Pokemon: Way of Life Chapter 27

Hi all,

Here's the next chapter. So, I was thinking of ageing some characters up, like Misty. Or do you have other characters from the anime you would like to see older? Let me know your thoughts.

16th October

Two days later.

It was another mild day on the barge, with clear blue skies and a gentle breeze blowing across the deck.

Today, Lucas was alone. Faith and Jason got tired of all the sun and decided to spend some time training their Pokemon in the trainer facilities.

Lucas sat on the lounge chair with a book in his hand. Over by the side of the barge, Elekid held the fishing rod in his hands while Imara stood by, ready to assist him.

Earlier this morning, it had occurred to him that he didn't have to stand on the boat, waiting for the Shiny Horsea to appear. He could exploit his Pokemon to do the job for him. The pertinent question was, would the old fishing rod work for them?

Lucas decided to test it out on Maggie's pier since it was still considered part of the town, and his inventory was unrestricted. After half an hour of fishing, he received his answer.

A new item appeared in his inventory, indicating that a new treasure chest had been received. If only his Luck Attribute would work with his Pokemon as well. As he decided to avoid putting points into the Attribute until it finished levelling naturally, it was a minor issue. It would be prudent to be cautious with the Attribute until his Pokemon were stronger. He doesn't need the additional rewards when he has a lot of resources available to him.

Okay, maybe his Pokemon weren't getting exploited precisely. His team had betrayed him by communicating with his girlfriend using their electronic pads to get her to negotiate a fair wage for their work. Since he found it hard to say no to her when she batted her eyes at him, he was the one who was exploited by the little buggers.

It was alright. Lucas didn't have to stand there all day with a pole in hand when he could be doing better things with his time. After the second day, the excitement of fishing had worn off. Lucas was surprised he didn’t get a skill out of the activity, but it wasn’t like he needed it. The old fishing rod was overpowered by itself.

He gained plenty of treasure despite failing to achieve his goal in the last two days.

=====

Treasure Chests:17 Pink Coral Mushrooms; 4 Pearls, 1 Dragon Fang, and 1 Rare Candy.

=====

Since he now had two Rare Candies, he did not hesitate to give one to Dante and Maximus. As a result, the former now had a potential of 'S', while the latter had a potential of 'B'.

The Pearls sold for four thousand Pokedollars each, more than enough to cover the fees for the fishing tour. Dragon Fangs were incredibly useful items because they enhanced dragon-type moves and could be used in other ways later on.

Both the Dragon Fang and the Rare Candies disappeared from the loot pools after obtaining them, so it wasn’t exactly something he could abuse indefinitely. In the Abandoned Beach fishing spot, however, there was still the Rare Candy left. Before he left, he would have to try and obtain it.

Despite taking turns battling the Horsea, none of the Pokemon had levelled up. After every five levels, experience requirements increased sharply. They did, however, progress in their Masteries. Eventually, he will have to teach them new Moves. Nevertheless, he wanted them to gain more experience battling different Pokemon for now.

Once he obtained a Horsea, he had to compete in more battles to earn one thousand points as part of the requirement for the next Trainer Level.

In addition, the teenagers decided to stay for an upcoming local tournament. Lucas would also be able to fulfil another requirement if he won. Obtaining a victory in a local tournament was relatively easy since the provincial government determined the rules and the number of participants. The number one spot could be contested by as few as six trainers.

Nevertheless, the one in a week was going to be big, with over a hundred trainers participating. If he didn't get Horsea in the next couple of days, he would stop for the moment and start participating in trainer battles to gain experience.

Aside from that, he had been coming up with ways to get around the restrictions from Adventure Mode. Specifically, he focused on the first two rules, which were the most egregious. First, he did not have access to his inventory outside of towns and cities. Secondly, he had to walk towards every gym in Kanto except the Fire Gym, where he was allowed to take a boat to the Seafoam Islands. That last tidbit had come courtesy of the Friendly Narrator when he sought clarification on the matter.

