Joe shook Brock's hand at the side of the arena, considering his victory against Gary to be beginner's luck.
"Better luck next time." Brock said.
There would indeed be a next time. Joe was enjoying the sport. He at least wanted to collect the trophies. He wanted to prove he was strong enough to claim eight Badges. It would be a nice achievement to pin to his life. Not every Trainer completed the Gym Challenge.
Joe left the Gym. The sun was still strong, still enough time to engage with another activity. He settled on heading to a nearby park and letting his Pokemon out for a bit. Play time right after the Gym. He kept in mind that he might need to have a word with Cyndaquil.
As Joe walked, the forum talked. Accounts on Trainer's Emporium had a fan counter. Joe first gained fans in Amethyst, then after Gary they increased to the double digits. They were overall positive, encouraging him to try again.
Joe had no idea. He had more important thoughts to visit. Joe wanted to review his loss. So he'd won a few battles. Didn't mean he was good. There was much to improve on. In hindsight, Sandshrew should've fought first because Fomantis' Grass Knot would have been more useful against Onix. That might have allowed Cyndaquil to pull through and win. Joe had his team, but not his order. He should've thought harder about the utility of Grass Knot and how it could sway the fight.
Joe, perhaps with the benefit of being an adult, was a good student and learner. His mind was flexible and understanding, but even so he believed his Pokemon had an easier time adapting than he did. Carrying the extra weight against Brock was no doubt difficult, Joe just had to imagine himself strapped with a backpack half his weight. But his Pokemon did a good job adapting and fighting despite the handicap. Maybe the gimmick wasn't even a downside. The problem was his strategy. If he really had to blame something, then the movesets of his Pokemon needed some work. But that would happen naturally over time so he wasn't really bothered about it right now.
Joe arrived at a large field with trees, a pond, and some paths around the place. He saw colours in the distance, on the other side of the park. No doubt a playground using bold colours to entice children.
He set up near the pond, near a bench in case he felt like sitting. A couple of Trainers across the water waved at him and he waved back. Joe let all his Pokemon out, Rookidee immediately dipping his head into the pond and shaking, pecking under his wing.
Joe didn't know why, but he liked watching birds clean themselves. His grandmother had a bird bath in the garden and now, as an adult, whenever he visited her and sat in the garden with her, he liked watching the little birds come by. Wait, was he actually an old man?
Having a bird on his roster made Joe remember the Pokemon that kept leaving small trinkets on his apartment balcony. He wondered if it's doing it now that he's away. If so then he's going to return to a massive pile of goods. He wondered what the wild bird thought of his departure.
Cyndaquil sat there, all grumpy, face scrunched up. He briefly looked up at Joe. His snout somehow scrunched up even more and he twisted away.
Joe sighed. He crouched by Cyndaquil, looking at his Pokemon's red back. "Hey, buddy, what did I say? No sulking. And if this is about me stopping the fight, then I'm not going to apologise. I'd do it every time. I don't want to see you get seriously hurt. If you don't watch yourself, you're going to end up scarred like Nidoran. I'm not going to be responsible for pushing my team so hard they end up physically hurt."
Cyndaquil huffed and turned his head a little to hear.
"Trust me, you don't want to follow my example." Joe said, lifting his shirt to reveal a circular scar half an inch in diameter, jagged and spiked in numerous directions. A parting gift from a Hunter in Olivine. A piece of metal had gone into his side at an angle, coming out the front. "Pushing yourself past your limit is one thing. You want to do that to get stronger. For us humans, our muscles won't grow stronger unless we constantly push them, and it does hurt. The difference is, any pain from working out is temporary. Cyndaquil, scars are forever. I support you wanting to be stronger, okay? Just not in a way that permanently hurts you."
When he heard the rustling of clothes, Cyndaquil looked out of curiosity and saw the jagged scar. He turned away, only to see Nidoran playing with Hoothoot. His eyes were drawn to the bunny's missing ear. It wasn't just about scars. Cyndaquil could lose a limb if he weren't careful. Then he'd really be in trouble. What if he wanted both hands for a certain attack, and he ended up with only one for the rest of his life? Even now, battle was on his mind. He knew Joe was right, but it was still annoying him.
