Chapter 68 – Friendly Encounter

  After finishing my phone calls with the professors, I saw Mr. Briney’s Pokémon fly by. Just the sight of the majestic Wingull drove me to spend some time observing her and likewise the little bird reciprocated my noble intentions by engaging in a game of tag with me across the ship’s deck, completely of her own volition with not a single misinterpretation involved.

  “Win Gull!”

  “Just a single photograph! I’ll give you a juicy berry in exchange.”

  That seemed to do the trick seeing as the flying type slowed down enough to where I could catch up with her. Peeko gave me a questioning look as if trying to determine if I really intended to give up one of my berries.

  “Look, I am sorry for chasing you around, it's just that coming across a special Pokémon like you doesn’t happen every day. Can we still be friends?”

  “Gull…”

  To assuage her concerns, I decided to deliver Peeko’s payment up front. The berry I offered wasn’t just a regular Oran berry. Over my long years as a gym intern, I’ve developed a skill most trainers would envy. I can always tell what flavor berry a Pokémon would like after a period of observation. Peeko being a Wingull filled with quirkiness led me to speculate that she preferred bitter tasting berries. So, I wasn’t surprised when her eyes started shining at the sight of my offered Rawst berry. Any responsible fire type specialist always keeps Rawst berries on hand in case of any accidental burns. Not for their own Pokémon because fire types can’t be burned but in case a practice battle with other trainers or wild Pokémon get out of hand. I’ve had to use these numerous times just to make sure any wild Pokémon we matched up against could walk away unscathed. None of my own Pokémon particularly liked bitter tasting berries so these were safe from being looted during times I would leave my backpack unattended.

  “Win Gull! Gull!”

  Seeing the little bird enjoying my peace offering brought a smile to my face. The seeds of my Rawst berry were sticking to her beak. So, I was prompted to offer my cleaning services to help alleviate her problem.

  “Let me get that, I have some extra tissue paper for occasions like these...”

  “Win Gull!”

  After her beak was all sparkly clean Peeko let me take a selfie with my Xtransceiver. Which I was sure to treasure as a token for our burgeoning friendship. While me and Peeko were having a good time another Pokémon was jealously staring at the two of us not at all amused by the situation.

  “Vess!”

  I let my Pokémon out of their balls with their only task being soaking up the sun while following Victini’s instruction on how to do so. Most of them didn’t mind my fixation on Peeko but it seemed Halo wasn’t as amused with me giving my undivided attention to a Pokémon who could not be considered part of her retinue(family). Sensing Halo’s broodiness I parted ways with Peeko and quickly rejoined the rest of my team at their little cluster of beach chairs.

  “Thank you for being patient with me. From now on it’s fire types only!”

  “Laar…”

  “Peeko might be a special Wingull, but you got her beat in the cuteness department Halo. There’s always a sense of elegance that surrounds you and people as well as other Pokémon can’t help but get lost into your big blue eyes.”

  “Vess…”

  “I am not being insincere. Doesn’t she look stunning, you guys?”

  “Rupt!” “Ninee!” “Lit!” “Nitan!” “Arf!” “Yep!”

  The embarrassment of having her parental guardian and close companions lavish her with affection in a public setting caused the horns on her head to turn red hot and fire off gouts of flame. Halo whose face had almost seceded into her fuzzy mane tried to make herself as small as possible but the glitter in her eyes couldn’t escape my notice.

  Before I had the chance to embarrass her any further the ship’s bells rang five times in succession. Indicating that the ship was only minutes away from docking into the Sootopolis bay area. Normally I would have no idea what all the different navigational sounds meant but this time I recognized it because I heard it before when the ship made landfall at Mossdeep island. Hanging off on the ship’s handrails I could clearly see the giant white crater that is Sootopolis.

  “Seems like we are about to make landfall. This will be the last time any of us will have to travel by boat until we’ve reached the end of this circuit.”

  My declaration brought a sense of joy to the team. As fire types they were naturally disinclined to travel across large bodies of water. Two hours in and Numsy was even exhibiting symptoms of seasickness. Being a fire type Pokémon he had no way of actually expelling fluids and instead expelled trace amounts of airborne soot from his nostrils and back.

