Chapter 22- Ideals.

As it turned out, amongst the people in my there was one more person I was interested in striking up a conversation with. The trainer that came from Kalos, Frank. And he turned out to be much more impressive than I thought. He participated in both conferences of Kalos and Sinnoh, entering the top 32 and 16 respectively. I did ask but he did face a mysterious trainer with a Darkrai. Bummer.

Like most of us, he changed back into a more comfortable outfit now that the desert was behind us. His outfit consisted of a simple black sweatpants and a red shirt. The fact that his shirt matched his red eyes must have been a coincidence. Same for the black hair. Or maybe he really went all in on the red and black to be more noticeable.

Regardless, he turned out to be a very cool guy, if a bit reserved, not that I was qualified to comment on that.

The next morning, I had to wake up early to prepare for the dive into the cavern. With Nike deciding to sleep in her ball I wouldn’t have any psychic wake up. And was not comfortable leaving Skoll out while sleeping because going out to train during the night would be in character for him.

Speaking of psychics, Nike telepathy was one of the topics we discussed. It was imprecise and painful, but it was a start. Presumably, knew she could do it but wanted to perfect it first to surprise me. I guessed the results of her control training were already showing. It was also uncomfortable for her in the sense that it took a lot out of her to even send the individual words like yesterday. It was an exciting development.

After getting ready, I exited my tent, which we all had to set up. The big ones were used for things like dinner or the health center while everyone relied on individual ones. I put mine in a spot a bit isolated in case Nike got too annoyed with the noise.

Meeting with the rest of the team was easy since we waited at the entrance. Actually, the three teams were gathered as we would enter as a big group before splitting up later. The trainers were here only in case of emergency and to assist the researchers in case they needed something. Oh, and of course, protect them from wild Pokemon. Can’t forget about that.

“Took you a while. Still digesting that defeat?” Sera greeted me.

“Haha. Very funny. You should leave the research team and become a clown you already have the shoes.” I shot back, referring to the massive boots she was wearing. “I mean come on, what are those?”

That earned me an elbow in the ribs from a red-faced Seraphina and a few chuckles from those who witnessed the interaction. Instead of her more relaxed outfits, she wore something that looked like how people dressed when exploring the jungle in movies. Except with something that looked like a minor helmet with the lamp and everything. Actually, most of the researchers wore similar outfits. With heavier clothes in some bags in case it got colder deeper in.

“Alright, that is quite enough with the banter. We should ready ourselves to go it. I will require assistance from some trainer to help us relocate additional equipment.” Prof. Max said, raising his voice for everyone to hear.

After a bit of shuffling, I ended up with one additional bag strapped to my back. I had to shift my backpack to the front, but I was reassured that it was only temporary.

“Be careful with that equipment, your pay isn’t enough to cover it if you damage it.” One of the researchers went out of his way to tell us with a sneer, earning him glares from most of the trainers which he ignored.

He walked away as if he had just done us a service just by talking to us. Even some of the other scientists seemed displeased at his attitude but in the end, nothing came of it. However, some researchers did come over to apologize on his behalf since he apparently was not like that usually.

Anyway, with my brand spanking new baggage strapped on my back, I made my way toward the entrance of the cave. It had all the signs of a naturally formed cavern which had me question why we were here. We were supposed to look through ruins not spelunking in the middle of nowhere.

We progressed with the rest of the group through the entrance. Slowly, less and less light filtered through from the entrance and soon the visibility was so low that without the lamps from the expedition team, we would be stumbling forward with our hands stuck to the walls. Thankfully that was not the case, and we were able to walk leisurely as we were taking in the sight.

The tunnel was big. And I mean, really big. I wouldn’t be surprised if three cars could fit in side by side with any risk of collision. The ceiling was also high, but less than one would think given the width of the tunnel. I wanted to describe it as an oval laid on its side, but it was far too irregular for that. Taking a closer look at the ceiling tuffs of blue fur could be seen peeking out from behind some stalactites, which were quickly identified as Woobat when one of the trainers got too close to investigate. The poor soul ended up teetering on the spot after being assaulted by sound waves. We had to make a stop for a few minutes. He regained his senses and his mishap made everyone steer clear of those.