Joe figured he'd preached enough. Time healed all wounds. Cyndaquil would eventually get over it. Until then, Joe just had to wait. Perhaps this mental block was stopping the evolution, as Joe felt a wave of energy coming from Cyndaquil. Just like Caterpie when he met her. Cyndaquil needed to find the key to progression, and only he knew what that was. Joe had no doubt it would end up being combat related though. Maybe cornered, Cyndaquil would find new strength. Or maybe happiness from winning a difficult battle would allow him to change. Only time would tell.
"Other than that, you did good." Joe quickly petted Cyndaquil's head. "All three of you were great."
After his Pokemon had enjoyed themselves, Fomantis was one of the last to be put away. Joe wanted to ensure she understood he was proud of her. She seemed tepid, unsure if her staying out was good or bad. She glanced around, at a nearby tree and at the ground, then resolved herself. She looked up at Joe, her leaf arms together across her chest to reassure herself. A comfort technique.
Joe rubbed her head. "So how was it? Did you like the battle, or do you want to try something else?" He watched her nod, realising he'd messed up so he asked the first part again. When she nodded, he smiled. "Great. That's good. Remember, the important part is that you applied yourself. You decided to join in and you did. It's easy to say you'll do something, but then to actually act, that's the hard part. Keep it up."
Fomantis was really starting to like Joe. At first he just seemed like the best option for a Trainer, but he was becoming more than that. He seemed to know what to say at all times. He was helping Fomantis get better, for which she was eternally grateful. Before Joe could put her away, she rushed to his leg and hugged him, her arms not even making it halfway around his tree log of a limb.
Joe considered the hug his thanks, almost slipping and saying, 'you're welcome.' After Fomantis pulled away and saw Joe's warm, almost parental smile, she smiled back which showed in her eyes as her mouth was so tiny it was nearly imperceptible.
After the park visit, Joe headed to a clothes store. Butterfree had destroyed one of his jackets to keep him afloat, so he wanted to fill the gap.
He typically cycled through a couple. He'd lost his blue one, so all he had was the black jacket he currently wore. And he liked his jackets.
Joe was on auto pilot, not truly seeing or paying attention. He went to a row of clothes and reached out to grab whatever, but something caught his eye. He snapped out of his auto pilot. He looked at a red shirt and, two rows away but still within view, a white jacket. "Oh. My. God."
Absol tilted her head, following her Trainer's eyesight to a red shirt. She couldn't see over the rack but could tell Joe was looking at a different item. Joe walked and took a white jacket from a line of clothes. She watched, the gears in her head turning. Her eyes widened and she turned to look at the red shirt. No. Nope. Not happening.
She moved to stand in front of the red shirt, leaned forward as if preparing for a fight. That's just how determined she was to stop Joe from getting his hands on that red shirt. He absolutely could not go through with this. She knew exactly what was going to happen. He was going to tease her about it endlessly, no doubt. She did not want to put up with that right now.
"Jokes on you, Absol. I already have a red shirt. So don't you worry, we're going to match. Best friends forever." Joe grinned. "And don't do that here. We don't need you causing problems, toppling displays and scaring people."
Absol kept growling, but in reality she'd already lost. She didn't want to cause problems for people. Now she was simply making a noise out of anger. Why did Joe have to keep being annoying like this? She grimaced as Joe bought the white jacket. The last thing she wanted to do was match her Trainer.
* * * * *
As Joe messed with Absol in the clothes store, a new and unusual challenger reached Brock. With the entrance having no doors and the panda being small, Pancham was able to waddle by the reception desk and into the arena. Brock perked up when a Pokemon entered the arena alone. And then a Gengar came out of Pancham's shadow. The round ghost stood beside Pancham and, through some animated gestures of shadow boxing, got the point across that this arena was where battles took place. Once it understood, Pancham's face lit up as it turned to Brock. Well, there was a first time for everything. If these two Pokemon wanted a fight, Brock wasn't against it. So he entertained them for a while, Pancham learning and growing the entire time.
At the same time in a nearby town, Looker arrived at a police station. He had a personal taxi in the form of an oversized Pidgeot, allowing him to cross a country in mere hours. Like Joe's Absol, Looker's Pidgeot was just outside the requirements for being an Alpha.
