Chapter 9 – Small steps
Katarina and I released our Pokémon at the same time. Numsy came out on my side of the field and on her side a scruffy doglike Pokémon materialized in a flash of light. Naturally I took this opportunity to again make use of my brand new Pokédex.
Lillipup, the puppy Pokémon. The long hair covering lillpup’s face is an excellent radar which senses conditions in the surrounding area. This Pokémon is far brighter than the average child, and lillpup won’t forget the love it receives or any abuse it suffers.
“Victory goes to those who make the first move. Numsy use bulldoze!”
“Lillipup hold on and use leer!”
The battlefield shook with the force of our first move. The power behind it wasn’t earthquake level yet, but Numsy was getting more proficient in manipulating his typed energy. Using a move such as this indoors would usually get you in deep trouble with the local authorities. However, state of the art battlefields like the ones in a gym featured shock dampers, grates for water overflow and other nifty features.
Lillipup fell to the floor having lost it’s footing but not before giving Numsy an intimidating stare its eyes glowed with a menacing red hue startling Numsy and lowering his defensive ability in the progress.
“Incinerate!” Numsy started producing a series of fireballs with a bright center and black highlights holding them in the air before finally after the third fireball was produced, launching them all together towards the still staggered Lillipup.
The Lillipup in question tried to scamper behind a rocky outcropping, but as Lillipup was making its way towards safety the terrain which has drastically shifted due to Numsy’s bulldoze hindered it and its paw got stuck in a crevice.
Katarina knowing that dodging was out of the question encouraged her Pokémon.
“Stay strong!”
Lillipup hearing the encouragement from its trainer and bravely faced the incoming attack. The move hit the Lillipup followed by the sounds of three small explosions and a small whimper. The smoke cleared and revealed the Lillipup clearly fatigued but holding on.
We worked very hard on this move back at the Lavaridge gym. Numsy still didn’t have the power required to shoot the incinerate out as a beam, but this variation is probably even better not many first stage Pokémon had the control necessary to hold up their move in the air like this.
“Num num!”
Numsy shared a particular look at me. I instinctively know what message he tries to convey. Respect for our opponent. This Lillipup was tough unlike the trainer owned Pokémon we met on the route this one wasn’t calling it quits after the first setback. Numsy wanted to finish things with a head on confrontation.
“Tackle!”
“Tackle!”
Mildly surprised that Katarina’s and mine thought process aligned we watched our Pokémon duke it out in one final showdown. Two small bodies crashed into each other Numsy let out a small grunt still being weakened by the previous leer attack. However, that was nothing in comparison to the Lillipup who was already standing on its last legs.
The outcome of this head on clash left lillipup gasping on the ground and Numsy mildly out of breath.
My Numsy wasn’t some starter I got a few months ago. We’ve been together for three years already I wouldn’t be surprised if it was on equal footing with any three-star badge Pokémon from this gym.
“Lillipup is unable to battle victory goes to Numel”
“Lillipup return! Go Panpour!”
A simian figure materializes on her side of the battlefield not dissimilar to Chili’s Pansear. Water droplets poured out of the crest on its head and its closed eyelids and derpy smile gave me the impression that Panpour was having a pleasant dream.
Panpour, the Spray Pokémon. Panpour lived in forests long ago, but developed a body that makes it easy to live near water. It can store water in the tufts on its head. The water stored inside the tuft on its head is full of nutrients. It waters plants with it using its tail.
‘As expected, her final Pokémon is one who is especially strong against my starter. Numsy might be able to take one water type move but not two.’ I tested this myself in Lavaridge with tap water from our sink. Anything that cools down Numsy’s molten core enough will sap his strength, and he is forced to go into a lethargic daze.
“Water gun!”
“Numsy use strategy 3!”
Numsy used his smokescreen to completely cover our side of the field. Smokescreen is normally used on your opponent’s Pokémon to hinder their field of view, but Numsy is not limited in just directing the smoke with his mouth he can also use the hump on his back to completely cover himself.
Tension is high while we both wait for the smoke to eventually clear itself from the field. The smoke did clear, and the gym leader was surprised to find a hole where my Numel should have been.
