Chapter 69 – Sinking Feeling

  I woke up in my dorm room bed ready for another day. We went to bed early last night because training Solar Beam was near impossible without the sun’s rays being there for my Pokémon to absorb. Which also meant I had little excuse not to get up early to catch the early morning light. My smaller Pokémon were spread all across the room while Numsy and Glove were resting in their respective balls, Rena’s tails being playfully used as body pillows made for an amusing sight. Wasting no time, I proceeded to carry out my morning hygiene routine not bothering to stifle the bathroom noise as I needed my entire team up and awake for today’s training session.

  As I stood under the shower, I remembered last night’s conversation with Victini.

  “I am going out tomorrow.”

  “Sure, just stay safe and say hi to those kecleon for me.

  “Silly! That’s not all I do when I am gone.”

  “Do you need me to hold off on dinner until you get back? I can pack you a small bag with breakfast and lunch.”

  “I’ll be back before the sun sets, and yes please!”

  ‘Good, this way she won’t be tempted to raid another’s stock of food.’

  “I heard that!”

  After I finished my routine and stepped out of the bathroom, I quickly recalled the rest of my team who were already waiting to go outside and soak up some morning sunlight over breakfast. To accommodate our new training method, I’ve taken it upon myself to serve the team breakfast and lunch outside. Which wasn’t all too different to what I’ve grown used to doing while traveling the routes, I was just hoping I wouldn’t get into trouble for handling a prep knife inside city limits. Giving the attending Nurse Joy a quick how do you do? I found myself walking out of the center’s revolving doors and into the city proper.

  The orange glow of the twilight sky reflected off of the city’s many water canals basking my surroundings in a pleasant morning glow. Not many people were out early, which gave me good odds of finding an uncrowded basking spot by the lake. I figured that sitting near a reflective surface would further improve my team’s exposure to the sun’s radiation.

  ‘Here seems good. It gives me the widest range of view.’

  Eventually I found a spot on the lake’s most eastern shore, removed from any trees. This spot had another advantage of being the only spot close by that was overgrown with kelp obscuring the surface view of any wild water type Pokémon looking to initiate a battle. The lake was safe for the most part only hosting a large shoal of Magikarp. The signpost did warn that trainers still took a risk swimming about without a Pokémon’s protection. The magikarps’ presence ultimately meant that Gyarados wouldn’t be too far away as well.

  “Come on out everyone!”

  With one swipe I activated the release mechanism of every poké ball hanging from my belt, resulting in a flash of light that materialized my entire team.

  “This is going to be just like camping outside without all the extra walking. I’ll start making breakfast while you guys try to make yourself comfortable while soaking up as much sunlight as possible, okay?”

  “Rupt!” “Ninee!” “Lit!” “Dar!” “Arf!” “Vess!”

  Having monologued my plans to them a number of times they acted unsurprised, with each of them looking for a soft patch of grass to hunker down on. Except for Halo who patiently waited for Glove to lay down her preferred blanket denoting her status as the second in command of the group.

  While that was going on I opened my backpack and started pulling out the utensils, cutting board and bowls I needed to create their meals. Over the course of my journey, I had started experimenting by mixing in different berries. I still kept to their preferred flavorings, but I figured eating the same dish every day would quickly lose its appeal if I didn’t change things up every now and again. Usually, Glove would be helping me out with the prep work, but I insisted beforehand that he kept with the training just like any other member of my team.

  By the time I was done cutting all the different kinds of berries, twilight passed into noon, the orange glow on the horizon fading and turning into true daylight hours. As expected, my little group of fire types hadn’t gone unnoticed. The local kids who were expected to attend trainer’s school around this time passed us by but couldn’t help but grow curious at the sight of fire type Pokémon. Most of the children kept it to just a few looks knowing that they couldn’t afford to be late for classes but there were a couple of exceptions.

  “Wow! Cool!”

  A green haired kid dressed in a school uniform approached our sun basking spot. At first, I figured he’d want to try and interact with some of my rarer Pokémon but strangely enough it seemed his sole attention was focused on Numsy who was looking back at the kid with one eye open. It was evident that the kid was mustering the courage to pat Numsy on the head.

  ‘This is the first time someone disregarded the rest of the team in favor of Numsy. Let’s see where this goes.’

  The kid was inching closer but at a slugma’s pace. Numsy eventually got fed up with the meowth and ratata game got up and bunted the kid’s head to prove his harmlessness. The kid encouraged by Numsy’s candid approval eagerly stroked the tuft of fur on the top of the bovine Pokémon’s head.

