NOVEL WEB Chapter 23 - Auric Discovery
Chapter 23 – Auric Discovery
There I was sitting awkwardly on a makeshift barstool waiting for my host to finish brewing something I can only describe as leaf juice since he didn’t have any appliances at hand to boil his water.
“Do you want us to lend a hand? Numsy here is an expert in boiling water at just the right temperature.”
“Num num!
“No, thank you. I have gotten so used to steeping my leaves in cold water that I have grown to prefer it this way.”
With that the elderly gentleman just sat down opposite to me clearly intending to let those leaves soak for however long it would take to extract the flavor from them.
“Now young trainer you must be curious on how I was able to perceive your floating friend here while other humans cannot.”
“It’s something to do with Aura, right? I have heard that a small group of humans are able to perceive the life energy of living beings. Tini is able to bend light in such a way that you can see beyond her and into the background making her invisible to the naked eye. The only way you would be able to spot her is if you didn’t rely on your eyes to “see”.”
The hermit reacted like I took out all the wind out of his sails. While I sat there content and maybe a tad bit smug at being able to prick a hole into his mystery man façade.
“Humans have been blessed with more than just auric abilities, but yes you are correct. I belong to that small group of people who are able to do so. Where did you come across this knowledge? People with abilities like mine don’t exactly out themselves to the public.”
“Just a dusty old tome. It made mention of a group of people who called themselves aura guardians they usually travel around accompanied by a Lucario.”
“Hmm a half truth. Not that I am expecting a youngster to tell me all his secrets.”
“Hey!”
“Save it. Just know that I am able to discern truth from lies. If you are not willing to share details than just say so. Now normally I make it a point not to approach Pokémon like yours, but this is the first time I have seen one casually interact with humans like that and I grew curious. Will you allow me to meet her in person?”
‘What do you think?’
“I think… we can trust him.”
I pulled out her poké ball and activated the release mechanism. In a flash of light Victini appeared on top of the rickety table.
“Vi…?”
The old man’s expression morphed into one of wonder. Like he couldn’t get enough of staring at Victini. Victini always turns timid when standing at the center of attention especially so from a stranger our first few days with Aurea could attest to that. So, I wasn’t surprised when she eventually floated behind me to stop herself from being scrutinized.
The old man quickly bowed his head in apology after he realized what he was doing.
“My apologies. This is the first time I’ve ever been so close to a Pokémon of your stature. Please forgive my lack of manners.”
‘Geez… is this guy alright? He’s talking as if there’s some unwritten Pokémon hierarchy with you at the upper echelons.’
“Isn’t that a given? I am the best!”
“Uhm excuse me why are you so convinced that Victini is of the same stature as those other Pokémon?”
“That would be the difference in the amount of Aura or life energy as you have named it. Regular humans like you are akin to small candles. Pokémon even when just hatched are like a torch. These classifications are not set, and all living beings have the potential to grow up until a certain limit. Since I have not received official instruction from those more learned in this subject you can take what this old man has to say with a grain of salt.
“So what? Tini is like a bonfire or something?”
“A more apt descriptor would be a raging forest fire. In my long life I have only twice seen Pokémon from afar who have a comparable amount of aura. Once in Mistralton Cave and another time when I was crossing the Tubeline Bridge it passed just between the clouds, the winds felt strong on that day. Those encounters could have ended up badly for me judging by both Pokémon’s emotive states at the time.”
‘Mistralton Cave that should be Cobalion, A Pokémon that travels accompanied by harsh wind currents, if I had to take a guess, that would be Tornadus.’
“Old man, can you keep quiet about Victini? If unsavory characters learned about her existence, we’d have to watch out for poké nappers for the rest of our natural born lives.”
“The name’s Anton and yes of course I’ll keep the secret to myself. However, I do have to warn you that she would stand out to those who have trained themselves to perceive the world as I do. So... what’s it like traveling with a Pokémon as unique and majestic as Victini?”
“Well, you have to watch out during mealtimes since she tends to choke on her food if not carefully watched.”
“Vi Vi!” “Hey!”
“She also likes to snuggle during bedtime.”
