Chapter 187: The questgiver

Chapter 187: The questgiver

The match against Scarlet happened on Thursday. This thankfully allowed me an entire day to relax after the match.

With how hectic being a Gym Leader could be, I probably didnt need it, but it was damn nice to have. I got the chance to wake up with Sabrina laying on me. Sadly she never liked to have her sleep interrupted beyond me simply getting up.

So I didnt poke her or try to get handsy. She never liked it and usually banished me from the bedroom with a glare. Better to always let her sleep in.

I went through my normal routine and wandered into the hallway, not surprised when Yolanda was there waiting for me with Terra in her carry pouch.

I was surprised to find Flint there along with two Growlithe. Spot, and I narrowed my eyes, still unsure which Growlithe this was. Lady? I asked.

Growlithe shook his head and Yolanda giggled. Nope! This is Heffy! The Growlithe turned and barked at Yolanda reproachfully.

I raised an eyebrow and considered that name. This is the one Salvadore named, right? Hephaestus?

Instantly the Growlithe perked up and barked happily. A wave of something psychic swept over the hall and Yolanda, Flint and the two Growlithe stiffened.

Yolanda bowed toward my door. Sorry Sabrina! she said, before scooping the quaking pokemon on their way. Flint followed her, making me scratch my head. Sabrina must not have liked the noise outside the door.

I opened the door, peeking back into the room and a single eye opened and stared at me.

Close the door, she said firmly.

Love you! I said, retreating having poked the Ursaring enough.

Yolanda gave me a very disapproving stare. Why would you do that?! she hissed at me.

Sometimes I like to live dangerously? I said, unable to really justify the teasing of my girlfriend.

Yolanda shook her head and petted Spot and Hephaestus to calm them down. Terra rolled around in the harness to indicate she was getting frustrated. Yolanda fussed over her and took off jogging. Alright, alright, Im running. Well get you settled. Come on boys!

The Growlithe took off after her and I huffed. Flint joined me in a slow saunter towards the back. On the way I collected Gible from Salvadores room where hed been studying the pokemon before going to bed. I noted that some items throughout Salvadores room had bite marks in them, or were outright in pieces.

None of the books had any bite marks, and neither did Salvadore himself when I lifted him from the desk to lay on his bed.

Without his body protecting them, a number of notes were revealed. I spotted several interesting observations, whereupon I quickly scribbled in additions of what I could remember from the pokedex about Gible, before taking the baby pokemon in hand.

Gible yawned hugely, exposing his teeth and sleepily smacking his lips. Then he stiffened as he registered he was being held. I watched his nostrils dilate and for a second I thought Id made a mistake picking him up while still asleep only for him to relax as he registered my smell. I made another note at the bottom regarding this point before departing.

Flint opened the door for me and peeked in on Salvadores sleeping form.

Salvadores really interested in being a scientist one day, isnt he? said Flint.

Yeah. I think its good that hes got something like this. I scratched my chin. What were his grades like for the last term? He usually gets Bs with the occasional rare A.

Really? Id say hes tracking upwards then! Ive seen more consistent As, but still mostly high Bs, Flint responded.

I grunted. Might have to do something to motivate him to keep it up.

Motivate? Flint tilted his head in though. Sooo we offer him some money? Flint questioned. For every A he gets he gets some more pokedollars?

I shook my head. Ill need to think on it some more but I want the point of the study to be that he should want to keep doing it. We want him to fall in love with the process of learning. I scratched my head. I cant think of anything beyond keeping him involved with the aides that are working in the reserve, which hes already doing. Trivia night about pokemon? Or something to make learning fun

Hell do his journey still right? as Flint said this, he fidgeted.

Yeeeeeees, I said, stressing the word.

I toyed with the idea of mentioning how much of our culture, and lifestyle revolved around building up expectations for the Journey.

It wasnt something everyone got to experience but it was seen as the norm by and large. I would prefer to create a situation where my younger siblings werent pressured into something, but even just creating a neutral or supportive environment wouldnt matter.

The eyes of the world would track them. I knew for a fact that the schools built their curriculum around people going on Journeys with gap years and further study only being available to people after a year break.

