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►CHAPTER EMPORIUM

    It was noon, and I was running in the rain in my navy coat, having Pikachu ducked between buttons, trying to spare him from the storm as the wind blew harshly. Would the spring showers ever let up? Didn't matter, I wasn't going to be in town for a while. I had my bag slouched onto the side of my shoulder, falling slightly with every step, better fix that! I was in a rush, and I was not going to let my tickets go to waste! I ran up the hill, eventually stopping by a tree, having to catch up with my breath. Hey, at least I made it to the edge of town!

    I read the sign across from me:

YOU ARE LEAVING PALLET TOWN…

    Never have I ever wanted to see that sign more than at that moment, because over the past several days, I rarely got the chance to say goodbye to my small, boring little town, only having visitors pass by whenever they could. My friends, they were all too busy, and I was stuck in my bedroom, rotting in bed as my wounds took too long to heal. Days, soon months passed, so much time flew right out the window, time I can never earn back. Sure, during the days nearing full recovery I was allowed to visit out of town, occasionally, but only within walking distance. All I wanted more than anything was to run.

    Thankfully, I got that chance, that small, slim chance to do it. 

    Just a few days ago, I was in my room, watching the grey clouds slowly roll by as the sun tried its best to pierce through them while it still could. Rainbows were temporary, and they brought me great joy over the past few weeks. It reminded me of the first day I traveled about, back when I met Pikachu. I was very hopeful, waiting for the call to adventure again. At the time, I barely got the doctor's note saying that my leg would be all fine, and soon enough I would be good for travel.

    I heard a knock on the door, so I walked down the stairs to answer it. To my surprise, it was Professor Oak! He carried a blue binder with himself, and he asked if he could come in, which of course I let him enter! I made coffee for the both of us as he sat by the couch, wanting to discuss some things with me since my house happened to be on the way to his laboratory. I told him about the leg, and his face lit up when I told him it was fine! Fully recovered even. I was going to ask him about work, how was his grandson doing, but he was already about to get on that topic before I could bring it up!

    He had an offer from the Blawsth region, and he brought some notes along as well, all written by his grandson, Gary. Gary threaded along the case carefully whenever he could; he got multiple offers himself around different regions, but this one was different. He quickly realized that he'd have to visit the region for more answers as he was only piling more and more questions for himself. He soon dropped the case, leaving all the notes to his grandad if he felt so inclined to research more on the topic. Gary decided to take a job on Mt. Silver instead; his loss.

    Sitting on the couch, reading through those papers while drinking my (heavily creamed) coffee, I felt like a detective! There were various reports over the years about spotting some mysterious Pokémon not native to Blawsth, with one in particular popping up every three decades or so, with the furthest claims taking place about two hundred and a half years ago. There was even an illustration attached, a police sketch Gary had linked to the descriptions matching the report: loosely gliding, dripping black with ink, thought to be a man at first, wielding a massive claw, and a hood. There were other drawings collected of more pokémon, but this seemed to be the one researchers were the most interested in, as now would be the time it'd appear again. All the data came from diary entries, news clippings, battle anecdotes and old folklore. I gotta say, I was very impressed with Gary's work, but he still owed me twenty bucks from the last time he visited me.

    So, where did I fall into the picture? Well, apparently one of the last things he mentioned to the Professor was that maybe I'd be interested, that ordeal was best suited for me. According to him, I had a knack with mingling myself perfectly into these sorts of situations, that pokémon were naturally attracted to me, so most likely if anybody was going to find more info on this, it'd be me. He also mentioned to the Professor that my leg would be fully healed by now (he was right!), so, it would've been best to check on me and send me off to a good adventure! Well, I was truly flattered! Now all I had to do was to go to the scene of the crime, it was perfect! There was even a league starting soon, all this has my name written on it!

    The Professor presented me with two plane tickets: one for me and one for Pikachu. He said the plane was reserved for a week from then, that there would be a group of researchers from Mahtverin City's Institute of Foreign Studies waiting for me outside the airport. From there, they would show me around, then start instructing me. I was so psyched at first, but then, he mentioned that he was going to have to check with my Mom first, then, I started my doubts. We heard keys jingle from outside, and a click from the door handle. Mom came back from grocery shopping, and of course, after greeting us, she asked what were all those files lying about on the coffee table doing? Once Oak brought up that he had exciting news for me, she had him go outside with her for a quick conversation.