  “We’ll have to book a room at a Pokémon center and schedule a match at the gym but afterwards we can go do something fun.”

  “Let’s go explore the Cave of Origin!”

  ‘The super-ancient Pokémon aren’t even there! The only thing we’ll find in that place are those glowing crystals formed out of natural energy. It’s also the most heavily guarded place in the entire region. If we get caught, we’ll be in a heap of trouble. In any event we should avoid going to places that have anything to do with those two. Every time they wake up the region gets plunged into an ecological apocalypse event.’

  “…I guess that’s true.”

  I felt Victini’s disappointment at the fact that she wouldn’t be able to have playdates with Groudon and Kyogre so I opted to distract her with something else.

  ‘It’s going to be a while until we manage to train up enough to beat Juan. How about we get started on a little side project. We’ll make some money and you can go looking for that Pokémon we’ve discussed before.’

  “You mean?!”

  ‘If you are good, we can go check it out while we are there. Still… we know that Brandon managed to catch one so it could be that the ruin is empty.’

  “No way! Only we know how to get in there!”

  As me and Victini were mentally discussing the probability of others having already uncovered the secret passageway into that ruin. The S.S. Tidal came closer and closer to her destination until the ship’s navigator Mr. Briney successfully docked her into the Sootopolis harbor. Giving us a closer view of the impact site of the ancient meteorite that once reshaped the land.

  Sootopolis City wasn’t like other places. The entire township was surrounded by giant steep cliffs which protected the city from harsh winds and flood disasters. At the same time that made it a hassle for incoming ships to unload their goods since the city’s council deemed it imperative that there’d be no large entrances into the city proper as to prevent tropical storms from damaging residential buildings. There was a single tunnel leading from the harbor into the city and on busy days the foot traffic was so large it took half a day just to enter the urban area.

  “Go on kid.”

  “Are you sure Mr. Briney?”

  “S’fine if you wait any longer your whole day will be wasted. A whippersnapper like you should be out there enjoying your journey instead of waiting in line all day. Me, Peeko and the crew can handle ourselves.”

  “Gull!”

  Feeling somewhat ashamed for getting to board for free without paying I had offered to help out where I could. Glove was just as strong as any machoke and even without the extra safety training he could save people in a pinch with confusion. However, the most we got to do was wash the dishes after mealtime.

  “Thank you for everything! Especially you Peeko!”

  “Gull?!”

  “That picture I took with you is going to be worth millions of poké dollars one day. Please remember us when you inevitably become a world-famous celebrity!”

  “Win Win…”

  “You hear that Peeko? Egon believes in you just as I do.”

  Mr. Briney heaped on the praise in an admirable attempt to describe Peeko’s wondrous qualities. The little seagull seemed to appreciate the praise coming from its trainer even more, giving the old man’s right cheek some playful nibbles. Having accomplished improving another relationship, I stepped away and onto the walkway ready to face another hectic day navigating through an unfamiliar city.

  Now that we finally entered the city, I couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of all the white houses hewn out of the very rock that formed the crater. The city was divided into three sections, two residential areas separated by a gigantic salt water lake and the third section was a small island hosting only a single building, the Sootopolis city gym. The central hub of learning for all the serious water type specialists. Home to Juan the gym leader and also the place where Wallace acquired all his battling skills. I laid my hand on top of the first building I came across curious on what type of stone these buildings were constructed out of.

  ‘Is that marble? The color matches, or it could be some variety of white granite.’

  “Stop wasting time, we have to get to the center!”

  “You’re right, but I don’t think we’ll be able to get to route 111 today. There’s a lot of planning that goes into expeditions like this. First off, we’ll need to go to the Pokémon center to book a room, then we’ll need to rent or buy a set of excavating tools and hidden machines and while at the center we’ll use the computers to find the closest store that sells trainer supplies.”

  Hidden machines were a set of publicly sold technical machines that recorded moves that could be lifesaving under certain conditions. They were also made to last unlike technical machines that were usually limited to one use and are made to make a profit. Trainers who found themselves stuck unable to get past a collapsed cave ceiling could rely on the moves Strength or Rock Smash to get out. Cut was used to clear out fallen trees or tall grass to those lost in forest terrain and for trainers navigating a rapid stream Waterfall could be used to save them from dropping to their demise.

