Chapter 16- Reaching Castelia.

Traveling by boat was… interesting… and not the good kind of interesting.

Don’t get me wrong, the sights you see are often breathtaking, especially if you like to gaze I the night sky like me. In addition, in the day the amount of pokemon we see when traveling really makes wish you could just go and join them. The smell of the sea also made for a pleasant experience. If we are talking only about the sights the only downside I could see if I really want to nitpick would be that after a while it gets a bit boring, but with pokemon there were ways around that.

No, my real issue when traveling at sea was when I was trying to fucking sleep.

Like, usually it is fine with only slight reminders that you are not on firm ground, and it is even slightly relaxing. But when it gets windy, oh boy that’s when the trouble starts.

Let me set the scene, about three days into the trip I was relaxing when I found myself on the ground. Now, I am not the best when it comes to sleeping and staying still but it is never enough to find myself on the ground. The reason that happened was simple. There was a disturbance in the force.

Ok, not really. There was actually a small storm. Small as in not a catastrophic storm that threatened the ship, but more like as ‘enough to be dangerous and you can’t avoid me’ kind of small.

To be fair we were warned that we might go through the edges of a storm earlier in the day, but it was supposed to be ‘minor’… I guess we need to rediscuss the definition of the word. In particular when it happens in the middle of the night.

Regardless of how unpleasant it was to travel by sea, the overall feeling was actually positive. In particular in regard to the training I was doing with my pokemon. Skoll is perhaps the one who had the most changes. Firstly, we continued our training to make it easier for him to pick up auras and introduced a new exercise I thought of. At some point I enlisted Sera and Mathew’s help to assist me. It was quite simple but effective. He had a different item placed in front of him, one belonging to the three of us, but also our pokemon and sat blindfolded in my room. After a bit, one person and pokemon will enter the room and he had to point the items he thought belonged to the individual. By the way, Sera deposited three brushes, one for each pokemon and one for herself, while Mathew had a fighting Gem to represent his Mienshao- who was the only one participate from his team. Nike had an extra training ball while I had my bag.

This training did have the demerit that it requires asking the time of the others which they weren’t always willing to offer given they were also doing their thing. In particular Nike but also Luxio and Litleo had their own training.

Anyway, back to Skoll, this was only an exercise that we did from time to time, especially when we came back from dinner. As for the exercise we did previously, we kept going with it obviously. There were also some changes, however. Given that my stamina could not realistically compare with that of a pokemon Mienshao- which again didn’t do much except light stretches from time to time- decided to help. With him helping I was able to split my time with Nike as well. Also, when Mathew saw the training on the second day of travel, he actually revealed something interesting. The training I selected was a popular method not only for Riolu, but every fighting type that could learn one move: Detect.

That confused me because I didn’t remember the line being able to and I always found it odd. Mathew told me simply it is usually an egg move which confused me, but I said nothing and opted for research on that. Which gave me mixed feelings.

[What are egg moves? Comprehensive terminology, by Dr. J, Cain]

The content was far from as straight forward as the title, but the gist of it is actually simple: Egg moves were just egg moves. It’s basically a move that the pokemon has instinctual understanding fresh from the egg…or at birth. Because these did exist, but it is a topic for another time. Regardless, the fact that a move was an egg move did not mean It could not be learned later which was a surprise. I also learn that I already did it since Bullet Punch is considered an egg move for the Lucario line… Oh, well!

So yeah, egg moves can be learned, even if they might take a bit to figure out. Not that I was worried since Skoll already proved more than capable of doing it. That also meant that every Hatenna could potentially learn Mystical Fire which was an interesting realization.

Speaking of Hatenna, Nike also made progress. Although it was a bit mixed once more. I already knew thanks to Caitlin that she might have trouble controlling her psychic powers, but oh boy now that we noticed the issue it became so flagrant. Being able to split my attention I was able to notice how much she struggled. By the end of the six-day voyage she was barely able to keep the ball at the same altitude. To put it simply, it no longer looked like the teeth of the saw which was a progress.

The trajectory was still very much square shape though. If I had to explain it, the aim of the exercise was to have a constant speed a smooth orbit, while Nike was currently in an ‘Accelerate-Stop-Accelerate’ cycle. That did not mean she did not progress however, just that my expectations were unrealistic when I wanted the smooth orbit before Castelia City.

