Chapter 77 – Rustboro City

  Not having the same service available on my Xtransceiver was a large disappointment. Which necessitated me using the center’s computer to book a flight capable Pokémon. I’ve come to find out that trainers who own flight capable Pokémon can put up their partner’s services in a pokégear app called Pokéride. People looking to purchase such a service could use the app to locate trainers living nearest to them capable of delivering such services. Now, Lavaridge town didn’t have many flying type trainers who were tech savvy enough to rent out their ride Pokémon. According to Pokéride only two such trainers in our entire town offered such services. A trainer owning a Fearow and judging by the star rating attributed to said Pokémon I was loath to even attempt riding that Pokémon and one trainer owning a Tropius which had a stellar rating. Making up my mind I decided to go with the latter option, sending a private message to said trainer with the help of the center’s computer.

  Not expecting an answer right away I left my booth and walked over to the reception desk. Mary was still in the back giving my team their health checkups, so Chansey, the only other fully licensed nurse was manning the counter, kept busy servicing the incoming trainers. Despite the language barrier the egg Pokémon was quite able to convey her intentions by tapping the pictograms laminated onto the counter. The gym’s operating times overlapped with the center’s rush hours so as I was waiting for Nurse Mary to finish up, I could see a multitude of different characters line up to get medical attention for their Pokémon. Usually, a short spell in the revivification machine would do the trick but it wasn’t that uncommon for injuries to require a medical professional’s personal attention.

  As I was watching rows of trainers come and go I felt my mindscape wobble for a little bit, informing me of the return of a certain rabbitlike Pokémon.

  “I am back! Where are you?”

  ‘At the Center. Mary is giving the team a look over to make sure they’re in good health.’

  Being able to link minds while she was in my vicinity didn’t mean that Victini could pinpoint my location immediately. I was quite sure that she teleported into the gym’s breakroom expecting me to be there. From that distance it wouldn’t be hard to find me, her sixth sense could guide her to my location. Of course, it was faster to just skip all that and tell her where I was.

  Victini made it to the center in no time at all and soon I could feel her warmth near the base of my neck as she landed on me for an invisible shoulder ride. I could tell by her soft pants that the teleporting back and forth had drained her. I did some research on this a while ago, but most psychic types couldn’t teleport long distances like she could. Even the teleportation service Pokémon could only allow trainers to skip a single route’s worth of distance, after which they needed some amount of rest before doing so once again.

  ‘You’ve worked hard. Let’s go out to dinner after we reach Rustboro City.’

  “Malasadas!”

  Not seeing Nurse Mary come out from the backroom I figured she got caught up doting on Halo. Not wanting to interrupt our family’s nurse “fun time” I returned to the PC booth and was pleasantly surprised to see Tropius’ trainer response to our ride request. Unlike those apps where one waits to get picked up, Pokéride insisted that the customer making the request visit a predetermined place within a city’s confines. Which was usually at the most frequented Pokémon center. Lavaridge just being a small town it only had the one which was where we are currently staying at. Filling my app’s account with the required money from my bank account I agreed to meet up at the Pokémon center right away. Seeing as our departure was nearly imminent, I went back to reception and queued up behind the growing line of trainers looking to receive medical attention for their Pokémon. I could try to skip the waiting line and most likely get away with it, but my principles kept me from doing so. My own personal needs weren’t any more important than those of the other trainers.

  Bit by bit we were moving up our position in line and when we managed to move up to second to be served Nurse Mary came out of her examination room of her own accord. Recognizing me she waved us to come forward. Not needing to be told twice I quickly moved to where she was standing with a full tray of poké balls.

  “Here you are Egy, all happy and healthy.”

  “Thanks Nurse Mary. Did you experience any difficulty with them?”

  “Not at all, They’re all such sweethearts! As far as their health is concerned you have nothing to worry about. Although I would recommend little Halo to start exercising a bit more. Bug types that are of a comparable size to her tend to weigh a bit less. Don’t worry about her younger age! You can put her through the paces together with the rest of your team she can take it! ”

  ‘I figured as much… Halo preferring to ride atop of Numsy instead of moving on her own impacted our little one’s physical development. We should fix this straight away.’

  “Go! Halo!”

  My Net Ball opened up materializing Larvesta in the center’s halls. The bug type noticeably confused as to why it was called out all by itself gave me a scrutinizing look.

  “You heard Nurse Mary, no more piggyback rides. Let’s walk to places from now on, ok?”

