Chapter 11 Training and the Third Pokemon

"Eevee! Keep using Swift in short bursts. Wimpod doesn't scurry around, we need to test and train Harden's durability! Okay good! Ok yeah let it hit you", Faust commanded looking at the red and white Wimpod trying his hardest to face the incoming attack.

"Okay…that's it Eevee you can stop now. Come on guys good work today!"

The Eevee happily skipped over to Faust and started rubbing her head against his legs and Wimpod tried to climb on Faust's shoulders only to be pulled back by Eevee.

"Vee..vee…", said Eevee turning its chin towards Faust's heavily bandaged shoulder. 

"Pod…pod…pod…pod", grumbled the Wimpod as if saying ' he's been like that forever now! he needs to man up, not be a wimp'.

It had been half a month since the incident with Eevee. Faust had woken up on the same day his surgery was completed. He had learnt that Scar's Audino had constantly used Heal Pulse and that had, in turn, avoided any complications with the use of the arm. Over the last two weeks, he had come to grow closer to Scar and Professor Faust. 

Professor Ross always dropped in with the excuse to test her critical asset for any harm to mental capabilities but he had come to realise that she did actually care. This wasn't his inner feeling or any other emotional bullshit. It was based on Eevee's ability Anticipation.

Unlike how it was described in the games, Faust had come to realise that Eevee's Anticipation had more to it than just sensing dangerous moves. It was a sort of spider-sense, Faust had noticed how Eevee remained uncaring and aloof when Scar came around not even opening her eyes if she was asleep. But when Evia had come over, Eevee was suddenly tense and vigilant in the entirety of the period she was in the room. Faust became vigilant of Evia since that day and also developed a sort of reliance on Eevee's ability. 

Faust hadn't slacked off on the training and bonding with his Pokemon either. The addition of Eevee to the team had suddenly ignited Wimpod's urgency to get stronger and he was training harder than ever. Faust was trying to get closer to Eevee and maximise affection, which wasn't hard since Eevee and Wimpod hated staying inside the Pokeball and spent most of their time outside.

Faust was supposed to be discharged today. Although he could finally get out of the hospital, he still had to constantly visit for a check-up at least for the next two weeks. This incident had thrown a wrench in Faust's rift exploration plans. He couldn't possibly go in the state he was, so Faust simply decided to train as much as possible in the remaining month to try and get his Wimpod to the Intermediate stage.

As for Eevee, Faust had different plans. She was already strong enough as an Intermediate stage Pokemon, he didn't want to level her up too intensively because that would create a gap between his two Pokemon. In the game, one could leach off a powerful teammate's strength but in the real world, it could create unnecessary complications.

If the disparity grew too large, Faust would be forced to use Eevee more while Wimpod wouldn't get as many chances. As a result, it could cause self-esteem issues and raise doubts about the self-worth of Pokemon. Besides, he had another job for Eevee, to get it used to tactics instead of brutal straightforward confrontation. He was going to make her practice using moves in combos to inflict the most damage in the shortest time using the least amount of effort. He also had decided to use TMs/TRs on Eevee. 

As for the ones he would use, he had decided on Charm and Facade. Charm because of the need for a fairy type move and Facade because of its increased damage to status condition afflicted Pokemon. Once he had Sylveon he could use Dazzling Gleam and TMs such as Round, Snore and Retaliate, once he obtained them.

With a set plan in mind, Faust began working on training his two Pokemon. 

Time passed and before he knew it, it was already the middle of the second month. Faust would have to head back to Applegrove Town for the start of his last year of high school. Technically he could just put in an application saying that he was interning at Ross Laboratories, but that would be counterproductive to his plans.

As far as the overall foundation of his Pokemon was concerned everything was coming the way he had planned. In fact much better than he had planned. Eevee had successfully adapted to a refined form of battle using moves to complement each other and fight efficiently. Meanwhile, Wimpod was slowly but surely turning out to be quite capable of withstanding large amounts of punishment. His Harden had reached a point where he could use it almost instinctively and metal claw could now rip through the steel plates.

But the next step was crucial. Real battle experience. His Pokemon needed to battle other Pokemon putting their lives on the line. Faust had thought of staying back at RL labs to train against tame Pokemon. But he had thought over it and finally dismissed the idea. Training with the idea that you wouldn't lose your life would be limiting the capability of the Pokemon. In such a situation, there would be a subconscious limitation of true potential because there would be no need to push for greater heights.