“How come there are no stalagmites on the ground?” I whispered to Prof Max to avoid disturbing the colony above too much.

The older man quickly shushed me and made sure that none of the bat-like Pokemon reacted, before pointing to a strange rock. Looking closer it looked like it was broken rather than naturally short. And it wasn’t the only one either.

That’s most likely the job of another team that went through to clear the path.

With my curiosity satisfied, we returned back to walking in silence. As it turned out it wouldn’t be for long. It had been maybe around 10 to 20 minutes since we entered the cave but already the environment changed.

By that, I meant that the cave opened up into a gigantic cavern. There were still stalactites on the ceiling, but the ceiling itself was so high that it became irrelevant. I knew we were technically under the mountain and that we had been going somewhat downward, but this was absolutely ridiculous.

Mushroom were strewn about here and there but that was not what drew our attention first. In this cavity under what may have been tons of rock, we found something that none of us trainers thought we would see underground. Houses. Or well, at least some walls that seemed to be protruding out of the rockface.

“What in the…” Whispered one of the trainers.

And almost all of the group were in the same situation. Even the researchers, who presumably somewhat knew of this place, drew in a sharp intake of air as they witnessed the scene.

“I am quite aware. I had the same reaction when I saw the picture. Still witnessing it in person, it is quite the sight. Now, come! We will have time for an explanation later. Let us set the equipment.” Encouraged Max.

I wanted to protest to let us take in the sight a bit more but alas. Also, nothing would stop me from taking a closer look while and after we set the equipment.

“Can you explain what these ruins are while we are at it, Professor?” Frank asked.

“It would be my pleasure.” He smiled, delighted.

“We at Genesis, call these ruins the Ruins Zero. Mainly because it is what we think is the beginning of a large number of connected ruins. We unfortunately cannot see them from here due to the low light level but there exist other tunnels that we believe lead to other areas such as this one.”

“While more research and data are needed, we believe those to be the ruins of a civilization that lived mainly underground which is a fascinating idea. They would presumably need to leave in harmony with Pokemon as evidenced by this cavern.” He extended his arm and pointed all around us. “I find it hard to believe that the human hand is responsible for such an environment after all.”

While we kept working, he kept on explaining. Apparently, this was the objective of our expedition. To explore the remaining tunnel and hopefully discover other domes as he called them. If there was an entire civilization that lived underground, surely, they would want to expand at some point. Also, what happened to them? These were just some of the questions they wanted to answer.

The equipment we were installing right now were sets of cameras and a variety of scanners that aimed to create a 3D map of the cavern. Some of them were also attached to drones to take an aerial view of the ruins. At the same time, the trainers would intercept any Pokemon that might or might not try to interfere. We were basically hired muscles. After this was done, we would split up and explore the different tunnels, hoping to find other similar structures.

The time needed for the scan was… to be honest I had no frame of reference and no knowledge to judge whether it was long or short. All I know is that it took a few good hours. During this time no Pokemon really tried to poke their head in, apart from the wandering Roggenrola. This was a good sign as it meant that there might not be many Pokemon around.

Once the teams were split up, we each called one Pokemon for protection. The protection that a larger group of humans would provide was no longer present after all. Although Nike would probably pout later, I opted to bring out Skoll given that we were in a cavern with a lot of rock type. One could argue that it was a bad idea because of the Woobat, who were flying and psychic, but I was not alone, and Sera called out her Luxio. Prof Max surprisingly pulled out a Baltoy while two of the trainers called a Pawniard and a Roggenrola of all things.

But the most interesting was Frank pulling out none other than one of the most popular Pokemon of all, Greninja. And even at first glance, you could see that it was most likely his most reliable partner.

Regardless of the surprise Pokemon, we moved through the network of tunnels. At some point, they started to split like a maze and we were running out of time. Because the scan of the first room took so long, we ended up having to go back on our tracks. The positive side was that we would be able to move quicker tomorrow since there was no scan and part of the way was mapped already.