How to encourage my siblings to make either choice remained on my mind, as we made our way outside.

Zuuuuubat! screeched my green Zubat as she fluttered towards me. It circled me a few times before landing on my shoulder.

The high-pitched greeting caused Gible to whine and rub his eyes.

Giiiib! he said.

Zubat waggled her ears happily and I chuckled. Sorry Zubat, not everyone is as good on a nocturnal routine as you are. I rubbed her head. Well have to work on that as there are some matches that will happen earlier and later in the day so were going to have to get you properly synced. I chuckled to myself. Not that it will be an issue with the pokeball rest feature, I said.

In my past life, entire routines had to be made up around athletes and their circadian rhythm for when they travelled. With pokemon it wasnt as much of an issue with them being stored in a semi-lucid state that was restful for them unless they were injured in some manner such as being poisoned or burned, or worse...

I walked through the slowly rousing pokemon of the reserve, which meant I mostly stepped around any boulders that were partly submerged.

Geodude when startled would and could lash out with a mean punch or two.

I waved at the trainers who were working at getting the food bins and trays loaded up. The noise itself was doing more to make the pokemon wake up than any actual sunlight.

Most of the pokemon knew to ignore the sounds of meals being prepared, it was the younger, newer captures that woke up and badgered the trainers to give them a morsel of food.

Brock, I wanted to talk to you some more about what we discussed last night, Flint said suddenly.

I blinked, glancing at him to see he looked unusually serious. The Megastones? I said.

Flint nodded. I know theyre going to be important, so I thought I needed to but well Im not exactly sure where to start with them. I think I got too excited with you asking something of me I jumped before I properly considered everything.

I gave Flint a proper look over and noticed that he looked tired. Had he stayed up last night to try and What? Review his notes about the locations that hed been through?

There wouldnt be a lot of geological landmarks for this sort of thing but there would surely have to be some sort of markers.

Oh, you looked into Megastones that much? I said.

Flint nodded. Brock, I dont think I know enough about Megastones to work out how they form in nature.

I hummed. Well I have a theory, I said, as I looked towards the west where the Silver Mountain ranges were. Mega stones arent actually natural, or they are but its due to exposure of certain energy.

Energy? said Flint, as he rubbed his chin causing a scratching noise to come out with how coarse his stubble was. I eyed it. It was rather impressive how he could not shave for a day and almost had such growth. It wasnt a five oclock shadow for Flint so much as it was a three oclock shadow.

What sort of Energy? he asked, breaking me from my study of his forming beard.

I hummed and considered how to broach this topic with him. I turned my gaze back towards the Silver Range mountains and my mind drifted to a frantic rush down a mountainside followed by a fight. Fire and pride on display with how it had fought us, trying to sweep us away with grand displays of power.

I licked my lips. What makes a pokemon Legendary? I said, diverting the question.

Flint frowned for a moment at the seeming non sequitur before hissing in surprise. You think Legendaries have something to do with Mega stones? he said, taking what I was saying and making the logical leap.

I huffed. Yes, but just so I know youre on the same page as me, humour me as I talk through my thought process, I said.

Alright, Legendaries I cant say that Ive ever witnessed one and for that I am thankful. He joined me in staring towards the mountains. But when you came back before your match with Will so tired, I remembered that I had heard of people fighting near, or rather trying to survive when they were about.

Flint sighed. I never had the misfortune of being in such a situation during the War.

What about Lola? I said, feeling my lips twitch down with mentioning her.

No, thankfully. Brock, you mother I held up a hand and he coughed. Lola, he said, adjusting his word choice. She was strong, but she also had an instinct to her that so many trainers lack these days. With what happened she never had well she could easily go from talking with someone to putting them down if the situation called for it. It made her useful in certain missions.

Flint continued to stare out at the mountains. She told me some of what she did but but it had a toll on her.

I observed Flint for a moment, wondering how much he had endured, and by that metric how much had she endured.

Then I shook my head. A story like that didnt give them excuses to abandon their family like they had.

Family should have been first, but Lola had run off.

