“Kite?” David asked, ducking low to get under a branch. He turned to the side as he did, checking on a known spot. The bush of Nomel berries tucked between a tree and a shrub was undisturbed. All the bushes near the fence were good warning signs of a Pokemon's presence.
“Pidgey.”
David scrunched his nose and hummed. Choosing a name was slow going.
“Aviator?”
Pidgey didn’t say anything, continuing to hop forward.
“It’s a word for a pilot, someone who controls massive vehicles that fly through the air-”
“Pidgey.”
David ran his hand along the metal fence, rattling it to test for weakness. He continued to think. It wasn't their first name session and they’d been able to narrow Pidgey’s tastes down a little.
First, nothing to do with land. ‘Desert’ and ‘Duster’ for her cream and brown feathers, ‘Peak’ for a play on peck and heights, ‘Comet’, - all out. He’d even suggested ‘Bunny’ as a joke after watching her hop back and forth. To his horror, Pidgey had taken the name seriously and actually considered it. Thankfully she turned it down. David didn’t know if he could live as the trainer going around with ‘Bunny’ the flying pokemon.
Anything too human was usually out too. He got close with ‘Crown’ - Pidgey seemed to like the reference to her crest feathers, but she ultimately decided against it. Human names held no attraction for her at all, and David had tried. He must have run through his entire family, primary school, secondary school and any celebrity he could think of.
So for now he was trying anything related to flying that he could think of. These were usually met with a lot more consideration.
Flying names for a Flying type. Go figure.
“Soar?”
Pidgey slowed, considering it for a second. She slightly shifted her wings, almost as if imagining herself floating through the air.
“Pidgey.”
David sighed and kept walking. They’d figure this out. Maybe not today, and definitely not before training and study today, but every step was progress. Pidgey and he were getting closer.
-.-
“David! Welcome,” Tulia said, opening the door with a smile.
“Hey,” David said, holding out a small bag. “I wasn’t sure what to bring.”
Oliver wasn’t much help. The man insisted that a basket of berries was the only gift needed in Celadon. David did include two berries, purchased from Oliver at a generous enough rate and taken out of his next salary, but the small bottle of berry wine in the bag was the real gift. He felt it was a good balance. His home’s tradition of bringing drinks with the local tradition of berries mixed in. At 120 Poke it had better be.
“Ooh.” Tulia snatched the bag and peeked inside, turning to walk back inside. “Very nice. That’ll go well with the snacks.”
David followed after her, closing the door behind him. Tulia lived in one of the apartment complexes in the outer north east of Celadon. It was his first time in one of the apartments and he was quite curious.
The short hallway was a little cramped but more due to all the stuff rather than design. He slipped his shoes off, pushing them to join all the others in a pile off to the side. On his left a coat rack was overgrown. Waxy overalls, coats and bags all pushing their way towards the centre of the hall, desperate for air. The hallway was well lit with several tall, thin floor lamps casting shadows above the picture frames on the fall.
“-just saying, the timing! It’s absurd.”
Laughter came from the room ahead.
“They announce the tournament and the Eevees, and two days later they arrive? I mean come on!” Sarah said, throwing her hands up. “They might as well steal the balls with-” Her hands waved around. “-all those levitation powers and save us the charade.”
Danny gasped for breath, tears in her eyes at one end of the table. Terry sat beside with a smile on her face. It wasn’t wide, Terry didn’t grin but it was a happy smile.
“Not this again,” Tulia tutted as she brought David’s gift to the kitchenette, weaving around the overly big table as she did so.
“Oh, don’t give me that,” Sarah said, swiping at Tulia. “We were all thinking it. They used those Psychic powers to ‘see the tournament coming’ and now they’ll use those same powers to win and steal all the Eevees.”
“That’s not how Psychics work,” Danny wheezed.
Sarah reached over and flicked her shoulder. “Oh, like you’d know.” Her eyes widened and she turned on David. “You! You said you were from near Saffron! You’re with me right?”
David paused. He had said that. Unfortunately he likely knew less about Psychics than anyone in the room. “I don’t think they came here for the tournament.” If Oliver was correct, the tournament was just a distraction for them.
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Fine, they’re probably here for the badge too, but you agree about their powers right?”
“I.. I don’t know,” David said after a moment's hesitation. All he knew about the Voyants he had learned from the Dojo. Eloise had spoken less of reading minds and more about crushing them. “I’m from near Saffron, not Saffron.”
Sarah groaned and sank back in her chair.
Danny wiped her eyes and straightened in her seat. “Psychics are tested for strength and what abilities they have. The stronger ones, like Sabrina, or people with empathic abilities aren't allowed to take part in gambling. Not that they’d need to anyway. They’re the ones that gambling houses employ to watch for cheating.”
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David blinked, looking at Danny in surprise. That was some helpful information.
“Hmmm.” Sarah crossed her hands but it was clear she was listening. “They can’t just read our minds or emotions during the tournament?”
Danny shook her head.
Sarah smirked. “I still have a chance then.”
Terry shook her head at Sarah before curiously looking at Danny. “How do you know this?”
Danny faltered and shrank back. “It was mentioned in my lessons.”
Sarah sighed. “More mysterious settlement stuff.”
There was a knock at the door.
“That’ll be Martin,” Tulia said, quickly squeezing past the table and rushing to the door. “Start dealing will you?”
David pulled up a seat. Those two definitely had something going on.
-.-
The table was utterly silent. David cast a glance around the room before looking back at his cards. Tulia had a different set to Sarah's, the one he'd played with previously. Same number of cards, but different artwork.
