Blazing the Competition - Pokémon SI

Chapter 54 – Familial Antics

“Victini looks so normal… not what one would expect from a Legendary Pokémon. It’s also missing that distinct aura that puts one on edge when faced with a powerful being. However… Yes, I do sense the vastness of its aura. It's way beyond any ordinary Pokémon.”

“Vi! Vi!” “I am strong! Bring me more candied fruit peels!”

That bout of adorableness was rewarded with a copious amount of head pats from me. I was already reassured that Victini wouldn’t let other people’s awe get to her head. She might be the match of a good deal of elite level Pokémon, but I was fairly sure she’d lose against champion level ones the way she currently is.

We were all sitting on top of the engawa enjoying the afternoon breeze. Flannery, who hadn’t bothered to come watch Victini’s training sessions with Mr. Moore, had now for the first time experienced her battle prowess firsthand. As to be expected she now kept trying to paw her off of me. Most eager to shower her with attention and praise for beating an opponent she couldn’t defeat herself. Phoebe, who was already familiar with the story of how I first met Victini, regaled her grandparents with the story. The knowledge that she came out of an egg just like any other regular Pokémon seemed to be the piece of news they were most interested in. The fact that she was over a hundred years old didn’t seem to surprise them at all. I figured being surrounded by ghost types who could easily match her age and exceed it wouldn’t seem all that special even though she was a living biological Pokémon.

After Phoebe finished telling the story both me and Victini were put under scrutiny from the grandparents. Phoebe’s grandpa who seemed awfully invested

“What are your plans for the future Egon?”

“Well… I was wondering if I could perhaps make use of the castle’s transfer machine? I caught a Pokémon who agreed to help my grandma with her storefront business. He’s been locked inside his ball since this morning.”

“Of course, but that wasn’t what I was asking you about. What are your plans now that you’ve become a trainer partnered with a mythological Pokémon. If you wanted to, you could have a real shot at the champion’s title in a couple of years.”

“…I want to beat Drake, but I don’t want to be the Champion. I told Champion Drake that I would be coming for his title, but I don’t see myself sitting in a fancy office telling other people what to do. I want to travel the world and see all sorts of interesting sights. I’ll start worrying about my career prospects after I’ve turned eighteen.”

“You know Egon, beating the champion doesn’t mean that you have to take the job. Challengers have the option to just take the prize money and walk away after winning.”

That sounded a bit better, just because a ten year old can become the reigning Champion doesn’t mean that he or she should. However, having the reigning Champion lose to a minor would most likely result in a loss of respect that would be difficult to overcome if the runner-up held fast to his position.

“Don’t the people living in Hoenn want the strongest trainer to reign?”

“I think they’d rather have someone old enough to watch an R rated movie. Still, you would be allowed to hold office if you should choose to do so even at your current age. You can just ask the elites to fill in for you until you’ve grown comfortable enough to wield such authority. Still… let me give you one piece of advice.”

“Yes?”

“Do not rely solely on Victini’s power to win the upcoming Ever Grande conference. There have been multiple instances in the past where a trainer managed to befriend a powerful Pokémon and earn himself a top spot in the ace circuit. Before falling off the rankings because the Pokémon of his peers eventually managed to catch up in age and power.”

I didn’t foresee any kind of regular Pokémon managing to catch up to Victini whether it be either of those two attributes, but Phoebe’s grandpa was giving good general advice. I have seen this phenomenon myself. This usually happened to young trainers who sort of inherited an older family member’s Pokémon. This happens because some species of Pokémon had lifespans far longer than that of a human and it would make sense that such a Pokémon wished to remain together with its deceased partner’s children or grandchildren. In those situations, you’d often see those trainers lack the necessary skill to guide and instruct weaker less experienced Pokémon which resulted in them eventually washing out of the ace circuit.

“I wasn’t planning to. Having Victini battle against first time circuit trainers wouldn’t teach me anything and halt my growth as a trainer. We’ve already decided to just wash out if I can’t make it to the top 16 without her help.”