The negative side was that we were not sure how reliable it would be given that we ran into Pokemon groups in some of them and we were not sure if they would move around or just stay put, allowing us to avoid them entirely.

I guess that’s a worry for tomorrow me.

I was nonetheless excited to continue the exploration of the cave system. I honestly could barely wait.

*

Our group was the first to take the mandatory break…

As it turned out, having Prof Max with us was pretty much the cause for that. Given that he would not take a break after the rotation started, they decided to give him the first and probably only rest day. Michael was the one who would lead the expedition today.

“That sucks…” I muttered dejected.

Only for Sera to laugh at my expense. “Haha! Look at you! Someone would think you are the researcher between the two of us.”

Too bad she was the only one laughing.

My mood, however, did a complete 180 as I remembered something. We had essentially carte blanche during our day. Wasn’t this the perfect time to capture the Trapinch? I jumped up as soon as I realized that which startled Sera.

“Time to go catch me some Pokemon!” I declared and rushed off to Natalie.

Behind me, I heard Sera shouting something, but I ignored her. Making my way to Natalie does not take long at all given that she is in one of the central tents. Pushing the flap to the side, I’m surprised to meet Frank there.

“Hey Frank, how are you doing?” I greeted him.

“Hi Nexon. Could be better honestly but it should be fine.” He said, with his usual thick accent. Yet his lighthearted reply did not hide his frustration.

I decided to not pry as I asked my next question. “Is Natalie free?”

The answer came when the person of interest stepped after Frank and met us at the entrance.

“Good morning Nexon. You seem very excited so I’m guessing you have plans?” she raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I’m planning to go try and catch some Pokemon back in the desert. Just wanted to let you know so that no one panics if I don’t come back fast enough.”

I rapid-fire yet to my surprise she doesn’t answer me, just looking back at Frank who for some reason is grinning ear to ear.

“Hum, what?” I queried.

“Well, you see, Cher Nexon, it appears there is a buddy system in place. meaning you cannot go out on your own and have to bring at least one more person with you.” He said while waggling his eyebrow. “Lucky for you I also do some business in the desert. So, what do you say?”

Turning to Natalie, I saw her pinching the bridge of her nose and I could imagine, a pounding headache.

“That works just fine with me,” I answered.

“Fine, just go away please!” for some reason she sounded exasperated. I really wondered what he had done to the point she broke her façade.

So, we ended up being shooed away like unruly kids. Yet looking at her, we just shrugged. Walking back to where I unceremoniously ditched Sera, she was busy taking care of her Pokemon by brushing their hair. She looked as she saw us and raised an eyebrow when she saw Frank.

“Sera, I am going into the Desert wanna come?” I offered, already knowing the answer.

“Na, I’m good thanks. Plus, these two need a good bath so I will be near the river.” She said.

Both Pokemon had been enjoying her touch thoroughly, yet the moment they heard the word bath, both their tails stopped mid-swing and they tried to run but it was too late for them. It seems cats will always be cats. Chuckling at both felines’ misfortune, we left after I advised her to notify Natalie due to the buddy system.

Frank had been relatively silent but while we made our out of the camp we got to talking, mainly him telling me about some of his time in Kalos. A topic that I found particularly interesting was the Gogoat obstacle course which was very popular.

The camp itself was fairly quiet with most of its members in the cave, but some trainers were on the outskirts, training with their partners. By now, we decided to call our Pokemon out and three Pokeballs flew out.

“Oh! This was the Pokemon you called out last time, right? a psychic type if I remember.” He exclaimed. “and that is a Riolu. I didn’t know you could find some in the areas close to civilization.”

Skoll was with me yesterday, so he was more acquainted with our current group. Nike however, stared with open curiosity at our two traveling companions.

“Yes, she is a psychic type from Galar. And as for Skoll here, there is a place near my hometown where some pack settled in.” I explained while failing to hide the pride in my voice.

I mean can you blame me? Both Pokemon are not only rare, but it was also very finicky to have them agree to follow you. Riolu more than Hatenna. Although Hatenna themselves were elusive even in their home region of Galar.

“OH! Did you go to Galar? Tell me is it true that Pokemon can become as tall as buildings there?” He leaned forward in excitement.