  “Laaar?!”

  “You’ve mostly been doing target practice and sun basking training. Larvesta are meant to be brawlers. Those fancy horns of yours aren’t just there for decorative purposes. The trainer with our transport Tropius is most likely waiting for me outside and from now on whenever I walk you do too.”

  “Vess! Vess!”

  Glove’s ball was rattling on my belt in response to Halo’s pleading, but I was quick to nip that in the bud.

  “No! You heard Nurse Mary; the exercise is a medical necessity. How would your mother react if I brought you to her overweight?”

  My reasoning seems to have come through to both Halo and Glove since his great ball quieted down and Halo stopped making a fuss.

  “Now come along.”

  “Laar…”

  Halo made it clear that she didn’t like the implications of having to walk or rather crawl in her case. However, I was fairly sure that the thought of disappointing her mother was even more intolerable.

  ‘Does she hate me now? Do you think I was too harsh?’

  “Halo knows it comes from a good place.”

  Before leaving the center, I made sure to give Halo a good horn scratch to assure the bug type that she was still my little baby which Halo in turn begrudgingly accepted. The three of us made our way out of the Pokémon center’s exit after waving goodbye to Nurse Mary coupled with a promise to come see her again whenever we were back in town. The moment I stepped out I was confronted by the sight of a large sauropod-like Pokémon and its trainer, a dainty looking middle aged office worker. My heart clutched because of my former relationship with this woman. Over the course of around a year back when I was just seven years old Numsy had pilfered her mother’s vegetable garden for food while I was working to gather the necessary funds to purchase a poké ball. Disregarding the fact that I wasn’t Numsy’s official trainer at the time, old lady Greta was always giving me the evil eye after our partnership became official in the eyes of the law. At this point I was just hoping that grudge had not passed onto Greta’s daughter.

  “Egon… you are Firetyperulez?”

  “Yeah, and you must be FruitLady. It’s nice to see you again Janice.”

  The Tropius that was supposed to ferry me over to Rustburo was out of its ball surveying the situation. Tropius’ eyes kept darting between me and Janice in an attempt to suss out the situation having no doubt picked up on the lingering awkwardness. Really not wanting to ride a temperamental Fearow I tried my hardest to defuse the situation.

  “Numsy and me are sorry for our past behaviors! Could we still please ride atop Tropius?”

  “Don’t worry about it, my mother’s grudges are her own. Frankly, I had almost forgotten about the whole affair. Now that Numel has been properly caught I trust the little guy won’t be making any return trips to our garden in the future.”

  “Yes, Ma’am!”

  “According to your messages your intention is to make it to Rustburo before sunfall?”

  “If at all possible, yes.”

  “Good, we charge 1500 pokédollars an hour. Rustburo is two hours away from Lavaridge. Have the money transferred over and we’ll get you in the air right away.”

  Not needing to be told twice I quickly did as the nice lady requested.

  In the air*

  Flying on Winona’s giant Skarmory didn’t come close to the comfort I felt while riding atop Janice’s Tropius. The soft scales of a flying sauropod trump the iron clad bird Pokémon’s razor-sharp feathers any day of the week. Tropius wasn’t very talkative and we were only just now reaching the halfway point in our journey to Rustburo having just strafed across Verdanturf mountain. As we descended to a more manageable altitude I could see the outline of route 116 forming.

  “Tropius do you want to take a break now or can you just keep on going?”

  Just like bus and truck drivers, Pokémon were obligated to take breaks in between half an hour for every two hours spent working. Route 116 was well known to be one of the safer routes in Hoenn. Children without parental supervision often came here to play with the wild skitty and whismur populating the route. So, I saw no problems with settling down for a short lunch break.

  “Preeeee!”

  “Tropius says that we can keep going on. He’ll even allow you to eat one of his neck fruits for 500 poké a piece.”

  “500 Poké?! Is Janice having financial difficulty?”

  “Preeee Preeee.”

  “Janice has been saving up to buy a home but property values within Lavaridge are through the roof. Tropius is doing all he can to contribute.”

  “You are very good to your partner Tropius, two please. I’ll wire over the extra 1000 poké when we land in Rustburo.”

  Tropius turned his neck so that I could have easy access to the banana like fruits hanging from his throat. Picking two I peeled both of them and stuffed the other in my backpack for Victini to enjoy. It was well known that fruit borne by a Tropius mimicked the flavor profile of its favorite food. So, it was always a surprise to find out what it tasted like. My paying 500 poké for each one was more of a gamble than anything else. I was just hoping that Tropius didn’t favor any of the more extreme tasting berries like the Tamato or Jacoba berries.