Apparently, the trip out on the ocean didn’t count since he was heading in the opposite direction from the gyms, and it wasn’t his intention to travel to a gym. It was a bit confusing.

After carefully thinking about the matter for some time, he came up with a good idea. The rules were only applicable to him, not Jason and Faith. This meant that if he could obtain a vehicle for them, he could travel on foot simultaneously. Furthermore, if that transport could carry supplies, then his inventory wouldn’t be as significant.

However, if they were to travel faster than he needed a skill that would allow him to keep up at a reasonable pace. Lucas initially considered the Dash skill, but it was too effective. It allowed him to run at insane speeds at its current level, but it was unsustainable. He needed a skill that didn’t reach such high speeds and wouldn’t cost so much Aura for him to maintain.

The solution came from his Skill Bank, where all of the skills that he had learnt, but decided not to learn, were stored. Searching through the list, he came across the skill he wanted.

=====

[Jogging] (Passive) [Lv:1] (Next:1%) [Cost:Variable]

Description: Jogging is where the player runs at a steady and gentle pace, usually not running faster than ten kilometres per hour. The higher the skill level, the longer the player can keep going. Uses the player's own natural stamina before being reinforced with Aura.

⦁ Speed [6-10km/hour]

⦁ -1% to Aura cost.

⦁ -1% less lactic acid build-up in legs.

=====

They could get to the gyms faster with a consistent speed of ten kilometres an hour. Although he wasn’t in a rush to complete the circuit, he still chafed at the unreasonable restrictions.

Now all he had to do was find a vehicle for his teammates to travel in; should he hire the services of a riding Pokemon? That seemed like the easiest solution.

Lucas returned to his book—Pokemon Evolutions: A Beginner's Guide. In Terracotta Town, he brought a few books about the subject, and so far, he has found them fascinating. Like everything else, evolutions were different in this world and much more complicated.

To evolve a Pokemon, the trainer must first know its specific requirements. There is still a lack of understanding of the mechanisms behind many evolutions worldwide. Thankfully, all three of his Pokemon had pretty straightforward paths.

Secondly, Pokemon can sense when they are close to evolving, and at that point, they can decide if they should evolve. If they do, they enter the pre-evolution state, which is essentially gathering energy for the transformation. This coincides with a growth period, one of four that all Pokemon go through throughout their lives, that gives them a boost in parameters. Depending on the effort the Pokemon put into training while in this state could significantly affect what gains they made when evolving.

Finally, there was evolution, which could be aided by certain items and methods that gave Pokemon a better chance of success. Depending on the requirements, it could take a lot of effort, and some may fail and receive a backlash that could injure the Pokemon.

'I found a Shiny!' Maximus shouted.

As he saw the colouring of the Pokemon, Lucas nearly screamed in joy. He dropped the book and stood up quickly.

The Horsea was a darker teal, with its belly and single dorsal fin area a shade of purple rather than the usual pale cream.

"Be careful when fighting it," Lucas called. "We don't want it to faint."

{Dante} 'I know what I'm doing.'

Even though they could wait until it woke up to bond with the Pokemon again, causing it to faint would drastically reduce his chances of bonding with it.

Dante carefully whittled down its HP until there was less than a quarter left. Judging that was enough, Lucas took out the Lure Ball and called Dante to step back.

Lucas threw the ball carefully at Horsea, who struggled to get up. The ball hit him straight on, freezing it in place.

Lucas sat beside the Pokemon and placed his hand on its body. Hoping for the best, he waited patiently for the Horsea to accept the bond. After a tense few minutes, the bond snapped into place. Relieved, Lucas touched the button on the Lure Ball. Horsea was whisked away momentarily before returning in a flash of red.

=====

Congratulations!

You have bonded with your fourth Pokemon.

10 Aura has been permanently restricted.

The player's Physique has increased.

=====

Lucas rubbed the Horsea's head as it opened its eyes and looked around in confusion.

The Horsea glared at him through its red eyes. 'Damn peasants, how dare you attack the royal self?

