Chapter 6: Looking For Wurmple Pt. 1

Chapter 6: Looking for Wurmple pt. 1

Masterlist

3rd POV...

Location: Obsidian Fieldlands → Horseshoe Plains

“Hey, look at those puppies,” Kalim squeals in excitement.

“They do look cute,” Epel observes.

“I’m gonna go catch one,” Kalim says. He pulls out a PokeBall and approaches the pack of dog-like Pokemon. He throws the PokeBall at one of the Pokemon and it does inside of the PokeBall. This gets the attention of the other Pokemon. The dog-like Pokemon was caught and Kalim went to pick up the PokeBall.

“Kalim, wait,” Epel tried to stop Kalim from getting the PokeBall. This gets the attention of Jamil and he sees Kalim and Epel being surrounded by Pokemon.

“It’s a little early for this,” Jamil sighs. Vil turns to look at the scene and deadpans.

“Hold on, Monsieur Multi,” Rook says. “Just look at what the Pokemon do.” The group observes one of the Pokemon place its front paws on Kalims pants and he squats down. The Pokemon gets excited and tries to pounce on him.

“These Pokemon are friendly,” Kalim exclaims.

“What kind of Pokemon are they,” Floyd asked, going over to where Kalim and Epel were.

“It is called Lillipup,” Kalim looked at his phone. He grabs one of the wild Lillipups and poses for a picture.

“We should go find Akari,” Riddle states. “I feel like she is able to give us more information.”

“We might also be able to get some items with her as well,” Idia points out. The group leaves the Lillipups behind and searches for Akari. They were able to find her standing near a rock.

“You’re all really doing quite well for yourselves,” Akari smiles as she sees the group, her eyes move over to Kalim as he holds his Lillipup in his arms. “Here! A little reward for keeping up with me: your own Crafting Kit!” Akari hands Ortho the kit.

“Downloading new software to phones,” Ortho says. “ Reading File: Crafting Kit… A kit containing everything you might need for crafting, even when there is no workbench around. However, you can only use the materials you have in your satchel.”

“And here’s a recipe for Potions, too,” Akari hands Ortho a recipe.

“Reading file: Potion Recipe… A recipe for crafting Potions from scratch. Required materials: 1 Oran Berry and 1 Medicinal Leek,” Ortho reads the new recipe.

“With a Crafting Kit, you can craft items anywhere using any materials you have in your satchel,” Akari explains. “So long as you’ve got an Apricorn and a Tumblestone, you can make a PokeBall anytime. Or with an Oran Berry and a Medicinal Leek, you can make a Potion. So do heal your Pokemon.”

“Thank you so much for this,” Deuce thanks Akari. “We will take good care of the Pokemon with these.”

“How goes your research,” Akari questions. “Please report back to Professor Laventon once you’ve got some research tasks good and done.” Akari walks away from the group.

“We should go see if there are other Pokemon in the area to battle and catch,” Vil suggests.

“Yeah, we also need to complete two requests,” Jack adds.

“What are the requests,” Malleus questions.

“One is to catch a Wurmple to give a guard and the other is to complete Starly’s Pokedex entry,” Epel answers.

“So we just need to find a Wurmple,” Azul says, thinking about something.

“I believe I saw some a bit earlier on our way over here,” Ortho comments. “The quickest way to complete Starly’s Pokedex is to catch a few more and evolve it.”

“I can fight some Bidoofs and Shinx to get it stronger to evolve,” Cater suggests.

“I can come with you,” Kalim offers and Cater nods his head to accept. 

“Alright that’s fine,” Riddle says. “Those who have Pokemon should be battling and catching Pokemon.”

“I’ll come with you two,” Jamil tells Cater and Kalim.

“Don’t go too far Northeast,” Lilia warns. “There was a very large Ponyta like Pokemon and I imagine that it is very strong.”

“Got it,” Cater smiles. The trio leaves the group.

“Let’s go find a Wurmple and other Pokemon,” Ace slings his arm around Deuce and the group goes the opposite way of the trio.

……

“So we just have to battle Pokemon,” Kalim questions, unsure of what he signed up for. “I don’t want to hurt them though, they all look so cute.” 

“I don’t think we kill them or anything,” Jamil says. “They just kinda disappear after their health is gone.” 

“It’s very strange,” Cater comments. “But we can also get a bunch of pictures with them as well. Hey, Kalim, don’t forget to have your Pokemon shake down trees and collect objects on the ground.” 

“What kind of trees do we shake down,” Kalim asks. “I wasn’t really paying attention.” 

“It’s the trees with the berries on them, it’s hard to miss,” Jamil answers. “I should also focus on getting myself a Pokemon.” 

“I think I just found one for you,” Cater says. He was a bit away from Jamil and Kalim dodging a small black bird with some red on it. “I keep trying to battle it but I don’t have an opening to grab a PokeBall to release one of my Pokemon.” 

“Let me battle it,” Kalim says as he grabs his new Pokemon’s PokeBall. The bird Pokemon dives at Cater one more time before Kalim throws his PokeBall at it. Kalim’s Lillipup is released and a battle starts.

“Oh, thanks the Sevens,” Cater pants while resting on the ground. “I don’t want to know what would happen if the Pokemon actually hit me.” 

“Rajin, use Tackle,” Kalim instructs his Lillipup. 

“Didn’t Riddle say to not nickname Pokemon,” Jamil sighs as he watches Kalim battle. The bird Pokemon used Growl. 

“What did that move just do,” Cater questions. 

“It lowered Rajin’s attack,” Kalim responds as his Lillipup uses Tackle again. 

“Do you have a move like that you could use,” Jamil asks Kalim. The wild Pokemon uses Peck. 

“Rajin has a move called Leer,” Kalim answers. He instructs his Lillipup to use Leer and the wild Pokemon’s defense fell. Kalim grabbed an empty PokeBall from his satchel to throw at the Pokemon. The Pokemon went into the PokeBall and the PokeBall rolled twice before the bird was caught. “Alright, it’s caught!” Kalim runs over to pick up the PokeBall and goes to hand it to Jamil.

“What Pokemon is it,” Cater asks as he gets up from the ground. 

“It’s a Taillow,” Jamil answers, looking at the Pokedex. “It doesn’t give much info after that.” 

“Maybe the way to unlock more information on it is to complete the research tasks,” Kalim suggests. 

“We won’t know till an entry is completed,” Jamil says. 

“Hey look, a group of Bidoofs,” Cater catches the duo’s attention. The group of Bidoof were a bit farther ahead of them, slightly to the right, playing in a small crater with water in it. “We could use them to get used to battling.” 

“Good idea, Cater,” Kalim immediately agrees. Jamil follows behind Cater and Kalim as they walk over to the group of Bidoof. Once the trio got close enough some of the Bidoof looked at them inquisitively. The trio each defeat 2 Bidoofs, and raise the level of their Pokemon. 

