Rivals

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A torrent of reactions. One boy yelps out "Spider!" before running off to hide behind his mother, clutching a poor, confused Mareep. A rather round lad considers throwing the rock pokemon at Tesla. One girl looks over but then goes back to playing with the Nidoran.

My Joltik gets a bit overwhelmed and scampers up my head to hide in my hair. Ya, it feels weird.

The bossy red head girl with the Sandile struts over, "Nice spider, let my Crooky fight it!"

Uh, no, and you sure claimed your Pokémon fast.

Another girl with glasses holding hands with the small fire fox walks over, "Fascinating, what's its EVs and IVs?"

Her whats?

A man in a suit, the butler of the rich girl, "Good fellow I wonder if you'd be willing to share where you acquired such an exotic specimen?"

Hey now, "How much it worth to ya bud?"

"20,000 poke and a one year hotel voucher for Mauville Mall." The man says with a straight face.

Oh shit, "Um, I wasn't serious dude."

He scowls before getting pulled away by the young lady in the nice dress.

Birch returns the Torchic to a ball and hands it to a scrappy lad before calling over, "That's enough kids, Kurt started when he was much older so he got his starter the old fashioned way. Charging out into the woods with nothing but himself and a large set of bal Oomf!"

Sawyer elbowed the poor man before he could make a scene. He then grins at the boy who had initially spoken to me, "Thomas come meet this Mudkip, he's very brave and loves to play."

The last girl, in the most ragged pair of jeans I've ever seen, is energetically playing with the little blue seal pokemon.

Leaving May looking at a gecko playing it too cool and a turtle predisposed with eating a shrub.

She sighs and goes over to pick up the turtle who looks at her while continuing with his leaf snack, "Brendan picked a Mudkip, and Treecko all have the most annoying attitudes."

Walking over I pick up another twig and offer it to the turtle who almost visibly grins and reaches for it with his leathery green beak, "Well it wins points for adorableness."

I pull up it's profile on the app, after checking out the evolves, "Holy shit these things get enormous! Big enough other pokemon live on their backs."

May peaks at the screen, "Well, I certainly have experience with larger pokemon. Now for a name…"

Looking at the spikey shell I can't help it, "Bowser."

She looks at me, "I like it, sounds tough."

Muttering, "You could almost say kingly."

"What?"

"Nothing, right I should fetch my bat."

Soon as I say that a lab aid comes out from the garage entrance barely holding my sleeping monstrosity, "Um Professor Birch sir we got your equipment but what about this fellow?"

I stand up, "He's mine."

Shak gets sent back to his ball for the moment while the nerdy girl hops over again, "Is that the new record holding Zubat?! I read it's file on the Pokket forums! Your name was even Kurt right!"

Leaning over to May, "How does this brat know my name?"

She scratches the Turtwig's head, "Lacy must have registered you with the league right? Your dex app keeps your trainer profile up to date. When records get broke it gets announced on the daily headlines. See, your name popped up in the regional section this morning."

While May was talking the girl pulled out her own phone and showed me my picture at the top of an article titled, 'Old Hoenn record shattered after nine years, largest recorded Zubat Captured.'

Nerd girl, "With that big fella I bet you make it pretty far in the end of year tournament. I heard the prize you got was a whole package of supplements."

I mean, I feel pretty happy with my current self, who has time to hit the gym while traveling everywhere?

May notices my expression, "Sorry he has memory problems, she means for the pokemon Kurt. Stuff to boost it's stats."

Steroids? "That sort of thing is allowed in official tournaments?"

Her father comes over finally, "It's all closely monitored, anything certified is fine. Everything Mart brand is considered safe as long as you follow the directions. Let's get home Patricia, it's late and I'm sure you and the others will all be sitting out early. Wouldn't want you to fall behind on the first day."

Patricia waves goodbye, "See ya at the end of the year Mr. Kurt."

The other kids file out, I notice the tattered jeans girl leaving last by herself.

Quietly I ask May, "Hey so... orphans?"

She follows my gaze and nods, "Anyone can make a living as a trainer if they've got the spine for it. The league doesn't even require parental consent to issue a starter."

Thinking of the rich prick I met back in Rustboro, "The spine part seems optional."

May laughs with a bit more contempt then I expected, "Ya well, Money makes everything easier doesn't it. Well, I suppose that's a downer to part ways on but I'm headed to the In-Laws for the night before heading north in the morning."

I shake her hand, "See ya in a year May, thanks for the ride today."

She gives a dazzling smile, "Good luck Mr. Forgetful. Make sure you visit the Doc as often as you can or I'll stomp you at the gates to Ever Grande City."

Grinning, "No worries, I'll have to visit pretty soon already if I want that fossil extracted."

Waving as she goes, "Try to visit for her instead of a convenient excuse."

Sounds like the sort of thing a proper boyfriend would do.

Looking around, some of the upper floor lights are starting to go out. Time to check into the hotel.

Tesla chirps from my head as I walk back through the garage. I guess a side trip to the mart for food is in order.

