Chapter 11 – Liberating a Friend
The following morning, I was woken up by an overly excited little camel. Numsy kept jumping on the bed excited at the prospect of meeting a new friend.
“Calm down Numsy. I am happy too, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves breakfast first and some shower time for me.”
“Nuuum!”
The mention of food always tempered his excitement enough to get him to focus on what needed to be done at the moment. I prepared our breakfast for this morning, for Numsy the same berry blend the gym Pokémon got with added vitamin supplements. Mr. Moore’s Camerupt eats the same thing scaled down of course because of the size difference.
Rena as well got the same as the Ninetales on Mr. Moore’s team from what I could glean of his recipe his Ninetales receives a blend of dry tasting berries, calcium and carbos as added supplements and some type of mystery meat. I don’t know what’s it made of, but the package doesn’t come labeled. Trainers probably didn’t want to know where the meat they order comes from and I share that inclination be it slowpoke tails, veluza fillet or some other culinary horror. These Pokémon can shed their body parts and they regrow after a while, but I don’t believe for a second that it didn’t cause them some amount of discomfort.
Me copying the dietary plan for Mr. Moore’s team was purely because Pokémon nutritional needs are still a mystery to me. I figured since Mr. Moore’s elite level Pokémon perform well enough it would probably be the better option to just copy the man instead of making my own recipes. So far, I haven’t gotten any complaints from my team yet.
The liberty pass resting on my desk caught my attention. I picked it up and read the lettering in order to confirm my departure time.
The holder of this liberty pass is expected to arrive at the liberty pier in the Castelia harbor at 8:00 in the morning. Beverages and snacks not included. Expected arrival date at the island 8:30 AM. Captain reserves the right to refuse entry aboard ship.
Still about an hour before I need to be there plenty of time to get our morning nuptials done. Living on the road didn’t afford one many chances to take showers so whenever I arrive at a Pokémon center, I take the opportunity to get my personal hygiene in check. My Pokémon had no such problems, every time one of them felt dirty they could just give themselves a napalm bath the grime and bacteria burning up in the process.
I stepped inside the shower cabin and gave myself a good rinsing. I like to sing while I am at it usually some variation of a Pokémon theme song.
A new adventure another day. One more challenge that comes our way ♫.
“Vuuuuul!!!”
“No this is me time Rena I am allowed to sing whatever I want! ”
“Pix Pix!”
“That’s because your taste in music is still underdeveloped! Numsy doesn’t mind my singing at all.”
“Num?”
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“Fudge Fudge Fudge! We are so late!”
“Vuuul pix!”
“What do you mean I shouldn’t have taken that shower? Do you really want to spend the rest of the day outside your poké ball with me smelling like a hobo?”
Thanks to extenuating circumstances outside of my control we are at risk of missing the departure time.’ I blame Rena’s slow eating habits, put out a food bowl for Numsy and like a vacuum wave in mere seconds he is finished eating.’ Numsy is still inside his ball unlike Rena his stubby legs make him slower than my own running speed. I weaved through the morning city crowds on the way to our destination.
Luckily, I had the foresight to stay at the Pokémon center nearest to the docks. Liberty pier already in sight, me and Rena take our speed up a notch. We make it to the docks and see a man presumably the captain preparing to cast off loosening the ropes that tether the ship to the dock.
“Wait wait! Please let us on Captain!”
The man looked up and gave us an annoyed expression. Clearly not amused by our punctuality.
“Young whippersnapper you were this close to losing your spot on the boat. Now quickly show me your ticket all the other passengers that made it on time are waiting for you.”
Showing my liberty pass to the captain he gave me a begrudging nod before tearing out the bottom half of the ticket and returning the remains to me.
“This ticket makes you eligible for a one day stay at Liberty Garden when asked you need to be able to produce said ticket to confirm your identity. At sundown we’ll sail back towards Castelia so make sure to be on time or we’ll be sailing without you. Once on the island there are few rules that must be followed.”
He gave me a small brochure detailing the rules that must be followed during our stay on the island.
1. No littering.
2. No Pokémon battles on the island.
3. Guests are not allowed near or inside the central light house.
4. Always keep your liberty pass on you while on the island.
Breaking the aforementioned rules is grounds for permanent expulsion from the island and a fine upwards of 20.000 poké dollars.