I nodded. “it’s true. It’s called Dynamax but as far as I know, it only works in specific areas.”

“Interesting! I really need to go there eventually. So many regions!” he said once more excited before continuing. “Anyway, we should get going if we want to have enough time.”

I nodded at that. “I’ll be in your care then.”

*

Unfortunately, we came back empty-handed for the first day of the hunt. Well, Frank did. Turns out he was looking for a Darumaka of all things, unfortunately, I don’t know how lucky he will be to find one in the desert portion. She they usually reside in such areas but surely, they wouldn’t live in the open right? Regardless, he kept looking.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

As for me, I was also fruitless, or rather Trapinch-less but for different reasons. Finding them wasn’t the hard part. They were visible from afar by the cone-shaped depression in the sand, so finding them was far from hard. The hard part was convincing them to join my team. They seemed to be less than inclined to move, let alone join us in our travels. Even Nike tried to convince them, but they managed to resist even her cuteness which must be from an ability. That was the only explanation.

Also, the annoying part was that they were pretty solitary in their way of life, meaning once one of them rejected us we had to move for a while before finding another. So it was that by the end of the day, we were rejected by about a dozen before we had to go back. It also puts into perspective how lucky I was with Skoll.

Even so, I wasn’t giving up. The next few days were spent mostly underground exploring, with an additional chamber being identified and subsequently swarmed. Then came another day of exploration with Frank, which proved to be all he needed since we found a troupe of Darumaka in one of the Oasis.

“Looks like I’ll be first Nexon!”

With that, he walked forward toward the troupe, toward a Darmanitan relaxing on one of the branches when he approached, and the fire type simply looked on.

“Hi there. I’m looking for a companion to travel with me. Are there any young ones from your troupe who are willing to explore?” He greeted the monkey-like Pokemon.

I was happy that he didn’t simply whip out a Pokeball and start fighting. At least he showed decency. This might explain why a bunch of Darumaka came bounding out of the shrubbery.

“Wait, wait! I get that but before I decide if you can join us, there is a test you have to pass.”

A test? I could understand the need to at reduce the number but wasn’t making it depending on a test a bit much? Nevertheless, I stood back and watched as he threw a Pokeball out and a mostly white cat-like Pokemon with blue-furred accents appeared. It stood on two legs and from the back I could see two tails curled together. Even though I saw it from the back, I knew that her ears were folded over themselves in front of her.

If I’m not wrong, that’s a psychic type from Kalos. What was its name again? Something purr? No, I think that was the pre-evo. This should be Meowstic or something like that.

I had vague recollections of the psychic type but that did not explain anything. But I knew that this species was sexually dimorphic, and this was a female.

“I will ask each of you to keep a move going while my partner will attack you, if you succeed you will be able to come with us. Ah! But don’t worry, she will not hurt you at all. If she does as an apology, I will give you something tasty. Let us start with you.” He explained and pointed at a random Darumaka.

The Darumaka in question bounced excitedly before his fists burst into flames. Then the Meowstic made her move. With surprising speed, she moved in front of the Darumaka, and if I’m not wrong booped him very quickly on the nose. The surprise caused the move to fail as the flames coating the tiny fist sputtered out. As promised, no harm came to the surprised fire type. Frank for his part shook his head and asked the next Darumaka.

This one spouted a wide gout of flames that seemed to want to burn everything in its path. Thankfully it was shot upward. Yet when the Meowstic moved once more the seemingly unending jet ended. The next one used Ember, yet even though he probably knew what was coming, he still stopped halfway through the move. It took me far too long than I wanted to admit before I realized that she was probably using Fake Out.

It was a move that was useful to interrupt your opponent's attack, but it was a hard thing to use when the opponent was aware of it. The fact that she managed to do it consistently was already surprising, but doing so without injuring the other party was even more so. But that didn’t explain why that was his test.

