Chapter 3 Partner

  Ian's eyes remained shut as the sound of the bunkhouse's ambience danced around his mind. A grunt from the set of bunks next to him snored softly while drops of water hit the hard floor from what Ian assumed was a hole in the ceiling. The light sound of rain drops hitting the creaking roof gave an ominous mood to it all. He'd gone to sleep when the sun was still out, so it was likely very early in the morning, earlier than anyone else would be waking up. Holy shit, I'm still in the Pokemon world. Probably one of the worst places I could be in, but I'm still in IT.

  He'd be lying if he'd said he'd never thought about getting Isekai'd into the Pokemon world. His first Pokemon game had been Platinum, and he'd played the crap out of Soul Silver. When Sword Art Online got popular, he remembered being bored in class, daydreaming of what would happen if he got 'stuck' in Sinnoh or Johto. This definitely is not what I had in mind though. The longer he stayed in bed brainstorming, the more painful his ravenous stomach got. Not even mentioning his mind raced with all sorts of possibilities. Once I get off the island, what do I do, an Island Challenge? I'll probably have to find work to support myself early on, but after a few months I think I can just go journey somewhere...

  Ian sighed, rolling over and opening his eyes, seeing just the darkness of the un-lit bunk house. At least the job doesn't matter anymore. He forced a smile, trying to feel proud for standing up to Alex and Suzy, but his heart tensed uncomfortably as the events replayed in his mind. They probably think I offed myself. Fuck, everyone will think that, even mom- Ian gasped as the realization took hold of him and his eyes began to water. The butterflies in his stomach got even more nauseating as the realization hit him. "I'm never gonna see mom again..." Ian whispered, the weight of the words' meaning truly setting in.

  Ian bolted upright in bed, needing to get his mind focused on something else as the pain in his chest took hold. He did his best to sneak out of the bunk house, but the dark, unfamiliar space plus the creaky floor made that impossible. Thankfully none of the guys seemed to wake up, so he opened the creaking door to a hallway dimly lit by a flickering light. The chandelier in the entrance hall was off, but thankfully a couple small night lights were on. Ian smelled his own body odor, meaning he had to smell completely awful. Maybe I can take a shower? I don't have any clothes to change into, let alone is there even enough running water for it?

  Ian hesitated, not wanting to wake anyone up, but not wanting to do a faux pas. Something tells me ignorance wouldn't be an acceptable excuse. He cursed under his breath, as he thought who would still be up. Are there guards? Ian pumped his fist and made his way to what he remembered were the front doors of the Shady House. He opened them and a loud grunt came from beyond the threshold. The flickering glow of the street lamp in front of the house revealed another grunt in a Team Skull uniform. "You my relief?" He asked.

  Ian shook his head. "No, Plumeria brought me into town yesterday and I wanted to take a shower..."

  "Shower?" The grunt sniffed loudly and recoiled. "Yeah bro, you fucking stink."

  Ian nodded. "That's why... But I don't know if that's allowed-"

  "Do we all smell like shit bro?" The grunt asked.

  "Wha- no..."

  "We shower yo, just no longer than thirty seconds. Plus there ain't hot water," the grunt said.

  "Any towel or clothes I can change into?" Ian said. "I got nothing but the clothes on my back right now."

  He shrugged. "Then that's what you got, yo. Just don't wake anyone up."

  Ian nodded. "Okay, thanks dude. I'm Ian, what's your name?"

  "I'm Chris, but most people just call me Spitz," the grunt said, then pointed to the Team Skull emblem on his shirt. "You thinking of joining up?"

  "Not many other options are there?" Ian joked.

  "Damn right about that."

  Ian moved to close the door then remembered one important thing. "Where's the bathroom?"

  ***

  The bathroom he was pointed to stank and the rusty shower stall looked anything but cleanly, but Ian stripped down and got the shower on, a small stream of low pressure water falling out of the shower head. He hopped in quickly, bracing himself for no hot water and he slipped, knocking into the cracked tile wall. The cold water made him tense on contact with his skin and he began to shiver. A sliver of soap rested on a little stand at the edge, and Ian inspected closely, seeing a number of different colored hairs on it. "I sure hope these aren't pubes," he said as he started to scrub his body down as best he could, counting to thirty before turning the water off, leaving his lean body a shivering mess. There was just a worn bath towel on the floor he stood on while he got his dirty, stinky clothes on, and when he looked in the cracked mirror for the first time, he groaned as he looked at his reflection. "Welcome to Po Town."