Just before Looker headed inside, a shadow briefly fell over him. Two men approached riding a Togekiss. When they landed, one was rubbing his chin. It still ached from being punched by Joe. The other locked eyes with Looker. Looker saw it immediately. Fear of consequences. The young man didn't know what was about to happen to himself but realised he could go to prison for a while.
Looker had read the report on his way here. The two that had successfully avoided police were now in front of him. A background check, paired with a talkative gang member in custody, had shown Looker that these two, the Togekiss Trainer and the Tinkatuff Trainer, were new to the gang. The poaching job was their first time out in the field, and since they failed, they technically hadn't committed any crimes.
On top of that, they had Fairy-type Pokemon. Animals were great judges of character, and fairies were like the natural good of the world. These two may be fools, but they weren't evil. Their Pokemon were no doubt being patient out of love and waiting for them to fix their mistakes.
"S- Sir…" One said, looking down in shame. "…We're sorry! And, er, we have a plan."
Looker considered it, eyeing the station to his side. "Let's hear it."
"So, um, Rocket Syndicate doesn't have many airborne Trainers. They kind of need us. So…"
Looker understood He had no idea how they had arrived at this decision, but he jumped at the opportunity. Raising a bird to its final, large evolution wasn't easy. For a criminal organisation, flight was rare and useful as another vector of attack. They needed every flying Trainer they could get their hands on. Which meant Rocket would be more lenient with the poaching failure and welcome these two back. Rocket was known for abandoning gangs that failed or got caught. Understandably. Criminals have no use for people that can't get the job done or cave to police and give the gang away. But there were some people Rocket absolutely needed. Looker had seen it numerous times across the world. Leniency towards Trainers because of their Pokemon.
"You're willing to become informants?"
They nodded.
"All right, I accept."
They worked a few more details out and soon they left the area with Looker's number memorised. Couldn't afford to have it written down anywhere.
Looker couldn't believe his luck. Joe's random encounter with poachers had led to the detective having access to insiders at Rocket Syndicate. Finally. This might become the undoing of Rocket Syndicate. For so long, Looker had struggled with information about the group, but now he finally made a breakthrough.
He was all about second chances too. The two gang members that approached were young and stupid. If they helped fix the situation then Looker would consider their debt to society repaid.
Looker was reinvigorated with the idea of gaining new and instrumental information from his informants. It could be slow to happen, but this would no doubt be Rocket Syndicate's downfall.
* * * * *
The next morning, after Absol had jabbed him one hundred times, Joe walked the streets of Pewter. Up ahead, on the corner of the street, was a cafe with a bright pink sign.
Joe was unsure about what to do. A rematch against Brock now seemed too soon. His team hadn't really grown since the last fight. They needed a chance to apply the knowledge of their loss.
"What?! Are you serious?"
Joe was taken out of his thoughts when he heard a woman shouting. He looked to see he was at the corner cafe. Sitting outside was a beautiful, flashy woman. Her bushy stark blonde hair had pink tips and reached her shoulders. She wore a black, slightly transparent crop top shirt. Underneath Joe could see a bright purple and yellow Liepard print bra. The bright colours created a clear outline that didn't leave much to the imagination.
The woman cursed and went to throw her smartphone before slamming it on the table instead. "Useless!"
At this point Joe had stopped and was just looking at her, an eyebrow raised. When she noticed, she sent a scowl his way. "What are you looking at?"
"Is everything okay?" Joe replied, ignoring her bad mood.
She looked him up and down, then looked at Absol. The matching colours resulted in her next comment. "I didn't know there was a circus in town." She heaved a massive sigh. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. The people around here are just wimps. I want an escort to another town and that was my third rejection."
Joe understood both sides. This woman wanting an escort was fair because he knew from personal experience that the wild could be dangerous. Better safe than sorry. And people on Nomads didn't want to get in over their heads if they were beginner Trainers with something like a Bidoof. People had their comfort zone and weren't brave enough to venture out of it. While thousands of new Trainers were created every year in just one country, they weren't all strong.
Joe gestured at the chair opposite the woman. "Maybe I can help?"
The woman eyed Absol again, considering. This duo looked strong. Maybe the stranger could actually help. She crossed her arms and nodded, watching the big man sit down.
