Chapter 84 – Diving for Calls

Chapter 84 – Diving for Calls

While Juan was kept busy playing host to the crowd that had just witnessed me earn my sixth gym badge. Marlon took this opportunity to take me along to the gym’s storage room with Roxanne hastily following in tow. 

“You did amazing, Egon! Seeing you win your gym battle gave me a bunch of new ideas on how to win my own upcoming match tomorrow!”

“Would that idea involve the destruction of one of the gym’s very expensive battlefields?” 

“Maybe? I mean leader Juan didn’t hesitate to do so himself. This way my Golem and Onix can contribute to the battle on their own merit.”

Marlon who had been walking along quietly without voicing his own opinion.

“What do you think, Marlon?”

“…Little dude, if this was my own gym I would not want to bear the cost of challengers employing such tactics on the regular. Even Master Juan wouldn’t be able to afford that.” 

Roxanne, who had been excitedly planning out on how to best destroy someone else’s property, lost much of her enthusiasm after hearing Marlon’s opinion. 

“I guess so…”

‘Both of them are prospective future gym leaders. Such a thing would hit closer to home than if they were just regular trainers.’

“This is it. Pick out anything you want Egy. ”

The chamber was kept in an immaculate state with everything neatly organized and not a single speck of dust in sight. Deep Sea Teeth, Deep Sea Scales, Dragon Scales, Water Stones, A wide variety of water type move technical machines, Dive Balls, Net Balls, Fishing rods, Mystic Water, Wave Incense and even a large collection of Prism scales. Anything a water type specialist might need was kept inside this storeroom. Which was exactly why I hadn’t a single clue as to what I should pick.

‘A Dragon Scale would be an excellent gift for Zinnia’s next birthday. Although I couldn’t imagine the Draconids not having a large collection of them on hand already. Ugh… I wasn’t planning for this; these objects are all useless to me. Choosing out something expensive and then selling it feels too disingenuous.’

“Marlon…”

“Yes?”

“Could you help pick something out for me? This is really not my field of expertise.” 

“Sure, thing Egy. Hmm something even a trainer like you could use… What about a fishing rod? You liked fishing with me, right? Master Juan keeps all the different brands for his staff to use. Old, Good and even a few Super Rods.”

I didn’t mind fishing as an activity, but past experiences have clued me in on the fact water types tended to avoid the hooks I cast out. As if thinking battling against me was a waste of their time and energy. Still, that didn’t mean I wasn’t interested to hear whatever Marlon had to say.

“What’s the difference?”

“Old Rods are safer for kids to use. The lines snap if anything more powerful than a freshly hatched magikarp gets hooked. Good Rods are for those who are confident enough to take on most of the sea’s denizens, but they will snap when pulled on by something powerful like a Gyarados or Wailord.”

“And the Super Rods?”

“It is in the name; those lines are unbreakable. You will need specialized fisherman’s training to use them safely. Don’t think apex sea predators won’t drag you under when given the chance. Their pride won’t allow them to be hooked by just any old trainer. Let me tell you, there is nothing quite like drifting at sea on your kayak with just water type Pokémon for company. Then getting dragged around for miles to prove your worth as a four-hundred-pound Sharpedo insists on testing your mettle.”

“You actually reeled in a four-hundred-pound Sharpedo!? That’s like twice their usual size!”

“And I would’ve caught it too if I had the required paperwork to bring it back home with me to Unova. Sharpedo and I parted ways with a manly promise to battle once more when I get cleared for another green card.”

“That’s totally badass Marlon! Wait… I saw you catching that Chinchou the last time we visited. Is that in any way different?”

“It is, Unova has its own Chinchou population right next to Undella Bay. Sharpedo don’t have a standing shiver and tend to displace other species of Pokémon if let loose in the wild. They don’t call it the Brutal Pokémon for nothing. Although trainer owned ones are known to be very caring and protective of those they consider part of their school.”

Having Marlon elucidate us on the ways of water Pokémon was quite enlightening. But eventually our topic of conversation drifted back to what item I’d be interested to have. After having made it clear to Marlon that I wasn’t interested in picking a fishing rod that would be left unused.

