are left in the bag, Lucas?" And I checked before I said: "It's about three-fifths empty. We've still got some work ahead of us." "I see. Then we'd best find the next plot of earth, then." Kaito said. And we continued before I said: "These flowers will sure look nice someday. I'd like to come back and see what they grow into." And then I turned to Meiko and said: "And what about you? Do you like flowers, Meiko?" "There are several I like, yes. So many beautiful varieties exist." Meiko said before she went on: "And what about you, Lucas? You sound like you appreciate them." "Yes, I do like seeing them. There are lots of types and colors that are pretty." I said before Meiko looked a little surprised and said: "Really? I wouldn't have guessed you'd say that… but that's still nice all the same." And then we went back to looking for the next seed plot.

Eventually, we reached the end of the park before our bag of seeds was finally empty. When I saw it, I said: "Okay, it looks like we've finally exhausted our supply of seeds and spots to plant in. Now we just need to report back to Mr. Victor." "Then that's one successful service assignment wrapped up! A job well done, Lucas, Meiko!" Kaito said before I said: "Yes, we all did well. That was a fun project." And Meiko said: "I agree. You both did well. Now let's get back home." And we turned around and went back to the park's entrance… but it wasn't long before we saw people fleeing from something! "What's going on?! What's happening?!" Meiko said before I said: "I don't know, but we can't just stand around! We have the power to stop what's going on!" And then I went on: "Meiko, Kaito, let's go! We have to save them!" "Now you're talking! Let's move, then!" Kaito said before we ran ahead.

Eventually, we found the problem: there was a Voxort by another fountain we had passed! "A Voxort! So that's what's terrorizing the people here!" Kaito said before I stepped up to it and said: "Let me handle this…" And I took out the Poke ball containing my other Pokemon I had brought with me before I said: "Go, Poliwhirl!" And I called him out… he was a humanoid Pokemon who walked on two legs. He had a blue body and short legs with feet attached, as well as short arms with white gloves over his hands. He had two white eyes with black irises and white pupils, two little slits for nostrils a bit below them and had a big white circle on his stomach that had a black swirl on it. He was short.

And then I said: "Poliwhirl, attack the Voxort! Bubble beam!" And Poliwhirl said: "Poli!" Before he sprayed a huge stream of foamy bubbles at the Voxort that popped on contact and got its attention immediately. The Voxort turned to Poliwhirl and hissed at him before it lumbered over to him and struck him with its arm before I said: "Poliwhirl, attack again! Bubble beam!" And Poliwhirl attacked with it again before the Voxort drained energy from Poliwhirl and copied his type before the gem in its brain turned blue… now it was water typed… that would harm Poliwhirl's ability to damage it with water moves, but fortunately, I had a backup plan… "Poliwhirl, use hypnosis!" I said before the swirl on Poliwhirl's stomach spun around and around, but nothing happened… it failed to affect the Voxort. The Voxort made red energy surround itself before I had Poliwhirl try another hypnosis… and it failed too! The Voxort grabbed Poliwhirl and drained health from him before I had Poliwhirl try another hypnosis… and at last, the Voxort fell backwards and started breathing more calmly. "Did it… fall asleep?" Kaito asked before I said: "Bingo. And on that note…" Before I went on: "Poliwhirl, brick break!" And Poliwhirl brought down his fist on the Voxort in a downward chop and the Voxort took it hard, but it didn't even wake up! I had Poliwhirl do it again while the Voxort still kept dozing and I finally said: "You've got 'em, Poliwhirl! Wake up slap! Attack the head!" And Poliwhirl started slapping the Voxort back and forth in horizontal motions in the head before it hissed, its brain lost color and it stopped moving entirely!

"Great job, Poliwhirl! You still haven't lost your edge, I see!" I said before Poliwhirl said: "Poli!" And I gave him a high-five before I said: "You'd better rest up now—it would do you good and there's no telling how many more of those things there could be." "Poli!" Poliwhirl said before I called him back and then Meiko said: "Great work, Lucas. It was a good thing you were ready—neither of my Pokemon were in shape to battle…" "Machop is still new to battling too, so thank you for taking over in that stressful situation, Lucas." Kaito said before I said: "Much appreciated, Meiko, Kaito. Now as long as we've fulfilled our duty here, let's hurry home." And then we left the park.

We kept our guard up for a while, but when we were back in the city, we eventually relaxed and I said: "Say, Kaito…" And he turned to me and said: "What is it, Lucas?" "I remember in our earlier conversation when you said it was your interest in drama that drew you to the Elysian Opera. That said, I was wondering… were you always that kind of person who liked getting onstage and performing?" I asked. "Pretty much. Even before my interest in drama, I was in my middle school's debate team. I liked making persuasive arguments and the tense thrill of trying to outreason someone. Soon it was starting to get easy for me and that was what made me want to take drama, actually—I was looking for a related challenge that would keep it fresh and new. And even in elementary school, I liked orally presenting reports in front of my class. I guess I was always that way." He replied. "That is interesting. You're lucky you're so naturally courageous, Kaito—" I began, but then we heard a: "Tranquill!" And turned to see a bird Pokemon in front of us! It was like a pigeon that had a gray body with striped gray-and-black wings, tailfeathers that were gray on the top and black at the ends and it had salmon-colored legs and feet with black talons. It had a golden-brown beak and red patterns above it and black feathers like hair that fell to its shoulders. It had had white eyes with yellow irises and black pupils and looked fairly short…

