Chapter 14 -||

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam woke up... very slowly. One arm was still wrapped around Abra's cocoon/barrel/backpack, his limb still coated in blue magical flames.

It apparently made it hard for Abra to use her psychic radar while increasing the feelings of safety, allowing her to ignore the world and get some healing rest.

Which was nice and all, but now he didn't want to get up or he may wake the little thing. Maybe.

Glancing at the door, Adam activated 'Technomancy'. Anita's Pokédex was still in the other room, so she was probably asleep.

Speaking of the local technology, they went in the opposite direction to Remnant. Instead of using faith imbued materials to push space into bulges for storage, they used Pokémon powered devices to duplicate effects like 'Growth' to increase the work surface and 'Minimize' to reduce the parts and tools...

The finished product was small. Damn small.

For example, Anita's Pokédex was mostly a plastic shell with a display supported by the capacitor style battery. The motherboard and electronics together were smaller than a penny, and most of the plastic shell was either empty or filled with shock absorbent foam.

And that tiny combination of electronics was ALSO mostly empty, even at that size. This 'basic' version of a Pokédex clearly had room for several missing components.

Absently petting Abra's head, he decided to try and connect to the local network as he reached out his range... and stumbled on the 'Automated Recovery Tool-Station' downstairs, near the computer lab.

Again, most of the machine down there was an empty shell, the display, some interface surfaces to connect to the Pokéballs, and a penny sized bundle of electronics. But THIS tiny motherboard was COVERED in tiny units, each carefully examined as he reviewed the design.

This one allowed the transfer of Pokémon to an internal buffer. That one allowed the manipulation of several liquids, each different types of potion. These two over here were used to suppress various types of automatic defense, so medical care could be used on creatures made of lava or ice or whatever.

Unit after Unit he examined used nearly no energy unless in heavy use, the tiny size allowing trickle charges to handle all needs. At this size, efficiency was high and possibility of modification was VERY low.

The interesting part was the overlapping parts. Some of the sensors used in Anita's Pokédex were just weaker versions of the expensive sensors used in this healing machine, and traded accuracy and variety of detection for cheaper parts and long distance analysis.

Making a portable healing station was... very easy. At least, if you could supply the power needed during healing... which was a significant enough charge needed that it probably was the reason these things were stationary to begin with.

Adam however had Star Wars capacitor technology. Blew this crap out of the water in comparison, even if some of the materials were nearly impossible to create without some REALLY advanced procedures and tools.

He also found several unoccupied Pokéballs down there, which were scanned easily enough. Most were the generic ones sold everywhere, a solid base that was a combination of low-cost and relative quality. More valuable however was the few examples of higher quality 'capture' devices.

Two Great Balls, one Dive Ball, and one Heal Ball.

The schematic differences were fascinating. All the electronics were, again, the size of a penny or so, and were inside the round circle 'button' on the front. The inside of the spheres were mostly identical, though the differences were clear.

The 'Great Ball' had more powerful materials used, and allowed better storage of the owner's Aura... or some type of external energy field. The other two designs also had enhanced abilities to store and transfer this field of power from the trainer, although they had a few more parts.

The 'Heal Ball' had a few (One time use) components identical to the Pokécenter healing machine. It would recover a captured Pokémon to full health when caught, even though it only had enough energy storage to do so one time without visiting a Pokécenter at some point to recharge.

The 'Dive Ball' had a strange Unit that acted like a VERY weak shield over the surface, unable to prevent damage or protect the device by much. However, it DID allow amazing speed when used underwater, and the capture protocol was designed to ignore liquids when capturing the creature.

Speaking of which, this 'Capturing' thing.

It wasn't brain washing, which Adam had secretly been concerned about. Instead, as mentioned before, these Pokéballs stored up the energies used by the Trainer and exposed it to the Pokémon during the capture process.

If the Pokémon felt the energies were compatible and desired, they would be 'caught'. Otherwise, good luck! You will need it. Even captured Pokémon could escape from their balls if they really wanted to, unless you did some really immoral modification like what Team Rocket apparently did.

Seriously, this energy field is apparently what made 'Trainers' connect so well with their partners. It may even be why wild Pokémon were so eager to join with a human to begin with!

With a grin, he decide to see if the local internet had any info on the subject.

As Adam felt the computer lab fall into his control (Seriously, those massive systems were mostly storage, the actual electronics were penny size again) he cautiously began to absorb network data.

Not going to act like a virus or a threat in this world, so he kept his internet exploration to 'human' speeds... just a few thousand 'humans' looking around online, ignore me!

Let's see... Yeah, like expected it was really well researched. Professor Oak, Elm, Rowan, Birch, Sycamore, Juniper... Huh. Apparently, the 'name after nature' thing was a cultural norm, when graduates became Professors most changed their names to match the theme. Neat.

Anyway, attracting Pokémon via your Aura was the ORIGINAL 'capture' method, the Pokéballs would just store up the Trainer's energies into a more dense and purified form, letting your potential partner understand if the two of you would be a good match. People strong enough wouldn't even need one, and apparently Adam was leaking power like a bonfire.

No wonder the other Pokémon scrammed when Adam was walking towards the city, someone with that much energy must have been terrifying! Except for this cute little Abra.

Anyway, this power field was normal for humans here. The Pokémon grew faster from exposure to these energies, and smarter, and stronger... The Trainer could even develop low level Psychic abilities without effort, allowing deep communication in short moments with their friends during battle or training.

The more they spent time together, the stronger this bond grew. When they fought together, trained together, and lived together, this power would build up in the Pokémon partner! Heck, the more Pokémon one Trainer successfully bonded with, the more energy the Trainer could produce!

And when this energy was stored up long enough, it could be used to power their Evolution. As least, the Pokémon COULD evolve as long as the Trainer allowed their partner to continue draining their energies during the process.

Some places on this planet had enough energy for the monsters to evolve without trainers, but they would mostly be weaker than one raised from childhood, exposed to this valuable energy for their entire life.

No wonder the more famous Trainers had such 'luck' capturing new partners, they were likely massive generators of this Aura-like energy. Practically Pokécandy.

Adam hummed as he browsed more and more sites.

The schematics for older versions of Pokéballs were published online for use by students? Yoink. So where the older types of Pokédex, Yoink.

Hmm... The newer schematics could be purchased, and Adam wasn't in a hurry just yet... money first, then BAM, top of the line hardware for him and his little Abra.

As be hummed and worked away, Abra dreamed.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

The world was on fire.

Flames danced, and sang, and wandered, and explored.

Power was common and considered normal, Unusual was treasured and explored!

Snug and warm, she felt the flames of magic and faith slowly bathe her wounds, cool refreshing air filling her lungs with each slow, methodical breath.

Her partner was change. He was curiosity. His eyes were many, his limbs uncountable, his soul was designed for fish.

But most of all, his fire was full of life!

Youth, friends, loved ones, new places, new journeys!

Unlike her frantic and fragile fear flight, he had no concern.

For unlike most creatures, when something went thump in the night... it was likely HIM.

A rock in the river of time. A boulder that slowly tumbled in meandering paths.

Would he even notice obstacles as he cleared the path?

These Dreams of new places, would they end?

For she felt him, so small, looking at the endless sea of potential. With excitement.

As she relished the soft pats of assurance on her head, she wondered inside.

What would it be like to join this adventure?

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Anita woke, flinching before recognizing the Pokécenter facilities. Right, she was safe now. Pidgey was safe. They were both fine.

She released her partner from her Pokéball, and the two spent some time together, assuring each other that they were both alright, that the dangerous situation was covered.

The tiny bird tilted her head and chirped.