  He made it back to his bed, his sweaty clothes now damp from his lack of patience to drip-dry. His mind raced as he remembered his conversation with Guzma earlier. Three Pokemon in two days, and not just the easy stuff. His hands' muscle memory kicked in as he started playing an imaginary guitar, moving his left hand across the frets and into different cords while his right played certain strings. Music had always helped calm him, he'd even learned to sing in choir class, and memories of playing some of Suzy's favorite songs made him grimace, but it kept his mind occupied in the darkness. It took another hour or so before the rain dissipated and light came through the bunkhouse's cracked window. Half an hour after that, a loud bass note played from outside the house like a fog horn, causing a bustle of activity as the grunts suddenly awoke.

  "You already up bro?" Tupp asked, his head hanging upside down from the top bunk.

  "Went to sleep early, woke up early," Ian answered, seeing a cacophony of sound and motion in the bunkhouse as a number of other figures weaved in and out of the cramped room.

  "You showered yo! How long was it?" Tupp asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

  "Thirty seconds. I talked to the guard at the front door. I think his name was Spitz?" Ian asked.

  "Good shit. Guzma'd kick you out right now if he be hearing you took a long one. Town's Water Pokemon can only filter so much, ya feel?"

  Ian nodded. "I get it."

  "You got three Pokemon to catch today, right?" Tupp clarified.

  "Over two days, but yeah," Ian said with a forced smile.

  "Let's get you to Tom's then," Tupp said, climbing off the top bunk and landing on the creaky wooden floor.

  "Hey before we go, when do we eat?" Ian asked.

  Tupp shook his head. "At lunchtime, yo. Us in Plumeria's squad got to eat earlier yesterday before we went out for that Ultra Storm- Shit you ain't eat at all yesterday, didya?"

  Ian nodded. "Correct..."

  "Sorry bro, maybe we'll find some berries that are just riping up," Tupp said. "Follow me."

  Ian's stomach groaned, the combination of the nausea flash and general discomfort with his dirty clothes made the miniscule walk out of the Shady House's front yard and onto main street, or The Spine as it was called a frustrating affair. More Team Skull grunts than the prior day were running about the streets that were still wet from the rain.

  Tom's warehouse was more like a liquor store than anything else. Conveniently located just across the street from the Shady House, it had a short line of uniformed grunts already lined up outside the front door. "So what's this place?" Ian asked.

  "Tom runs the dirtbags, bro," Tupp explained. "He has Pokemon but doesn't really battle. The dirtbags do all of our dirty laundry, clean gutters, make sure the water and power is still running."

  "We prefer the term 'stewards' Tupp," an older male voice said from behind the duo.

  Ian and Tupp turned around, Tupp laughing nervously as he did. "Stewards, yeah Tom," Tupp corrected himself.

  Tom was a middle-aged man Latino man, wearing glasses and a straw hat which clashed against the rest of his Team Skull uniform. "Alola young man. I take it you're Plumeria's Faller from yesterday?" Tom addressed Ian.

  "Yes sir," Ian said.

  Tom opened his binder and glanced at something quickly. "Got the order right here. A Heal Ball and two Poke Balls," Tom read off. "Three balls on your first day? That's very rare around here. I doubt we got any Heal Balls left, but I'll see what I can do."

  "Thank you sir," Ian replied.

  "Yeah, you're definitely new around here if you're speaking to me like that," Tom said with a laugh in his tone.

  At least there's someone normal in this wacky town. Tom took his keys out and opened the double doors. No Team Skull grunts followed him in. Tupp led Ian close to the service window where the other grunts waited, eyeing Ian up and down.

  "What's with the new guy, Tupp?" One of them asked.

  "Boss testing him, making him catch three Pokemon in two days or his ass..." Tupp did an 'eject' motion with his arm.

