Pokémon Journey

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Heya, it’s been a while, but there was a round of Catnip in which we were supposed to enter stories we didn’t write personally but felt needed a bit more love and attention, and your story wound up falling into my docket. Not that I’m complaining, since I’ve had quite a bit of fun with this series the previous times I’ve read it.

Though last I remembered, Marcus was having some Super Happy Ultra Fun Times staggering into Celadon City after almost getting beaten to death by a giant beetle, so let’s see how he’s doing right now:

Chapter 11

Spoiler: Line-by-Line

Every pokemon is different. But one common approach? They like food. — Safari Zone Warden Baoba​

Oh, so that’s how Marcus is going to tame his murderbeetle. Though I suppose given that he’s seen it already work on Pride, that it makes sense to not fix what ain’t broke.

I scowled at the shelves of merchandise, my eyes falling on the item I was here to buy. It had taken me three floors of useless guided shopping to reach this point. I may have been in a good mood at one point, but shopping never was my thing. Especially when one of my arms was trapped in a sling.

Marcus: “So yeah, this Gym Challenge’s been going great in case you couldn’t tell.” >_>;

I pointed at the lumpy and misshapen stone that seemed to glow faintly red. "The fire stone," I said. "Along with the medical and training supplies that I picked out earlier and the larger travel pack that you sold me on. Pack in a full set of all-weather training clothes as well, a pair of new boots too. I've worn through my jeans and my coat could use replacement with one of the super-durable softshells that you showed me."

Uh…



You sure about that one there, Marcus? Since it’s definitely not going to get any easier to teach Luna moves once you pop that thing.

"Absolutely, mister Wright! Is there anything else I can assist you with?" The store clerk was nothing but helpful. He'd droned on for hours about the many different products that I had no use for. I think he had caught my annoyance at some point on floor two and mercifully cut out the beauty products on three. "As well, our TM selection is unrivalled in Kanto and…"

Marcus: “... Are they those reusable ones by any chance-?”
Clerk:

“I would encourage you to look into importing some from our Unovan branch. Oh, and bring a lot of money since they aren’t cheap.”

My uninterested glare cut his sentence short. "I think the bill would be fine, sir. You've been incredibly helpful."

He nodded and handed me the itemized bill he had been writing. "Not a problem, mister Wright. Your items will be waiting for you at the checkout down on One."

Marcus: “Dammit, I should’ve just done my shopping on that river-named website instead. Since boy did two hours of attempted upselling get old fast.” >_>;

I nodded in thanks as he left and pocketed the bill. I fumbled with my pocket as my ringtone started blaring. I flipped open my pokegear as he walked away and sighed at the incoming call. "Morning, Gemma."

"So, how was the trip?" she asked, hardly missing a beat. "Heard you caught a heracross."

Marcus: “Wait, how on earth do you know-?” .-.
Gemma: “I’ve been stakling following your challenge’s progress, remember?”

"Also made it into Celadon with an entire day to spare. I don't have to fight Erika until tomorrow night, so I think the team will be ready to go."

"Even Pride?"

Marcus: “Yeah, yeah, thanks for reminding me that I’m functionally down one party member out of the gate. I really needed that.” >_>;

I nodded absently. "Yeah, nurses gave me the go ahead to use him for the battle. He might still be a little bruised, but his ribs will be healed by the morning." I paused for a moment. "How'd you know I caught a heracross?"

I heard her chuckle. "I did tell you I was bored. I got daddy to give me access to our sponsored trainer program and figured I'd try my hand at being your handler."

So she has been stalking him. My money is on telemetry through his Pokégear / the Pokéballs under his trainer ID.

"Was I supposed to have one of those?" I asked.

My entire tenure with Silph had been incredibly informal. I'd met with a man at the pokemon centre in Vermillion. He had me sign a temporary league contract and given me an expense card. That had been the entirety of my interaction with Silph outside of Gemma.

"Technically, everyone has one. You were assigned to Lionel Bonne, but I doubt he ever reached out to you outside of an email."

And there’s a non-zero chance that he might have died in the motel shootout like 5 chapters ago.

"I have about four hundred unread emails the last I checked." I replied in a droll tone.