Lucas blinked. 'It's nice to meet you. My name is Lucas, your new partner.'

'Partner? I think not. You are merely my subordinate.'

It sounded like another Male Pokemon. One with a great deal of conceit.

The other members of the team walked forward to greet their new companion.

Dante folded his arms and looked down at the Horsea, pleased not to be the shortest anymore. 'It seems that I didn't give you enough of a beating. Let me remedy that for you, princess.'

'I am a prince! How dare you treat me this way. Wait until Mother hears about this!'

'Mother?' Lucas got a bad feeling all of a sudden, his perk suddenly alerting him to something just beneath the waves that was looking at him with malicious intentions.

Exeggutor, who stood beside him, suddenly turned its three heads and looked in the same direction. He called out a warning to everyone.

The water erupted, and a massive cascade drenched the barge and its occupants. As Exeggutor raised a barrier, Lucas cast the Barrier around his partners. Still, he didn't have time to protect himself. He lost his footing as the heavy deluge of water crashed into him.

Armament has taken 102 damage: [243/345]

Lucas gasped as he was swept across the deck, crashing painfully against the side of the barge. In his mind, he could hear the frantic cries of his Pokemon as they called for him. He might have been seriously injured if it had been a direct attack.

A Kingdra emerged from the ocean; its eyes narrowed as it stared at him with dislike. The Pokemon was about two metres tall but may have been taller, as some of its body remained submerged beneath the water.

Maggie came running out of the tugboat's cabin and cursed. She released her Cacturne to stand beside the Exeggutor, who was now standing protectively in front of the Pokemon. Lucas poured almost all of his Aura into the Barrier to protect them, which had been unnessacary in the end. Exeggutor's Barrier had held the deluge back. Well, except for the location he was standing. Still, he had to praise the Pokemon's quick actions.

Using some water manipulation, Horsea moved forward and approached his Mother, who looked ready to attack. As the two had a conversation, the occupants waited tensely. The Kingdra would occasionally glance at him, and he did not doubt that he had been found lacking. He was sure it would have attacked by now if it wasn't for its son being there.

Finally, the Kingdra retreated back into the ocean with a huge splash. Lucas rubbed his sore tailbone and crawled shakily to his feet.

"Stand down," Maggie called to her Pokemon. She turned to Lucas with a scowl. "You sure know how to attract trouble, don't you?"

"It's a gift," Lucas shrugged.

"I assume we are finished here now that you have your Pokemon?"

"Yep. Take us back, captain."

Maggie returned to the cabin to start the engines, and Lucas turned to his new partner.

'So, that was your Mother, huh? I thought I was going to be killed. How did you convince her to leave?'

'I told her it was up to me whether to bond with you or not. Without me, she would be eating you right now. Remember to show some gratitude to your lord.'

His other partners scowled at the conceited little Horsea. He was sure there would be some friction in the future. Hopefully, the little Prince would calm down after spending more time together.

It was interesting how the Horsea considered itself royalty. How did it understand concepts about human monarchies living out here in the wild? Has he ever encountered humans before? Maybe his Mother did? After imagining what most likely happened to the unfortunate person, Lucas decided not to ask.

'Right. So why did you accept the bond anyway?'

'I would like to see what lies beyond this place. My home is too small to satisfy my curiosity. My reasoning was that it would be safer to have a partner.'

'Welcome to the team. Now we have to figure out a name for you.'

'Princess!' The other Pokemon shouted.

'How dare you. This one's name is Prince!'

Lucas hummed. 'That's too lame. I think I will call you Duke. It still has the meaning of a ruler.'

Horsea thought about the name for a moment. 'Fine, if it means that, I will accept it humbly.'

{Imara} Sure, you're just a humble little runt.'

After listening to them bicker, Lucas left them to their devices and stepped inside the cabin. Maggie was once again puffing at the smoke as she steered the boat. However, the expression on her face made him realise something was wrong.

"What is it?" Lucas asked.

