Expedition 2.6

September 26th, 2022.

I stared at the two pairs of eyes gazing right back, one pair crimson, the other a dark shade of brown almost black.

“So, uhh, how’s it going?” Both lagomorphs gave me an unimpressed look at my words and I winced. “Sorry if I’m a bit… uhh awkward, people aren’t exactly a thing I’m remotely good at.” Especially if they were a different species entirely.

The last few days had been more relaxed, though training was still pretty regular, working out kinks in our strategies and increasing their level of move mastery. I hadn’t figured out how type-changing moves worked but I wanted to.

Mirko seemed sympathetic, her own ears curling up in response. Jericho nodded, his spines flicking back and forth in an odd expression of emotion.

“We’ve been doing a lot of training between sitting around, and as a trainer I feel like getting to know your pokémon makes sense?”

Mirko shrugged, while Jericho just kinda stared? They both understood though…

“So… uhh I don’t remember if I ever mentioned I came from another world?”

Jericho blinked, then blinked again. That would be a no for him.

“Mir… bwaa!” Mirko went into a whole explanation, and I felt very odd… there was a certain frequency, an odd pattern to her language of nature. I didn’t exactly understand why that was, but I knew it was there, because I had never felt such a thing in my life.

It was vaguely like when I heard an extremely high pitch that irritated the shit out of me… but well… more manageable.

Jericho walked over to me, almost crawling into my lap, his nose taking a nice long time checking me out. His nose scrunched up, and he nodded.

I felt self conscious. “Do I smell different than other humans?” Mirko shrugged, Jericho stuck out his tongue and I glared at the little bastard. Guy was an asshole, but he was my friend regardless of his… eccentricities. “Well, anyways part of my goal here for my journey is… well understanding.”

I folded my arms as I sat down on the grass of the nice park Akari and I had found. She was busy grappling with Happy while Kirby picked a berry shrub and shoveled some into his fur for later.

She flipped the one hundred forty pound boar with an ease that told me she could probably pick me like I was a doll. Kinda hot actually…

“Ahem,” ignoring that tangent. “I don’t know as much about this world as I should, it’s completely new to me in a lot of ways… and the better I understand this world, the better my chances are of finding a path home. At least sometimes…”

Mirko tilted her head, as if questioning why only sometimes?

“My world isn’t… the best place for me, but here… here I can discover things no one has discovered before, see things no one has seen before, become stronger than I could ever be at home… and just transform into the person I want to be.”

It was an awful thing to be ripped away from your home reality, to be stolen from that tiny blue dot suspended in a sunbeam without consent, without warning, without my own choice in the matter.

But if I had the choice… had the option, I would have taken it.

“I have a feeling that’s why you guys wanted me wasn’t it? It’s why you chose me out of a thousand possible trainers. You both wanted to see the world, to change, and I was the best fit.”

How was I being this fucking articulate?

Mirko narrowed her eyes, and with a single hop made it into my unprepared lap. She leaned in my direction, and pointed to her matted fur. Oh.

I had my backpack with me, so I pulled out my Refresh Kit which had a vast number of compact durable tools for grooming and keeping your pocket monster allies in good health. I had a good brush that worked well for untangling knots, and Mirko apparently considered it an important ritual on both sides. She helped with my morning routine, brushing my hair and even helped with shaving sometimes.

“Right, social interaction.” I sarcastically replied to the two bunnies. “So I'm gonna talk about stuff, how would you guys like to know about my home’s space programs?”

Jericho stomped his foot in excitement while Mirko rolled her eyes but didn't say no with her body language.

“I'll start at the beginning, years ago at the very height of the Cold War, two global superpowers decides to one-up each other, in a race to the stars—”

----------------------------------------

Four days ago the match had been set down in the schedule, and my early entry meant it was going to be against the Gym Leader himself. After spending some time with Mirko and Jericho, some R&R, and all that we were good and ready for battle against the Fire Prince of Irori.

I nervously shuffled my feet as I waited in front of the door to one of the early-badge arenas. Above about three badges tended to be the mark between hobbyist and low-level professional, most adults had likely earned two or three badges from the Major and Minor Leagues, a fraction of that number made it up to five, and an even smaller fraction of that made it to six, with the number shrinking to with each additional badge to thousands versus millions for up to three badges.

Eight-badge trainers were powerful, whether they were Specialists or Generalists or some other third thing. They often made up the bulk of a region’s hard military power, joining various local organizations with ties to the regional government.

Most of the trainer-rich regions of Nihoh had their own Ace programs, effectively acting as the military wing of the government along with tens of thousands of lower-end trainer-soldiers. Rangers, the League itself with eighteen Gym Leaders often employ many thousands of students over the years, with minor ones having about a dozen students with the largest having over a hundred. Something like a martial arts dojo.

