Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT

I was bored.

How crazy is that? I had been magically transported to a world full of living, breathing Pokémon, I had two Pokémon of my own and I was on a real life Pokémon journey. Ten year old me would be having an absolute fit.

But the simple truth was, I got bored easily. My old world had an overabundance of dopamine inducing media, from books to games to shows. I could communicate with friends across the planet in real time and live vicariously through a plethora of celebrities, influencers and online personalities.

Compared to what I was used to, the Pokémon World was trapped in the early ‘90s. Sure, they had movies and books and games of their own, and they had the PokeNet, but it all felt so dated. Their game consoles had stalled somewhere around the level of the Super Nintendo, while their movies and television shows were obsessed with Pokémon and Pokémon trainers.

I’d picked up a book that had looked interesting when I’d browsed a small book store after leaving the Viridian Gym and planned to dive into it more before bed, but I couldn’t help but notice how few books the store had that would have fallen under fantasy or science fiction back home. In a lot of ways, it felt like the Pokémon World lacked imagination, turning inwards rather than dreaming of what lay beyond.

Perhaps that was simply what happened when people lived their lives behind walls, terrified of the monsters that lived beyond.

Wandering the city streets, I stumbled on one of the numerous small parks where people could bring their Pokémon to exercise and play. Kind of like a dog park from my old world. While plenty of people battled their Pokeman, just as many people kept Pokémon as pets.

Since these people weren’t licensed Trainers, using moves or abilities was forbidden in most situations, but plenty of people still used them anyway to help around the home. For the most part it was shown a blind eye if someone had their Squirtle water their garden or their Charmander light the fireplace. Pokémon were simply part of life.

Letting Ace down from his perch on my shoulder, I encouraged him to go play with the handful of other Pokémon in the park while I took up position on a nearby bench and started scrolling through my Pokedex. I considered letting Mareep join them, but decided she wasn’t ready for that yet.

She’d behaved well enough when we had stopped for lunch at a dinner that allowed Pokémon, enjoying a big bowl of leafy green salad while Ace had devoured a plate of Pokémon-safe gnocchi. They didn’t call it gnocchi, of course, but the recipe had been the same, so it was gnocchi to me.

Thinking of my newest teammate, I decided I should probably start thinking about how I was going to give her what I’d promised. She wanted to get strong. I’d promised her I could help her achieve that strength, but I had no idea how I was actually going to achieve that.

In the games, you just threw Pokémon at battle after battle while they racked up experience points and levels. With real Pokémon, you had to spend hours and hours training moves so that they came faster, hit harder and landed more often. Then for Electric-types like Arashi, you also had to work on increasing electricity capacity by discharging and recharging over and over. Sadly, it wasn’t like I could just grind IRL.

Wait. Why couldn’t I just grind IRL?

Pokémon thrived in battle. They lived for it. Everyone knew Pokémon grew fastest in stressful situations. It’s one of the reasons the Gym circuit existed. I even had first hand evidence as Ace had grown so much on our short trip from Pallet, even just from fighting those blasted Spearow.

My brain churning with ideas, I brought up Arashi’s details on my Pokedex.

Name: Arashi

Species: Mareep

Type: Electric

Age: 3 mo.

Gender: Female

Height: 0.5m

Weight: 6.5kg

Abilities: none

Moves: Tackle, Growl, Headbutt, Thunder Wave, Thunder Shock, Charge, Take Down.

No abilities, but Take Down is interesting.

Pokémon rarely started life with an ability. Instead abilities developed over time, as a Pokémon grew in strength and learned to use their innate unique physiology in battle. But unlike in the games, it was possible for Pokémon to gain multiple abilities.

Arashi, as an electric type, would eventually gain access to Static, an ability that would allow her to coat her body in electricity and potentially paralyze anyone that she hit physically or hit her. It was a strong ability that could lock down physical attackers, assuming she was able to withstand their blows long enough to paralyze them.