    I knew the end to this story, slumped against the chair as I heard a loud "No way," from a distance. I sighed, grabbed my coffee, and took another sip. I glanced over the table, thinking: I saw all I needed to see, and heard mostly everything. The tickets laid on the coffee table, left on top of the binder, research papers scattered right next to the TV remote and Oak's own cup of joe near the corner. Those two tickets, inscribed for Whabick City in the Blawsth region, were set for later in the evening, only a week from then…

    "Pika-pi…" Pikachu said, looking up at me as we looked back at the rest of the town. He called me out the same way when I looked at that table, as I sipped my coffee and placed my mug back down. I sat up as my hand quickly shifted across the right, and I decided to take the opportunity to tidy the counter a little, while also placing those two tickets into my pocket. My Mom and Oak came back as I closed the binder and sat back down to take another sip of my coffee (mocha is great!).

    They thanked me for tidying up, then they informed me that I wouldn't be going too soon, and I was alright with it, smiling and trying to act respectful about it all…I wondered if Oak was going senile–he never bothered to call Mom to ask if she saw the tickets? Maybe it was just all the work he'd caught himself in recently that made him forget to catch himself up to remember small details like that, but hey! I shouldn't worry about it, that's all in the past now.

    I looked back at Pikachu as the rain seemed to have lightened slightly. "Cheer up, buddy!" I said. "You were getting pretty bored of that place too, huh?" He couldn't disagree on that–the only time he had an opportunity for an adventure was whenever we'd travel around town, mingling with the local pokémon, sometimes visiting the lab to see my own, but he hadn't been able to do that recently, all thanks to the rain.

    Now this, this was a breath of fresh air! I was relieved by the sudden excess of wind, the single thunderstrike…it took me back. No time for chit-chat though as we had a plane to catch! Jeez, I remembered the first time I traveled to Viridian City on my own, back then it'd take me a whole day, but now I could get there in under an hour, if I really focused! Trotting along, I could spot the lights, and soon we were basking in it, alongside people and their Pokémon with umbrellas and raincoats of their own, some coming back from work, others barely starting their journeys. I could get busy, and speak of the Gengar! A gym leader with a ginger bob caught my eye, and I got her attention as she noticed my reflection off the window of an office building. She turned around, a bit shocked (who wouldn't be?) and called my name.

    "Ash! Is that you?" She ran up, with a salmon umbrella in her hand. She wore a sea-green hood over a black full body swim suit.

    "Oh, hey, Misty! It's been ages, huh? What are you doing around here?"

    "Oh, the gym is getting its reservoir system fixed, they found a leak yesterday." She went to hold onto Pikachu for a bit, petting him. "I was planning on visiting you after the weather clears up tomorrow, which makes me want to ask the same question!" She lifted a brow, observing. "Is your leg alright now?"

    "Yeah!" Well, it should've been. I leaned against a lampost. "I got a plane to catch!"

    "Already? Hm, maybe I should reserve a vacation for myself too, Kanto's getting a little boring…" She shrugged. "Where are you heading anyways?"

    "Blawsth. It's on the other side of the world," I grinned slyly.

    "Blah–whats? How do you pronounce that? Did you gain an extra brain cell while you were gone?"

    "Well, maybe!"

    "Pika-pi…" Pikachu tilted an ear.

    I ruffled his fur a little. "And me and Pikachu are going to be ace detectives, huh buddy?"

    "Detectives?"

    "Oak sent me."

    She grinned, probably planning on chastising me on it. "And he didn't send you a guide? I heard those sorts of regions are a little rough around the language…"

    "Oh, we don't need one! He completely trusts us on this one, one hundred percent!" I pledged.

    "Well, good luck on that…" She tagged alongside me as we went to the airport. We were discussing some stuff and apparently she had a boyfriend since she last visited? Didn't matter anymore, some Johto trainer went up to challenge her while on a date and it completely messed up their relationship for good. Really messy stuff, I wasn't sure why most people bothered to go through with it. As for me, well, we all know the story by now.

    She looked a bit forlorn though, I almost felt bad about leaving so soon…I wrapped my arms behind my neck as we reached the building. "So this is it, huh?" I said. Attendants were preparing the only plane to the Blawsth region. It was mostly a silent night, amongst the beeping from the scanners and carts being pulled of course.

    Misty stood there as I was ready to be inspected. "Take care!" she waved, eventually walking back to the entrance.

    "Yeah, you too!" My bag was fully checked–of course I didn't bring anything weird with me! Pockets too, and I was wondering how much longer did the officer plan on waving that scanner around?