‘Sheesh maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.’ I hoped guests would be allowed inside the tower, but I guess we have to do things the hard way. If someone did discover the Victini living on the island by accident rule 2 made sure people couldn’t take it away forcefully. In any case I wasn’t planning on doing that. Just the prospect of meeting a mythical fire type Pokémon was already enough to make this trip worth it.
Finding a seat was pretty easy the only other passengers today were an old couple and a particularly haggard looking treasure seeker who is convinced that there must be some sort of treasure buried on the island’s coastline. He came equipped with a dowsing rod and a metal detector.
“We are casting off people!”
The ship’s engine started revving up. We left Castelia’s docks and headed for Liberty Garden. The captain now also doubling as a tour guide started a riveting story about the island’s history.
The island’s owners are one of the few noble families around with still living members. The monarchy and nobles used to hold all the power in the region until about a 100 years ago. A civil war broke out and the nobles lost. The remaining members had to sign away most of their privileges and power. This island being one of their last hold overs from the previous era. This is to change in about 7-8 years, the island is set to become communal property when the concession from the old agreement expires. The family was only to hold the rights to the island for one hundred years after the war.
Its weird considering the possibility for wars to happen in this world. Modern weaponry is a thing, but not widely in use. Bringing the right Pokémon with you will end a gunfight real quick, and people don’t really have the reflexes to deal with Pokémon even with modern weapons. Not to mention some species are straight up immune to most form of artillery. Ghost types can phase through, and steel types can take hits from shelling all day long.
From my history lessons I know Hoenn hasn’t been involved in wars for ages. Our island nation is too isolated from the rest of the world for it to matter in global politicking. Kanto and Jhoto have a long and bloody history with each other until they finally decided to unite and form a shared government.
Caught up in my own thoughts and the stories shared by the captain I didn’t notice the passing of time overly much until finally the island came into view.
The island is beautiful to be sure, well-kept gardens framed an imposing light house. Small wharfs with paddleboats for people who wanted to enjoy the ocean. The perfect place for a family picknick. I wasn’t here for any of that though. The ship docked on the island’s port the passengers now free to roam the island for about eight hours until we were expected back.
The old couple left carrying with them a basket probably filled with goodies for a romantic luncheon. The guy with the with the metal detector left for the west coast shore. And the captain left to attend his other job as the island’s sole custodian.
Me and my team left for the light house, but instead of walking towards the locked-up front entrance we circled around until I got the confirmation from Numsy notifying me that this place was a prime digging spot. Ground types have this feel for the earth other types don’t have, Numsy can feel if the ground beneath him was laden with wiring or pipes. The spot he picked for us devoid of those obstacles. After all we are here to meet Victini not to demolish the noble’s light house.
We got to work Numsy is responsible for digging the tunnel that leads to the basement of this place while Rena is on lookout duty. Using hypnosis in case we got caught by a passerby and had to high tail it out. My job is to make sure the tunnel is structurally sound testing it for weak spots. We hole had to be filled back in eventually, but it would suck if the tunnel collapsed while we were still inside.
‘Thank you master Quagsire for teaching Numsy how to expertly use dig.’ The master’s lessons really came through for us. The basement should only be one story deep. That’s nothing for a ground type like Numsy, and my theory came true as after only 10 minutes Numsy struck a stone tile with his head.
“Numsy move over I’ll get that stone tile out of the way, and by the way great job digging this tunnel buddy. Can you camouflage the back entrance a bit and call Rena over?”
”Num num!”
What I often forget while trying to do physical labor is that my body is only ten years old. This stone tile is approximately thirty kilograms (66 pounds) while that’s hardly anything for a grown adult I had to exert much pressure to lift it overhead. The people of this world are way hardier than my old one, but they weren’t any stronger.
“Urgh…”
“Num?”
“Vul?”
“It’s okay you guys don’t have hands I’ll take care of this. Ooof!” I managed to move the tile out of the way at the cost of a possible muscle tear.
‘That’s going to hurt in the morning.’ “We made it! Now to start looking.”