She shook. "Yeah, that's when Adam showed up. He helped me get you here for treatment, and kept all the other Pokémon away while we went through the woods. I KNOW I saw some aggressive eyes in the dark, and they did NOT want to get too close."

Seeing the small bird's cautious expression, she gently hugged her. "No, he was nothing but supportive and easy going. There is no way he is working for Team Rocket."

She sighed and got ready for the day. "Now, the plan is to help him get some supplies. I've got lots of savings and earnings from Trainer battles at this point, now that I have access to my accounts here in the city. And I need to replace the gear we abandoned on the Route when we were ambushed."

She patted her cheeks and woke up fully. "Right, let's get today started!"

Overall, she felt pretty positive! After all, it couldn't be as odd as yesterday.

She opened the door, Pidgey perched on her left shoulder and looking around, and walked to the door Adam had taken. "Good Morning! Adam?"

The door opened, the massive man filling the entrance. "Ah, good morning Anita."

As he turned to close the door, she noticed his new 'Backpack'.

It looked like a large vase, with tiny Abra's sleeping in patterns over the thing. The colors were a mix of blue and green, light pastel shades, soothing colors.

Little Abra's head was snug and happy looking, with its body wrapped up like a burrito.

Its head was even being shaded by a fake palm tree crown posed above the back pack, with bright green fluffy pillow leaves gently waving.

The thing smelled like forest flowers and slightly of the sea.

Anita wanted one. Heck, it looked comfortable enough to tempt her into trying it herself, rather than make a nest for Pidgey.

Adam turned, taking the nap-pack out of sight. "So what options do we have for breakfast? I did not really take the time to see what is popular locally."

She blinked... then hummed. "Well, there are a few café nearby I like. One has like the BEST pancakes I've ever had. Since we are here anyway, why don't we go there?"

He gestured for her to lead on and the two walked off, chatting about the research Adam apparently did last night.

For someone so self confident and clearly hiding all kinds of secrets, the man was surprisingly unaware of the more common knowledge people grew up with here.

Since he was so comfortable in the forest when they met, maybe he was from a remote village? The frontier of the Pokémon wilderness was vast after all.

The two walked in the early morning light, Pidgey chirping in once and a while while Abra snored quietly, light blue flames randomly flickering over her new home.

It was a good start to the day, really. At least, until two shady people in Team Rocket uniforms jumped out of nearby alley.

Somehow, Anita wasn't shocked that Adam didn't seem concerned.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam held up a hand. "That was very nice, but could we hold on for a minute?"

The female Team Rocket Grunt (And yes, they both had name tags labeled 'Grunt' of all things) seemed caught off guard. "Ah... sure?"

The male Grunt puffed out his chest. "But don't think about trying to get away!"

Adam waved his hand. "Oh no, of course not. Just wanted to quickly talk to my young friend here."

Anita blinked as she was pulled to small huddle with Adam, Pidgey also confused as she aborted her preemptive 'Wing Attack'.

The tall man had a dry expression. "Do they ALL say that rhyme?"

She blinked. "What?"

He sighed. "The whole 'To Protect the World from devastation!' yadda yadda, the short dance number we just watched."

Anita shifted. "Well, not always. But Ash says the two he runs into say it a lot. Told us all kinds of strange stories."

He hummed. "I'll be honest, I thought that whole song thing was a catch phrase of Jessie and James, not Team Rocket as a whole."

The female Team Rocket Grunt seemed annoyed, having listened in. "ARGH, Just because Jessie and James get more press than the rest of us does NOT mean they came up with the motto!"

Her male companion nodded. "Though to be fair, you have to achieve some pretty big things to be allowed to use your actual name when working on the clock. Most of us stay Grunts for a long time."

She waved a hand. "But they have more funding! They can afford musical back up, special effects, they are allocated more Pokémon for their squad, it is INFURIATING!"

The guy growled. "They have destroyed FIVE hot air balloons this year alone with NO penalties. Favoritism!"

Adam and his small team watched the growing grump fest with fascination. As the rant continued, He glanced at Anita. "Are these the ones that hunted you down?"

He was trying not to judge, but as the two grunts began ranting louder and louder about pay scale and terrible dental benefits... well.

He was trying not to judge.

She shook her head. "No, I was attacked by a single psychopathic looking male Grunt, and he had a VERY mentally unstable Marshadow. And he gave it these rusty knives."

The two grunts paused the argument, the male one looked serious. "You've seen Blade Jack? Where?"

Adam paused. "I assume back on Route 116, where I found this one running from a dangerous situation. Why?"

The female Grunt scowled. "We as an organization are focused on Profit, not random murder and gore. Stealing Pokémon, researching new products, offering high quality services, all of that is for profit. We and a few other teams were sent because Blade Jack went... strange. Murderish."

The guy nodded, holding up a modified Pokédex. "Boss gave us all temporary access to some advanced tracking hardware to follow his trail. We've all been sent to capture him, see if we can get him treated if possible and disposed of if not."

Anita flinched as the woman waved a hand. "Our tracker says your little companion was attacked by the Marshadow used by Jack, which is why we need you two to answer a few questions."

Adam hummed. "Well... this is an odd situation then. Just as well, I didn't want to kill people in front of a child, and I am not sure of the procedures for arresting members of Team Rocket."

The man sputtered. "Arrest us for WHAT!? We just met! You heard our motto, we won't even fight you if you cooperate!"

Anita tilted her head. "Yeah, but your motto also says you will 'Protect the world from Devastation', and Ash said he had to stop more than one Rocket member from setting off an apocalypse."

The woman also seemed a bit offended. "Team Rocket has always been known for its support of high society and high ideals! You can't judge us from the one or two cells that go off the deep end!"

Seeing the other two dry expressions, the male Grunt sighed. "Alright, maybe more than a couple of times some branches of our organization may have gone a little crazy."

Adam nodded. "Like the murderous Blade Jack and his crazy Marshadow."

The grunt pointed. "Exactly. It happens! Team Rocket IS one of the largest employers on the planet, after all. We run casinos, hotels, cruise lines, radio towers, manufacturing companies... the ones causing issues are in the vast minority, most of us just have jobs to do of questionable morality depending on your social understandings and beliefs."

The woman nodded. "If we were ALL bad people, society would have crumbled." She held out a Pokéball. "Now, tell us what you know about Blade Jack!"

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Abra's eyes winced open, ever so slightly.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam nodded, ignoring the idiots, and turning to Anita. "Any idea if they are being honest?"

She sighed. "Yeah, they might be. I know they do get away with a lot because their biggest customers are the wealthiest people, but they DO have a lot of legitimate services and jobs. It was why I was so shocked to be attacked by that crazy Rocket guy on my journey, it was really out of character."

Anita shifted and looked to the side. "It was... scary. Somehow more scary than just fighting a battle or whatever, because he was screaming and ranting and his Marshadow was... twitching. I eventually just fell while running away and was too scared to move."

Adams warm hand fell gently to pat her head. "Well, no worries. I'm sure we can handle anything that comes our way."

The woman in uniform slightly sagged as she lowered her arm, frowning. "Hello? Could you please take this more seriously? We WILL attack if you refuse to help, you know."

Adam nodded, activating 'Technomancy' and stealing the schematics from the illegal Pokédex and the interesting few tools the two carried (Some sort of 'block all signals' tool to prevent people from calling for help, some knock out gas and smoke grenades, etc).

Because they now counted as 'opponents', so stealing from them was probably fine.

Neat, the Units on this Pokédex penny-chip had some interesting features, even if the materials looked stupid expensive. No wonder this 'Boss' only loaned the stuff rather than give it to all the followers. None of the ability to store objects inside or whatever, but it did have a much more powerful radio connection and higher data streaming abilities. Also, this (probably illegal) database had all kinds of interesting Pokémon trivia.