Frankly, the idea of the League made it more obvious it was a combination of sports, spectacle, and martial training, allowing for the easy creation of a massive self-defense force with enough collective firepower to level cities. My world could only match them with the use of nuclear weapons. On a real battlefield, my world’s armies would shatter against an army of monsters.

Even my own pokémon could likely tank bullets and destroy armored vehicles, I had seen her leave a crater three meters in diameter and 70 centimeters deep using Swift. She could probably slaughter dozens of elite soldiers if I or she were inclined to mass murder.

I should probably bury this topic.

“Excuse me? Gym Leader Liu is ready for you.” An employee tapped my shoulder and I jumped with an embarrassed twitch of my lips.

“Thank you.” She pulled open the door for me, and I flinched at the scale of the battlefield, it was about the size of a large basketball court including the spectator seats behind the damage absorbers, machinery that replicates the effects of defensive moves like Protect, Light Screen, or Reflect, and often reinforced by specifically trained psychic-type pokémon.

The arena itself was steaming, surrounded by multiple hot rocks across the field, with steam rising from the ground itself. There were a multitude of cameras set up, and workers sweeping away debris and waste with their pokémon. A darmanitan was using psychic power to lift debris, along with a braixen.

From the other end of the field, Liu parted a curtain, his loose clothing billowing in a nonexistent wind. He was a dork huh? But fair play, I’d do that too if I could.

“Welcome to the Irori Fire Gym, trainer, and to your first true test in this region of ours!” I almost snorted at his line, as he threw his arms back, the torches throughout the gym flaring up around us. “Welcome one and all to this duel between Gym Leader and challenger. I am Liu Basco, the leader of this gym, who created this gym to show the world the power of fire-types, and to bring honor to clan and kin and self!”

A chorus of cheers rang from the audience in support of the gym leader, both in spirit and in funding through ticket sales. Normal low-badge gym battles were about one thousand to two thousand pokédollars, while higher-badge battles in the big arena went for about four to eight thousand. Which sounds like a lot until you realize you can divide it by a hundred to equal a dollar. So anywhere from ten to eighty bucks, which is why and how they can afford the prize money they give you. Even a handful of people would make them enough money many times over, along with revenue from recording their matches.

I focused back on the field, taking a deep breath.

Liu squared his shoulders, pale gold eyes glaring into my own. “Now hear well me challenger, who are you? And what do you want?”

I felt the weight of the gazes of so many people, a nervous energy pouring down into my legs, almost turning them into jelly.

“My name is Brandy,” I took out a pokéball, preparing for the match. “I want to better understand pokémon, to become stronger, and help them become stronger. So I’ve come to challenge you for your badge, and to earn my way up as high as I can!” Okay, okay, don't freak out.

Where is this confidence coming from?

There was another round of cheers, and I could feel a jittery current from my hand where I held Mirko and from my hip where Jericho still sat. Each felt different, unique, Mirko’s presence stationary, a template, and reassuring, Jericho was… twisting, changing constantly and providing a strange almost buzz.

Was it my imagination or…?

Focus, just ride it, and think about it later.

“That’s quite a lofty goal isn't it?” Liu smirked, stepping further into the field while I did the same, mirroring his movement. “People have many reasons to join the Circuit, money, prestige, or other more vital reasons. But if you want to accomplish your fiery dreams… you’ll have to go through me.” He gestured to the approaching referee, one of likely a dozen or more Gym Trainers in the wings.

“This will be a 3-on-3 battle between Challenger Brandy and Irori Gym Leader Liu. The Challenger will have two switches while the Gym Leader will have none! Are you ready?”

We both affirmed our agreement.

“Very well, then. Trainers, send out your pokémon!”

A pokéball soared into the air. “Go, Houndour!” His pokémon emerged in a single flash of light, a pulse slamming into me as the canine lunged into the field, flames sparking from his jaws.

“Mirko, come on out!“

I threw Mirko’s ball into the air, and it snapped open to release her, before casually zipping through the air to jump back in my hand. Mirko landed, almost floating down into battle as she twisted in midair, dark eyes gleaming with what was borderline battle lust. She wore her Silk Scarf around her neck, proudly displaying the type-boosting item.

The houndour howled his battle cry, and I glanced at him for signs of his ability. For pokémon… their ability was entirely up to epigenetic processes and with the right training, a Pokémon could learn multiple abilities. Which was honestly kind of terrifying if frankly quite difficult. Abilities were a reflection of their natural traits, how they used their innate power or physiology in battle.