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The Basement was decorated and furnished with a small sized bed in the corner. Toys and boardgames littered the ground and the bookcases are filled with children’s books. After a quick inspection we come to the conclusion that Victini is currently not here.
“Well going upstairs is out. Let’s just enjoy ourselves until it’s time to go back. Some of these games are super old school and nostalgic.”
There’s this game that I used to play with my sister called Who is that Pokémon? It’s basically Guess who? But instead of using people the game revolves around guessing which mystery Pokémon your opponent has picked. It even came with a helpful booklet with common characteristics so when playing against Pokémon your opponent only has to tap a paw to make clear which question they would have asked. Me and Zinnia played the Hoenn edition of course this game is the Unova edition.
“Your Pokémon is a fire type?”
Rena gave me a headshake.
When it was her turn to ask a question, she tapped on the booklet.
“The same type of question? Yes, mine is a water type.”
Rena got to pawing down all the pictures on her board that aren’t water types. Leaving only 16 possible Pokémon left.
Rena is the smartest in my admittedly small team of two. Asking for the water type is a clever strategy since they are the most numerous of all the types in each region.
Our exchange went on for a while until she finally hit the nail on the head.
She pawed a certain picture.
“You are asking me if my Pokémon is ducklett?”
“Pix!”
“You got me Rena let’s play another game I am not very good at this one.”
Zinnia always wins against me when we are playing this game. ‘Something about my facial expressions being very obvious?’ Anyway, I am an expert at Jenga or Timburr’s tower as they call it here. The pieces resembling the logs their species are inclined to carry around. Naturally I hold the distinct advantage of being born with opposable thumbs. So, to make it fair Rena and Numsy teamed up against me and for every one turn of theirs I had to take out two hardwood blocks.
“Aaand… that’s two. It’s your turn now my wayward compatriots there is no chance of you defeating me I am an expert at this game!”
“Pix pix!”
“Num!”
They huddled up together and eventually decided on pulling one of two last bottom blocks holding the tower together. ’Foolish you’ve sealed your own demise.’ Their paws and hooves being inadequate for the job Numsy was picked to remove this block with his mouth the extra molars of my herbivore Pokémon providing a more secure grip.
“Num num num.”
“Draw your last pathetic block so I can end this Numsy. it’s over Numsy you were never a match for me!”
“Num…el!”
“Ah! Impossible!”
Numsy succeeded in pulling out the loadbearing block in the middle which should theoretically collapse the tower. However, miraculously the tower was still standing up on only a single corner piece.
’Exodia!? No wait.’ “This goes against the natural laws of physics. Rena, are you using some sort of psychic type move?”
Baffled Rena also gives me a confused yip. “Pix…?”
“Tini Tini Tini!”
‘It can’t be…?’
Right there sitting on top of a bookshelf in the corner was the mythical Pokémon Victini laughing it up. Clearly it was messing with our game using confusion to hold the tower up. Impressed but similarly miffed for being cheated out of a win I didn’t know how to react.
My team however was ecstatic. Victini helping them snatch victory from the jaws of defeat is just icing on the cake.
“Num num num!”
“Vuuulpix!”
My Pokémon crowded the bookshelf Victini was sitting on trying to get closer to the rabbit-like Pokémon. It was at that moment Victini showed a side of itself I wasn’t expecting. The tiny Pokémon disappeared, but this time I wasn’t fooled. My theory is that Victini was capable of refracting light becoming invisible in the process. My Pokémon must have scared Victini with their enthusiasm.
“Now calm down you two. Sure, it’s not every day you meet such a cool and amazing Pokémon, it must be feeling very shy so mind your manners. Now say sorry.”
“Vuul…”
“Num num”
Whatever I said must have done the trick because Victini reappeared on top of the bookshelf. This time sporting a curious look.
“You know me…?”
“Of course, you are the mythical Pokémon Victini said to bring victory to those that have you by their side.”
“…came looking for me?”
“Yep, the name’s Egon from Lavaridge town Nice to meet you Victini. These are my partners Rena the vulpix and Numsy the numel.”
“Pix!”
“Num num!”
‘This is my once in a lifetime opportunity to learn more about mythical Pokémon.’ Not many could boast of such an opportunity. I decided to proceed with caution and eloquence.
