I wake up, and find myself very warm. I can feel a warm, fuzzy limb draped over my chest, someone or another snuggled against my back.
Oh well, if one of the girls wanna snuggle, that’s fine. As long as I don’t end up spooning with Twilight. I shift a bit to see who my cuddle partner is and for a moment I imagine it’s Pinkie, but then recall she’s back in Equestria... this disappoints me a bit. Oh well, Chance is fluffy and squishy too.
The Wigglytuff nuzzles the back of my neck, a wide grin on his face. Heh, pokémon are so cute when they sleep.
I briefly wonder about what our next destination should be. That breeder farm is on the list, but after that... I wonder if I should challenge the gyms even though I only have two Pokémon. I mean, normally if I was playing a game I’d have about ten by now at least. Oh well, worth a shot I guess. I also recall that I still need a map. I make a note to ask Joy about one once everyone’s woken up. Getting lost is not fun.
I shift a bit more, trying to get fully comfortable, only for Chance to snuggle even closer to me. As adorable and soft as he is, it’s getting a bit awkward. I gently poke the balloon pokémon, but as it’s genus would suggest, my finger just sinks into his body and he doesn’t seem to even feel it.
I ponder what to do to wake him up without just shoving him away, but nothing really comes to mind. I slowly turn over and pick him up gently, and place him next to Rarity, who actually grabs him first. Heh. The two snuggle together, Rarity’s fur apparently making a perfectly acceptable substitute for another Wigglytuff.
Although now that I’m up, I can’t really think of anything to do, as I can’t just leave without the girls. This place is dangerous, and they kinda rely on my expertise to get around safely. Not that I’ve been doing a great job of keeping us safe, but I think I’m doing pretty good so far.
I just sit down at one of the tables by the front desk and grab something from the bookshelves. Sure I may have more knowledge of this place than most experts, but... This region in particular seems to be a bit... different. I figure reading up on the locales would be beneficial in the long run. Unfortunately, most of the books available are just about basic care for pokémon and children’s books.
I should probably ask about a library somewhere. Last I knew, the only library in this universe is in Canalave city over in Sinnoh, but there’s gotta be some sort of information source we can look into. Putting the book back on the shelf, I look over to see a yawning Twilight wander out of her pile of pillows and blankets.
“Mornin’, Anthony.” She blinks a couple of times, before realizing there’s no visible kitchen. “Where coffee?” she slurs.
I chuckle. “This is the rugged lifestyle of an adventurer. You want food or drink? Buy it and carry it around with you.”
“Mmph. Is stupid. Want coffee. Fuck, I’m tired.” Twilight grumbles more as she wanders back to her ‘bed’.
“Some Pokémon Master you’re gonna be. If your first weakness is caffeine dependency, then you’re not getting anywhere as my rival.” I chastise her addiction to the chemical. “Seriously, that stuff isn’t terribly healthy for you anyway. Think of this as your second chance to kick the habit, you kinda failed back in Wunderland.”
I hear something that vaguely resembles profanity from her bed, and I chuckle. “Next time we find a market, we’ll see if we can’t buy some. Okay? Just don’t expect it to be in constant ready supply when we’re out in the wilderness.” there’s no response, but the ‘profanity’ ceases.
“Well when you get up, I’d suggest taking a look at some of these care guides. If you’re gonna be a battling trainer, you should be aware of the causes and cures of various status conditions.” I look through the shelf again and find some relevant material. As well as another book. “And probably a few on adventuring. Sure you’ve walked up a mountain or two, but this is gonna be a regular thing for us.”
A sigh issues from Twilight. “Fine, fine... Jus’ lemme go back to sleep... too sun... no sleepy...” gentle snores mark her return to the land of nod.
I never understand what’s so great about coffee. Personally, I find the stuff disgusting no matter what flavoring I put in it. The fact that someone can be dependant on it is rather weird. Still, I’m gonna try and help Twi and Rarity learn to make do without it. If they plan on getting anywhere, they should get used to not having a kitchen available everywhere they go.
I should buy some food and such next chance I get though. I think all we’ve got left is two bits and change in the local currency right now. We’re gonna have to see if we can’t win a few battles.
The next person to wake is Nurse Joy coming back down to the main floor. She, at least, looks rested. “Hello, Anthony, how are you this morning?”
“Eh, I’m doing alright. Just waiting for the coffee addicts to wake up. I’m probably gonna get some when we get to the next town. Say, you wouldn’t happen to have a spare map laying around I could have?”
“Oh, you don’t have that app yet? Here, I’ll forward you a coupon to get one free; most trainers get a coupon from doing the survey, though.”
“Survey? What survey? And assuming by app, you mean a function on our éTechs? We got ours from a Pokémart along with these bags. Not sure what all is on them aside from it doubling as a pokédex.”