“Cater, look over there,” Jamil tells Cater. Cater looks behind him and sees a few Starlys by some trees. 

“Looking at the research tasks, we mostly need to catch some and battle some,” Cater looks at the Starly Pokedex research tasks. 

“Kalim and I will try to find some Starly away from this group to battle,” Jamil says. “Looking at my Pokemon, they do seem to have genders.” 

“Got it,” Cater nods his head in understanding. “Star is a female so I’m gonna try to catch a male.” 

“Good luck, Cater,” Kalim smiles as Jamil drags him away from Cater. Cater looks at the three PokeBalls Kalim had given him and takes a deep breath before approaching the group of Starly. He finds some leaves to hide behind as he waits for one of the Starly to get closer. A few seconds later a male Starly hops close to where Cater is hidden and Cater takes his chance to catch the Starly. He throws one of the PokeBalls and the Starly goes into it, a few seconds later it was caught.

……

Location: Floaro Gardens

“So any idea what a Wurmple looks like,” Ace asks the group. Riddle gives Ace a glare as Trey sighs. 

“I say we just go and catch all the Pokemon we see,” Floyd suggests. “Afterwards we can figure out which Pokemon is which.” 

“That’s a great idea if we had more PokeBalls,” Leona scoffs. “I’ve only got 20 on me and I doubt that the rest of you have any.” 

“We can gather materials to craft more,” Epel says. “We can craft them from anywhere now thanks to the Crafting Kit.” 

“Those who have Pokemon should focus on training and getting use to battling,” Riddle states. “Those who don’t have Pokemon should be looking for non-dangerous Pokemon to catch and collecting materials.” 

“We should split into smaller groups for that,” Trey says. “In case a Pokemon has a long range attack, we all won’t be huddled together.” The boys separated themselves into four groups. The groups were: Ace, Deuce, Epel, Sebek, and Jack; Riddle, Ruggie, Jade, and Floyd; Azul, Silver, Trey, Malleus, and Idia; and Leona, Vil, Rook, Ortho and Lilia. Riddle’s group and Leona’s group had chosen to stay in the open field of the Floaro Gardens, whereas the first years and Azul’s group chose to move further into the Gardens.

“Let’s start with getting everyone a Pokemon,” Riddle says as he looks at his group. 

“Agreed,” Jade nods his head. “But we should be cautious of how we use the PokeBalls, Leona only gave our group 2 after all.” 

“How about that small yellow Pokemon that’s over there,” Floyd gestures ahead of the group where a small mouse Pokemon was sleeping under a tree. 

“It’s really tiny,” Ruggie observes the sleeping Pokemon. “Can it even deal any damage?” 

“I don’t think you should undermine it,” Jade grins. “After all, the people of this world seem to deeply fear these creatures. Let’s just assume that every Pokemon is dangerous, this one probably is since it has no problem sleeping out in the open.” 

“I’m afraid to admit that Jade has a point,” Riddle sighs. “We don’t really know what Pokemon are capable of and we will have to be on guard in order to survive.” 

“So, are we gonna catch it,” Floyd questions, no longer interested in the conversation. 

“Here’s a PokeBall if you want to catch it so much,” Riddle hands Floyd a PokeBall. Floyd walks over to the sleeping Pokemon and it doesn’t stir. Floyd tosses the PokeBall at the Pokemon and the Pokemon goes into the ball. The group watches the PokeBall in anticipation to see if the Pokemon is gonna stay in the ball, after a few seconds the Pokemon was caught. Floyd goes to the PokeBall to pick it up. 

“What kind of Pokemon is it,” Ruggie asks Floyd.  

“I’m not interested in that,” Floyd says. “I wanna catch more Pokemon. That was fun.” 

“Looking at the Pokedex, it’s a Pichu,” Jade looks at his phone. “It’s an electric type Pokemon like Jack’s Shinx.” 

“So, different Pokemon have different typing,” Riddle hums in thought. 

“Let’s go collect some materials,” Ruggie grins. 

“Don’t you want a Pokemon as well,” Jade questions. 

“There are plenty of other areas to get a Pokemon from,” Ruggie states. “I’m okay with not having one from this area.” 

“Looking at the map, we have only been in three areas,” Riddle backs Ruggie up. “So Jade, Floyd, and I can just train our Pokemon and the group can collect materials.” 

“Sounds good to me,” Floyd grins. Jade also nods his head in agreement. 

……

“It’s that the Pokemon we are looking for,” Malleus points out a worm-like Pokemon. 

“That might be it,” Azul looks at the Pokemon. “We need to catch it to see if it meets the criteria.” 

“I can go catch it,” Silver volunteers. Azul hands him one of the three empty PokeBalls Leona had given the group. Silver cautiously walks towards the worm-like Pokemon. When he gets close, he crouches down to not draw attention to himself, he takes the PokeBall and tosses it at the Pokemon. The Pokemon went inside the PokeBall, and it moves around a few times before the Pokemon popped out of the PokeBall, leaving it broken, looking at Silver and running away. 

“What was that,” Trey questions, walking over to Silver. 

“I’m not quite sure,” Silver responds, picking up the broken PokeBall. 

“I, uh, remember someone saying that PokeBalls aren’t 100 percent foolproof,” Idia stutters his sentence out, he was standing beside Malleus. 

“So this may be a bit more challenging than we originally thought,” Azul hums in understanding. “I think we should gather some materials to make more PokeBalls.” 

“I would like to head back over to Horseshoe Plains,” Malleus states. “I saw a few Pokemon over there that we didn’t look at.” 

“That’s not a bad idea,” Trey agrees. “It’s a good place to train Pokemon.” 

“Hey, Azul,” Idia whispers over to Azul. Azul looks at Idia with a questioning look. “Can you give me a PokeBall?” 

“Sure,” Azul agrees. “But don’t waste it.” Azul hands Idia a PokeBall. Idia takes the PokeBall and quietly dashes off to the side of the group.

“I wonder what has Shroud so excited,” Malleus thinks out loud. 

“That’s excitement,” Trey questions. The group watches Idia approach a cat-like Pokemon and secretly throw the PokeBall at it. The Pokemon goes into the PokeBall and it moves for a bit. The Pokemon is caught and Idia rushes to collect the PokeBall, then rushes back to the group.

“What kind of Pokemon did you catch,” Silver questions.

Idia pulls out his phone to look at the Pokedex and says: “It’s called Skitty and it is very adorable.” 

“Alright,” Azul fixes his glasses. “Let’s head back over to Horseshoe Plains.” The group voices their agreement and they make their way back to Horseshoe Plains.

