Searching Far and Wide - 129

Teams:

Pierce Lawson:

- Narcissa, Beedrill

- Orion, Onix

- Cygnus, Kadabra

- Bellatrix, Gyarados (Shiny)

- Andromeda, Vaporeon

- Regulus, Meowth

Lillian Dale:

- Root, Ivysaur

- Talon, Spearow

- Gem, Geodude

- Star, Cleffa

- Cinder, Vulpix

Vermilion City XXII

“I don’t want to be that guy, Reggie, I really don’t,” Pierce said, his voice belying that he really did want to be that guy. Evidently, his pokemon realized, because the meowth gave him a baleful look. That did nothing to stop him though. “But I told you so.”

The response he got was somewhere between an angry hiss and a scoff.

“If you don’t wanna lose, then train more,” Pierce continued with a shrug. “I mean, even Narcissa loses battles here and there. Don’t act all pissy about a loss if you are just half-assing your training,” he told his Normal type. Although, calling what Reggie did “half-assing” was a bit of an exaggeration. He trained plenty, just nowhere near as much as the rest of his team, and Pierce felt it was a bit insulting to those that the meowth was complaining so much about a loss from the previous day.

Not even his most proud pokemon did that, unless it had been a particularly bad loss.

All the same, Regulus hissed something half-heartedly at him that sounded like his meowth making up excuses and generally being a sore loser. Now, he’d have paid attention to his pokemon anyway, but something off to the side caught Pierce’s attention. It was also very much on purpose, he knew, because Andromeda came out of the ground entirely too close considering where she’d been training before.

The vaporeon landed gracefully, sitting down and yipping happily at him. She almost reminded him of Star or Bellatrix a little bit. Not that he blamed her though. Considering how much trouble she’d had with Dig, she had all the reasons to be proud of finally getting the hang of the move. Sure, it wasn’t perfectly battle-ready, but it was usable. She’d finish smoothing over the rough edges soon enough.

“Good job, girl,” he praised, beaming at the water type. “I’ll add a little extra for you when we have lunch, alright?” he added. Andromeda replied to that with a happy yip before pausing. Raising his eyebrows, he saw the vaporeon trod her way over to him and tap his cast. “I can still make a few extra pokeblocks. Or do you want some poffins?”

Andromeda’s response came with a barely felt bite on his wrist.

“Come on, let me spoil you, yeah? You’ve been working on Dig since forever ago and you’re happy. Let’s celeb-” he got another bite before he even finished saying that, which made him sigh. “Fine, maybe we can get some food from the sanctuary staff,” he commented, which made him feel a little glad that most of their staff was probationary. It meant that everyone wanted him to be happy with them.

Not that he’d turn someone away just because they didn’t try to please him with stuff like that, but it came in handy. Especially since his arm didn’t let him do a lot of things and having people eager to help him out was very nice. He still couldn’t wait to be in good health completely once more. Having someone spoil his pokemon in his place just wasn’t the same. That and the snacks other people made weren’t the same as his, according to the pokemon.

“That better?” he asked when his vaporeon considered that and then nodded imperiously. “Glad to know, your majesty,” he added. Andromeda seemed to be pleased to hear that though, even with how obviously dry his voice was. Pierce just rolled his eyes at her. Then he noticed Regulus was still next to him, by then staring and all but pouting. “What?” 

All he got was a whiny meow.

“You’ll get treats if you need them, which means if you’re feeling down or if you deserve a reward,” he explained with a roll of his eyes. “Being lazy and then complaining about it gets you nothing,” he added when he got a very pitiful whine as a response. “If you don’t want to fight, that’s fine. But if you want to fight and win without making an effort, then I have bad news for you, buddy.”

That seemed to be the tipping point, because Regulus huffed and turned to walk away from him. Pierce followed him for a moment before trading a look with Andromeda. The vaporeon then nodded, yipped something and went to follow after the Normal type. She was reliable like that, after all. She was good at keeping an eye on pokemon when he wasn’t around.