Tohoku was known for their elite trainers often making use of such training, turning their pokémon into outright monsters. That included the Gym Leaders.

That houndour could have Flash Fire, Early Bird, and Unnerving, preventing the use of berries, boosting his attacks when attacked by fire, or resistance to sleep all at once. Luckily I had gone for a Silk Scarf then…

Liu took the initiative. “Houndour, Ember.” Houndour spat out a rapid-fire barrage of fireballs.

“Swift.” Golden stars unerringly followed the flames rather than the pokémon itself, breaking them apart and acting as a point defense system. “Go for the usual TAB along with a buff.” I lazily replied, feigning more confidence than I really had.

“Nasty Plot and Sunny Day,” Liu went for two Primer moves, and Mirko immediately went for a Swift to interrupt the moves. “Dodge.”

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Houndour then jumped several times in a row, dark energy coating his body as malicious thoughts granted him power, before releasing a powerful burst of fiery aura, and the sun burned brighter over the open arena. Swift smashed into him, but he walked it off with a growl.

Mirko dashed forward into a Quick Attack, slamming into Houndour, then into a Headbutt that hit like a truck.

“Ember.” Mirko took the enhanced attack head-on, and I felt stupid for letting her get into range.

“Drain Punch, double time!” Mirko swatted aside the fire dog, draining vitality through her fists. He took incredible damage, bruises forming where her paws landed.

“Remove.” Was all Liu said, his houndour taking a long and deep breath. Oh no.

“Don't let him finish!”

Quick Attack doubled her speed in a split second, and she forced his jaws shut to stop his Roar then switched to a full power Headbutt. He was knocked out in a single attack to the face.

Holy shit that was close.

Liu looked momentarily shocked but he hid it behind a cool exterior and let out a chuckle, sending out his next pokémon.

The new pokémon resembled an overweight camelid, with smooth almost flawless yellow fur, a white belly, and patches of green on her back, along with a poof of Elvis hair on her head, and a fierce expression from dark eyes surrounded by a circle of grey fur.

I recalled a numel’s abilities and had a feeling this fight was going to be much harder. The Simple ability doubled the efficacy of stat-changing moves both on itself and against other pokémon.

“Amnesia and Defense Curl.” He snapped his fingers and I felt just a small amount of spite against his infuriating smile. He doubled and tripled his pokémon’s toughness and resistance in a single order, Numel using the moves simultaneously with a burst of pressure in the air.

“Use Defense Curl, and continue with our tactics.” Red energy surged up and down her back, and stars were sent flying into Numel.

“Numel, Growth into a Flame Wheel.” Hijo de puta encierro?

The fire camel was suddenly covered in a fiery aura which promptly exploded into Flame Wheel.

“Mirko, throw Numel off your tail!” She fired at Numel’s feet with Swift, almost sending her tumbling and slowing the sheer weight and mass of her charge.

She was faster and more maneuverable but Numel hit like a truck, and I could see the camel was charging a second Growth. Strength and power were multiplied over fourfold, and a single hit could spell the end for Mirko and potentially the whole match, especially with the harsh sun overhead.

“Rock Smash.” Liu was quicker when it came to giving out orders, Flame Wheel exploding into a blast that sent Numel flying, a hoove glowing with fighting-type energy.

“Quick Attack away, and debuff!” She narrowly avoided the super-effective attack, and used Charm, sapping her strength with the enchantment. A second barrage of Swift did its fair share of damage, two blasts whittling away at absurd special resistance.

She needed to use strength attacks to take down the little monster.

“Use your strength, and double down on your Charm.”

From her position, she posed and forced Numel into another attack-lowering enchantment. She practically halved his attack strength, and with a single twist on her heels she was right up into Numel’s face.

She slammed her forehead into his nose, and it broke with a nasty crunch despite his increased defenses. Mirko threw out a quick double impact of Pound into Drain Punch, and kicked off Numel’s face with a dramatic flourish. A third and fourth use of Work Up followed, multiplying strength from baseline.

My blood was pumping, my heart was racing, and my lungs were expanding and contracting with excitement, anxiety, and anticipation. Liu was a worthy opponent, pushing me harder than many of the veteran trainers who were holding back or weren't and knocked us out in an instant.

Liu smiled. “Overheat.”

Oh fuck.

“Hit Numel as hard as you can, full power Quick Attack into Headbutt!” Was my half-panicked response, this monster of a camel could regain his power with a single use of Growth in harsh sunlight. She’d tear us apart.

Numel gathered fire, steam exploding off her fur, as the magma within practically boiled and screamed for release, channels maximizing their output into an ultimate attack.