I relaxed the tension in my hands and unclenched my jaw as I often found myself doing when I discussed her. She always seemed to conjure anger in me.

If she was anything like the Lola that had appeared in the cartoons I was going to have to keep her away from the kids or do something. She didnt get to just waltz in after abandoning us. What sort of message would that teach my brothers or sisters?

I eyed Flint. Are you feeling better these days? Youre not thinking of running off again are you?

What? No! No! This is where Im meant to be! I realise that Brock!! Flint said quickly. Im sorry that I left, Im Im doing better, I think. Im not looking for Lola at all, but hopefully, shell come back.

I bit back my response of I hope not. Instead, I just shook my head. So, you have a bit of hearsay about Legendary pokemon then? Do you understand that Legendary pokemon are simply born stronger? Yes?

Flint nodded and shot me a sardonic look. Sure, if you think they are born like others.

I think there is a reason for that, I said, ignoring his comment. I knew for a fact that there was a young Lugia around somewhere.

Flint blinked and glanced at me. A reason for their strength?

They are conceptually attached to something. An Element, such as the three legendary birds, ice, fire, electric type legendaries that all share flying type, I said, waving my hand about as if I was lecturing. During my Journey, I was able to travel to three regions, the second region is not well thought of, with the Orange and Sevii islands being considered quite weak. But! There are still several very strong trainers and much to be learnt from going there!

I raised a finger. One of those things was located on an island called Shamouti, there they revered the Legendary pokemon that control a natural balance of weather.

I shook my finger back and forth. Or rather they each balance the other out and they do somewhat do that I suppose. During my trip there I learnt about a festival that they have which selects a local trainer of appropriate age to travel to other nearby islands to collect glass orbs that represent the Legendaries that are said to inhabit those islands.

During our stay, Sabrina was chosen to be the chosen one for the festival. We travelled to each shrine and collected the orbs along with performing the dances and made the offerings. And during all of that, Sabrina was scared, or sometimes quiet in a way that hadnt been normal for her.

Gible looked to the side and made a small whimpering noise. If youre that hungry we can set up more snack times for you, youre growing after all, I said. This had him perking up and quickly apologising to Terra who went back to smiling.

I huffed and raised the Xtransicer up to find that Lawrence hadnt listened to me and was mid-rant. I mean the idea on paper is solid and yes youve got some big names but you realise this will put you in direct competition with Devon Corp right?

Hmmmm, I hadnt considered that, I said, cutting him off. Its still worth doing though. I dont think its a good idea to let Devon Corp have a monopoly on Mega stones.

I Well youre not wrong, I think we should be able to get the Indigo League involved as well. As I doubt theyre happy with Steven stealing a march on them. I think we can get more with government backing.

Hmmmm, I said, voicing a sound of discontent.

Brock, the government will be sticking their noses into this. They cant afford to ignore it. Lets be the one approaching them with our terms and get things rolling, if they want to roll things back afterwards it will cost them, said Lawrence.

Alright, Ill trust you on this, I said, and hung up. Huh, competing with a corporation? Not how I thought things would develop, but if anything they needed competition.

Was there a way to I shook my head, and ideas of doing market research were pushed to the side. I didnt need to add more work to my plate, I needed less! I needed a manager, like I had with Jennifer! That was working out great!

With my discussion with Flint over I returned to find Gible and Terra chasing after Yolanda whod just run by doing an agility drill with Spot.

Gible and Terra started to run towards her, only for Terra to cry out in surprise and drag Gible to the side causing me to register a rumbling that wasnt as normal around the reserve.

Following with thundering steps, came both Bertha and Titan. Making it look less of an agility exercise, and more like a game of which giant could make Yolanda lose her footing while staying barely ahead.

Gib! cried Gible as he caught sight of me. He pointed at Yolanda and then himself.

You want me to run as well? I said to the little pokemon. He nodded his whole body excitedly, his tail wiggling with him. I snatched him up like a ball, tucking him under one hand before I took off running. I shot across Yolandas path and smirked.