“I really came down here to learn more about you. As a trainer that specializes in fire types I figured I could learn a lot from a Pokémon that’s been around as long as you have. Don’t worry I’ll keep your existence a secret if you want me to.”
My last sentence calmed Victini down her facial expression relaxing for a spell. The rabbit-like Pokémon floated up and proceeded to open up a toy chest pulling out one of the boardgames.
“I never have enough beings to play with could you…?”
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We were playing some sort of variation of Operation the game when Victini finally decided to open up and answer some of my long-standing questions. Yes, she is a girl. ‘Mythological Pokémon have genders too who knew?’ The owner of the island’s grandfather first hatched her out of an egg around 97 years ago because the civil war was raging on at the time the grandfather decided that the existence of Victini was best kept a secret. At the time they were looking for any trainers with powerful Pokémon to be drafted for the noble faction and her old partner didn’t want that for her. Of course, that didn’t prevent him from getting drafted he was a noble after all, so he had a duty to his contemporaries. The grandfather decided that this island being of minimal strategic importance to both factions was the ideal place for hiding her. Sadly, he didn’t survive the war, but he acted with such valor on the battlefield that he garnered much respect from both factions which allowed his family to hold onto the island even after the noble’s defeat. Since then, his son and grandson routinely visited her to keep Victini company in her hideout.
‘The loss of her first trainer must have traumatized her into developing some form of agoraphobia (fear of the outside).’ No regular human or Pokémon could stand hiding away for so long without regular company.
“So, Where’s your trainer’s grandson now? Does he still come by to visit you from time to time?”
“Not anymore, the last time he came to visit he told me to go out into the world and look for new friends. That this will be the last time he comes to visit me.”
Tears started forming in Victini’s eyes. Pulling on all our heartstrings. Making a fire type Pokémon cry is extremely hard only a profound sense of loss is able to draw tears out of Pokémon that are fundamentally incapable of producing water.
“Num num…”
“Vuuuuul”
My team and I instantly moved over to Victini’s side showering her with affection and well wishes. While at the same time decrying the actions of the human that did this to her.
I didn’t feel any type of animosity towards the grandson. ’He must be getting too old to keep seeing Victini and didn’t want to burden her spirit with his oncoming passing.’ That man must be at least 90 years old by now since he was around during events after the unfolding of the war. Observing Victini’s countenance she must have realized this as well. Legendary psychic-types are not known for their dim-wittedness after all.
“But it’s okay now you can be my friends and come visit me. We’ll play games, stay up past our bedtime and eat unhealthy snacks.”
“Hmmm that sounds great Victini, but we still have our ambition. I also need to save my sister and her tribe from government overreach.”
“Tell me…”
“It’s kind of a long story…”
So, I spent the next thirty minutes regaling her with the story of my life. Attempting to lie or obfuscate the truth seemed foolhardy in the face of this mythical psychic type Pokémon.
“After my passing I woke up inside a hospital being patted down by a chansey who I am still friends with…”
“So, my new mother eloped again and got preg… ehm sorry made an egg together with this guy obsessed with dragon type Pokémon…”
“My new sister is the cutest her name is Zinnia here do you want to look at some of her baby pictures?”
“Since our parents left us to stay with the tribe, I decided to take care of all her needs…”
“So, now our mother and her wayward father finally decide to show up and take her to the tribe which is set to be raided by Devon corporation goons and league associates in a foolish bid to gain control of the Legendary dragon-type Pokémon. If what I remember from my previous life is correct.”
“I see… so you have to leave.”
Her ears droop down and those big blue eyes that radiated hope started to dim again. Looking at those droopy rabbit-like ears I can’t help but start to feel sorry for it. Having to endure loneliness all this time just because she was afraid to leave the island. Numsy and Rena are giving me this chastising look as if it’s my fault that she has no one to keep her company.
“How about you come with us for a while? The world outside has mellowed out a lot since then it’s not as dangerous as it used to be. We’ll have a blast every day, and you can cheer us on from the sidelines while we earn our gym badges.”
Victini seemed conflicted she desperately wanted to keep our company, but at the same time her fear of the outside world crippled her resolve.
‘I know what to do.’
“Numsy Rena hold her down and give her the tickle treatment don’t stop until she agrees!”