  “Hmm… this tastes similar to a Melon? The flavor profile is far richer than any regular melon. You truly have a unique sense of taste Tropius.”

  “Preeee!”

  Chewing sounds started emanating from my bag making it clear to me that Victini had already dug into the fruit that I placed inside.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “This tastes so good! Ahem! Tropius wants you to know that Hondew berries are his favorite.”

  ‘So Hondew berries can be crossed out of the list of berries that you haven’t tried yet?’

  “No! This is only an approximation of what the real thing tastes like. I bet the actual Hondew berries taste even better!”

  As we were flying over route 116, I couldn’t help but marvel at the well curated park-like environment that allowed the weaker Pokémon on this route to thrive. You couldn’t find the species that live here anywhere else in Hoenn. Benches line the paved roads and you could see the occasional city kid goofing around chasing skitty or zigzagoon. The rule survival of the fittest suspended under the watchful eyes of the Hoenn ranger corps.

  Just like that Tropius glided us along in companionable silence. Reaffirming my previous commitment to catch a flying type of my own should that option become available to me. After we passed an ornery looking flock of tailow the city’s skyline came into view. Rustburo wasn’t the largest city not by a longshot only taking up a respectable fourth place if judged by population size alone. Still, it was the heart of Hoenn’s industry sector and home to the largest multinational in the world Devon Corporation. Even from this distance I could see the Devon logo decorating the tallest building in the city.

  When we got close enough Tropius swooped down and landed us just outside the city’s boundary. The law dictated that trainers weren’t allowed to fly within city limits, something about the airspace getting too crowded if people had the option of foregoing traffic. Fortree City was the only notable exception and did just fine without such a ruling.

  Tropius brought us down gently walking us to a small decorative water fountain before stopping completely. As the Pokémon brought down its long neck to take a sip I slowly slid off its back landing on top of the stone pavement.

  “Thanks a lot, Tropius. I will wire over the extra money when we get to the Pokémon center.”

  “Preeeee!”

  “Be sure to give them a five-star review. Tropius says that helps them out a lot.”

  “Will do Tropius, well… we’re off. I’ll be sure to look for you if I ever need to book with Pokéride again.”

  We left Tropius behind at the local watering hole and made our way deeper into the city. The stylized architecture of the surrounding buildings was wildly different compared to the building’s I’ve seen in other parts of Hoenn. Every building was assembled with the same beige colored rock mined from a nearby local quarry. The buildings most closely resembled old Victorian style homes but doing away with the church-like rooftop finials. The streets were filled with pedestrians and their Pokémon partners foot traffic was noticeably high comparative to other modes of transport. People in Hoenn were strongly encouraged not to own personal vehicles unless it was for business related purposes. The motor vehicle tax being so high that most citizens just opted to live closer to work or participate in shared rides.

  “Where are we going first?”

  “We’ll have to schedule a seventh level gym battle at the Rustboro gym, book a dorm room at a Pokémon center and go out for dinner celebrating our recent windfall. In that order preferably. The gym is located somewhere around here in the eastern part of the city so keep a lookout.”

  “Gotcha!”

  The zipper on my bag opened up on its own and around a rabbit’s worth of weight was removed from the total mass of my trusty backpack.

  ‘Don’t go too far on your own now. Remember, it should be a decently sized standalone building with trainers coming in and out.’

  Victini had turned more and more adventurous over the course of our journey together. I just hoped that her headstrong ways wouldn’t land the both of us into hot water. Although quite rare there were still certain types of individuals that could see straight through her concealment.

  ‘Rustburo is a steel type gym, run by Mrs. Stone, the wife of the businessman running the Devon Corporation. I am quite certain that a gym run by such a powerful family would be ostentatious looking.’

  The afternoon time was nearing its end which is also usually around the time gyms ended visiting hours.

  “Come on out Halo!”

  “Vess?!”

  “We are on a recon mission; our objective is to locate the Rustburo gym. Now as part of your training it is our job to ask a local resident for directions. There are enough people with Pokémon here, so you choose which duo seems to be the most reliable looking.”

  “Laaar…”

  “Come on then, to make it easier for you I’ll ask the trainer while you have a nice chat with the Pokémon accompanying them.”