Then there were Hidden Abilities, so called because they were so rare that few Trainers would freely admit to having a Pokémon with one, instead keeping them hidden as an extra card to play in battle. From what I’d read and learned from Oak, these abilities were most likely inherited.

But perhaps the biggest difference to the games was that Abilities weren’t lost when a Pokémon evolved.

In the games, Ace’s abilities Adaptability and Run Away, would be lost on his eventual evolution. But in the real world, he would not only keep them but also gain access to Synchronize and, if we were lucky, he’d inherit his mother’s Hidden Ability, Magic Bounce.

If we focused on mastering Arashi’s Static ability and spent our time fighting the Spearow outside the city with her super effective electric moves, we could grind experience and increase her electricity capacity at the same time.

Hopefully it would also help to work off her anger.

I closed Arashi’s status page and tapped on the tiny Eevee face icon, opening Ace's status.

Name: Ace

Species: Eevee

Type: Normal

Age: 3 mo.

Gender: Male

Height: 250cm

Weight: 4.7kg

Abilities: Run Away

Moves: Tackle, Growl, Sand Attack, Tail Whip, Headbutt.

Mostly what I expected, though it was a nice surprise to see that Run Away was developed enough for the Pokedex to register it.

With our plans decided, I called Ace back and made for the south gate. It was only a little after noon on Saturday and our Trainer Licence class didn’t start till Monday. That gave us a day and a half to train, though I wanted to spend the night in a real bed, so I made a quick stop at a different Pokémon Center than I’d stayed in previously (one closer to the gate) and booked a room before heading out into the wilds.

Unlike entering the city, there was no one checking who left, and we quickly passed under the arched passage and out into the wilds once more.

"Alright, Arashi," I said, throwing her red and white Pokémon so that it exploded in a burst of red light, releasing the black wooled Mareep before flying back to my hand. "You want to get stronger? Let’s start training!"

Arashi looked around, taking in her surroundings. The scraggly bushes and hilly fields of Route 1 stretched out before us to the south, the long golden grass swaying gently in the breeze. I watched, silent, as her eyes darted between me and the distant forest.

Like she had said in the Taming Room. Promises could be lies. This was the real test.

"You're free to leave if you want," I told her. "I won't keep a member of my team that doesn't want to be here."

If she ran, I'd be disappointed, but I wouldn't chase.

At last, she snorted and settled down, waiting for me to give orders. Ace jumped down from my shoulder to join her with a welcoming tip.

"Listen up!" I said, trying to sound commanding, both of my Pokémon staring up at me. "We have until nightfall to instill fear in the hearts of every bird, rat and bug between here and Pallet Town, so let’s get to it!"

My Pokémon both looked more than happy to oblige and I was a little bit worried by the sinister glint in Ace’s eyes.

"Arashi," I said, pointing at her to help reinforce the name. "You will be working on your Static ability. That means I want you to practice covering yourself in electricity at all times."

Arashi growled and sparks flickered in her wool. I knew she didn’t understand everything I said, but I hoped the gist was getting through.

"Ace," I pointed at my starter. "You’re going to be practicing your abilities too, but right now, your biggest weakness is your lack of ranged attacks, so our main focus is going to be learning Swift."

Ace yipped in acknowledgment.

Swinging my back around so I could reach inside, I withdrew my knife and a foot long metal pole. Zipping it back up, I hefted my pack back on my back, belted the knife at my waist beside my PokeBalls and swung the baton, causing it to telescope out into a hiking pole with a nasty point at the end. After a couple of quick test swings, I marched into the long grass and began stomping my feet and bashing around me with the pole.

Almost immediately, three Pidgey burst from the long grass in fright.

"Arashi, Thunder Shock!” I shouted. "Ace, Swift!"

