Step 9: Juggle (Patreon)

Step 9: Juggle

Violet City Gym

At this moment, I am euphoric, not because I have seized victory, but because I am basking in my opponent’s misery.

If the crowd had any applause or good sportsmanship, I wasn’t on the receiving end of it.

 Falkner swooped over to me as soon as the both of us recalled our Pokemon. Baloo was in need of a good rest, and no doubt he’d get the jolly jingle treatment from nurse Joy as soon as I hit the Pokecenter after this. 

But as reluctant as Falkner and I both were to stand on ceremony, the niceties must still be observed. Had to have some way to soften the rough and tumble blow of battle in order to add civility to the brutal affair. 

“For pity’s sake, my cherished bird Pokemon! But a defeat is a defeat… I’ll bow out gracefully.” I’d have had an easier time believing that last brief statement if his teeth and fists weren’t clenched tight enough to squeeze juice. Hell, he was stomping towards me hard enough to leave bigger divots on the ground than our battle had. “Take this official Pokemon league badge. You earned it.”

 All that pomp, and he just plonked it in my hand.

 Despite his brattitude, I couldn’t help but admire the physical symbol of Baloo, mine, and even Yecu’s hard work. As the gleaming hexagon sat flat in my palm, I flexed my arm up and down to weigh it. Heavier than I expected.

 A badge case wasn’t something I’d budgeted for, so I chose the easier (and likely more advertiser friendly) option of pinning it on my shirt. The deep valley between Falkner’s brow flattened out at that. Easy there, big bird. This was more pragmatism than pride.

There’s a big difference between a move tutor and an army general. This vain valour on my chest was gonna get strung around my neck as soon as I buy a necklace to string it through. Or maybe a bracelet? Rings would be way too clunky, and I was peddling pokemon moves, not pokemon crimes.

 With a satisfied nod, Falkner turned on his heel and began walking away. No doubt, in his mind, cool guys don’t look back when they part with rivals, just toss a casual wave.

 Not that I was gonna let him get away from me without one last gift. “Hey, Falkner.” The side of his face, not covered by his edgy, swooping hair, stared at me over his shoulder. I extended my hand, and the bright light behind me stretched my shadow across the floor even further. He huffed, a small smile licked at his lips.

“Of course, how could I forget?” Thatta boy! He turned fully to face me and an echoing clap! rang across the near empty stadium as he clasped his hand with mine.

 Up and down his Arm Thrust. “... Er?” Clearly, neither of us were Psychic, because we were both suffering from Confusion. “While this manly moment is sweet and all, I was actually expecting you to give me my GTS access card. You were walking away without completing our deal.”

Falkner didn’t get embarrassed, just angry. His face stiffened, his jaw tensed, and his aura erupted around our joint hands as he activated Crush Claw. “Ow, ow, ow! That’s my ball throwing” (and fondling) “hand!”

“Of course, how could I forget?” Mad little Moltres, wasn’t he? Reaching into sleeve he swiped something and an echoing smack! rang across the near empty stadium as he planted the GTS card on my sweaty forehead.

The only reason I fumbled catching the card was because the hand that I slipped out from Falkner’s Vise Grip was super swollen and puffier than Qwilfish. Well Falkner, you know that old saying: a grafaiai for a grafaiai, a shroodle for a shroodle. “And here I thought, in the spirit of competition, that I’d pack up from Route 36 and get on the first flier down to Goldenrod. But with how cozy our handshake was, I can take the hint. You want me here, next to you, forever. Well no worries, Falkner old buddy, I’m gonna look into Ingrain some nice big roots on 36.” I fanned the card in my hand, and not just to wave off the pain.

 Falkner’s eyes flared, and before I knew it, he was barking orders to his subordinates. “Someone saddle up their bird Pokémon and fly this guy to Goldenrod!” He took my throbbing palm back in his grip, but this time far softer as he rubbed it soothingly. “My mistake, move tutor, don’t you fret. I’ll have one of my flock beating wings to race you to Goldenrod immediately!”

 A massage and a messenger. Now this is how I like it! “Well… since you’re the one offering. How can I possibly say no?” Forget selling moves, I should be selling used cars. But just like anyone who’d made the error of buying a vehicle from me, I began pushing forward. “Let me get my Pokemon treated at the center, and I’ll be ready first thing in the morning for my Falkner ferry. Deal?”

“Deal!”

–

Violet City Pokemon Center

“We’ll take good care of your Pokemon. Please come back for them later.” Both hands on the plastic, she returned my trainer ID. “Here’s your trainer’s license.” The, for lack of a better word, joyous nurse Joy announced.

I glanced at the picture: sun-kissed skin, ruffled caramel hair, with the standard Alolan facial features. If only I’d stayed a little more still while the picture was being taken, the photo might not have come out as blurry as it had. “Thanks, Nurse Joy. I’ll pick him up in the evening.” 

No amount of spamming A was gonna get Baloo bailed out from the ER any faster. He needed a full night’s rest and a fuller check up to get him back into scrapping and napping state. Yecu remained hooked on my belt. Joy wasn’t the only J I needed to talk to today - which is also the reason why I’d decided to postpone my first class flight to Goldenrod. 