Unless …

Pulling out my phone, I opened the Dex app and looked for Darumaka’s entry, or more specifically their possible ability. And there it was. The rarest ability for them to have. Inner Focus. An ability that prevents the Pokemon from ‘flinching’. He was looking for a Darumaka with its hidden ability. And looking at its evolution hidden evolution, he probably wanted a Darmanitan with the ability Zen Mode…

I frowned at this realization. The term hidden ability wasn’t really used, but it was common knowledge that some Pokemon had rare abilities. Most species have three possible abilities, and the rarest one is the one I know as a hidden ability. But…Was his only criterion for the Darumaka to join his team their Ability? To me, it seems incredibly selfish.

While I was looking for the information, the ‘test’ continued and finally, one of the Darumaka was able to keep their move going despite the Fake Out. Frank seemed satisfied as he nodded and let his Meowstic continue while he pulled out what I recognized as the Pokedex device from Kalos. It looked like a pane of glass with two extremities to hold the device. I watched as he pulled the extremities aside and presumably scanned the fire type to confirm its Ability.

In the end, it was the only one that managed to ignore the move, meaning the only one with a hidden ability. Finally, Frank thanked the other Darumaka before throwing a Pokeball at the one he chose. Then he made his way toward the Darmanitan, thanking him and moving back toward me.

We departed without saying much as I kept thinking about what had just happened.

“I can feel your displeasure from here so just tell me already.” Frank cut in from the side.

I hesitated before finally deciding to confront him. “It just doesn’t sit right with me the way you decided your partner based on their Ability.”

He stopped and turned to look at me. “… I understand that it might seem weird to you, but it is not. It’s a harsh truth but life is unfair. Also, I’ll be blunt, your approach to catching Pokemon is naïve. Don’t get me wrong, it is not a bad thing but if you think that every Pokemon would be willing to come with you just because to ask them you are wrong. Pokemon have their own needs and wants. If they feel like you can’t provide them with what they want they won’t even listen to you. If you don’t take that into account, you are disrespecting them, and no real trainer would disrespect their companion.”

I took a moment to consider his words, but I also refused to back down. It was just wrong. “But that doesn’t mean you should base your decisions solely on factors they can’t control, does it? what about how the other Darumaka would feel?” I pressed on.

As an answer, he shrugged. “ I have the luxury of choice, so I use it. all these Darumaka wanted to become strong that’s why they stepped forward. They understood that I was their fastest means to strength. Those who were not interested stayed in the back. Or did you think that was the whole troupe?” he asked.

I paused at that. There were others who did not step forward? Given the numbers, I thought that they all came forward… I decided to ask Nike since she should have been able to sense others and she confirmed what he said.

“I’m guessing your psychic type confirmed there were others. Let me explain further. Not as a justification but to make you realize that your reasoning has some flaws. What I was looking for is a Darmanitan with Zen Mode specifically. And it just so happens that a Darumaka who wanted to grow stronger has the ability. As I said, I understand that I have the luxury of choice which is why I take advantage of it. It’s going to sound arrogant but if you were the one stepping forward, I doubt as many of them would have volunteered. Besides, did any of the others seem dissatisfied back then?”

Taking in his words once more, I considered what he was saying. I could see some sense in what he was saying, but not all of it. Sure, not as many would have stepped forward if it was me. that alone is not a question. I could also understand the part about the wants and needs of the Pokemon. But the rest, about life being unfair to justify looking for the Hidden Ability? I could not.

I knew that some would call me a hypocrite given that Nike herself had a Hidden Ability while I was questioning his practices. But the situation was different. I wouldn’t have cared if she did not have the Ability. It was different from going out of your way to look for the ability. And I told him as such.

“I can recognize some of what you say, but I can’t agree with what you say regarding the unfairness of the world.”

“And it’s perfectly fine.” He shrugged once more. “Those are my personal views and I have no intentions of pushing them on you. You walk your path and I walk mine, that’s all there is to it. Now let’s move we still have to find your Pokemon.”

I watched his back for a while before following after him, my two companions who had been listening to the conversation in toe. Well, one was on my head to be exact.

I guess this is a ‘let's agree to disagree type of situation.

With that we kept on making our way, scouring through the desert for any Trapinch, slowly raging farther and farther from the camp. After cresting over a dune, we found something unexpected, a dune ATV. We exchanged glances before deciding to move forward, in case it was someone who needed help. We were wrong.