The idea that their life and their trainer's life would not be endangered at any point would deprive his Pokemon of the wild drive to survive. Hence he wanted to engage them in battles where the result could go either way. Of course, he would take precautions like not challenging exceptionally high-level Pokemon.

"So you want to check out the Lagoon family breeding house? Sure, but you do realise that you've only spent less than two months as a trainer. Even though you don't have a carry limit now, I must advise against expanding your team. Taking care of multiple Pokemon is not easy and you may end up biting off more than you can chew", said Scar watching Wimpod tank all of Eevees hits, as he and Faust stood on the deck observing the training session.

"I know that but I really don't feel any pressure caring for my Pokemon yet. Moreover, the overall combat power of my team is much too low for my liking. I need a Pokemon that can make up for the lack of ranged attackers on my team. I wouldn't have normally worried about that, but I have a feeling that my involvement with your sister's work has attracted unwanted attention. Applegrove Town is peaceful but it may not remain so for long….", Faust said trailing off towards the end of the sentence as if thinking of something.

Scar sighed and said, "Fine but you must know that Pokemon bred by the Lagoon House are exorbitantly priced. A properly bred and completely appraised Pokemon can cost upwards of fifty million Alliance credits. The eggs cost a lot lesser but if you go through the appraised eggs…they'll still be about twenty million apiece."

Faust wasn't surprised at the prices. Monopolies were like that, you got to decide prices since there hardly was any competition. 

Faust and Scar decided to head out in an hour. Faust already had an idea of what Pokemon type he wanted and spent the next hour deliberating over which Pokemon would be the best option. He was looking for Ghost types. Not only were they strong with enhanced special attacks but also could serve as amazing infiltrators and intelligence gatherers. 

Gengar would be the ideal choice but they were rare and extremely vicious. Faust didn't mind finding and raising a Gastly right from the egg. But if he could avoid it, he definitely would. Even Mismagius was not a bad option, Banette had a few shortcomings but it also had a Mega Evolution. The choices were many…Faust just stopped thinking and decided to choose based on what he saw.

Faust and Scar drove out of the RL base. They were headed to the central district which housed most of the major Pokemon-related stores and the regional headquarters of the Alliance Government. 

"So what Pokemon are you looking for? Maybe a specific type? Since you mentioned ranged attacker, I'm guessing Fire-type?", asked Scar.

"Not really. I'm looking for Ghost-types", said Faust without much thought into it.

The car suddenly screeched to a halt. Faust banged his head against the dashboard.

"Damn don't you know how to drive!? Moron!", cursed Faust and before he could continue to do so Scar started screaming at him.

"Are you out of your mind!? Don't you know about the unspoken rule among the trainers! Ghost types and Psychic types are not to be trained unless you are at least a Senior trainer! And even then only Elite rank trainers do so! Ghost types are extremely vicious! Psychic types have intelligence that often surpasses that of humans! You're not getting anything, we are going back! Your heads in the clouds! So what if you're a researcher involved with what perhaps could be the research of the century. In the end, you're a feeble and frail human who is gonna end up Pokemon prey!"

Faust wasn't able to speak for a while. He then sighed and said, "Fine. No ghost types."

Scar calmed down a bit after that but continued to lecture Faust about how his absurd ideas would lead to his demise. Faust just patiently listened not caring too much about it.

Soon they pulled up in front of a huge skyscraper that had crowds of people entering and exiting it. Faust looked at the huge letters that spelt out the name of the place. Coast City Trainer Mall.

Scar directly took him to the 51st floor and Faust noticed that unlike the bustle of the floors below this floor was extremely quiet. As they stepped out of the elevator, a beautiful lady walked up to them and politely asked them for their Trainer IDs.

Scar handed over his ID and as soon as the lady looked at it, her smile grew much wider and she didn't even bother checking Faust's ID. She led them to a private lounge and informed them that an appraiser would be with them in a moment. No sooner had she left than a middle-aged woman wearing what looked similar to a zookeeper's outfit on Earth walked in.

"I am sorry for my appearance. We have been much too busy since morning and I haven't had the time to change. Respected Trainer Scar, we welcome you to our Lagoon Breeding House. Please let me know what you're looking for and we can get started."

"Nothing for myself today. We are looking for a Pokemon. No specific species in mind. Could you show us around perhaps?", said Scar accepting the lady's handshake.

"Of course right this way please", she said and started walking towards a door in the back of the room. Scar and Faust followed.

