Chapter 139: Bonds revisited

Chapter 139: Bonds revisited

I barely made it out the front of the Gym to meet Jenny. I arrived in time to see a blur racing across the landscape towards my gym that quickly closed in on me.

Instincts made me reach for a pokeball and release Shin. He lifted his head, saw the oncoming threat, and raised his blades, a shine appearing on him as he performed Rock Polish without prompting.

A moment later the speeding blur resolved itself into an Arcanine that eased their pace into a trot, allowing the dust to billow in before losing its impetus. It fell away, and the Arcanine approached. It eyed me and my Kabutops before its tongue lolled out, and they barked happily.

Alright, alright, settle down; you had your chance to run, said a voice from slightly behind the Arcanine. It turned and allowed me to spot a woman locked into a saddle. Her hair was tucked under a cap, and her eyes were covered with aviator goggles. She swept both off and shook out blue hair that I was more than familiar with.

Offi Sorry! I said as instinct made me address her as Officer Jenny. She shot me a sardonic look.

Its fine. Im used to it. She patted her Arcanine. Dismount.

Her Arcanine lay down and craned his neck around to watch Jenny as she unlaced the saddle that kept her legs locked in. When that was done Jenny reached into a saddlepack and drew out a metal frame that she flicked in a practised manner that unfolded until it formed a wheelchair. Arcanine leaned his head around slightly further and Jenny supported herself into the chair. She received a lick without comment and then tapped her pokemon. Only then did she turn her attention to me.

Gym Leader Brock! As you know, Im former Officer Jenny! She brushed a loose lock of hair and smiled up at me from her wheelchair. You can call me Jennifer to help make it easier on you, though. Does that sound fair?

I rubbed the back of my head. Sorry, and yes. I blinked as I realised I hadnt even offered to help her dismount. Im sorry, I should have offered to help you down. Erika would not be happy with me. Damn! I keep forgetting to ask her to tutor me on manners.

Jenny No. Jennifer, chuckled. I actually preferred it. Her eyes flicked to the Gym. I hadnt heard that your Gym was wheelchair accessible.

I asked it to be one of the features when I had the Gym designed, I said in an offhand manner. I walked to the front, and the door slid open for me. Jennifer nodded in approval.

Arcanine, follow boy! she said as she wheeled forward.

I gave the large fire pokemon a look over and hummed to myself. Impressive pokemon. He was certainly fast.

Its one of Arcanines best traits, but my boy has got fast feet along with having a serious bite to him. Arcanine barked happily at this. Jennifer wheeled herself forward with a flick of her arms. So, you want all of the pups? You expecting some serious problems?

I wavered my hand in a so-so gesture. I want some more security on site, but I also have another idea that would require your assistance as a professional breeder.

I only breed Growlithe, she said with a raised brow.

That makes it even better. I kept walking and led her out the back towards my reserve, where my pokemon mostly resided. When I reached the back door, I opened it and the door swung back before locking in place, allowing Jennifer easy access. She nodded happily as she wheeled past me, and then she turned her gaze upon the reserve.

Huh, nice set up; got some rocky terrain, lots of tunnels for your Aron, Geodude, Lairon, and Onix. Hmmm waterways? Oh- Corsola and thats the rare ancient type Ive heard so much about? she gestured to the Lileep that were busy sunning themselves near the water.

I nodded. Thats some of them, I said. She shot me a sharp look at that before humming.

Word on the street is they got priced pretty high? she said probingly.

Oh, yeah. That. They went for a few million when I did the charity auction. Steven Stone and Erika got into a bidding war over them. Jennifer hissed in a breath, but I waved a hand. Dont worry, your puppies arent the only security that I have. The other pokemon are all trained on defending this area. I whistled, and a trio of Onix shot up out of specific tunnels. They turned like missile turrets, looking for threats, while other pokemon hustled into other tunnels.

Geodudes and Gravelers rolled out. From atop the plateau, a number of my pokemon rose up, with Quirrina starting to glow as he drew in sunlight.

I blew another whistle, and they all relaxed. I heard more than a few pokemon clicking their tongues in disappointment as they returned to what they were doing. A few shot Jennifer and Arcanine hopeful looks, like they might suddenly turn rabid and need to be smacked around.

Jennifer nodded slowly. Oh, thats good You She gaped. You have TWO TYRANITAR!? she said in shock.

I glanced up to find Titan stalking around the other side of the plateau, with Empress following him with a curious tilt of her head. Shed obviously seen the other pokemon reacting to my command, but as a pokemon that wasnt actually one of my pokemon, she wasnt aware what it meant.

Ah, shes a rescue, I said, as if that explained it.

Jennifer shot me a look. A rescue is for a pidgey or a spearow that have injured a wing or a growlithe that people mistreat! Not a She waved a hand towards Empress.

Empress approached and inspected Jennifer. Arcanine growled in warning when Empress got too close for his liking. Empress paused and inspected the fire type only to sniff and turn her head away dismissively as she walked off.