"Just my past coming back to haunt me," Maggie murmured, raising the binoculars to her eyes. Lucas increased his Sight and focused on the approaching boat. It was a yacht sailing toward them, but it didn't look like it would change course. They were headed straight for the tugboat. On one of the sails was a distinctive symbol of a blue Shark Pokemon.

"Why are they here?" Maggie frowned. "They haven't been in these waters for years."

"Friends of yours?"

She didn't reply. Maggie grabbed his arm and dragged him onto the barge after shutting off the engine.

"Hey, what the hell is going on?"Lucas protested.

"You need to get out of here," Maggie said urgently, grabbing a Pokeball and releasing a Pokemon onto the water. It was a Lapras.

The marine Pokemon raised its four flippers and splashed the water in happiness. However, it stopped when it saw the expression on its trainer's face.

"Climb aboard," Maggie started pushing him to the barge's edge. "You don't want to be here when they arrive."

Lucas quickly gathered his pack and the Pokemon followed him on climbing aboard the Lapras. "Who are they?"

"Pirates," Maggie said, stroking her Lapras long neck comfortably. It lowered its head and affectionately bumped its horn against her trainer's head. The two of them seemed to be having a private argument, and judging by the sad expression on Lapra's face, it was not winning.

"I have my phone," Lucas said. "I will call the police."

"They won't get here in time," Maggie sighed. "But do what you like. Tell them it's the Sharpedo Gang. They will need to bring some heat."

"Let me help," Lucas said, although he knew he was out of his depth by looking at the panicked expression on her face.

"It's my cross to bear," Maggie said sternly, stepping back and motioning for her Lapras to depart. "Lapras should get you home safely. She's my strongest Pokemon, after all."

Lucas called out to the robot as the woman retreated to the cabin.

"Giru?" The robot appeared on his head, and Lucas reached out and grabbed the rascal. "Listen, Giru. I would like you to board the yacht approaching us and follow it back to wherever it is based."

"Giru!" The robot did a quick spin before going invisible.

There was a chance that Maggie would be kidnapped; in that case, he would know their whereabouts.

Lucas watched as the barge receded into the distance, with the yacht closing in. Hopefully, this was not the last time he saw her. He had gotten to like the fierce woman.

After calling the police and giving the details, Lucas tried to get comfortable, clutching onto one of the large bumps on her shell. Lapras surged through the water incredibly fast, almost sending him into the ocean with its momentum. As Horsea did not have anything to hold onto, he clutched her in his arms while the others seemed to enjoy the ride.

Half an hour later, he spotted two police speedboats heading in their direction, skimming off the water effortlessly. They slowed down as they got closer and stopped next to the Lapras.

"Are you the one that called the police?" the blue-haired woman dressed in a police uniform asked. Was this Officer Jenny? "We were nearby when we got the call from dispatch."

"Yeah. You need to hurry. Maggie is in danger."

"Are you okay going back to Terracotta Town by yourself?"

"I'm fine," Lucas waved his hand impatiently to get them to continue.

The boat surged forward, and Lucas was left with only his anxious thoughts as he waited to land in Terracotta Town.

{0(((..)))0}

In Terracotta Town, Lucas distracted himself by continuing to test the incense he had created on Eevee's blood. It looked like he wouldn't get lucky, so he had to purchase more ingredients.

However, he couldn't finish half of them because he needed the necessary ingredients. Some would have to wait until he got access to a supply of ingredients from the other regions. He considered using the catalogue, but the variety was limited and much more costly. There was no rush.

Lucas looked at the phone. It had been four hours since he had returned, but there was no word from maggie. He decided to visit the local Police Station and pester them for answers.

There was a knock on the door, and Lucas opened the door to reveal Faith standing there.

"Is everything okay?" Faith asked, seeing his pinched eyebrows.

Lucas told her the situation, and Faith listened patiently, her hand creeping into his and holding it tightly.

"Let's go then," Faith suggested.