That comment seemed to put Phoebe’s grandpa at ease. The conversation quieted down after that, the grandparents seemingly content to just ruminate on what me having Victini would mean for the future of the region as a whole. I was about to ask the elderly couple about my initial request to use their transporter when Phoebe helpfully motioned me to follow her deeper into the castle. When we walked far enough to be out of earshot Phoebe spoke up continuing our previous conversation.

“So, I was thinking of having each of my Pokémon spar against Victini on rotation. Tomorrow we’ll find out if she has what it takes to take on Banette.”

“That’s fine and all but I want pranking immunity for my Pokémon and Flannery while we stay here in exchange.”

“What?! Not for yourself?”

“I am used to it and after seeing how Flannery reacted to Gengar’s door prank I am quite sure she isn’t mentally prepared to handle the endless barrage of hijinks I know this castle’s Pokémon are capable of. Halo is just a baby and needs her sleep while still in her formative age, also I am quite sure Glove will destroy the castle in anger if any of the ghost types try anything with her.”

Hearing about the possible threat of a rampaging Pokémon prompted Phoebe to quickly release one of her own Pokémon from the eight or so poké balls latched to her belt.

“Fross?”

“Could you please inform everyone to not bother Egon’s little hatchling?”

“Lass!”

Froslass disappeared. Phasing through the nearest wall and on its way to inform all the ghostly residents that Halo was not to be messed with. My Pokémon were still safe lazing around that porch with Phoebe’s grandparents but that wouldn’t be the case for long. My worries eased a bit as my little Larvesta would not be troubled while staying in this place. Phoebe led me all the way to the castle’s PC room, odd enough as it was that a traditional family like hers had one.

“It’s still crazy to think that your family could afford a transporter not even mentioning a cable line long and resistant enough to safely connect with the ones on the adjacent routes.”

“Hmpff! We didn’t have to pay for it the league association helped us set it up.”

“How come?”

“Technically speaking we are obligated to provide telecommunication services to people who are stuck without, while high up on the mountain.”

“So, strangers can just knock on your doors and ask to use your PC room?”

“Yes, but we don’t advertise that, and this place has a certain reputation...”

That made sense not many trainers would risk getting beleaguered by ghosts just to use this equipment. If I were a trainer that needed to make a quick call I’d rather climb back down the mountain than risk going inside a haunted castle.

The machine was standing right there but I figured it would be better to inform the Lavaridge Pokémon center first before sending Shuckle over to nurse Joy. The transfer machine did allow you to leave digital posits with each transmission but since I had nurse Joy’s personal number I figured it wouldn’t hurt calling her directly.

“Hello? Who is this?”

“Nurse Mary, it's me, Egon.”

“Oh, hi Egon! It’s nice to hear from you again. Did something happen? You usually only call this line to talk with family members.”

“Ahem yea… So, I managed to spot a Pokémon grandma Willow has been wanting for a while now while traveling through the safari zone and I figured I’d catch it for her. Would it be possible to transfer Shuckle over to the Pokémon center and let my grandma know?”

“But of course! That fits right into my job description. Do you wish me to invite her over, so you can tell her the good news yourself?”

“That’s okay but I know that it’s been a while since grandma had a Pokémon of her own. Could you give her a crash course of dos and don’ts on taking care of a bug and rock type like Shuckle? Also, before I forget Shuckle has been registered as my Pokémon, are there any sort of forms I need to send to the league administration to have her ball unlocked? While I was at the safari zone I managed to catch my final team member for this season’s circuit run, reaching my carrying capacity.”

“Certainly, how have things been coming along with Halo? Is she eating properly?”

“I think so? I have been giving her the portion sizes you recommended. Halo’s been growing pretty fast. She’s up to my knees in size and is showing no signs of slowing down.”

“Wonderful! I can’t wait to see her again when she’s all grown up.”

