(XXII) Kicking Off

Isaac awoke the next morning feeling well-rested for the first time since he left his old world. Despite the fact that it had only been two days, it had felt like two weeks to him.

He sat up and yawned, stretching the remnants of fatigue from his body as he smiled and looked around the room. He stood up on his tippy toes stretching once more before he started getting ready for the day.

He stripped down and threw his clothes into the machine and turned it on and jumped into the shower. After cleaning himself and his clothes, he put everything on, ignoring the Daily Quests Notification, and went downstairs.

Despite not knowing the differences, he greeted the new Nurse Joy and gave her his keycard, grabbing a handful of pamphlets before heading over to order some breakfast. He found a large booth and called out Ava, Artorious, Elisabeth, and Hanzō.

He reached into his bag and grabbed the remaining berries but smashed the spoiled berries as he groaned out in disgust. He grabbed a napkin and cleaned his hand.

"I'm going to run out of Pokéfood at this rate..." Isaac muttered to himself as he reached into his bag and produced four pellets, handing one to each of his Pokémon.

"I expanded my team too quickly..." Isaac muttered to himself, "This isn't like the games where everything has been simplified..."

"Good morning, what can I get for ya?" A young woman with dark hair and bright pink highlights approached with a beaming smile while chewing bubble gum.

"Good morning, can I get a breakfast platter and some coffee and juice?" Isaac ordered and her bright purple lipstick gleamed as she smiled once more before she disappeared to fetch his order.

Isaac began to formulate his plan as he read through the various offers by companies and corporations looking for fresh blood, new trainers rather, to sponsor. He wasn't interested in getting in with these companies seriously, but if he did a small one-time promotion for any of them, he may be able to make it long enough to establish himself more on the scene.

'First priority is to find some means of self-sufficiency!' He thought, 'It would be best if I could find some ranch that I can partner with.' His thoughts were interrupted when the waitress returned with a glass of juice and a cup of coffee with some MooMoo Creamer.

"Are you new around here?" She said with a smile, twirling her finger through her hair as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

"Yeah, that obvious?" Isaac nodded with an exasperated smile. She crossed one arm under her chest and raised the other pointing toward the sprawling pamphlets across the table and he chuckled nodding once again, "Yeah, I just became a trainer."

"Don't let them cheat you out of your salary darlin'! They like to not say anything to try and keep from giving it out to those who don't know any better! My friend said her boyfriend's cousin's brother-in-law's son struggled for nearly 3 months before he found out!" She said as she popped her gum and disappeared.

"Annual stipend..?" Isaac muttered to himself, "I see... I wonder if there are any other benefits they are hiding." He said as he pulled out his Pokégear and saved Tay's information and sent her a text.

"Hey, it's Isaac Firenze, thanks for helping me get to Viridian City once more and helping me pay for half of my application. I just received my Trainer Card and was wondering about an annual stipend that this person just told me about."

"Hey Isaac, you got your Pokégear fast! Yeah, depending on your Trainer Card rank you will receive a different stipend, which one did you get?"

"Cobalt, how can I get the stipend? Is it disbursed monthly? Quarterly? Annually?"

Not long after she forwarded him an official Pokémon Association document listing the different benefits afforded to each tier.

Isaac grinned at the annual stipend disbursement amount, skimming over most of the information, and replied.

"Thanks! How can I receive these funds?"

"There's a Pokémon Association Branch in every PokéCenter, just ask Nurse Joy. I gotta go, I'll talk to ya later!"

"I wonder how far I can stretch ₽24,000..." Isaac muttered to himself as he closed his Pokégear returning it to his pocket. The waitress came out later with a platter and bowl and set it in front of Isaac. She bowed and disappeared once more. After eating the meal and returning everyone to their pokéballs, Isaac left behind ₽300 to cover the ₽90 meal as thanks for the tip.

He approached Nurse Joy who directed him to the second floor where he found a glass office and knocked on the door and was waved in by a balding man with glasses in a tan suit.

"Hello, are you busy? May I have a moment of your time?" Isaac politely said.

"Good morning, of course not, how may I help you today?" The skinny manager said with a smile as he extended his hand to greet the young man.

"My name is Isaac Firenze and I was here to inquire about my Annual Stipend." Isaac said taking a seat across from the branch manager.

"Of course, Mr. Firenze, may I have your Trainer Card real quick? I just need to double-check to ensure you haven't already claimed it" He said with a slight chuckle adjusting his glasses.

"Yeah, of course!" Isaac said as he reached into his bag and removed his Trainer Card from his Badge Case and handed it to the branch manager.

"Perfect! Alright, let's take a look here and see..." He said turning to his computer and accessing Isaac's file, "Oh, you just became a trainer! Congratulations! And Cobalt as well! Not everyday you see that!"

He hummed and muttered as he looked through the file, "Alright, so you do have quite a number of perks available to you since you are a Cobalt Trainer. Your annual stipend is completely available, how much would you like to withdraw right now?" He asked and turned toward Isaac.

"All of it. What other benefits are afforded to me as a Cobalt Trainer?" Isaac asked in return.

"Of course!" He said as he turned around, accessing the safe behind him and bringing out 24 ₽1,000 bills and counts them on his desk, and hands them to Isaac as he explained.

"The annual stipend is available at the beginning of the New Year, lucky you! In a few months, you can get another! Next is the first-night stay at your first visit to a PokéCenter. You are also allowed to sign up with the Pokémon Association to become a Certified Trainer or a Ranger if you're interested."

He opened one of his drawers and pulled out a slip, "This is another award afforded to Cobalt Trainers." He said and slid it across the desk, "You can head over to Cerulean City past Pewter City and through Mount Moon and exchange that Voucher there for a Power Cycle."

Immediately he threw his hands into the air in a defensive manner, "I know! I know! It's not one of the fancy new Mach Bike or Acrocycle but it's free! Next, if are you able to provide at least two badges at the New Year Celebration, you will be eligible to participate in the Annual Rookie Tournament. Last but not least, you have access to an increased PokéMart selection as well as discounted prices on training materials and Pokéfood!"

"Thank you for all that information, it was very helpful. Do you know of any nearby Pokémon Ranches?" He stood up, shaking the branch manager's hand as he asked the question.

"Ah, I think Hugh's Ranch is just up the branch road to the North, if you reach Viridian Forest, you've gone down the wrong path." He explained and Isaac thanked him once more and departed Viridian City, making his way North toward the ranch.

'Team Rocket is not quite what I had expected them to be...' Isaac thought, the anime had really set him up for failure as they were portrayed as nothing more than over-the-top outlandish comedic relief.

"I can't get on their bad side... I should try and avoid them for now, drop off their radar..." Isaac muttered to himself, he wanted to enjoy this experience, not be hunted down and kidnapped, or worse, they could torture or murder him.

Isaac shuddered as he walked up the path into the hills out of Viridian City. He climbed to the top of the hill that plateaued out overlooking the Viridian Forest. It turned down the road onto a massively overgrown ranch that no longer reflected the magnitude of its past glory.

"Is this still in operation..?" Isaac asked dumbfounded.

———

Bonus Chapter 1 of 2!

Since you guys are so amazing I will be increasing the daily upload schedule to 2 chapters a day starting tomorrow! In addition, if we get more than 100 Power Stones, I'll post a single bonus chapter.

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