  I never saw the need to purchase any of the hidden machines due to multiple reasons mostly because I was too poor and going exploring seemed like a waste of time. However, with the nice lump of cash we received from our latest gym battle I saw no reason not to at least buy a single use of Strength. Especially since we were looking to explore an old ruin without supervision.

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  As I was walking around looking for a nearby Pokémon center, I couldn’t help but notice the local residents' choice in companions. Almost all of them were accompanied by a water type Pokémon and not just those native to Hoenn. I could see little boys running around with buizels and corphish, girls with marills and poliwags while the grown ups were busy doing their daily groceries accompanied by evolved and older Pokémon. In hindsight it made sense that the resident preferred this type over others. Living in a city divided by a saltwater lake would become pretty tedious if you didn’t have a mode of transportation to get you to the other side quickly and efficiently.

  ‘Here’s to hoping there’s a Pokémon center in this part of the city, I am not wasting money on a rental Pokémon to give me a ride over to the other side.’

  As luck would have it, I did eventually end up finding a Pokémon center. It was tucked away on a street that was hidden away on the top a large set of stone hewn stairs. After entering I was set to book myself a room for the night that was until I came across a familiar face. A certain twin tailed girl rocking an elegant school uniform.

  “Roxanne?”

  “Egon?! How have you been? Is Flannery also with you?”

  “No, she’s back at her grandfather’s gym after catching a bunch of new Pokémon. They’re understaffed as it is, and Mr. Moore couldn’t find any extra gym trainers willing to work inside an active volcano.”

  “Hmm she told me that the two of you had broken up because Mr. Moore didn’t trust you to behave yourself around a pretty girl like her. Also, I never did get your number or else I would’ve called to catch up with you.”

  ‘Darn it Flannery! What else have you been telling Roxanne behind my back?!’

  “Sure, we can do that now. Are you also waiting in line to book a room?”

  “No, I’ve been inside Sootopolis for around a week. The reason I am standing in line now is to pick up my recovered Pokémon. We’ve been having practice battles at the Sootopolis gym with the trainers working there to further refine our strategy for my first attempt at earning the Rain Badge. So far, we haven’t had many successes…”

  ‘Poor girl, those flimsy water platforms must not have held up under the weight of some of her heavier rock type Pokémon.’

  “Have you tried catching that Pokémon we talked about the first time we met?”

  A little hint of excitement came back to her downtrodden features.

  “Yes! Tomorrow I’ll be boarding a tourist submarine. This one will be able to go deep enough to encounter the Relicanth I’ve been looking for. The tour guide assured me that if our luck holds up, I’ll be able to see and offer one of them a spot on my team.”

  “Still… It will be difficult. You don’t have a water type Pokémon able to battle underwater to prove your skills as an able trainer. Even if you do manage to catch one training a wild one enough to be capable of battling Juan and make it on time for the Ever Grande conference is a tall order.”

  With every remark I made Roxanne slipped further into her funk. Still, I was responsible enough to not try and sugarcoat her prospects, being certain that if she couldn’t make it in time to beat Juan that Roxanne could still go out and challenge a minor gym to earn herself that final badge.

  “Can we help her?”

  ‘Well, we could take her along for what I’ve planned. If we do end up managing to find some fossils we could share half with her. Those rock types she keeps on her team and especially Roxanne’s Onix would be a boon to us while navigating the harsh desert storms of route 111.’

  “Say Roxanne, would you be interested in joining my expedition to the route 111 desert? I’ve heard rumors of a mirage tower made entirely out of hardened sand appearing every so often. That large of a displacement in the desert’s substrate will be sure to reveal some fossils that we could then collect.”

  “Oh! I’d love to! But... I’ve little money left after losing all those practice battles. At least not enough to hire the services of a teleportation Pokémon capable of bringing us all the way over and back.”

  “Don’t you worry! One of my partners is a psychic type who can take us there for free.”

  “That’d be great! My Pokémon would relish the opportunity to have a break from Island life if only for a brief moment. Also, congratulations I didn’t know you managed to catch a new Pokémon.”

  “Yeah, new...”