Bertha caught sight of Gible in my hands and broke off chasing Yolanda in favour of attempting to get to pet the newest baby pokemon. I threw myself into a sprint, knowing this would be a hard workout.

Bertha broke into a proper sprint causing the earth to rumble and shake underfoot.

The run became a lot harder when Zubat caught sight of me and flapped her way into my face. Zuuuuuu! she cried, as she blinded me.

I like the hug but now is not the time! I said frantically, tearing her off my face and stashing her in one of my vest pockets. When the ache started to build up I knew I needed to shift my goal. I wasnt going to outrun Bertha, she had endurance for days.

She was also cheating by using Pokemon moves like Rock Polish to catch up.

I turned sharply and ran through a cluster of boulders only for her to bulldoze straight through them. Rhyperior! she called, as she smashed them.

Gible turned himself in my grip and laughed at the sight of Bertha closing in.

I pushed hard, drawing on my rock energy to propel me harder and turn my run into bounding leaps.

Ty! called Titan. I shot him a grin, noting that hed anticipated my dilemma and was standing next to the pond where Tirtouga, Corsola and Lileep liked to hang out. I tossed Gible to him, the tiny land shark soared through the air only to catch sight of the pond he was sailing over.

Giiiii! he shrieked in protest only for Titan to trudge into the water and snatch him before he could even hit the edge.

I clicked my tongue. Hed have made it. I quickly tossed Zubat into the air for her own safety before jumping as far as I could into the water.

It was an impressive leap but as soon as I hit the water I was pumping and kicking my arms and legs to get further away from the splash zone.

Bertha didnt bother to jump. She hit the water and caused a wave thanks to her momentum. I was carried out of the water to wash ashore on the other side next to Titan who was holding Gible up over his head so the little pokemon wouldnt get wet.

Bluh! I said, staggering to my feet.

A moment later Bertha breached the water where shed entered with a great head toss like she was the model for some cheap hair commercial.

She was filthy with mud and had a giant grin on her face. Zubat fluttered around her inspecting the dripping mud before retreating quickly to me. She landed on my shoulder and nuzzled into me. I glanced to the side and found a particularly unimpressed Corsola glaring at me. It sprayed me with water in annoyance, earning a sigh at how this had turned out.

So? Whos up for some training? I asked once Id been rinsed off

Tirt? said a voice to my side as Tirtouga, having been washed ashore with me, raised his flipper.

I grinned. Yeah, a morning session of focusing on my new pokemon would work for me.

Alright! Elite team! Youre on break! Gible, Cranidos, Zubat, Teddiursa, Anorith, Corsola and Tirtouga! Youre with me! I said, causing the pokemon that had been lingering to break off. The pokemon I called out all perked up and approached looking very interested.

Lets run some tackle drills and well build from there! Tirtouga! Time to start bringing you out for some low-level Gym Matches I think! Cranidos, Anorith! Same to both of you!

Anorith waggled her tiny feet while Cranidos stomped his little feet with glee. Teddiursa looked a bit sad but I tapped him on the head. Hey, no problems little guy, you, Corsola and Zubat can fight with the trainers and the local battle club. Well make some time for it.

That had him perking up and growling fiercely.

I set to training the group and when I was done the young pokemon were laid out flat. Gible had been the first to collapse, his energy causing him to overcommit when he Tackled. At first glance Tackle wasnt worth much, but it was a foundational move that was good to have experience with and it also helped young pokemon develop body awareness.

Knowing how to roll with a hit, or along the ground or dig in was important after all, just as it was important to hand a hard part against a potential soft part if you could.

Gible lay to the side panting, his tongue darting up to his teeth quickly but not crossing the divide. That had to be a specific development in their physiology to stop them from biting their own tongues.

I knelt down and handed Gible a chilled water, Here drink this, I said, offering him the bottle.

He guzzled it down and I chuckled as I sat him upright. Now, watch how Teddiursa jumps in clean short bounds. If he needs to correct he has the chance to instead of being smacked out of the air, I said, using Teddiursa as the example for others to follow. This caused Teddiursa to puff up with pride.