They left the Inn and made their way other to the Police Station located a few streets over.

"How can I help you?" The man at reception asked with a bored expression.

"I need information on a situation that occurred earlier out on the ocean. It involves Maggie, uh, she runs a fishing tour and supply business."

"Is she a relative of yours?"

"No, but I was there before she got me home safely. I'm concerned for her."

The policeman sighed before accessing his computer and began typing with rapid keystrokes.

"She has been detained for questioning," the policeman said finally.

"Then she's fine?" Lucas said with relief. "Why is it taking so long to question her?"

"That's because the people harassing her were her old gang," a voice said behind them.

Lucas turned and spotted the same blue-haired woman he had met on the ocean. "Really? So that's what she meant by her past returning to haunt her. But why are you detaining her? She's no longer a criminal, is she?"

The policeman in reception snorted. "Don't be such a naive kid. Bad seeds don't change that easily. Why do you think her business is in the dumps at the moment? It's — "

"Enough," the woman said. "My name is Officer Jenny. Thank you for calling about the incident. We have finished questioning her, and she is free to leave in a few minutes."

"Did you catch the gang?"

"Maggie managed to fight them off before we arrived," Officer Jenny explained. "She's fortunate that there weren't many gang members aboard the yacht."

Lucas took out the phone that operated Giru and honed in on the pirate's current location. There was a small unnamed island southwest of Pink Coral Reef.

"Here," Lucas showed the screen to Officer Jenny. "This is the pirate's location."

"How did you do that?" Officer Jenny grabbed the phone and looked at it intently.

"That's a secret," Lucas looked pointedly at the policeman sitting down. "Some people don't have the authority to know."

The policeman flushed. "Why, you little brat."

"I can promise you that it will go no further than my captain and me as long as it's not a crime."

The teenagers followed Jenny into her office, and he briefly explained the use of Giru.

Officer Jenny handed the phone back to him. "Well, I have no issue with the robot. It's too bad this is such cutting-edge technology, as it would greatly help my job. It must cost a fortune."

Lucas nodded. "Are you going to catch the pirates? They may cause trouble in the future."

"We need to get an accurate measurement of their numbers before we can organise a takedown," Officer Jenny's eyes crept to the phone in his hands. "Can your robot do some reconnaissance? Get an idea of how many pirates we are dealing with?"

Lucas contacted Giru over the phone and made the request. Hopefully, the robot understood and would start scanning the island.

"It may take a few hours," Lucas said. "I will send those numbers to you as soon as I hear back from Giru."

"Great," Officer Jenny brightened. "Thank you for your help."

They waited for Maggie outside, and the woman appeared a couple of minutes later. She stopped when she saw the two teenagers waiting for her.

"Well, it looks like you made it back safely enough," Maggie said gruffly.

"Yep. I'm glad you did as well," Lucas replied. "So, they were old friends after all?"

"A long time ago," Maggie s started walking down the street. "I have put that past behind me, but I didn't expect it to catch up with me again."

"How did you fight them off?" Lucas and Faith followed her, causing the woman to sigh in frustration.

"I got help from the Kingdra we met," Maggie replied humorously. "One of the gang's Pokemon destroyed a part of the reef when it attacked the boat. Kingdra conjured a huge twister that nearly sank their yacht before they scurried off with their tails between their legs."

"You didn't tell the police about the Kingdra?"

"There was no need. They don't need to disturb her peace. So, don't tell anyone about it."

"Scouts honour," Lucas saluted. "Uh, tell me if I'm being nosy, but the police mentioned another incident....?"

Maggie stopped and groaned. "I am not going to go into this, brat. Do you think we are suddenly friends after three days of knowing each other? All I will tell you is that there was an incident during a fishing tour, and a person died. It was not my fault, but I was blamed for the incident, which is why my business is in the dumps. Now, do you have my final payment so I can get shit-faced drunk?"

Lucas paid and watched her as she disappeared.

"What are you thinking?"