Tucked in an alcove between the Pokemon Center and the eastern exit out to Route 31 sat another entrepreneur of my ilk.

Though sitting was the last thing I could describe him doing. “Shard de berry! Shard de berry!” Blonde, bold, and juggling the juiciest looking berries I’d seen off a tree, the berry juggler hawked his wares. Did anyone know why he wanted those shards? No. Were they useful in a way I hadn’t understood? Undoubtedly. He was just as weird as me asking for type gems and apricorns in exchange for my tutoring.

 Whatever his reasons, my appetite for rare berries in service of my Pokemon’s growth meant I strolled right up to the likely Kalos expat.

“Show me what’s ripe, and I’ll show you my shards.” I knelt down to paw through his piles of fruit.

He knelt just as quickly, not even bothering to pay attention as the airborne fruit fell into colour coordinated crates. I didn’t feel even a hint of aura at the trick. Impressive. “Magnifique! You may look, you may smell, and you may feel. But you may not nibble!”

“What’s the rate on these?” Orans, leppas, cherris, pechas. Nothing on the surface looked spectacular. Digging deeper into the piles, my hands scuffed over some interesting textures. 

From the yellow pile, I felt something springy and ringy. Initially I thought I’d discovered a new species of fat silkworm pupa Pokemon, but I’d just turned out to be a charti berry. I’ll keep that aside.

The green hill was less me picking out a fruit than a fruit pricking me. I yanked my hand back to find a spiky salac berry stuck to my skin.

At least the red pile didn’t leave me bleeding when I handled a bitter smelling occa berry.

The blue box left my balls in that very same hue when I found nothing worthwhile in it. 

“I want these three.” Charti, salac, and occa. Decent enough haul of berries if never seen before. Plenty ripe, so plenty of seeds whenever I decide to plant a new berry patch. I’m sure I’ll find some creative recipe to use them in.

“As I said, mon ami: shard de berry! Bring me a shard each of the same colour as the berry, and you may nibble all you like.”

“Works for me.” I stood up and so did he. In one smooth motion, he began juggling the three I’d picked out. “Don’t bruise those too badly. I’m gonna go bash some rocks to get you your shards.”

–

Ruins of Alph

When I said bash, I meant bash. 

Yecu had no access to fighting type energy right now, and I wasn’t planning on it in the near future either. So for legal and (league)al reasons, I couldn’t call what my enthusiastic Krabby was doing to the rocks in the area Rock Smash. 

In between my campsite and the southwestern exit of Violet city was the Ruins of Alph. 

A fossil excavation zone cum tourist trap. Researchers here were more interested in the unknown Unown underground and funded their exploration by letting trainers Bulldoze their way through the surface rubble and allowed them to keep any finds in the fossil-rich sediment for a fee. 

Think! Clang! Crack! Yecu swung his Metal Claw with wild abandon. His spirits were up, as they almost always seemed to be, despite the fact that we’d not discovered even a single shard yet. In fact, aside from the occasional grumpy Geodude, “Bubble.” We’d found precious little.

Yecu spat his froth and hit the rock ground type Pokemon with quad effectiveness, sending it scurrying. I used the weak move on purpose as I didn’t want to faint the poor porous pebbles.

“Bibibi!” Yecu bashed another baby boulder, but this time I spotted something red in the rolling rubble. 

As I sifted through, my elation ebbed when I realized it wasn’t a shard, but rather another red stone. “Wait, this is a tumblestone.” A key ingredient in traditional Pokeball making. “Cool.” Pocketing it, my Krabby and I returned to crumbling our immediate surroundings. 

Crafting my own balls is definitely something I’d like to learn. Maybe I could even add it to my menu of services. But first I wanted those berries.

“Not what we’re looking for, Yecu. Get back to it.” 

Tool longer than I’d have liked, but my Pokemon and I didn’t go to sleep without securing the three new berries.

–

Mid-air Route 35

“Wow, makes me wish I’d spent a little more time out at the ruins.” Saddled up and harnessed behind one of Falkner’s staff, I couldn’t help but awe at the Pokemon we were sailing through the clouds on. “Your Aerodactyl is gorgeous.” Its scaly skin was firm and warm to the touch. Reptilian and ancient.

The battering winds glued my hair and clothes flat to my skin. It was hard to breathe at this altitude, but even then my breath would have hitched at not just witnessing but experiencing the dangerous dinosaur.

“Thanks, but I think Falkner would have had me scoop you up without your consent if you stayed any longer.”

“Is that why he got one of the fastest fliers to express deliver me?” As I struggled to not fly off my seat, that 130 speed stat wasn’t for show. Not that you’d even see one zoom past you at full speed. 

“Yup! Now hold on.” I circled my arms around her waist. The only way I could call it a beer belly was because of the six-pack. “Goldenrod is here. Time to make our descent.”

Aerodactyl angled downward, and my guts shot up as high as they could go. My eyes were watering and my cheeks were flapping, but I couldn’t keep the grin off my face.

I’m getting a flier next. I have to. “Woo-hoo!”