Our strategy revolved around using smokescreen in conjunction with dig to surprise our opponent and keep them on the backfoot. Naturally this could backfire if the opponents Pokémon had access to moves like earthquake or magnitude.
“Now Numsy!”
Hearing my command, the ground exploded underneath Panpour’s feet. Flinging Panpour in the air before gravity did its work pulling the Pokémon back down dealing a good chunk of damage. Panpour wasn’t out of this fight by a long shot though it got up quickly ready to retaliate.
“Water gun!”
“Hold on Numsy!”
Panpour expelled a copious amount of water in the form of a jet stream launched from its mouth. The jet of water hit Numsy head on dousing my fire type Pokémon and pushing it a ways backward.
Immediately the water has a visible effect on my Numel exhausting him and slowing him down. I know with his limited stamina only one more hit was needed to floor Numsy. If I wanted any chance of finishing this battle now, we had to go for the all or nothing move.
“Lava plume!”
“Water gun again!”
An inferno of scarlet flames washes over the entire battlefield hitting Panpour in the process. However not before Panpour launches a move of its own scoring another direct hit on Numsy.
The flames cleared up from the battlefield which revealed a knocked out Numsy and a slightly singed Panpour. ‘As expected Numsy totally can’t deal with water types having quadruple weakness against them.’
“Numel is unable to battle the winner is Panpour!”
I recalled my friend inside his poké ball. “You did your best, in our next gym battle you will shine even more brightly.”
I released the final member of my team. She gave me an enthusiastic yip ready to finish this battle for our fallen comrade.
“Let’s win this match Rena!”
“Vuuuuul!”
“The challenger has chosen Vulpix as his last Pokémon. Both the trainer and gym leader have one Pokémon remaining let the match begin.”
“Disable!”
“Water gun!”
A familiar blue wave streaked across the battlefield and washed over an unprepared Panpour. The spray Pokémon tried firing off its water gun but couldn’t and had a confused expression.
‘Thank lord Arceus, my Vulpix is quicker than her Panpour!’
Disable immediately took effect. Temporarily making Panpour forget how to use the move. Now normally this wouldn’t be an issue for opponent’s Pokémon since most water types learned multiple water type moves but since this is a 1st badge match their Pokémon should be younger and have a more limited move pool.
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My assumptions proved correct when I heard Katarina’s next command.
“Panpour get in close and use pound!”
Panpour dashed forward arm poised ready to strike.
“Sweep the leg. Follow up with fire spin.”
Rena bowed low and turtle spinned. Her six tails hooking on to Panpour’s dominant leg bowling him over in the process.
We trained many a day to master this variation of tail whip. Most trainers would advise against training up a move that would turn useless against Pokémon in a heavier weight class. Unlike the sheeple trainers I saw the potential. Especially since Rena had six tails not just a singular one.
While Panpour has lost control of his motor functions Rena fired off a sizzling fire spin. Water type or no at this range it would be sure to deal some good damage.
Panpour got trapped inside the fire vortex and Rena didn’t let up keeping the fire spin going until she couldn’t hold on any longer. The flames dissipated revealing a slightly crispy Panpour. Its fur singed off in most places unconscious due to the lack of oxygen, but otherwise fine.
“Panpour is unable to battle! The victory goes to Vulpix! winning the match for Egon the challenger!”
“Pix pix!”
“I know as soon as I am done here, we’ll go get you that thing you’ve wanted.”
I recalled Rena back to her ball and walked up to Katarina in order to receive my first badge. It is customary for gym leaders to give a small speech and some training tips while awarding their badges. So, I wasn’t surprised when Katarina did the same thing.
“Coming into this match I was sure no fire type starter would be able to beat my Panpour. For exceeding my expectations, I reward you the trio badge congratulations.”
“Thanks leader Katarina.”
“Furthermore, I am so impressed by your Vulpix’ tail whip attack that I’ve decided to reward you with one of our gym’s technical machines. You can follow me to our storage room so we can pick one out.”
Receiving a technical machine as a reward is extraordinarily lucky. Gym leaders rarely rate a challenger’s performance good enough to reward one. The gym would actually lose money were that the case.