"I think I just found myself a new employee," Lucas said. "Why am I suddenly picking up all the strays?"

"You're talking about the island?" Faith guessed. "But you have only known her for a short time."

"I know," Lucas said. "But I have good instincts about people. Besides, with the Three Enforcers there, how much trouble can she cause?"

It would be handy if he had his own boat and captain to ferry supplies to the island. Not to mention, at some point, she could restart her fishing tours after his plans come to fruition.

{0(((..)))0}

Lucas's team sparred with Faith and Jason's Pokemon inside the reinforced room. The Trainer facility offered a safe place for them to train without putting anyone else in danger.

After a moment of reflection, Lucas considered what direction he should take with Duke, his new partner. In order to gain a better understanding of the Pokemon, he examined him first.

=====

Pokemon: Horsea | Name:  -- | Age: 0 | Gender: M | Type: Water | Potential: A | Affection: 20 | Favourite Foods: --

Description: If it senses any danger, it will vigorously spray water or a special type of ink from its mouth.

Stats

Level: 5 | Next: 34% | AP: 20 | HP: 70 | Aura: 135 |

Attack: 41 | Defence: 75 | Sp Att: 77 | Sp Def: 33 | Speed: 36 [60] |

Traits

Fish Out of Water: Lowers speed significantly when not in the water.

Special Ability

Swift Swim - Swift Swim doubles the ability-bearer's Speed during rain.

Balance - Increases Aura by 25%.

=====

Moves/Mastery

Special

Water Gun: (Water) [Power: 40] (Cost: 6) [Mastery: 67%]

Octazooka: (Water) [Power: 65] (Cost: 10) [Mastery: 23%]

Status

Leer: (Normal) [Power: --] (Cost: 5) [Mastery: Max]

Smokescreen: (Normal) [Power: --] (Cost: 6) [Mastery: 45%]

Affinities

Type Attack (Trainable)

Water ~ 50% | Dragon ~ 5%

Type Defence (cannot be changed}

Electric: -100% | Grass: -100%|

Fire: +50%| Water: +50% | Ice: +50% | Steel+50% |

=====

Due to his ridged scales covering his body, Duke had a high defence, providing robust protection from physical attacks. On the flip side, his Special Defence was horrible, so he may have to put some points into the Stat at some point. Like Dante, Duke's primary area of offence was Special Attack, so he would focus on increasing that over Attack.

The big problem was its speed, as it lost forty per cent when it was out of the water. However, if he taught Duke Rain Dance, he would double his Speed, negating the detriment. If he battled in the water, he would be even faster.

Due to it being rare and costing a lot of TP, he was fortunate to have the Egg Move, Octozooka. Lucas decided to test it against a reinforced wall to see if Duke could perform the attack effectively.

A small globe of ink shot at the wall from Duke's tubular mouth, exploding on contact and covering it in the black substance. Observing the Move quickly, Lucas gathered more information.

=====

Octozooka | Water | Power: 65 | Mastery: 23% | Aura: 10

Description: The user shoots a massive amount of ink out of its mouth at such a velocity that it causes a lot of damage. It can blind a target if it gets into its eyes and can be difficult to remove.

Appearance/Attack Conditions: Like a small cannonball, a globe of condensed ink shoots straight at the target. Since it's so fast, Pokeman caught unaware may have trouble avoiding it. To gain Mastery of Octozooka, the Pokemon must increase the amount of stored ink in its ink sack and the efficiency with which it mixes with Aura as it leaves the mouth.

Mastery: Power: 75 ~ Aura Cost: 8 ~ Trait: Heavy Ink

=====

"Not bad," Lucas said. He checked on the Pokenet to see if there was any information regarding Horsea.

The mechanisms by which Horsea produced ink were interesting. He had a cavity inside his body where he could produce water, which mixed with the ink pigment to create the ink. Besides the sac increasing naturally as the Pokemon grew and evolved, Lucas had to feed Duke a specific diet that allowed for more ink pigment production.