  ‘Ssshh you know I am bad at keeping up with two conversations at the same time.’

  “How about I join you the day after tomorrow? My submarine tour will take an entire day’s worth of time.”

  “That works out, we still have to prepare our own supplies and make battle preparations to deal with the Sootopolis gym’s water types.”

  “I’ll go with you! We can talk more about fossils and battle strategy. I also have to buy new safety goggles if we are going out in the desert anyway.”

  Just like that we got into it talking about any supplies we’d need while waiting in line. Nurse Joy was as pleasant and professional as always giving Roxanne a light scolding after discovering her Rock types had taken a dip in the Sootopolis gym’s pool battlefield. After the nurse was done with Roxanne, she helped book me a dorm room and the both of us left the Pokémon center eager to continue our conversation. Without Flannery demanding my attention we had plenty of time to discuss our upcoming plans.

  “Beating Juan will be tough, but I think we can manage it as long as my Pokémon don’t fall into that water. Did you learn anything important while battling against his gym trainers?”

  “The gym will accommodate challengers with larger pool floats if a trainer decides to bring out heavier Pokémon to the battle. This however only makes one a bigger target, to win a battle I’d advise you to somehow regain the home field advantage.”

  “My Macargo didn’t have enough firepower to evaporate the pool water at a fast enough rate. I calculated we’d need about three times the amount he could usually produce.”

  “Have you tried teaching Magcargo Sunny Day? Water type moves lose power under harsh sunlight.”

  “Not in a pool, the ambient heat from the sun is so effective because the water vapor in the air that Pokémon use to perform water moves rises higher than usual under sweltering temperature conditions. With an entire pool’s worth of water at their disposal the advantage one can gain in this manner is negligent. Sunny Day’s other beneficial effect should still work in the same manner. At the eighth level I can safely assume almost all of Juan’s team know how to perform a Rain Dance to counteract the effect.”

  “That’s… not good. Maybe you could drain the pool by digging a deep enough hole.”

  “That could work, but it would ruin the battlefield for everyone else and cost the gym lots of money to fix.”

  “Us type specialists who train Pokémon who are weak against water types have it hard… If you do manage to catch a Relicanth tomorrow, you’ll at least have one Pokémon suited for battling in water. The other option is still fossil revivification, I know for a fact that Lileep and Cradily are capable of learning how to utilize Storm Drain and their fossils can be found in Hoenn.”

  “You told me that the researchers won’t be finished building the revivification machine until next year!?”

  “They’re bound to have a working prototype by now. If we manage to find fossils during our expedition you could maybe request the researchers working on the fossil revivification machine at Cinnabar Island to help you out before their research becomes known to the public.”

  “…Thank you for your support, but can I ask how you’ve come to know these things? I am quite sure that the research on the development of the abilities of extinct Pokémon is sorely lacking.”

  “The pokénet.”

  “…Liar”

  “Don’t concern yourself over my sources, okay? Just trust that my information is accurate.”

  The two of us arrived at the supply store nearing the end of our conversation. Just like every other building in the city this local pokémart was hewn out of white stone but with a distinctive blue painted roofing adorning the top. A pokémart was a place where you could find all sorts of things useful for trainers on their journey. Different kinds of poké balls and potions lined the store’s shelves together with wilderness survival equipment. What I needed to buy for our expedition was present as well. I gathered up anything I might need in a shopping cart which included items like a hard hat, one trowel and a pickaxe that would fit comfortably in my hands. Once I was done gathering up my tools, I made my way to the cordoned off section of the pokémart where they kept all their technical and hidden machines.

  Typically, one would need to visit a specialty store to come across a wider selection of technical machines. This proved false as I surveyed what hidden machines were on offer.

  ‘All of them are here Cut, Fly, Surf, Strength, Flash, Rock Smash, Whirlpool, Waterfall, Dive, Defog and Rock Climb.’

  Some of these seemed redundant at first glance but that was not the case. Fly for example gave any flying Pokémon an innate sense on what pace to set preserving their stamina during long flights and in which ways to hold their trainer to cause the least amount of discomfort. Surf did see use in battles, the user being able to summon forth tidal waves but in contrast also enabling them to quell one when out at sea ferrying their trainer. All of these machines proved useful enough to warrant mass production showing their worth time and again.