‘She’s not called Watcher for no reason, I guess,’ he mused to himself, sighing.

It wasn’t nice to have to be strict with his pokemon, the same way it wasn’t nice to be the responsible one when a child was throwing a tantrum. He felt pretty awful, actually, but it was what needed to be done. If he coddled Regulus, then he’d just get worse, especially since the level of difficulty would just grow harder. If he started having trouble keeping up then and there, then what’d it be like for him when Pierce and the rest of the team hit eighth-badge level?

“Fighter-Enjoyer will have to learn,” Cygnus said mercilessly in his mind. Not that Pierce disagreed, but it didn’t help him feel any better. “He’s a Fighter. He’ll be fine,” the kadabra added and he wondered about that. Ultimately though, he decided to trust the Psychic type on that and see how things went.

‘Anything I should check on?’ he asked, massaging his eyelids wearily. It was morning and he was already exhausted.

“We are fine for now, Protector-Voice,” Cygnus answered, his voice coming out soft by his standards. “Rest is important for recovery.”

‘You’re not wrong about that. I’ll be reading for a bit,’ he replied, nodding to himself, taking a deep breath in and then pulling out one of his books.

[}-o-{]

“Thanks, Karl, Tonia, Dawn,” he said, feeling a little awkward at having to address someone with that name in the pokemon world that wasn’t the one from the actual series. Maybe he’d get used to it though, but it was still… something. “I know you guys must be busy,” he added, watching everyone working in the improvised kitchen tent in the sanctuary.

The hotel building needed to be fixed up, after all, so it’d be a bit before they could have a proper kitchen… and proper facilities in general, really. It was all a little haphazardly thrown together at the moment, between tents and open spaces, but it worked. Pierce couldn’t ask for much more than that. Later down the line, maybe, but not then and there, when there was so much to get done and only so little time at hand to actually do all of it.

“No worries, Mr. Lawson,” Tonia replied, all smiles. He’d watched her work and she was pretty good at her job. She also seemed generally… very nice and that was something he kind of wanted for his place. Not that kitchen staff would interact with pokemon much, but it was always a plus in Pierce’s books if someone had a good personality. Would make the general atmosphere better, or so he thought.

A genius of business, he was not though, so maybe he was completely missing the mark.

Andromeda seemed to like her poffins, at the very least, and that was another point in favor of the woman. Pierce made a mental note to try and remember to add that to her profile when it came time to decide who stayed and who didn’t. He’d also watched everyone else at work too and made similar observations to consider later on though. He really didn’t want to give preferential treatment to those that did off-duty stuff for him, after all.

“Come on,” he said then, grinning at Andromeda and patting her head. “We’re getting in the way here,” he added only half-joking. There wasn’t that much space and while nobody had complained, he’d had to make way a few times while he waited for the poffins for his vaporeon and other snacks for everyone else. “Keep up the good work, everyone!” he called as he moved away, getting varied answers, most of which he only half-heard.

Leaving the tent, he moved towards the wharf where the pokemon were already gathering for lunch. Bellatrix stood out like a sore thumb, not only because she was the only red gyarados, but also because she wasn’t at the very end of the wharf. Instead, she was off to the side next to the shore. Uncomfortable, he imagined, but she’d been the one to insist to be there. Apparently, she wanted to have lunch away from the school, so Pierce would be checking on those latter ones afterwards.

“Hey, everyone. How’re things over here?” he asked, chuckling when Narcissa dashed around him and latched onto his back. “Missed me?” he joked, getting a tighter hug in response. “Missed you too,” he replied, reaching up to pet one of her stingers. With a deep breath in, he regarded his team as he usually did, as a way to sort of… remind himself that it was all real and that he really was that lucky to have them all. “Now, let’s eat,” he said with a grin that only widened when he saw the excitement on his team’s… Well, not expressions, for the most part, but certainly on their demeanor.