“Oh! Well, here, lemme show a few of the setting. Do you want breakfast, by the way? I can get some oatmeal started if you’d like.”
“Sure, that sounds great. It should also help these guys get used to the way humans eat oats as well.” I take out my éTech and turn it on, holding it flat so Joy and I can both get a good look at the small, tablet-like apparatus. “So what do I do?”
Joy guides me over to a table and we sit down. She shows me several functions I hadn’t known about, including a part of the device that twists off and becomes a phone, and an internet browser. She also sent me to a survey, which basically asked about where I’m from, where I’m adventuring, and my goal. After filling it in, I got a free coupon code for a map app at no charge.
Once instructed on how to redeem the code, I download the app and take a look at the region we’re going through. Apparently the map is beamed down to the éTech via satellites all over the planet, because I can even look through lists of other regions, like Hoenn, Johto, Kanto, Orre, and even a few I don’t recognize by their shape, but there’s a ton more out there, like Kroel. I push a button that says ‘find my location’ and the planet-view zooms in and it says I’m in a pokémon center. And that there’s a town a few days away just as Joy said. Neat!
After the awakening of my companions and a short breakfast, we prepare to head off. I’ve already gotten the other two to get the map app as well, just in case they get seperated from me.
“So we’re going to head to the town first and get some supplies. We can check out the breeder ranch later, because I think food as well as some real healing items will be beneficial. A Poison Heal should be on all of our lists, right now.”
We head off down the dirt road, looking up at the bright, slightly cloudy sky. Only a few wispy puffs pass by overhead, scudding past as flying pokémon float through them. I even see a small collection of Hoppip float on a breeze a hundred feet up, following a Jumpluff.
A Grass type would help round out my team, but I think I’d have better chances with a grounded Pokémon. As we walk along, I hear some rustling in the bushes. After it’s sporadic movements end, the pokémon charges out onto the road to challenge us. The Rattata, not looking that tough, but still mean, gives Twilight a brief case of the shivers. I pull out my premier ball holding Geodude. “I’ll show you how to fight a Rattata.” I turn to the purple and beige rat. “You want some? Come and get it!” at that I toss out my pokémon and Geodude materializes out of the red light, looking ready to kick some butt.
With a cry of challenge, the Rattata charges, and tries slamming into Geodude. The rock pokémon stays steady, and grabs the smaller pokémon by the scruff of the neck, holding it at arms length. Geodude cocks an eyebrow at me, as if to ask why I’m wasting his time. The Rattata squirms and shrieks in fury.
“Hey, my other pokémon can’t do a dang thing out of water, you want me to give Carvanha a shot anyway?” I ask. “Just chuck the thing or whatever.” Geodude complies, cocking back an arm and throwing the purple rat overhand. It sails into the long grass, landing with a barely audible squeak.
I turn to Twilight. “As vicious as they are, how did you actually let one of those kick your tail?”
“I wasn’t ready for how tough it was! It just kept coming at me!” Twilight yells, then buries her face in Rarity’s shoulder. Great, now she’s being dramatic.
“Yeah well, if this is gonna take a few days, might as well toughen up a bit. Why not have Tepig level up some? Supposing Geodude and I leave anything for ya.”
Twilight narrows her eyes. “I have full faith in Tepig!” to demonstrate, she casually throws out the fiery piglet... who lands face-down. So that’s why you yell their names first, so that they can get ready to pop out!
“Yeah, faith... looks like that’s all you’ll have for a while. Say, why don’t you try beating Geodude?” I say, knowing full well my Rock and Ground type would severely outclass the piglet, in level if not type advantage.
“Well, that’s not fair. Your pokémon has a double type advantage against mine! I don’t think he’s learned any moves that could counter that yet.”
Before I can respond, I hear Rarity shouting in the grass somewhere off to the right, and look over to see Ledyba dive-bomb tackle a harried-looking Rattata.
Huh, looks like the coordinator is going to be tougher than my rival trainer wannabe. “You’re gonna have to step up your game if you wanna get anywhere Twilight. But don’t worry, they might offer pity badges for special cases like you.”
“Hey! I’ll do just fine! I don’t need any pity badges! You can go train with Rarity, I’ll be training here, by the forest!” She picks me up with her telekinesis, and sets me down next to Rarity. The white pony is cooing at her Ledyba and petting the bug pokémon.
“Heh, not bad.” I hold up my éTech to Ledyba and get a readout. “In about eleven more levels, she’s gonna evolve. Not bad at all.”
“Wait, evolve?” Rarity asks, looking confused.
“Yeah, she’s gonna change. Into a Ledian specifically. As pokémon grow, they get stronger. Some of them can get so strong they advance to a new form, where they become even stronger. Not all pokémon evolve, and how or when they evolve differs from species to species, but bug types like Ledyba evolve the fastest.”