"Oh… that looks like trouble." I said before Meiko said: "It's a flying Pokemon, isn't it, Lucas?" "Yes. And right now, that's pretty bad… among our healthy Pokemon, some of them are weak to it and several are already hurting from previous battles…" I replied before Tranquill said: "Tranquill!" And it flew at Kaito! "Okay, you're on! Machop, lend me your strength!" Kaito said before he called him out and I said: "What are you doing, Kaito?! Your Machop is weak to flying, remember?!" "Oh… you're right. I shouldn't have gotten so worked up…" Kaito said before he went on: "Oh well, there's nothing for it now! Machop, seismic toss!" And Machop said: "Ma!" And he ran at Tranquill and actually grabbed her before he leapt up high in the air and when he was getting close to landing, he threw Tranquill to the ground before he managed to land safely! And then Tranquill looked furious and said: "Traaa!" And blew a gust of wind at Machop and he took it hard! "Urgh… Machop…" Kaito said as Machop got up and then Tranquill barreled forward so fast that she disappeared and crashed into Machop before Kaito said: "Machop, use revenge!" And Machop tightened his muscles before he ran up to Tranquill and struck her with a brutal uppercut that knocked her down, but she unfortunately got up…

But then we heard a: "Mag!" And then we saw Tranquill get zapped by electricity! We all turned our heads to see a small Pokemon like a silver ball that had two horseshoe magnets with one red end and one blue end on each magnet on either side of its head. It had a silver screw on top of its head, and one big, white eye in the middle of its head with a little black dot for a pupil. It also had more smaller screws coming out of its face diagonally downward from its eye. It floated over the ground and was very short. "What's that?" Kaito asked before I said: "That's a Magnemite. It's an electric and steel type Pokemon." And then the Magnemite hovered over next to Machop and stared down the Tranquill before I said: "Well it looks like it's your lucky day, Kaito! It would seem you have a brave benefactor! And it's strong against flying Pokemon to boot!" "Is that right…? Well that's certainly noble! Thank you, Magnemite!" He said before Magnemite said: "Mite…" And then the Tranquill looked angry and said: "Tranquiiill!" And flapped her wings fiercely and blew a strong air current at Machop and Magnemite and it hit both of them! Machop fell over (but still forced himself up), but Magnemite basically shrugged it off. For that move to hit them both… it was obviously the air cutter move, a flying type attack. That said, it stood to reason that Magnemite had so little trouble recovering—As electric and steel Pokemon, Magnemite were very resistant to flying damage. Magnemite zapped Tranquill with electricity again before Kaito said: "Machop, drive that Tranquill away! Revenge!" And Machop hit Tranquill with a harsh uppercut and Tranquill fell over before she got up and flew away!

And Kaito looked triumphant and said: "We did it! Way to hang in there and overcome such a dangerous opponent, Machop!" And he patted Machop on the shoulder as he said: "Ma…" And then Kaito turned to Magnemite and said: "And thank you too for intervening, Magnemite. That wouldn't have been possible for us to win on our own without you helping. You really are a brave and amazing Pokemon to jump right in and help someone who needs it." "Mite…" Magnemite said before Kaito said: "Hey, you and Machop really are a natural pair. Would you like to come with us? We travel all over this continent, so there's a lot you could see and learn by coming with us. And travelling is always more fun to do with friends, right?" And Magnemite paused before he looked happy and said: "Mite!" And Kaito said: "Great! Thank you, Magnemite. Then here, let me show you something…"

And he took out an apricorn ball and said: "We carry our Pokemon in these. You can ride around in here safely until it's okay for you to come out." "Magnemite!" Magnemite said before Kaito said: "Great. Alright, then you'd better rest up for now, Magnemite but I'll check on you soon!" And he called Magnemite into it before Meiko said: "And now you have another Pokemon too. Congratulations, Kaito." And I said: "Well done, Kaito. You and Magnemite are off to a good start already. I'm sure you, Machop and Magnemite will enjoy many adventures together." And he turned to me and said: "Thank you, Lucas. And somehow, I know you're right! I'm looking forward to all that I'm going to do with them!" "Yes, that's exactly the attitude you should be taking, Kaito. Now let's go back!" I said before we continued on our way to the tent.

Eventually, we went through the city and back to the remote corner our tent was in. The sun was beginning to set by the time we returned… we had made it just in time. We set the bag of tools aside where we had initially received them and went back to George's office before Kaito said: "I'll handle this." And he knocked on the door before George said: "Come in." And we all entered before he said: "Ah, welcome back, Meiko, Kaito, Lucas! It looks like you got back just in time." "Yes, sir. And we planted all the flower seeds, just like you asked." Meiko said before George teased: "Wonderful! Yes, I suppose you all have the grass stains to prove it too!" And then he went on: "In that case, rest well and have a good night. I'll see you all tomorrow." "Yes sir. Have a good night, Mr. Victor!" I said before we all left his office and I went back to my quarters. Rin and Len had proven to be good Pokemon trainers, but I was already enjoying Meiko and Kaito too. Meiko was very gentle—possibly too gentle for her own good, but her kindness towards Pokemon was inspiring. And though I had predicted that Kaito would get a new Pokemon, I wasn't expecting it to come about as it had, where he had been helped by a Pokemon who later joined him… there are all sorts of relationships between people and Pokemon, it seemed. And whether it was back at home or here in this world, that made anywhere with Pokemon a special place.