"So, where are you going?" Joe asked.
"Icterine. It's a town at the base of Mt. Moon, to the east. It'll take a few days to get there. My dad's there, in hospital, but he's fine. Still, got to check up on family, right? Figured I'd take the scenic route, but I don't have a Pokemon of my own. Hence, the escort job that no one wants."
Dad. Was this woman also from Galar? Surely not. The chances of that happening were slim to none. Three times in the span of a couple of weeks was like it was fate. Like the universe was trying to give Joe a hint. Sure, Trainers, people in general, travelled a lot. But this felt oddly specific.
He put the thought aside, now knowing what he was doing. Escorting this woman. He could come back to Pewter some other time for a rematch against Brock.
"If you're all right with me, I'll help."
Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "Seriously? Just like that? Don't you have anything else to do? That was everyone else's excuse."
"Just like that."
The woman looked Joe over, squinting as she did so. She suddenly had a feeling he was familiar, but she couldn't place him. She was good with remembering people, so she didn't know him personally. She'd seen him somewhere before. Probably on the news. Maybe he was famous. He had a shiny Absol and the man himself was a giant. A unique combination that made him memorable.
"All right, thanks." She paused. "…And sorry for the attitude."
Joe shrugged. "You've got a parent in hospital. You're stressed. Nothing to apologise for."
She reached a hand over the table. They shook. "Peonia."
"Joe."
"Well, Joe, do you want a drink since we're here?" She lifted her mug, swishing about the liquid inside. "I'm not rushing my own."
Joe accepted the offer and ordered tea. Peonia decided to order another. Joe saw movement in the corner of his eyes as Peonia, wearing long white jeans, crossed one leg over the other.
"Why are you here while your dad's in Icterine?" Joe asked, simply curious.
"He's an archaeologist. I am, too. Runs in the family. Well, except Penny. She likes technology more than dig sites. Oh, Penny's my little sister. But anyway, dad was working in a cave and apparently it wasn't as secure as they thought. I spoke to him on a video call. He's fine. Still his usual, loud self. No, actually he's worse now that he's stuck in bed with a broken leg."
She noticed Joe smiling warmly at her, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. "What?"
"No, nothing. It's just nice how much you care." Joe said. Peonia was very forthcoming with information about her family, which painted a picture. She cared for her family in her own way. Reminded him of his own mother.
"Obviously? What kind of moron doesn't care about their family? Wipe that look off your face, it's annoying me. You're just like mom."
"Sorry, sorry." Joe restrained a laugh. "Do you have plans for a route? A specific trail to wanted to walk?"
Peonia looked up, considering his words with serious thought. She just wanted to walk through the wilderness. She hadn't picked out a special sightseeing route or anything. "No, nothing specific."
Before Joe could speak again, she let out something akin to a growl. "Agh, it's really annoying me. Can I take a picture of you to do a web search? I feel like I've seen you before but I don't know where."
"Sure."
Peonia grabbed her phone, its case made of fifty small, sparkling gems that made it annoying to look at under the sun. There was also a cute little charm dangling from the phone. A little plush toy of Pikachu, a yellow rodent with a tail like a bolt of electricity. She took a picture and began tapping, her nails just long enough to hit the screen alongside her fingertips and make a distinct noise, but not too long to get in the way of day-to-day activities.
Joe was starting to think Peonia was the other type of gyaru. While Sonia was a gorgeous woman, she had ultimately been subdued in her appearance. But here was Peonia, every bit of her flashy and eye catching. From the phone case to her clothes to her two-tone hair. A key component for a gyaru was visuals. Another was modern slang and speech. Sonia acted like a gyaru while Peonia looked like one.
It didn't take long for Peonia's face to light up, the first smile Joe had seen from her. She was boastful after learning she was right. "I knew it." She turned the screen around. "You're that guy from Olivine."
Joe grinned at the picture of himself standing next to a tall model, brown Wooper in her arms. The scar he'd shown Cyndaquil earlier tingled from the memory. Since Amethyst, he'd had a number of reminders of that day. He recalled that, when the picture was taken, he was wrapped in bandages and had a dozen stitches keeping his wounds closed.