“Ooh! So she’ll become even more gorgeous? Ooh, I can’t wait!”
I look through my éTech and see if I can bring up a picture of a Ledian. When I find a decent picture, I show her. “She’ll look like this at about level eightteen. She’s seven right now.”
“Oh, that’s beautiful! She’ll look so wonderful. Won’t you?” she directs that last part to her Ledyba, hugging the bug close. They look so nice together.
“Yeah, pokémon evolve as part of their nature.” I think for a bit. “Geodude, Carvanha, Spheal, Tepig. Heck, all our Pokémon will evolve in time.”
Rarity seems delighted, and promptly takes her pokémon back into the thick, tall grass for more training. She seems to be taking to this like a Farfetch’d to soup stock.
I look through my éTech and find the little phonebook, for calling someone else’s éTech if you have their Trainer Card ID number. “Hey Rares, before you go, I wanna swap numbers, that way we can talk later. I wanna see how Twi’s doing.”
After showing her how it works -and finding out you need fingers to work it, necessitating a change for the day on her part- we exchange numbers, and I head off to find Twilight.
When I reach her, I find that she’s got both Tepig and her Spheal out, and is fighting three separate wild pokémon at the same time. The Spearow and two Oddish are lashing out at Twilight’s duo, but she’s fighting back with ember and powder snow, to great effect.
“Ember already huh? Not bad. And you certainly have the more obscure type advantages down. Not many beginners get Ice beating Flying so soon.”
“It does? I just didn’t want to get overwhelmed, and powder snow can hit more than one at a- ember again, Tepig! Don’t let those spores get on you, Spheal!- can hit more than one of them at once!”
“Yeah. Ice types beat Flying, Ground, Grass and Dragon. They are hard to get for beginners, but they are very helpful when going through forests. The Ground disadvantage is how we managed to get away from that Nidoking in the first place. If it wasn’t super effective, I don’t think we’d have slowed him down enough to get away before being flattened.”
Twilight gives a terse acknowledgement, then coordinates a withering combo of ember to bunch the enemy pokémon up, then powder snow to get them all at once, even the Spearow.
“Not bad tactic. Not bad at all. Also, Tepig can learn Odor Sleuth, so if a Pokémon is moving too fast to hit or is hiding somehow, he can still locate them for a hit.”
“Huh, good to know. Thank you Anthony. What did you need? I think we’re on a roll over here.”
“Well I got Rarity’s number on my éTech. I wanted to trade numbers with you, then both of you can swap. This way we can split up and still talk using the telephone function.”
“The what function?” Twilight asks, breaking her attention from looking over her pokémon.
“You’re a smart mare. Think about the roots. If the ‘tele-’ in teleport means ‘far’ or ‘distance’, and ‘-phone’ means ‘sound’... it shouldn’t be hard to understand, right? We can use these to chat with each other even if we’re in separate continents. Keeping in touch doesn’t require the mail service or anything.”
“Wait, so they work like Link Stones? that’s amazing! But should I link it to yours, or to Rarity’s?”
“Uh, you just need to know which number to call. Every trainer has a number for their éTech based on their Trainer ID. You just enter that number in and tell it to call the number. As long as you know someone’s number you can talk to any of them at any given time.”
“Amazing! I’ll have to look over how this works later, though, just figure out what needs to be done.” I explain it need fingers to operate the éTech, and she simply shifts into her human form, only getting dressed when I tell her to. She really needs to learn human modesty practices...
“So yeah, technology beats magic as usual. I can actually give you Rarity’s number now, I just have to bring it up. I’ve logged it into the phonebook so I can just look up her name. You should probably do the same, as remembering everyone’s number can be confusing.”
Twilight nods, and enters in the numbers. She’s strangely good at this, I must admit. Then something occurs to me. “Hey Twilight, how long have you been training? Don’t forget to make sure your Pokémon don’t run out of Power Points or they won’t be able to use their moves.”
Twilight looks at me in confusion. “What? I didn’t see anything about Power Points when doing battle research.”
“Well, that’s just a numerical number given to how many times a pokémon can use a move before it tires them out. You think Tepig could just breathe fire all day? Heck no, he’ll wear out after a bit like everyone else.”
“Well, I assumed as much... I didn’t know there’s a numbering system for it.” After some more small chat and some more training against the local pokémon, Rarity and Twilight look to be doing a lot better, and Twilight has caught a Spearow. Also, the éTech apparently has a camera phone function, allowing for video calls and streaming live video. It takes a lot of explaining to Twilight because she keeps asking questions.
We get moving again, and continue down the road. High above us, more pokémon wheel across the sky, carefree and happy to be alive.
