"Well, I'm lost."
"Ralts~"
"Right right… we're lost." I said while looking around.
A lot had happened this morning… For starters, I saw Lida in her bra and panties but not like it was my fault, well maybe it was.
Taunie woke me up pretty early and we went to the roof to register for the Z-A Royale.
Apparently after accepting the terms and conditions on the app, you had to do a profile picture so we technically waited for the breeze to pick up before taking a photo with windy hair.
I had to admit, I was handsome though.
After that, instead of going to my room, I mixed up the numbers and opened Lida's door instead just as she was pulling her panties up and well… I got slapped then avoided all morning.
'Honestly… it could be worse.' I thought while walking around the aisle where I currently was.
So after that, Taunie offered to show me around and I found out there were different districts of this whole city, and the district we were in was called the Vert District.
She brought me to this place which was the Vert General Store which had everything a trainer needed for their Pokémon, going from Pokémon food, Poké Balls and so much more.
However immediately after she brought me here, she also abandoned me to help a woman across the road and I didn't see her again.
'Well… she did tell me important stuff I guess, like the new event from the Pokémon Research Center. Trainers are meant to catch five Pokémon and submit them to the lab for a reward.' I thought. 'I think I'll do it… I needed more Pokémon to participate in the Z-A Royale anyway.'
I checked out the Pokémon food on this shelf. What kind would fit Ralts? The receptionist did ask however I told her I already knew and didn't want to backtrack and lose some aura I got.
So far, it looked like brown biscuits and there was no specific brand name on it so that meant that Ralts could—
"Are you aware that's Ampharos food?" A melodious voice chimed in from my right and I looked to see a beautiful dark-skinned woman… well she was not exactly dark but she was chocolate and pretty.
She had her hair cut short into a neat bob and her eyes were sharp. The babe wore a beige cropped trench coat over what looked like a black bodysuit underneath and the collar sitting high against her neck with small orange accents along the edges.
There was also a stone embedded right at her chest which was not a gemstone exactly but it was not jewelry either… it was just a smooth flat stone that caught the light in an odd way, it was blue-green like the bottom of something and though I didn't know what it was.
It looked beautiful.
"Ampharos food?" I looked at the pack. "Wow, there aren't any tags on it so I didn't know."
The woman brought her hand out and took the pack from the shelf immediately, though she was giving me cautious eyes… Did I do something?
"Sure." She was about to turn around but I took a step forward… she could really be the end of my misery.
"Uh, so do you know where I can buy Ralts food? I heard Pokémon had specific food that's tasty and nutritional for them while not dampening their power as well." I said, which was why I wanted to get Ralts some good nutritional stuff as soon as possible.
She looked me in the eye and took one step away for some reason.
"At the end of this aisle… there's Pokémon food for the Ralts line." The woman said and before I could even thank her, she walked off immediately.
…Damn, did she even acknowledge me?
Well that wasn't much of my business.
She was hot yes but I knew my limits so I walked to the far end of the aisle and just like the strange woman said, there was food for the Ralts line… even one pack with a Gardevoir on the back.
"Ra~ ra~"
I could understand Ralts a bit right now.
She wasn't really hard to understand if you put your heart into it… not only that but she talked in her sleep too and rolled all over my face.
Right now, she extended her hands at the packet.
"You like it, huh?" I asked while taking it. "One day you'll grow to be a big strong Gardevoir then I'll stop stressing myself and have you use Psychic to do anything."
Ralts gave me a look without eyes.
"Ra~"
"I'm not lazy." I chuckled. "In fact, you are… You get to sit on my head all the time while I'm the one doing the walking."
I looked at the packet of Ralts food.
[For the growing Ralts in your life… nutritionally balanced for Ralts, Kirlia and Gardevoir alike. Supports psychic development, emotional health and healthy horn growth.]
[Liked by 100,000+ Ralts worldwide!]
[Buy ten, get a special pack free!]
