It is curious how Rustboro feels harmless to the eye, the muted greys and yellows give a pleasant feeling to wandering around. Fortunately, Hoenn's climate is tropical, so even in winter, the cold won't be a problem thanks to the stone buildings.
"Don't you think so?" I ask.
"Flaaffy?" His confusion is palpable.
While Cloud the Flaaffy was confused, I took the opportunity to see his owner and my guide, Sophia, the young? Is 32 still young? The woman was frolicking in front of me, and when Mrs Harper teased her by revealing her age, the whiplash made me do a double check. She has a brown ponytail, a T-shirt, blue jeans and trainers. All in all, she does not look a day over 25.
She took me to buy clothes and school uniforms. Tomorrow I start at the trainer's school and to my surprise my identity card arrives. Anyway, Mrs Harper has asked Sophia to get anything I might need. She wanted to take the opportunity to spend a working day outside the orphanage, as it was empty with all the children at school.
And the caretaker? I don't know what she does. She introduces me to Cloud, orders him to stay close to her and starts calling someone as she walks around.
After trying unsuccessfully to pet the sheep, Sophia comes back to finish her call.
"Getting along?" Sophia smiled at my antics.
"Yeah, tough, he won't let me pet him." I pout.
"Yeah, that's because you're not supposed to." She laughs at me.
"Flaa." Cloud seems relieved.
"You see, Flaaffys charge their fluff with electricity, so they can only be petted in their skin. He didn't mean to hurt you."
"I see. Sorry, Cloud. I'll be careful."
"Flaaffy." Cloud says before showing me his back, which I continue to stroke, so rubbery.
"Well, now that's taken care of, let's hurry. Mia's waiting for us." She hurries us along.
-------
After a short walk we finally reach a market square, and as we walk into the clothes shop I wonder where the stone for such a building comes from.
"Mia! I am here!" Sophia enters the shop loudly, as if she owned the place.
"Why are you so loud? What if there are customers?" She says.
"If, and language." Sophia points her head at me.
"Sorry, little one, what's your name?" She deflects the situation.
“Marcus.”
“Mia.”
I took the awkward moment to look at her. She has a round face, short black hair with purple highlights, and is dressed like she lost a fight with a wardrobe.
*CLAP*
"Well, Mia, can you take his measurements?" Sophia dispels the awkwardness.
And with that, they played dolls with me for a while. It turns out that Mia is the owner of the shop, and since Sophia says that the league pays, I have enough clothes for a while. Afterwards, Mia closes the shop and joins us for lunch, which leads to me getting bored with their talk about some Jeremy, and while I like good gossip, this is too much.
"Really, at his cousin's wedding!"
"I know, right!"
"Miss Sophia, do we have anything else to do?"
They both turn to me, perhaps remembering that I am here too.
"Mmm, no, there is nothing. Why? Do you want to go back?"
"Please." I plead.
"Well, we can go back, or you can take this and go have an ice cream with Cloud in the park." She offers to take a single note, 50 Poké I think.
Cloud, who was at my side, gave me a begging look, either for the ice cream or because he couldn't stand them any more.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"Thanks, where is the park?" I ask as I grab the bill.
"Cloud will take you and I'll catch up with you later. Have fun!" She sent us off as Cloud and I left the family restaurant, which was definitely not a bar.
-------
The park was not far from the market. It was a beautiful place. Green patches dotted the place, contrasting with the rocky aesthetic of the city. There were a few playgrounds here and there, and instead of sports fields, there were Pokémon Battle fields. Now that I think about it, Pokémon battles and competitions are a kind of sport, just like some martial arts and gymnastics.
"Flaaf, Flaaffy!" Cloud tugs on my shirt and points to an ice cream stand.
"Let's go."
As we approach the stall, the sound of someone running catches my attention.
"Hey, what Pokémon is that?" A black-haired boy about my age in a school uniform asks, class must have finished.
"A Flaaffy."
"First time I ever saw one." No shit. Did Sophia not come to the park?
"You want to fight?" the boy asks me with a twinkle in his eye.
"Battle?"
"YES! Look!" he grabs a Pokéball from his pocket and unleashes a Zigzagoon.
"Zaaa."
"It's Sunny, my dad gave it to me." He looks proud.
"I see, but unfortunately I can't fight."
"WHAT? Why not." You don't have to look at the rejected child.
"Cloud here, she's my... sister Pokémon, so she might be a bit strong for you." I explain, looking at the Zigzagoon silly.
"Sunny is strong, or are you scared?"
"Mm" "Flaaf," I share a look with Cloud.
"You're on."
Then we go to a nearby court to settle this offence against my ego.
"Ready?" I ask.
"Y-Yes, Sunny, let's do it."
"Goon." The kid and the zigzag goon take place.
"Cloud," he steps in front of me, clearly experienced.
"On three, okay, 1, 2, 3. Sunny pursuit," The fuck he say.
The Zigzagoon is enveloped in a blackish aura before being hurled towards Cloud, who takes the hit.
"Now attack." The boy commands, but unfortunately for him, static is a pain in the ass.
Cloud composed himself and stepped back, Sunny struggling to move due to the paralysis.
"Load up and keep your distance." He followed my call.
"Sand attack, Sunny!" The Zigzagoon did his best, but Cloud was far enough away for the attack to have any effect.
"Thunderbolt."