“You like diving? The gym has a bunch of scuba gear that’s lightweight.”

‘Pick that Egon!’

One difference between this world and my previous one is that the people here are oddly advanced in certain areas of technological development. This phenomenon typically correlates to anything even congenitally related to the Pokémon industry. The rebreathers Marlon was showing off could fit in one’s backpack without any problems and allowed an individual to stay underwater for up to two hours.

“We could go and explore the Sea Mauville or the Abyssal Ruins in Unova!”

‘The Sea Mauville has been declared a nature preserve and there’s no way that the Abyssal Ruins haven’t been explored before.’

“In your memories the deeper levels are only accessible to those who can solve the cipher! We’ll be the first ones there!”

‘You do realize that none of you would be able to assist me with navigating those ruins? By the time I do get down there we would have to ask Marlon to lend us one of his Pokémon. Besides, my memory is not that amazing. We'd have to somehow get our hands on the translation documents belonging to the Harmonia family.’

“I’ll help you remember just like last time! With all the money we’ll make looting ahem! Discovering the Hoenn ruins. We could pay a smart human to also make a waterproof suit for me.”

‘You just want the option to pal around with all the Pokémon living underwater! And please don’t mess around with my brain. There’s a finite amount of space in there which I intend to use for other endeavors. What if I suddenly forget the important stuff like how to ride a bicycle or tie my shoelaces?’

“…I won’t do it again, sorry.”

I could tell Victini felt genuinely remorseful. Sighing at my apparent lack of head privacy I cave in to the rabbit’s demands.

“One scuba set please.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sometime later*

After trying on multiple rebreathers and diving goggles we finally found a pair that fit me which I promptly added to my growing list of items kept tucked away in my backpack. Marlon had to get back to work and Roxanne wanted to take the time to properly prepare herself for her own shot at earning a Rain Badge. Which left me sipping some soda inside the center’s cafeteria waiting for my Pokémon to normalize their core temperatures under Nurse Joy’s care. Victini was off once more to attend to one of her multiple little projects in the making. Leaving me alone with Orin and Halo who had both grown frustrated from what I liked to call battle fever.

“We have two days to enjoy ourselves before our match against Mrs. Stone. Marlon is taking us Mantine Surfing tomorrow afternoon, but our schedule is free up until that point. What would the two of you like for us to do?”

“Vess!” “Lit!”

“Battle against passing trainers? We are doing okay at this point and after an intense battle like that I kind of need to recharge my batteries. How about the three of us go visit the open-air market? I’ve heard that there is this local girl named Kira who hands out two free berries to first time visitors.”

The both of them reluctantly consented and following our previous arrangement Halo kept close to my side. While Orin hopped on top of my head to keep a lookout for the best deals.

‘According to Nurse Joy, Numsy is the worst off and needs about an hour’s worth of magma therapy to warm up his core. That’s plenty of time to get some shopping done.’

As I was traversing the white marbled streets of Sootopolis I couldn’t help but notice the attention we received from the local populace. It seemed like rumors of a fire specialist nearly beating their gym leader had already become a hot topic amongst the local rumor mongers. Despite being called a city Sootopolis was actually fairly small population wise. The finite living space meant that a lot of residents looking to buy their first home had to move onto the mainland. By my estimate that meant that there aren’t much more than ten thousand people living here which inevitably causes everyone to be up into each other’s business in stark contrast to larger settlements like Lilycove or Slateport.

‘It’s the weekend, pictures of us must already be circulating across every pokégear in town.’

We eventually reached our destination, a fruit stall run by the Fortuna family. According to the flyer I saw posted onto the center’s bulletin board, first time visitors could ask to be given two in season berries. With the proprietor’s daughter having free reign as to which berry you would receive.

Having a last name was fairly uncommon around these parts. Those who do have them are typically related to some important historical figure or had accomplished a great feat themselves and were honored by their communities by being given one. It was one of the highest honors one could receive but could sometimes lead to the descendants of said family looking to prove themselves worthy.

We were greeted by a peppy looking girl around my own age.

“Welcome to our family store! Are the three of you interested in receiving our one-time complimentary berry selection?”

“Yes, please.”

“Two sweet tasting berries coming right up!”