  "There's an annoying ass Yungoos on Surfrider," one grunt chimed in, pointing behind the warehouse. "And damn Rattatas everywhere."

  "Can't do anything easy," Ian added, noting how his dialect had already begun to change.

  "Shit, well... nice knowing you bro," the inquiring grunt said with a laugh.

  The service window opened and Tom poked his head out. "Ian and Tupp?"

  Ian followed Tupp to the counter and Tom slid a tray of three balls: a bright pink one and two standard red and white Poke Balls. "Had one Heal Ball left for you," Tom added.

  "Aw, newbie got a fucking pink one!" One of the grunts teased. "They already know you a pussy dude."

  Tupp glared at Ian and motioned his eyebrows, signaling him to do something. Ian took a quick breath before turning around. "You better hope I get kicked out, cuz I'd hate to see you get your ass kicked by a Pokemon trainer with a pink ball," Ian fired back.

  The antagonizing grunt cackled. "Talking tough before you even got a Pokemon. Grade-A pussy shit right there."

  "What's your name?" Ian demanded.

  "Blitz," the grunt said, stepping forward, puffing his chest out. "You better hope I'm feeling nice when you got your lame ass Pokemon," Blitz said. "If you even ever do."

  Ian rolled his eyes, struggling for a comeback when Tom's voice boomed. "Blitz you out here?"

  Ian and Tupp stepped aside from the counter, Ian holding his three Poke Balls like a kid on Christmas morning.

  "Here's an extra revive because Rook says your Pokemon keep getting knocked out too much," Tom added.

  Tupp cackled, taking Ian away from the service window. "We gotta work on some of your banter bro."

  "Yeah..." Ian said. "So where to first? Any Pokemon in that bank of trees outside of town?"

  "The berry grove?" Tupp asked. "Might be your only chance of finding something to eat til' lunch. Can't stay too long though, yo."

  "Why's that?" Ian asked, shrinking each ball and putting them in his jean pockets.

  "Guzma's Ariados hangs out in there," Tupp explained.

  "An Ariados?" Ian asked, remembering the red and black striped spider Pokemon. "Well, Ariados aren't that big, right?"

  Tupp shook his head. "It's an Alpha Ariados."

  "Oh..." Ian said, picturing the giant spider from the second Harry Potter movie, a shiver going down his spine, and not from his slightly damp clothes.

  Plumeria had just made it out of the house and upon making eye contact with Ian, pointed at him. "You got the balls?" Plumeria asked.

  "The two I had since they dropped, yeah," Ian joked, pointing at his groin.

  "What? I said three-" Plumeria's resting scowl drooped into anger. "Very funny, smartass."

  "What's the pussy ball for, Big Sis?" Tupp asked.

  "Pussy ball?" Plumeria asked with disdain.

  "The Heal Ball," Ian added.

  "Well, I figured you could catch the first Pokemon with that, the Heal Ball will heal it, and you can use that first Pokemon to battle the other two," Plumeria explained.

  "Oh... that's actually smart. Fuck..." Ian said.

  "He wants to hit the berry grove," Tupp stated.

  "Where Guzma's Ariados is?" Plumeria said skeptically. "You just got here and you're already trying to kill yourself?"

  Ian smiled sheepishly. "Not necessarily..."

  "It usually hangs out on one side of the creek, we can see where it is and look where it isn't" Plumeria said.

  "Hey, Big Sis-" The familiar voice of Hyde called out before pausing as he made eye contact with Ian. Hyde put a middle finger up and turned back to Plumeria. "No Ultra Storms on this side of the mountains?"

  "Doesn't look like it," Plumeria said. "Lines up perfectly to help out our Faller here."

  "Fuck that, I'll go fishing," Hyde said, turning around and marching off in anger.

  Plumeria shrugged. "Whatever makes you happy, Hyde."