"I shall start with the bred and fully appraised Pokemon. We have recently bred a top of the line Charmander, from a Late Elite stage Salamence and an Early Pseudo-King stage Charizard. It has obtained both Dragon Tail and Dragon Claw from its lineage. It also has a very good Blue aptitude. Perhaps the only downside is the lack of the ability Solar Power. It is currently priced at four-hundred and twenty-seven million credits", she said pointing at a Charmander that was training its Dragon Tail by hitting a sturdy training dummy.

"Currently? Aren't your prices fixed?", Faust inquired confused at the word 'currently'.

The lady smiled and patiently started to explain, " Normally our prices are fixed. But there are cases when there is a high demand for a particular egg or Pokemon, especially from influential families and individuals. In such cases, we simply sell to the individual who is able to higher the highest within a set time period. This Charmander will be given to the Southern Region Fire Gym in two days if no one bids more. It is rumoured that Hugh Firestorm's son, Felix Firestorm is being groomed to take over in the next eight months. This Charmander is to form the core of his team."

Faust was surprised at the price. It was almost half a billion credits! 

'Fuck! Here I was thinking I had become rich and resourceful. These people are ready to splurge so much on a Charmander just because of it's potential and dragon type moves.'

They moved on and while the lady explained, Faust also kept looking around using his identifier to find a suitable Pokemon. But to his disappointment, they were either of the unsuitable types, too expensive or didn't have good abilities. Faust was surprised that none of Pokemon had anything less than a Green potential. Truly, the breeding house deserved its reputation. Just as they were nearing the end of their tour, Faust saw a strange green, triangular headed Pokemon in a dimly lit glass enclosure. He couldn't see properly and used the identifier on it.

[ Pokemon: Dreepy(♂)

Ability: Clear Body, Infiltrator(secondary)

Type: Dragon/Ghost

Aptitude: Yellow

Strength: Early Intermediate(Lvl. 22)

Moves: Astonish, Bite, Quick Attack, Infestation, Sucker Punch, Double Team]

Dual abilities! This was the first time he had encountered a Pokemon with a secondary ability. Faust was instantly taken by the Dreepy but suddenly thought of the price and was a bit disappointed. Nonetheless, he asked about it.

The lady breeder looked at the Dreepy and sighed, "Ah that Pokemon, well I'll be honest with you. It's an interesting new Pokemon we found about a year ago. We analysed it to find that it was a dual-type Dragon and Ghost with an interesting ability that none of the moves affecting its attack, defence, speed and so on seemed to work on it. But we later found that it was completely useless in battle, moreover, it showed very slow growth, growing only by one level in the entire time it was here. The Pokemon itself isn't very aggressive and it's not able to withstand attacks at all often being knocked out in one move. If you want an honest opinion, I don't think it is a Pokemon meant for battle. It is extremely weak and has an abysmal number of moves."

Faust was dumbfounded at the explanation. This lady was dismissing a pseudo-legendary to be as weak and unsuitable for battle! Once again Faust was reminded of just how abysmally low this world's knowledge of Pokemon was. At the same time, he was extremely happy. The price of such an unpopular Pokemon would be low. On Faust's inquiry, the lady brought up the price.

"Well, we have been struggling to get rid of this Pokemon. So the price of this Dreepy is only ten million Alliance Credits. We are only trying to recover what we have spent on this Pokemon. Of course, I still don't recommend you buy the Pokemon."

Faust turned away from Scar before he could say anything. 

"Hey, Faust! Don't even think about it! You can see what the breeder had to say! One level in one year! It's not just a slow pace either, the Pokemon can't even withstand a single attack!", Scar tried to speak up but Faust had already called Professor Ross.

The conversation was short. In the end, Faust exchanged a little more of the benefits for his research contribution to buy the Dreepy.

Stepping out of the Mall, Scar was still grumbling about the matter and Faust had a Pokeball in his hand.

Suddenly, Faust looked up at Scar and with a playful look in his eyes, he said, " How about this? Give me a year. I'll be back in Grand Coast City in one year and I'll challenge you to a one on one. Dreepy versus your Charizard. I'll release the Dreepy and let you ask two requests of me. On the other hand, if you lose...you'll agree to two requests of mine."

Scar looked at Faust for a moment before he burst out laughing. He kept laughing madly and eventually stopped seeing the unchanged seriousness on Faust's face.

"What the fuck? Kid you serious!?"

Faust nodded and walked to the car, opened the door and got in.