24 22. Plans for the future

After hearing that they could get a region war Pokémon, all three children widened their eyes and visibly shuddered with excitement. A region war Pokémon is a Pokémon that had evolved through years of war between the regions and although there is peace now, these Pokémon are highly prized but also heavily regulated. Through the years of conflict these Pokémon have developed a stubborn and warlike attitude and if given to an inadequate trainer are more likely to turn on them.

Even with this they are highly sort after by trainers and just having one is a symbol of pride for most trainers. Unfortunately for them, these Pokémon are never happy as just a symbol and often crave battle themselves. When the wars first started to cease there were a few young masters of rich families who were killed by these Pokémon who treated them as house pets with bragging rights. This is why they are now strictly regulated by their unions and only given to those deemed qualified.

Of course, Robert knew them as something else, starter Pokémon. The three Pokémon that you would start with in any of the games. Mariah had talked briefly about them in their lessons and these Pokémon were way more badass here than in the games. These guys might sound intimidating but to a true trainer, these Pokémon are a dream choice. As long as you satisfy their need for battle and respect them these Pokémon with a talented trainer usually turn out fiercely loyal to their trainers.

Dennis was once again worried about his son's reaction. While the twins were visibly excited, they also showed signs of worry and concern. Robert showed only passion and excitement as if the thought of how difficult it was to train these special Pokémon didn't even cross his mind. He was beginning to worry if Robert might be too young for this talk after all.

Jackson also noted this and decided that he would put a bit more effort into taming that passion of his. He didn't want to do anything to douse it but make sure that even with his overwhelming passion for these things, that he would be able to keep a level head and take in the possible dangers that came with it.

Jackson put this thought aside for now and continued his explanation. "This talk is especially important for you girls as this is already the last year you can apply for this. I can tell that while both your Snubbull are close, neither has pushed past the soft level block at level 20". As soon as Jack said this both sisters' faces crumpled a little. Robert also looked at them a little worried. They got so excited about all this that the requirements for it slipped their mind.

"you two don't need to be too worried as even if you don't make it into the special program, you are both more than qualified to pass the academy in Violet city". Both sisters looked at each other then down at Robert who was standing in the middle. Sasha was the first to voice her concerns, "what about Roby, where will he go". Jackson gave Robert a side glance and said "although this imp likes to cause trouble, even I have to admit to his hard-working attitude. If I were still an instructor in the army my only complaint would be that he works himself too hard." Robert couldn't help but look a little guilty when he heard this. Dennis had often advised him to not work so hard, he didn't put it as bluntly as Jack.

"There is also the fact that both of his Pokémon are shiny. After the incident with the Miltank, we realised that we had underestimated how valuable shiny Pokémon are. To get a better understanding of where we went wrong. After asking around some of our old contacts in the military we found the problem. While we knew that shiny Pokémon were valued because they have high talent, we underestimated how high that was".

Jackson checked over the three kids as he said this. He knew this was a touchy subject, especially for Robert. As he looked at them, the twins showed a nervous and uncomfortable expression. Robert however seemed to have a flip switched as soon as the Miltank was mentioned. His face went stony and there was even a slight cold light flash across his eyes.

Dennis and Jackson both had their eyes on him and were shocked to see his reaction. Being from the military they had seen plenty of people with this look, although Robert's case wasn't as advanced as what they had seen this still concerned them.

Dennis himself wasn't sure how to react to this. He knew better than most that the world outside wasn't kind. Sometimes you would need to face things with a cold heart and be merciless. He had hoped his children wouldn't have to face it, especially so soon.

Jackson soon got over his shock and while thinking he would have to address this in the future, continued his explanation. "what we learned is that no shiny Pokémon has been found below Silver phase talent. This includes more common Pokémon like Rattata and Magikarp. That means both Pokémon are at least as talented as you're Snubbull if not more so. Combine that with how hard he works and I'd be more surprised if he didn't qualify for the junior league".

Sasha And Stephanie didn't need to think too long to decide. Both girls looked at Jackson and answered at the same time. ""I want to try for the junior league"". All the adults and Robert smiled at this response. "Good. Myself and your parents think that you can both do it, we just needed to make sure you were determined enough".

Mariah stepped forward and spoke up "We'll arrange for an inspector to come in two months. You girls better prepare because from now on your Uncle Jack will oversee your schedule. Jack is not as soft as you're dad." Sasha and Stephanie both nodded in determination.

Mariah smiled as she continued, "good now that that's all out of the way, we have a question for you Roby. When the girls turned five, we got them their first Pokémon. To make sure they would get one each with a good talent we spent a couple of years looking, we almost had to delay for a year before we found a second Snubbull with light sliver grade talent".

Sasha and Stephanie were shocked to hear this. They knew that their two Snubbull would have been hard to find but they didn't realise just how difficult. "It's ok girls, don't think too much about it. The only reason I'm bringing it up is that originally, we were planning to do the same for Roby. After the incident, we decided it best to hold off until he got better. Now that he's all better though he already has found two Pokémon for himself. Even so, we would still like to get a good Pokémon for you if you think you can handle three. It just might take a while to find one if you do".

When Robert heard this, he instantly got excited. He already knew what Pokémon he wanted. He heard that they were even harder to train than regional war Pokémon. He has always been a big fan of this Pokémon and was determined to have one in this world.

When everyone heard Robert's choice, they all looked at him in shock. Dennis couldn't help but voice out. "Are you sure Roby? These Pokémon are incredibly common, and no one wants them so it shouldn't take too long to find one, maybe even one with a higher talent than we expected. There is a reason for this though, as I'm sure you know they can both stubborn and dangerous. I want to make sure are you positive you want this Pokémon." Robert nodded with no hesitation.

Dennis heaved a bit of a sigh, "very well, we will get one with the best talent we can find. Like I said it shouldn't take as long as we expected to acquire but be prepared to put a lot of effort into it". Robert couldn't help feeling excited hearing that it would be so easy to acquire. He expected it to be easier than most Pokémon to get due to how common it was, he didn't expect it to be in so low demand. Now he was looking forward to this junior league, there was no such thing in the anime or games so he couldn't help feeling excited thinking about it.