  “Hey, you like Camerupt?”

  “Yes! Ground type Pokémon are my favorite!”

  “That’s different, it seems like everyone around these parts are smitten with water type Pokémon.”

  “Tell me about it! I wanted a trapinch for my upcoming birthday, but mom and dad say they’ll catch me a water type Pokémon instead and that’s only if I keep up my grades.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Leopold but everyone just calls me Leo.”

  “Well Leo, how about a compromise? You can just ask them to get you a wooper or barboach. Those two Pokémon are both water and ground type.”

  The kid briefly stopped petting Numsy frozen by the sudden revelation before enthusiastically running off. No doubt back to his home to propose the idea to his parents.

  “What a strange kid…”

  “Rupt!”

  A few minutes passed by, and Leopold came running back from the same direction he disappeared off to. Undoubtedly having received a scolding for wasting time on a school day, this time he didn’t get distracted at the sight of Numsy but as he raced past us he did express his appreciation.

  “Mom said yes! Thank you!”

  Time passed by yet again and I finally finished up mixing all of the diced berries with the dried pellets and vitamin supplements. So far, we hadn’t gotten into any trouble with the local law enforcement, so I opted to immediately start distributing everyone’s respective bowls and cleaning up afterwards so as to not also get into trouble for littering.

  “Breakfast’s ready!”

  At once my team stopped their sun related activities and crowded around me eager to get their first meal of the day. Each one of them aside from Orin received a bowl filled with food and since my little ghost type hadn’t gotten the chance, I let him absorb some of my vital energy.

  “Oof, there you go. Don’t mind if I lay down to rest for a little bit.”

  “Lit…?”

  “It’s fine, you usually take your meals when I am already lying in bed, and I’ve been busy since early in the morning.”

  As I was laying down on the soft bed of grass the streets got even more crowded as the adults started leaving their residential homes to get to work. However, none of them took the time to interact with my Pokémon in the way Leopold did. Without any distractions the seven of us took the time to enjoy the food I made. I’ve prepared a simple jam sandwich for myself and after finishing tearing that bad boy apart, I decided to reward myself with a one hour power nap just until the end of the city’s rush hour so I could actually focus on my team’s progress.

  ‘I wonder what Victini’s up to…’

  After an undetermined amount of time*

  “Ninee!”

  The surprised yips Rena was making pulled me back out of dreamland. As I opened my eyes I couldn’t help but notice the human figure towering over me. The guy had navy blue hair, a skin tone darker than my own and a toned swimmer’s body. It still took a while before I recognized the figure looking down at me.

  “…Marlon?”

  “Sup, good seeing you too Egon.”

  “Wait… how come you’re here?”

  “Aww little dude, I got invited of course. This big shot at the gym has some mad skills so I am here as an… what do you call it again?”

  “Intern?”

  “Yeah, something like that but I’ve gotta say great minds think alike. To think I’d find you here in my favorite fishing spot. No doubt you’ve been keeping up with your training. That little Vulpix you had way back then is now all grown up.”

  “Nine!”

  “And these are all the friends you made on the course of your journey? I see a bunch of home grown Unovan Pokémon. Good on you for showing off the Pokémon of our home region!”

  “Yeah, I guess so. I wasn’t really being patriotic when I decided to catch them. Just thought they’d make for a pretty good fit for the team.”

  “Dar!” “Vess!” “Lit!”

  “Still seeing you laying on your laurels like this… you must’ve lost pretty badly to boss man Juan.”

  “I haven’t even challenged him yet! This is training! Training!”

  “Whatever you say bud. Are you up for some fishing? I always carry extra rods with me.”

  “Sure, as long as we stick to the shore.”

  Marlon pulled out another retractable fishing rod out of his bag before handing it over to me. Seeing as this was the second time I’ve done this I sort of knew how to work the equipment without making a total fool of myself. Marlon took a spot in the grass right beside me as he cast out his fishing lure. Copying him as best I could I did the same, not exactly eager to experience a repeat of the fiasco that was my first foray into the world of fishing.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “You know I am sorry that I never called you back to catch up. Dad says I tend to forget the little stuff when I get hyper focused on something.”

  “Don’t sweat it, I never called you back either. You gave me a real solid letting me catch that Horsea. The moment my little sister saw him was one of the most memorable moments in my life. Actually, I’ve still got the pictures you wanna see?”