    He finally put it away as he gave a thumbs up. "You're both ready for take off, sir!"

    I went up the stairs into the large vehicle, trying to look for my seat near the center-back, and I sat all alone by the window, with Pikachu taking his own next to me. I removed my coat and cap, and checked my ticket one last time, as Pikachu looked as uncertain as ever. I thought about the route again: Whabick, a city near the ocean, was the destination, and from there I should take the flat route to Mahtverin City for more instructions. Seemed simple enough, for me at least–at least I thought so…

    I was going on the plane with a few businessmen, an elderly couple and their Arcanine. Other than that, it was a mostly empty ride. I wondered what Blawsth had in store for me?

    I remembered that I ate about two meals in between the waiting time: one in the dark and another in the morning. Other than that, I mostly napped alongside Pikachu. I opened my eyes, rubbing the crust out of them once I heard the pilot through the speaker say, "We are now landing in Blawsth. Please remember to check for any stray belongings before leaving, don't push and run–walk out one by one. We hope you'll ride with us again."

    I stretched before waking Pikachu up, scratching behind his ears until he yawned and ran onto my shoulder. I quickly went through my bag and put my hoodie and gloves on, then finally, my cap again. I got my backpack over my shoulders and started trekking. To where, I didn't know…

    I looked around for any answers and I saw some odd pokémon, probably native to the region, walk by with their trainers. They were all so adorable! There was a tiny one with stubby little hooves and a long horn pointing out its forehead, and it reminded me of a Ponyta, then there was another one that slithered like an Ekans, but was shedding its bright red scales everywhere. It had two little fangs pointing out too, very cute! Then there was a weird bird-thing with patchy green feathers waddling about, but even then, it was the ugly sort of cute; a very funny looking fellow! I wanted to pet them all, but then I realized that outside the airport, I knew nothing, quite literally nothing about where I was dropped off to.

    As I walked about, trying to search for anything while at the same time trying desperately not to get distracted by the new world around me, I tried looking at the nearest sign again, but I couldn't understand anything I was reading. Misty was right: I was a goner without guidance. I tried asking the locals passing by the street, but they looked at me weirdly, and with their toughest accent, say, "We don't talk like that," leaving me astray. It seemed to me nobody here had seen a Pikachu either, they were saying something like "Pikachu pregi!" and "Wha benshon? Benshon denhaz en Pikachu, shi!" as they walked by. I couldn't tell if they were compliments or not.

    I tried the next best thing, and it was to look for a Pokémon Center instead. Just try looking for a massive "P" or pokéball, it's easy! Surely they must have had some sort of translator there, or maybe even a map! I didn't trust my sense of direction though, and neither did Pikachu–I could barely find my way around Viridian for that matter. The only thing we had as a guide at the moment were people pointing in different directions as we were on the same page when it came to what the words "Pokémon Center" meant. Even then, I swore I took a left there, right here, and another turn there…I laid down on the field of some park, with three kids deciding to run around me. One of them put his little fingers up by his head and started imitating the sounds Pikachu makes.

    "Pika-chu! " he chanted, chasing the other two around and around.

    Funny, I would have joined them if I could. I turned to look at my Pokémon, and he was not flattered nor thrilled in the slightest. I rubbed his fur. "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll probably know!" I said, referring to the kids. I got up to ask, "Hey, can you show me the Pokémon Center please?"

    They stopped running to look up at me. "There!" they said, pointing in opposite directions.

    "No, there!" said the one in a pink blouse.

    "Oh no, over there!" said the one in a green hoodie.

    "Clearly he meant the one right there!" said the one in a yellow shirt. Then, by the twist of the tongue, they started arguing in Blawsthian.

    "Hey, settle down!" I scolded. They all pretended that nothing happened, putting their arms behind their backs, with the yellow shirted one having a horrible attempt at whistling.

    "Trasschi! Sir…" said the one with the blouse.

    I sighed. "Look…" I said, calmly. "Can you please tell me what's the nearest one? The one closest to here?"

    "In a short time, there." the one in the hoodie pointed down the walkway of the park. "You just keep walking down, then you turn left to find it. But over there, there is a shortcut!" he said, pointing in his original stance. "If you go down there, find the store with berries outside, there will be a bakery right next to it. In between, there is a secret entrance! Just remember to take a left in there, okay? It should be the first building in front of the tunnel."

    "Mind repeating again? Or, how about you just take me over there?" I scratched my head.