...to be continued

Chapter 4: Squeezing the Commander

Masterlist

3rd POV…

Location: Jubilife Village

“In time, you’ll be able to send Pokemon you’ve caught to live in the village pastures,”Akari explains to the group as they head through the gate that surrounds Jubilife Village. “You can bring up to six Pokemon with you into the field, in theory. Though we’ve never had anyone skilled enough to do so!”

“Come now, you two⎼let’s not dilly dally,” Laventon calls out from in front of Akari and the group. “Captain Cyllene awaits our report at headquarters.”

“I bet Captain Cyllene will be very pleased,” Akari tells the group. “You guys are currently making history!” Akari runs to join Laventon as they continue to walk to the headquarters building.

“Hey, Jack,” Epel calls the wolf beastman. 

“Yeah,” Jack answers Epel. The two fall back from the group heading to the headquarters building. Epel goes into his satchel and pulls out a PokeBall.

“I think you should have this Shinx,” Epel says as he hands Jack the PokeBall.

“Are you sure,” Jack asks.

“I’m sure,” Epel looks down, becoming bashful. “I stepped up to the Shinx to give it to you. I think the Pokemon would benefit from being on your team.”

“Thank you,” Jack thanks him. “You didn’t have to.” Jack puts the Shinx PokeBall into his satchel. They both fist pump and go to catch up with the rest of the group.

“So do we now get to nickname the Pokemon,” Cater teases Riddle. Riddle huffs, his face slowly turning red with embarrassment.

“Cater,” Trey warned.

“What I’m just asking,” Cater grins. “Besides, it’s not like Riddle is gonna use his signature spell right in front of the villagers.”

“Do we even have magic here,” Deuce had asked, he was slightly walking behind Trey and Cater. 

“Trey, you should use your signature spell next time we get food from The Wallflower,” Cater suggested.

“That’s a good idea,” Trey agreed. “Especially because it would be the least noticeable magic, in case any villagers would happen to be in The Wallflower at the same time as us.”

“Hey, let’s hurry up and go to the headquarters,” Riddle called Trey and Cater. They both look at each other then at Riddle.

“We still are walking at the same pace as the rest of the group,” Cater snickered.

“I knew that,” Riddle’s face began to turn red. The group walked up the steps to enter the headquarters.

“It seems we won’t leave you all to die,” Cyllene says as she looks up at the group entering her office. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks, Captain,” Deuce says. Ace looks at him funny and Deuce shrugs him off.

“You’ve all passed your trail,” Cyllene continued. “You can all hold on to that satchel. I must admit you’ve impressed me. I set a high hurdle to judge whether strangers like yourselves could be worthy, but you cleared it. This is yours⎼the official uniform of the Survey Corps.” Cyllene hands out Survey Corps uniforms and uniform sandals to the entire group. “Get changed in the rooms you used last night. Then you’re to report at once to the third floor. Present yourselves in uniform to our commander. This is your first official order from your captain!”

“Yes ma’am,” Malleus smiles. He was the first to leave, with Sebek and Silver behind him. The rest of the group filed out of Cyllene’s office and out of the headquarters. 

“I can’t wait to try this one,” Lilia crackled. Idia and Cater looked at Lilia with concern. The groups separated into their rooms and changed into the Survey Corps uniforms. They all met up outside of their rooms. 

“These don’t look that bad,” Vil sighed as he looked at this outfit. “And the material is of good quality.”

“They are pretty comfy,” Leona yawned. “Makes me want to take a nap.”

“Let’s go back to the headquarters,” Floyd cheered. “I can’t wait to show this off!”

“Look how well our Survey Corps uniform suits all of you,” Akari gushed as the group entered the headquarter’s building. “It’s almost as if the captain had it tailored just for you.”

“I see you’ve changed,” Cyllene observed as she came down the stairs. “Regarding your accommodations, you may continue to use the rooms you slept in last night. I had brought this for you all as well.” Cyllene had given the group a bunch of Survey Corps caps to go with their uniforms.

“Now present yourselves to the commander,” Cyllene instructed after she had approved of the uniform's completion. The group looked at one another wearily before filing up the stairs.

“Does anyone know where exactly we are supposed to go,” Idia meekly questioned.

“Since we are meeting the commander, doesn’t it make sense that we go all the way up,” Malleus answered Idia’s question with another question.

“To the top we go then,” Vil sighed. The group walked over to the other staircase to climb it.

“I have been waiting for you,” a voice booms as the group approaches the top of the staircase. The group enters the top office and sees a man wearing a black kimono with the bottom embroidered and a black gradient coat on his shoulders. His hair was slicked back. “I am Kamado, commander of the Galaxy Expedition Team! So, you are the new residents here.”

“Yes, we are,” Riddle spoke up. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

“I’ve been briefed on your situation⎼including how you fell from the rift in the sky,” Kamado stated. He had moved to where his arms were stretched out. “Now then… Let’s see what you’re made of! Face me in combat!”

“Now they’re speaking my language,” Floyd grins, as he steps up to Kamado. “I’m gonna enjoy squeezing you!” Floyd moves in to attack Kamado. Kamado avoids Floyd’s attack and flips him upside-down and tossed Floyd across the room.

“You’ve got vigor⎼I’ll give you that,” Kamado dusted himself off. “You need to work on your sumo technique, but I do see some potential…” Jade goes over to Floyd to help him up, both of the twins are wildly grinning and have mischief in their eyes.

“Don’t expect a warm welcome from everyone,” Kamado warned. “Naturally, some will be slow to trust an outsider who literally fell right out of the blue. The superstitious among us might see your arrival as a portent of disaster! But you passed the trial that was put to you. No matter how odd you may seem, you’re part of Jubilife Village now. Dedicate yourself to the work of the Galaxy Expedition Team, and complete the Pokedex! But I warn you all… Pokemon are terrifying creatures. Keep your wits about you as you work!” 

“Hey, can you all come back down to Cyllene’s office,” Akari poked her head into Kamado’s office. 

“They’ll be right down,” Kamado nods his head. “You are all dismissed.” The group went back down to Cyllene’s office.

“So the commander has also accepted you,” Cyllene observes. “But understand this… You begin as a No Star recruit among our ranks. In other words, you have no rank at all. Perform well as a member of the Survey Corps, and you will move up through the ranks.”

“Indeed,” Laventon agrees. “You see, the more you add to the Pokedex, the higher your rank will become. And working on the Pokedex will also, of course, bring you closer toward that goal of yours… to seek out every last Pokemon!”

“Here. You will need this,” Cyllene steps forward and hands Ortho something. 

“Downloading data,” Ortho says. “Reading file: PokeBall Recipe… A recipe for crafting PokeBalls from scratch. Download complete⎼sending file to everyone’s phones.”

“And ₽ 3,000 as well,” Cyllene handed the money to Jamil. “You will have to buy the necessary materials. Akari. You are an expert at crafting, yourself. Teach our new recruits what they need to know.”