Just like that we continued to exchange pleasantries while the machine was powering up. It took a while for these older models to start up unlike the ones at the Pokémon centers, but they are just as safe and easy to use as the newer ones if you didn’t mind waiting for a short spell. Mary was a delight. We traded tidbits of obscure Pokémon information while we waited. Her knowledge of Pokémon physiology edifying me while my layman’s common sense surprised her from time to time. Eventually I had to hang up on her so I could work the machine, so I gave her my well wishes and promised her to call more often in order to give updates on Halo’s rapid development.

The transporter machine technology was created based upon the fundamentals of teleportation. The person who developed it was a genius scientist based in Kanto called Dr. Akihabara coincidentally he was also the one who created the first line of porygon, the very first artificial Pokémon made completely out of programming code.

The transporter had a very simple interface allowing one to choose out of a list of fifty or so Pokémon centers scattered around Hoenn to send one’s Pokémon to. Being already familiar with the process I scrolled down the list until I picked the center inside Lavaridge Town as a destination target. I gave the green safari ball one last look before placing the capturing device inside the appropriate slot and activating the transportation process. A white laser enveloped Shuckle’s ball and in a matter of seconds my family’s new bug type was safely transferred over to lavaridge’s local Pokémon center.

‘The little guy had plenty of berries stockpiled in that shell of his so Shuckle shouldn’t go hungry even if he doesn’t get home on time for dinner.’

I was distracted from my inner musings by a pat on the back from Phoebe.

“Let’s go back, I'll help you write up a good training schedule for Litwick.”

Just before dinnertime*

Phoebe had been most helpful by walking me through her own approach of training newly caught ghost types. According to her, ghost types were most suited to use tricks and status moves to keep their opponents on the backfoot. This was also reflected in her training schedule. Her first training goal was to teach Orin how to use the move Curse. Of course, Phoebe had her own stockpile of secret maneuvers that she kept to herself but anything Phoebe would consider basic or mid-level knowledge she freely shared with Orin and me.

“Curse is not my style. Can’t we start on something actually useful like shadow ball or maybe destiny bond?”

“We can teach Orin how to shoot off Shadow Balls, but Destiny Bond is a very high-level move that only the most powerful ghost types can learn. Besides, Curse is what many trainers in my specialization consider a bread and butter move. If a Pokémon can’t even inflict such a basic level condition, there’s no way they’ll be able to curse an opponent enough to share in a mutual defeat.”

“I guess that makes sense… Curse is very physically draining though I don’t want Orin to have to keep hurting himself to learn how to do the move.”

“Don’t you worry we’ll start off slow and if he gets weakened you can just feed him some more of your vitality that’ll bring the cutie back up to stuff!”

While we were talking about training methods the rest of my team was playing hide and seek in the castle. With Halo being the only one that hid herself from the others. Her prank immunity made me feel like it was safe enough for her to do so while the rest of my team was looking for her. The castle had lots of hiding spots, so it was a very enjoyable activity for the lot of them. To keep things fair, I kept Raven and Victini with me. Victini could just psychically scan for the presence of Halo’s mind and Raven’s nose was too much of a cheat to use and still have the game be fun for everyone. It was quite a sight to see my Pokémon all working together to find Halo. Seeing them like that made me ponder upon the training schedules for each of them.

Raven was the simplest since she was my newest companion. The canine Pokémon still had to brush up on her fire type moves to be on par with the rest of the team. At the moment she only knew the standard fare Ember and Incinerate. In contrast she did know quite a few dark type moves Bite and Beat Up for one but also Snarl and Taunt. Especially that last one would come in handy against psychic and ghost type Pokémon who oft preferred using status and or set up moves. Still I was planning to have her learn Protect and Flame Charge during our stay here if she proves to be a fastidious learner we could even try to have her learn Fire Fang.

Numsy being the most experienced on my team had a fully kitted out array of moves to use. The only thing he needed now was to grow in strength and experience his species' naturally learned Earthquake by themselves so the only thing I could do for him was to scour the markets for technical machines he could learn or have him stay at specialized move tutors. Me and him already went over this and we decided it was best that he spends most of his time helping the others polish their moves against him.