  “Totally!”

  With a few taps I accessed the photos storage within my Xtransceiver sliding down the gallery until reaching the photos nurse Mary made to remember that special moment by. Turning my arm around I showed Marlon the pictures of Zinnia holding Horsea while the latter affectionately blew bubbles in her face.

  “Amazing! That’s their first time meeting?! Water types only blow bubbles like that with trainers they already share a strong bond with. That little sister of yours has the X-factor!”

  “Yes, she’s got what it takes to become a top percentage trainer. So what have you been doing over at the gym?”

  “As part of my goal to blow new life into Humilau I’ve embarked on the journey to become its new gym leader. So, when I got an invitation from Juan to come work here for a spell it was a no brainer. My duties as a gym trainer include facing challengers and taking care of the water types. Juan even takes me aside from time to time for specialized tutoring sessions.”

  “You get to face challengers as a newcomer?! That’s like the ultimate level of trust, I should know I’ve worked for over three years at the Lavaridge gym and was never allowed to do that.”

  “Pretty sweet, right? Although lately there’s this rock girl that keeps challenging the gym and I kinda feel bad for beating her. She’s tough, but it’s not enough to sway the sea ‘K! Especially not with all those rock type Pokémon.”

  “Any advice for evening out the gym’s home field advantage?”

  “Well… Hold up! I got a bite!”

  Marlon’s line, unlike my own, grew taut signaling that there was a Pokémon pulling on the end of the line. Unlike any regular trainer Marlon pulled on his rod with a practiced ease reeling the water type Pokémon in little by little. Until finally a shadowed figure broke the water’s surface and the Pokémon’s identity was revealed.

  “Chou! Chou!”

  “Wow, a Chinchou, those are extremely rare, they don’t swim in water as much as that they walk on the ocean floor to save energy. Wait… how deep does your line go?”

  “Now’s not a good time Egy. Go! Milotic!”

  A twenty feet long water serpent materialized right in front of us sporting red eyes, a cream-colored body and long pinkish antennae.

  ‘Oooh, now I get it. This must be the reason why Juan invited Marlon, a Unovan trainer to come work at his gym.’

  Chinchou not liking its odds in the water jumped out and onto the shore ready to engage Milotic on dry land. This also meant that my own team had to scooch over to avoid getting blasted by water type moves. I quickly scooped up Orin while Glove did the same with Halo while the rest of the team was fast enough to get out of the way on time on their own.

  Chinchou’s feelers lit up and the little angler Pokémon produced waves of electric energy. I recognized this move as Thunder Wave. The right choice of moves if the little electric type wants to have any chance of defeating its older and more experienced opponent. However, Marlon and Milotic came prepared.

  “Safeguard!”

  Milotic’s body was enveloped by a blue green aura stopping the Thunder Wave from causing paralysis. Chinchou put on a shocked expression as if not expecting any fellow water type to be able to guard against this move.

  ‘No doubt this Chinchou has little experience facing off against trainer raised Pokémon.’

  While all of this was going on a crowd started forming on the street pavement closest to us.

  “Woooow! A Milotic, how beautiful.”

  “This must be Juan’s newest protégé, and even a foreigner at that.”

  “Come on little Chinchou, don't give up yet!”

  “Twister!”

  The Chinchou now doubly confused by the crowd’s attention didn’t spot Milotic’s tailfins spinning in the water and was ultimately blindsided by the attack. A small water tornado powered by dragon type energy sprang up from beneath the water’s surface taking the small electric type for a spin. Once the Chinchou was visible again it was completely disoriented and its sense of equilibrium was shot, making what Marlon intended to do next all the easier.

  “Go! Dive Ball!”

  Marlon pulled out one of the many dive balls he always kept on him in that garish looking fishing net and chucked it at the poor Chinchou. After the ball successfully bopped the electric type on the head Chinchou was promptly sucked into the ball and shortly after its capture was confirmed by the signature clicking sound.

  The crowd gave Marlon some respectful claps to acknowledge his success at capturing a new Pokémon but for some odd reason stuck around not dispersing after the show was over. One of the people in the crowd turned out to be a reporter. She didn’t have a camera crew with her but she did pull out a microphone.

  “Excuse me Marlon, can you confirm the rumors that have been going around town?”

  “What…?”