“Tini Tini!” “That’s secret!”
“And she cheats while playing cards.”
“Vi…!” “No I don’t…!”
“Victini is one of my precious companions just like all my other Pokémon.”
“Num!”
“Yes, just like you Numsy.”
With Victini’s image of being this all powerful and wise Pokémon shattered she hastily dove inside my backpack too embarrassed to come out. Anton started muttering something incomprehensibly to himself.
“Interesting… I see. You have satisfied this old man’s curiosity. You are well on your way to forming an unbreakable bond with all of your partner Pokémon.”
“Is this all leading up to you taking me in as your number one disciple? Showing me unorthodox ways of training aura by making me do seemingly mundane chores like washing old cars or painting fences?”
“Kid, you have watched way too many Pokéstar Studio Movies! Aura doesn’t work like that at all. Regular run of the mill humans like us only develop these abilities after a good decade of working together with our partner Pokémon. As your mutual understanding grows so does your ability to use aura. You might grow into it quicker than myself if you find a more experienced teacher willing to guide you.”
“Wait! Are you saying most ace trainers can use aura!?”
“At a subconscious level, yes. Their flames are a little bit larger, their reactions quicker. However, only those who make a particular effort into learning these abilities ever get anywhere. You might not know it, but I was quite the trainer in my younger years. Me and the reigning champion used to be rivals. We both represented Flocessy Town at the Vertress Conference.”
In a way I was reassured. I didn’t have the free time to be necking it into the wilds following this old man on a spiritual journey.
“Hey now that I am here anyway could you take a look at each of my Pokémon’s hidden power typing? I am a trainer you see and that would be invaluable information to have.”
“The egg too?”
“You can do that!?”
“The ability to see a Pokémon’s hidden typing is how I put bread on my table. Usually, the trainers coming to visit me leave small tokens of their appreciation and that is enough for me to survive and maintain my lifestyle.”
“Alright! I’ll introduce you to my entire team. Come on out everybody!”
I released all of my partner Pokémon out of their balls.
“Pix!”
“Dar!”
Glove took this opportunity to stand protectively close near the egg. While Rena hopped on to the table expecting Anton to lavish her with praises about her appearance. Anton being sharp on the uptake did just that.
“Why that is the most beautiful Vulpix I have seen so far. Such a rare Pokémon as well she must be one of a kind.”
“Pix pix!”
Rena enthusiastically agreed with his factual observations. Having received the attention that she was due she leapt off the table and used my lap to lie down.
“Now then let’s start with your Numel. For me to accurately determine a Pokémon’s hidden power I’ll need to observe each of them for some time.”
“What about the other trainers outside…?”
“They will all get their turn. I usually don’t finish my work until late evening.”
15 minutes later*
We left the hermit’s tent and everyone except for Numsy was already recalled inside their poké balls. Anton gave me sticky note written on it were all my partners potential hidden powers. He also gave me instructions to destroy the piece of paper once I finished memorizing all the information. It was his policy to be as secretive as possible since a hidden power was considered a Pokémon’s secret trump card in battle. I looked down at the piece of paper committed to burning its contents into my memory.
Numel – Fighting
Vulpix – Water
Victini – Ice
Darmanitan – Rock
Egg – Dragon
‘It would have been nice if one of my Pokémon had electric or grass. However, this still gives me some decent options going up against rock or ground types. For now, though I won’t go out of my way to obtain a technical machine or find a move tutor.’
“Ice is the best!”
‘This isn’t like the games in my old life Tini. I am sure each hidden power can be used to catch an opponent off guard at an opportune moment.’
I didn’t feel the need to hassle the old guy into teaching me about how to use aura. This body still being ten years old was also a limiting factor. So, I’ve decided to temporarily halt my inquiries in that particular field of study until I have some form of financial stability. Not to mention the fact that Zinnia is still underage and as her big brother I can’t let her stay home alone for that long, even if her dad and my ditzy mom suddenly started paying attention to her.
“What’s next?”
“Now we have to trek through route seven to reach the Celestial Tower. It is built near the halfway point; the structure is large enough that we won’t be able to miss it. Numsy, you’ll look out for any dangerous Pokémon while we are on the route, won’t you?“
“Num num!”