“Of course, Captain Cyllene,” Akari accepts Cyllene’s orders. “ Now, as the experienced craftsperson here, let me explain a bit to start with. Crafting means making items with your own two hands. You can buy some items at the general store, but self-sufficiency is worth striving for! You can even make our most valuable tools: PokeBalls. Think where we’d be if we couldn’t do that! Let’s head to the craftworks.” Akari leaves Cyllene’s office. The group leaves the office as well.

“Now we can check that off our list,” Cater smiles. “That wasn’t too bad.”

“Did you see how the commander threw Floyd,” Epel asked with stars in his eyes. “That was awesome!”

“I can’t believe that happened,” Jamil sighed.

“I’m gonna go after the commander again,” Floyd stated.

“Let’s focus on the Pokemon first before picking fights with natives,” Azul says looking at Floyd.

“No fun,” Floyd whined.

“Well done earning a place in our team,” a voice congratulates the group as they exit the building. The group spots a lady with a blond strip in the middle of her hair. She was wearing a purple kimono with an apron around her waist. “My name is Anthe. I’m the local clothier. The professor asked that I ready you a change of clothes, so here you go! I do hope they fit.” Anthe had given the group Everyday Kimonos and Everyday Trousers. 

“Thank you so much,” Kalim smiled.

“You’re welcome,” Anthe smiled at Kalim. “I hope you’ll avail yourself of the village’s humble shops!” Anthe walks away from the group and Akari runs towards the group but stops with some distance between them.

“This way to the craftworks,” Akari waves them down like a madwoman. The group walks over to where Akari was and they all head over to the craftworks. “You can use the workbench here at the craftworks anytime you need to make an item in the village. And I’ll supply what you need to make your first PokeBalls once you’re ready to begin. Call it my way of saying congratulations on joining us! Just spend the money you got from the captain on clothes⎼or whatever you think is best.”

“So who’s gonna try crafting first,” Ace asked.

“Out of my way,” Leona growled. He approached the workbench after getting the crafting materials needed from Akari. Leona had decided to craft 10 PokeBalls.

Now that’s some fine craftsmanship,” Laventon smiles as he walks towards the craftworks. “Hard to believe this was your first time stepping up to the workbench, my boy! You’ll recall, of course, that Pokemon possess the odd power to shrink themselves down. With the PokeBalls we craft, we can make use of that power to catch them! All so that more Pokemon species can be duly recorded in a Pokedex. And on that note, here you are!” Laventon handed Leona a Pokedex.

“Reading file:Pokedex,” Ortho spoke. “ A volume for compiling the collected results of much Pokemon research. Professor Laventon continually adds to it with each report made on new Pokemon species.”

“I prepared this volume just for you,” Laventon beams. “I hope it aids you well in your aim to seek out all the Pokemon there are in this grand region!”

“You’ll have to complete lots of research tasks to help 

the professor fill out the Pokedex,” Akari adds. “The same goes for me, of course. I’ve got Pokemon to research, as a Survey Corps member.”

“I’d be all too happy to explain more about the research tasks I could use your assistance with,” Laventon offers. “Come join me at the Fieldlands Camp whenever you are ready.” Laventon, Akari, and the group start to walk over to the gate.

“Hey, excuse me⎼” a voice called out as the group walked passed headquarters. Jack and Epel heard the voice, so they separated from the group and headed over to the person who was calling out to the group.

“What’s up,” Jack asked as he and Epel were in front of the person. He was wearing a red guard uniform with a straw hat on his head.

“I’m Beauregard,” the man introduced himself. Jack and Epel did the same. “I couldn’t help but overhear… If you’re going to the Fieldlands Camp, would you mind taking care of a request for me? I’m standing guard, so I can’t leave my post.”

“Sure, what can we do to help you,” Epel questioned.

“Okay so, there’s this Pokemon called Wurmple,” Beauregard explained. “Have you guys heard of it?”

“Nope,” Jack answered, truthfully.

“Well, you see, I was having a chat with Professor  Laventon, and he told me that after a Pokemon gains a certain amount of experience through battling, it will sometimes change its appearance and become stronger. He said it was a phenomenon called Evolution. And so I decided I wanted to raise a Wurmple myself and have it evolve.”

“That sounds so cool,” Epel gushed and Jack nodded his head in agreement.

“Since it seems like you’re part of the Survey Corps,” Beauregard pauses for a bit and thinks. “If you catch a Wurmple, could you let me have it? There’ll be a reward in it for you, I promise. Just get me a Wurmple if you can!”

“We can definitely get you one,” Epel agreed to the request.

“I will be here at my post waiting then,” Beauregard smiled, and Jack and Epel went to catch back up to the rest of the group.

...to be continued

Chapter 5: Start of the Pokedex

Masterlist

3rd POV...

Location: Jubilife Village

“Hey look over at that lady,” Deuce grabbed Ace’s attention. They both looked over at a lady who was muttering to herself. They looked back at each other and walked towards the lady. 

“Um… excuse me Miss,” Ace greeted.

“Hello, You’re those newcomers who fell from the sky,” the lady had looked at Ace and Deuce in shock that they had talked to her. “I’m Marli. Are you heading outside the village?”

“Yep we are,” Deuce answered.

“Of course you are,” Marli giggled. “The Survey Corps must have to get out and about to compile that ‘Pokedex’ book they’re working on, right? Well, on your way, kindly do me a favor: find out all about Starly! Pokemon certainly are terrifying creatures… But when I see Starly, I feel simply… whole! Not that I have the least desire to actually TOUCH one, mind you. Please let me see Starly’s entry in that Pokedex the moment you’ve completed it!”

“Starly,” Deuce whispered to Ace as they walked away from the lady. “That’s Cater’s Pokemon.”

“We got this request in the bag,” Ace grinned. 

“Hey, Ace, Deuce, what are you guys whispering about?” The duo turned around to see Epel and Jack walking up to them. 

“We had talked to Marli⎼over there⎼and she requested that we show her a completed Pokedex entry for Starly,” Deuce answered Epel.

“We had just taken a request from the guard named Beauregard in front of headquarters to bring him a Wurmple,” Jack said.

“What if taking people’s requests can help us complete the Pokedex,” Ace wondered out loud.

“Well let’s complete these two requests to figure it out,” Epel suggested. 

“I’ll go catch up to Cater since his Pokemon partner is Starly,” Deuce stated and went ahead of the three to talk to Cater.

“So far this place doesn’t seem too bad,” Epel smiles.

“Yep, but I do miss being able to contact my mom,” Deuce frowns. “I tried to contact her since I got up this morning but nothing goes through.”

“Yeah, I haven’t been able to contact any family either,” Epel sighed.

