An unusual and Interesting team
3 weeks later:
Ethan and I have been doing multiple tasks. We have finished a total of 8 E-level missions and 6 D-level missions. It has been a grinding session for both Munna and Elekid.
Elekid has learned shock wave while perfecting his Charge. Now we are concentrating on learning Protect, the idea behind is simple as Light Screen. Just use the Normal-type energy to create the barrier instead of a psychic barrier like a light screen. Although the plan is rudimentary, the effect has been not bad, Elekid has been figuring out Protect while taking suggestions from Golett who visits every now and then.
But currently, I am bored of doing D-level tasks as Elekid is at a bottleneck. We need a good C-level mission to enter the Peak Intermediate stage, but there is a small issue. To perform a C-level task we need at least two Advanced level Pokemon.
There are some exceptions, which is forming a team and doing the task instead of going solo. So for now, Faulkner is on the team, his Sawk will come in handy if we encounter swift Pokemon like Liepard in the depths of the forest. Although we won't be going too deep, most C-level tasks are dangerous. Ethan Munna helps us with poison types while Elekid from flying types.
At present, we are standing in front of the receptionist hearing his requirements to accept the task.
"No, still not enough. You are just 3 students with 3 intermediate stage Pokemon, although Munna can barely teleport it's still doesn't meet the criteria," said the old man which made us frustrated.
'Maybe we just need to grind D-level tasks,' I thought sighing and turning back in disappointment.
We asked other classmates but no one was daring enough to risk it.
'Fucking idiotic people, you can never achieve a breakthrough if you always play safe,' I thought while cursing internally.
"Arthur, we already asked everyone you are close with, either they rejected fearing me or they were afraid to take up the high-level task," said Ethan shaking his head.
"And what is this stupid rule? Why should we only take our Pokemon for tasks? If this wasn't the case, Ethan could have asked his Butler's Advanced Pokemon to guard us," said Faulkner.
Faulkner has brownish shoulder length hair with decent clothes despite being a civilian. He is a short guy with a lean build, after contracting with Sawk, he also seemed to have good offensive power.
"Well, if they agree to get someone's Pokemon then Ethan can easily abuse the tasks by just getting his father's King level Pokemon," I said explaining the reason behind the rule.
As we were discussing what to do, I suddenly heard someone calling from behind,
"Excuse me, Lord Ethan. our young master wants to talk to you and your friends," said a fat man with a large silly moustache.
We turned back in confusion towards the stranger,
"Young master? Who?" asked Ethan as he barely has any friends.
"It's Master Logan Claude, young Lord," said the middle-aged fatty ignoring our presence as he can not see me or Faulkner.
'This guy really doesn't put civilians in his eye, does he?'
"Logan? What does he want?" asked Ethan with a confused face. Ethan never talked to Logan so his confusion is understandable.
"It's just for a proposal, he wants to sit and talk, he also ordered me to get your civilian friends," he said giving a contempt look towards us.
Ethan seemed to easily read the fat guy's surface thought of disgust towards us so he tried to reprimand him but I put my hand up and stopped him,
"Am I missing something here?" I said turning towards the guy who seemed to be Logan's Butler.
"I thought there's no hierarchy in the academy, but even if you ignore it, Ethan is the son of Duke while your rude young master is a Count's son who is second in line for inheritance. If there's an actual business, ask your young master to meet us, it's not like we are the ones who have a business right?" I asked making Faulkner look at me with a startled gaze as he never thought I would talk back to Logan's butler.
"You... You!!! How dare you disrespect Master Logan!! me personally coming is already a great honor to you," he said pointing his finger at us. I am not sure if he is saying this to Ethan or just us.
I hate the way he looks and talks. On top of it, I am frustrated because of this C-level task requirements, now I need to handle this butler who seems to think Ethan is a pushover just because everyone ignores him,
I caught his pointed finger and twisted it back immediately,
"Ahhhh!!!" he shouted in pain.
"You seem to forget the fact that my brother is a Royal Knight. After all, a mere Butler like you dares to talk in front of Ethan and me, you seem to forget your place," I said giving him a taste of his own medicine. Hypocrisy is a must when dealing with these sort of guys.
He seemed to be shocked and speechless, so I instructed him again,
"If Logan has some business, ask him to meet us in person, what're all these petty things of sending a Butler and ordering us to meet?"
"Yes!! Yes....." he said running back.
"Ohhh!! that was cool Arthur. I thought you were always a calm and patient guy," said Faulkner while Ethan said,
"You did not have to be that rude,"
"It's not that I am rude. I was just frustrated that we were making no progress for a week now. So, I just erupted on that poor guy, anyway he was also giving me that look I hate the most," I said stretching my hands while clarifying my behaviour.
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That Evening: (In the Dining hall)
We three were discussing the D-level task that we will be doing tomorrow. Suddenly an orange-haired guy approached us with his food plate.
I turned at the intruder and raised my eyebrows,
"Master Logan!!" I said in a startled tone as I did not expect him to come. Since the day I defeated him, he was always staying away from us in shame or maybe pride?
"Civilian, what you do did with my butler is unforgivable!!" he said getting straight to the point.
"I am extremely sorry for what happened in the morning Master Logan but your Butler who is also a common-born seemed to think he is higher than Ethan and me. I mean he should also know his place right?" I said pointing out the problem.
"hmmm, I will let it slide because I am here for some official business. There should be no next time," he said with a mean look.