“Route seven isn’t like the beginner routes, the local rangers do allow some of the more dangerous Pokémon to inhabit the area. It would probably be best if we pay a quick visit to the ranger outpost to procure some knowledge on the best methods to keep ourselves safe while traveling there.”
And on we went. Since the Pokémon center was already located near the town’s exit, we made good time reaching the ranger outpost which was built on the City’s edge crossing into the route. This outpost and the one on Twist Mountain served as the place where all rangers gathered to take breaks and catch up with one another. Trainers visited outposts like these to inform the rangers of any unusual sightings on the route. Technically speaking it was part of my duties as well to give forewarnings to the corps if for example I encountered a raging hydreigon while traveling. Trainers in the past have gotten prosecuted for not informing the local authorities on substantial threats.
The building itself was bare basics since most rangers are survival nuts. they didn’t feel the need to stay inside civilization for long periods of time. Their Pokémon related facilities were fully kitted out though. Stables, pastures and even something that I would describe as a caged paddock. The latter structure is probably meant to be used for holding feral Pokémon. The door to the main building was open so I just casually walked in. Standing behind a makeshift desk was a lady wearing a cameo poncho and the largest backpack I’ve ever seen.
“Excuse me, miss?”
“Hmm what ya want?”
“I came here looking for some more information on the next route. Do the rangers distribute any safety brochures or flyers on what to watch out for while traversing route seven?”
“You kid seem awfully young to be on your circuit journey. Are you sure need to be traveling on one of the more dangerous routes?”
I was about to give the woman a scathing reply when Numsy stepped out to defend my dignity. Smoke billowing out of his hump and embers falling out of his nostrils he took on an aggressive stance in front of me.
“Nuuum!”
I quickly tried to calm Numsy down even though I was planning to give him extra berries for lunch later.
“It’s okay Numsy. I know this routine gets old, but if I were any other ten-year-old I’d say this lady was just being responsible. It’s because of you guys that I can freely travel around like this.”
Numsy calmed down somewhat, he stopped expelling smoke but you could still hear his insides sizzle for a bit.
“Do you want to stay inside your ball for a little bit? We can walk together once we are back outside.”
“Num.”
Hearing his assent, I recalled my little camel inside his poké ball before addressing the ranger whose hand was clutching a great ball our entire conversation.
“I am sorry. We get questioned like that all the time and he gets like that when people underestimate us.”
“It’s fine, I guess… I also shouldn’t have been jumping to any conclusions just because of your age. However, I would like to see your ID and trainer’s license before allowing you entry into the route. It’s just standard practice for trainers that look as young as yourself.”
I silently complied, giving the ranger my credentials. After a moment of checking them over she handed my paperwork back.
“Okay, so there’s three things really that you need to remember when traveling route seven. One is to not walk into the tall grass. There are a lot of foongus colonies living inside that grass and they release poisonous spores whenever they feel threatened or let’s say a trainer steps on them. That’s why the ranger corps built the wooden walkways so you can avoid their colonies. If you fall into the grass by accident, it’s almost a guarantee that you will end up poisoned so please make sure to bring antidotes along with you for the journey. Two, do not pick any berries that are growing high up on the trees. The local emolga population considers any hanging fruit theirs, so you are in for a shocking surprise when you make that mistake. And finally, whatever you do, do not feed any wild cubchoo you meet on the way.”
“Wait… are cubchoo dangerous?”
“In a way. The cubchoo that make their way on the route this time of year are recently emancipated. Having left their parents’ territories up the mountain they will latch onto anyone that feeds them. If you give them treats, they will follow you forever. Many younger trainers making that mistake are eventually forced to capture and train a Pokémon they didn’t plan to add to their team. Young female trainers are particularly susceptible to this.”
“…”
‘Well, I guess most trainers wouldn’t be able to say no to a clingy cubchoo. I might even have given it some snacks, if not for having been warned.
“Right… thanks for the information. We’ll be off now, have a pleasant day ma’am.”