Trying to come up with a schedule for Glove was tough. The blaze Pokémon was a veteran who probably participated in actual warfare and his proficiency with the physical aspects of battle were top notch but he still needed to work on his psychic capabilities. He only knew how to perform Confusion at the moment so there was still much to work on. Victini could help shore him up on the basics and maybe help him learn the move Psychic at the same time. Glove couldn’t just stop and Meditate while in zen mode all day long. He took his guarding duty quite seriously, not willing to leave Halo on her own for even a single hour’s worth of time. I knew I had to come up with some way to help him develop his mental abilities in a way that simultaneously allowed him to babysit Halo at the same time. Victini could probably be persuaded to fill in for Glove in that regard with her periodically projecting mental images of Halo directly to the Blaze Pokémon’s mind.

Rena was still at her mother’s but to train up Drought she would have to remain at the mountain’s summit for over a month. This would require me to spend a good deal of my time over there. She had to be fed and cared for during the entire process. The fact that I had to leave to participate in a gym halfway through the process made me realize that I had to compete without Rena at my side this time around. Luckily Victini was capable enough to teleport me all the way to the bridge overlooking the scorched slabs. She was majorly fixated on that spot making teleporting there a feasible option. From that point the walk all the way over to Fortree city would only take a couple of hours. After which we could just teleport back to the castle, having us stay over for two weeks basically guaranteed that Victini would be able to come back to this place whenever we wanted to.

‘Still staying here for an entire month is a bit too much if I want to get all eight badges on time… maybe I can book a match long distance? I know that gyms only accept appointments from trainers who come in person but there must be some exceptions to the rule. Lilycove City is home to one of the minor gyms and it’s only about a day’s worth of travel removed from route 121.’

To make it on time I was planning to skip at least one of the major gyms. Dewford Town was situated in the middle of nowhere and the old man who was running the gym was close to retirement. The only point of interest on that island was Granite Cave. It is said that the ancient murals depicting the region’s legendary Pokémon are truly stunning to behold. The only reason I’d be going there would be to satisfy Victini’s curiosity regarding other legendary Pokémon.

“Don’t skip Granite Cave!”

‘I would like to visit as well but getting there and scheduling for a match would likely set us back a whole month. We only have a little more than 4 months left to qualify for this season’s championship league.’

“Noooo!”

“After we are done visiting Lilycove City we’ll head straight for Sootopolis with a bit of luck sneaking into the Cave of Origin shouldn’t be a problem.”

“But… there’s no legendary Pokémon in there…”

‘Yes, but every time those two awaken they fight at that exact spot. They have a hankering for those crystals formed out of the planet’s natural energy without those they’d be unable to revert into their primal forms. In any case we’d be sure to learn something new just by surveying that place.’

“Okay…”

While I was busy mentally communicating with Victini and going over our training schedule with Phoebe. The ghosts were busy cooking up a feast for the entire family and their guests. A good chunk of the ghostly residents in this castle behaved just like working staff. Cooking, cleaning, defense and even carpenting were all included into their daily activities. Phoebe tells me that the ghost types exhibiting those behaviors used to be this castle’s former human staff while still alive and that even in death their habits hadn’t changed. Still willing to serve their master’s living relatives after all this time. The family’s oldest known ancestor who originally had this castle built was a warlord hailing from the Ransei region who eventually came to live here after she retired from a life of conquest.

Just as I finished up my private conversation with Victini, an old enemy of mine phased through one of the castle’s walls giving me a wink before whispering a message in Phoebe’s ear. Misdreavus was one of the scariest ghost types inhabiting the castle. Not because of her devious pranks although she dabbled with those from time to time but because of her incessant wailing. She’d wake you up the first time and afterwards kept quiet until you were back asleep again before giving you another dose. It seemed this time she had another purpose for showing up in front of us.

“Dinner’s ready. Let’s go!”