Electricity crackled beside me and a bolt of lightning shot out to strike one of the bird Pokémon. I glanced over at Ace to see him straining to focus the Normal-type energy he easily poured into physical moves into a ranged Special move. He yipped in excitement as a single star flew after a Pidgey, though it fizzled out well before it ever hit.

"They’re getting away," I said, encouraging my Pokémon to keep attacking.

Another bolt of lightning shot out, but this one went wide and the Pidgey were now too far to hit.

"Let’s keep it up!" I called and started my march through the grass once more.

We spent the rest of the afternoon like that, stomping around in the long grass with the city walls distant but still in sight, bringing Arashi up to speed with Ace. I was being reckless, I knew, but I wasn’t stupid. All it would take is one bite from a pissed off Ekans or a blow from a Nidoran’s horn to do me in, so I made sure to be as loud and obvious as possible to give any wild Pokémon that didn’t want to fight a chance to flee and to draw in those that were eager to test their strength against trainer ‘mons.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Routes and areas around cities were frequently patrolled by Rangers and local Militia to keep them relatively safe, and truly strong wild Pokémon were quickly driven away or killed. It was generally agreed that the Pokémon that lived on Routes were weaker but also more open to the offer of a battle against Trainer Pokémon or even joining a team.

Even so, we had a close call when we disturbed an angry Nidorina. Thankfully, between Ace’s Run Away allowing him to keep some distance and Arashi’s Thunder Wave slowing her down, we were able to defeat her.

I had been tempted to catch her, but even if I’d had another PokeBall on me, I think I still would have hesitated after seeing how big she was and how much she’d eat.

We called it a day and began walking back to the city gates once the sun got low enough it was starting to cast long shadows behind us. If the only lesson Oak had managed to drill into me was this, it was don’t travel at night. Not only were the Pokémon around at night much more dangerous, but it was simply far too easy to trip in the dark and twist your ankle miles from help.

Once more we lined up and passed through the gate checkpoint, reentering the city. A brief stop at the Pokémon Center to heal my team and drop off my pack in my room, then it was back on the darkening streets to find some dinner.

Sure, we could have eaten at the cafeteria again, but I’d always loved cities at night and I wanted to see what kind of night life Viridian City offered. My encounter in the alley still fresh in my mind, Ace on my shoulder, I stuck to the well lit main streets and began my search for a cheap meal.

It didn’t take long before I located a food truck selling something close to Mexican food in a nearby well-lit park, diners and their Pokémon milling about, enjoying the still warm evening air and making use of the park’s picnic tables. Ordering food for Ace, Arashi and myself, I winced at the price, then splurged and bought some kind of spicey treats that were Pokémon-safe for dessert. My team had worked hard today and they deserved it.

Carrying our food over to a free picnic table, I set it down and released Arashi to join us. The fluffy little stormcloud glared at the chatting people and their playing Pokémon but quickly settled down when I tapped her lightly on the nose. Honestly, I think she was just too tired to put up much of a fight.

"Good work today, Team," I said to the pair as they dug into their food, some kind of spicy kibble looking dish for Ace and a vegetarian option for Arashi. They’d go back to PokeChow and grazing tomorrow, but for now I wanted to spoil them some.

"Arashi, your Static is coming along nicely. Keep it up and you won’t even have to think about it to keep it active," I praised her. "And your Thunder Shocks are getting faster and faster. But we still need to work on your accuracy."

Arashi grunted around a mouthful of food. I didn’t care what Oak said, Pokémon could totally understand what I was saying.

"Ace, you managed to get Swift working more often than not, that’s something to be proud of," I said, scratching him between the ears. "And your use of your Run Away ability was excellent. But I want you to pay more attention and try not to get so distracted when we’re in the wild. I rely on your ears and nose to warn us of danger. Inattentiveness could get us killed."

Ace did his best to look guilty as he continued to stuff his face.

"So, have we lived up to your expectations, Arashi?" I asked once she finished eating. "Today was just a small taste of what I have planned."