Lucas took out a notebook and noted down a training schedule for Duke. He needed to teach him Rain Dance. Additionally, there was his Dragon Affinity which was surprisingly low, and he would have to correct that as soon as possible.

Finally, they needed to gain some experience together in battling other Pokemon. Since his other three Pokemon were already established, he would use them while he continued to train Duke.

"I need to see if there is a store selling Rain Dance," Lucas put away his notebook. He walked over to the side of the room where some equipment was set up and grabbed some thin metal disks.

'Okay, Duke. We are going to be working on your aim. When I throw the disk, you need to hit it with Water Gun."

Luke took out one of the Pink Coral Mushrooms. "For every five hits you land, I will give you a piece."

{Duke} 'This is going to be easy. Let's go, minion.'

Lucas threw the frisbee forward, and Duke shot out a stream of water at the projectile, but it missed the target by a couple of inches.

The other Pokemon snickered, and Duke flapped its fin in frustration. Lucas patted him on the head. "It's okay. You can't be amazing from the start. You have to work at it."

"The stench of stinking hypocrisy," Jason held his nose. Faith joined him in laughing at the teen.

Lucas sniffed. "You're looking a little green there, buddy. Are you sick? Or merely jealous?"

"I'm comfortable in my own skin," Jason smirked.

It was true. Jason may pretend to be upset all the time about how much attention Lucas received, but it was merely a running joke between the two of them. Jason was the most self-possessed person he had ever met.

From an early age, he knew what he wanted out of life. He didn't fall to the lure of becoming a Pokemon Trainer, even though it was the most popular vocation in the world. He wasn't tempted by Lucas's wealth when they first met and treated him no different from no one else. Besides Faith, there was no one he wanted travelling at his side.

"So, how is the training going?"

"Pretty good," Jason said. "I'm primarily focusing on defensive and recovery moves, but a few offensive ones are mixed in as well."

Lucas examined his two Pokemon. Essentially, they were being transformed into armoured tanks, for which their species were well-suited. The only weakness they shared was the Grass-Type, which could be overcome with the proper selection of Moves. His next Pokemon would be some more of the same. A Steel-type?

Since Jason was not interested in the Pokemon League, he would not advance beyond the Student Trainer Level, which restricted him to four Pokemon. At least until he turned eighteen when the restrictions lifted.

"What's your next Pokemon going to be?"

"I am interested in a Magnemite," Jason said.

"A steel-type" Lucas nodded. "It has a great range of type-defences. They are only regularly found at the Power Plant, so it will take a while."

"I'm not in a rush," Jason shrugged.

"I'm sure your stepdad will be disappointed by you not choosing a Steelix," Lucas teased.

Jason made a funny face. "They are too high maintenance; feeding the Pokemon would deplete my funds in a week."

Lucas walked over to Faith, who was utilising his incense to increase their Grass-Type Energy. Faith tilted her head up as he laid a kiss on her mouth.

"I'm going to the stadium to get some Trainer Battles under my belt. Are you interested in participating?"

Faith shook her head. "I want to teach them more Moves first. They will get slaughtered if I go up against more Pokemon with type advantages. But I will come and watch."

"Are you coming as well?" Lucas asked Jason.

"Nah, I will stay here," Jason said. "Make sure to get a physical recording of your matches so I can post it on Poketube. Well, not if you lose."

"Your confidence in me is inspiring," Lucas said dryly. "Can you keep an eye on Duke?"

"My Pokemon as well?" Faith asked.

"Sure," Jason replied absently, looking at his phone with a frown.

"Is everything okay?" Lucas eyed Jason with concern.

"Yeah. Just a strange message I received from home. Don't worry about it."

Lucas waited for him to elaborate, but the teenager was already busily tapping away, replying to the message. Shrugging, Lucas gathered his three team members and left with Faith. If it were something important, he would hear about it at some point.

Time for some Trainer Battles.

So what do you think? Next chapter, he visits the stadium, gets into trainer battles, and meets some familiar faces.

Thanks for reading.