Waking up the next day, I quickly find out that I forgot to put up my tarp last night, leaving my hammock soaked with dew. Grudgingly, I put the hammock in the plastic bag that I got from the pokemart and quickly pack-up camp.
Walking briskly through the city with my destination in mind, I take in the scenery of the city. At a quick glance it feels almost normal, at least until you look more than half a second at the sights. Looking to my left, I see a machoke carrying groceries for an old lady only to stumble when a kid’s sentret runs in front of it. In the street I see a rapidash pulling a rickshaw in the same lane as a modern car. The scene as a whole feels fresh out of a movie.
Eventually, I reached my destination - the gate to route 5 on the west side of town. A little bit of Silphing searching on my phone quickly told me there was a ranger station about a tenth of a mile into the route where I could find the information I needed.
Upon arriving, I found a small wooden cabin with the ranger logo over the door. Walking in, a roselia behind a desk cries out in a greeting, “Rooooselia”. I give it a polite nod in response. Surrounding me is a rustic yet cozy reception area, however the lack of a receptionist makes me pause,
‘Is Roselia the receptionist?’
From pokemon like alakazam it’s clear that some pokemon have human-like intelligence, is it really that much of a stretch that they can work reception? Hedging my bets, I decide it's in my best interest to be polite,
“Hi, can I find the distribution of the pokemon on this route here?”
In response, the roselia only giggles as a lady clad in a red ranger outfit steps out from a door behind the desk.
The lady steps forward and introduces herself, “Hi I’m Lois, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Roselia, even though she's great as a partner, i doubt she could help you much with that”
Chucking in embarrassment, I quickly apologize, “Sorry it’s been a long couple of days”
Lois Runs her eyes over my dirty amusement park uniform (which i'm still stuck wearing) and says, “Yeah, that much is plain, if you want I have a free T-Shirt I normally give out to any tour groups that come through here I can give you”.
Grateful for the offer, I accepted Lois' kindness and thanked her for the T-shirt. She disappears momentarily and returns with a clean, white T-shirt that has the ranger logo on it. It's a very welcome improvement over my old uniform.
As I begin changing into the T-Shirt, Lois takes out a map and begins to explain the local distribution of pokemon, however I have a specific one in mind.
“Where can I find a rufflet?”, I ask her.
Even though they can’t be found here in the base games, in some fan versions of the games the species can be caught here.
Lois gives a slight frown as I ask the question,
“Going after one is a very bad idea”, she begins, “the species is known for its habitual aggression and will often attack trainers”.
Undeterred by her warning, I grin as a state, “That’s exactly the type of pokemon I’m looking for”.
Looking at me for a moment before sighing, she points at a spot and says “There have been reports of Rufflet sightings near the tall grass area on the eastern side of the route," she explains. "But please be careful, they can be quite territorial."
Taking note of her concern, I take a photo of the map with a marker on the location she pointed out and start off.
---------------------------------
With that sorted out, I now have to figure out how in the world am I going to catch a Rufflet. This isn't like the anime, where you can just ask them to be friends with you, from what I can find online Pokemon can and will attack you if they aren’t already tamed. With only one pokeball, I can’t afford to just chuck it and pray either, I’m going to have to weaken it somehow.
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As I walked through the route, I eventually made my way to the location that Lois had pointed out on the map. A rufflet would be crucial to the early stages of my journey. Although I could catch almost any common, more docile bug type, they would have a more tame personality that would be difficult to train to battle. Rufflet and Braviary on the other hand desire to show off their strength so it will be easier to coax them to fight. Additionally, I’ll eventually need a large flying type for mobility so braviary checks that box as well.
Entering the grass patch that Lois had noted, I couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. I took a deep breath as I crouched down as I walked into the grass. I had to be ready for anything.
It didn’t take long for me to spot a long Rufflet perched on top of a small rock, Its keen eyes (not the ability) scanning its surroundings. Slowly and Quietly, I reach into my bag to get my old uniform. I approached the Rufflet slowly from behind, doing my best to minimize any sounds I made. Finally, I swiftly wrapped my uniform around the bird as it struggled against the fabric.
Panicking, I swing the bag against a nearby tree and I feel the bird go limp. In a bated breath, I set the bundle of feathers and fabric down as I assess the damage to my future partner. In total - shockingly little, the worst I can see is one of the bones in it’s wing is broken but from what I can find online that can be healed within a day at a pokemon center - but for my purposes that healing would have to wait. Before the bird awoke I quickly tap it with my one and only pokeball causing the bird to disappear in a flash of light.
I stare at the ball as it shakes, eventually going still and letting off a faint *ding* noise. I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. Picking up the pokeball, the reality of my situation finally hits me.
Pokemon are real.
I just caught a pokemon.
I am in Unova.
The child inside of me bursts into a fit of laughter at the absurdity and pure wonder of my situation.
----------------------------------
As I arrive back at my camp on the outskirts of Nimbassa, I assess the new challenge that lies ahead of me - taming the Rufflet.
The only thing I have going for me is that it should still have its injuries, since the pokeball keeps them in a sort of stasis. Of course normally this stasis is meant to keep injuries from getting worse so you can heal them rather than what I’m doing.
Pouring some of the flying type food I bought before into a discarded bowl I found, I prepare myself.
Releasing Rufflet from his ball went about as well as I could expect, he immediately charged at me. I quickly return him to his ball in a flash of red light before he could reach me. We repeat this process a few more times until he finally gets the idea and instead just chooses the glare at me - progress!
"I want to train you to be stronger," I stated firmly, causing the Rufflet to attempt to fly off. However, its broken wing hindered its escape, and it settled back down, shooting me dirty looks. "Your species values strength, and I defeated you," I continued, hoping to appeal to its competitive nature. The bird scoffed in response but seemed to be listening.
"I can make you far stronger than you could ever be in the wild," I promised, earning a narrowed gaze from the Rufflet. "Humans have these things called gyms, where strong Pokémon fight for the privilege to be called the strongest. I want to take you with me and train you to be powerful enough to fight alongside me for that title."
“Are you willing to become the strongest?”, I state as I slide the food towards him.
Begrudgingly, the bird begins to dig into the food ravenously, as if it hadn’t eaten in days.
“In the flock, they have to compete for food, it's not uncommon for young to go hungry.” A voice behind me states. Startled, I quickly turn around to find Ranger Lois leaning against a tree.
“If I would’ve known you didn’t have a partner pokemon with you, I wouldn’t have allowed you to come out here”, she states, earning me rubbing the back of my head sheepishly in response. She meets my eyes with a scornful gaze, “I also can’t approve of how you caught that rufflet.”
Stammering, I try to come up with a response, “I-”
She quickly cuts me off, “I’m not going to report you since you're a new trainer but I will be putting a mark on your file.”
“Thank you so much, I promise this won’t happen again.”, I say as she turns and leaves without a further word.
I turn back to Rufflet who has finished eating, “So are you willing to be my partner?” I ask it as it continues to look at me with scorn. After a few moments have passed, it finally gives a small nod in the head.
With Rufflet's reluctant agreement, I return him to his pokeball and make my way back to town. A surge of determination and excitement courses through me, as I feel ready to take on whatever challenges lie ahead.
Authors Note:
Lois is a real trainer in the games, she is found on this route in the sequels and has the same pokemon. Also the fan game in question is Volt White, I really wanted a fic with a braviary and in the base game they're not found until some of the final cities.