Before she could fly away my Pokémon were already on her giving those sensitive looking ears a tongue bath. Her bewilderment and surprise breaking our shared mental connection.
“Tini Tini Tini!”
“Yes, good… my minions don’t let up until she takes her place by our side.”
“Num num num.”
“Pix pix.”
Victini raises her front paws to signal her submission. Conveying to me that it was time to hash over the details of our joint venture. Before all that though I still needed to reward my subordinates for a job well done. I ruffle inside my bag until I find what I am looking for my grandma’s special edition Lava cookies baked in the shape of the heat badge from our very own Lavaridge gym. I only pull these out during special occasions but this they have more than earned them. Giving them each a Lava cookie, and one extra for Victini because I don’t play favorites.
“This is my hometown’s special edition Lava cookie Victini go ahead and try some.”
While the rest of my Pokémon are enjoying their bounty in a rapid pace. Victini nibbled on the edges of her cookie while we were having a conversation.
“Now obviously its going to be a hassle to have you out in the open with us. People can and will try to capture or use you for their own purposes. Can you stay invisible during our trip back towards Castelia? These is someone I trust that is more knowledgeable about what we should do to keep you out of the public eye.”
“Okay…”
I could tell she was only paying half attention Lava cookies tended to have this effect on Pokémon that are trying them for the first time. Seeing her cutely nibbling away I had a strong urge to pat Victini on her head. Which I promptly followed up on.
“…!?”
“Sorry you looked adorable like that. Those ears are warmer than I thought you really are a fire-type Pokémon.”
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“All aboard! We are going back to Castelia City.”
After finishing things up with Victini we left back the way we came. It took a while to fill the hole back up with all the dirt we displaced while tunneling. Victini helped us out with her confusion putting the stone tile back into its proper place. I also left a note inside the basement in case the elderly grandson came back to check up on her. Informing him that Victini is doing well and is going on her own adventure.
Victini explained to me that refracting light does tire her out if she keeps it up long enough. So, I made some extra space in my backpack in case she needs to rest up. The unknown megastone, Rena’s tiara, my stash of Lava cookies, the safety goggles I got as a gift, cleanse tag and ragecandybars couldn’t be replaced. So, I had to do away with the suntan lotion and flashlight. It was one of those older models that couldn’t keep a charge for long anyways.
“Now if you look to our left you can spot Virbank City streetlamps lighting up in the distance. The industrial heart of the Unova region. If you are looking to catch poison type for your team there is no better place to do so than in Virbank complex. That is where they separate crude oil into its various useful components. Making it a home for poison types you can’t find anywhere else in the region.”
That last part of his speech is meant for me. Since I was the only trainer on board. I appreciated the captain’s sage advice even though I probably wouldn’t ever use it.
The boat sped along the dark waters until we could see Castelia City in the distance. Also alight with neon signs and streetlamps it made for a wonderous sight. “See the outside world can be beautiful.” The other passengers looked at me like I was a weirdo talking to myself they didn’t see the invisible Victini holding on to the railing also taking in the sight of the luminous city.
After the ship made port at Liberty Pier, we made off towards the Pokémon center. Before anything else I still had to make an important phone call towards a certain professor. As my official sponsor he has a confidentially agreement with me regarding any and all new discoveries I make in the field. Technically Victini could be considered as such and if it was just the written agreement, I wouldn’t have trusted him keeping the secret. However, he seemed like a stand-up guy whom you could trust with secrets especially since I haven’t been outed yet in regard to being Alder’s grandson.
The Pokémon center was still bustling so I requested a private booth. Victini snuck inside my backpack and closed the zipper up from the inside. She was anxious being around all these unfamiliar people and Pokémon. ’I should ask the professor if he can hire a professional to help her deal with all the mental traumas.’ After ten minutes of waiting the private videophone booth opened up and I made my way inside with Victini Numsy and Rena being out their balls for additional emotional support.
I dialed up the professor’s number and waited for the call to come through. Eventually the Professor’s face appeared on screen.
“Egon, what has you calling so late? My office hours are almost over.”
“Good evening professor, if it wasn’t for an important reason, I would be sure to call at a more opportune time. I recently came across someone special whom I would like to introduce you to.”