    "Nah, too long. I'll…write it down!" He asked the bloused one for her notepad and pen and he gave a single sheet to me, with the directions being in his best handwriting possible. It was still legible, at least. "Don't get lost, it's a big city, sir!"

    "Yeah, I kinda got the message already. Thanks for the help though!" I smiled back. They all took turns petting Pikachu before I went off though. I looked back at him after leaving the park. "See, not so out of luck after all! We'll be back on track to Mahtverin City in no time!" Just as I was about to cross the street, a man in a navy beanie and black trench coat pushed us aside as he kept running. "Hey!" I shouted.

    I got up, and thankfully there were no injuries, this time around. Better not risk it while I was still in Blawsth, otherwise it would have been all for nothing…I felt how light my shoulder was…Did that guy take Pikachu!

    I started chasing after him. "Get back here!" I shouted.

    He got on a truck passing by, holding onto the ladder on the back door. He jumped up onto a windowsill, located in a nearby apartment and shot out a grappling hook from a metal band around his arm, launching himself up onto the roof. A Braivery was there waiting for him, and they flew far into a quick escape. I couldn't believe it, I didn't see Pikachu anywhere on that guy! A shiny black car with a Rapidash ornament beeped at me as I kept looking up, so I finally reached the sidewalk as it passed by. I looked around a little more, called his name too, but Pikachu was nowhere to be found. I decided to keep on track with what the hoodie kid said, just look for that shortcut and maybe I'd be able to file a report in the Center soon.

    It took a while, but I found a café on my way. Just off the distance, I could see the berries piled right outside the grocery store. I was so bummed out though, so I took a seat in the café's outdoor area and sat on a diamond patterned chair with golden legs, sighing.

    "I'm such a freaking idiot." I said, fully admitting my stupidity, though I was sure nobody would have gotten it. They all had their own friends, whether it'd be their colleagues, classmates, families or Pokémon. They had no time for a lonely Kanto boy like me, that's for sure. I buried my head into my arms, I should have never picked up those plane tickets.

    I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up, and a guy with bright red hair looked down at me, with a Drifloon by his side. What was he waiting for?

    "…You lost your Pikachu?" he asked, with a slight accent.

    I couldn't believe it, somebody that actually spoke something other than Blawsthian! I got up from my chair, making him flinch a bit as he held onto the strap of his bag tight. "How did you know?"

    "Eh…Word on the street is that there's an outsider around here, probably a trainer, with a Pikachu?"

    I grinned. "Will you help me find him?"

    He had a sly smile. "Well, I can't, ‘cause my friends already found him!"

    "They did! Where are they?"

    "By the gates, but he's a bit busted though. He was fighting a Kecleon, or whatever the heck it was. You probably don't know where that is, but it's okay, we were planning on meeting by the Pokémon Center anyways, I'm just here to go get some bread."

    "Bread?" I hadn't eaten anything since the morning! "Do you mind if I–?"

    "Hm, well, not at all. You look lost yourself–sorry you don't understand anything…Barely anyone here bothers to learn anything other than Blawsth. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it, eventually." We started walking down the street–now this was perfect! All I had to do was to stick with this guy and nothing would go wrong!

    I then realized that I never got around to properly greeting myself. "I'm Ash, by the way!" I informed him.

    "Cool, I'm Jacob. But you can call me Jake for short."

    "Now that's a cool name!" Everything about this guy screamed cool! The piercings were asymmetrical around his ears; he even had two around his brow! The clothing he wore too–was it punk? Gothic? I couldn't care less, but he looked so awesome in them, like he was from a band or something? And his boots were those expensive industrial kinds you only see on the top shelf at some stores, and I couldn't care less of a crap about fashion!

    Alright, enough gawking, I needed to ask some serious questions! "So, you know Blawsth, right? What does 'Pregi benshon denhaz' mean?"

    He tried hiding his laughter. "Well, the first word is cool, benshon is a young guy, and denhaz is an outsider…So from what I've gather, I think you were supposed to say, 'Benshon pregihaz, to benshon denhaz, ey?' which means 'The pretty boy is a filthy outsider'!" The what? "I mean, I'd argue that they were talking about a completely different guy–"

    "Hey…not cool…" I was voted on Kanto Beatz' Top 20 Hottest Trainers of the damn season, as a nominee! Last year! Nevermind, maybe I didn't want to know this dumb language.

    "Sorry, man, but that was the atmosphere I got from walking around. Anyways, what would you like to order?" He opened the door as a small bell rang.