"Explains things," she replied. "He's a bit lazy, hands off for the most part. Now you have me!"

"Great," I replied with a sarcastic grin. "So what do I get?"

"Since you're my only charge at the moment, you'll have my full attention. I'll work with you every step of the way, at least until I can get out of this prison and join you."

"I think I would like that. It hasn't been the same without you."

Careful what you wish for there, Marcus…

My phone beeped and I pulled the gear away from my face. Aya had answered.

Glad you made it safe! Frank called me in for a double tonight, so I won't be off until late. Call me if you're still up?

I tapped out a quick response as I stepped onto the escalator. I answered quickly but not quickly enough to escape notice.

"That your booty call?" Gemma asked, positively giddy by the idea. "I bet it's some nice saucy pictures."

Marcus: “Look, it’s just a platonic relationship for now, okay? We met over some drinks.” >///<

I inhaled quickly, suddenly uncomfortable at the thought of that. "Don't wanna keep telling you it ain't like that. We just talked. She took me to the beach that I was defending during the tenta-swarm attack and let me vent about some shit."

She laughed and I could hear the smile in her voice. "It's just fun to tease you, novice. I do remember being your age, you know."

Wait, wait, wait. How old is Gemma in that case? Since originally I thought that she basically was Marcus’ age.

I smirked as I stepped off the escalator onto One. "So what can I expect from my inexperienced new handler?"

Gemma cleared her throat and I heard her put on some professional speaking voice. "You get my support for every step of your league journey. Looking for a particular evolution method? I can look into Pride's evolution, same with Curie."

Okay, so are Moon Stones something that’s still in the process of being discovered at this point in time? Since you’d think that given that there’s an internet in this setting, that this is literally just a search engine query away or else a hop, skip and a jump away lurking the forums on Smogon Dogars Daigakko to find out ‘oh yeah, you need a Moon Stone’.

I stopped dead in my tracks. My heart skipped a beat and I forgot how to breathe. I'd had Gemma at an arms length for so long. It had been easy enough to lie during our once a week conversation, but this was different. I could never keep this up if we were going to talk every day.

"Look," I started. I had to be careful with my words. I knew who was listening. "I lost Curie. Almost a month ago, before I even caught Acolyte." I heard her gasp and knew she had bought it. "Pride spooked a rhyhorn herd. I couldn't return her in time, and…" My voice trailed off and I cleared my throat as if I was choking up. "I don't really want to talk about it," I continued. "Please just don't bring her up if you can help it."

Marcus, now you’re going to have to commit to this story, whereas if you at least pretended that Curie is in physical therapy or something, it’d justify the increasingly unhinged things you’re going to have to do on behalf of the Rockets in this story.

[ ]

"I understand," Gemma replied. "Lilith was my second loss. They never get easier. I still feel for her ball on my belt almost every day." She paused for a long moment and both of us were silent. "I'm sorry, Marcus."

I kinda wonder if there should’ve been a mention of Gemma’s reaction before she speaks up here. Though that makes me wonder what the story of Gemma’s first Pokémon loss as a trainer was.

I silently breathed a sigh of relief. She had bought it. "Thank you," I said in a somber voice. I stepped into line at the checkout. "I'll call you in the morning, alright? Once I have most of the team back for training."

I think that you should rephrase the underlined, since you used an almost identical phrase just a couple paragraphs ago.

"Most?" She asked.

"Pride needs as much time as possible in the healing machines."

I have to wonder what the psychological effects of getting chewed up and then sped-healed just in time for the next battle are on trained Pokémon in this setting. Or if the average Pokémon in Journeyverse is just sufficiently murderhobo-ey at baseline that it doesn’t really move the needle all that much.

"Alright," she answered. "I'll send you some video to go over as well. Erika shouldn't be too difficult now that you have a heracross."

[ ]

"Hold up," I interrupted. "I haven't even let the thing out of its ball yet. There's no way I can get it to listen to me in a single day."

A section here where I think it might have been worth getting into Marcus’ head a bit more than what you currently do.

"It doesn't have to listen intently. Just enough to follow basic orders and fight. I'll do some research and send over anything useful."

