Helix and Hooves: Trainers of the Future

by The Kelduo

Chapter 14: Meeting at the Captain's Table

Touching down in front of Hulbury's Pokemon Center, I saw Oleana make her way into the local seafood restaurant. That implied that she had come from the stadium after telling the Doctor to head to the restaurant immediately. I turned to enter the Pokemon Center, but I remembered that the staff of the Gym fully healed my team after battling Nessa. How generous in comparison to the Gyms of other regions!

Since I didn't need to heal my team at the Pokemon Center, I decided to head directly to the restaurant to meet up with Chairman Rose. I looked up at the sign above the door. It read, "Captain's Table." Seeing as it was a seafood restaurant, I considered the name to be both appropriate and clever. The overall design of the place also reminded me of other seafood restaurants.

I started to crave some Captain D's.

The Doctor reunited with me in front of the Captain's Table. "How was your attempt at the Hulbury Gym?"

I replied, "The Gym Mission was easy, but Nessa tripped up my Boltund with Goldeen's Whirlpool and finished him off with Arrokuda's Fury Attack. My Nuzleaf finished off her Arrokuda and Drednaw, winning me the Water Badge. I'd ask how you did, but I don't want to keep the chairman waiting."

"Agreed." In a hushed voice, he added, "Although, I'd be more concerned about keeping his secretary Oleana waiting. I don't know about you, but she gives me chills. It almost seems like she's the boss instead of Rose. I've got an uneasy feeling about her."

"You and I both, but I refuse to accuse her just yet. I'm waiting until we have solid proof so I don't falsely accuse anyone." Without further ado, we entered the Captain's Table.

---

The interior matched the exterior's oceanic color scheme, but it was more elegant. The large window on the back wall was decorated with cerulean drapes that matched the equally fancy tablecloths. Another of those furry butler Pokemon was next to the receptionist at the front desk, which was curiously shaped like a ship. We took a moment to admire the Krabby picture on the left wall before making our way to the middle table near the window, where the chairman and his secretary were waiting with Sonia.

"Sorry we kept you waiting, Chairman!" the Doctor said.

"No worries, Doctor." Chairman Rose pointed outside. "The sun hasn't even gone down past the horizon yet. We've got plenty of time to celebrate you and Helix earning your Water Badge!"

"That's good, because we'll have plenty of time for you to get to know us." I made sure to address Sonia. "By any chance, what're you doing here, Sonia? Did the chairman invite you as well?"

"He sure did. Chances are he wants to see how the professor and I are doing." Sonia pulled out the rightmost chair that was situated further from the window and looked at us. "Come on, have a seat!"

I opened my right wing in an encouraging manner. "After you, Doctor."

The Doctor declined my offer. "Thank you, but no. If I took a seat, then you or Sonia would be left without one. Besides, I prefer to stand."

"Understandable. We'll just get ourselves seated." I sat in the seat Sonia pulled out, and she took the right seat nearer to the window.

The chairman sat in the left seat farther from the window, while Oleana insisted on standing. I wasn't sure why she chose to stand. Perhaps it was because she wanted to be ready to act immediately if something were to come up.

Rose proceeded to explain the culinary traditions of the town. "You see, Hulbury is known for seafood. The Captain's Table is a seafood restaurant, so it's the obvious choice for locals. Helix, seeing as you're some kind of owl Pokemon, I'm certain you'll enjoy any of the items on the menu. As for the Doctor, well..." He shrugged. "I'm not so sure he would like what's on the menu."

"Helix told me this was a seafood restaurant." The Doctor took out some fresh Berries. "That's why I came prepared."

The chairman smiled. "What a wise choice, Doctor. Berries are delicious for both people and Pokemon! How's the local food where you come from?"

"It's delicious to ponies such as myself, but I'm not sure humans such as you would enjoy dining at the local Hay Burger joint in my home land of Equestria. You'd be better off visiting Sweet Apple Acres to try some apples fresh from the orchard. Apples don't get much better than the ones grown by Applejack's family!" The Doctor took a moment to scarf down a Sitrus Berry. "Say, these aren't half bad fresh either!"