'shouldn't Ethan be the one forgiving you for being rude and inconsiderate?' I thought internally while smiling and thanking him for his benevolence.
"Anyway, I heard from others that you are short of manpower for a C-level task. I thou..... 'cough' I thought I could....could help you guys, I am also keen on taking a higher-level task," he said avoiding eye contact in embarrassment.
'what's with this sudden turn of events?' I thought.
Ethan seemed to think for a second and said cautiously,
"Although we would love the idea of having another member, we can't trust you. Not to say we will be going deep into the forest."
Logan seemed to be frustrated as he couldn't give a reply to that. So I intervened,
"Why aren't you doing tasks with your brother or others? I mean why join us? To be frank, we are not even friends and you seem to hate people like me," I said stating out the facts.
At the mention of his brother, Logan seemed to bite his lip, I can see that he is also clenching his fists,
"Look, I have personal issues with my brother. As you pointed out, I hate working with you but the fact is, I am cooperating with the son of a Duke, not you guys, Ok? Also.... yo... you seem to have some ability, so... so, I am fine with this team-up," he said stuttering at the last part.
"Hmm, what stage are your Pokemon?" I asked as I wanted information to see if it is ok to include him.
"My starter is a Tepig at the Intermediate stage, and I also have a Bulbasaur that is at beginner stage," he said while taking a seat.
'My elekid can handle Tepig while Munna can handle Bulbasaur.' I thought doing some internal plans.
I also don't think he would dare to pull some shit on Ethan, even the Royal capital won't spare him.
"Ok, although you don't need to tell all the capabilities of your Pokemon. Does you Bulbasaur know any strategic moves?" I ask to get a grasp of his information.
"Yes, it knows poison powder," he said making me both happy and cautious at the same time. Poison powder would be of great help in the wild but we too need to be careful.
"Fine!! you can join but on one condition. You should listen to Ethan as he is the head of the team," I said startling Ethan and Faulkner.
Faulkner and Ethan were surprised because until now, I was the one planning and dividing the tasks when it comes to missions. But I know for a fact that Logan's pride won't accept taking my orders so I pushed Ethan as the leader.
Logan thought for a second and said
"Ok, so what's the task and how are we dividing the credits?"
"Equal division, that's the rule and no exceptions," said Ethan immediately making Logan nod after giving a mean look at Faulkner. He seemed to be not like the fact that he shares the same amount as a civilian but kept quiet.
Then, I took out the planned Mission from my pocket and moved it towards Logan,
"This is the mission, might be risky but the Pokemon we have are very versatile so it would be fine until the opponent we face is not higher than Mid-grade Advanced."
Logan looked at the piece of paper,
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Mission C-Grade
Hunt down or catch an Initial Advanced-grade Leavanny and obtain as much as Silk possible from its nest.
Proof to present: The location of the Leavanny that was killed or obtained to make sure students did not just buy one with money.
Reward: 100k credits for the task and bonus reward depending on the quality and amount of silk obtained.
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"As you can see, your Tepig and poison powder will come in handy but the problem is not just that. Leavannys don't live alone so we might have to deal with Sewaddles and Swadloons. This is a risky mission but the reward is too good, the silk we might get can fetch us more than 100k credits," I said making Logan excited.
I can understand his enthusiasm, if the mission succeeds then all of us can hire a tutor in the campus to learn a new move.
"Great, although this task is very tricky, the reward is tempting," Logan said looking at all of us.
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We discussed for more than two hours after that. We came up with a complete strategy. Elekid guards us against flying types, Munna from poison types and Sawk from the dark types that sneak in to steal the prey. Tepig will be the main frontal combat against Leavanny while Bulbasaur supports. Just in case we also decided to get some poison curing medicines.
"Then we will start tomorrow morning," said Ethan concluding the basic plan.
We all said goodbyes and went back to the dorms to get some good sleep.
For tomorrow's task, the basic information on Pokemon we have are:
Elekid (M)- Peak Green Grade
Ability: Static
Moves: Thunder Shock, Shock wave, Charge, Light Screen, Cross Chop, Quick Attack, Leer.
Munna (F) - Peak Green Grade
Ability: Telepathy
Moves: Hypnosis, Healing wish, Light Screen, Psy beam, Defense Curl, Swift.
Sawk (M) - Mid Green Grade
Ability: Sturdy
Moves: Rock smash, Leer, Focus Energy, Double kick, Scary Face.
Tepig (M) - Mid Green Grade
Ability - Blaze
Moves- Ember, Tailwhip, Tackle, Flame Charge, Defence curl, Covet.
Bulbasaur (M) - Mid Green Grade
Ability - Overgrow
Moves: Tackle, Growl, Vine whip, Poison powder.
Only Bulbasaur is at the beginner stage but we are only using him for poison powder so not an issue.
'This team has great versatility, if everything goes well then we can do more C rank missions,' I thought with expectations for tomorrow.
-----------Chapter End----------
Note: Sorry for the delay guys but I hope you are enjoying the plot so far. I rushed through writing this chapter so please give some corrections if you find any mistakes.
I added a character description chapter so you guys can see that if you are confused and have no clue on who the characters are.
Also, for reference, the average tasks grades and rewards:
Mission Ranks and payments:
E rank - 5k credits
D rank - 20k credits
C rank - 100k credits
B rank - 300k credits
A rank - 500k to 1million credits
S rank - Depends on the Risk involved