"Flaaaaaffffyyy." The charged attack hit Sunny, who was too slow at the moment to dodge it.
"Zigzaaa." Then, despite her resilience, she fainted after taking it.
"Sunny, come back." He was dejected as he remembered his Pokémon when Cloud and I approached.
"Good fight, the chase caught me off guard." I held out my hand to him.
"Thanks, I really wanted to win." He admits as he takes my hand.
"It wasn't a fair fight, Cloud is my sister's. Marcus, by the way."
"Alan, I know, but there is hardly anyone our age with Pokémon."
"Really?" Kids love pets.
"Okay, maybe not. But I mean OUR Pokémon, you know."
"I see, but I don't have any Pokémon yet." I stammered.
"I wanted to see Cloud fight too, he didn't look electric." I can't blame him, a pink wannabe sheep doesn't look as impressive as other Pokémon, not until he becomes Ampharos, to be honest, and even then.
"Yes, his evolutionary line radiates charisma." I tell Alan, while Cloud looks incredibly smug.
"Eeee, I'll take Sunny to the centre later." Then he runs off.
"Right... Do you need to be checked too?"
"Flaaf." He denied it before pointing to the ice-cream stall again.
"Yes, I need it badly too."
-------
We enjoyed the aftertaste of our treat as we sat on a bench in the shade. The heat was intense, but not unbearable, and as the lessons ended more children began to fill the park. A couple of what I assume to be coaches come in and try to get the children's attention, this has happened a few times already. No wonder Alan was so persistent in our fight. It seems that just being a trainer gives you a lot of social acceptance, and kids love recognition, maybe everyone does.
"What are you thinking?"
"Whoa." I jump a little.
"Pfff." Sophia, the perpetrator, can barely hold back a laugh, Cloud doesn't have that mercy.
"*cough* Are you done?" I ask, clutching at the few shards of dignity I have left.
"Yeah, aren't you watching?" She says, looking at the coaches fighting.
"I'm fine, can we go back?"
"Let's go," she looked at me before answering.
The ride back was uneventful. Once at the orphanage, she takes me to get the books I need for school, they seem to be sent here in bulk. After getting my books, I take them and my new clothes to my room, where I spend more time than I care to admit tidying up.
After dinner I find myself in my room, wondering what I am going to do from now on. Wonder, wonder. Okay, being presumptuous never helps me, time to concentrate.
School starts tomorrow, that's a first, and then? Become a coach? Yeah, is my record in the competitions are something to take into account I'm fucked and here fighting is not restricted by the game design. Competitions? I have the aesthetic sense of rock, so we'll leave that out too, what else? Okay, do not worry Marcus, remember what your uncle said.
"Marcus, be quiet, you are prettier that way."
Not that one.
"Live for yourself, working and sleeping isn't a life, Marcus."
Arguably, I've hardly slept or worked, but that'll do for now. I've never wanted anything, so I've just been drowning in entertainment, but here's something else: this world isn't hopeless. Yes, let's aim for something greater. I know, I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down my goal for now.
. Gardervoir.
. Lopunny.
. Lucario.
. Hisuian Lilligant.
. Gothitelle
. Meowscarada
He he he the perfect "hahahahahaha.” Haaa, maybe not, but one can dream. Then I make the more realistic choice.
. Torchic.
. Treecko.
. Mudkip.
Hoenn starters: First of all, considering the rarity of these Pokémon, there must be a condition to obtain them, which is usually becoming a Lab Trainer, so let's aim for that now.
Hisui, though, I wonder how much is known about this or the new evolutions for that matter. I mean, in Gen 3, getting a Milotic was the test of knowledge, you have to know how. I wonder who the madman was who discovered that.
The Prism Scale comes later, but almost every Pokemon that uses an item is considered rare or, like Milotic, almost unheard of in the hands of trainers, at least according to my vague understanding of the lore. It makes sense that professional trainers and gym leaders would keep this kind of information away from the general public, for their own advantage or security. A Dusknoir can't be the safest thing in the world.
But how can I benefit from this? Hoenn isn't Johto, so the Paldean evolution may elude me for a while. Hisui is another can of worms, but I can try. Are there Scythers in Hoenn? Black Augurite is not out of reach if you live in a stone-obsessed city.
There is so much to think about. No matter what happens, I still have school tomorrow, so I better get some sleep.
-------
"This is the school, do you remember the way?"
"Yes, thank you." I say to my chaperone, Stan, the boy from the orphanage who is in charge of getting me to school.
"I'm going to my class, just take the first door on the left, that's the teachers' lounge," he tells me before he leaves.
How impatient, better not delay this.
"Excuse me. I say as I open the door.
"Ah, you must be Marcus, I've been waiting for you," the middle-aged teacher greets me.
"Yes sir" He was the only one here? Am I too late?
"I'm Ivan Norton, your homeroom teacher, classes are about to start, so follow me so I can show you around."
And with that, he shows me some important places of the school before we reach the classroom - needless to say, this is far better than any other school I have ever entered. This library has a coffee post in it, I wonder how many of my seniors who go on to higher education have fallen into it.
And once inside the classroom, he introduces me to the class before telling me to sit down, while the classroom looks more like a university than a secondary school. I could do without the piercing gaze of Alan, who has an unnatural glow in his eyes.
However, this is still children's education, and I am going to breeze through it. I think before I look at the class book.
Solve the following equation:
47÷12 =
Fuck.