Chapter 76: Chapter 76

One of the perks of being friends with a Joy was the constant supply of Soft-Boiled eggs.

Nina’s eyes rolled into the back of her skull from the bliss of the bite she just took. Kerry’s Happiny was still developing, so her eggs have yet to fully take on the same ambrosial quality of Chansey’s yet. But it was delicious nonetheless.

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to eat Happiny’s eggs?” Asked Nina, after she had already devoured the entire thing.

Kerry giggled. “It’s fine, Happiny can’t produce another egg until she gets rid of the previous one. And she has to keep using the move to develop it. So if anything, you’re doing me a favor. That way I don’t have to keep wasting them.”

Nina gawked at the young Joy’s words. “How is it possible to get sick of Soft-Boiled eggs?! That’s like saying being happy is boring or something.”

As if reading the look on her friend’s face, Kerry gave a tired sigh. “I’ve been eating them all my life, and trust me, it really does get tiring after a while…”

“What’s so good about those stupid eggs anyway?” Said Justin, who had taken to eating lunch with them from time to time. The boy was just incensed that he wasn’t given a portion, what’s with his rocky relationship with the apprentice Joy.

Nina tutted at the ignorant child. “See, this is why you still have a long way to go, young Jackie.” The girl had taken to intentionally messing up Justin’s name as a running gag, one that the boy was not cognizant of as he yelled at Nina to get his name right for once.

However, she did notice the tan on the boy’s skin. Which meant that Justin had been taking Nina’s advice seriously in taking his Squirtle out for swims.

Nina ignored Justin’s outrage and enticed his Squirtle over with Berries. “Let’s see here… His skin has a nice bounce to it, and what little scales he has is a little dull, but the rigidity is decent. What do you think of the shell, Kerry?”

“Hmm… Better than last time, but still some ways to go,” added the other girl. “Have you been following the diet that I prescribed?” She asked the boy.

Justin’s face flushed red in embarrassment. “I’m trying, okay?! But some of that stuff you mentioned is… kind of expensive…” The boy tapered off at the end there as he lowered his gaze.

Nina frowned in confusion. “Don’t you have a stipend from Professor Oak? Where did all that money go?”

Justin’s blush deepened. “I… spent it all on Pokeballs… I couldn’t help it, okay?! I saw all those cool variants in the Pokemart and before I knew it, all my money’s gone!”

Surprisingly, Nina nodded in understanding. She had to resist that same urge herself. But luckily, she had a legitimate reason to buy a Premier Ball for Espy, so she allowed herself to splurge on that one item. In fact, Espy had already been eagerly decorating her future Ball in preparation for the eventual transition.

“So you bought all those Pokeballs but haven’t caught a single Pokemon yet?” Chimed Kerry, causing the boy to avert his gaze in shame.

“Speaking of, have you considered getting a secondary Pokemon for battling, Kerry? Or does your family not allow it?” Nina asked her friend.

Kerry shook her head. “No, getting other Pokemon is fine. Rather, we’re encouraged to. I’m just too scared to go out into the wilds on my own.” The pink haired girl looked towards Nina with pleading Growlithe eyes, as if imploring her for help.

Nina giggled and pulled her in for a hug. “Silly Psyduck, if you wanted me to go out with you, you could have just asked.”

Kerry beamed a bright smile at her friend’s agreement. “I wanna go too!” Justin exclaimed, to which Nina simply nodded in return.

“That’s fine, if you’re all free this weekend, we can all go together. I’ve been meaning to explore Route 11 anyway. Make sure to ready your camping gear, we don’t have a flyer so we might need to spend the night depending on how far we go.”

Both Kerry and Justin’s eyes lit up at the prospect of an overnight camping trip with friends. Their sense of adventure flaring up in excitement.

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***

“So, have you thought about what sort of Pokemon you want to get?” Nina asked Kerry.

The three students and their respective Pokemons were currently on their way to a Ranger outpost located near the eastern exit of Vermillion City. They wanted to get some guidance on the local fauna before embarking on their excursion.

“Yeah, I would like someone strong. There’ll be times where I need to handle heavy Pokemon, and having a Pokemon that can move them around would be very helpful.”

The apprentice Joy was wearing what can only be described as colorful medical scrubs, but designed with more durable material for outdoor use. They looked super comfy though and Nina considered getting some for herself.

Nina nodded in understanding and flipped through her notes. Despite the convenience of having a Pokedex, she still preferred the tactility of analogue note taking.

“Let’s see here… There’s apparently a colony of Fighting Types in the forest that should fit your needs. Otherwise there’s bound to be Geodudes in Diglett Cave. That said, we’re not geared for cave exploration, so best we avoid that place for now.”

Justin grumbled at Nina’s words, but as the strongest trainer and de facto leader of their little expedition, she was quite firm about keeping her two companions out of harm’s way.

“I wouldn’t mind getting a super strong Fighting Type for myself,” said Justin. The boy was basically wearing similar clothes to ‘Youngster’ trainers from the Pokemon game, but in a different color scheme, and paired with a vest.