  “The method of acquiring a Milotic has been our gym’s greatest secret up until now. Did you somehow manage to steal this sensitive information from Juan or Wallace and in return for your silence they offered you a full-on apprenticeship?”

  Marlon seemed as baffled as I was by the boldness of this media worker. Milotic on the other hand had become displeased by the reporter’s insinuations about its chosen trainer.

  “Miiii!”

  The woman got blasted in the face by a half-powered Water Gun completely soaking her to the bone and no doubt causing some sort of short circuiting in her recording equipment. The woman, now thoroughly embarrassed and with no one in the crowd moving to stand up for her, made a hasty retreat dripping water on the ground as she went.

  The people surrounding us as if sensing Marlon’s distress started dissipating one by one to give us back a modicum of privacy.

  “Egy dude that was so lame… I would never do something like that.”

  “Jealousy can turn ugly, sometimes you’ve just gotta shake it off. Say, is this that same Fee… ahem! Pokémon from the first time we met.”

  That question seemed to get Marlon back into a good mood.

  “Totally little dude! After you left, I tried some of the stuff you recommended but I had no idea how to blend pokéblock so we went with the other method. Milotic has been a mainstay of my team ever since, isn’t that right?”

  “Miiii!”

  Milotic also expressed its gratefulness by producing a soothing hymn that managed to relax all the tension accumulated by me and my team from having to deal with that rambunctious crowd of people. In fact, one of my Pokémon appreciated it so much that she demanded an encore.

  “Laaaaaar… Vess! Vess!”

  “Mii?! MiI…”

  “But a Larvesta huh? You must have experienced about the same thing as me and Milotic back in Unova.”

  “Well sort of, I kept mostly to myself while traveling and Larvesta’s egg didn’t hatch until I made it back to Hoenn. The folks around here are really bad at recognizing foreign Pokémon.”

  We went back to fishing with me not managing to get even a single bite while Marlon managed to reel in magikarp after magikarp. Which he promptly returned into the lake but not after giving each of his catches a treat. According to him it was best to treat the local magikarp population with a modicum of respect to avoid “accidents” from happening. Despite not being able to drag in anything from my end of the line we had a pretty good time. Ninetales and Halo even managed to form their first Solar Beams although the moves fizzed out within mere moments of being formed. Still any form of improvement was a step in the right direction, so I rewarded each of them with a berry fit to their liking.

  Marlon’s Milotic on the other hand seemed content to wrap itself around him to pass the time. Occasionally taking a dip in the lake whenever to keep its scales moistened.

  It was nearing lunch time that our casual conversation really started going again.

  “Will you be heading back to make lunch for your team?”

  “Yea, it’s almost time. You want to check out the gym? I can give you the VIP treatment.”

  “I’d like to, but I don’t have any water type Pokémon that can cross the lake.”

  “That’s easy, I can lend you one of mine. Go Wailmer!”

  The same Wailmer who gave me a ride the last time materialized right in front of us.

  “Hey Wailmer, remember us?” “Nine?”

  “Waaail!”

  Wailmer’s enthusiastic reaction told us everything we needed to know, the ball whale Pokémon splashing the water’s surface excitedly. Which caused me to notice a particular item attached to his right flipper.

  “An Everstone?”

  “Yea, I am not ready yet to properly take care of him once he gets bigger. A Wailord’s dietary requirement would be too much for me to handle on my own. With an Everstone on Wailmer won’t be hurting himself trying to hold back his evolution. Even Juan isn’t able to properly feed and house a Wailord.”

  ‘I know for a fact that Snorlax stands at the top of Pokémon that are difficult to feed. Needing at least 900 lbs. of food a day. Maybe…’

  “Have you tried asking Professor Oak for help?”

  “The Pokémon and human relationship professor in Kanto?”

  “Yeah, that’s the one. If anyone is able to help it would be him. As the Kantonian regional professor he is obligated to take care of his lab trainers’ Snorlax if they manage to catch one and I know for a fact that Snorlax consumes more food than a Wailord does. The professor must have come up with some kind of solution, one that could help trainers in a similar situation like yourself.”

  “For a ten-year-old you sure are a smart cookie Egy. I’ll give it a shot!”

  “The method he uses to take care of Snorlax might be a proprietary one. So, you’ll no doubt have to haggle with him for the information.”

  “That’s no biggie. My family makes decent money and having a Wailord be part of the marine tube experience would for sure be a smart business investment.”

  “Waaaail!”