Mirko crossed the field at a third the speed of sound, transitioning to a Headbutt that forced Numel onto her knees, legs shaking under her body weight. She almost collapsed but… determination shined in her eyes.

She moved backward with a rocket blast of Quick Attack as Numel exploded with an enormous shockwave of elemental fire. That detonation wave surged forward like a flood of heat, concussive force, and burning flame.

Mirko escaped the brunt of it, but landed in a heap, barely able to stand to even enjoy her victory, Numel having gone unconscious with her final gambit. She wobbled on her unsteady feet, and threw up a thumbs-up at me.

I felt a shock in my system when Mirko went down, but she had taken down two pokémon with her hard work and sacrifice.

“Not bad, you threw everything you had to bring down my pokémon, even though you had the means to switch out.” There was a questioning tone to Liu’s tone, like he was taking my measure.

I took a moment to formulate my response. “Mirko certainly wouldn't forgive me if I did, and we had both momentum and the power and strength to take down Numel.”

Lou seemed to approve. “You understand your pokémon well, go ahead and send out your next Pokémon.” The ref nodded along with him.

I threw out Jericho with a quiet whisper of reassurance. “We’re facing the last pokémon, don't let your guard down, cover the field.”

Liu did the same. “Come out Charmeleon!” I blinked as I saw the pokémon appear from within a pillar of light. A fire lizard about four feet tall, with dark-red scales and a light cream underside.

Charmeleon was both the classic fire-type Starter and a member of the Draconidae, the family of most of the sauropsid dragons, a dragon in blood, body, and mind if not in Type.

“Charmeleon is the child of my strongest personal partner, he's been specially trained for the Gym Circuit, I wonder how well you can match him.” The fire lizard flared hot, flames briefly flashing blue under the harsh sun.

Solar Power.

A small apple core was wrapped around his neck, Leftovers?

It wouldn't be enough as poisonous energy covered the surface of the battlefield, crystallizing into solid caltrops of pure physical Poison, surrounding the entire arena with poisonous traps. Charmeleon flinched as the caltrops bit into his scales and flesh, poisoning the fire dragon.

“Hone Claws then go under, make as many openings as you can.” Jericho sharpened his claws, dark energy flaring around his paws, sharpening his accuracy and strength.

“Dragon Breath.” A beam of blue-purple dragon’s fire shot out of Charmeleon’s mouth, cross-crossing the entire field, and creating clouds of dust and debris where the attack scoured the land. Toxic Spikes shattered and broke apart under the onslaught, but it was already far too late.

There was no trace of Jericho on the surface, as he dug his way underneath the soil, following my order and basic plan.

“Listen for your opponent, then strike with full power Charmeleon!” I hid my grin as I saw the Gym Leader making a mistake, Jericho wasn't aiming to attack with Dig… it was acting as a utility move, geokinetic force propelling him through the soil and earth of the field.

He couldn't stay for long though, this heat was intense.

I tapped my foot up and down and up and down, looking at Charmeleon as he listened and waited, claws sparking with the normal energies of Slash, and the blazing spark of a fire move.

He tilted his head and I stopped tapping my foot.

With the crunch of rock and soil, a Water Pulse tore out from the ground and right into Liu’s prized charmeleon’s head. The football-shaped missile of conjured water knocked him upside the head.

A second emerged from his left and exploded into a watery detonation across his chest.

“Rock Smash and Flamethrower.” To my horror, the fire lizard shattered the ground with his fist, rocks fracturing and breaking apart under the sheer force of his claws.

Charmeleon swept out with his fire breath, practically roaring with might and power under the burning sun that hasn't ended yet. The Leftovers sparked with light, and he continued to sweep the whole arena.

Jericho had responded with a gigantic Water Pulse, letting it explode into a shower of fire-quenching water.

“Debuff, treat him like a BAS.” Bruiser, Archer, Shaker.

Jericho leered at Charmeleon, his Leer sapping his toughness, sharpening his own strength and accuracy with Hone Claws.

“Confusion, Dig, full power.” Psychic energy sprang out of Jericho’s horn, directed into an arrow of shifting psychic power.

Charmeleon blocked most of the psychic energy with Dragon Breath, and the soil parted where Jericho swam through rock and soil, charging into his gut and forcing him onto his knees.

“Charmeleon!” Liu sounded worried, his voice carrying across the field, almost melodramatic in… how it sounded.

Oh.

Charmeleon exploded into action, tail flame rising over his own height in a Blaze, a second wind of elemental power.

Two abilities… Fuck.