“Wait? How’d you figure out what these two like?”

“It’s my special talent! That’s why dad trusts me to run our fruit stall all on my own.”

The girl turned to her produce selection and picked out two ripe looking Mago berries before putting on a small show. The expertise with which she diced the berries easily surpassed my own burgeoning skill. It took less than a minute before she presented both Orin and Halo with two plastic plates filled with easy to eat cubes. 

“Vess!” “Lit!”

‘I could take this opportunity to restock our supplies. Even if these berries are a tad overpriced, the excellent customer service makes up for it.’

 “Thanks for the free samples. I’d also like to buy thirty Oran berries, fifteen Aspear berries and five of each Lum, Bluk and Wiki berries. Also, Do you happen to have any Custap, Pinap or Tamato berries in stock?”

“We have Pinap and Tamato but no Custap. They just went out of season.”

‘It’s a good thing Tini isn’t here to discover that her all-time favorite berries won’t be available to purchase for the next three months.’

“Five of those as well then please.”

“There you go, Egon.”

“Tha…!? You know my name?”

“Of course! You are the only fire type trainer that has gotten close to beating our gym leader in this year’s circuit. That makes you the hot button topic of conversation for at least a week! One of my other talents is marketing so make sure to check your official league association mail when you have the chance. After making a big splash like that there will be heaps of small-time businesses looking to use your fame to spread brand recognition.”

“None of the big-time companies?”

“Those jerks are only interested in sure bets, but don’t underestimate us little guys! What we lack in funding we more than make up for in flexibility. Ah! Ehm, our family stall is more of a local business, so it doesn’t really make sense for us to sponsor out of towners...”

“That’s okay, it would be kind of odd for any business operating in Sootopolis City to be sponsoring a fire type specialist from Lavaridge Town.”

I swiftly paid for our new provisions with my own personal debit card before standing off to the side so my team’s two cuties could enjoy their meal in peace. Orin was having some difficulty properly draining his Mago berry’s vitality but soon enough nothing remained of the diced fruit aside from some crumpled dried-up peels which I stored for later use. Every time Orin indulged with eating regular food the remains could be repurposed for stocks or makeshift tea bags. The draining process taking away all of the nutrients but none of the flavor. 

When we were about to leave, a gaggle of children walked up to me, two boys and a girl. All three of them trainer school aged by the look of them. 

“Hey you! The one with the weird looking Pokémon!”

“That’s rude Mikey…”

“Word on the street is that our gym leader took pity on a red haired boy after winning and gave you the badge anyway. I challenge you! If I win, you’ll hand over that badge to me.”

I wasn’t about to let an ignorant preteen who hadn’t gone on his own journey yet get under my skin, but it never hurt to mind one’s manners or at least to set a good example for those watching. Halo especially seemed agitated after hearing the boy’s words, the horns crowning her face lit up bellowing gouts of flame in all directions.

“Laaaar!”

I quickly stroked Halo’s fur to let her know everything was alright before addressing the boy who had inadvertently awoken her protective instincts.

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you as well. The name’s Egon from Lavaridge Town. Regarding your challenge… I cannot accept. Badges can’t legally be transferred to third parties. However, we could have ourselves a friendly sparring match if you are still interested?”

‘Judging by this Mikey’s attitude and the way he dresses this one must have at least gotten a provisional license, else he wouldn’t be allowed to challenge anyone at all.’

The boy seems to have been put off by my candor, but quickly re-assumed his strong front. While his two reluctant compatriots looked to become even more embarrassed from their friend’s antics.

“Bring it on! There’s a battlefield right outside the Pokémon center.”

“Alright but if we win, you’ll have to loudly proclaim that fire types are just as cool if not better than water type Pokémon.”

‘It seems like Halo and Orin will get to battle after all.’

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the conclusion of said battle*

“Nooo! How is a fire type Pokémon capable of using grass type moves?!”

Mikey’s Spheal was down for the count after taking an Energy Ball to the face but to our opponent’s credit the battle wasn’t a complete washout. The boy’s Spheal made creative use of the move Rollout, but it wasn’t enough to make up for its lack of speed. One aspect of battling this particular species with their hulking figures shouldn’t overly focus on. 