  In contrast to the aisle holding hidden machines there was only a single shelf with technical machines on offer. Holding only two and the most basic ones at that.

  ‘Protect and False Swipe, that's it?’

  “What are we going to get? I want to smash rocks with my paws!”

  ‘You can already do so on your own! I just want a single use of Strength and have it be used on Glove. In case the ruin we are looking for has that same peculiarity like in my memories.’

  Looking over the prices I took a sharp breath after realizing the costs attached to purchasing a single hidden machine outright. It was still cheaper than a regular technical machine but only by about half. Strength for example would set me back 4000 pokédollars but that’s where the beauty of hidden machines comes in. Trainers could also opt to buy a one-time right to use the machine for a fraction of the cost. Two hundred poké dollars in this case so I added the hidden machine Strength to my shopping basket intending to ask the clerk for that particular service.

  Roxanne was about done shopping as well. The rock type specialist decided to buy safety goggles, sun cream, lip balm and a fashionably looking bandana no doubt to help cover up her pale skin from the sun’s rays. My own skin was dark enough that the sun didn’t really bother me as much coupled with the fact that my body had somehow adapted itself to resist heat after years of working for Mr. Moore at the gym.

  Roxanne took a look at my own shopping basket before commenting on my choice of wares.

  “Egon you don’t have to buy that Strength hidden machine, most of my Pokémon know how to perform the move.”

  “It’s okay I figured that it was about time one of my own partners learned how to do so. I am just purchasing the service, not the hidden machine itself.”

  We both lined up behind the counter where the employee started scanning our chosen products. Roxanne pulled out a Devon Corporation card to pay for her purchases and started waiting by the door for me to finish up. When the clerk picked up the hidden machine he turned to me to ask the relevant question.

  “Single use?”

  “Yeah, how’d you know?”

  “Only big spendthrifts feel the need to buy a hidden machine outright. That’ll be 895 pokédollars in total. Card or cash?”

  “Card please.”

  A good while later*

  We finished going over our plans before finally splitting up around dinner time. We got along well with each other even considering that we’d most likely have to face each other at the conference. I considered Roxanne my number one competition seeing as her preferred type had an advantage over mine. She was also the first trainer on the circuit that I knew of that had worked her way up from nothing. The other notable circuit trainers I had met so far all had some rich family member bankrolling them.

  ‘Unlike me Roxanne’s actually a ten-year-old when I was her age I wasn’t nearly as mature.’

  “It’s not about how old you are but how old you feel!”

  ‘Says the hundred-year-old rabbit.’

  “That’s ageism!”

  “Whatever, we still have some time left over before the sun’s down. Let's hit up the practice fields and get some extra training in.”

  All of my partners were making steady progress absorbing the sun’s energies. Victini took her job teaching the rest of the team quite seriously. Surprisingly the one member on our team who had the most success learning the new move was Halo. She had already successfully managed to absorb the sun’s energies; the only part of the move she found difficult to master was forming the energy into a beam. Every time Halo had accumulated enough energy the move turned into Morning Sun, a great move to learn, but not the one we were currently practicing.

  Orin on the other hand had made the least amount of progress on learning the new move. In contrast to learning Solar Beam he did achieve another major mile point. His Shadow Tag ability now had a one hundred percent chance of blocking a poké ball’s return signal. Orin was the first to cross the finish line by completing Wynaut’s special training earning him heaps of praise from me and the rest of the team.

  ‘What is that?!’

  The battlefields adjacent to the Pokémon center that we were staying were all of the aquatic variety except for one which was the only one currently in use right now.

  ‘These people are crazy; one land battlefield isn’t enough to accommodate every visiting trainer. I guess we’ll have to find someplace else to practice.’

  “We have to get used to the water, right? This is perfect!”

  “Those floaties aren’t going to be able to hold up Numsy. But… he could stand upright in the shallower area of the pool until he gets more used to the water. This can double as special training for developing Solid Rock.”

  “Let’s give it a try!”

  Aiming for the water that was about knee height I activated my poké ball’s release mechanism. In a flash of light Numsy materialized inside of the water.

  “RUUUUPT!”

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