Narcissa refused to let go of him though, so he had to hand-feed her. Fortunately, she didn’t do that much, especially those days with his condition, but she still felt a little clingy at times. Pierce didn’t mind. She’d been his first pokemon and he was kind of especially attached to her because of that. He was actually missing the days when they could do that kind of silly thing more. As it was, those days, he couldn’t even walk around with her for any significant amount of time without the imbalance affecting his arm.

He couldn’t wait for his bones to heal completely.

“Hope you guys liked it,” Pierce said once all the snacks and food had disappeared. “I’ll tell the cooks that you loved it, Bella,” he added with a chuckle, watching the sea noodle wiggle happily in the shallow water of the beach. “You wanna go for a swim?” he asked, and he’d meant if she wanted to enjoy open water for a bit, planning to go check on the school himself.

Evidently, his gyarados understood that as him asking to go swim around with her, judging by how excited she got. Not only that, but she started gesturing for him to follow her… Which he couldn’t do, for obvious reasons. He didn’t have the heart to explain things to her though, so in the end he rode on her back instead.

He got to check on the school anyway though, with several of them swimming up to them.

Things were mostly calm though, by the looks of things. The school was very much enjoying having some more freedom on that beach. Not that they should be more free, since they weren’t supposed to be able to swim more than they had on Vermillion’s beach where they’d been before. There was paperwork that needed to be finalized for them to be able to swim more freely, but nobody wanted to push the patience of the school, so people were kind of looking the other way so long as nothing happened.

Between that and some of the most reasonable pokemon keeping things under control, he wasn’t too worried. He’d have included reliable staff there, but he felt it was a little early to say that about them. He had high hopes though, but that was about all that he allowed himself to have.

“Thanks for keeping an eye on things for me, Boss,” he said, getting a preen-like motion and a pleased growl from the big gyarados. “And I hear you’ve been helping him?” he asked, turning towards the sharpedo on the side. The shark pokemon tried to appear indifferent, but he was definitely happy. Pierce could tell. “Good work. I’ll talk with the staff and make sure you get extra good snacks. Let me know if you want anything else too. Things need to be especially calm for the time being, so please do your best, all of you.”

He was happy to hear the affirmative, enthusiastic responses.

He could only hope things would stay calm.

[}-o-{]

“I like it,” he commented, a slight grin forming on his face. “And not only because of how it makes your legs look even better than they already do.”

“Flatterer,” Daisy said, but her smile betrayed the fact that she was pleased. “I guess I can get it,” she added, turning and looking at herself in the mirror. “You’re not just saying that, right?”

“Anything looks good on you, but I do like it,” he answered and he watched her nod.

They’d been hopping from shop to shop for a good hour by then, but he wasn’t particularly bothered. Sure, clothes shopping was boring as all get out, but Daisy was wonderful to look at even without the many outfit changes. Pierce didn’t mind the excuse to ogle her one bit, that was for sure. Neither did she, considering he hadn’t been trying to be subtle about it at all and she literally started posing for him whenever she caught him.

“We should look for stuff for you,” Daisy said then and the ease he’d felt so far faltered, almost replaced with the opposite. Shopping for clothes would be kind of awkward for him, not only because he didn’t really enjoy that kind of thing much, but also because of his cast and all. Granted, the thing wasn’t as cumbersome as those he’d seen in his old world, but it still made him incredibly grateful for the fact that most of his clothes were loose-fitting. “We can keep it to pants and shoes,” she added softly, likely realizing the issue.

Even then, he’d have to put the stuff on with only one properly working arm.

“Sure,” was his answer anyway. He could soldier through at least one store before his arm started really bothering him. Although, he’d rather try one piece and then get a break before the next. Yeah, that sounded like a much better idea. “Do you mind if I try only one or two things and then take a break before the next?”

“Not at all,” Daisy replied with a beaming smile. “If you don’t want to, that’s fine too. Sorry, I got excited and-”

“It’s fine,” he interrupted when it seemed like she’d spiral a little there. He didn’t want her to feel bad or like she’d made a mistake. He didn’t mind the idea. It was just a little inconvenient. “If you don’t mind waiting, then I can try some stuff.”