“Maybe our phone services are just blocked in this world,” Jack suggested. “But I think we should worry about the Pokedex for now instead of trying to contact people from our world.”

“Hey, looks like everyone is stopped at the gate,” Deuce pointed out. “Let’s see what’s going on.” The three of them walked up to the rest of the group that was waiting for them.

“Alright, seems like everyone is here,” Riddle stated. “Let’s go out and complete that Pokedex!” Everyone gave words of agreement and they made their way out of the gate.

……

Location: Obsidian Fieldlands

“Righto. Let’s get to it, then, shall we,” Laventon asked. “In order to complete this Pokedex of ours, there are a great many research tasks I’ll need your help to carry out. The details of these tasks can be found in the Pokedex for you to reference anytime. You must catch and battle diverse Pokemon species and carry out plenty of research tasks. Do so, and you’ll gain research points and other rewards for your work!”

“One last piece of advice,” Akari says. “If you see a wild Pokemon’s attack coming your way… dodge like your life depends on it!”

“Dodge,” Kalim questioned, he had slightly tilted his head.

“Here⎼watch closely, and remember what I do so you can do it later,” Akari demonstrates how to dodge. “That beautiful, flowing bit of gymnastics is what we call a dodge! If you’re light on your feet, you can dodge out of the way of wild Pokemon’s attacks. That way, hopefully you can avoid taking a beating and blacking out in the wilderness. The Security Corps had to collect me when I…got the business end of some Shinx’s Thunder Shock. But don’t you worry! I’ve got lots of experience to draw on, and I’ll teach you plenty!” Akari runs off. The group decided to follow Akari down the hill.

“Now, let me share some Survey Corps wisdom,” Akari smiles. “Open the Pokedex and you’ll see what tasks you have for that Pokemon. You might’ve noticed that you have a research task to do with how many Bidoof you’ve caught. That’s right⎼catching just one isn’t enough. You need two, then four…then more and more!”

“I wanna try to battle the Bidoof,” Jack stated. Leona gave Jack a nod of agreement and Jack went to battle the Bidoof that was in the path. Jack had pulled out the PokeBall that Epel gave him that carried the Shinx and threw it at the wild Bidoof.

“Shinx use Quick Attack,” Jack commanded and Shinx used Quick Attack. The wild Bidoof had taken some damage. The wild Bidoof used Rollout and Jack’s Shinx took some damage. Jack had his Shinx use Quick Attack again and the wild Bidoof had fainted. 

“Good job Jack,” Epel complimented. Jack sheepishly smiled as he held Shinx’s PokeBall. 

“Let’s continue down the path,” Riddle calls out from farther down the path. Everyone else goes to catch up to Riddle. They spot Akari a bit up the path and walk over to her.

“I think you’ve got it, but as a reminder: don’t forget to open your Pokedex when you focus on a Pokemon to check your research tasks for it,” Akari advised. “Try checking your tasks for Starly next. One of your tasks is to catch Starly without being spotted, right? For that task, try catching them while hiding in some tall grass. I’ll go wait for you up ahead. Come catch up once you’ve finished some tasks.” Akari runs off.

“Let’s check out the Pokedex,” Lilia suggested. Everyone pulled out their phone to check the Pokedex. 

“Hey why are the tasks darkened out,” Kalim questioned.

“Maybe we shouldn’t worry about that for now,” Jade said. “Let’s see what else Akari has to say.” 

“So where did she go,” Ruggie asked, looking around.

“Let’s go down by the wild Shinx, we might be able to see her there,” Silver suggested.

“Good thinking,” Malleus complimented. The group heads down the path. They spot Akari a bit off the path and make their way towards her.

“This area is called Horseshoe Plains,” Akari explained as she faced the group. “The last area was Aspiration Hill. Each section of Obsidian Fieldlands has different Pokemon within them. Some Pokemon travel and reside in more than one area. Around here, you can find a Pokemon called Buizel. It’s got an aggressive disposition. That means it’ll try to hit you with its moves, just like Shinx, and you’ll need to battle it to catch it. And speaking of which, your research tasks for Buizel include seeing it use a certain move. To be precise, you have to see it use the move in battle. That’s right⎼some tasks require battling! Now, I’ll go on ahead. You take care of some of Buizel’s research tasks, then come talk to me.”

“Cater,” Riddle gets Cater’s attention after Akari runs off again. “I want you to battle the Buizel so I can catch it.”

“Alright, let’s do it,” Cater agrees. Riddle goes up to Kalim to receive a PokeBall from him, and he and Cater approach the wild Buizel. The wild Buizel notices the duo and gets ready to attack, before it has a chance, Cater throws his PokeBall containing Starly at it, and a battle is started. The wild Buizel immediately goes in for a Quick Attack and Cater’s Starly takes some damage.

“Star, use Gust,” Cater called out. His Starly used Gust and the wild Buizel took some damage. The wild Buizel looked around but didn’t attack.

“Let’s do that one more time,” Riddle says and Cater agrees.

“Alright, let’s use Gust again,” Cater commands. His Starly used Gust again and the wild Buizel took damage. The wild Buizel used Quick Attack and damaged the Starly.

“The health bar is in the yellow,” Ortho comes over. “Riddle, you can try to catch the Buizel now.”

“Thanks,” Riddle thanked Ortho and proceeded to throw the PokeBall. The wild Buizel went into the PokeBall and after a few seconds, the Buizel was successfully caught.

“Hey, we just got a notification on our phone’s that a research task for Buizel was completed,” Rook exclaimed. “Looks like we all share the same Pokedex.”

“That makes completing the Pokedex easier since we are able to split up,” Azul stated.

“I wouldn’t advise splitting up till all of us have at least one Pokemon of our own,” Lilia said, then added: “Just to be on the safe side.”

“I agree with Lilia,” Vil joined the conversation. “We must all be prepared in case the Pokemon decide to attack us.” 

“Let’s continue on,” Leona walks on ahead of the group. “ Let’s see what else we can get. Also it seems that there are plants we can use for crafting that we can pick up.” The group continues to walk and comes across a group of Ponyta.

“Kalim, can you pass me a PokeBall,” Silver asked. Kalim agreed and handed Silver 3 PokeBalls. Silver quietly approached a straggling Ponyta and threw a PokeBall at it. The wild Ponyta went inside the PokeBall and the ball moved three times before the Ponyta appeared to be caught.

“You seemed to really focus on getting that Ponyta,” Sebek commented.

“They look like horses with fire manes and tails,” Epel observed. “That’s so cool.” 

“I thought it would be a good Pokemon to have,” Silver shrugged.

“We should train some of the Pokemon we catch,” Ortho suggested.

“Hey, Ace, Sebek,” Cater called out to them. “Check out these four Pokemon.” Ace and Sebek looked at the small creatures that seemed to be playing with each other. 