  ***

  After Selene and Rapp wished him luck at the gate, Tupp and Plumeria led Ian outside of Po Town and along the wall to the berry grove. Getting a better look at the terrain surrounding Po Town, Ian noticed a creek being fed by a small waterfall running down the cliffs leading to what he assumed were the foothills of Mount Hokulani. That had the observatories on top of it, right? The creek ran through the grove trees Plumeria and Tupp were leading him to and ended as it went under the wall of Po Town. So that's where the canal comes from.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  As the trio got to the edge of the grove, Plumeria knelt down, prompting Ian and Tupp to do the same. "I'm gonna go find boss' Ariados," Plumeria said as she carefully went behind a bush in front of them.

  "Being out this early should be good," Tupp explained. "Most Pokemon are just waking up and looking around for food."

  "What's usually around here?" Ian asked, struggling to remember.

  "Lots of shit bro," Tupp said. "Nothing easy right? That leaves..." Tupp began counting on his fingers. "You got Spinaraks, Spearows, Ledyba, Scraggies, Crabrawler, Panchams..."

  "Ledyba will count?" Ian asked. I just need to catch three that qualify, I can release Ledyba later.

  "Nah it shouldn't, but Guzma likes Bugs so maybe," Tupp said with a shrug. "Also we get Rockruff's from the hills down here too."

  "Rockruff's nice," Ian said.

  "They hella dangerous to get out here though. Always some Lycanroc nearby. Dude who used to have your bunk?" Tupp said.

  "Yeah?"

  "He went out foraging a while back and didn't come back to Po Town. When we went looking for him, we followed his tracks, but then a bunch of Lycanroc tracks started following, and we assumed he's..." Tupp put a finger to his neck and pantomimed cutting it.

  "Oh... So no Rockruff then?"

  "Only if you can fight off the pack," Tupp said.

  "I see," Ian said.

  "But there's hella other shit out here, yo. Pokemon not from Alola run out of the Ultra Storms and end up sticking around," Tupp explained. "Just like you."

  Ian nodded.

  They waited in silence for a few minutes, keeping their eyes out for any potential pokemon, and other than a Pikipek that investigated them from atop a tree, none were to be had.

  "You knuckleheads still there?" Plumeria's voice asked from behind a bush.

  "Yeah," Tupp answered.

  "All clear, Ariados is on the other side of the creek for now," Plumeria explained. "Follow me, newbie."

  Ian crawled on all fours behind Plumeria with Tupp right behind him, thankful he had his jeans on as his legs continued going over various wood chips and organic debris. Once firmly in the middle of the grove, Tupp started looking up to the trees.

  "What are you looking for?" Ian whispered.

  "Some bait," Tupp said as he continued eyeing the higher up tree branches, then suddenly pointed to one twelve to fifteen feet above them. "There we are." Tupp looked around to make sure the coast was clear and took a Poke Ball out, releasing his Golbat. Ian recoiled, forgetting how large Golbats were, and how large the fangs hanging from its mouth were.

  Golbat wheezed with a raspy voice as it began flapping its wings, its eyes closing as if it was in pain. "Just need them unripe Leppa Berries out that tree, yo," Tupp ordered, pointing up. Golbat let out a shrill squeal that wasn't super loud, but still made the hairs on the back of Ian's neck stand up. Golbat flapped its way up to the tree, its wings lighting up with a light blue energy for a moment before doing a slicing motion, cutting off a small branch and letting it fall into Tupp's hand, who plucked a couple cherry sized fruits.

  "Shit ain't ripe so it ain't much. It will taste like crap, but it's something yo," Tupp said, presenting the fruits to Ian. Ian quickly took them and started chewing, recoiling at the bitter and sour flavors. He forced them to stay in his mouth and swallowed harshly, groaning when the experience was over, only for the disgusting residue to remain on his tongue. "Them's the only ones that won't fuck your stomach up when they ain't ripe."

  "I'll take what I can get right now," Ian grumbled.

  "That's the right attitude," Plumeria muttered, her gaze staying on the upper trees.

  Tupp squeezed the green, unripe berries in his hands and scurried over to the small clearing on the other side of their current large bush. "Now's the shit part, yo," Tupp whispered.

  "What?" Ian whispered.

  "Waiting," Plumeria grumbled.

  The three remained crouched uncomfortably for what felt like a good hour at least, eyeing little peepholes through the bush to see if they'd gotten anything with their meager bait. When Tupp began snoring, Plumeria punched him. "Wake up, idiot," she hissed. "Something's coming."