    In glass displays were pastries and cakes galore! Thankfully I didn't need any signs to tell me what I was seeing. Wienerbrod or cinnamon rolls, strudels or pecha twists? I couldn't decide…Jacob was already at the front desk, speaking in his native language as he turned around to my left.

    "Eh, say, what do you want?" he asked.

    "Um, I want this and some cookies!" I said, pointing at the wienerbrod.

    "Alright, med mi weinburt en galchen!" He handed the money.

    "Ah, mi grati!" said the cashier, taking the dollar and change. He went behind the display and got our orders, apparently the punk ordered some assorted donuts? The cashier put it all into a brown paper bag. "Flosev kiru."

    "Grati." He walked back to me, "Here you go!" he said, offering the bag.

    "Woah, um, mi grati! " I thanked (I hoped).

    "Hey, you're learning quick! Yeah, you should have no problems adjusting here. Let's go!" We walked outside and we headed down the alleyway that kid from earlier directed me to.

    His Drifloon was like a cloud, drifting by without much effort above his trainer. Jacob groomed his Pokémon well, with the white tufts on the head being shaped like a fluffy mohawk, how cool! The Drifloon leaned his tiny yellow hand towards the bag, making sure I saw.

    "Hey, what does Drifloon want?"

    "Oh, this guy? Get him the Plain Jane. That's the only flavor he likes for some reason–right, Looney?" He nodded back. I opened the bag and let his Pokémon grab a quick bite. It scared me how such thin, stringy arms have no problem picking up an object or children…He enjoyed his meal while Jacob asked a question, "So, where'd you get Pikachu from?"

    "Oh, we're both from Kanto!"

    "Kanto? As in near Johto and Sinnoh? That's pretty far, 'you travel often?"

    "Yeah. Do you?"

    "Pssh, no. I'm barely starting. In fact, I'm getting my license once we meet up."

    "Huh?" No license? "Just how old are you?"

    "Fifteen." At that height? He turned around, looking down at me. "Don't you Kanto kids get it around ten? I read it in a book once."

    "Yeah…Don't you?"

    "No sénior. But you? That's insane. How are you not dead yet?"

    Insane? And with all the things…Hey, how was I not dead? "You know what? I simply don't know."

    "Yikes, now that's Freaky McDeaky. You must have seen a bunch of scary stuff over the years, ey?"

    "Yeah, but ghost Pokémon are alright; if they weren't, I'd be running away from Drifloon at this very moment!" I couldn't believe it, that balloon was already done with the donut, with Jacob cleaning off some crumbs from his vest.

    "Yeah. Better get used to it though, ‘cause we're seeing a scary train soon."

    "Huh? Scary train?"

    "Ah-hah!" he answered. "There's an abandoned train up in the mountains and word on the street is that it's haunted."

    "Are you planning on catching only ghost Pokémon? You gotta start small, otherwise that's a lot of guys to handle. That and ghosts are tricky!"

    "Well, we're not going there to catch those Pokémon. You see Ash, we're going to play a game."

    "Game? What game? I love games!" I asked giddily.

    "We're playing the traditional Blawsth fortune-telling game, Uruk Babble. They say if you play once the sun fully sets and the other stars shine, your fortune will come true, just as long as you catch the Pokémon the light will guide."

    "Catch the Pokémon?"

    "Pokémon from another world."

    "Woah…" Pokémon from another world? This might've been the very thing Oak was talking about! It was affirmative, I had to stick by Jacob, no matter what! "Mind if I tag along?"

    "Sure, we can always use a fourth player." He nodded.

    After finally walking under the bridge, there it was! The Pokémon Center, in all its glory. Flowers above the window sills were being well kept by an Ivysaur and Wartortle, who waved back at us as we pushed the glass doors open. The last of the evening's light passed through the windows as the Nurse turned the lights on, shining the whole place with its tables and seats. Two people got out from one of those areas and bless my luck! I handed the bag back to Jacob as Pikachu ran up to me. I hugged him tight!

    "Pikachu!" I said. I swear that I was going to cry tears of joy. I looked down at him, whatever wounds that he had were already patched up, he looked good as new!

    He climbed onto my shoulder as one of the people, a blonde girl with braided pigtails, ran up to Jacob as she noticed the goods. "Oh, Jake! Quick, show me the bag!" she shuffled around. "Ey, you got an extra wienerbrod for me? You're cool, for once! And cookies too? Awesome!"

    Wait, another one that wouldn't speak Blawsthian? Didn't matter, those were my sweets, and she'd better not take a bite!     "Hey, that's mine!" I demanded, halting her arm before she could shove that wienerbrod down her mouth.