I gave the Doctor an affirmative grin. "Told you."

Rose got the menus from the waiter and gave one to me and Sonia. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Doctor, but it seems like things are pretty peaceful where you come from."

The Doctor nodded. "True, the town of Ponyville is normally peaceful, but every once in a while there'll be some kind of friendship problem that comes up, in which case the Mane Six will usually get things sorted."

"The Mane Six?"

"Yes, the Mane Six! Also known as the bearers of harmony, they're a group of the six ponies who are able to wield each of the six Elements of Harmony." Without hesitation, the Doctor recited the names of the famous ponies and their respective elements. "Rainbow Dash, bearer of loyalty! Pinkie Pie, bearer of laughter! Rarity, bearer of generosity! Applejack, bearer of honesty! Fluttershy, bearer of kindness! And most importantly, Twilight Sparkle, bearer of magic! Normally, they can be seen solving friendship problems and conflicts or working at their respective jobs. Well, except for Fluttershy, who doesn't have an actual job and instead cares for animals at her cottage. But about every moon or so, a villain rises up and the Mane Six prove that they're a force to be reckoned with. They have succeeded in defeating the dark unicorn King Sombra, the former changeling leader Queen Chrysalis, the chaotic deity Discord, and even the magic-absorbing centaur Lord Tirek!"

I looked up from my menu to see the chairman's eyes widen. "Really? The Mane Six must be incredibly strong to take down such dangerous villains!"

Instead of beating around the bush, I got right to the point. "And that brings us to why the Doctor and I are here. See, I found out that Tirek had found a source of power and would therefore run amok soon, so I warned the Doctor. I would usually warn the Mane Six, but last time they fought him, they had the power of the Chest of Harmony on their side. The power granted by the Chest of Harmony renders the Mane Six nigh-invulnerable, but the Chest transformed into a castle after the battle and therefore lost the ability to grant the Mane Six this incredible power. Instead, the Doctor and I put together a time machine and used it to travel to this time from about a year and a half ago so we could gather a team of Pokemon to bring back to our own time to help defeat Tirek again."

To my disappointment, Chairman Rose laughed it off. "Time travel? Ha ha! Good one. Everyone knows that time travel hasn't been invented yet. Plus, the only two Pokemon who can travel through time are the Legendary Pokemon Dialga and the Mythical Pokemon Celebi." I facewinged. Why didn't I think of asking Celebi to help us travel through time instead of building a time machine? "So, Sonia, is Professor Magnolia getting on all right? She's done wonders for the Macro Cosmos company."

The waiter and furry butler Pokemon came to our table. While the waiter served Rose and Sonia, the Pokemon turned its attention towards me. "Good day, sir. I am Indeedee, and I will be your waiter today. May I take your order?"

I double-checked my menu. "I'll have some Krabby legs and a Fresh Water."

"Very well." Indeedee wrote down my order. "By the way, don't take what the chairman said to heart. He only dismissed it because you're new to Galar and what it has to offer. He might be willing to listen if you can prove your might by completing the Gym Challenge and fighting your way through the Champion Cup tournament."

I was about to ask Indeedee something, but he walked away to prepare my food before I got the chance to speak. Instead, I chose to ask the Doctor what he thought of the chairman's dismissal of our reasons for coming to Galar.

"To be honest..." The Doctor sighed. "I was afraid this would happen. Time travel is not only incredibly advanced, but also incredibly dangerous. For instance, if you went into the past and saw your past self, that could cause a major malfunction in the space-time continuum, and time would simply come to an end! The inhabitants of the Pokemon world should have enough common sense to not build a time machine, because I'm quite sure the ones with high intelligence for their species know said dangers of using a time machine." He paused to consume a Leppa Berry. "And I'm also sure some humans are dumb enough to try meeting their past selves if they had a time machine."

