Season 2 - Episode 07: Betting the Farm_Pokemon Slate Gray

Slate fixed his eyes on the bakery’s sandwich case. He wasn’t really paying attention to the different filling options, though.

“Oh, come on. You’re not talking to me now?” April asked him as they moved to the head of the queue. “Sorry if I upset you.”

“I’m not upset,” Slate protested. “I just don’t believe you.”

April frowned and crossed her arms. “Well, I didn’t lie, if that’s what you’re saying?”

“You might not be lying, but I refuse to believe any Pokémon is ‘a dud.’ Bug-types have some of the best examples of Pokémon evolution. I’ve actually seen Caterpie in our old garden turn into Metapod, then emerge from their chrysalis as Butterfree. It wouldn’t make sense for a Pokémon like Larvoid not to evolve.”

“Sorry, but it doesn’t. That’s where its name comes from; being devoid of inner potential.”

Slate didn’t respond to April’s explanation, afraid that it made sense. On top of that, the fact that the other customers had been laughing along at his expense was telling. Larvoid’s lack of evolution did seem to be, as April had said, ‘common knowledge’ in Nutera.

He himself had been dubious of Larvoid when he caught it unintentionally. However, he figured that with some training, that would change. His heart sank when he thought of his other new catch, the crying bird Pokémon. What if Uglay was ‘a dud’ too?

Feeling his mood worsen, Slate was tempted to slap both hands to his cheeks as he did on occasion. He refrained, sure that his odd habit would make him look like a weirdo in front of others, and sure that April would judge him for it. Instead, he paid closer attention to the patisserie case, looking for something sweet to brighten his mood.

When their turn finally came, Slate relayed his selection to the woman behind the counter; a chicken and bacon baguette, two bags of chips, a bottle of orange juice, a chocolate chip cookie, and two donuts, while April added a single donut to the order.

“Hungry, are you?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes,” said Slate indignantly, happy in the knowledge that April was paying, but he broke into a smile when she eyed him suspiciously. “One of the donuts is for Cryote if that makes me look like less of a Munchlax.”

“Fine, fine, if that’s what it takes to cheer you up... It is your birthday, after all,” April said as she pulled a ten Poké Dollar note from her purse. “You know you don’t have to feed Pokémon, right? The healing cycles at the Pokémon Centre refresh their energy reserves and keep them full.”

“I know, but I promised him a treat.”

“For what?”

Slate recalled his earlier adventure in Hazell Woods, unsure of how to reply without embarrassing himself.

Before he could concoct something, April exclaimed, “Slate, look who it is!”

He looked up as a young girl with brown pigtails walked through a door behind the counter. “Mommy, I’m going now,” she said.

The woman serving them leaned down to give her daughter a kiss.

“Lucy, hi!” said April.

“April! Slate!” replied Lucy excitedly.

“Oh, are these the Trainers you mentioned a while ago?” said Lucy’s mother.

“Yeah, they saved me from the Mardupe and helped protect the big tree!” Lucy explained as she ran around the counter with a new picnic basket in hand, no doubt full of food to feed her wild Pokémon friends.

“You know, when Lucy told me about what you two did for her, I wasn’t sure whether to believe her story,” her mother admitted as she finished putting their order together. “But if you really helped my daughter, please allow me to thank you. This is on the house!”

“Oh, no we couldn’t—” started Slate.

“That’s so kind of you! Thank you!” April spoke over him as Lucy’s mother happily handed her their items in a brown paper bag, free of charge.

While Slate suddenly felt guilty about his large order, April smirked at him knowingly.

“Are you visiting the tree again?” April asked the girl.

Lucy nodded eagerly. “Yes, I wanted to take some of our older bread and things today because we won’t have many leftovers after the contest visitors leave town. We’ve had so many customers!”

“Well, we’re going in that direction. We’ll walk with you.”

Lucy beamed as she bade her mother goodbye, and Slate and April thanked the woman again. They left the busy store together and headed up the street. While Slate munched greedily on his baguette, Lucy enquired about Slate and April’s presence in Hazell Town, which April attributed to the contest. The girl found this very exciting.