“Good job Orin, your last two weeks’ training has really paid off.”

“Lit!”

I consciously made the choice to have Halo sit this one out. The little bug type could handle herself in fights on this level, but I really wanted to give Orin as many opportunities as possible to accumulate more experience. Him evolving and gaining air mobility is just what we need to further distinguish ourselves at the Ever Grande Conference. 

“Now I seem to remember making a deal, but I don’t want to embarrass you overly much. How about a quick “fire types are awesome” in front of your friends?”

“Fire types are awesome…”

“Sorry, I can’t hear you?”

“…Fire types are awesome!!”

‘Great, now I feel like I am bullying kids. Better give him some advice.’

“Mikey, by the time you go on your own journey across Hoenn, calling other people’s Pokémon weird right in front of their faces could land you into hot water. Wild or newly caught fire type Pokémon could have blasted you in the face with a Flamethrower if they felt particularly disrespected.”

Both of the kids accompanying Mikey nodded as if my declaration was only natural. The boy himself didn’t look entirely convinced. That stubborn hotheadedness of his was a common trait among all the fire type trainers that I knew of in the gym excluding myself of course. 

“In fact, I think your passion, although a tad misplaced, would help make you an excellent fire type trainer.” 

“Bzzzzzt! Bzzzzzt!”

“Wait, hold on a sec.”

‘Someone’s calling me? And it’s an unknown number to boot.’

Tapping the accept button on my Xtransceiver I was greeted by a familiar elderly voice.

“Egon, it’s me Ralph, Phoebe’s grandfather. The matter we previously talked about has occurred and our Chimecho are currently stalling for time. I would recommend you not join in just yet and have you-know-who get them used to the idea of having humans in their near vicinity during future encounters.”

“We know what to do and you’ll be the first ones hearing from us.”

With that single phrase the call ended. It was a matter of course to talk in vague euphemisms when discussing the sighting of a legendary Pokémon.

‘Victini’s not here. If she misses out on this and finds out that the entire region has run out of Custap berries, I’ll never hear the end of it. The only way to contact her would be…’

“I am sorry something urgent has come up. But do think about training a fire type Pokémon! You’ll never find a more warm-hearted team member!”

With that I scampered off to more private accommodations namely the center dorm room I had reserved for myself and the team for these next two days. Once there I flicked through my available contact list until I finally reached the particular

Since registering as a business, they had been forced to purchase a storefront phone in case of emergencies. I just hoped that one of the Kecleon knew how to answer when the machine rang.

“Kec?”

“Hey, it’s me, Tini's trainer. There’s this big thing that has come up that she would really hate to miss out on. Is she anywhere nearby?”

“Leon! Leon!”

Scrambling footsteps could be heard from the other side as Kecleon seemed to be calling for someone which I hoped to be my own loveable rabbit Pokémon. The sound of the phone being handed over to somebody else was quite distinct and I felt relieved when I heard her familiar voice over on the other end of the line.

“Vi?”

“This is weird even without our minds linked I can still understand you somewhat.”

“Vi Vi!”

“Yeah sorry, Anyways, I received the call from Phoebe’s Grandpa. At least one of them has come visiting the shrine.”

“Vii!!!”

“That’s right, don’t bother wasting time picking me up. You can tell me all about it once you’ve returned.”

I knew that Victini had already teleported away since I could hear the distinct sound of a phone dropping onto the hardwood floor. Now it was the Kecleon who I had initially called to inform Tini picking it back up once more.

“Leon?”

“Thank you very much Kecleon. She’ll be back eventually… I think?”

“Kec!”

“So, how’s the business doing? Are any of your human customers giving the store a hard time?”

POV – Joseph Stone

As the president of a large multinational corporation there were always those sycophants vying for my time and money. This particular one however has proven himself very useful and thus there was a need to placate him despite his insistence that I should be following his time schedule instead of my own.

“And I am telling you to keep watching! You are of much more use to me staying right where you are. When the time is right, we will make our play for the Sky Lord. My scientists have already begun working to further develop Project Emerald, but they need access to the subject in question to confirm their theories. Once the new Champion has been crowned, we will have carte blanche to do as we please without interference, and you will be richly rewarded for your contributions.”