Nina on the other hand, had on the same casual clothes she wore during her initial arrival to the city, but swapped out the chic jeans with a more practical pair of brown khakis she specifically bought for use in the wilderness.

The Ranger outpost they were aiming for was an unassuming, green boxy building with the Pokemon League logo plastered on the front. It was located right on the border that delineates Vermilion City from Route 11. The three children walked inside and rang a bell on the counter to announce their presence.

“Why hello there, what can I do for you kids today?” Asked a man in full Ranger garb.

“Hi there, my friends and I were hoping to go catch some Pokemon on Route 11. Could you give us a bit of guidance — any notable spots, or places we need to avoid and stuff like that?” Nina responded.

“Why, of course. Mind if I have a look at your maps?”

In response, all three kids pulled out their Pokedex and handed it over to the Ranger, who balked slightly in surprise at the sight. Despite probably owning a Pokedex of his own, their kind was still in the minority after all.

The man politely took the children’s devices from them then placed them on a little wireless data pad next to the reception’s PC and began tapping away. “So what sort of Pokemon are you guys looking for?” He asked, while he was working.

Nina gestured towards Kerry. “My friend here is looking for a strong Pokemon that can lift a lot of weight. But we’re not exactly prepared enough to enter Diglett cave. So are there any areas where we can maybe find some stray Geodudes. Also we’re curious about the local Fighting Type colony as well.”

The Ranger nodded in approval. “Wise choice, as expected of kids with Pokedex. Diglett Cave might not be as bad as Mount Moon, but cave exploration is no joke.” Nina smiled, while Justin seemed to redden in embarrassment at the Ranger’s words.

“I’ll mark out a few spots where you can typically find stray Geodudes. I wouldn’t recommend the Fighting Types for Miss Joy though. Those muscle heads can only be persuaded through battle.”

Nina caressed her friend’s head as Kerry wilted at the thought of battling with her pacifist Happiny. It wasn’t that the Blissey line couldn’t battle, just that most of them weren’t cut out for it due to their gentle nature. They tend to gravitate more towards healing over harm, which was why it was so difficult to evolve them and also one of the factors contributing to their rarity.

The Ranger finished uploading the relevant data into the Pokedexes and returned the devices to them. “I doubt I need to remind you kids of this, but the areas that I marked red are known Alpha territory. Try not to get too close.”

Nina gave a grave nod at the warning, and shot a stern glare at Justin. “Are there any interesting interregional species in the area?” She asked.

The Ranger hummed in consideration. “Hoothoots are pretty common, just don’t expect to find them during the day. There’s also Hoppips and Gulpin,” which neither of the kids were interested in.

“Aside from that, we had a Carvanha infestation in the river a while back. It’s already been dealt with but maybe you’ll find some strays. In fact, we encourage you to catch them if you find any, just to stop them from breeding. Otherwise, mark them on your map and inform us about it on your way back.” Justin seemed to lit up at the thought of catching one of the hyper-aggressive Water Types.

Nina consulted her updated map and scribbled notes on it using a stylus she bought a while back. “I read online that there might be Shinxes and Electrikes as well?” This was for her own future reference.

“Ah, those guys have probably moved up north onto Route 6 to be closer to the windmills. That said, the Shinx pride is under protected status so you’ll need permission to catch them — bigwigs at the league want to localize the species.”

Nina nodded and thanked the Ranger for the information.

***

Route 11 was very scenic and well maintained, filled with verdant grass, wild flowers, and flowing streams, with forests and tall grass lining both sides of the route.

The three children stuck to the paved road as they soaked in the gentle breeze caressing their faces. Tini was especially excited by the sight of wild Berry bushes that Nina had to hold him back from eating. Consuming uncategorised Berry varieties were a massive risk since no one knew what their effects were.

“Look, a Taillow!” Kerry exclaimed. “They’re so cute.”

“Huh, I would’ve thought they’d migrated by now. Probably a stray,” said Nina. “You can consider capturing them. Having a flyer is always useful.”

The apprentice Joy nodded in consideration but ultimately decided to pass.

“When are we gonna get some action already? This is boring,” whined Justin.

Nina consulted her map. “Almost there now.” They had just passed the entrance into Diglett Cave and were steadily making their way towards the point where they would need to veer off route. “I think here should be fine. Everyone do a final equipment check!” The girl ordered.

Nina returned Tini to avoid his draconic aura scaring away any potential Pokemon encounters. But the girl did set Tini’s Ball to transparency mode and stuck it to a magnetic strap that she wore around her neck just so that her partner could have a first person view of their journey.

“Espy, please let us know if you detect any Pokemon nearby,” she asked the Gifted Eevee who was propped on top of her human’s head as usual.

Kerry had her Happiny cradled in her arms while Justin returned his Squirtle as well due to how difficult the off route terrain was for his awkward little turtle.

Once she confirmed that everyone was ready to go, Nina instructed Espy to cut them a path through the bushes using Swift. And thus commencing their off-route excursion.