“Hey be careful. We don’t want to get stuck.” We heard a male voice grunt.

“s’not mah fault dis’ ones heavier! Sir!” another replied in a thick accent.

All the while screams of a Pokemon could be heard. More specifically a Trapinch. As we heard the struggle, we picked up the pace, realizing that something wasn’t right. This time we were right.

The ATV was facing toward us, so it was only when we got closer that we saw what looked like a traction cable on the back. One that was attached to a net. With a struggling Trapinch stuck in it. Two men were trying to pull the Pokemon out of the sandy trap it had created. This was in no way a normal setup to capture Pokemon. Quite the opposite as it was what poachers did.

“Hey! What are you doing? Leave it alone!” The outburst came out of my mouth before I had the time to filter it.

The two men were startled and let go of the rope temporarily. The orange Pokemon took advantage of their lapse to burrow underground. Unfortunately, it did not go far as a mechanism on the ATV locked it soon after.

“Damn kid what do you think you’re doing. Scram already.” One of the men shouted back while walking threateningly toward us and pulling back a Pokeball.

In a flash of white, a bipedal brown crocodile materialized in front of us. It was striped horizontally with black scales and some pink scales on its underbelly. The black around its eyes gave the Krokorok a more intimidating air, and I could feel Nike tensing up on my head. With a Pokemon appearing in front of me, I hurriedly stepped back, only to hit the person behind me.

“Can’t say it was smart to announce our presence like this, but I get where you are coming from.”

Frank’s expression made me make a double take. It was twisted in anger and disgust. He was definitely pissed.

“Let me deal with that one. Take care of the other.” By now, it was clear that he wasn’t asking.

“Think you’re though come get it! Krokorok Mud Shot!”

“Phino shot it down.”

The battle started immediately after I ran to the side. The other had somehow managed to pull out the Pokemon partly with its head now sticking out of the sand. Without thinking, I ran straight toward him and tackled him with my full weight. That sent him tumbling to the side because he was too busy with the cable.

Without me needing to say anything, both my Pokemon also stood ready. The man had managed to stand back up and called out a Sandile of all Pokemon. After copious amounts of cursing and threats of course. Skoll was already growling in front of me. I did not doubt that the aura he could feel from the man was far from pleasant. Especially since he had a bad experience with forced capture. Unfortunately, I needed him.

“Nike keep them busy use Disarming Voice and don’t get hit! Skoll you’re with me.” I shot rapidly.

Nike immediately moved forward, intent on making sure we were not bothered. Skoll for his part needed me to call a second time toward the net before following. Going down the sand trap was quite frankly easy as I just had to slide down. The trashing Pokemon, however, made things difficult. Its head was still poking out and it panicked when it saw me approach.

“Shh, calm down… we’re here to help.” I tried to calm it down while Skoll joined me.

My efforts were in vain at first, but it was at these moments that being able to project your emotions was useful.

“Please, let us help. Just still for a while.” I said, doing my best to project calm and reassurance.

It worked for the most part as it finally let us get close enough to help it. Unfortunately, the traction cable was designed to be extremely tough. But that was not the case for the nest.

“Skoll, use Metal Claw to cut the net. Be careful.”

Finally understanding why I asked to come with me, he obliged and extended his claws before they took on a metallic sheen. The trapped Trapinch reacted a bit but was far easier to calm down.

With surprisingly, nimble motions, Skoll quickly dispatched the net that was covering the Pokemon. In barely a few seconds, he cut enough net that a simple tug on the cable was all it took for the net to finally let go of its captive. To my surprise, the Trapinch did not immediately burrow, at least until I noticed a gash on its leg.

“Skoll, go replace Nike and call her here please,” I told him, and without needing to reiterate he jumped out of the hole in a single leap.

That was impressive because said hole was so high that even I could not see over it. I took the time to examine the Trapinch closer. It seemed that the repeated tugging of the cable managed to cause the net to create a gash on its leg. Given that its entire body was covered in a sort of chitinous shell, it spoke volumes to how persistent they had been.