Jade approached the group: “How about catching them?”

“We don’t have PokeBalls,” Ace said. Jade had pulled out four PokeBalls from his satchel and handed one PokeBall to Ace, Sebek, and Cater. They took the PokeBalls from Jade and through them at the four Pokemon. The boys looked at the PokeBall in anticipation and at the last possible moment the Pokemon were caught. 

“Catching these Pokemon are stressful,” Cater sighed.

“Especially with the chance of the Pokemon breaking out of the PokeBall,” Jade added.

“I forgot about that,” Ace shook his head, then remembered something. “Hey Cater, can you train up your Starly? There was a lady who requested a completed entry for Starly.”

“So just do the research tasks for it,” Cater questions.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Ace responds. Cater nods in understanding. 

“Wait, you said a lady requested it,” Jade asked. Ace hummed in agreement. “Maybe taking requests can also help us with completing the Pokedex.”

“For sure,” Ace agreed. “Epel and Jack also took a request to catch a Wurmple and bring it back to the person.”

“Let’s train the Pokemon a bit more before leaving Horseshoe Plains,” Jade suggested. The small group agreed and went to rejoin the main group.

……

“Yeah, it’s like they are in danger,” Yuu spoke on the phone. They were currently speaking to Crowley. “I’m having, like, these visions, similar to the dreams I had while there in Twisted Wonderland.”

 “What kind of dreams did you have here,” Crowley asked, surprised with the new information Yuu was giving him.

“They were dreams of the Great Seven,” Yuu said, thinking back at the weird dreams they had back in Twisted Wonderland. “They happen when I interacted with new dorms, and I kinda knew when someone from the dorm was gonna overblot.”

“Why didn’t you say anything then,” Crowley voiced his filled disappointment.

“You wouldn’t even have listened,” Yuu sighed. “You always seemed too busy to do your own job, or even find me a way back home. Like so many things have happened under your watch and you did nothing! The only time you did something was when the reputation of the school, like now because some of the students are in another world.”

“I was very gracious while you were here,” Crowley tries to defend himself. “With these new circumstances, it would be best to get Grim and the students back here.”

“Ummm… I don’t think Grim would want to return,” Yuu frowned. “He seems very happy here, and hasn’t even got into trouble.”

“That’s very interesting,” Crowley hummed. “I think it’s time the call ended. I still have plenty of work to do.”

“Alright, Crowley,” Yuu said. “We’ll talk again next week.” Crowley and Yuu said ‘goodbye’ to each other and the call ended. Yuu set their phone down on their desk and looked down at their sketchbook. Yuu had drawn a sketch of a creature made from rocks with axes for hands. They wondered what was gonna happen to their friends.

...to be continued

General Navigation

This is the masterlist of everything that's going to be posted on this blog.

Stories:

The Mirror brought Us to the Wrong World

Summary: After they (the main NRC students) find Yuu a way back home, Grim decides that he doesn't want Yuu to leave him behind and goes after Yuu. The NRC students go through the mirror that Yuu and Grim used to go to Yuu's world, but something goes wrong when they enter the mirror. The students get transported to another world where they no longer have magic. What will become of them in a world full of Pokemon and they have no idea how to return to their world?

Having adult money is hard... I side quested too hard and ended up with 4 volumes of the Heartslabyul Manga. The only plus is I get payed pto for the day of side questing, well... I did finish the main quest I went put for😁

I did pass up the Heartslabyul novel, but I will come back for it😈

Chapter 3: Trial and Error

Masterlist

3rd POV…

“Yuu, are you paying attention,” Yuu’s math teacher asked. Yuu was currently looking out the window having a weird feeling in their gut.

“Yes, I am paying attention,” Yuu responded, turning their attention back to the front of the class. The teacher nodded their head at Yuu and continued on with the lesson.

“Hey, you alright,” Yuu’s friend had whispered to Yuu, slightly leaning over the aisle. 

“I have this weird feeling,” Yuu whispered back, turning to look bak out the window. Their attention was brought to a cherry blossom tree that was slightly apart from the others. As Yuu focused more on the tree, the more their friend worried about them. The tree had turned colors and lighting appeared to strike in front of it despite not having any clouds in the sky. Yuu shook their head and went to focus on the rest of the lesson. Yuu had fallen behind in school while being stuck in Twisted Wonderland, and now they have to try their hardest to catch up to everyone else. Yuu was grateful for their friends that shared the same classes with, the group study sessions have helped a lot.

“...And they were really spacey during math class…” Yuu snapped out of their thoughts and saw that they were sitting at a cafeteria table with their friends.

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” one of the friends greeted. 

“Sorry, I was just really out of it,” Yuu apologized.

“See, this is why I said you shouldn’t have come back to school after just getting out of the hospital,” Yuu’s male childhood friend sighed. He’d been taking care of Yuu and watching them since they were cleared to leave the hospital.

“Takeda, I’m fine,” Yuu assured, but they could tell that he wasn’t buying it.

“Henchman, you need to eat some food,” Grim stated with food in his mouth. The hospital had made Grim Yuu’s ‘emotional support animal’ so he was allowed to be with them at all times. Grim got along great with the friend group and tried to keep his destruction down to the minimum.

“Yeah, some food might help,” Yuu agreed and began to eat the food they had gotten.

……

“Good morning, everyone,” Akari called out from outside the sleeping quarters. “Are any of you up? Quite some lighting last night, wasn't it?”

“Why is she so loud,” Leona groaned, barely waking up.

“We have to get up Leona-san,” Epel said. “We have the trial to prove that we can stay here.”

“He’s right,” Silver agreed. “We wouldn’t want to be late.”

“Never thought that you would be awake, Silver,” Leona dryly chuckled as he sat up and yawned.

“I wanted to make a good impression,” Silver explains. “Also I was taking a walk around the village just to get a proper look at it.”

“I hope you are all awake,” Vil pounded on the outside of the door.

“We are all up, Vil-san”, Epel replied. Leona had gotten up and put on his clothes from the day before since no one in the group had any clothes except for the ones they showed up in. Leona’s group was the last to make it out of the sleeping quarters.

Akari gave them a nice smile when she saw them exit the building, “What lovely weather we’ve got!” She turned her attention to everyone, “I hope you all had a nice sleep, even if this land is strange and new to you.”

“I slept like a baby,” Lilia commented and Kalim laughed.

“Let’s get to headquarters,” Akari suggests. “Captain Cyllene is waiting, then after we can go to The Wallflower for breakfast before the trial.”

“Yes, let’s get this over with,” Idia sighed, not wanting to be outside. The group followed Akari to a large fainted orange building. The building was two stories tall with some scaffolding alongside the building, as it was being worked on by some of the villagers. Inside the building, the flooring was a red carpet with the village's logo in the center of the lobby area.