Yoink.

The guy Grunt lost his patience first. "Hey, you shouldn't IGNORE us!"

He hurled his Pokéball. "Koffing, show them that we mean business!"

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Abra focused reality, understanding the unknown.

Danger? No, not really. Not based on the power of her own Trainer, Partner.

However... best be safe.

TELEPORT.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Everyone blinked when the Pokéball vanished.

...An awkward silence fell.

Adam blinked from the mental images he received. "Oh. Well, good night then Abra!"

On his back, her small body relaxed in her barrel again as Abra fell asleep.

Anita hesitantly spoke. "So... your Abra can use 'Teleport' on other objects than just herself?"

Adam shrugged. "Apparently. I had no idea." He reached a hand up to his hair and pulled out the Pokéball, causing the male Team Rocket Grunt to gawk in shock.

The woman pointed. "That isn't possible. 'Teleport' is only usable from touch distance. And requires the Pokémon to travel with the ability during use."

Anita nodded. "Yep, that was certainly impossible."

Adam hummed. "Neat. Anyway, I doubt I should steal their Pokémon, however humorous such a turnaround may be. And I DO want to make sure a crazy murder Grunt isn't wandering around the woods."

He began rolling the tiny orb between his fingers, having pressed the control chip to shrink it back to travel size. "So how about we all have a bit of a truce, we help you two take down the psycho, and I don't take everything you own and leave you nude in the forest?"

Negotiations went well after that.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam hummed as the new temporary team walked along the winding path through the forest.

They may have gotten an odd look or two though leaving the city, as however 'Honorable' and 'Respectable' the two Grunts may claim Team Rocket to be... well, seeing them travel with two obvious Pokémon Trainers had been an odd sight to witnesses.

The trip was pretty relaxing so far.

Route 116 was MUCH longer than the games suggested, but thankfully there were a number of rest stops with phone booths and internet connections and so forth that lined the main trail. It seemed the standard procedure was for Trainers to travel the main path, leave it to duel other Pokémon or try to find new partners, then return to the much safer main trail.

The male Grunt was... pouting. But he DID get his Koffing back with little issue, even if he had clearly been unhappy about the situation.

The female Grunt on the other hand had surprisingly gotten along great with Anita! The two whiled away time talking about various past travels and interesting Pokémon they had seen. Though obviously, the Grunt had far more 'And then I took it' endings between the two.

Adam was having fun watching the wilderness, while randomly pulsing magical flames for Abra to enjoy.

By pulling his Aura closer to his bones, basically forming the metallic layers of power deep under his skin and flesh, his raw energy was NOT terrifying the wilderness into fear filled flight. Unless they were very sensitive to energy.

So he got to see a few wild Pokémon every now and then.

Neat.

Speaking of Pokémon, he was trying to design a 'Dream Ball' for Abra. It needed to be modified to better handle Adam's strange mix of energies, and he wanted it to store way more than usual to nourish Abra if she was sleeping inside it. Maybe low level health regeneration, some defensive technology... why not?

And so: he had Simmy and Sammy testing out the new materials and alloys used in the more expensive examples of the tech. Just using all rare stuff wouldn't make a better Pokéball, as small amounts may be amazing but large portions could reduce strength, cause strange issues in the ball itself, and who knew what. Science was needed, so science would be used!

Just in case, he ALSO wanted to ensure the finished Pokéball would be able to interface with the healing machines at Pokécenters. So that requirement complicated the designs, as if they were TOO improved the healing machines would have no clue how to connect to the new balls.

The two nude Angels were also messing around with the standard Pokédex and potential modifications, now that there were more stolen schematics to work with. So Adam let them have their fun, and continued to stroll through nature with two criminal syndicate employees and a young psychic monster trainer/potential criminal victim.

Adam hummed. "So what is the deal with this Marshadow? I'll be honest, I didn't think they were local to this area."

The female grunt sighed. "They are... SO rare. Not exactly Legendary in power, but certainly mythical and almost never seen."

The guy nodded. "No one is sure how Blade Jack caught the thing. He couldn't seem to get rid of it either, even trying to give it to Boss the creature just hid away in the shadows until they gave up."

Anita nodded. "I only know about them because Ash synced our Pokédex databases when he visited. He bumped into one after running into a Ho-Oh and getting a Legendary 'Rainbow Wing' and..." She trailed off at seeing the stunned looks on the Grunt's faces.

She blushed. "Yeah, Ash gets into situations."

Adam hummed, examining the odd energy signature again. "So what should we watch out for with this creature?"

The female Grunt pulled out her Pokédex and hummed. "It hides in shadows, and if it gets into YOURS or one of your Pokémon, it can attack your mind, read your feelings, and copy your abilities."

The guy sighed. "Yeah, the original plan was for us to find him and call it up the chain. There is a Team Rocket strike team ready to deploy to make sure he doesn't escape."

Adam grinned as his eyes flashed. "Sounds interesting." A cane topped with a blue skull formed in his hand. "This might be an easier solution though."

The sharp tip of the cane slammed into Anita's shadow, an unworldly scream vibrating into the air.

On his back, Abra grumbled. Twitching as she fell into a deeper sleep.

Adam smiled as his cane slowly forced its way OUT of Anita's shadow, her horrified expression clear as she backed away from the black blob that slowly resolved into a pinned Pokémon.

Her hand stabbed at the thing. "WHAT THE HELL!?"

He chuckled. "I thought it was odd that you were so terrified when I found you... and then instantly recovered once we traveled together."

The squirming shadows twitched and formed into a black body with green headgear and yellow flames. It tried to pull the strange cane away from it's chest, twitching oddly.

Adam waved the shocked Team Rocket Grunts away and made sure Anita was safely back. "You didn't escape from Blade Jack, and to be honest, I'm not even sure he was the one in charge."

His grin grew. "I think this little guy has been... influencing people."

The twitching gray shadows snapped and snarled blue and yellow fangs, red flames burning in its eye sockets. Odd noises screeched and clawed... Still, the cane held firm.

Team Rocket backed further away. "Then..."

Adam nodded. "From the rage and mental trauma I sense, I don't think 'Blade Jack' survived long after being separated from this little thing. We should try and find his body though for your people to handle."

Anita shook in terror, Pidgey trying to calm her down and yet stay vigilant against the twisted ghost like demon. "W... What can we do!? Can we even contain that thing!?"

The female Grunt shook her head. "No, and this is a huge problem. Most of our plans revolved around forcing Blade Jack to rein in this thing and possibly getting someone mentally stable to be its new Trainer. If IT is the cause of all the issues though, we would need to get rid of all shadows and restrict mental influences and... Yeah, we can't hold it."

She jerked back another step as the Pokémon snarled in deep rage, the sound echoing strangely in the forest. "I... I've never seen such blind aggression and hate in a Pokémon before. It's... unnatural."

Adam hummed. "Yeah, letting this thing roam around seems like a bad idea."

His eyes burned with blue flames.

Grid of Confinement.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Anita watched the empty soil that previously had a pinned Marshadow snarling at life.

The two Grunts had recovered first. "So you ALSO have a Pokémon in your shadow?"

Adam released the scary looking cane into the nothingness. "Not really, I just have a set of useful abilities. Now, I think Anita said her campsite was still a while off. Shall we?"

She found herself gently led by the female Grunt, who leaned close. "Say nothing. Nothing happened, it didn't involve you, move on. Trust me, in our work you can easily run into things that are FAR above your pay grade... Learning when to see nothing is a valuable life skill."