Arashi tilted her head at me and snorted, but she didn't seem to hate my guts anymore so I took it as a win. Ace finished his food shortly after and looked between me and the playing Pokémon, eyes huge and -

"Hey! No practicing Baby Doll Eyes! Do you want to evolve into a Sylveon?" I said, giving him a tap on the nose this time and showing Arashi I wouldn't play favourites. "If you are both finished, you may both go play. But play only, got it? No moves and no abilities!"

Ace barely waited for me to finish speaking before he was bounding off to play under the park's lamps with a Rockruff and a Snubull. Arashi, though, showed no interest in joining them, instead choosing to stretch out and take a nap on the soft grass.

"Cute Pokémon," said a young blonde woman wearing a loose faded black tank top sporting a band logo, sitting down at the table across from me. "Especially that Mareep. Never seen a black one before. Totally metal."

"Heeey, nice metal," she said, spotting my face piercings. She was a little taller than me and wore a spiked leather choker about her neck and similar spiked cuffs on her wrists.

"Uh, thanks," I said. I'd never been good at accepting compliments. "Do you, um, have any?"

Stupid, Chloe. So stupid. You'd be able to see if she had any piercings. The woman lit up, grinning from ear to ear.

"You bet!" she said, grabbing a Pokeball from her bag and pointing it at the ground.

There was a flash of red light and a small purple, lizard-like baby Pokémon sat on the ground looking up at us, blinking its large violet eyes sleepily.

"A Toxel!" I said, surprised to see the Galarian Pokémon so far from home.

The woman shrieked and clapped her hands excitedly.

"You are seriously the first person in Kanto I've met that recognised him!" she squealed.

Well, that made sense. Galar was on the other side of the planet.

"I read a lot," I said lamely, trying to sound like it was no big deal.

"Strix and I met on tour in Galar," she said. "Isn't he the sickest little dude ever?"

I had to admit, he was kind of cute, with his diaper-like colouration and stubby little arms.

"He's pretty cool," I said.

"I'm Jazz, by the way," she said, sticking her arm out across the table at me.

"Chloe," I said, shaking her hand.

"I like you, Chloe," Jazz declared. "You should come see us play tonight."

"Play?" I asked dumbly. I was never the sharpest when in close proximity to, well, basically any woman.

"Yeah! Me and my band, we're playing not far from here in a few hours, you should totally come," she said. "‘mons are welcome too!"

A band? Based on her attire and Pokémon choice, I'd guess they were rock, punk or metal. That could be cool.

"Sure," I said. "Sounds like fun."

—

The muffled throb of music told me I had the right place as I neared the address Jazz had written on the back of my hand. Ahead of me, a group of two young men and a young woman, all dressed in torn black clothes and sporting elaborate mohawks talked loudly as they entered the unmarked doorway.

Following them in, I found myself in a long concrete stairwell, music pumping below. Descending, the music grew louder and louder until I emerged in a smoky room filled with people dancing and jumping about, a punk band playing on the stage.

When I'd first arrived and found the event was underground I'd been hesitant to enter in case it ended up being another mugging attempt, but now I realized it was so the insane level of sound didn't attract wild Pokémon.

There were a few Pokémon around, but they were mostly those without ears like Magnemite or Pokémon that liked loud sounds like Loudred and Noivern. I'd returned Ace to his PokeBall in the stairwell, once I was sure I wasn't about to be jumped.

Using my small size to my advantage, I slipped through the press of writhing, sweating bodies and made my way to the bar to order a drink. The bartender wordlessly tapped my Pokedex with theirs and passed me a bottled beer. Sipping my drink, I slipped back through the crowd and found myself a nice, safe space by a wall to enjoy the band. I was two songs and half my beer deep when I recognised Jazz on bass, her long blonde hair hanging down over her face as she bounced up and down on stage, her Toxel headbanging along with her.