Chili also got down from the stands and followed his mother and I to storage room. Firing all sorts of questions about the moves my Pokémon displayed.
“Numel and I learned dig from a wise old quagsire back in my hometown. I figured since Numsy is also part ground type we could learn a thing or two from him.”
And that’s where Katarina decided to chip into the conversation.
“I was really hoping your Numel would not be proficient in ground type moves. Now Chili will have to repair the battlefield flooring and fill up that tunnel.”
“Mom!?”
“If you want to become a gym leader in the future it is best that you become proficient in maintenance work sweetie. Now here we are this catalogue has a list of all technical machines we have on hand pick one and I’ll go get it for you.”
Unlike specialist gyms the Striaton gym has a wide variety of technical machines to choose from. I go down the entire list before narrowing down my choice. There are three TM’s that garnered my interest.
Protect, Hidden Power and Sunny Day. Protect is a must have for higher level trainers. They all use it to disrupt their opponent’s strategy and scout out for dangerous moves. However, since protect was such a popular move Silph Co. produced too many of them making them relatively cheaper to get compared to other technical machines.
Hidden power is the rarest move on this list. Picking hidden power would be a gamble for me. You never know what type of hidden power each Pokémon possesses, and it is relatively low in power. If I taught my Numsy the move and it is revealed his hidden power is fire type I will have wasted my pick.
Sunny Day is the safest choice none of my Pokémon have learned it yet.
Relatively early during my internship I inquired about having the gym staff teach the move to my Pokémon, but that didn’t pan out. Since all the gym matches were held inside the volcano none of the gym trainers were proficient in teaching the move. Because the natural environment of the battlefield was already most suited to their fire type Pokémon. Asking Mr. Moore to use his free time teaching me was too daunting a prospect. I know the man loves spending every minute of his free time pampering and doting on Flannery. This TM was also the most expensive of the three going for 50,000 poké dollars in the open market. I would probably have to save for months to afford the TM.
“Could I get Sunny Day?”
“Excellent choice for a fire type specialist like you. Just wait a second and I’ll go get it.”
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After finishing up at the gym I made a beeline towards the Pokémon center to get Numsy fixed up. The nurse manning the reception told me that it would take a few hours to adequately warm up his core temperature. Hanging around until then seemed like a waste of time so me and Rena decided to visit the local market for an accessory.
“Rena stop fidgeting, the nice lady is only trying to help you find a prop that would look stunning on you.”
“Pix!”
I made it my team policy to reward any Pokémon that helped me win a major battle. Be it in the form of snacks they usually couldn’t have or extra comfy bedding. Rena decided she wanted a new accessory to stand out of the crowd even more than she already does. So far, we haven’t seen any other vulpix in the region, but I wasn’t one to argue against my team’s little diva.
“She certainly would make a big splash in the musical scene, if you ever decide to participate young sir.”
‘Musicals? Yeah, they had something like that here instead of your regular contests.’
I certainly wasn’t one to deny my Pokémon their ambitions. If Rena wanted to go into show business, I would support her all the way it might even lighten our monetary burdens while she is enjoying herself.
“What do you think Rena? Do you want to dance on the big stage?”
“Vuuul Pix.”
“You are not that sure? We could make a day of it when we arrive in Nimbasa.”
The store clerk decided to add her two cents to the conversation.
“That would be a wonderful idea young man. Trainers that are actively participating in this year’s circuit get in for free if it is their first time at the theater.”
The clerk continued trying on different props until finally Rena decided on a tiara.
“Pix!”
“She wants this one.”
“An excellent choice dear customer that will be 1000 pokédollars.”
‘My poor wallet That’s half my gym winnings! No wait. This is an investment if Rena ever does decide to go into show business, we can reuse the tiara.’ I am just lucky those aren’t real gemstones in that ornament.
“If I get you this tiara you promise to work hard on mastering Sunny Day?”
“Pix!”
She gave me a begrudging yes. ‘This girl wants to wear the tiara. She really is a spoiled princess. Zinnia might have put some weird ideas in her head while I was away working at the gym.’