“The Survey Corps’ offices are here on the first fl⎼” Akari introduction to the building was interrupted.

“Don’t give up! Keep those eyes open,” the voice that interrupted exclaimed.

“The wild Pokemon, they…” another voice could be faintly heard. “They were everywhere. Attacking from all sides… I sent out my partner Pokemon, but… against a whole pack… Outnumbered…”

“This is what happens when you go so far afield,” the first voice scolded. “But the Medical Corps will put you to rights.”

“That man’s with the Security Corps… and even with his own partner, he took a beating from wild Pokemon,” Akari explained. “Without a partner Pokemon of your own, you might find this trial…particularly trying.”

“So those little guys from yesterday are that dangerous,” Floyd questioned.

“Maybe, but we don’t exactly know for sure,” Jamil responded. “Maybe it depends on the type of Pokemon.”

“Captain Cyllene,” Akari called out as she moved across the lobby to the open office. “The group is here.”

“You may enter,” Cyllene says as she looks up from her paperwork. Her desk is covered with various books, and rolled sheets of paper. Akari and the group enter the room and Cyllene gets up from her chair to walk around to the front of the desk. “Let us get straight to it. If you wish to join the Galaxy Expedition Team, prove yourself capable by going out into the Obsidian Fieldlands and catching three different species of Pokemon: Bidoof, Starly, and Shinx.”

“Catching three Pokemon from the start,” Akari’s jaw drops. “No one in the Galaxy Team has ever managed that…”

“Did these strangers not catch three different Pokemon only yesterday,” Cyllene countered. “My trial should be simple enough for them⎼if the professor wasn’t exaggerating things, that is.”

“He didn’t exaggerate anything, Captain,” Deuce defended the professor, but Cyllene ignored him.

“The Galaxy Team does not have the means to provide for those who only take without giving,” Cyllene continued. “If you wish to stay, you must prove beyond any doubt that you’ll be an asset to our cause. I will lend you some Survey Corps satchels to carry whatever you may need in the field.” She then passed out satchels that the group had put on.

“That satchel doesn’t exactly match your, er, mode of dress…” Akari observed.

“Well obviously,” Vil mocked. “These uniforms shouldn’t be matched with something so plain.”

Akari,” Cyllene got Akari’s attention. “I’ll expect you to step in if anything goes awry.” Akari nodded her head in understanding.

“Pardon the intrusion,” Laventon entered the office. “New friends, come with me for a moment!” The group and Akari followed Laventon out to the lobby. “Now then, a jolley good morning to everyone!”

“Can we get on with this,” Leona grumbled.

“We need all the information we can get,” Ruggie sighed. “Just suck it up for now.”

“Is something the matter, Professor Laventon,” Akari questioned.

“In order to complete our Pokedex and, well, simply survive in this unforgiving land…” Laventon started to explain. “These guys absolutely must pass this trial! And as a professor of Pokemon, I’ve got just the ticket to help accomplish that!” Laventon tosses up three PokeBalls and the Pokemon the group had previously caught came out of the PokeBalls, “I am gifting you these three Pokemon to help your chances of success during the trial skyrocket.”

“That’s awfully nice of you,” Kalim smiled. The Pokemon looked at the group, recognizing them from yesterday and went towards the three people who caught them. Rowlet flew up and landed on Rook’s shoulder, Oshawott walked up to Azul, and  Cyndaquil ran up to Silver.

“I’ve never seen Pokemon react that way to seeing people,” Akari gasped. She had slightly stepped back from the group.

“I truly have great faith in you all,” Laventon praised. “With a Pokemon partner of your own, you’ll be able to fight off wild Pokemon outside the village! You are also able to give the Pokemon nicknames.”

“Nicknames, huh,” Silver muttered, looking down at the Cyndaquil at his feet. 

“Let’s focus on the trial first before nicknaming any Pokemon,” Riddle suggested.

“A word of advice, new friends⎼,” Laventon paused slightly. “Pay close attention to which PokeBalls are empty and which ones contain a Pokemon when you’re out in the field! By the way, what species has Captain Cyllene charged you with catching?”

“A Bidoof, Starly, and Shinx,” Kalim cheerfully answered.

“Well, that’s smashing! All three of those species can be found in the Obsidian Fieldlands,” Laventon smiled. “Let me give you some PokeBalls to use during your trial, then.” Laventon handed Kalim 20 PokeBalls. “These PokeBalls may be handcrafted, but they work great, as you’ve already seen!”

“I guess you’re all finally ready,” Akari inserted herself back into the conversation. “You’ll have to leave the village for the trial. Turn left after you exit headquarters, then head for the gate.”

“We’ll be there,” Vil said.

“What about breakfast though,” Ruggie whined.

“Maybe she forgot,” Epel slightly questioned.

“I think we should stop at The Wallflower just to get something light to eat,” Ortho voiced his opinion. The rest of the group agreed and left the headquarters.

……

Location: Outlands of Obsidian Fieldlands

“That person Volo was quite strange,” Malleus voices his thoughts. 

“I agree,” Vil nodded his head. “To almost come out of nowhere and demand a battle out of us was not a welcoming experience.”

“Good thing Rook stepped up to take the battle,” Trey sighed.

“Chouette de chasse(Hunter’s owl) and I do make a pretty good team,” Rook petted the Rowlet that was on his shoulder.

“I thought I said to not give the creatures nicknames,” Riddle fumed.

“Ah, but Roi des Roses, I couldn’t help myself,” Rook confessed. “Especially after how well we battled together!”

“It’s incredible though that the Pokemon are able to level up and learn new moves,” Lilia looked at the Pokemon that was happily following Silver. “They do seem to be quite intelligent.”

“Maybe people fear Pokemon since they aren’t able to communicate with them well,” Cater wondered out loud.

“How much longer is this going to take,” Idia complained. He certainly did not appreciate all the walking. 

“Based on the map, we have about 2 kilometers left before we reach Obsidian Fieldlands,” Ortho answered.

“We should find a Pokemon that you could ride on,” Kalim jokes.

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Jamil muttered.

“The nature is beautiful,” Jade commented, he was looking at the greenery as the group walked by.

“It doesn’t seem like another village is anywhere in distance,”Jack observed. “And I don’t smell any other people around.”

“How old fashioned is this world,” Ace sighed. “We’re lucky our phones still kinda work.”

……

Location: Obsidian Fieldlands

“So this is our base camp⎼the last safe haven before you reach the wilds,” Akari explained not to soon after the group arrived. “For your trial, you must catch three species of Pokemon: Bidoof, Starly, and Shinx! Are you ready to get started?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Leona answered with a yawn.

“Oh, Professor,” Akari exclaimed when she saw Laventon approach the group. 