The simple fact that it was straight was proof enough. Because she did not simply not exert force a vertical axis, but on the contrary able equal force. Trying not to move would have guaranteed that the ball stayed at the same altitude but that was not the aim. So, she tried to push it up and down while moving for the circle. This was the reason why the orbit was janky. Meaning that in little over six days she managed to find the equilibrium to keep it stable, even if it required focus. Which was impressive in and of itself.

Mathew was still struggling with the sea sickness while Sera seemed to be researching some…stuff. To be honest I always forget that she is not primarily a trainer but rather a researcher of some kind. At least archeological researcher, and only battle due to what Cynthia said about needing to be strong to be a real archeologist or something like that. I don’t get the logic but if the blonde monster said it there must be some truth in it right?

Anyway, at some point even her two pokemon seemed to be bored of doing nothing and started to train. I looked at them from the corner of my eye from time to time and they seemed to be exchanging tips. With Litleo knowing Fire Fang, Luxio was trying to learn Thunder Fang which was damn smart. Luxio also tried giving him tip for what I think will end up as Flame Charge, but I am not sure. I am simply basing that off of the fact Luxio now has Spark. Granted it could also be Flare Blitz, but I doubt he has the juice needed for that.

Also, they apparently did it without Sera knowing so I looked forward to seeing her reaction. Oh, but that didn’t mean it was all good, since none of them could really trained in door. To fix that I decided to take them to the deck from time to time. The fang moves were fine there but Litleo was not able to try the Flame Charge because, well, wooden deck. At least on the deck they could fire Embers and Thunder Shock toward the sky when the deck was relatively empty and there were no pokemon to be hit.

As for me personally, I was still trying to get used to the emotions flooding kind of randomly. Like crying because of a version of a titanic-like movie, despite the fact that a group of Lapras did help rescue everyone. Yeah, that one was embarrassing to say the least.

Overall, despite the general unpleasantness of the storm, it did not ruin the travel. Too much. Because I still very much hated it. Regardless it was actually quite beneficial. Skoll made progress, Nike made progress, and everyone made progress!

Currently we were lounging around in the living room with everything we needed already packed and ready to disembark. Today was the seventh day of the travel and we were expected to reach Castelia City in a few hours. The breakfast we had was very nice and we actually enjoyed it more knowing it was the last we would get all the assortments and variety they provided. We also stopped the training the day before much to the discontent of Skoll, but then again, he was always dissatisfied when we stopped training so nothing new.

It was already around 11AM when Mathew suddenly got a call and excused himself. That is also something I noticed, he never answered in front of us but then again it made sense being a ranger and all. Echoing my thoughts, when he exited, he was in a full ranger outfit with his belongings secured on his back.

After he noticed our looks, he finally opened his mouth. “Sorry guys, something came up just now. I will meet you guys in Castelia when you get there. Also don’t worry about the lodging, I will book you the rooms there.”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Is everything alright?” Sera asked, a bit worried.

Mathew simply nodded but to me it did not seem convincing. “Nothing out of the ordinary, just some wild pokemon creating some issues and they need assistance from the best.” He said.

I rolled my eyes and simply got up. “At least let us accompany you to the deck.”

He nodded once more and simply headed for the door. Our pokemon were either in their ball or lounging around so it did not take long. Although Sera did recall both of them because they wouldn’t behave for some reasons. Cats.

Contrary to what I had assumed, Mathew did not move toward the deck but rather the cabin. Captain Marcus- the name Lidycus for the ship was really on the nose here- was already aware that Mathew was a ranger due to a flock of Wingull getting too rowdy and needing Mandibuzz to calm them.

Now that I think about it, it will make sense that he has to tell him if something like that happened.

The different crew members saw us walking toward the cabin and let us through since we were behind Mathew. It also helped that Nike, still on my head, was making salute every time we walked by them making them chuckle a bit at her antics before returning the salute much to her delight.

Once we reached the cabin however, only Mathew got in since it wasn’t like there would be much discussion really. It was mainly to let them know that a person would be missing on arrival so there would be no issue once we arrived.

So, after informing the captain we finally made our way to the deck.

“Alright boy and girl! Take care of yourselves and I will see you when I can. I think your expedition should start tomorrow or something like that?” Sera nodded. It was actually two days from now, with only me needing to go tomorrow. “I’ll probably see you at your return then.”

With his final monologue the ranger asks the people around him to make space which thanks to the crew was done swiftly. I guess the ranger uniform also helped with that. In a flash of light, the giant vulture appeared, drawing awe and gasps from the gathered crowd. For the first time, I saw Mathew pull something from his satchel and the ridiculousness of it all made my brain short circuit.