  With reluctance clearly showing on her face Halo just crawled towards the person nearest to us. An elderly gentleman sitting down on a park bench accompanied by the sleeping figure of a Slakoth wrapped around his mid waist.

  “Larr! Vess?”

  Slakoth hardly reacted to the sounds Halo was making, instead continuing on with its peaceful snoring unlike its trainer whose curiosity seems to have been stoked by Halo’s presence.

  “Excuse me. Could you please give us directions to the Rustburo gym?”

  “Hmm… What an interesting looking Pokémon I’ve never seen one like that before. Looking for the gym you say? How about me and Slakoth walk you there and in return you tell us all about this magnificent looking Pokémon?”

  The words had their intended effect. Halo’s weakness to being praised being unknowingly exploited by the dapper looking gentleman. Halo looked back up to me corroborating that she didn’t mind walking together with this smooth talker and his slow-witted compatriot.

  “You’ve got yourself a deal, my name is Egon, and this is Halo a Larvesta.”

  “Charmed, the name’s Marc and this sleepy fella is my grandson’s Slakoth. Whenever he’s over at the trainer school the two of us like to come here and watch the coming and going of passersby and their Pokémon.”

  Being quite sure that Slakoth was not looking at anything with its eyes closed like that, I started to explain to the elderly gentleman all about Larvesta and Volcarona as a species while at the same time walking right next to him as he guided us to our target destination. Halo didn’t complain a single time, likely finding it distasteful to show weakness in front of strangers. Marc was an attentive listener shooting In now and then to clarify for further details. Naturally I didn’t explain where and how I caught Halo and the older man was sensitive enough to know I wouldn’t share those details even if he asked.

  “Halo’s silk outperformed wurmple silk and now she’s earning some pocket change on the side. My Pokémon sure has inherited an entrepreneurial spirit.”

  “Laar!”

  “Better than wurmple silk? Fashion designers are sure to line up to get their hands on the next big thing. It says good things about her character to strive to earn her own keep.”

  “I keep Halo’s money separate from my own funds. That way she can save up to buy anything that catches her fancy. As a trainer I believe it is my responsibility to see to my Pokémon’s basic needs.”

  “That’s a mature way of looking at it, are you sure that you're only eleven years old?”

  Eventually we reached the end of the street where the gym was located. Unlike what I had expected it wasn’t garish looking. The gym looked more akin to a steelwork factory with comically large stainless-steel bolts holding up the building instead of regular stone hewn pillars.

  “This is it, the Rustboro Gym. I know the people here, want me to show you in?”

  “No thank you sir, we’re only here to book an appointment for a gym battle.”

  “Alright then. If you are planning to stay in the city for some amount of time I recommend visiting the local trainer’s school. It has the best facilities and staff in all of Hoenn.”

  “Laaaar!”

  Halo attempted once more to establish a line of communication with the man’s Pokémon. This time it could be said she was partially successful since Slakoth opened a single eye before letting out a halfhearted yawn.

  “Slaaaa….koth.”

  ‘Slakoth are such lethargic creatures. The perfect partners for stoners and couch potatoes. You could have some really deep heart to heart moments with a Pokémon like that. At least until said Slakoth evolves into a Vigoroth.’

  After waving off Marc and Slakoth who had up until now been sleeping through the entire duration of our walk in the city, both Halo and I entered inside the building. This being a steel type gym I suspected the inside to be just like the outside, but was pleasantly surprised. The walls and décor were out of this world. Fancy marble ceilings and walls combined with handcrafted apricorn tree wood, topped with Paldean rugs and a singular crystal chandelier. In fact, this reception room and hallway was so fancy it actually put me off unlike my Pokémon companion who was starstruck.

  “Vess! Vess!”

  “Halo wants a throne room just like this when she’s older.”

  ‘Tini?! Where have you been?’

  “I am up on the chandelier. This place is so fancy, Wheee!”

  ‘Please come back down! If that chandelier falls down and breaks, I’d have to spend an entire lifetime paying back the debt. Also, the staff might spot you!’

  “Excuse me, can we help you?”

  The lady behind the reception desk called out to me, despite this place being quite luxurious there were little trainers to be found here. A fact which puzzled me until I found out why.

  “Yeah, I was looking to make an appointment for a gym battle.”

  “We are sorry, but you’ll have to come back another day. The chandelier has been swinging on its own for a while and we suspect a ghost type Pokémon has decided to take up residence in our gym until nightfall.”