    She looked down at me (geez, I'd never make the cut…). "Oh, eh, whoops!" She stepped aside (as she should!), blushing in embarrassment.

    "Hey, you guys can still have the donuts…" Jacob reassured, showing the bag off.

    "Okay, nevermind, you're still cool!" She grabbed the pecha one with sprinkles.

    The other person, the tallest of the bunch, walked past by me to grab his own treat. "I know she's a handful, but I swear she has a heart of gold." he said.

    "Thanks for the reassurance…" I answered slyly.

    He shook my hand. "I'm Sam, and what you just saw over there was Miley. I'm sure Jakey-Boy already greeted himself towards you. You must have come from far away, ey?" Sam? That sounded like Oak's first name! Huh.

    "Yup! I'm Ash!" I greeted myself.

    Sam looked indistinguishable from a university professor, with his cream turtleneck and black coat, he even came with a neat stache! The only thing that would make me question his validity was the black bolero cap and small round shades he had to keep readjusting. Now, Miley on the other hand dressed almost like a doll (shame she couldn't stay still like one), wearing a light laced blouse mismatched with a deep purple jacket and cerulean sport shorts. Pikachu was gone from my shoulders again as she kept petting him over and over. He didn't electrocute her though, so I guessed I shouldn't let my guard up around her, for now…

    "Oh, yeah! Guys, I found a fourth player!" Jacob announced as we sat back down by the tables.

    "Ooh, so he's coming along with us?" Miley asked with Pikachu in her arms. "Sounds like fun, I'm in."

    "But it makes me ask, Ash, what are you here for?" Sam asked, adjusting his glasses a little.

    "Oh, me?" Did I need to tell them about the research stuff or did I need to keep that to myself? If they learned that I ran away from Kanto, they probably wouldn't trust me with anything…I guessed I'd only bring up the Institute if I had to. Training, however, was no secret! "I'm looking for the registration counter!"

    "So, you're signing up for the league?"

    "Yeah, he travels often, and Blawsth so happens to be on his list!" Jacob pointed out.

    "Oh, well that's absolutely brilliant!" Sam smiled. "Ash, you seem like a good guy. Do you mind helping another with a favor?"

    "Sure! What is it?"

    "You see, as a student from Mahtverin's Institute," He mentioned the school! "...Who's currently studying researchership, every first year is given a collaborative assignment by the start of spring. We have to gather data remotely, given to us by trainers of our choice and form a presentation based on observations and such. You get bonus points for any rare or undiscovered ones, but that's pretty much the gist of it. So, with that being said," He put his arms around Miley and Jake's shoulders, "I don't trust my two friends here to travel alone, so I hope that an experienced trainer like you can help!"

    "Absolutely! Where do I sign up?"

    He pointed towards the stray computer over at the right, "Well, over at that desk is for the league, but I can get you started with some Dexes they sell here! You can go fill it out in the meantime, I'm pretty sure they got it set in non-Blawsth."

    I ran up to the screen and jotted all my information down. I couldn't believe it, I was finally doing it, there should have been nothing to worry about! I ran back down to join the others. Jacob was busy getting his license and Sam already had the Dexes set on the table. "Alright, I'm done!" I cheered.

    "Well, somebody's pretty giddy…" Miley toyed around with her PokéDex. It was more compact compared to the models I was familiar with, just how did they expect us to fill out so much info on that thing?

    "Here you go, Ash," Sam said, handing one to me. "Don't lose it." It was complete with a camera up front, tiny buttons on the back, just under the screen, and a lanyard was also attached. There was a hatch, and there was a single button placed next to an adapter, but the screen stayed blank…

    "Sam, it won't turn on."

    "Ah, I forgot to tell you: You have to scan your license!"

    "Huh?" I pulled out my license again, setting it in front of the camera as the screen turned on. "…There we go!" I was greeted with illegible Blawsthian text again… "Um, Sam, how do I switch the language?" I handed it back to him.

    "Alright, see here?" He pressed the up button and went into the book icon. "Go to the farthest option down and press enter. Pick the first option right after."

    Simple enough! Now I could see the whole thing; I couldn't wait to test it out on the field! "Guys! Look who got their license!" Jacob announced, jumping over the fencing area and onto his seat with Looney quietly floating along.

    "And I thought you'd never get it! Here, grab this!" Miley launched the last Dex to him.