  Ian, careful not to snap a twig and alert his potential new partner, eyed through the peephole curiously. He heard the thing before seeing it, hearing a high-pitched, raspy chirp in cadence. Ian finally got a good look as it came around some brush, and he spotted a life form with a vibrant yellow color walking somewhat awkwardly into the clearing with a round yellow head and a red fin on the top. Identifying Pokemon was a bit difficult as they did look quite different looking far more lifelike than just being anime-style creatures, but Ian felt confident: this was a Scraggy.

  Would be really fitting if my first Pokemon with Team Skull was a Scraggy. They were always delinquents. Ian reached into his pocket with his right hand, using his left hand to steady his bent over position. Crap, I throw with my left and I can't use it... Right's worth a try though, right? Ian fumbled through his pocket, feeling the slight texture difference between the Poke Balls and the Heal Ball. He grabbed it and pressed the button, expanding it miraculously in his hand. He did his best to account for the bush obstacle in his way, then let the Heal Ball fly.

  The thrown ball had a high arc, and Ian crossed his fingers, praying it would hit home while Scraggy suspected nothing. He followed the ball's trajectory until the bush obscured his vision and heard an alarmed chirp. He got up in a panic and saw Scraggy running away, holding up its sagging skin as it did.

  "Damn it," Ian said.

  "How'd you fuck that throw up, bro?" Tupp demanded.

  "I'm left-handed, not right-handed," Ian admitted, lightly punching his forehead in frustration.

  "Well Big Sis, I definitely ain't the biggest idiot in Team Skull anymore," Tupp said, folding his arms in disapproval.

  "You could say that again," Plumeria said, eyeing Ian with only a slight hint of disdain.

  I should probably be thankful that Plumeria's stoic like this when I fuck up... "Won't happen again," Ian promised.

  "Hey, it ain't me who gets kicked out of town if you fail," Plumeria reminded him. Ian nodded and grunted before he got settled down in the crouching position again.

  Time passed at a snail's pace. Ian felt the sun warming up as the day got later, and he figured lunch would be soon, causing Plumeria and Tupp to want to go into town.

  "Fuck, Big Sis, any chance we can have Salazzle speed this up?" Tupp asked.

  Plumeria rolled her eyes. "Of course not."

  "What do you mean?" Ian asked.

  "Her Salazzle can use Sweet Scent," Tupp said.

  "Really?" Ian asked.

  Plumeria sighed. "Before you ask why I've been holding off, there's an Alpha Ariados-sized reason we're not using it."

  "Oh. I see," Ian said.

  "C'mon Bis Sis, it's almost lunchtime, we ain't sticking around long anyways," Tupp reasoned. "Just a lil' bit, see if something shows up, then bounce before Ariados crosses the creek."

  Plumeria grimaced and eyed Ian once more before speaking. "Real quick, okay?"

  Tupp pumped his fist. "Finally."

  The lightbulb went on in Ian's head and he felt the need to question it. "Why didn't we go further from the Alpha and do this from the start?"

  Tupp and Plumeria both glared at him intensely. "You said you wanted to try the grove," Plumeria reminded him. "Plus the Pokemon that do come here tend to be weak and you have an actual shot at catching them without weakening them too much."

  "Good point," Ian said, going silent once more.

  Plumeria got Salazzle's ball from her belt and released the large, black, lizard Pokemon. "Salazzle, use Sweet Scent but real light okay?" Plumeria said softly.

  Salazzle nodded, going still as it focused. Moments later, a pink gas began to lightly drift from its skin as a very potent but pleasant aroma hit Ian's nostrils. "That should be good," Plumeria said, eyeing the top of the trees once more for the grove's main resident. She quickly recalled Salazzle in a red beam of light and the trio crouched back down.

  The aroma did fade after a couple minutes, but Ian figured Pokemon had more sensitive noses. The familiar sound of a Yungoos call hit Ian's ears and he turned his head, seeing rustling in the bushes. The last thing I'm looking for.

  The wind began to pick up, and Plumeria eyed Ian expectantly. "We should leave soon."