I was kind of excited. It has been a while since me and the gang had the luxury of exploring a new route. Just like the ranger lady said the route was covered with tall grass. In fact, the canopy was high enough to be over twice my height. I could see why it would be dangerous to try and make it through this route without using the wooden walkways.
I started walking on the wooden pathways. It wasn’t until I was a few feet in that I turned around to see Numsy still struggling to make that first step.
“Numsy are you okay?”
“Num…”
“Tell me, are you afraid of heights? It’s nothing to be ashamed of, we all have that one irrational fear.”
“Num num!”
“You know how I was scared of snail and slug Pokémon right? One day I grew tired of my irrational fears, and I walked up to the closest slugma I could find in the gym’s volcano reservoir. Nothing bad happened. She even ate one of grandma’s lava cookies straight out of my hand. All you have to do to overcome your acrophobia is to not focus on looking down, and just stare straight ahead.”
“Num.”
It was slow going for a while, but Numsy made an earnest effort to improve and that is all I could ask for as his trainer. After around twenty steps Numsy got too dizzy from the adrenaline to properly coordinate so I recalled him inside his ball.
‘This was good he fought through his instinctive fear of heights being a ground type and all.’
It was well known that most ground types had an innate fear of elevated heights this could be used against them in battle. Numsy taking his first steps with only a little encouragement meant he was a true fighter.
‘Does hidden power mean more than just being able to use a certain type of energy?’
The trek towards the celestial tower would take me around a day if I sped along these walkways. Route seven should have some wild Pokémon looking to prove themselves, but I was sure my team was up for the challenge.
Several hours later*
“Geez, how long is this walkway? At this point I am kind of impressed that this thing hasn’t been destroyed by any old Pokémon that’s having a bad day.”
I have encountered numerous wild Pokémon up until this point. Most Pokémon were content at leaving me be, maybe the rangers made some kind of deal with all the different groups of Pokémon that live on this route not to damage the wooden walkways and to leave humans that stayed on the walkways alone. Of course, that didn’t mean I was completely safe from wild encounters.
“Quill!”
A tranquil was flying overhead obviously looking for a fight judging by the tone of that screech.
Tranquill, the Wild Pigeon Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pidove. Tranquill is always able to return to its Trainer, no matter how far the distance between them. Many people believe that, deep in the forest where Tranquill live, there is a peaceful place where there is no war. These bright Pokémon have acute memories. Apparently, delivery workers often choose them as their partners.
‘That’s pretty awesome that they have an inborn sense of direction.’
“Heya sorry I can’t battle you right now this walkway is kind of narrow and I don’t have any flying types of my own. Could you let me pass this one time?”
That was not the response this Tranquill was looking for judging by the barrage of broken twigs being dropped on my person. Once she flew off to restock on ammo, I sprinted further along the hallway to find some form of cover. It seemed the Tranquill was experienced with this, because the bird was back in a moment's time ready to unleash her second volley.
“Hey look, it's obvious that you are looking for a partner.”
“Quill!?”
At this moment Victini released herself from the poké ball latched on my belt. Ready to act out the role of peacemaker between myself and the angry bird Pokémon. Tranquill was surprised for only a quick second before squawking loudly at my rabbit friend.
“Quill Tranq?”
“She wants to know what makes you think that you are worthy of being her trainer.”
“I would like to, but I can’t. I’ve decided to specialize in fire types. I am sure you’d make a fine partner for any trainer lucky enough to have gained your approval. There are a group of flying type trainers that work in this big building near the airport inside the city behind us. I am sure you can find a human looking for a new Pokémon friend over there.”
“Tranquilll…?”
“She says so far not a single trainer was interested enough to capture her after a good battle session and asks what makes these humans different than the rest.”
‘Members of her line are not exactly rare to find here in Unova. All the cities and towns are filled with pidove subsisting off of leftover food that humans throw away. It must have been hard for her putting herself on the friend market and not gaining any interest.’
“Let’s help her find that special human friend!”
‘Hold up! You want us to go all the way back and find her a trainer?’
“We can’t?”
Victini was looking at me with her big sad blue eyes. She must have gotten some type of crash course on emotional manipulation from my mindscape. Knowing it was hard for me to refuse her tearful expressions, Victini used the most compelling form of psychological warfare on me.