    "Sweet!" he caught it. "Ash, you ready to go to the mountains?"

    "Sure am," I answered, getting up. "Let's do this thing!"

    As we walked out, we came across those pokémon me and Pikachu saw earlier. I scanned my Pokédex at them and learned that they were starter pokémon! Awesome!

    We left Whabick as we took the off road of the flat route, 056. Trekking along, Sam decided to get a head start on the assignment and asked us to take some photos of some Poochyena lounging about, from a distance. Of course, the Dexes already came with preinstalled entries, giving out general information about the pokémon, but it also allowed us to put down additional notes and observations: from personal anecdotes, battle experiences, and a chart for graphing height, weight, power, and other data. It was restricted to just Pokémon in the Blawsth region, but it did allow you to register new pokémon for either personal or research purposes (I already registered Pikachu!). The camera was also a built in scanner that already collected more internal data for you, and there was also a radio built inside that lets you communicate to either colleagues or other trainers. There was also a gallery, and a collection of different sounds used to attract pokémon, as well as other stuff. I gotta say, the device was more handy than what I expected.

    Jacob, kneeling behind a boulder, took two more shots of a newborn Poochyena sleeping until he turned back to me. "You think I can catch that?" he whispered.

    "I think you should rethink it, it's just a baby. Even if it wasn't, the pack will totally be angry."

    "Aw, man…Hey, Sammy? How much longer do we have to do this? We got a train to catch, ey?"

    He leaned down, holding onto his hat. "Did you get every last one?"

    "Sure of it."

    "Well then, let's get going. I guess I can put off the assignment until tomorrow."

    "Swell. Hey, where's Miley?"

    "Eh? Miley?" We all got up, looking around until we heard footsteps running towards us!

    "Guys! I think I angered one of them!" She pushed me out of the way. "Run!" she shouted.

    Sam looked behind. "Shoot!" A Mightyena was chasing her, and now going after the rest of us alongside the pack. Sam couldn't help but take more pictures while running uphill. "Can you two try getting more shots?"

    "Heck no!" Jacob ran in front of me, failing to catch up to Miley and Sam's pace. Well, I was naturally the part of any disaster, and I was already here to collect data anyways; it was my duty.

    I got some wild shots as the pokémon snarled, with their drool flying all over the place. This was way better than the shots I got of one fighting against a small but strong Teddyursa over a nanab berry. I got some more of the newborn Poochyena as well as it woke up, joining the rest of the pack. Eventually, I had to run back to my gang as it nearly ran up to bite me (it was a close call, though!). I didn't think we'd escape easily from them, however. There were too many and we were about to run out of stamina; we had to fight eventually!

    "Miley, just what the heck did you do?" Jacob panted.

    "I was trying to get the Mightyena to turn my way, so I tried getting his attention with a rock. He found out where I was hiding and, well! The rest is history!"

    "Miley! That was the stupidest thing you could have ever done! You don't even have a Pokémon yet, how could you think–" He tripped over a rock and fell. I tried lifting him as I passed by. "Woah. Thanks, Ash!" he said, now trying to run alongside me.

    "No problem! But we gotta act quick; we can't keep running forever!"

    "He's right!" Sam shouted back, now with a Pokéball in his hands. "Ash, mind helping me handle this?"

    "No problem. You in, Jake?"

    "Huh?" Nearing a cliffside, we had to stop our tracks. "But I've never fought before–"

    "You won't know unless you try, plus it's a big pack out there!" The wild Pokémon snarled as they saw Pikachu getting ready to shock them. "Just follow my lead! Miley, stay behind!" She pulled out her Dex to photograph the entire thing…

    "Alright, let's go, Looney!"

    "You too, Noctowl!" Sam said, throwing his ball.

    "We'll work from that side while you guys work on the other!" I said, as to not harm their pokémon with Pikachu's attacks, and went after the Mightyena.

    "Got it." They nodded.

    "Pikachu, shock ‘em up!" Back to old habits, he jumped out of my left arm and landed in between the pack, electrocuting whatever surrounded him. He prepared an Iron Tail as he spun from his front paw, knocking down a few Poochyena already. It was a move we were working on before the incident, in case a situation like this ever happened, albeit it was on a much smaller scale than expected.

    Citing the other side, Noctowl worked alongside Drifloon to create a tornado! Combining the already pre-existing Gust from the balloon with the power of the owl's wings, they managed to suck a few Pokémon into the attack, trapping and launching the wild dogs out across the hill! Was Sam already experienced in this? I had to ask him later, because now we had a bigger hound to face.