The guy was trying to keep the conversation rolling. "Did you want any of Blade Jack's bounty if we find him... or what is left of him?"

Right, guess they weren't going to talk about the shadow tentacles that dragged the murder Pokémon into Adam's darkness. Great.

Adam shook his head. "Don't want to go through the hassle. We'll just pick up the little squirt's stuff from her camp if it isn't damaged and then we can part ways."

The woman supporting Anita chipped in. "Well, what are your plans for later then? Never know when we may bump into each other."

He hummed. "Well, aside from traveling with the younger one and keeping her from excessive danger, I am looking for a small team of Pokémon myself. Based on how many technological things I end up involved with, I think I would like a partner focused on electricity or electronics. I also want to sight see a bit."

Anita took a deep, soothing breath, and gently waved to her sort-of-friend that she was able to walk now. "Well, you may have to travel a little. In the Hoenn region, water and plant based Pokémon are king really. Rustboro City is one of the most industrialized cities around, and even there it is mostly plant Pokémon hanging around."

The female Grunt nodded. "I think there are some near Route 110, though it is just Plusle and Minun or what not. Or if you don't care about rarity, there are a few Electrike."

Her male partner nodded. "Otherwise you have to head all the way over to Route 118, you can occasionally see a Manectric or two there. Honestly, most Pokémon are water and grass type EVERYWHERE in this area."

Anita nodded, deciding to ignore demon-tentacle-shadow issues for now. "Even my Pidgey is fairly uncommon for the local areas, you are far more likely to see Wingulls and Pelippers."

Adam hummed. "Well... I guess we will have to see as we travel then." He reached up to his hair, pulling a bright berry from the mess. "Also, since Abra keeps Teleporting berries to me, I think she may be getting hungry."

He looked towards his short companion. "Any idea which of these are healthiest for the little one?"

Anita sighed, reaching into her backpack. "Stick with the enhanced Pokéblocks until she eats them all first. Nurse Joy gave them for a reason."

As the group wandered down the trail, feeding small cubes to a sleeping Pokémon and looking for a dead body, Adam felt more relaxed than ever before. A vacation was nice.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Finding Anita's camp mostly undamaged was a lucky chance!

Finding the withered corpse of a man in a torn Team Rocket uniform was a downer though.

Adam nodded. "Anita, please gather your things together over there. Miss Rocket, could you help her?" Her Pidgey was offering comfort already, thank goodness.

Seeing the understanding look from the female Grunt, he nodded and turned to the guy checking the corpse. "What do you need to do here?"

The man sighed, pulling out a tube like object. A... what the hell WAS that!?

'Technomancy' flared as Adam scanned the thing that sucked up the corpse. It was like someone took a Pokéball and then added all kinds of crap to it. Instead of storing that Aura like energy, it stored up something like electrical plasma as a fuel.

And it wasn't quite the energy-stasis-transfer field storage unit of a Pokéball, it was closer to a dimensional pocket if anything. The body was inside it, but... yeah, they better transfer it sooner than later.

Unlike a normal Pokéball, which used the energy of the stored creature to help ensure a comfortable experience and put them into something like a deep sleep or meditative state, THIS strange tube could only slow down the effects of time... if at all. That body would start to smell, that was for sure.

The Grunt put it away. "Classified. Some devices we can only borrow from the Boss before returning them to the research and development departments."

So... useful future Pokétech. Grabbing the schematics, Adam did another sweep of the pocket where it came from. A pocket that had hidden several interesting devices from the light scan earlier somehow thorugh dimensional shenanigans.

Yoink, Yoink, Yoink. And while he was at it, let's steal the design for that stealth smuggling pouch everything was stored in. Yoink.

As the clearing was being packed away, Adam internally grinned. How profitable this short trip had become so far. "Well, I think our short journey together went rather well. A threat is under control, a lost soul will be sent home to his people, and Anita gets most of her stuff back."

He ignored the short conversation between the two girls (Aww, a hug goodbye! It's nice they became friends) and had a few parting words with the guy Grunt before they left. Mostly the words were 'Keep your people in line around me, and we will be fine. Probably.', but it was the thought that counted.

That thought being 'Don`t screw with my people', but whatever.

Anita waved at the 'bad guys' as they left, before sighing. "That was weird." Her bird companion chirped agreement.

Adam hummed, holding his back-pack-pot in one arm and carefully feeding Abra another enhanced Pokéblock, her cute little tongue pulling the tofu like cubes into her mouth. For such a small thing, she had the most adorable sharp teeth!

She looked at her packed supplies. "The tent is damaged, but may be fixable. The food stores are a complete loss because they were not stored correctly before I had to flee. My extra equipment otherwise is untouched, so that will save a lot of money."

Adam's extra limb scanned the bag, causing her to jump in startlement, before the beam turned green. "Fixed the tent, got rid of your spoiled food, upgraded your Pokédex with probably legal enhancements... don't share it with anyone, I haven't actually seen the rules or laws locally yet. Also, I am trying to design a better Pokéball for the little cutie pie baby, yes you are! Yes you are."

He blinked, looking away from feeding Abra another cube. "Right, sorry. Point is, keep an eye out for other interesting Pokéballs for me to scan so I can keep designing something neat."

She glanced between the God-Like/Monster-Being and the pampered Mini-Abra. "Right. Well, my original travel plans are shot, So I guess if you want to try and get an Electric Pokémon we should head to Route 110 by passing through Verdanturf Town and take Route 117 to Mauville City."

Anita paused as she pulled out her Pokédex to verify her memory. The new device was a darker color and shaped to better fit in her hand, which was nice, but the BIG deal was the option menu.

It was... longer. Satellite updated connection at a speed far above consumer level, probably near military if she would dare guess. Live map with weather overlay, marks showing reports of crime or danger... stolen from the Police feed? She could see all the various shops and markets, and a cautious tap expanded it to their web based shopping options.

Her bank account was connected now, and had FAR too much in it. Her stunned gaze slowly slid to the overly innocent looking man-child cuddling his Abra.

THESE were 'Probably Legal' enhancements. Right.

With further review, she saw a list of likely Pokémon encounters on her planed path... and winced when she saw 'Current Market Listings' next to each one. Yeah, this was probably somehow taken from the two Team Rocket Grunts.

One of Adam's strange bone limbs pointed at her screen. "Tap that for audible direction assistance so we don't worry about getting lost. Had to put that together myself, with so few vehicles I guess Global Positioning System directions were never really a thing here."

...Whatever that meant. She set aside her (Now mountainous) pile of concerns and questions. The Grunt was right, too much curiosity could get her in trouble here. Better to be innocent and unknowing, at least officially.

As they slowly started down the path she balanced her now heavier loaded backpack, Pidgey riding on top. "If neither of those places have what you are looking for, we can follow Route 110 to Slateport City, as a port town all kinds of interesting stuff can show up at their market. Heck, 'Slateport Market' is famous for having odd things."

Adam ignored the pretty impressive duet humming from Simmy and Sammy, as they headed into the forest. "I'm sure we will find something out there. You want to feed the little one? She kind of grabs it with her mind, and it feels funny."

With a slight smile, she accepted one of the Pokéblocks and then fed one of the gathered berries to Pidgey, as she tried to ignore the many concerning issues with her bizarre friend.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Eventually the day wore on and conversations died down, and the two people enjoyed the sounds of nature.

Pidgey would fly off and return with interesting flowers or berries, while Abra just slept. Random small objects would just pop up, landing in Adam's hair occasionally. Apparently trainers in general had a bad habit of losing odds and ends when out in the wilderness. Probably while running away from dangerous situations.