It would all be worth it though if she mastered the move. With training I figured I can start developing her drought ability. Pokémon weren’t born with their abilities fully developed you needed to put in some elbow grease to get them working. The limitations of only having the one ability still applied but you could sort of zero in on the ability you wanted your Pokémon to have by making them do the appropriate training. That’s why I never had Rena battle against other fire types I didn’t want her to get stuck with the flash fire ability. Humans haven’t developed anything resembling ability capsules yet. So, planning to receive the proper ability is crucial.
People know all the common abilities Pokémon species can develop. However, the hidden abilities are aptly named. I am sure that there are some trainers out there who have accidentally developed their Pokémon’s hidden abilities.
“We’ll take it.”
Before leaving the market, I looked around for second hand Xtransceivers the average price ranging between 5000 to 10000 poké dollars. It might have been a stupid idea indulging Rena with the tiara while I am still saving for one of them cool wrist phones but in my opinion my Pokémon have equal say in what our budget is going to be spent on. They are the ones doing all the battling I am just a sideline coach.
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The following day me and my team headed out for Nacrene City. Route 3 unlike other routes has a bunch of towns and villages populating its length. Since it was densely populated by humans you had to go far out to spot any of the more dangerous Pokémon populating the route. The nurse Joy from Striaton did warn me not to travel when there’s a thunderstorm out and about, that is usually the time when the local zebstrika herd get rowdy. Zebstrika are just like real zebra’s they have a nasty attitude but mostly keep to themselves.
To make some extra money I picked up a side gig at the Pokémon center’s bulletin board. There is an open invitation for trainers to come visit route 3’s Pokémon Daycare and Kindergarten. They didn’t expect much. Just sharing some stories about your travels and letting the children play with your Pokémon team.
The job paid a 1000 pokédollars that amounts to half my prize winnings for beating the Striaton gym.
Naturally I had to do it and it was only two hours walk away from the city which was a huge boon.
The daycare is run by an elderly woman named Karena. The daughter Daniella spends her time teaching preschoolers at the kindergarten. Their organization was heavily funded by the Unovan government. Alder is known for being fond of children and most of the league’s leftover funds are donated to education facilities and orphanages. This is probably why they can afford to pay so handsomely for an afternoon’s work.
When we finally made it to the school I was unceremoniously shooed inside the classroom. Guessing by the weathered look on Daniella’s face I can accurately guess the level of excitement the children have for surprise visitors.
“Good morning children! Today we have a special guest who has come all the way from the Hoenn region to share some of his experiences working as a gym trainer. Let’s all welcome Egon from Lavaridge Town.”
“Show us your Pokémon!”
“I am Hungry!”
“Miss Daniella Timmy is pulling on my hair again!”
Any newbie trainer would probably be overwhelmed dealing with a classroom like this. Suddenly the exorbitant amount trainers get paid to do this makes sense. Regular people have no way of dealing with this level of excitement. However, I have experience dealing with overly energetic children. The trick is instantly changing their level of comfort, and I had just the tool in hand to make that happen.
“Numsy come out and use growl!”
Numsy materialized and as instructed promptly started to use his ear drum shattering growl attack. Immediately it got deathly quiet inside the classroom. The children kept their ears covered until they were sure that the screeching sound was over.
“And that’s what it sounds like when a Pokémon uses their growl attack in an enclosed classroom.”
The nonchalance with which I made that remark helped bring back the levity in the classroom. Before the children had the chance to descend into anarchy again, I started my background story detailing my daily life at the Lavaridge gym working with fire type Pokémon. Only acknowledging questions when asked with a raised hand. For the most part kids like these are riveted by any stories that are Pokémon related.
“That is why it’s important to stick to a planned dietary budget. Especially when you have a little glutton on your team like this guy.”
“Num Num!”
“Oh really? Flannery’s Torkoal had to subsist on only the basic foodstuffs after you went through his entire bag of coal mixed berries. Numels like you don’t even need to eat minerals like his species does.”
“Excuse me, mister trainer sir?”
“Yes Wendy, was it?”
“Can I also learn how to talk to Pokémon like you do?”
“Hmmm… a good question but it is almost impossible for humans to learn pokéspeak. Even senior trainers cannot communicate with perfect clarity to a Pokémon they don’t know well enough. When you see me talking to Numsy here it is not because I can understand the words, he is saying. The intent behind the words themselves are clear to me, and that’s only because I’ve been with this little guy for almost 4 years now. The more time you spend with your Pokémon the clearer their intentions are until words are almost unnecessary.”