“Pretty sure it’d be very hypocritical if I minded waiting,” Daisy pointed out with a grin. “But sure, let’s see what we can find for you, yeah?”

They spend about two more hours like that, just walking around, checking clothes stores and even walking around other stores. He even got himself some stuff, like pants and some books. Most everything else he didn’t have a lot of use for. Admittedly, there were some tempting trinkets and gadgets for traveling, but they seemed more gimmicky than anything. Neat to look at, but they’d probably occupy more space than the help they’d be was worth.

By the end of it, there was a very slight, dull ache in his arm and his feet were about to kill him too. So, they made their way to a nice cafe that had a spot in the mall and sat down to get something to drink and some snacks. All in all… Pierce was appreciating the time spent doing nothing too serious. It helped his fairly exhausted mind relax for a bit from all the training, studying, work and so on that he had to juggle those days.

If nothing else, he appreciated Daisy for giving him the excuse and the opportunity to relax.

“... We are all super excited for Misty, honestly,” the woman commented at one point, beaming in a way that confirmed her words. “Though, we will miss her,” she added, her expression falling a little. “None of us has really gone away from home since… since our parents. So, we are kind of proud that Misty’s the one to take that step first, but it also makes sense, you know?”

“Because she was younger?”

“Yeah, I don’t want to make it sound like she suffered less, but…” Daisy answered, adding the rest quickly as afraid he’d judge her. He wouldn’t, certainly not with that. He knew a thing or two about losing one’s family, if admittedly in a very different way. If that taught him anything though, it was that grief hit everyone differently. “The point is that we’re happy for her,” Daisy finished with in the end, stirring the contents of her cup absentmindedly.

“Is this the part where you ask me to take care of her?” Pierce asked, a slight smile on his face. It’d be a little complicated considering he planned on traveling around, but he’d probably check in on the sanctuary often. Besides, even if Misty wasn’t his girlfriend’s sister, she’d still be a friend of his. He wanted to make sure she was having a good time, especially considering she seemed to be dealing with some stuff.

“Nah,” Daisy answered, making him blink. “I know you’ll do that anyway,” she added with a wide smile that he returned with a grin of his own. “From what we hear, things are going smoothly so far, right?” she asked then and he nodded.

Sure, work talk wasn’t precisely the relaxing time he’d have preferred, but Daisy managed to make even that feel a little less taxing. And besides, they had more time left in their date to make up for that afterwards anyway. Speaking of, maybe he should start thinking about where they’d go next.

Because he’d had enough clothes shopping for the moment and he’d rather not go back to that right after their little break.

[}-o-{]

“So, things were fine?” he asked, wondering if his parents had ever felt like that when they came back from trips to ask how he’d been. That analogy didn’t make him feel very good though. ‘I’m not acting like a parent, right?’

“You are, Protector-Voice.”

‘You shut up,’ he ordered, glaring at his kadabra when he felt amusement through their connection.

“Some gyarados got a little fussy, but other than that, it was fine,” Misty told him, smiling and looking very relaxed. That helped Pierce feel a little more clam himself. “Boss and that sharpedo you mentioned helped plenty. And I got them to practice some dancing. They really burn a lot of energy that way, huh?”

“Yeah, kinda like boxing with a punching bag or screaming into a pillow, they can release plenty of pent up emotion that way,” he explained, running his fingers through his hair. “Ok, good to know. Guess I worried for nothing,” he commented, a half-smile on his face.

“Hm, maybe don’t be absent too much though,” Misty suggested, looking a little unsure. Pierce wondered if that was because she wasn’t certain of what she was saying, or because she wasn’t certain she should be suggesting things to him. If it was the latter, he’d have to address that, because if she was going to be his right hand woman in the sanctuary, then he needed her to do stuff like that. “I’d guess the chances of them growing more restless tomorrow are good.” Well, at least she powered through her uncertainty, so that was good.