He pulled what looked to be halfway between a saddle and a harness and proceeded to outfit his pokemon with it, the dark type more than compliant and seeming to bask in the gaze from the people around. Let me repeat. He pulled out a harness for his bigger than normal Mandibuzz out of his satchel that was not even as large as his torso. Yeah, thank every legendary in existence for the people who figured it out because I sure don’t.

With her gear on, and some protective glasses for himself, Mathew proceeded to mount the bird which, with a large ‘Swoosh’ that created wind spread her wings wide. I started to think that Mandibuzz was really a showoff, when in one mighty flap of her wings she took off several meters from the wooded floor she was on seconds ago. And so, the big ass vulture flying in the air made a final circle above the boat before whooshing into the distance. And I did mean woosh, riding the wind. In but a few seconds, he was far in front of the boat and soon only a dot. I wondered how he was so fast, until I noticed that the wind was gone.

Tailwind? That’s smart!

Sera and I stood on the deck looking at the still retreating ranger. After a while, Sera was the first to speak up.

“Do you think he will be fine?” she asked, clearly worried.

“Please, if he is at a point where we need to be worried for him he is kinda fucked” I joked a bit and received a glare. Noted. Shaking my head I continued. “I am only kind of joking he is clearly more experienced than us even if I also think its worrying.”

“Why do you say that?” she asked while we made our way to the room.

“Think about it. What could be so important that they had to call a ranger so far away? Also he said he should be on break unless emergency so there you have it.”

“I don’t know. It is not the first time he acted as a ranger off work. Even with the flock of Wingull I think it counted.” she added, narrowing her eyes in frustration.

I raised my hands defensively as I spoke. “Look, I also hope that nothing serious is happening, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was. Those cases are different because he was already on site. I say we just leave it to the expert and let them deal with it.”

And I really meant it. While we were authorized by the league to act in case of emergency, I would prefer not to. The world is not as pink as portrayed in the franchise and frankly I don’t really want to be involved in something troublesome.

But I must admit that I was rather curious as to what was happening that they had to call him so urgently. There were only three hours left before we reached Castelia, so it must have been quite the emergency. Regardless, for now all we had to do was relax and wait.

*

Mathew was quite surprised when he received the call from HQ. For them to contact him out of the blue was already surprising, but the fact that he had to move even more so.

Not to take it wrong, he was more than happy to leave that accursed hunk of metal that had the only good point of not sinking. In fact, if not for his current assignment, he would have never even boarded it given that Mandibuzz could take him from Virbank to Castelia in barely a few hours. Heck, he could even have one of his pokemon swim between the two cities if he had them with him. Then again, it was about time he at least called that one back.

If any other person was flying like they would at least need more protection or even a full cover for the face but not him. He enjoyed the wind too much. With the powerful wind buffeting his face, Mathew felt freer than he ever had in the entire week. Absentmindedly, he let his hand caress the rough skin at the base of his flier neck, who responded with a crooning like noise. Clearly, she was also tired of staying put.

Shaking his head he tried to refocus on the matter at hand. He could feel that Nexon was a bit suspicious of the gravity of the situation but then again, he doubted he would ask much questions. The real issue was the matter at hand, and he needed to focus on that for now.

Reports of wild pokemons being unnaturally active and entire populations changing territory in what was seemingly a random pattern. Possible interference of outside forces? His mind immediately went to Plasma that was probable.

But that was not the most alarming part. No the crux of the problem was the appearance of potential pokemon that were responsible for the displacement of other populations because then the question shift to how much they should interfere. One thing that was certain from his point of view was that the Balance was shifting. And he didn’t like the way it did.

*

After splitting with Mathew there really wasn’t anything worth mentioning. He continued to discuss things with Sera and we each shared our opinions. Hers was that it was nothing serious but needed a high number of people involved. Partway through, the subject shifted back to the expedition that was to come but there wasn’t much to discuss either.

She decided to come with me tomorrow to let them know that she had arrived as well and was ready to move when the time came. And since I had to go there either way might as well go together.

We also made plans for what to do today. Since Mathew said that he would take care of at least reserving rooms for us, we basically had half of the day to do what we wanted, and what I wanted was actually very simple. Exploring the city.

Castelia City was the largest city in the Unova Region, perhaps tied with Nimbasa. But when it came to influence it was also a big player, simply due to the sheer density of people living there. It was also the first city where we truly knew no one. One could argue that it was similar in Floccesy but the scale was different and we simply used Floccesy for a brief rest before moving on. So, we prepared.