“We’re still on a timetable... How about she accompanies us to the celestial tower and afterwards we’ll take her to the Mistralton gym. Naturally we’ll look after her well-being while she travels with us.”
“Tranq Tranq!”
“Vi Vi!”
Tranquil, delighted that we wanted to help her with her plight, soared down to give Victini and me some wing pats to show her appreciation. This more than anything else confirmed to me that she was fit to be a trainer’s Pokémon.
“Tranquil it might be easier to find you a trainer if I pre-capture you inside a poké ball. It would save your future trainer the cost of buying one from the Pokémart. He or she would still have to prove themselves worthy to be your trainer. I am not giving you up to the first person who shows interest.”
If I was going to do this, I planned to go all the way. It was just like putting up animals for adoption in my previous world. You didn’t give a Pokémon who trusted you to find her the right human partner to just anyone.
“Quill!”
The bird bopped her head onto the capturing device getting sucked inside. The poké ball immediately confirmed the capture without any signs of resistance from our feathered friend inside.
“Come on out Tranquill!”
The bird Pokémon immediately materialized giving no signs of discomfort for having just been caught inside the poké ball.
“Okay! Tranquill, can you show us the quickest way to the big tower filled with ghost types? If you do a good job I’ll scoop some extra treats for you during dinner time.”
“Tranq!”
“Tini?” “Can I get some extra berries too?”
“Tranquill is a guest of course she gets the benefits of having our full hospitality. Extra berries are only allowed during holidays and special events to prevent you from getting too pudgy. Even though you are not a battler, I don’t play favorites with Pokémon that are on my team Tini.”
Tranquill flew off into the direction of the tower. The flying type slowed down a bit so I could keep up with her. Tini stayed out to fool around with her new bird friend racing against tranquill and using the trees as an obstacle course.
‘I should really try to get another levitating or flying Pokémon on the team. That way Victini isn’t landlocked whenever she wants to socialize.’
My rabbit Pokémon actually very rarely touched the ground mostly only when she was tucking in for bed. Judging by the size of her limbs that part of her biology has slowly been phased out over a long time period in her species’ evolution.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, by Arceus’ grace, I managed to avoid falling into the tall grass by accident. The other Pokémon we encountered gave us a wide enough berth except for a flock of Emolga who seemed to be old friends with Tranquill. They were excited for her since she finally seemed to manage to find a trainer willing to take her on. When Tranquill informed them of our deal they were slightly disappointed but still optimistic on her chances to find an actual trainer. I let Victini and Tranquill keep playing with them and kept walking into the direction of the tower knowing they would catch up with me eventually. This was a rare event for Victini, being able to play around with wild Pokémon. While she was still stuck on the island, Victini never mustered up the courage to start playing with any of the flying types that passed by Liberty Garden. This was a good chance for her to come out of her comfort zone. As I kept walking, I eventually saw the Celestial Tower in the background. The sun was setting, and I figured it would be completely down by the time I managed to reach the small settlement surrounding the famed tower. I was hoping to find Phoebe before midnight to be safe from the copious number of ghost types that lingered in this area. Knowing that even if I managed to find her, I’d still be victimized by ghost types.
‘Better the devi ahem… Giratina you know than the one that you don’t.’
“We’re back!”
In the backdrop of the setting sun two small figures zipped towards me from the air.
“Did you two have a good time?”
“Quill!”
“Vi Vi Tini!” “The emolga are very wise. They showed me which berries to leave on the tree to ripen and which were ready to be plucked.”
I was pretty sure Victini broke her diet plan again, but I didn’t have the heart to scold her after her very first playdate with friends.
“Are you ready to get pranked? Now that Phoebe’s ghosts know you are part of my team, you’ll be fair game to them.”
“I am not afraid! Yamask was very nice. I am sure that the ghost Pokémon just want to make more friends.”
‘After we are done visiting Phoebe at the celestial tower, we’ll go straight back to Hoenn and pay a visit to the Draconid village underneath meteor falls. Even if I am not a member of the tribe, they won’t stop me from making sure Zinnia is okay.’