It did give him some more potions to scan. Health Potions ones were basically a biological slurry of useful components with a weak pulse of energy that encouraged Pokémon to recover faster. The Burn Heal that Abra found could also encourage skin growth and scar recovery, while the Antidote seemed to enhance the Pokémon's immune system. Explained why most of these concoctions were not for humans though.

He would need to pick up the other ones once they got to a city for scanning, unless Abra found some more items to put on his head at some point on this trip. These Potions differed from the chemicals and tools included in the automated healing device used in the Pokécenters, being weaker and more general purpose.

Then again, the 'Automated Recovery Tool Station' was only to be operated by a certified Nurse or Doctor, so it made sense it had the higher potency chemical options as they could prevent issues or wrong prescriptions. Or at least, they could handle any issues that popped up easily enough with the other available clinic tools.

A random Trainer in the forest, on the other hand, may accidentally overdose their partner if they were unaware of the risks. The weaker and modified Trainer Potions took care of that issue, at least until the Trainer could get to a center for professional medical care.

Adam blinked at another Trainer backing slowly away from the pair. Glancing at Anita, he hummed. "Do you know why everyone keeps... avoiding us?"

She glanced at his multiple bone limbs redesigning the path as they strolled. "Some people get easily startled." Pidgey chirped and hopped onto her head. "That said, not everyone is used to seeing this kind of Route Improvement effort being done."

He nodded. Reasonable enough. But he wasn't willing to STOP fixing this terrible path. Some sections had been damaged to the point where tall grass grew over everything! A nice clean walkway wasn't too much to ask for, was it? And the new material would last longer and look nice.

Honestly though, the solar powered street lights he was constructing was a bit of showing off. And of course, he rebuilt some of the rest stops. Most of them, really. Some hadn't been cleaned in... way too long. Others had damage from some Pokémon attack in the past, or needed maintenance. Or were too small to really relax in.

Better to replace them entirely. Thanks to the available sewage and water pipes connections, not to mention the electrical hookup, putting up new 'Rest Stops' was a breeze and allowed the two travelers and two Pokémon to enjoy a break every now and then without having to smell strange things or stare at rusted shacks in the process.

And Anita wasn't complaining. She had access to clean bathrooms and comfortable furniture. It was a luxury out on the trail, and she wasn't willing to convince her friend that 'Roughing it' was needed for character growth or whatever. Her class wouldn't penalize her for it, so why not relax in a bit of style?

He pulsed blue magic flames into his backpack for Abra again, who purred with happiness.

The Trainers passing by wouldn't be an issue. It didn't matter how stealthy they tried, his 'Technomancy' made sure their Pokédex cameras didn't record the pair idly rebuilding Route 116. And without evidence, he was sure no one would believe the random people the pair passed. Not at first, anyway, and by then they would be long gone!

Maybe he should get a Ninja Pokémon to compliment the Stealthy Skills he so clearly mastered?

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

The two Grunts knelt before the series of cameras, the group of bosses ignoring them as they watched the Satellite feed.

Soil vanished, rock formed, and strange metals rose like mutated trees as the two people walked, the man glowing with fire and power and danger as the world shaped like liquid in his path.

At one point, a blocked tunnel just... got out of the way. The new tunnel created was larger, safer, and even had an automated restaurant installed into the damn mountain itself. At least, that was what the local agents claimed after the wandering THING moved along his way. No Pokémon involved, and it didn't seem to need electricity, water, or external sources of food. It just had them. And apparently an AMAZING internet cafe attached.

The highest shadow nodded, gesturing at the corpse of Blade Jack. "Your mission is accepted as completed, and for NOT doing something stupid you will get a bonus. Far too many lower level employees would have tried to steal that locally rare Pidgey or snatch that mutant Abra, and that would have been... unwise."

The group watched a whole herd of snarling, red-eyed Mightyena's just... yelp and run away on the satellite feed. "Yes, it would have been unwise."

One of the female shadows lower on the call list leaned forward. "Not just that, but Grunt 21142, you did VERY good in encouraging peaceful relations with the young girl. She has ties to Target Red, although distant ones, and that good interaction may prove useful in the future."

The female Grunt's discomfort was clear enough that the Bosses chuckled. The highest shadow laughed. "Nothing like that, nothing nefarious. We occasionally need to communicate with Target Red, and he is more likely to accept a warning from your young friend than from us. Even if it IS a global emergency, not many trust Team Rocket leaders when they attempt to spread the word."

The original female shadow nodded. "Young men and women still believe in pure right and wrong, no gray scale morality. While normally fine, sometimes we need to warn large groups of people quickly, as we have in the past when some Team Rocket Cell goes off the deep end. Building a group of trustworthy friends who can spread the warning is a vital part of our organization."

Seeing her relax, the highest shadow sighed. "Now I need to pass this up the chain. The Boss needs to know about this new global player before it shows up on the news feeds. We've also detected your young friend joining several of our data feeds somehow even without the proper hardware."

Glancing at the screen, where a boulder melted away as the two walked idly by, he nodded to the left group. "You three get her approved for high level access. I'm sure the Boss will agree that NOT infuriating a man who can distort reality is for the good."

One of his people hesitated. "Sir... is that wise?"

He snorted. "The man stole our technology without us knowing and gained access to everything we have online as a side thought, best to ensure he approves of our actions when he eventually detects them. Right, back to work everyone! You Grunts, expect a bonus and a months paid leave for this. Stay in contact though, the Boss may have a task related to the new targets."

The call ended as their devices updated, bank accounts already swelling. The two Grunts glanced at the ongoing feed, showing raw destruction and creation.

The guy gulped. "I am SO glad you overruled me when I tried to get us to just attack initially."

She nodded, sending Anita a short message informing her that she had approval to keep in contact and to call if they needed anything. "Honestly, so am I."

They both stared as some sort of massive stone mansion/hotel was formed next to the path... apparently because Adam was too tired to put up a tent to sleep in.

It had a pool.

He looked at her. "Vacation at Lavaridge Town? Hot springs and alcohol sounds good."

They both nodded. Alcohol was the best plan right now.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam attempted to make the main course dish AGAIN, which was surprisingly complicated.

The issue of food came up early on during the trip, emphasized more when Adam built the automatic restaurant in that tunnel.

As in, had to IMMEDIATELY change the menu.

Eating Pokémon was... barely tolerated. It had to be properly sourced, the animals in question had to die of natural causes, and there were harsh penalties, fines, and harvesting limits.

Hence the morally dubious but illegal and thriving Team Rocket Pokémeat supply industry.

Farm raised animals, which were few in species and terrified of everything, was slightly more acceptable. At least, people were willing to ignore where the meal came from. Like most Americans, to be honest.

No, the result of sentient animals, plants, and even inanimate objects (Thank GOD salt isn't a Pokémon!) was more interesting than expected.

Vegetarian dishes here were AMAZING!

This Realm had dedicated their efforts to producing proteins and vitamins and all that, then reformatting it into all kinds of food substitutes, alternatives, and new tastes. Having such limited (morally acceptable) ingredients had the scientists scramble for new options. And come up with bizarre solutions in the process!

There were over 3,000 varieties of lettuce alone! Hundreds of strains of carrots, potatoes, all kinds of beans... there were actual, significant differences. Some tasted different, others had various health benefits, some were liked more by certain species of Pokémon. Unlike on Earth, where there were hundreds of varieties but the market was dominated by the top one or two favorites, many of these different options were evenly available depending on region.

It was fascinating, but it also meant the recipes involved got a bit complicated.

This main dish Adam had been struggling with had a sort of bread like substance made from a sort-of radish, some powdered savory mushrooms and this purple thing that originally was related to carrots, and a slightly sweet sauce all rolled up like a log. After applying some psychic energy and heat using the odd tools, the whole thing changed texture and color entirely.