“…”

“You speak of a new development?”

“…” 

“How did those backward neanderthals find out about the revivification machine?”

“…”

“Your daughter’s half-brother? It figures that those arrogant fools wouldn’t find out about this on their own. This is of no consequence to our plans and just one of Devon Corporation’s many side projects. We have already contracted one of the cinnabar scientists who had been working on the project. The only thing you have to worry about is finding a means of acquiring a certain matching set of jewelry for my son.  If you manage to do so a certain bank account will find itself with a nice little bonus for a job well done. Now, don’t call me again unless it’s an emergency.”

As I hung up on my gullible insider, I couldn’t help but harken thoughts on project revival’s newest lead scientist. He wasn’t anywhere near as brilliant as the savant I was actually hoping to recruit but as a person who had been present during the conception process. He would be sufficient for our purposes. 

‘The head scientist Dr, Fuji… his genius knows no equal. The lab on cinnabar is just a front to distract third parties from the actual scientific breakthroughs that are being made on New Island. If only one of our operatives could infiltrate that place. Damn you, Giovanni!’

It was at this moment that my personal secretary Kennedy walked into the room.

“Mr. Stone, Sir? Your inquiry regarding the origins of the boy’s mysterious Pokémon have finally come back with a positive match.”

It had taken the PI so long to complete their given task that I had almost nearly forgotten this little obstacle. 

“Have the person in charge of this investigation barred from our contact list after this. It shouldn’t take a prospective employee of Devon Corporation this long to fulfill a simple request.”

“Right away sir, should I leave the pertinent information on your desk for review?”

“Just give it here! There’s no reason to waste any more of my time.”

Having taken a clear picture of the target, we cross-referenced our findings with any of the publicly available data within the four-region alliance without results. The target’s trainer seemed to have recently come back from the Unova region and there we found what we were looking for. Acquiring the data itself had come with a surprising amount of difficulty since Juniper labs had recently taken it upon themselves to hoard and further restrict any such knowledge. To get our hands on said information we had to operate within the dark areas of the law. The books referring to our target were hidden behind red tape within the lab’s library. Which could be considered open to the public seeing as the Juniper laboratory is open to the public during office hours.

‘The PI traveled all the way to Unova… perhaps the man does have a future working for the company.’

Even with photocopies of the tomes in hand these were the only excerpts I could uncover.

This Pokémon is referred to as the Victory Pokémon Victini. According to legend its chosen trainers always win no matter which objective they put their efforts towards. Victini’s body produces a special form of limitless energy, which it shares with those who touch it. The ancient Unovan people who believed the legends of Victini's power waged entire wars to get their hands on it.

‘Limitless energy? This could change everything! We would no longer have to rely on the Infinity energy harvested from the bodies of our employees’ Pokémon partners to power some of our more ambitious projects, my grandfather’s dream will finally be realized!’

“Kennedy! Bring me our “off the book” contact files, I need to make some personal calls.”

“Right away, Sir!”

‘Always being victorious? What a backwards superstition. Not a single Pokémon that I know of is able to influence fate. Seeing glimpses of the future certainly but none can work to change their own destiny, our studies have proven as much. We’ll try the soft approach first, see how pliable the boy becomes when facing an offer he can't refuse. Trainers are always in need of extra resources to avoid becoming actual productive members of society.’

Kennedy came back carrying a black book that is only to be brought out for pressing matters.  Contained within are those who have proven themselves useful in the past but whose services would paint a dark image of our company if their connection to me was ever brought to light. 

Kennedy swiftly excused himself so as to avoid becoming an accessory by overhearing the various calls I had to make. Flipping the black book open my finger traced across the multiple rows of names until they landed on a particular well-known personage. 

‘J, that woman would surely get the job done but her greed knows no bounds. She will acquire her main target in addition to any other Pokémon that looks even remotely valuable. Loyalty is just a word to her after acquiring Victini she would surely put it up for auction. Her arrival in Hoenn would cause too much chaos, something I can’t have when Steven’s ascension to the Champion’s throne is so close at hand. That leaves me with…’