“You’re probably not wrong about that,” he acknowledged, taking a deep breath in and then letting it out. “Good thing we’ll be around tomorrow,” he added with a grin. “Now, I’m stopping you from doing stuff, aren’t I? Go. We both have plenty of long days in the future,” he told her, taking her shoulder with his good hand and giving her a soft push.

“I’m not going to argue with that,” she commented with a giggle. “See you later, Pierce.”

“Later,” he called behind her.

And so, he was left alone, glancing towards the sea. The beach looked very different without any pokemon around. In the future, once things were more properly set up, there probably would be a few here and there, while the rest would be sleeping underwater. As it was, they were all in their pokeballs for the night. It just wasn’t worth it to keep them out and having to set up a watch schedule. Especially because Pierce couldn’t be available day and night.

So, while less than ideal, they had to do that. Good thing most of those pokemon had similar sleep schedules anyway, so the fact that they had to spend time in pokeballs wasn’t as much of an issue as it could otherwise be. It also helped that Pierce made sure to be there whenever they were released, so that they could be that little bit more at ease.

With any luck, fixing everything that needed to be fixed and getting all the cogs in place would make things better for the pokemon. Otherwise, Pierce might need to arrange to visit them every day or every other day. That wouldn’t be a chore per se, but it would certainly make things complicated at some point, he was sure. ‘One thing at a time, Pierce,’ he told himself, taking a deep breath in and then sighing.

“That’s a good approach,” Cygnus commented and Pierce nodded, leaning down to pet Andromeda before starting to walk away from the beach and the sanctuary. “Time to rest? You’re very tired.”

He almost wanted to tell his kadabra to blame Daisy, but he kept that to himself. Instead, he rubbed the back of his neck and pondered that. It wasn’t late enough to just call it a day, nor early enough for a nap. So, he guessed he’d just have to power through for a bit, grab an early dinner and then call it a day. ‘Yeah, that sounds like a plan,’ he decided wearily.

“Later, maybe,” he replied out loud. “For now, let’s go for a walk, yeah? Then we can just lounge for a bit before dinner,” he commented and both Cygnus and Andromeda seemed to agree with that.

He needed to look over more stuff for Grace anyway, but that could wait a little bit longer. Pierce would be able to get that done in about an hour or two, so he’d wait a little bit. Maybe he’d grab a coffee while he walked to wake himself up some. That’d probably help, he imagined. And if it didn’t, then… Well, if he went to sleep early, chances were that he’d wake up early enough to finish whatever he couldn’t get done then and there.

His train of thought was interrupted though, when Andromeda yipped at him. He turned from the general direction of Vermillion, barely in sight, towards his vaporeon. With another yip, she pointed off to the side with her nose. Following the gesture, Pierce saw a bellsprout. With a chuckle, he sent a mental request to Cygnus, who complied with a roll of his eyes.

“Hey, little guy,” he greeted, approaching the Grass type with a pokeblock in hand. “Got lost?” he asked, a little amused at the way the pokemon suddenly stiffened. “Need any help?” he added softly as he crouched down and offered the snack. “Want some food? We can also help you get back to wherever you need to go if you want to.”

Well, it wasn’t the walk he’d planned on going for, but it was a way to distract himself all the same, so Pierce would take it.

Who knew? Maybe he could get acquainted with the pokemon around the sanctuary. ‘Actually, I should really do that, shouldn’t I?’ he wondered idly, before taking a deep breath in. ‘Remind me of that, Cygnus.’

“Will do, Protector-Voice.”

He really wasn’t going to get any rest anytime soon, was he?

“Unlikely.”

‘Shut up.’

[} Chapter End {]

Hey guys! How’s it going?

Some more day to day in the life of Pierce while the sanctuary takes shape and things develop. It’s not a thrilling story arc, but I’m enjoying it myself. I’ve said it before, I like management games and this is scratching a similar itch.

With that said though, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter too.

Discord Link: discord.gg/UTDransjJZ

Random Question: Do you like shopping for clothes? I generally do, but I find shopping for pants kind of annoying, since I gotta take off my sneakers, then put them back on and so on. It’s a bit bothersome.

See you.