“I’m going to be there tonight, at the award presentation!” she shared. “Mommy took me last time. We missed Melissa’s battle, though.”

“Battle?” Slate repeated with surprise, raising a hand to cover his full mouth when a projectile piece of chicken was expelled.

April gave him a disdainful look before elaborating, “I’ve heard that she offers an exhibition match to the contest winner. Most people are smart enough to decline, though. Who would want to battle the region’s toughest Gym Leader in front of so many spectators?”

“Wait, Melissa is a Gym Leader?” Slate asked, swallowing hard. “I thought she was in the Elite Four?”

“I think you mean Elite Five,” April corrected, “but yeah, she was. She didn’t like all the travel, so the Pokémon League offered her the job as Gym Leader for her hometown, Pecanne City. Well, they call it a city, but judging by the pictures I’ve seen, it’s basically a couple of shacks in the middle of Nutera’s most dangerous wilderness.”

Lucy nodded in agreement. “They say on the Pokémon news that most League Trainers don’t make it as far as Pecanne City.”

“That’s right,” said April. “It’s in the north-east corner of the island and there are no manmade routes to it, so you have to pass through Hickoree Canyon and Pecanne Forest, which defeat all but the toughest Trainers.”

Slate’s thoughts turned to his humiliating experience in Hazell Woods. How strong a Trainer would he have to become in order to reach Melissa’s Gym? “I hope she does put on a match. It would be interesting to see what sort of Trainer she is,” he said, internally considering the prospect of winning the contest and facing her himself.

As they passed the Pokémon Lab on the northern boundary of Hazell Town, April noted that it was still closed, and gave a short diatribe about how incompetent Silph Co. must be. “They’re disadvantaging new Trainers! It’s completely irresponsible,” she concluded.

“Well, I’m heading this way,” said Lucy, pointing to the large leafy tree in the distance. Good luck in the contest! I’ll be cheering for you both!”

“Thanks, Lucy!” said Slate.

“See you later! Say hi to the Pokémon!” said April.

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

Slate continued eating as he and April followed the linear northern route to Pyne Village. As he did so, April chatted away, explaining more about the things she had been studying at Pokémon School. Slate was relieved to hear that many of her classes had focused on battle mechanics, from type combinations and move selection to status inflictions and abilities.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

If April had achieved the high grades she professed to, she would have a solid foundation to work on. The classes she had yet to take covered advanced elements like weather, terrain, and fields.

“Fields?” Slate asked as he released Cryote from its capsule, who barked and wagged its tail happily to acknowledge April’s presence.

“Hi Cryote!” she said as she stroked the pup. “That’s what was on the class list.”

“Hmm,” pondered Slate. “I’ve heard of terrain when referring to battling, but fields isn’t a familiar term. What’s the difference?”

“That’s why I’m taking the class,” April shrugged, then grinned her wicked grin. “Maybe you should take it with me?”

Slate frowned briefly, but if there was something about Pokémon battling that he wasn’t aware of, he had no shame in learning, especially when becoming a strong Trainer was so important now. “Maybe I will.”

Slate gave Cryote its promised donut. He and April laughed when the pup consumed the whole thing in one go, then began to hop around them with glee. April and Slate then consumed their own and discussed how good they were. Only after the donuts were gone did April dare release her greedy Rodenki. The little creature sniffed the air expectantly but climbed up April and into settled into her hood when it realized there was nothing for it.

Feeling bad for the little thing, Slate covertly dropped a piece of his cookie into April’s hood without her noticing, then shared the rest with Cryote.

After almost an hour’s walk, a red barn came into view, which April pointed out. “You can see Pyne Farm now,” she said.

Slate scanned the horizon, the setting sun coloring it in shades of gold. However, it wasn’t the barn that drew his attention. Instead, he fixed his eye on a moving object in the sky above it. “Is that…a helicopter?” asked Slate uncertainly.

April guffawed. “I doubt it. Where?”