A green meadow and a roaring fireplace stared back at him. The grass his starter, the fire his second. It was round two now, the first round that they would be allowed to attack.
“So David,” Danny began, shifting her cards around a bit, but not changing the order. You weren’t allowed to change the order. David had learned that the hard way with a massive amount of abuse hurled his way after being spotted doing so. “Have you come up with a name for Pidgey?”
David narrowed his eyes at her. This wasn’t the time for friendly conversation. Was she probing for weakness? Or communicating something? Did she have a flying card? He scanned the table.
Danny did not have a flying card. She had an electric starter and a dark second. Martin however, had a flying starter and a ground second.
That could work.
“No, not yet. I’ve tried a few things but they don’t fit? They just miss that base, that foundation.”
Danny hummed in response, like she understood. David hoped he did.
Terry started, being first dealt to. Her starter was a steel card. She attacked Sarah.
Sarah groaned, and turned her starter, a ghost, on its side. Steel was normally effective against Ghost type so Sarah's card took half damage. She glared at Terry.
The lines were being drawn.
Danny was next. David held his breath. He released it as she indicated to Martin.
Martin grimaced and removed his starter from play. Electric was super effective against Flying. One hit with an advantage was enough to take out a card. Two hits without.
Martin did not look happy. Losing a card was common in this game, but being the first to lose one was never fun. Unfortunately for him, there was more fire coming his way.
Sarah was next. She retaliated against Terry. Terry turned her Steel starter to the side and a rivalry was formed.
David was next. With a shrug he pointed at Martin. It was a cut throat game.
Tulia snickered as Martin groaned and removed his second from play. Ground was weak to Grass. Martin had been knocked out in the first attacking round.
Tulia gave Martin a commiserating pat before moving to avenge him. She pointed at David and he turned his grass starter sideways. Psychic was normally effective against Grass.
And with that the round ended. Everyone still in the game placed another chip on the pile and waited as the draw began.
Danny went first this round, picking three cards off the stack. Without revealing them to anyone else, she picked one for her third, a poison card, and placed the rest at the bottom of the deck. Then it was Sarah’s turn.
David was starting to get the hang of the game but it was messy, with ever shifting alliances. Danny and he had worked together last round but this one was another story.
Only one player could win, with draws being rare. The top few would win a fraction of the chip pile, but not a lot. Maybe just enough for second place to recoup their own losses with six players.
Every round was a balance between eliminating players, weakening opponents or strengthening yourself and allowing the pot to grow. Every player eliminated was less money going into the pot. Every player still in was potential chaos and counters. Martin was unlucky but with six players, someone had to go.
Then it was David’s turn. He scanned the table. Sarah had picked a fire card. She now had a wounded ghost starter, a fairy second and a fire third. Was the fire a defensive move or was she planning ahead to counter steel cards? She would need to lose two cards rapidly before it would be of any danger to him.
He drew three cards. Two electric cards and one dark. It was a shame you couldn’t pick two cards at once. For every two cards of a type you had, your cards of that type could attack twice. Normal effectiveness suddenly became enough to kill.
David debated picking the dark card. Seeing two electrics in one pick meant there were less to get back from the deck. Less chance of getting a double attack. A dark would also be useful against the ghosts and psychics on the board. Too useful perhaps. It might make him a target, and Danny already had a dark second. Having one as a third might not be of any use when his first two were killed.
He picked one of the electric cards, a solid defensive type with only one weakness, ground, and returned the others to the bottom of the deck.
Tulia picked up a psychic, giving her two attacks next round and making her a threat to everyone at the table. Psychic was normally effective against Danny’s Electric, Sarah’s Ghost and David’s Grass. Only Terry with her steel card didn’t have to worry. Half effective damage did nothing in this game.
Already Danny and Sarah were flicking looks between themselves. David himself had some payback to deal to Tulia.
Terry picked a water card and it was time for another round of attacking.
Danny wasted no time, jabbing a finger at Tulia. It seemed she too was worried about reprisal for eliminating Martin. Tulia turned her electric starter sideways.
Sarah lifted her hand slowly, moving it towards Tulia - only to snap it around at Danny.
Danny yelped and David had to laugh at the look on her face. Betrayal. Danny turned her electric starter sideways and glared at Sarah.
David pointed at Tulia for his turn, taking her psychic card off the board for good and removing the double attack threat.
Tulia narrowed her eyes at him, but to his surprise she pointed at her defender, Sarah instead of him.
Sarah pouted and removed her ghost starter from the board.
Sometimes it was better to give everyone multiple weak targets, spreading lots of blood in the water, instead of striking back.
Then it was David’s turn to groan as Terry pointed at him. He gave his green meadow one last look before removing it from play. He scanned the table.
Danny was trying to keep a poker face but she was looking a little too smug for his liking. Two attacking rounds and she’d only picked up a wound. She still had every card she’d been dealt.
Terry was in the same boat, with another great defensive card, steel, to match Danny's electric. Terry was a little better at hiding her smugness but David knew she was cackling inside.
Given the three sets of eyes glaring at them, the lead wouldn’t last long.
Sarah had the first pick for the fourth round. As she debated over the three cards she’d drawn, David sat back and took a sip of the sweet berry wine. The game was clearly a substitute for training and battling, a game used to teach people of type advantages and embed the overwhelming number of combinations into their minds.
It was a long game with five drawing rounds after you received your starter card, leaving everyone six cards if they stayed in the game long enough. After that it was an all out brawl for victory with no more cards coming in. On top of that, this was only the first game of many. They each had a pot of chips.
David needed to stay fresh. He needed to be ready.