“Ah, well, you see…” Laveton looked down with a somewhat sad look on his face. “Captain Cyllene got a hold of me after you all left… She impressed upon me that I bear full responsibility for whatever happens to ‘our sudden guests’.”

“That’s our merciless captain,” Akari shook her head, unsurprised. “But what help exactly can you offer out here, Professor?”

“My dear girl, I don’t intend to lift a finger,” Laventon answered honestly and Akari’s eye twitched. “Our new friends’ talents are the real deal. He’ll pass with flying colors⎼you’ll see!”

“He sure has a lot of faith in us,” Ruggie snickered.

“Ah,” Akari dryly smiled with her eyes closed. “So the responsibility for them still lies, in fact, with me, then. Well, I’m sure that they’ll be fine! Let’s begin with the trial!” Akari turns and starts to walk towards a dirt path. The group follows her, slightly concerned for her. She stops at the top of the dirt path and looks out over the land.

“This is Aspiration Hill,” Akari elucidates. “The species of Pokemon you’re meant to catch all live here.” Everyone looked out over the land and some spotted a small rodent-like Pokemon along the dirt path. “And along comes a Bidoof! Time to get ready to catch it. The key is to aim carefully. Not that you seem to need my advice⎼I’m just sharing what I know. Bidoof has a mellow disposition. That means it tends not to run from people, so this’ll be easy!”

“Hey Kalim,” Epel called. “Could you pass me a PokeBall?”

“Yeah, sure,” Kalim gives Epel a PokeBall and Epel walks down the dirt path to where the Bidoof was. Epel took a deep breath and threw the PokeBall at the Bidoof’s head. The PokeBall opened up and the Bidoof went inside. The ball spun a few times before the halo of stars appeared.

“You caught a Bidoof,” Akari cheered. “Well done, Epel! Now it’s time for the next Pokemon.” Epel went and picked up the PokeBall and placed it in his satchel. He caught up to the group who were looking at a small bird Pokemon. “There’s a Starly. They’re skittish little things⎼they’ll run if startled. But you should be able to get close to them if you crouch⎼you’ll be harder to spot!”

“Kalim, toss me a PokeBall,” Cater requested. Kalim tossed a PokeBall to Cater and he went to the patch of tall grass. He crouched down and got as close to the Starly as he could, then threw the PokeBall. The Starly went into the PokeBall and was easily caught. Cater ran up to the PokeBall and picked it up.

“That’s Starly caught as well,” Akari noted. “Only one more Pokemon to go.” They continued down the path. Ace spotted a wild leek that he picked up. “I forgot⎼there’s something I ought to teach you, since you’re still new to this! Throw your Pokemon’s ball at rocks⎼or trees like this one⎼to have it investigate. If your Pokemon finds any berries or other items, it’ll bring them to you! We’ve now reached your final hurdle: catching a Shinx.”

“Let’s go Cider,” Epel says as he throws Bidoof’s PokeBall at the base of the tree. The Bidoof comes out of its ball and climbs up the tree. A few moments later, it climbs back down the tree and gives Epel the berries it found, then it returns to its PokeBall and Epel catches the ball.

“That was something,” Malleus mumbled. He was very fascinated by this new world and the Pokemon that inhabited it. He was also excited to get some Pokemon of his own.

“There. That’s Shinx,” Akari points out a Pokemon a bit further down the path. The Pokemon in question gave out a roar. “Shinx has an aggressive disposition. Could you already tell that?”

“Not really,” Floyd said. “It looks squeezable.”

“Not to worry,” Akari smiled. “These things become clear once you focus on the Pokemon around you. Once aggressive Pokemon get irate, they’ll knock aside any ball you throw at them. Don’t worry, though! I’ll teach you the trick to catching aggressive Pokemon! You’ve got to battle them! Once they’re absorbed with battling, you can throw a PokeBall at them to try to catch them! By now, you’ve got several Pokemon of your own, don’t you?”

“You were there when we got the Pokemon,” Azul sweat-dropped.

“Take your Pokemon’s PokeBall and throw it near a wild Pokemon you want to battle,” Akari continued, ignoring Azul. “I’ve got no doubt you’ll hold your own in battle!”

“I’m gonna take a crack at battling,” Epel said, stepping closer to the Shinx. The Shinx noticed Epel and charged at him. Epel grabbed his PokeBall that contained his Pokemon and threw it at the Shinx. “Let’s go Cider!”

“I thought we weren’t gonna name them,” Riddle shouted in frustration. The wild Shinx had used Quick Attack on the Bidoof. 

“Cider, use Rollout,” Epel commanded. His Bidoof used Rollout on the wild Shinx. The Shinx had used Quick Attack again. Epel had his Bidoof use Rollout again.

“He seems like a natural,” Rook praised.

Ortho had taken a look at the Pokemon’s health bar, “Epel, you can try to catch it now.”

“Thanks, Ortho,” Epel thanked him. Epel pulled out a PokeBall that he had hidden in his satchel and threw it at the Shinx. The Shinx went into the PokeBall and moved a few times before the ring of stars appeared. The Shinx was caught. 

“You all approached those Pokemon without a hint of fear… and caught each one,” Akari exclaimed. “You’re like a gift from the sky dropped to us!”

“We did fall from the sky though,” Cater pointed out.

“With you at our side, I think the Survey Corps has a real chance of compiling a complete Pokedex as we’ve been ordered,” Akari cheered. “This is wonderful! I’m still curious why on earth you came falling from the sky like you did… but for now, let’s tell the professor we’re ready to head back!” The group walked back up the dirt path to the base camp where the professor was.

“I said you’d pass the trial with flying colors, and it seems you all went and did just that,” Laventon praised. “Congratulations, everyone! You’ve taken your first step toward seeking out every Pokemon! This calls for a commemorative photograph.” Laventon pulled out a camera and took a picture of the group.

“With skills like yours, I suppose this was a foregone conclusion,” Akari praised.

“Hey, weren’t you just bashing us,” Ace said.

“Ace, calm yourself,” Riddle scolded. “I see where you are coming from, but the trial is over now.”

“Whatever,” Ace mutters.

“Now then, we’d best report to Captain Cyllene,” Laventon states. “Time to head back to Jubilife Village, eh?”

“Do we have to walk all the way back,” Idia questioned.

“I brought Ponyta drawn carriages for us to ride back in,” Laventon smiled.

“Ponyta…” Silver lets the Pokemon’s name roll off the tip of his tongue.

“Come on, let’s go,” Akari laughs as she runs over to the carriages. 

“This is so cool,” Epel exclaims as he starts to run over to the carriages pulling Jack along with him. Deuce and Ace look at each other and run to catch up to Epel and Jack. The rest of the group walks behind the four first years. Once everyone is settled into the carriages, they take off back to Jubilife Village.

...to be continued