Marcus: “Gemma, that thing tried to kill me before I caught it!”

Gemma: “I mean, so did Pride, but that worked out fine for you, didn’t it?”

I nodded as the line moved up and the cashier waved me over. "Alright Gemma, I gotta get going."

Talk to you later," she said. The line went dead as I fumbled with the gear and dropped it into my pocket. [ ]

"Alright there, sir?" the cashier asked.

"Fine," I replied, thoroughly done with shopping for a long while. "Just tired. It was a tough trip to get here."

I kinda wonder if there should’ve been a bit more of a narrative reminder that Marcus is walking up the cashier’s surroundings before he gets snapped to attention, since something about this feels quite sudden at the moment.

Also, two words, Marcus: online shopping.

He smiled. "Well, you get your rest today. Everyone is excited for your battle tomorrow!"

I raised an eyebrow, trying to keep a neutral expression. "You know who I am?" I asked as he swiped my Silph expense card.

He nodded. "How could I not? You're big news! Kanto hasn't had 3 new challengers in a season like this in decades. You and those two kids are hot shit right now."

I’m guessing that that’s Red and Blue there? Though is that number really right? Since according to that one statistic for dropouts, half of challengers make it past Gym 3. Doesn’t that imply that there’s only been 6 new entrants total this year for the entire Kanto side of the Indigo League if Red, Blue, and Marcus aren’t literally the only entrants? One would think that there’s more headstrong and money-tight teens and young adults than that considering those kiddos that Marcus walked in on on his way into Vermillion?

I nodded respectfully. "Well, I'll try to put on a good show."

He handed me my receipt and passed back my card. "I'm sure you will, mister Wright." He gestured to a row of bags behind me. "Your purchases are ready for you."

I glanced down at my ragged, filthy outfit. My boots were caked in mud and dirt, my jeans more brown than blue. I looked back at the cashier with a grin. "Do you have a changing room I could use?"

I’m surprised that he didn’t take time to clean himself up all this time given that he stopped to get that busted arm of his checked out. Though just how many dirty and chewed-up trainers stumble through the door of Celadon’s department store anyways given the lack of reaction from the employees to Marcus’ disheveled state? ^^;

Celadon was the second largest city in Kanto, behind only Saffron City. Vermillion was third, but it had maybe a quarter the population of Celadon. I had been utterly lost in Vermillion. Celadon had me baffled. It seemed as if the entire city had been designed by a smeargle that had ingested some messed up hallucinogens.

That actually makes me wonder how he’s going to feel about Saffron when he gets there since it’s even bigger than Celadon.

It was claustrophobic in a different way than the forest had been. I felt eyes on me the entire time, jumped at every backfiring vehicle, bumped into passersby without noticing. I knew to expect pickpockets so I kept everything in my inside pockets and fastened the small lock on my new pack.

Small typo there. Though should I be imagining this more as Shibuya and Setagaya or as Dundas Square?

I'd found the gym after almost an hour lost in Celadon's horticultural quarter. I originally wanted to introduce myself to Erika, but the gym leader wasn't in so I wound up just exploring the area around the gym.

The gardens that dotted the horticultural quarter were well worth the trip. Exotic plants sat in dozens of connected greenhouses and foreign grass types looked at me from a few of them. I couldn't place some of them and realized that I didn't know much about grass types.

Huh. Wouldn’t have expected that from a city that was super dense. I wonder how vertical those greenhouses are, or if this is basically the ‘industrial park’ portion of the city.

I had intended to make my way back to the pokemon centre I was staying at, but found myself hopelessly lost once I left the gardens.

The city was a haphazard mess outside of the horticultural quarter. Roads were run-down and crumbling, houses were condemned shells. I even caught the howl of wild growlithe or houndour once or twice when the roar of the city died down for a moment.

Do I want to know what the absolute state of Kanto’s economy is if the second largest city has entire districts that are basically given over to feral Pokémon at the moment? And this is inside of its city walls, too.

Lines of people waited outside warehouses, dark clothed people handing out bags of food to the people. I caught a few suspicious stares from some of the people in line and hurried along before I could get myself in trouble.