Before I could look further, Nike came floating down. She also looked unhurt, which was a pleasant sight to see.

“You did great baby girl! Can you help this one with Heal Pulse?” I asked.

The small psychic type seemed almost insulted that asked and started focusing for the move. If Mystical Fire was one of our less practiced moves, Heal Pulse was THE least practiced one. After a bit of concentration, a soft light started to envelop the Trapinch and the gash visible closed slowly, even to the naked eye.

Up above, the noise of battle had seized so it was probably time for me to go back up and help with the clean-up. Unfortunately, at some point, the cable had been pulled back up, and trying to climb up the side of the pit showed why it was a successful strategy to hunt. I was prepared to wait for probably the Meowstic to help out given that Nike did not have the control needed but I felt a weight next to me.

Turning my head, I saw an orange jaw poking from the ground looking at me with weird-looking eyes. It slowly emerged fully from the ground and when it did, I understood the man’s comment about it being heavier than the others. It was big. I did not have an exact frame of reference, but it was bigger than the other member of the species I saw, that was for sure.

The Trapinch had no issue climbing the sandy sides and after a couple of steps, it turned around and looked at me before clacking its massive jaw.

“You’ll help us?”

Another clacking of jaws later, I secured Nike on my head and tried to hang on as it slowly dragged us to the surface. Once we did and I could finally see it, it really things into perspective. It was not so large that I would have thought it was a giant of its species, but it was bigger.

On the surface, I saw where the cable I was looking for went. Meowstic was busy twisting it around the protesting men restrained by Greninja. Frank and Skoll were on the side and were holding three Pokeballs in total while the Krokorok and Sandile were nowhere to be seen.

“I see you managed to make your way out. All I clear from this side so why don’t you deal with things on yours.” He winked.

I smiled and thanked him before turning around and kneeling down.

“Hey little guy,” I started but was interrupted by an angry ‘Tra!’ and a chuckle from Nike. “Girl then.” She nodded before I continued. “What do you say about joining us in our travel? I was looking for a Trapinch to travel with and I would like it if you accepted. But don’t feel that you have to just because we helped you. You are free to live your life as you want after all.”

“Tenna, tenna!” Nike added from above.

I don’t know what she said, but the ground type looked between her and me repeatedly. She turned around to look at her home and seemed deep in thought. Time ticked by as I let her take her time to decide what she wanted to do. It was just a few hours ago that we had a discussion about Pokemon’s wants and needs after all. Finally, she seemed to come to a conclusion as she turned back to me and made her toward me and meeting my gaze.

“Is that a yes?” I asked with trepidation.

“Trapinch!” was the answer I got.

I wanted to jump but there was something else that came first. I pulled my backpack to the front and fished out two capsules. One was a normal Pokeball while the other was the Safari ball that almost emptied my account.

“I know it’s not the widest selection, but you can pick whichever you want. If you don’t like any of them, we can-”

Before I could even finish, she pressed her jaws against the Safari ball and sucked inside it in a flash of red. For the first time, I went through a more normal catching process, given that Nike was hatched and therefore imprinted on me while Skoll was knocked out cold by another Pokemon. I was expecting the capsule to… you know, shake three times and ding. Instead, I barely felt a tremor before the *Ding* resounded. I did not even have the time to consider that I might want to drop the ball to the ground.

While outwardly I calmly stood up, inwardly I was screaming: I caught a Trapinch! And there was music going off.

“Now, what do we do with these guys?” I feigned nonchalance.

That didn’t seem to work as Frank was just chuckling. “What do you say we go for a ride?”

I was about to question what he meant when he pulled the keys and his Meowstic threw the guys in the back of the ATV after turning them into human kebabs.

“Don’t think you’ll get away with this. You don’t know who you are messing with.”

“Boss yer hurtin’ me back,”

“SHUT YOUR TRAP”

“Yeah, yeah we get it we’ll pay and all that. Come on Nexon. Hop in!”

I didn’t need to be told twice.

*

The camp was silent. So, when a loud engine noise made itself known everyone knew. The sun had barely started its course down meaning most of the people were present and the ATV barged in like it was on fire.