I found myself nodding along to the music, my body starting to relax as the alcohol worked its magic. I'd needed this, I realised. After everything I'd been through since arriving in this world, a little bit of normalcy went a long way.

Hell, if I close my eyes I can almost pretend I'm back home.

The song ended and the band left the stage, making way for the main event to take their place. The crowd cheered as a singer with a mohawked Pikachu rocking out on their shoulder started belting out the next song.

"Hey, you made it!" Jazz said, pushing her way through the crowd to drape an arm around my shoulders. She plucked the beer from my hand and took a swig before passing it back. "Did you see us play?"

I eyed my beer, no longer wanting to drink it but feeling like it would be rude to make it obvious. It wasn’t that I was a germaphobe exactly, but it just felt icky to share food or drink.

"Yeah, you guys were pretty cool," I said, hoping to distract her. "That last song went hard."

Jazz flashed that grin at me again and I felt my stomach flutter.

"We were awful!" she said, seeming quite happy about that.

"All the best punk bands are," I said.

“So fucking true!” she shouted as she threw a second arm around my neck and positioned herself in front of me.

"You’re cute," she said, grinning down at me.

My face burned.

"Um, th-thanks," I sputtered. "You’re, uh, you’re pretty cute too."

Oh my god. I am so awful at this!

She suddenly leaned in and pressed her mouth against mine. I felt her tongue probing my lips, I opened my mouth to speak and it shot inside like a slimy wet tentacle. She tasted of beer and Mexican food. Freaked, I grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away, her face caught between surprise and hurt.

"Sorry," I said. "I’m just not much of a kisser. It kind of weirds me out."

Jazz raised an eyebrow at me, trying to puzzle out if I was being serious or simply rejecting her.

"I’ve never really enjoyed it," I told her, desperately wanting to explain myself. "And then there was this virus a few years ago and-"

"Hey, hey," she said, pulling me into a hug. "It’s cool. I’m sorry I overstepped your boundaries. I should have asked first."

"It’s okay, really," I said, trying to ignore that I was now face first in her much larger chest.

She leaned back but kept her hands on my arms and peered at my face. The grin returned.

"I know what you need," she said.

Digging into the pocket of her far too tight jeans, she withdrew two small, paper wrapped items. Peeling off the paper, she revealed two round yellow candies before promptly popping one into her mouth.

"It’s Beedrill honey," she said, leaning in again to be heard over the music without shouting. "It’ll help you relax."

I took the second of the two candies from her and peered at it in my hand. It didn’t look dangerous, and I’d just seen Jazz casually consume one. It just looked like a semi-translucent piece of toffee or similar.

Jazz watched me expectantly, her eyes flashing in the venue’s lights. I’d already looked like a weirdo once, I really didn’t want her to lose interest in me.

Fuck it.

I shoved the candie into my mouth and immediately felt it melt across my tongue. Intense honey flavour besieged my tastebuds, making my mouth water.

"Holy shit," I said. "That’s fucking delicious."

"Right?" Jazz said, nodding vigorously. "Can you believe that Kanto outlawed the stuff?"

"Wait, what?" I said, feeling the blood rush from my face.

I didn’t catch her response, as I was suddenly too busy gawking at the world melting all around me into a wash of colours and lights. Now, I’ve taken drugs before. A little weed at parties, some MDMA once at a music festival, and I even did mushrooms one long weekend on a camping trip with friends, but none of them came close to that little drop of honey.

The rest of the night became a blur. I remember being pulled into the crowd, I remember dancing, faces flashing before me as I spun and jumped and headbanged to the music. I remember Jazz, pressed against me. I remember the smell of her hair, the taste of her sweat on her skin. The feel of her breath on my ear.

I don’t remember when we left the club, or how we made it back to her hotel. Nor do I remember what happened once we did, but when I woke I was naked, sprawled across a Queen-size bed, the unmissable smell of sex in the air and a messily written note on the bedside table.

"Till next time, in my world or yours - Jazz"

Fuck.