Ah yes, Rockets. I can already see how they’re getting a steady stream of grunts, not that like the setting is exactly making it hard for them to win hearts and minds right now.

I rounded a corner, looking for one of the map booths that were dotted around the city. Not one of them was visible, instead more shady looking warehouses lined the lonely street. I had passed through several neighbourhoods of dilapidated houses and seen far too many people watching from the shadows.

Small typo here where your “were” should be “was” since it’s referring to “one”.

A single man stood under a streetlight, intently watching me. His eyes didn't move away from me and I felt a chill run down my spine. I got the sense that this man's eyes were not the only ones trained on me.

I turned and kept walking. I didn't like the steely look in his eyes and didn't want to tangle with anyone without my pokemon. I felt alone without them, exposed like I was in danger with every step.

Aaaaand you’re not sending out at least one of them to accompany you right now why? Since just saying, I’d think that Acolyte would be able to give a mean death glare and menacing vibe with that club of his.

The next street had a few crappy motels and a small diner nestled among the warehouses. I figured asking directions wouldn't hurt and walked over to the diner. The smell of freshly cooking eggs wafted under my nose as I opened the door.

"Hi there!" shouted the server behind the counter. "Sit anywhere, I'll be with you in just a moment!"

Uh… yeah, I’m pretty sure that you should’ve just eaten back at the Department Store, Marcus. Since how good can a diner be in a neighborhood like this? ^^;

I took a seat at one of the empty tables as she pulled a plate of eggs and bacon off the counter and dropped it with the only other patron of the diner.

She pulled out a pad of paper and smiled at me. "What can I get you?"

"The biggest, greasiest burger you have," I replied. "And some directions, if you'd be so kind."

Priorities™! Even though I’m surprised that there’s not a decent map app for him to work with, though I’m just going to chalk that up to Schizo Tech and Marcus’ Pokégear being a relic straight outta the 90s by our standards.

The server nodded. "Any bacon and cheese with that?" She glanced at me and smirked at my questioning look. "I'll take that as a yes." She tore the paper off her pad and looked down at me. "Where you headed?"

"Closest pokemon centre to the east gates," I replied. "Went for a walk to see the gym and got myself lost on the way back."

"Good news is, you're close. The east gates are just a few blocks away from here. You'll be heading right past the Game Corner on your way." She scrawled a quick map out on the next paper on her pad. "That should get you there," she said. She turned and dropped my order on the kitchen counter.

Oh yeah, that’s totally going to end well, since I remember what that place had underneath it in the Kanto games…

I ordered a drink when my food came. My burger was as large and greasy as I had been expecting and my stomach did a happy somersault at the smell of it. The plate had been stacked high with fries and I got the sense that I had been the first customer in a while.

Oh trust me, Marcus, you’re going to be significantly less happy when that greasy slop hits your intestines in a few hours.

I tipped her well, adding one hundred percent of my bill as the tip. It wasn't much to Silph, but these people were struggling. It would mean the world to them. I left with a happy spring in my step and a full stomach.

Small typo there.

True to the server’s word, the Celadon Game Corner was just a few blocks away. It was huge, covered with glittering lights and flashing dollar signs like an oversized tribute to opulence. I couldn't shake the contrast with the rest of Celadon's run down tenements and dilapidated houses.

You have a couple missing words in this section, IMO. I think that you were intending something like the suggestion here.

It was impossible to ignore. The gaudy lights only served to draw me in further, just like the trio of girls at the door begging me to come in for a game. I shook my head and offered a weak smile. Like it or not, I had no cash of my own to gamble.

I take it that the Game Corner in this continuity does more than just Pachislo for games.

Then I saw her. Her hair was different and she was in a stunning sheer dress, but I couldn't mistake her charming smile for anyone else. She stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes raked over me. I saw her eyes widen and realized that she hadn't been expecting me.

The man walking with her stopped and followed her gaze. His eyes were cold and I suppressed a shiver down my spine as he looked me over.

"Marcus," Domino started as she approached me. She glanced nervously at the man as if she wasn't entirely sure what she should do. "Enjoying Celadon?" She asked hesitantly.