I nodded. "You're right. Various forms of media imply that time travel is quite dangerous. I suppose I should have seen this coming as well."

"Your food, sir." Indeedee brought my dish while the waiter got the food for the chairman and Sonia. I graciously accepted the dish and grabbed my fork. "Apologies if I cut you off earlier. Did you want to ask me something?"

"Yes, Indeedee." I blinked. Dear Celestia, that pun hit harder than Dio Brando hit Jotaro with the Road Roller. I quickly shook myself out of the epiphany before piercing through the hard exterior of one of the Krabby legs with my fork. "I beg your pardon, I just now realized the pun behind your species' etymology. Now, what I was--"

"There's no need to tell me." Indeedee pointed to his curved horns. "We Indeedee can sense emotions through our horns. If you would be so inclined as to make direct contact with my horns..."

I made sure to swallow the meaty yet considerably bland Krabby appendage before answering. Even as a Pokemon, I still have good manners. "I will gladly oblige." I put my left wing on Indeedee's left horn and allowed him to sense my emotions.

"...You're curious about whether I believe your story." Indeedee chuckled. "Belief is irrelevant to me. I prefer to take the metaphorical middle ground, because it's quite foolish to judge others without solid evidence to back up your argument. Don't worry about what others think of your reasons for coming to Galar, for their opinions are useless. All that matters is that you do what you need to do. If you truly have come here to put together a team of Pokemon to defeat a great evil in the past, then do just that and save the people of your time. If not, just do whatever it is that you came here to do."

I thought about what Indeedee told me while I consumed the rest of my meal. "Opinions don't matter, but completing my mission does..." It pleased me to know that a complete stranger supported me in the Galar region. "Thank you, Indeedee. The fact that you were willing to give me such good advice warms my heart."

"No, I must thank you, sir. My species thrives on positive emotions, so the chance to assist you has given me strength."

Intrigued by Indeedee's tidbit of information, I checked my Rotom Phone. "Indeedee, the Emotion Pokemon. A Normal- and Psychic-type, they use the horns on their head to sense the emotions of others. Males act as valets for those they serve, so they make excellent butlers."

"My Rotom Phone's entry for Indeedee doesn't say anything about that." I turned to the Doctor, who was using a napkin to clean up. "Doctor, could you use yours to get the other entry for this Pokemon?"

The Doctor put his napkin in a trash can. "Why, certainly!" He took out his Rotom Phone. "You know what to do, Rotom!"

Without further ado, his Rotom Phone gave an analysis of the other entry for Indeedee. "Male and female Indeedee have different skillsets, but both genders can sense the emotions of those around them with their horns, and they both rely on positive emotions to keep their energy levels up."

"Interesting." I took out a notepad and jotted down the information I just discovered. I took a drink of Fresh Water before asking, "Anything else I should know?"

"Yes, one more thing." Indeedee handed me a bill. "Your total comes to P2,500."

"Really?" I paid the necessary P. "I didn't expect a simple meal and a Fresh Water to cost this much."

"Well, the humans who hunt down aquatic Pokemon to be eaten here at the Captain's Table only bring back the ones with the best stats and IVs. Pokemon with better stats tend to taste better, and the Captain's Table refuses to settle for food that tastes less than exceptional." Indeedee put a paw to his chin. "However, I seemed to notice something different about the Krabby legs used to make your dish. They were a tad paler than most Krabby, and I don't mean a similar color to their Shiny variant. They looked almost as if they were drained of life energy."

"Pale? Now, why would a Krabby with excellent--wait, did you say drained of life energy?!" I felt a sudden burst of an emotion I hadn't felt in a long time... terror. A distraught look on my face, I got up from my seat. "Sorry, Chairman, but I need to get going. I'd like to take on Motostoke Stadium before it gets dark."

I hate lying to others, but I feared Rose wouldn't be able to relate. I've personally experienced the harsh reality of something being drained of its life energy, and I wanted to see if this was related to that incident back in Unova...