It was like meatloaf, but the radish dough contracted during the cooking process creating a firm texture similar to some roasts Adam had in the past.

Well, it did NOW. These strange dishes required some very odd cooking equipment that stored specific Pokémon energies or generated similar power fields to change the food during the finishing process.

And he kind of failed at using it a few times. This was the fifth time trying to make this dish, which is a classical one known as the 'Beet-loaf'. And although he MAY have cheated at the sauce a bit (He made it right once, who cared if he use Construction beams to not have to struggle with it again?), THIS time it looked like the meal would be a success!

Adam carefully moved the serving dish under the log before adding the top layer of sauce... good. "Anita, ready to give verdict?"

The Trainer in training looked up from the newly rebuilt rest stop's dinning room, her Pidgey already enjoying some Pokéchow. Cute little Abra had to finished her Pokéblocks first, but Adam planned on letting her have a taste of the new dish! According to the stolen information and the online tools, nothing in here should be bad for the little one.

Anita seemed interested, even if still tired from the day's travels. "I'm surprised it took you so few tries to get it right! Bring it over!"

He sighed inside. The first few versions had been edible, sure, but he had standards. Burned spots, improper sauce, wrong ratios... this last attempt was at least close to the picture from the online recipe. "Right, don't judge this harshly."

Adam carefully sliced a round from the log and added just a bit more sauce (Because at least THAT was guaranteed to be good!) before passing it over, getting another plate to set himself up as well.

Ignoring her to reduce his own anxiety, he slowly forked a sample... The texture was near meatloaf, but the flavor had layers. The edges were richer and deeper in flavor, the heat making the sauce and flavorings blend together very well. Almost too much, really. A bit too spicy. The inside on the other hand was much more mild, like basic chicken or turkey. Maybe too mild.

A slice including the over seasoned outside crust and the mild seasoned internal structure balanced things out into a fairly delicious outcome. Still, he had clearly messed up somewhere. The outside was supposed to be more crisp, like fried skin, the inside more flavorful.

Not bad though for a new dish with unusual tools and ingredients.

Maybe he should offer ketchup? Just because it wasn't perfect didn't mean that his friend should have to suffer with sub-par offerings.

His thoughts were disrupted by Anita's moan. "This is AMAZING! It is WAY better than when Mom tried to make it. She always burned the outside and we had to scrape the top layers off."

Better to offer the ketchup later on then. Adam smiled. "Right, I think it turned out alright myself, but it was much easier to make the desserts. I'm also a bit surprise at how many dessert recipes were freely available online."

She swallowed, and nodded. "Trainers use up a ton of energy when fighting or training their partners, and most treats have high sugar content which helps offset that. You will see most places have all kinds of bakery goods and snacks for visiting Trainers, sometimes even for free depending on where you are. If you are a standard civilian or don't work closely with Pokémon, that many sweets can be dangerous though."

She took another bite. "Mmm. Our family had more than a few dessert only meals in the past, having a main dish like this is more of a special occasion deal. Might be why Mom always burned it when she tried."

Huh. He had his extra limbs duplicate the dish using the scan of the finished Beet-loaf after seeing Anita take her third extra helping. Thank goodness he could skip the finiky steps at this point.

Ignoring her surprise at seeing a duplicate dish appear, Adam carefully took a fork full and gently offered a bite to Abra. "Now, say ah..."

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

She had time. And it was for a good cause.

Abra woke ever so slightly. Life was easier to experience when not adrift on the rivers of mental power.

As she accepted the bite of delicious food, she sighed and slowly fell asleep again.

So worth it.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam nodded. "Good, I was worried I would have to add Pokéberries to everything for Abra to enjoy it." He gently wiped the tiny thing's chin with a napkin.

Anita blinked. "No, almost all Pokémon can eat most foods. It is just that Pokéchow has all kinds of extra energies and stuff, it is really appealing to the target species. Although I think some Pokémon have to eat rocks and stuff, depending on what their body is made of."

Adam sighed as he passed some plates of food to Simmy and Sammy in his soul. They didn't NEED to eat, but they enjoyed trying new things anyway. "Right, so what are the most likely Electrical Pokémon to encounter once we get to Route 110? What are my options again?"

She used a napkin and pulled out her Pokédex. "There are basically three likely options. The Electrike, Plusle, and Minun."

The image of the Electrike was similar to a green dog with a yellow band of color over its eyes. "The Electrike mostly use their charges externally in their fur and tend to stimulate their muscles with charges for speed. It can eventually evolve into a Manectric, at which point it focuses its power into its mane and stimulates the environment, rather than trying to force its body to work faster. You are unlikely to see the evolved form on the trail though. They head further from the trials and form packs."

The image shifted. "Plusle and Minun don't really evolve into or from any known Pokémon, but they look so similar that people think they could be the same species of Pokémon but with very different specialties. They only come in Red for Plusles and Blue for Minuns, but can be either gender. They both can make little pom-poms from electrical power, and like to support other people and creatures around them. Basically, both of them are 'Cheering' Pokémon, and well... they don't really like fighting to be honest."

Adam's attention was pulled away when a blue and orange slip of paper fell. "Ah. Well, guess that decides it then."

Anita blinked and looked up from her device. "What?"

He nodded. "Simmy wants a Minun and Sammy wants a Plusle. Problem solved I guess. And their colors are close enough."

She hesitated. "Who?"

Adam paused. "Right, you haven't met them yet!"

Reaching inside, he... hesitated. "Actually, they are busy singing to Marshadow right now, and it may be best to leave them to do that." Because Marshadow is currently crazy, and stabilizing him would be a good idea.

Also: Summoning any Endbringers would CERTAINLY put him on the divine radar, so to speak.

He nodded. "Simmy and Sammy are two of my wives, though they tend to spend time in my soul when not busy doing their own projects."

Adam ignored her expression. "Now that I think about it, this may be a good thing. Neither of them like wearing clothing and you seem easily embarrassed by other people being nude. Not that I am judging you or anything."

Seeing her wide eyed and opened mouth expression, he nodded. "Right, ignore all that. Try this apple pie, I have a few versions for us to test. I haven't seen this many types of Apple before and I think this combination of flavors turned out well enough anyway."

Seriously, there were over a hundred thousand SPECIES of apple popular here. Several thousand that were focused on sour or sweet or even SAVORY. Savory apples, That was just stupid.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Boro had long ago added the 'Husband Stream' to the AI feed, his army of fellow cooks watching with fascination at an entire new CULTURE of cuisine was being exposed to several Realms without a care.

He waved a signal. "Have we researched exposing our ingredients to other energies during growth yet?"

Several AI shook their head. "Some, not enough. We did get some interesting results with radioactive fallout, but these new dishes are consumable by organics with mostly positive effects. It is a new field entirely."

Boro nodded absently, sending more requests to the Angel Twins for details on the various plants shown on screen and the estimated price for it to be farmed locally verses attempting to get Queen Administrator's planet to begin farm work on the lot of them. That planet had a ton of automated, EMPTY farms ready to be put to use.

He pointed. "That. No yam or beet or turnip that I've seen can turn into that type of dough, not one that acts like bacon during the cooking process."

It was annoying getting the local names for various items, as the language on screen hadn't been in their data banks until Adam's Angels shared a translation matrix, but they would make do.

At least Queen Administrator's partner, Taylor Herbert Senior, seemed very interested in the wide variety of produce available for planting on her power's planets. Her people really could use a food surplus at this point.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam looked at his script, straightening his crown. "Oh mighty warrior, thy brave and just actions has my heart racing with joy and hope."