Gible merely grunted. Then he perked up as he looked at me and pointed at his open maw, asking for food. I rolled my eyes and pulled out some pokechow from my pouch. The training load was a bit much for a young pokemon like him but with good nutrition, he should come up stronger.

I was proven correct when he tried to copy Teddursas more controlled hops when he tackled the training dummy Id set up.

If the dummy just happened to look like a Jynx that was a coincidence.

Nice adjustments! That was a solid hit!! I said, making sure to give him a few carefully worded compliments.

As a dragon type, I needed to monitor his pride and make sure I didnt build him up too much by lavishing him with praise. That would just make him harder to deal with.

I didnt state he was strong, but instead complemented traits like how he kept getting up, or how he performed a certain move. I then made sure to give an equal amount of praise to all the other pokemon.

Cranidos didnt appear to care for it at first glance but I noted he headbutted a few rocks harder after each compliment. The others were much more honest while Zubat happily zipped into me each time I fed her a compliment.

When I was done I headed home for a quick, if late breakfast. As I ate Gible settled into a small cubby that reminded me of a puppy basket from my past life. He did a little circle before collapsing onto his back, teeth facing up as he fell asleep.

Zubat collapsed on my shoulder, spent from this mornings training. As I munched my way through my cereal, I kept an ear on the news playing out on my Xtranscievers radio.

This weekend will bring up the inaugural Pewter City contest! The theme is tough so bring your best pokemon, make them gruff, make them growl, and make them stand out to win!

I grinned, pleased at the ad, it would be sure to bring in a lot of people for something a little different.

the Kingdom of Rota has been experiencing greater swarms of pokemon with Elder Maven Spenser reporting that this was the second time in his life hed experienced such an event!

I hummed. The future Frontier Brain had experienced this before eh? He must know something then.

In other news swarms of deep ocean Pokemon have also been experienced around the Orange islands and Cinnabar! Travellers of the southern islands are advised to watch out for Gyarados and Sharpedo!

I considered how they had a person who sounded like they were reading a weather report rather than a deadly swarm of pokemon. Swarms were just that common of an occurrence.

When I was done I made my way into the Gym to see what it had become with the contest preparation.

I entered to find it transformed.

Instead of being a battlefield, the central stage had been raised up with set markings laid out for where performances and contest duels would take place.

A dais stood to the side with a long table where three very prominent chairs sat for the judges.

Oh Brock! Come to see how things are looking? called Monique, as she entered with a team of people.

Yeah, I had the time with today being another off day for me. I have to say its looking incredible! I said.

Monique and the others had outdone themselves with making the place look tough while having an air of class. Nothing looked roughed up like Id been expecting. Instead hard granite stone had been cut into harsh lines that mirrored the stones that gave new trainers tips along with biographies of local people of significance.

I rather liked it.

Well, I only had to add to what you already had in place to be honest. Oh, and congratulations on your victory! said Monique.

I grinned. Thanks, its my first tournament win so it still feels pretty surreal. Its damn nice having a trophy to help though! I said with a laugh.

Monique nodded and led me around my own gym, showing how it had been altered slightly to accommodate for a contest rather than multiple Gym battles, before she gave me the order for how things would run over the next two days.

Were anticipating a large turnout! said Monique happily. Soledad is going to have her work cut out for her!

Shes competing? I asked. Monique nodded and I hummed. Well, Ill be looking forward to that. Its still you, me, and Nurse Joy acting as judges? When I got another nod I thought about the other time Id asked for. What about the fairgrounds outside? Those are all set up?

Yes! I have to admit I thought the addition was a bit well childish but it allows more people to interact with the contest. The big screen being put up is another good idea. Monique twitched back and forth. Oh, I think this is going to be great for Pewter and for the Contest scene as a whole Brock!

I could only agree, it was ambitious with everything Id been through but now, on the eve of the contest I could tell it was going to be good.

Monique coughed delicately. What are you wearing tomorrow and are you going with that haircut? she said, falling back into her role as a fashionista.

I grinned. Oh dont worry, I have an outfit, and my hair is going to be fine, trust me.

Once again I found myself nodding my head.

Oh yeah, it was all coming together.