However, there are many exceptions to this rule. Psychic-type Pokémon are smart enough to communicate telepathically with their trainers. Even if their bodies cannot make the full range of sounds necessary to vocally speak in our language.
When you catch a Pokémon in the wild it is usually standard procedure to hire the services of translator at the nearest Pokémon center. This is to make sure your goals don’t misalign. Say you catch a Pokémon that hates battling but wants to star in contests or participate in Pokéathelon competitions instead. Just like us humans a Pokémon’s ambitions can vary wildly.
I can already see the children ruminating about what they want to do when they grow up. Struggling to figure out what they might be successful at.
“Don’t worry too much if you have a hard time figuring out what to do. Most trainers on their first circuit run have no idea what they’re doing. Your journey is as much about figuring what you don’t want to do as it is about forming strong bonds with your Pokémon. Now who here wants to feed Numsy the Numel some berries?”
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During free period the kids were allowed outside to play with my Pokémon. There are clear rules about playing with Pokémon. The preschoolers are experienced enough to know where their boundaries are. Numsy already having gotten used to the kids during the berry feeding session didn’t mind going on small adventures with them through the playground. Rena immediately caught the eye of every girl in class and was busy getting amateur makeovers with brushes and Pokémon friendly water-soluble hair gel.
Daniella took me aside to have a little conversation while were both watching the children play with my Pokémon.
“You are good with kids you know? When you get older and tired of the circuit life. You can start working here we will welcome you with open arms.”
“Thanks for the offer miss. I might take you up on it if my career as a trainer doesn’t pan out.”
Getting curious I decide to ask a few more pointed questions.
“So, these kids all want to be trainers when they get older?”
“You know how it is. Everyone wants to try and test out their limits see if they have what it takes to make it in the league circuit. I have gotten as far as winning four badges before deciding I wanted to work with children.”
“How do children like these get their starters in Unova? And how can they afford to participate in their journey if their families are not affluent?”
“Well children that get the best grades qualify for one of three royal starters given by Professor Juniper. Or as you said their family makes sure they get a dependable first Pokémon. For orphans or children whose families struggle financially there is a third option. My grandmother runs a Pokémon daycare and has a breeding facility. For students struggling to get their first Pokémon she donates any eggs that get left behind by trainer owned Pokémon she cares for. The league makes sure all the eggs get distributed to certified responsible trainers. They won’t be able to pick any specific Pokémon but at least they have the guarantee that it won’t be a pidove or patrat. Breeders rarely take the effort breeding such widely available species.”
“As for funding their journeys… most trainers get washed out around the second gym. Those that win their third gym badge usually come up for sponsorship by that point. They do have it hard getting enough money for feed and supplies during the initial stages of the circuit.”
I ruminate on my own difficulties with finances. ‘Would I be able to come to Unova without being sponsored by Mr. Moore?’ Probably not. Pokémon feed gets expensive especially if you buy the good stuff. Supermarket pellets tasted well enough, but it has nowhere near the nutritional value serious competitors need to gain that edge during battles. I promised myself that when I become financially independent that I would pay Mr. Moore’s goodwill forward by sponsoring fledgling trainers of my own.
The school is nearing closing time. Numsy and Rena have both their heads resting on my lap. Completely tuckered out by the rambunctious kids. As we enjoy the warm breeze Daniella approaches us having sent the children off with their legal guardians.
“A job well done Egon here is your payment and a little something extra for a job well done.”
She hands over the promised 1000 pokédollars and surprisingly a pair of safety goggles.
“I figured you would make your way over to the desert resort and attempt to catch a wild darumaka. With this on you will be able to see even during a surprise sandstorm.”
“Thanks a lot miss. If I am ever come back around these parts, I will be sure to visit your classroom and tell the kids about all my new experiences traveling the Unova region.”
I recalled my Pokémon and started my track towards Nacrene City. It is a journey of several days. But if I am lucky enough, I might be able to crash at one of the nearby settlements with a Pokémon center.