The camp was instantly alerted and the Ace Trainers assuring the safety including Natalie rushed out. Then the ATV drifted to a stop and the dust slowly revealed the occupants of the vehicle.

“That’s the last time I let you drive! Ever!” I screamed when we finally stopped and exited in a panic.

This guy is a madman! I screamed even louder internally.

The way back to the camp was way too fast to be healthy. I feel like it just shaved a decade of my lifespan. Nike was with me on that, yet I had a speed demon of my own in my team. Skoll jumped down from the roof all smiles. Why was he on the roof? Because he liked the speed, and when he saw the Greninja do so, he decided to join.

I was still trying to keep my insides inside when Natalie made her way toward us.

“Care to explain?” she asked, already rubbing her temples.

When I opened my mouth, something else threatened to exit so I closed it hurriedly. Thankfully, the damned driver decided that it was his turn.

“Come on you are exaggerating; it wasn’t that bad.” He scowled. “Oh, hey Nat! I bought you a present.”

He said as he moved to the back and opened the trunk. The poachers were still tightly wrapped but looked a bit worse for wear. Although I would pity them. Frank continued to explain what had happened while I recovered, Skoll patting my back. It seemed my situation warranted sympathy from him.

Seeing that he had things handled, I moved toward the tents to have our Pokemon checked, including his Greninja since it was the only one of his who battled. All of mine were up for a checkup. In particular, the Trapinch since we didn’t know how effective Nike’s first aid was.

“You really attract all sorts of trouble.” Were Sera's first words to me when I exited the tent.

“Geeze thank you for worrying,” I said sarcastically. “And trust me I would rather do without.”

While the checkup was being done, I moved toward the group.

“So, what do we do?” I heard Frank ask.

“I for one think we should not keep them with us here. Our stocks are limited, and we don’t have what is needed to properly restrain them.” The other Ace trainer said.

“I agree,” Natalie said and looked at something on her phone. “Nimbasa is closest to here, so I suggest bringing them there. With the ATV and a flying Pokemon it should be possible to make a round trip before sundown” she said.

“Hey Nexon, hear this out. These guys had bounty up for grabs.” Frank grinned.

I also smiled at that. With a new team member, any money is welcome. “That’s what I like to hear.”

In the end, Natalie decided to stay while the other Ace Trainer drove in the direction opposite to the one we came from, inbound for Nimbasa City. After that, we just had to wait a few minutes before our Pokeballs were returned to us. Nike of course, exited hers instantly. Sera was with us as it was finally time to learn more about the newest arrival.

The machine here wasn’t equipped with a scanner, but it was irrelevant because I have the functionality on my phone. After moving a bit from the camp, I proceeded to call out the Trapinch. And here she stood in all her chitinous glory. Sera was surprised at her size but was focused on my new Pokemon.

“Hello again. you are ok.” I said with a smile. “If you don’t mind, just stay still so we can see what you can do.” She acquiesced and I grabbed my phone and opened the Pokescanner app. I also opened the Pokedex app to see what was said as the mechanical voice sounded.

[Trapinch. The Ant Pit Pokemon.

It lives in arid deserts. Trapinch are patient hunters who create conical nests that double as traps. They can lay in wait for weeks at a time and once prey falls in, there is no escape. Their jaws are strong enough to crush boulders. Show more à]

There was a possibility to read more about it, but I vowed to do so later as I was honestly getting curious.

Species: Trapinch

Ability: Hyper Cutter

Currently known moves: Astonish, Sand Attack, Mud-Slap, Sand Tomb, Bulldoze, Dig, Crunch.

That was about what I expected. Except for Astonish this one really …astonished me. Eh! Ahem! I wasn’t expecting a ghost move but it is welcome even if I don’t know if I’ll use it.

“Well looks like you were busy in that home of yours,” I said. “Welcome to the team! There is just one more matter… how should I name you?”

==

Sorry to write this here but it's more visible and the poll is taken.

How do you feel about the kind of moral perspective in this chapter? I don't know if it was impactful enough, and it can still be changed in the future.