It did not take long before we saw the city in the distance. And for fear of repeating myself for the umpteenth time, I really could not trust the game when it came to size. Like, I knew it was the largest, but I hadn’t realized just how large. And that was just from a distance. The closer we got the more the size hit.

I even saw was seemed to be Liberty Garden Island which I definitely wanted to check out. Eventually. I mean who would say no to meeting a pokemon who is said to bring Victory? Certainly not me. Plus, I always loved Victini. But that was of course for later.

Soon, both Sera and I decided to exit the room for the last time. After a final sweep to make sure we did not forget anything, we simply made our way to the deck to see the distant city growing closer in all of its beauty.

The Lidycus made its final approach for the deck of the city. Much like it was portrayed in the game, it seemed to hug the shoreline and form an almost semi-circular ring around the metropolis. I say ‘seem’ because it’s really all I could say it is far larger than I expected even after correcting my thoughts.

An interesting thing is how we got closer to the deck. While on Earth, it was not rare to see some smaller boats act as effectively mobile thrusters, here it was obviously pokemon. Lidy, the captain’s Lapras, swiftly made her way next to the boat and contributed to push it. Contribution because there were of course pokemon affiliated with the port working in tandem with their human partners. Lidy simply helped push the boat far enough into the bay before leaving the professionals to do their thing.

This is where the interactions between humans and pokemon became apparent. Because while the boat was at the right spot, the orientation was not with the boat being perpendicular to the walkway. At least until two Whirlpool were used at each end of the boat making it rotate. Truly an impressive sight.

Walking down was much like when we got onto the boat. Just in reverse. We handed the keys to the room back, including Mathew’s. The receptionist must have been informed by the captain because he simply nodded. The man in question was standing next to the ramp to disembark, making sure to have a least a word or two for each passenger.

Making our way down, finally, we were able to truly grasp the scale of the city. Countless buildings rose as if trying to reach for the sky. Sprawling roads and walkways extending in every single direction. Even more countless people going about their days. It was really a breathtaking yet overwhelming sight. And it seemed I was not the only one thinking so.

“Hatennaaa…”

I heard Nike almost whimper at the top of my head. Picking her up, I noticed how her antenna drooped and she used her hair to wrap her head. If I had to say, she looked miserable. So I made sure to keep my voice low when I was speaking.

“Hey girl, is it too much for you?” I asked and she nodded despondently. “it’s ok. Just rest in your capsule and I will bring you out as soon as we reach a calmer area.”

After making sure she was ok, I gave her a piece of Mago berry and returned her to her ball. In a flash of red, the only ones present were me and Sera.

“Is she going to be ok?” she asked.

“Hopefully she should. She is still very young so she no doubt still has troubles. Her line is very sensitive to people ad pokemon you know…”

While I spoke calmly, I was still looking at the ball in my hand for a while. It took a moment, but I put my worries aside. With a click, the ball shrunk to its travel size and was carefully stored away. Sera still seemed worried but the ringing of both our phones stole our attention.

Taking them out we basically receive the same text from Mathew, a simple address. Thankfully it was not far from the port, so we decided to go there first. Because even if the booking was made, we still had to go and show that we arrived. With a busy city like Castelia, there is no doubt a lot of people looking for accommodation. Also due to the size of the city there were several Pokemon centers. I think I remember seeing three or a similar number.

Either way that was not the topic. Making our way toward the address didn’t actually take that long. Around 30 minutes of walking, which was nice. The streets were just as busy as we saw before, and I was honestly relieved that Nike was not out right now. Clearly, she would have had an even harder time. Other people had their pokemon walking by their side and the diversity was really surprising, with pokemon from multiple regions, even some I didn’t know which was exciting.

When I saw where we ended up following, I honestly didn’t know what to think. The position, the aesthetic, all of it was similar to how it was in the game which was incredibly jarring. Well minus the glass like building that looked more like a hotel than an actual pokemon center that stood above it. It was literally the same pokemon center available in the games.

Going inside, however, the differences showed. Straight in front was still the main desk where we could get our pokemon checked, which we obviously skipped. To the right of the hall was the shopping area, which was basically a pokemart. Now, the left is where we went, given that it was the side responsible for the rooms.

This was again hassle free, as just presenting our IDs showed that we had rooms in the establishment. While we wanted to explore the city, there was nothing wrong with resting up a bit, right? So, that is what we did.