"Tch, so much advertisement going on in this." I snagged two packs… there was a tag on them and one cost 1510 Pokédollars so I bought two and advanced to the receptionist's table. "How did they get that info? Gather 100,000 Ralts in a single place and feed all of them?"
I got to the receptionist's table shortly after and dropped the two packs on the counter.
"I'd also like ten Poké Balls too." I added and she nodded, pulling out ten minimized Poké Balls from the display case on the table.
"Sir… everything will be 4,020 Pokédollars. One pack of Ralts Blend is 1,510 Pokédollars and you bought two, while our Poké Balls are 100 Poké per ball and you bought ten." She said with a smile on her face. "Also, I notice you don't have a bag… The Vert General Store sells basic trainer bags for 3,000 Pokédollars as well. Would you like one?"
She was saying it with a wide grin but she was taking almost all of my earnings from that battle with Andi.
Devils really smiled while they stole your soul.
"Sure, let's check it out."
…
About three minutes later, I walked out of the Vert General Store with a sigh.
"Damn… Maybe I should change careers." I muttered under my breath.
Being a Pokémon trainer was costly. After purchasing the bag, she also made me purchase two bowls where I could dish the food but hey, at least she gave me three free Potions. "You know Ralts, maybe we could use your Psychic powers to become clowns and hold circuses or something…"
"Ra?" She dragged my hair anyway.
"Ow!" I yelped out and then looked across the street.
There was a green gate-like barrier with a large glowing 1 on it… the gate itself looked like a pair of sliding panels made of some kind of translucent green energy.
You could see through it but barely, like looking through frosted glass, and a low fence ran on either side connecting to the surrounding buildings, sealing the zone off from the street. "So that's a Wild Zone, huh?"
Quasartico was actively placing Wild Zones containing wild Pokémon into the city as part of their urban redevelopment plan.
Not that I cared much…
"Alright Ralts." I said while crossing the road. "We just need to catch five Pokémon from the Wild Zone and then go collect our rewards from the Professor. I hope she's a hottie though."
I crossed the street and brought out my Rotomphone.
"Yo Rotom, what's a Wild Zone?" I asked. I just wanted to hear it talk though.
"Wild Zones are specially constructed habitats built into Lumiose City as part of the urban redevelopment plan! They allow wild Pokémon to live and roam safely within the city environment. You're currently standing outside Wild Zone 1… trainers may freely enter and exit through the gate, but wild Pokémon cannot leave the zone. Inside you can expect to find Fletchling, Bunnelby, Scatterbug, Weedle and Mareep among others. Good luck, Paxton!"
It still felt amazing that a phone could actually speak… I couldn't remember if phones did that back in my old world though I doubted it.
"Well then, let's go." I said while walking into the Wild Zone.
It felt weird, like passing through a hologram, and then I stepped inside… It wasn't really that different.
I was still in the city and there was a broken-down car on the side but I could hear the chirps of wild Pokémon.
Patches of grass pushed through the cracked pavement on either side of what used to be a road, and an old advertisement pillar stood at the center.
I started walking a bit and spotted the first Pokémon in this Wild Zone… it was a red bird perched on a lamp post.
It didn't really look that strong honestly though I opened my Pokédex app and used the scan function.
[No. 661 - FLETCHLING, The Tiny Robin Pokémon]
[Type: Normal / Flying]
[These friendly Pokémon send signals to one another with beautiful chirps and tail-feather movements. Despite the beauty of its lilting voice, it's merciless to intruders that enter its territory.]
[Catch this Pokémon to unlock full details.]
Fletchling looked at us though it didn't react. It looked like it wasn't the aggressive kind of Pokémon that attacked as soon as it saw humans.
"Ralts, hit it with a Confusion." I said.
"Ra~" The horns on her head began glowing violet as usual and then the glow faded. "Ra!"
Fletchling recoiled off the lamp post like it had been hit with an invisible strike, which technically it had.
However unlike the situation with Pancham, the Pokémon had not been one-shotted. It spread out its wings and spun in the air, gaining stability before it hit the ground, and then it glared at us.