  ‘Wailmer seems to be excited too, even if it experiences no pain or lasting harm. Being stuck in that form must be going against its natural instincts.’

  My experience with wailmer in general has always been a positive one. To me they were big balls of ocean happiness bringing joy wherever they went. This one in particular helped me out when I was just starting as a trainer so I hoped my advice would work out in its favor.

  Seeing us finish exchanging pleasantries Marlon pulled off his shirt and stuffed it into his waterproof bag showcasing his ridiculously tanned swimmer’s body before diving into the water. He came up shortly afterwards clinging onto Milotic no doubt intending to have the water type drag him all the way to the gym’s private Island.

  “Egy you coming along? Wailmer’s gotten even better at keeping his passengers dry.”

  20 minutes later*

  After a tumultuous experience, I hoped that my water-resistant bag would be enough to protect all the items I had stored within it from the random sea splatter. We arrived at the Sootopolis gym and I was impressed at the sight. The building housing all the battlefields and training facilities was a giant mansion with gardens large enough to require multiple groundskeepers even setting foot here felt to me like I was trespassing in some noble’s private property. Marlon didn’t seem like the type of guy you would find living in such a fanciful place but apparently, he did.

  “Juan is… eccentric but don’t let that fool you! The guy isn’t some uptight penny pincher. The gym was always like this; he only spends just enough money to maintain it.”

  As we were walking in the direction of the gym’s main entrance, I couldn’t help but notice the multiple garden ponds littering the island. Seeing all sorts of aquatic water plants growing in them I figured those ponds were meant to be used for water types that preferred to live in freshwater areas. Eventually we ran into some of the gym’s personnel waiting for us at the front gate. They were all dressed up in maid costumes and butler outfits. The one I presumed to be in charge walked forward to receive the both of us.

  “Sir. Marlon, I see you’ve brought a guest. Should I prepare lunch for three?”

  ‘The guy has his own waiting staff?!’

  As if sensing my surprise the man introduced himself in a classy yet professional manner.

  “My name is Sebastian. It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to the Sootopolis gym. Please use these towels to dry off.”

  Marlon acting as if this was the usual took the gifted towels and proceeded to dry himself. I was also offered a towel which I gingerly accepted before trying to do my level best to wipe off all the wet spots off my clothes.

  “Would you like me to escort the two of you to the luncheon room?”

  “That won’t be necessary. Come on, let's go, Egon.”

  ‘Geez if leader Juan even has a separate room just for having lunch, I don’t even want to know what other kinds of facilities he has hidden away in this mansion.’

  Following Marlon’s lead, we eventually separated from the gym’s staff leading to a reignition of our earlier conversation.

  “Okay little dude, I know this looks bad, but all the staff here are serious Pokémon trainers. Juan just likes to provide them with fancy clothes and speech cards.”

  “I can accept it as long as they don’t have to call him Master Juan.”

  We proceeded to enter an ornate hallway with multiple rooms lining it on each side. Some of them were kept open, others not. From what I could see inside the ones that had been kept open the gym had multiple battlefields which tremendously favored water type Pokémon. The gym also seemed to have a room completely dedicated to making pokéblock, and an exercise room carrying all the latest equipment. Eventually we came upon a room with a singular large Kalosian style table outfitted with expensive looking silverware and gold edged dining plates. Seated at the head of the table was leader Juan wearing his signature commodore style outfit.

  “Marlon, you brought a guest! This must be your very first Hoenn friend. It’s a pleasure to meet you young man.”

  “It’s nice meeting you too, leader Juan Sir. My name is Egon from Lavaridge Town.”

  The both of us got led to our respective seats by a professional looking maid being seated at both sides of the elongated dinner table closest to where Juan was enjoying his own meal. The lunch that was served on the table wasn’t standard fare and I tried my very best to remember the rules on etiquette expected on fancy occasions before eventually drawing a blank. Even Marlon, who should have gotten used to this type of luxury during his stay here, looked uncomfortable.

  “Lavaridge… then you must train fire types. I don’t get many challengers that hail from that part in Hoenn. You are looking to challenge my gym eventually, right?”

  “Yes Sir! My team and I have been practicing hard to overcome our natural weaknesses. As soon as we are able you can expect to face us on the battlefield.”

  “Excellent! A true trainer finds a way to overcome any challenge. Though we haven’t lost to a single trainer that brought only fire type Pokémon to a battle. You have your work cut out for you young Egon.”

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