Marcus: “Um… not that I’m complaining about you ditching the psycho with the LMG, minigun, but who is this, exactly?” o_o;

I crossed my arms, hoping that I could be left alone. "I was just on my way to the pokemon centre."

"That was not the question," remarked the man. He looked at Domino and raised an eyebrow. "This is the one?"

"Yes, Archer. This is the Silph trainer."

Ooooooh boy, Marcus is definitely in for it now since he’s bumped into an out-and-out Admin. Though I suppose I should’ve seen this coming from Archer’s outro appearance a couple chapters back.

I glanced over at Domino, her show of deference scaring me. She hadn't backed down from Vicious, so this man was clearly a superior of some kind. I turned towards him, the gears in my head starting to turn as I realized I was in mortal danger.

Marcus:

He looked at me, his eyes seeming to analyze me with cold precision. A wry smile crossed his face and I fought the instincts to run. "Join me for dinner, if you would be so kind. I have a business proposition for you and this establishment has the best restaurant in Celadon."

Marcus: “That’s… uh… very kind of you, but I literally just ate like an hour ago-” ^^;
Archer: “Make room for it, and don’t keep me waiting.”

I shook my head. "I'm out," I started. "Not interested in any more business with your organization." I turned to leave, but he stopped me with a gentle hand on my chest.

"I'm afraid that I wasn't really asking." He nodded at Domino without taking his eyes off me. "Mister Wright will be joining me in my private booth for dinner." He finally turned to look at Domino and I breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Domino, would you be so kind as to inform the boss that our meeting will have to be delayed?"

Yeah, I figured that Archer wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer there.

She bowed her head. "Yes, Archer."

He turned away from her and put a hand on my shoulder. He spun me around and steered me through the doors of the Game Corner. I tried to follow Domino with my eyes, but we rounded a corner and left her behind.

I didn't say a word as the man led me through the restaurant portion of the Game Corner. We passed dozens of tables, walking past posh patrons wearing outfits that likely cost more than the farm I grew up on.

Marcus: “You all have this for a place that’s a glorified collection of slot machines?” .-.
Archer: “Clearly you have some mistaken presumptions about our establishment. Though don’t be so nervous, Mr. Wright. Sit down and have a drink. We’ll get right to business soon enough.”

Archer arrived at a booth that was tucked away in the back corner of the restaurant. A waitress was waiting with a bottle of chilled wine in her hands. The server behind my chair pulled it out, ushering me into the seat and setting utensils in front of me.

Archer took the wine, admiring it with a keen eye. "An excellent choice, Nadia. However, Domino will not be joining me tonight." He handed the bottle back. "If you would be so kind, some of the Unovan whiskey. The oldest bottle we have." He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "Unless there are any objections?"

Surprised that Archer didn’t go for a domestic brand, since there’s certainly no shortage of options in IRL Japan to choose from.

I realized he was testing me. "I don't drink," I replied.

A knowing smile spread across his face. "Well, what an auspicious occasion for your first! You just have to try our Unovan whiskey. I do believe we have some of the oldest bottles still in existence. Nothing quite compares to proper Unovan liquor after a century or two. A shame they drank most of it." He smirked. "They may be bloodthirsty savages, but those unovans can make a fantastic whiskey."

I’ll admit, getting smashed on something that’s probably named something along the lines of “Drunken Dragon” would probably be pretty lit as an experience. Though that makes me wonder if the events of The Champions are happening at the time of this exchange or not since… yeah, that dig about Unovans would suddenly take on some whole other undertones otherwise.

I watched him carefully, remaining silent as the server returned with a pair of glasses and a well-worn bottle.

"Thank you, Nadia. Please bring two of my usual order when you get a chance." Archer turned to look at me, as if he was expecting some kind of resistance.

"I'm not hungry," I said. I saw the sly smirk spread across Archer's face and knew that was what he wanted.

Archer: “Mr. Wright, clearly there is a lot of things that you don’t quite know you want at the moment. Don’t worry, I’m sure I can give you appropriate motivation.”

Marcus: “That’s what I’m worried about right now.”

He sat himself in his chair and slowly pulled it into the table. "Nevertheless, you are my guest." He turned his head. "Nadia, bring a few takeout containers with my guest's meal. He can enjoy my hospitality in the comfort of his own space." He looked back at me as the server walked away. "It really is the best restaurant in the city."