"Flet!"
It flew over in our direction and I immediately booked it toward the car.
"The hell, Ralts. Fire off another one!"
"Rara~"
"You can't?" I dove behind the car and Fletchling came diving down, hitting the roof of the car. "Right… cooldowns."
Pokémon couldn't just spam the same move over and over.
I had researched that yesterday, which was sensible, but if Ralts was my only attacking Pokémon and her only move was…
"Wait, is Confusion your only move?"
"Fletch!"
I opened the Pokédex while moving away from the car and looking at the Fletchling that was flying toward us now. Wouldn't this bird just give up?
"Right, Ralts, use Disarming Voice!"
Ralts opened her mouth and let out a cute cry and somehow it dealt damage to Fletchling, who hit the ground immediately after with swirling eyes.
How did that cute cry even do damage?
"I can't believe I forgot you had another attacking move." I said while turning around and walking toward the Fletchling.
I pulled out one minimized Poké Ball from my pocket and looked at the red and white ball in my hand before pressing the button in the center.
It clicked and expanded, covering my palm entirely.
"Whoa." I muttered and pressed the button again, watching it minimize. Honestly, it was very cool. I did it a few more times and Ralts dragged my hair.
"Raaa~"
"Oh I nearly forgot." I said while looking at the fainted Fletchling.
While some trainers captured Pokémon while they were in low health, it was more advisable to make them faint for a very high catch rate.
They would still wake up after a while if you left them alone and making them faint got your Pokémon more XP, so it was a win-win for everybody.
"Alright." I kissed the center of the Poké Ball and tossed it forward right at Fletchling however the ball landed right in front of Fletchling instead of hitting its body. "The fuck? Am I that bad at throwing?"
"Rara~"
"Hush." I said and took the ball, throwing it with much more force this time.
It hit Fletchling, flipped off the Pokémon's body, and then the ball opened. A red beam of light came out swallowing Fletchling and the ball landed on the ground.
The ball wobbled.
"If it comes out, fire it with another Confusion and Disarming Voice." I said. The whole Poké Ball was 100 Poké… I wasn't going to allow some little bird waste my money.
"Ralts!"
However it seemed we wouldn't need to as the ball clicked and several notifications popped up on my Rotomphone.
[Congratulations! Fletchling has been registered in your Pokédex.]
[Ralts has leveled up to Lv. 7!]
"Nice nice." I said while picking up the Poké Ball from the ground. "Alright, Fletchling… go."
I threw the Poké Ball and mid-air it opened, beaming Fletchling onto a patch of grass nearby as the Poké Ball flipped back into my hand. How does it really do that?
I looked at Fletchling and the Pokémon was still fainted on the grass.
"Rotom, isn't there a way to wake it up or something? We need to catch more Pokémon." I said and Rotom pinged.
"By applying a Potion to a fainted Pokémon, you will be able to revive them more quickly!" Rotom said and my face turned ugly.
"I got three free Potions and I should spend one on a bird with anger issues?" I let out a sigh before walking over to Fletchling while holding the bottle up.
However the moment I placed one knee down to spray it, Fletchling's eyes snapped open and it immediately flapped and pecked the center of my forehead.
"Fuck!" I staggered back a bit while touching the red spot on my forehead. "The hell did you do that for? If you didn't notice, I was trying to heal you."
"Fletch fletch fletch!" It spread its wings and kept chirping. At least Ralts performed actual understandable actions when she was doing something, but what was this one on about?
"Uh, Rotom?"
"Fletchling is saying that you attacked it without honor and then ran away from its counterattack, which was unsportsmanlike behavior." Rotom translated.
Though it could translate, I didn't need help understanding Ralts… she was cute like that.
"Well Fletchling, honor doesn't pay the bills." I spoke with a sigh. "You see, I need to catch five wild Pokémon including you and report to the Research Lab for a prize, that's what I care about. What if we missed out on earning extra Pokédollars because we weren't in the top three to submit?"