Tugged along by a ravenous Phoebe she led myself, Raven and Victini through the castle’s halls until we came by a luxurious dining room. The long wooden table placed in the center of the room only came up to my knees, so we had to sit seiza style on the floor luckily each position at the dining table had a soft and fluffy pillow to stop the inevitable knee chafing. Flannery was already present as was the rest of my Team minus Numsy on account of being too heavy for the wooden flooring. He was munching grains inside the castle’s stables together with Ponyta. Orin loved being the center of attention during mealtimes, so he placed himself on top of the table between the plates and bowls lighting up the room in his signature teal lighting. Ghost types generally didn’t need to eat so the only ones in the room were the ones busy plating up so us living folks could eat.

Phoebe’s grandparents were seated at the head of the table in animated discussion while they waited for the two of us to join them. They seemed to have taken a liking to Flannery’s exuberant personality type, willing to indulge the girl’s open scheming to catch one of the mountain’s vulpix.

“Egon already told me the story of how he managed to convince Rena’s mom to let him catch one of her kits. If I prove myself an able battler, I am sure she’ll also allow me to partner up with one of her children!”

“My my… how energetic. That old Ninetales is keen to see her children partner up with capable trainers. I am sure that if you put your right foot forward tomorrow she would be willing to have you make an attempt at bonding with one of her older ones.”

After all of us had taken a seat at the table the conversation continued between the three of them. The elderly couple often asking how things were going with her grandfather or his planned retirement. Usually I would be content to let this topic of conversation continue on but I had my own plans. I still had to get permission to use the mountain’s summit as a training ground for Rena.

“Uhmm excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“You see I was wondering if it would be possible to gain permission to train on the mountain’s summit? I recently received a training method that requires one’s Pokémon to be exposed to intense sunlight for a long period of time in order to develop a unique ability.”

The elderly couple seemed to be taken aback by the sudden change in topic. The convivial atmosphere turned serious as the husband and wife mentally processed my innocuous request. After the couple exchanged a quick glance they seemed to have come to a consensus.

“Yes… although you are only allowed to stay within the limits of the lower levels of the summit. You are not to go anywhere near the steps leading up to our family’s sacred altar. Is that agreeable to you?”

“Sure, you can count on us!”

“Ehh!? He gets to stay up there? I thought for sure you would say no grandpa.”

“Egon has been visiting us every year since he was seven. To be giving him this much trust is only natural.”

I knew what the family was hiding up there and I’d obviously be watched by their Pokémon living on the summit, but I wasn’t interested in the orbs either way. Having those on me would surely lead to me getting involved with the legendary ancient Pokémon. This wasn’t a game where you could just throw a master ball at the problem and be done with it. Just merely being around those two was bad for your health.

The rest of the dinner went off without a hitch Phoebe and her grandparents doted on Orin a bunch even giving him small requests like heating up a teapot even though the temperature was already at an appropriate level for drinking purposes. Before wrapping up and sending us off to bed the couple told me that Xatu would be accompanying me to the summit in the morning after I was done picking up Rena at her mother’s place. I was assigned my old guest room which I previously stayed at during my past visits with grandpa, but before I was ready to go to sleep there were still a few things I had to handle first.

“I know you’re there Misdreavus! Phoebe told you guys that Halo was not to be messed with, right? How are you supposed to scare me with her resting in the same room as myself? Just give up, you have already lost!”

“Vess…?”

“It’s okay, cutie. Just a scoundrel phased in between the walls who has troubled me in the past.”

Most of my Pokémon took my warnings seriously and were now resting inside their balls. The only one I took exception to was Halo who was now acting as my aegis against the castle’s residents. The ghosts within this place obeyed the family without question so the only way they were getting to me tonight was with some undue trickery that even Halo wouldn’t be able to notice. Off the top of my head there were only a few angles the castle’s residents could take and I was prepared for every eventuality. I took to wearing gloves to avoid the hand in warm water trick and made sure to lock the door and close the windows so they couldn’t attempt to kidnap me without making a sound. Before falling asleep I mentally patted myself on the back for my first successful attempt at getting a full night’s rest while staying over at Phoebe’s.

‘Perfect…’

“Miss… Miss…”