I shrugged, more amused at the by play. Shes big, yeah, but she got hurt.

The Empress, whod heard my words, shot me a look before snorting at me. Her hot breath caused a few dust clouds to build up. I waved, not at all bothered by her posturing. Shed been hurting after having her nest destroyed. I knew that, and she knew it. She was just posing.

Titan nodded to her and turned to me. Ty? he asked.

Were beefing up our security, I said in reply. Also, we're going to look into some new variants.

Variants? said Jennifer with a tilt of her head. Ive heard that your Geodude line have been able to become divergent to have an electric-rock typing. She rubbed her chin. You think that Growlithe has the potential to have something similar?

I nodded and waved as Bianca walked out of the cave system beneath the plateau. Indeed, Id like to set up a side project with you to work with our resident specialist, Bianca.

Hello? Bianca said as she jogged up to me. She nodded to Jennifer. Ah, Jennifer, nice to see you again.

I blinked. You know each other?

Jennifer nodded. Weve attended some conferences on breeding that Elm has set up for certain professionals. Ive also read a few of her papers. Im not sure Im qualified to work with you on this, she said demurely.

Bianca turned her attention to me. Well, having not heard the proposal yet, I will not cast any judgments.

I smiled and opened up my transceiver. If youll direct your attention to the following pictures, I would like to present a number of notable temples that all heavily feature a guard dog statue. Notice the body structure, the snout, and the size. There are also markings on all of these statues that are widely universal. Some of the more recent temples have even gone as far as to keep this pokemon as some of the main guard dog statue symbols.

Bianca blinked. Isnt that Raikou? The Legendary cat? The swirly mane and the stripped markings all match.

But the size, foot structure, and use of this pokemon as statues symbolising guards? I shook my head. The Temples might not realise it, but theyve kept the same symbol over the years. You can see it quite clearly in the foot structure,along with the ears. Also, the size of a Raikou is much larger than a Growlithe. These statues are just the right size to match!

Jennifer eyed the images and compared them with a doubtful look. Its not the silliest idea I've ever heard of, but wouldnt hairstyles account for the difference in body shape? Its not unusual for a fluffy pokemon to be born that looks different from its own littermates.

Ah, but the temple pictures are taken from temples not just in the Indigo region, a sizeable landmass I might add, but also some pictures of ancient temples from now-lost continents. I raised a finger. Continents that dont have Raikou on them. I highlighted the pictures, with the most prominent being the Sinnoh region which we still didnt have a connection with.

That got both women to perk up with interest. Bianca gaped. You got pictures of temples from before the war?! That! Id never considered the implications of that! She stared at the pictures avidly.

Youre right! There would have to be a more widespread pokemon that was ancestral and widespread for there to be so many similar statues popping up! Bianca did a happy dance.

Jennifer shot me an excited look, and for a moment her worry lines and age seemed to fall away, and I was looking at Officer Jenny grinning at me as she discussed Justice.

So the puppies will be the starting population for the new variant of growlithe. Or rather, the old variant. She rubbed her chin. The original Growlithe, if you will.

I nodded. Now, things are not like when I set up the electrical field for my Geodude to get used to. I have a lot more responsibilities, and there is a lot more attention being placed on me. What I propose is that I set up a small volcano for you

Every girl's dream, sighed Bianca breathily.

I stared at her, caught off guard. I dont think thats right? I

Jennifer raised her hand and shook her head to cut me off. No, shes right, Brock. All little girls want a volcano to call their own.This chapter's initial release occurred on the n0vell--Bjjn site.

I opened and shut my mouth before deciding to just leave that statement alone for later examination. I made a mental note that I would need to watch Cindy, Suzie, Tilly, and Yolanda to see if this was true.

Right Uhm anyway, Ill have an environment set up for them with the Slugma and Macargo.

I can get hold of some Magmar and a Flareon on loan from Professor Elm, Bianca said before hugging herself. Oh! Hes going to be so happy with me when I write this up! Bianca turned to Jennifer. As the supplier and a specialist breeder, Ill need to have you as a consultant and part of the study if youre interested.

Yes, he was in a hard position, Samuel said.

He couldnt have just called Will out on his cheap tactics? A.J. asked.

No, no, he couldnt have, I said with a long sigh. That was the problem. Will was cheap, but everything he did was perfectly legal. If Dennis had penalised or infringed him, there would have been worse drama.

Thats stupid, A.J grunted.

Such is life; at least sometimes its like that, I said.

Sometimes you can do everything correctly and still lose, said Oak at the same time.

So get stronger, A.J. said, unleashing an attack with his character only for mine to reflect it back onto him.

Sometimes its not a matter of strength, as you saw yesterday, I reminded him. It can be depth, technical skill or understanding strategies and exploiting them. But youre not wrong, I am going to get stronger, as well as those other things.

You handled it well, Oak replied. He glanced at me. Good show shaking his hand at the end as well.

Thanks, I said with a chuckle.