"Fletch!" The bird let out an indignant sound and turned its face away.
"Well, I'm your trainer and you have to listen to my commands." I said while holding its Poké Ball up in front of it with an evil grin. "Or else I'll banish you to Box 10 in the PC."
I blinked… Box 10? PC? The hell did those mean?
Fletchling had a horrified look on its face though it quickly calmed down.
"Fletch~" It sounded like a chirp of agreement.
"Very good." I said, pulling up the Pokédex to see the complete information.
[No. 661 - FLETCHLING, The Tiny Robin Pokémon]
[Type: Normal / Flying]
[Level: 5]
[Moves: Tackle · Growl · Peck]
[These friendly Pokémon send signals to one another with beautiful chirps and tail-feather movements. Despite the beauty of its lilting voice, it's merciless to intruders that enter its territory.]
"So you're Level 5, huh? That's nice. We can work with this." I said. "And you know Tackle, Growl and Peck… I guess we need to train those wings so you can move faster, even though you're a regular Fletchling."
Training wasn't only limited to grinding levels after all.
"Fletch!"
"Now let's find our second victi— I mean Pokémon." I looked to the side and a Pokémon emerged from the tall grass.
It was small and gray, built like a round little rabbit with oversized ears.. They were not regular rabbit ears though, these ones were thick and flat at the tips, split into three finger-like sections at the end and brown underneath, like a pair of wide shovels sticking out of its head.
It had round cheeks, a tiny pink nose, big buckteeth and a ruff of brown fur around its neck. It sat back on its haunches and stared at us with calm black eyes.
I brought up the Pokédex.
[No. 659 - BUNNELBY, The Digging Pokémon]
[Type: Normal]
[It uses its large, shovel-shaped ears to dig burrows throughout the night without stopping. Those ears are strong enough to chop right through thick tree roots.]
[Catch this Pokémon to unlock full details.]
"Alright, since we have two Pokémon now, let's jump it." I suggested and the two of them perked up immediately.
"Fletch?"
"Rara?"
"You want to know what jumping is?" I asked. "Simple… it's the art of hitting something from two different angles before it even knows what's happening… one comes in high, one comes in low, and by the time the target figures out what's going on it's already over. It's beautiful, efficient, and completely honorable in my opinion." I paused. "So we're going to do the same to that Bunnelby. Let me tell you what to do."
…
Bunnelby looked at the human as well as the two Pokémon in the distance.
It knew what Pokémon trainers were and personally, several trainers had already attempted to catch it before. None of them had been particularly experienced and there was no reason to think this one was any different.
However the Ralts came down and walked over in tiny little shuffle steps with her gown and arrived in front of Bunnelby.
"Rara~"
"Bunnelby?"
Ralts let out a charming sound and it hit Bunnelby, making the Pokémon stagger. Before it could even react, the horns on the Ralts's head began glowing and it was struck by an invisible force, sending it rolling across the ground.
It let out a defeated grunt but apparently they weren't done. Fletchling dove out of the sky and repeatedly pecked Bunnelby with a vengeance, making it cry out again.
It couldn't understand… Why were two Pokémon attacking it at the same time? Wasn't it supposed to be one at a time?
But then the human stood over it like a giant.
"And that's how you jump hehe… Let's do that to the rest of the Pokemon we need." The human said and dropped a Poké Ball, the red beam swallowing Bunnelby whole and before it could even react, the ball clicked shut.
It had been caught.
…
Hey, Pax here... definitely not the author.
So listen, apparently there's this thing called Power Stones and if enough of you throw them at this book it shows up in front of more people which means more readers which means more chapters which means more Ralts content and honestly that should be reason enough.
The goal is 50 Power Stones for two bonus chapters. Yeah, fifty. I know, I know... but between you and me, Taunie believes in people and I believe in Pokédollars, so if we hit that goal everybody wins. The author definitely didn't put me up to this.
Drop those Power Stones, leave a comment, tell a friend. Ralts said please.
— Pax (not the author)