“Overheat.” Liu responded faster, and a second shockwave of unadulterated elemental energy broke the air itself. Multiple Water Pulses were thrown at the wave as Jericho dove downwards into the ground with my shouted command.

It's too loud, too loud, too loud, make it stop…

I tasted iron in my mouth as I bit my lip, the reverberating explosion making me nauseous and anxious, I couldn't give up.

The floor was scoured clean, except for where Jericho was standing, looking back at me with a sharp gaze.

I grinned stupidly. “You can do it, show that overgrown lizard what you've got!” I cheered him on, bouncing from foot to foot as his confidence became mine.

And then… he was covered in a great white light threaded with gold.

I felt my own body fill with an endless current, and I could almost feel the pressure given off by Jericho as he… transformed. He practically doubled in size, and I felt my jaw drop in amazement as he appeared from the sphere of light dissipating around his new body.

He was huge, the size of a newborn rhino, his scaly and leathery skin even thicker and tougher, his horn sharper, more robust, and larger, with spines running down his muscular back, spiny leporine ears held to the sky, and tusks jutting out from his armored lips.

So that's what that's like.

I jumped up. “Water Pulse, no holding back now!” A massive sphere of water conjured itself from the tip of his horn, until it grew to the size of a beach ball, shaped into an aerodynamic form.

“Dodge!” Charmeleon dove to the left, and Jericho aimed for where he was going to be.

Charmeleon took the water attack with no recourse, and remained standing against the odds, letting out a battle cry before doubling over with the poison coursing through his aura and veins.

He went down with an almost silent hiss of regret, and I was frozen on the spot.

“Gym Leader Liu is out of usable pokémon. The winner is the challenger, Brandy!”

And was promptly glomped the hell out by seventy-something pounds of incredibly energized nidorino, and got the wind knocked out of me.

“Get off of me, you're crushing my bones!” I protested my slow murder, but managed to push Jericho off with a good shove. “But amazing holy shit, and you evolved and we won and—”

“Ahem?”

I turned crimson and stammered an apology to Liu, gently nudging Jericho so he would offer the same respect. We walked over to the center of the field, and shook hands as a show of respect.

“An incredible battle, it's not often that I have trainers best me without using types effective against Fire.”

“Traveling with Akari has given me a lot of experience when it comes to battling fire-types, and it was a very close match.” Any wrong moves or too slow of a reaction would have lost me the match.

“Well your research and training paid off, I'll be hoping to see your progress in the Gym Circuit. And I'll be eager to battle your sparring partner next. You've earned the honor of gaining the Flame Badge, a Technical Machine of my choice, and the prize money. Though I have a feeling you're a bit more focused on winning.”

I blushed, twirling one of my bangs. “I am, but I'm happy to accept my award all the same hot shot.” I made finger guns at him… and realized I was acting like an idiot.

Jericho stop trying to make finger guns, you don't have fingers.

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I flounced around the Pokémon Center, basking in my victory against my first Gym Battle. Both Jericho and Mirko were resting up after their hard matches, and earning my badge was a wonderful sign of progress, having earned a 1-star rating with this sweet, sweet victory.

It was an interesting measurement system that reminded me of a certain Legends-themed game, as a sort of measure of badge equivalent strength for your team. A zero star is for a trainer with no badges, an 8-star team is for a trainer who's earned every badge and goes up to 12-stars for the Elite Four, with most Ace Trainers sticking around 8 to 9-stars and Champions going even further beyond. I believe it was 14 to 16-stars?

It also served as an approximation of levels, though that was again like most of the systems of this world, not an exact and perfect box to fit a pokémon in. Most common pokémon never went beyond what could be considered 2-star strength, and certain pokémon probably would be considered off limits for catching.

A fully evolved dragonite is an almost 8-star monster, accumulating power over more than a half century of life, powerful dragons and masters of the seas, skies and land and considered a Great Dragon alongside salamence, garchomp, hydreigon, kommo-o, and dragapult.

With my victory against the Gym, I could be considered a 1-star trainer, and with enough training and work was well on my way to becoming a 2-star trainer.

“Brandy.” I jumped when I heard someone call my name, and cleared my throat at the bemused expression of Akari who had apparently dropped off her pokémon without me noticing.

Her expression looked like the cat that had swallowed the canary, ‘pleased’ was in fact the bare minimum description of her face.

“I’m guessing you won your match?” I asked with a grin of my own.

Akari placed her arms behind her neck, and her smile was brilliant. “I sure did! Happy kicked total ass in our match!”

There was a loud and vicious rumble, and her confidence took a nose dive.

“Ahh…”

“We should get something to eat before we can talk more about how our battles went.”

Akari nodded with a quiet blush.

Today was a great day.