Anita blushed. "For I doth come with sword and justice, the rescue of thine majesty my only reward and blessed reason for peril. My thrusting weapon... my... I CAN'T READ THIS!"

He snorted. "At least you get to wear armor, Simmy already made me a fluffy pink dress for my role." It felt amazing. Pre-cogs were the BEST outfit designers.

She threw away her script. "But there is so much dirty innuendo! How can they just put those sort of things into print like that!?"

Adam shrugged. "My wives know what they like. And they said that Plusle and Minun love to cheer on events like this. I throw up a small castle, we dress up, do the play... BAM! At LEAST two new electric partners show up for me to try and recruit."

He adjusted his dress straps. "And if Simmy says it will work, it will work."

She glowered at the tall man in the pink dress. It was VERY frustrating that Adam looked more feminine than HER when wearing the stupid thing.

At least the armor made her look cool. And was actually able to protect her from bullets and stuff. And felt nice.

Pidgey coughed into a wing, then stood straight in her own tiny armor and began tweeting her lines.

Adam checked. Abra was still secure (and asleep), although Simmy had made her a pink cone like princess hat to join in the fun.

Side note, Pokémon DID have their own language, but Adam couldn't understand it. Seemed to be some really advanced Aura 'pinging' or communication, and he was having fun trying to figure it out without taking the easy way out with a Power Charge.

Pidgey's lines ended, and since Anita was still grumbling Adam skipped her lines and moved on. "Hark, the winged sky lord's message is true! A wicked spell has barred my castle with thorn and curse, none can pass!"

Abra noticed her cue and wiggled the plush thorn bush Adam made with her 'Telekinesis'. No reason to risk someone getting hurt with something more deadly, and it doubled as a squishy bed mattress in case of emergencies.

Seeing the other three turn to watch her with expectation, Anita sighed and picked up her script. "Oh vile barrier to my love, I shall undress my doubts and oil my intentions, for there is nothing my massive metal rod can not pierce... Adam, this is vile. What if my parents hear this?"

He caught the falling blue paper slip. "Oh. Looks like Simmy has been recording our practice runs... and is willing to share the videos to see if your family and friends approve or not."

Her glare was icy. "Are your imaginary girlfriends trying to blackmail me into preforming a racy play full of suggestive themes and questionable quotes to help you potentially catch two Pokémon?"

Adam turned the paper slip over. "Simmy says yes."

She sighed. "Well let's get going then. At least we are all wearing full costumes."

Adam winced. "They gave me a topless scene in chapter eight."

Anita glanced at his muscular body. "Meh, I can work with that."

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Abra insisted on keeping her princess cone thing, so now the pink tip of her hat could be seen peeking out from the plush palm tree shade covering her backpack as Adam and Anita finally came within sight of Verdanturf Town.

Glancing behind himself, he winced a bit. "The town is going to notice the changes, won't they?"

Anita glanced at the now straight, well lit, newly paved path. One that looked BETTER than the city streets of the town they were about to enter. "Probably."

He sighed. "Better sneak in I guess. Thank goodness there are no guards or whatever at the entrances."

The town itself was a bit small, though thankfully they DID have a few shops. While the expected 'Poké Mart' did exist, there were a number of specialty stores and grocery stores that were not represented in the shows or games that had gained his interest.

The first stop? The electronics store.

Adam felt 'Technomancy' flash on with eagerness as all the active display examples of Pokédex models quickly were scanned and stored in his mental library. Despite expectations, there WERE several brands and companies involved.

Unlike Pokéballs, which were HEAVILY regulated and controlled by the governments (It was a vital part of society), other tools and electronics had far looser restrictions and protections. Sharing schematics was fairly common, and (unusually) stealing designs was RARE.

So... lots of similar components in these Pokédex examples. The differences were carefully noted and passed on to the twin Angels for consideration, but most of the illegal model displayed by the two Team Rocket Grunts outclassed these offerings.

He smiled at the young woman behind the counter. "Yes, I am looking for interesting or odd options available for a custom Pokédex. Trying to build my own version, so I want to see what has already been accomplished."

Mostly true, so yay!

Anita had taken her Pidgey to the Pokémon Center for a checkup, and to check in with her school and family. As she didn't quite trust her 'totally legal' Pokédex to make calls yet, considering how much of it was 'borrowed' from a crime organization's probably illegal equipment.

Point was, he was alone with Abra and could spend time sending the poor sales lady back and forth to the supply room, showing off all the odd options people could purchase when shopping for a Pokédex.

Scan after scan proved how profitable this idea had turned out to be, and in gratitude he went ahead and purchased one of the most expensive models for Anita. It would also be remodeled internally, so that she could NOW use all the new features AND have an excuse about where it came from.

Proper paper trail and everything! Although Adam wouldn't tell anyone that the money came from the two Grunt's digital accounts. They HAD tried to attack when they first met after all, a slap on the wrist was warranted.

His next stop was to address the money issue mentioned before, as there was a resource shop that purchased the many goods Trainers would find in nature. Abra had provided several examples of Pokéberries on the way here, and even if they DID have odd energies it was trivial enough for his Construction beams to duplicate.

...Though apparently Pokédexes were common enough that they were used as digital wallets, sort of like a gift card that can deposit cash directly to accounts when in cities or near approved network connections.

He stuffed the large amount of newly acquired digital currency into Anita's account. Considering that he didn't exist, didn't have an account OR a Pokédex yet, and didn't want to mess with it.

Adam blinked as he stepped back out of the most recent store.

Right, he should have told his younger companion that he was stuffing her accounts with lots of random deposits. And should tell her SOON, before she freaks out and trys to report it as fraud or something.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Anita looked at her receipt.

Her remaining balance had WAY too many zeros.

An instant message alert from her modified Pokédex clarified issues. And added a few requests on her time.

She nodded, and turned back to the Poké Mart attendant. "Also, I am going to need one of each available Pokéballs. In a separate bag, if you could."

Showing her official Trainer License, she internally sighed. Because clearly this was Adam's fault... so she might as well help the guy out a bit.

As the various orbs were carefully packed, she hummed. Might want to pick up other supplies if Adam was just going to stuff her pockets with extra coin. Maybe buy one of each Potion as well? He would likely appreciate that.

Compared to the shadow tentacles, god tier food, and world rebuilding, this didn't even phase her.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Officer Jenny leaned heavily on the counter, her face weary. "Say that again?"

Her 'contact' on the phone sighed as well. "Yeah, can't confirm where this info comes from, but you need to tell your coworkers as well. So far the man is fairly easy to work with, and hasn't shown too many dangerous tendencies, but raw power is its own issue sometimes."

She glanced at the many reports that previously had been ignored as a series of pranks. Magically changing roads, instantly rebuilt rest stops, automated diners, a tall muscular princess being saved by a tiny knight as part of a roaming theater troupe, it all sounded like a joke.

Officer Jenny sighed. "Is it another high level Pokémon running a prank?" Because THAT had been annoying.

The source was not happy either. "As far as we can tell, no. None of the normal energies from special moves or attacks were detected, and the few people we have able to decode 'Future Sight' visions insist that any Pokémon he gathers are NOT the ones to be concern about."

She frowned. "How is the organization handling this?" Team Rocket could sometimes make... unwise decisions. The Police Department wouldn't tolerate law breaking, so knowing how the major criminal underworld was going to approach the issue was vital.

The caller chuckled. "Thankfully this was a unanimous decision. From the top to the bottom, 'Do NOT engage'. We are staying out of his way until he vanishes again, considering he came from nowhere and we have no records of him... anywhere."