    The Mightyena was still standing and managed to bite Pikachu's ear, who simply electrocuted it back. "Quick, Noctowl, get it!" Sam ordered. The bird, now flying vertically, slashed his wing against the dog's ribcage in the midst of our confrontation.

    Jacob got done with the other side, as Drifloon scared off the little guys. The balloon floated across to join us, but Mightyena ended up backing off with the rest of the pack, not wanting to face another attack. Sam and Jake fist bumped as Miley took the last shots she could of the pokémon. "That was intense! I can't wait to get my own Pokémon!"

    Pikachu climbed onto my shoulders as I asked, "Say, that reminds me, why don't you have one yet?" I was going to mention it while on the run, but I just never got the chance to.

    "Oh, y'see, I gotta ask Dad for that…" Miley put her arms around her back. "But you wouldn't want to see him either–he's very grumpy." she muttered.

    "Oh, well, maybe you'll get the chance once we play that game?"

    "Yeah, just up the ledge a little way back, you just gotta avoid the pack again, that's all!" Jacob reassured us.

    "In a bit, though. Our pokémon are a little rough after that battle," Sam said, scanning his Dex over Looney.

    "Be cautious…" it said. Sam scanned the rest of ours. "All fine."

    Resting on a rock, Sam pulled out some herbs from his pockets. "Ash, give Pikachu one of these! They're from the school's garden, and they're not as bitter as other herbs!" Noctowl pleasantly bit them off his hands. "Some even say that the pokémon think it's sweet!"

    "Huh, sweet?" I grabbed two; one for Pikachu, and one for myself. It had an odd taste, like chocolate coated mints, but it was actually pretty good! My mouth hadn't felt so breezy in ages, not even ice cream could cool it off like this herb had done! "Wow, you weren't kidding!" I said while still chewing on it.

    Jacob lifted an eyebrow. "Um, Ash, be careful. Some kid got sent to the E.R. from eating one of those…" he advised.

    Sam's eyes were still wide from me casually eating it. "Yeah, he's not joking either." He scratched the back of Noctowl's neck, which seemed to be its favorite sweet spot! "Those herbs were specifically bred with pokémon in mind, so no human should ever use them as actual medicine."

    "Oh." I quickly spat it out–that reminded me of something else! "Hey, Sam, you know how to battle? Most new trainers never get the gist of the battlefield that way before, so I was wondering…"

    "That's right! I did a bit of practicing after getting my license. I'm a huge fan of these battles you know, I'd just rather research the ones doing all the attacking, that's all."

    "Yeah and that big noggin of your's!" Miley took off his hat and scratched it, totally messing his hair up!

    "Well, I won't lie, I do get by like that." He laughed as he fixed his hair and put his bolero back on.

    "Well, that's not surprising!" I tried looking for a rock to sit on and then found a spot on a log besides Jacob. I noticed that he was holding Looney's arms, making sure everything was right. He was a less experienced, weaker Pokémon of course, taking a worse beating than Noctowl did. "Hey, you did good for your first battle!" I tried comforting him.

    "Huh, really? It was all mostly Sam's idea, me and Looney didn't do much, really."

    "Well, it wasn't his first rodeo either. How's Looney doing?"

    "He should be alright, as long as we stay out of battles, that is. We should be heading for that train soon anyways–the moon can show up any minute!"

    "Oh, you're right! In a bit." I drank out of my water bottle before then. "Alright, let's get going!"

    We kept trotting along, taking the occasional photo until we came across a chain linked fence. There were metal-plated signs, all written in Blawsthian of course, but I felt like that no matter what language it was, the message seemed to cross regional boundaries. "Is this it?" I asked, pulling my finger through one of the holes.

    "Nah." Jacob started climbing over it as Looney floated upwards, and one by one we all got to the other side. The day was getting more grim as the murkrow cawed under the dying sunset, and we eventually found some rusty old rails. Following them upwards, we reached our destination.

    Before us laid a creaky old train. There was plenty of greenery in and out, and a bunch of volbeat and illumoise were flying about too. The roof was getting rusty from years of Blawsth's rainy weather, and I got on to take a quick picture of the hills, then of everyone below. I jumped off, catching the attention of Jacob.

    "Dude," he asked. "Aren't you scared of breaking your leg or something?" Again?

    "Well, yes. But no time like the present, right?"

    He scratched his head, "Right. Anyways, enough pictures, let's go inside!" He opened the door.

▶TO BE CONTINUED

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