  “Oh! So that’s why everyone suddenly started leaving.”

  “Aren’t all the staff here Pokémon trainers who are well equipped to handle these sorts of situations?”

  “Ordinarily yes but that chandelier is too expensive none of us can afford to take that risk.”

  ‘You lucked out Tini, can you get off there at least? That might be enough to convince the nice lady to take our appointment.’

  “Okay.”

  The chandelier stopped swinging as my invisible partner dropped down from the ceiling and landed comfortably on the top. Having noticed the change, the receptionist heaved a sigh of relief before readdressing me, the only trainer currently waiting to make use of the gym’s services.

  “Well… we might as well process your request. However, you wouldn’t happen to have any ghost type Pokémon with you?”

  Under the scrutinizing gaze of the receptionist, I couldn’t help but let out a guilty gulp. The fact is that she was wrong about the culprit being a ghost type but not so much that the guilty party was one individual amongst my team members.

  “Uhm yeah, I do have one but he’s currently inside his Poké ball would you like me to call him out?”

  “Ugh that’s… never mind it wouldn’t prove a thing anyways. To be registered for a gym battle we’ll need your trainer’s license and ID.”

  I handed over the required documents and as she got to typing on the computer. The two of us engaged in some small talk to combat the awkward silence.

  “Why are you resuming gym activities?”

  “It isn’t a big deal. All the gym battles for today were properly settled. Seeing as you’re here and I am still on the clock I don’t mind squeezing you into the schedule.”

  “Thanks! Roxanne had much praise for the way things are run around here.”

  “You know Roxanne!? Well, aren’t we living in a small world? How’s our little prodigy faring in the circuit?”

  “Last I saw her she was busy training up to beat the Sootopolis gym leader Juan. Roxanne was having some difficulties at first, but I am thinking she’ll make it before the end of the circuit.”

  “Water types, ridiculous. It is not like all the other gyms are making their challengers battle in specialized fields. Mrs. Stone has set her expectations too high for someone as young as Roxy.”

  Noting the term of endearment and the warmth exuding from the receptionist’s voice I could tell Roxanne was much beloved even at her place of work.

  “We’re booked full for the next two weeks, it's nearing the end of the circuit you know how busy things get. We could get you in sixteen days from now, is that alright with you?”

  “That’s perfect, I had another gym battle lined up between now and then anyways.”

  “Alright… here we go. What badge level are you currently at?”

  “I have five badges at the moment but I’d like to challenge for a seventh level badge fight.”

  “That’s a big jump in difficulty. Are you confident that you can manage it?”

  “I am from the Lavaridge gym, this badge should be easier to earn than the one in Sootopolis.”

  “Fire types, I could see how you would think that. However, our gym leader is known for increasing the difficulty against trainers mid battle. This is bound to happen when you bring nothing but fire type Pokémon with you for this challenge.”

  “Really? This gym is famed for raising beldum right? Do you think we’d be facing a Metagross?”

  “Seventh level gym battles are traditionally a four against four. Still, I have only seen our leader use a metagross on eighth level gym battles and even then, the chances are quite low. It is more likely that you will be facing one of our metang.”

  ‘Dang facing off against a metagross would’ve been sweet. We’d have to pull out all the stops even with the type advantage.’

  “Vess!”

  Halo let her presence be known, undoubtedly eagerly looking forward to getting a battle at her own experience level.

  “We’ll get you a few real battles against some of the youngsters and bug catchers frequenting route 116 during our stay here. That way you can experience what it is like facing opponents at a comparable level of skill.”

  The lady behind the counter was quite amused seeing me attempting to appease Halo and threw in a recommendation of her own.

  “There’s always battles going on at the nearby trainer school. This gym has multiple partnering programs to guide young hopefuls in the art of Pokémon battle. If this cutie wants to battle there is no better place, they even take on guest teachers from time to time to assist them in preparing their students for a life on the road. Be sure to check out the noticeboard plastered on the wall of every Rustburo’s Pokémon center, if you are looking to earn some extra money that way.”

  Once the receptionist finished scheduling me for the agreed upon date, she settled our exchange by handing over my legal documents. I was quite pleased with this interaction and managed to gain some useful information about the gym and the city itself. I had gotten a taste for teaching back at the Celestial Tower, and I wouldn’t mind a repeat.

  ‘Trainers’ School, eh? It has been a while since I last visited one of those.’

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