Outside the mart is just at the other end of the building. The door rings as I enter, an old fellow is manning the counter. Passing the aisles I spot Sawyer grabbing some cans from a shelf.

Walking over, "Hey there I'm Kurt, the professor hired me to deliver a Mawile egg for you."

He looks up at me and tilts back his head with a groan before shaking my hand, "Well fine meeting you, the egg itself is wholly paid for by Steven. These extra goods can be considered my gift for the girl however."

In his hands are cans of specialty foods for pokemon. They look like the sort of things health nuts might get for their dogs back on earth. It seems he's not a complete ass, just a bad father.

The store shelves have seemingly hundreds of cans, "Old Birch said I should take special care if I want to get my Zubat all the way to Crobat. I was hoping to fly with him."

Sawyer nods, "Certainly, I expect the league will send you a respectable amount. However I personally recommend some of the leaner options. If you intend to ride him then you'll want him to develop strong muscles over just bulk. However, those tend to be sour tasting."

Oh, "Got any more special tips then?"

He scratches his chin in a pensive look before glancing past me to the old fellow at the counter whose nose is buried in a magazine, "Fresh blood."

Excuse me, "You're joking?"

After checking my reaction, "Golbat drink any blood they can get in the wild, including the occasional unwary trainer. They drink so much they reach a drunk like state, that's when you toss some fat burning pills in their mouth. An even balance of Protein and Carb vitamins, you'll have a monster of a Crobat by the year's end."

Spotting the items he's talking about on the shelves, "That's a very academic way of training."

Sawyer gives a single laugh, "Well I got to so many finals for a reason, sure they all say the key is building a great relationship with your pokemon. I won't discount the importance of trust, it's called a team after all. But hard work and research will never let you down."

Fair enough, "Then do you mind if I ask you the hard question?"

Without looking at me, "How come I never beat the champ?"

"That'd be the one."

He stands and looks me dead in the eye, "Zinnia's dragons are a force of nature. Anyone who made it to face the elite four can vouch for that. It was by the slimmest margins Brendan finally beat her and the league requested her to bench some of her heaviest hitters when she stepped down from champ to the four."

I admit I'm feeling a bit more excited for this whole tournament now, "So what did Brendan have that you didn't?"

Sawyer glares out the window into the night sky, "Latios, a legendary dragon pokemon. Sitting champs can't field Legendary class pokemon or Zinnia would never have been unseated but challengers can pull out all the stops. Luck, Kurt, Brendan had luck."

The man walks to the clerk then leaves without letting me ask anything else.

My dex app pulls up Zinnia, a trainer history shows that she defeated Steven with her Mega-Rayquaza. It's now that I see there is a difference between winning the annual tournament and becoming Region Champion.

Well, personally the list of known legendries doesn't seem so appealing anyway, nothing catches my eye. Until I notice a book link, 'Staring down Legends' by a certain TV protagonist from Pallet Town. Ash, the former Kanto Champ's new book on his encounters with legendary pokemon around the globe.

Former?... Hah, dethroned by Misty a few years ago, serves the dimwit right! Apparently her Mega Red Gyarados doesn't take shit from no one.

The old timer at the counter coughs, "You gonna stare at your phone or shop Mister?"

"My bad."

Looking back at the shelves and considering the limited funds I have, I grab two cans that are supposed to boost coloration for bug types and a protein heavy juice for my bat. I don't see anything for ghost types but there's a spray for grass types.

After getting totaled up it seems I may be camping in the woods tonight depending how much a room costs. I still need to use the PokeCenter as well.

Stepping outside I can't help gazing up at the starry night sky. This whole day has been a rush of culture and realization that this may just be my life now. Unless some mythical monster decides to ship me back to earth, I'm now stuck. Hell, there's even a chance I'm not the only one in this situation.

After a pause to consider checking for a convenient cow field to let loose my Zubat I decide to just get some rest tonight.

Inside the Pokecenter I find a couple of the folks from the lab earlier loitering about, chatting with their kids, plotting the next day's adventure.

At the front desk is a dark blue haired woman chatting with a young male receptionist.

When I walk up the receptionist grins and gets up to shake my hand, "Hey you're Kurt right? The Professor told me your room and equipment use is on the lab tonight as you'll be working with us starting tomorrow. Happy to have a new face on board, I'm Josh by the way."

How nice to have a career fall in your lap? There's your luck Sawyer.

Feelin the cheerful spirit I give him the manliest forearm shake I can think of, "Glad to be on board mate. I've got a hell of a task tomorrow so I hope the room is nice."

He scratches the back of his head, "Well don't get those hopes too high, nearly all the rooms are the same save for the top floor for special guest professors during conferences or visiting officials… or people who feel like spending a ton of Poke for no reason."

The gal next to me chimes in, "Like me, hey there tall and handsome!"

She's wearing what I guess is some sort of fashionable dress and posing like an idiot, seems near my age though.

Leaning over to Josh, "Who is the lady acting like I should recognise her?"

He seems genuinely shocked, "You've never heard of Miss Dawn?"

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