[ ]

"What's your game?" I asked. Something strange was up, and this man was the closest I had come to answers. Even if he was toying with me, he might be able to give me some information. "Who are you?"

I feel like the underlined works better being pulled forward before Marcus’ line and expanded a little bit.

"Forgive me for the rushed introduction outside," he began. He lifted the bottle of whiskey and casually uncorked it with his free hand. "My name is Archer, I represent the same organization that our dear friend Domino works for."

[ ]
"That's not your real name," I retorted. "You know mine, why shouldn't I know yours?"

He smirked. "Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to hand out that information. You understand of course, my alias is to protect my family." He lifted the first of the two glasses and poured a generous amount. "Now, as for what I am after?" He poured a second glass of whiskey and pushed the first towards me. "That would be you, Marcus."

I think that the underlined would’ve been worth slotting in some internal commentary from Marcus’ part in the narration. Also, I’m pretty sure that this is a sign that you should be a lot more worried about your parents’ well-being right now, Marcus.

I raised an eyebrow as I pulled the drink towards me hesitantly. "You have me," I started. "You have a hostage over my head and have threatened people close to me. What more could you need?"

Archer sighed and sat back in his chair. "I believe an explanation is in order." He raised his glass. "For getting the full picture."

Marcus: “And you expect me to believe a word coming out of your mouth from all of this why?”

Archer: “Because I expect that what I have to tell you will be quite motivating, of course.”

I raised my glass, mirroring him but not saying a word. He tipped his glass back and I did the same, savouring the bitter amber liquor.

Archer set down his glass as I set down mine. His was empty. "Have you noticed anything about this city? About any of Kanto's cities?"

I mean, I can’t speak for Vermillion, but this one was doing its best impression of contemporary Detroit in a good swath of its eastern sections, so…

I thought for a long moment. I looked up at Archer's analytic gaze. "They're overcrowded. Too many people, not enough space. Not enough work either. People can't feed themselves and they're scared." My gaze hardened. "I lived outside the walls, on a farm. I know how dangerous it is out there. I know the cost. I know that settling the frontier is not worth the blood it would take."

Wait, but if it’s an overcrowded environment, wouldn’t there not be a ton of condemned shells everywhere by virtue of there being demand to just bulldoze them and plop on some dystopian shipping container homes if people aren’t just going to move straight in and squat in the burned-out husks due to not having options?

He nodded and I saw some measure of approval in his eyes. "You are smarter than I have been led to believe." He lifted the bottle and poured himself another glass. "Our civilization is crumbling under its own weight. We dare not leave our strongholds, even while they fall to ruin around us. We fear the death that waits us outside the walls." He looked back at me and smiled knowingly. "You see what is happening, no? We must act, or our species will face extinction." He shrugged. "So we do," he said. "We feed those who cannot feed themselves, protect humanity from monsters that the Rangers could not fathom."

I mean, I’ll admit, with the absolute state of the average wildmon encounter in this setting, suddenly Team Rocket’s “Controlling Pokémon For Good™” shtick sounds a lot more tempting.

I took another drink. He was trying to appeal to the humanity in me, something that I thought was ironic. I just couldn't figure out exactly what he was getting at. "So, you mentioned a business proposition. I'm listening."

You have a missing space in this section here.

He smirked. "Right to business? I thought we might enjoy a meal first." He glanced back, his smile genuine. "And here it is."

Nadia appeared over his shoulder with a pair of plates. Both were piled high with steaming vegetables and a large tauros steak. She placed one gently in front of Archer and glared daggers at me. She pushed my plate towards me and dropped an armful of takeout containers on the table beside it.

Boy, now you’re making me hungry just reading this.

"That will be all, Nadia." He pulled out a bill and held it out for her. "You have been excellent tonight, my dear."

She disappeared with her tip, leaving us alone again.

Archer stared at me with a calculating glare. His smile died and I saw that he was testing me again. "Eat. This is the best restaurant in Celadon," he said. "It's rude to refuse hospitality."