Officer Jenny held back any further concerns and thanked her inside source. Sometimes knowing the right people can protect society just as much as any other part of her job.

She sent out the alert to the other Officers. "Be advised: A tall man in a princess outfit or woman with very masculine voice in a pink dress, unconfirmed ID of 'Adam', who is accompanied by a young Trainer identified as Anita Sands (Registered ID:071133), have become individuals of extreme interest. For safety of local officials, do not engage unless bystanders or property are at risk or being damaged. Individual 'Adam' has been marked as a possible 'Mega Evolution' level risk if handled improperly."

With a sigh, she continued. "Said man can be identified from his glowing blue eyes, blue wire hair, and backpack containing a sleeping Abra. Please note, said Abra and the man's hair may or may not be on fire. Blue fire. Do not assume this is harming the Abra at this time."

Hearing a few confirmations from Officer Jenny, Officer Jenny, and Officer Jenny, she sighed. At least the local forces were warned now.

Then again, considering how improved Route 116 looked maybe she could convince the strange man to wander the various paths for a while. Heaven knows how difficult was to get funding to maintain the damn things.

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Adam was forced to put away the fun things Anita had picked up as she convinced him to go visit the Contest Hall and the Battle Tent facilities in the town.

It didn't slow him down much, as he just Gathered the mess and let Simmy and Sammy handle the schematics, but he really wanted to tinker with all the new stuff NOW, darn it.

Still, even Abra woke up long enough to add her puppy dog look to Pidgey and Anita... and he caved like a wet tissue.

So they were visiting the Contest Hall first, which was a bit interesting. The place historically was a place to have battles between Trainers of a traditional nature... but after many years, they had split all the actual fights to the Battle Tent. It also reduced the cost of accidental damage to unrelated areas of the facilities.

Now, the Contest Hall handled the more interesting types of competitions. People showed off the largest or smallest Pokémon while trying to beat world records, there were tools to measure attacks and the effectiveness of certain skills, and even competitive dance routines, costume designs, and more.

While the Battle Hall was full of dangerous battles where pride and training came to a head, the Contest Hall was full of bragging teenagers, various businesses looking for new talent, and many groups and clubs that came to display their personal pride and abilities to the world.

It was certainly an usual atmosphere, sort of like a county fair or something. There were even various booths that sold trinkets and snacks, a few that were actually part of the Contest Hall action themselves as they showed off treats made by skilled Pokémon or by taking advantage of carefully controlled Pokémon attacks.

Adam carefully shared some cotton candy (Melted by a cautious fire from a tortoise-like Torkoal and spun by his Trainer) with a still awake Abra, enjoying watching her munch small amounts at a time. It was so rare to see his little friend awake, even if she had no problem interacting with the group while sleeping away.

The various exhibits were interesting, but it was clear why the two facilities had been combined in the various games Adam had for reference. How would gamer players on Earth compete with eachother in the 'Most Fire Resistant Scarf' competition without a massive redesign of the fundamental concept of 'battle'? Easier to pretend only fights occurred here.

Anita helped wipe Abra's chin and Pidgey was showing off the new painters hat his owner had bought at one of the small shops in the facility, so in general the group was feeling pretty great at this point.

It was why Adam felt more than a bit surprised when a tall muscle man wearing a fashionable skirt and tube top interrupted their conversation. "YOU SIR!"

Adam blinked. "Me?"

The man of muscle flexed his form, his hair ribbons glinting in the sun. "YES YOU!"

Anita backed away a bit.

Whatever 'blend into the crowd' strategy they may or may not have been trying for was truly shot at this point. The general crowd had subconsciously opened a wide circle, leaving Adam and the Manly Man-in-Drag alone.

The guy was unconcerned. "I see your fashion passion is as STRONG AS MY ABS! You MUST join me as we FLEX FABULOUSLY!"

Adam raised a finger. "I am confused. What exactly do you want?"

His form rippled perfectly into an astounding pose, his skirt gently swirling. "I am the famous Drag-Queen King of Fashion and YOU! You must join me in glorious celebration! Come, we must be off!"

Anita tried to help Adam's confusion. "I think it is because you are still wearing the Princess costume."

He frowned. "But it is comfortable."

A wide white smile glinted. "INDEED! Come, bring your undersized friend and FLEX THIS WAY!"

...Huh.

Why not?

~~~Broken Adventure~~~

Anita slumped in embarrassment as she followed her now flexing companion, Abra having fallen back asleep and Pidgey trying to cheer the pair on.

She coughed. "Uh... Sir?"

The mountain of muscle nearly shattered the atmosphere with his astounding poses as he bulged his muscles. "YES, TINY PERSON!?"

She winced. WOW he was loud. "Right, I'm Anita and he..." Adam had somehow managed to explode his princess sleeves with his last flex. Oddly impressive. "He is Adam Burns. We just got into town. What is this 'Glorious Celebration' you mentioned?"

The man laughed loudly into the air. "Not ALL Pokémon understand the joy of combining hard physical training with delicate fine dress forms! But we shared MANLY BONDS OF PASSION!"

He flexed with a surprisingly cooperative Adam into the next room. "I have worked with the finest designers here in Verdanturf for today's display, and when I saw your muscular fashion Deva here I KNEW I had found a SOUL MATE!"

Adam paused mid flex. "Just to clarify, I am spoken for by several wives at this point."

The Drag-Queen King of Fashion chuckled. "Of course! My wife is one of the finest designers for my entire team! But this is beyond love and marriage, this is about the JOYS of POWERFUL, TAUNT, MUSCLES!"

His body arced in beautiful tension. "FORCE!" And twisted again. "FORM!" Once more. "AND FASHION!" His skirt floated gently in the breeze as he twisted like an angel.

Anita tried to look uninvolved. How did she keep running into people like this?

...And now Pidgey was trying to flex. You are a bird, stop.

Adam adjusted his form, the far more experienced King helping a lot. "How many Pokémon have joined your cause?"

The man waved to a booth filled with weight equipment and some concerned seamstresses, ready to pounce if one of their artistic creations got damaged during the workouts. "Not as many as I expected. BUT! I wasn't entirely unsuccessful! For example, I was lucky enough to find this Machop and his brothers, whom evolved to a muscled Machoke and very flexible Machamp!"

The three Pokémon in question abandoned their weight reps and quickly got in formation. The smallest, Machop, had a dashing gown that flattered his eyes and was lightly blue. Honestly his muscles were nothing amazing, but his passion showed through his poses.

Machoke and Machamp both had muscles to spare, though the highest evolved Machamp had more of a swimmers grace than the pure bulk flexed by Machoke. Both had gone topless, only their tasteful skirts with a lovely floral pattern allowing them to display the height of culture.

The King joined them. "Together now! And FLEX!" POWER! BEAUTY! MUSCLES!

The crowed was in awe!

...Were there sparkles in the air?

Anita looked at the other hard working Pokémon. "Is that Golem wearing a two piece swimsuit?"

The Drag-Queen King of Fashion winced. "Ah, Carl. He dreams of posing by the sea, but his nature fights his dreams." He waves the trio back to their routine and stands tall.

His soul was FILLED with determination. "Carl may be a massive boulder with barely any limbs to work with, but he has HEART! He has PASSION! Water is a fundamental weakness to his species!? WE SAY NAY! Every obstacle is but another path to improvement! It is but an opportunity to FLEX YOUR WAY TO YOUR DREAMS!

A loud cascade of noises rose as the dozen or so finely dressed Pokémon all roared with fiery desire, their cries of future accomplishments clear as they showed the best angles and pushed each muscle to the MAX!

Adam grinned. "We've got time to hang around, right?"

Little Abra tried to flex her arm. Nah. She went back to sleep.