“To the right of the barn,” said Slate, ignoring the girl’s dismissive attitude.

“Oh, you’re right,” she said, spotting the hovering black craft. “Now that you mention it, I think I can hear it. What do you think that’s about? Maybe there’s been an accident? Didn’t you ride in one with Bella?”

Slate had a feeling of foreboding. “Bella told me that one was Almony’s Island’s medical chopper. It was only for emergency use, and it was white. That one’s black.”

“So?”

“The one that appeared the night my mom was kidnapped was black.”

“You think it’s Team Shade?” April exclaimed.

“I don’t know, but I want to find out,” said Slate setting off at a run. “Come on, boy!”

“Slate, wait,” April pleaded before huffing angrily and following in his stead.

As they ran, they saw the helicopter touch down in the field outside the barn. It was bigger than it first appeared and had something dangling from below. It’s blades slowed, and a group of people in black suits began emerging from it.

“I think it is Team Shade!” Slate called over his shoulder. He could hear April panting behind him.

“What are they doing?” she breathed.

Slate focused on the ever-nearer chopper. “I think I see a cage,” he said, then tracked the black figures’ movements, “and it looks like they’re rounding up the Pokémon in the field! They’re stealing the farm’s herd!”

Cryote growled with its teeth bared.

“Oh no! All the Moomoo Milk for the region is made here. It’s used as an ingredient in all sorts of products.”

Slate clenching his fists as he took off into the grass. He may not have been able to stop Team Shade from taking his mother, but things were different now. He and his Pokémon were strong now, and there was a suitable outlet for his rage and frustration lying dead ahead.

A plump woman wearing an apron over a red dress could be seen darting around and waving her arms in protest, but the black-suited thugs ignored her as they threw nets around brown Pokémon. Judging by their coloring, they looked to Slate like Tauros, but he knew that couldn’t be possible, not least because they were bipedal.

*Ping*.

SPECIES

Miltank (Nuteran Form)

DERIVATION

Milk + Tank

CATEGORY

Calf

COLORING

Tan Brown

Pink

Dark Brown

TYPE

Normal

ABILITIES

Run Away

Scrappy

Sap Sipper

DETAILS

They share the physical traits of their parents. However, how and into which species or form they will evolve is dependent on several factors that breeders must bear in mind.

“Those are Halfencalf, Miltank’s pre-evolution,” April explained, an interesting revelation that Slate chose not to query given the precariousness of their situation. “Looks like Moomoo Milk is their target, after all. What are we going to do?”

“We’re not letting them get away with this,” Slate asserted.

April looked apprehensive but silently nodded in agreement.

“We’ll take out this guy, then head for the next nearest two.”

“Separately?” April questioned, her expression fearful. “There’s only two of us. What if we lose?”

“We won’t. There are five of them, but we have the element of surprise,” Slate explained. “Have Rodenki use Charge, then send her after one of them. She will be able to get close and use Nuzzle without being seen in the grass. That will be our signal!”

April nodded again, and retrieved her tiny Pokémon from her hood, while Slate addressed Cryote. “I’m going to give you a boost, so you can get an unobstructed shot. Just do it like we’ve practiced, okay, boy? The haystack will cushion your fall, so I’m going to throw you as high as I can.”

Cryote mumbled softly in confirmation, then jumped into Slate’s open arms, bracing its back legs on his interlocked hands and its front paws on his chest.

“Okay, Slate, Rodenki’s gone. I told her to go for the one on the far left.”

“Right, let’s watch,” he said as April readied backup from her Poké Belt. It was a tense moment. As they waited for Rodenki’s signal, they watched the closest Team Shade grunt net the nearby Miltank, which protested noisily as it was dragged away. If the sight of this and its offspring cowering wasn’t enough to solidify Slate and April’s resolve, seeing the woman from the farm being pushed down was.

That was when a yellow flash and a shriek of pain emanated from the direction of one of the suits. Slate and April exchanged a determined glance. It was time to fight!

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Season 2 - Episode 07: Betting the Farm

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