  Ian grimaced. "Just another minute," he pleaded.

  Plumeria gave him a look, but relented. Ian tensed with determination, trying to will something, anything to show itself. The leaves began rustling more, Ian figuring it was just the wind.

  He heard the sound of a twig snapping on the ground, and Ian dared to peek through the bush, seeing something pink. A Fairy Type? Not ideal but it could work, I got a fitting ball for it. He made sure his left hand was free, and reached for the Heal Ball. He raised his head slowly, getting a better look at things and was surprised to see he recognized the Pokemon coming to the berries: a Deerling in its spring form, pink fur with a cream colored face and underbelly.

  Ian readied the Heal Ball as Deerling lowered its head to eat the un-ripe berries, and he almost threw but something caught his eye from above them in the trees: glowing red eyes. Ian gaped, paralyzed with fear as he saw the size of the Alpha Ariados in the canopy above. It was even bigger than he'd pictured, a massive torso with meter-long legs sprouting from the center. It shot a String Shot of webbing at Deerling, who yelped and jumped to flee, but Ariados' webbing had it stuck already. Ariados' rope of String Shot began to reel Deerling in further.

  "We need to go," Plumeria said in a panic, pulling Ian's arm. Ian's trance ended as his brain started working again. He watched as Deerling yelped desperately in fright as Ariados drew its prey in closer with every moment. Spiders suck their prey's blood out while they're still alive, right? Ian gritted his teeth and launched the Heal Ball at Ariados' helpless victim. The pink ball hit Deerling on its head, stunning it for a second before the ball opened and absorbed Deerling in a flash of red energy. Ariados yelped with frustration, recoiling.

  The Heal Ball fell to the ground, shaking one, twice, and then stopping. Excitement coursed through his adrenaline-pumping veins, and his mind moved a mile a minute. Ian's world centered on the bright pink Poke Ball, and before he realized it, he was dashing around the bush and mid-stride bent over to take the occupied Heal Ball in his hand. He turned his head, a smile on his face when-

  A deafeningly loud sound hit his ears and his face hit the dirt, ears ringing from the incredibly loud, high-pitched cry. The Heal Ball was next to him on the ground, and the world seemed to be in slow motion for a few seconds. His own thoughts seemed so far away, and then his ears stopped ringing so much and he heard the frantic voices of Plumeria and Tupp. Ian turned, noticing his vision seemed to be moving, and he was being pulled up by some force in the middle of his back. He turned to see what and realized a rope of the Alpha Ariados' String Shot was stuck on his back, reeling him up to-

  Ian shouted in terror, realizing the fate he'd saved Deerling from was now befalling him. The pincers and stingers on Ariados' face, along with the fierce red eyes paralyzed Ian with fear. No, no way, this can't be fucking happening-

  "Golbat, Air Cutter!" Tupp's voice shouted through the cacophony of thoughts in Ian's mind. A light blue light cut across his peripherals, and suddenly he felt the pressure in his back stop abruptly. His body fell to the dirt, next to the Heal Ball.

  "RUN YOU STUPID FUCKER!" Plumeria screamed desperately.

  Ian scrambled, grabbing the ball and stumbling, but he got to his feet and sprinted like hell, almost knocking into a tree before veering off course and falling into some bushes, heart thumping wildly. Oh. My. Fucking. GOD!

  Ian struggled to get up from the brush, but did so, seeing a pair of Spinaraks descending from the trees by their String Shot. Ian saw Ariados was dozens of feet away and he turned away, sprinting some more until he was out of the grove. The sprint turned into a jog as he made it to the grassy terrain, continuing along the edge until he saw Plumeria, Tupp, and his Golbat.

  "Holy shit bro, you are NUTS!" Tupp exclaimed.

  Plumeria had her arms folded, a true scowl on her face. He realized he hadn't seen her truly angry until now. "Don't you ever do that again you dumbass!" Plumeria barked.

  Ian nodded. "Yeah, I don't know what came over me there."

  "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Plumeria demanded, her eyes probing him for any reaction.

  Ian turned to Tupp, and a shit-eating grin crossed Ian's face as he held Deerlings ball up to Plumeria. "Worth it."