Expectations, he said with a nod.

I nodded back, he must have noticed that Id glanced at my family before shaking Wills hand. It was tough sometimes doing the right thing when all you wanted to do was anything else. Then again, I could imagine that he knew more than a thing or two about that, having once been the Champion that ended a war.

I must admit that I saw you with your pokemon this morning talking through the loss and what it meant. Oak watched me as he spoke. You demonstrated the strength of your bond wonderfully. You will have affirmed it to them, and they will grow from this I have no doubt.

Thanks, I said deciding to leave it at that. I wasnt sure where to go with it.

Oak wasnt happy to leave it there, though, as he hummed. It was very moving, I certainly know I wasnt the only one to pay attention to your bonds and be impacted by what you were showing.

I glanced at him. What was he hinting at? Had Yolanda seen me talking with my pokemon? I decided to nod as though I had half an idea what he was talking about. He nodded back, pleased, but I felt like the meaning of what wed spoken of had shot over my head.

We turned our attention to the game in front of us and spent a while playing Smash quietly.

So, youre going to broaden your pokemon team? Oak prompted me after a few minutes of us clashing and A.J. processing everything wed been saying. I shot Oak a look. I knew what he was doing.

I nodded. Yeah, Ive got my eye on a few pokemon to be caught, while I have three that could feature in my Elite team I think. While saying this, I smacked his character away from a hammer, causing him to pout as A.J. took hold of it.

Anything I should know? he asked.

Im setting up Bianca to potentially find another variant pokemon for me, I said conversationally.

Oak blinked and turned his attention from the match, allowing A.J. to catch him and beat up his character. Tch! A distraction? Really? Oak said with a growl.

Hey, who said I was lying? I said with a smirk.

That rattled Oak, and for the rest of the Smash match, he played in a distracted manner. I knew he was just waiting to race off and quiz Bianca on what Id discovered. He was more than willing to throw himself into the technical discussion.

A.J. slumped Aw man, Samus and I only came second! Hes my best character! he said dejectedly.

I snorted. You know Samus is a girl, right?

He shot me a look. What do you mean Samus is a girl?

Oak, whod been standing, sat back down. Well actually, it's very interesting, you see! If you play I chuckled and stood, more than happy to leave them to it.

I had no doubt that A.J. had gained a lot from our little gaming session beyond just how to play Smash better. A ping on my messages had me glancing down.

Are you free? read a message from Sabrina. I shot back an affirmative along with my location.

She appeared and paused. Are you aware your emitters arent working? she said with a frown. That had Oak snapping his head around and stopping the deluge of game trivia.

I nodded. Im aware, and Im on top of it. It's one of the things that I discovered yesterday that has raised some serious questions.

Ah, Sabrina said shifting. Will snuck a lot past me.

I hummed. In a way; he saturated the field and had someone else working during those moments.

Huh? Whoa, so Will did actually cheat?! said A.J. standing and clenching his fists.

Sabrina shot him a glance before ignoring him. You spoke to the League?

Lawrence says the evidence is far too circumstantial. It raises a lot of questions, however. I patted her on the shoulder. Dont beat yourself up over it. It was that pokemon we saw during the Moltres encounter, and also, Lance knows. Any future matches Will has will be much more closely monitored by a lot of people now, I said referencing the Guardians as well as the League.

Ah, Sabrina said as she registered this new information.

I tilted my head. Where have you been today? I would have expected her to stick around.

You needed some space and I have been helping my father with a project. Im sorry I havent been around, while I helped pick your mood up this morning I shot Oak a look when he whistled lowly, I knew it would only be temporary for you. While I worked with my father I was also working on discovering a Team Rocket base.

So I can let loose on something? I said.

She nodded and I grunted in thought for a moment. Huh, that would work.

I nodded as a mulled the thought over some more. I think I would like to raid it, but wed need backup, I said indicating we should walk and talk. Before we could depart, however another person, or rather a group of people, announced themselves.

If youre looking to tangle with those crooks! I know Im down! said Brawly as he walked into the room. I only heard a little, but if you need some backup, Im there!

Count me in for criminal beatdowns! said Flannery.

At her side, Roxanne bobbed her head. I too would like to assist.

I opened my mouth to wave them down. While they were all Gym Leaders, or rather, they would be in canonical game events, they were still very green as to what sort of fighting this would involve.

A polite cough and a flex of energy had us all turning to find Professor Samuel Oak standing politely with a fist raised to his mouth.

My goodness the friendship on display is precisely what I love most about pokemon! They bring us all together in ways that defy our understanding. I too would like to come along and bear witness to your wonderful bonds, he said politely.

I blinked. Oh, the former champion was going to come along?

Yeah, yeah that worked for backup.

A.J. stood up and opened his mouth, but I shook my head. He glared defiantly but sat down after a moment.

I turned towards Sabrina with a smirk, suddenly feeling a thrill of anticipation work its way through me. What have you got for us?

She smiled. It looked like it was time to start throwing some punches once again.