Uhhh… yeah, you should really read the room right now, Marcus. Like I get that you’re probably not going to stuff much more into your face after that burger, but still.

"I told you I wasn't hungry," I retorted. I tipped back the rest of my drink and slammed my glass down. I was scared to shit, but I wasn't gonna let him intimidate me. "Thank you for the meal, I'll take it to go. Now, what was your business proposition?"

Um… are you sure you want to find out what that ‘business proposition’ is so quickly? Really, after all of this, I’m surprised you haven’t been considering just going to ground more.

He scowled at me, eying his plate. "I would have preferred this to be a relaxed conversation, but no matter. Team Rocket recognizes your talent."

"Team Rocket?" I asked incredulously. "Stupid name. I guess that's what the R stands for?"

Archer sighed and I sensed some frustration in his voice. "I was not the one responsible for naming the organization. Nonetheless, we see that you are talented, skilled, and highly principled."

Marcus: “Aaaaand you give a crap about this as a regional mafia why?” >_>;
Archer: “Because we want those strengths of yours helping our organization, obviously.”

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"It means that we trust you to do the right thing. To do what's best for everyone. You're a good person." He smiled softly. "You may not agree with some of our less honourable methods, but please understand that our organization is essentially good. We only want what's best for humanity."

Yeah, okay buddy. I’ve seen what your boss gets up to when he’s sufficiently bored and the local 10-year olds don't smash up his toys thoroughly enough.

I raised an eyebrow and had to stop myself from storming out. "So, my happiny was pokenapped and threatened because of good intentions?" I paused as righteous anger started flowing. "And a cubone colony was captured to be sold to the highest bidders because of good intentions?"

Archer:

“We intended to put said colony to our own uses internally. I’m sure you’ve seen the companion Pokémon our associates are paired with-”
Marcus: “That doesn’t make things any better!” >:(

He sighed. "I did say that our methods were less than honourable at times." He shrugged. "We are the only ones doing what is necessary. The league sits complacent, watching us die while they do nothing!" He crossed his arms and looked at me down his nose. "Team Rocket will save the world, with or without the League's help. We would prefer to have you work with us willingly, but-"

"Like Domino?" I spat. "Or that masked asshole? No, I'm not a part of your goddamn criminal syndicate. You aren't saving the world any more than you are serving your own interests. I want out. I want no part of this."

Archer: “... Well then, I suppose it’s about time that I started elaborating on what the consequences of you turning down our kind offer would be, now isn’t it?”

He raised a hand. "I would suggest you think this through. Do what's best for your own interests."

TL/DR: They’re going to make you an offer you can’t refuse, Marcus. Archer is just polite about it.

I closed my mouth and glared daggers at him. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of bending me to Team Rocket's cause. I was better than that. I was better than them.

My guy, they’ve already bent you to their cause by virtue of getting you to go and battle gyms on a schedule they set. You really think they’re not going to wind up asking for more on top of that?

He lowered his hand and I felt his eyes studying me again. "You will be working with us either way, Marcus Wright. I would prefer that you work willingly. You would be well compensated for your time." A shrewd grin tugged at the edges of his mouth. "Perhaps financial support for your family would help you come to a decision? I do believe the bank has been in the process of foreclosing on your old family farm…"

Or, you know, your family not getting the ‘plomo’ part of ‘plata or plomo’ given that this not-so-subtly implies that they know where they are and how to get to them.

I don't think my brow could have furrowed any further. He was straight up trying to bribe me. I didn't know if the bank foreclosure was true, but I sensed the threat underneath his offer of assistance. "How would you know that?"

He smirked again and I felt the malevolence behind it. Gone was the polite, courteous gentleman. This was the real Archer and he terrified me.

"We have eyes in Silph. What makes you think that a family farm is so safe and secure?" He leaned forward and smiled as the shadows crept over his face. He lifted the bottle of whiskey and filled my glass nearly up to the brim. "We have eyes everywhere. We can reach anywhere. It would be smart to stay on our right side."

IMO, the last paragraph works a bit better as two separate ones with one focusing on Marcus’ reaction, and the other on Archer’s dialogue.

My eyes didn't leave his. I didn't show him anything. I slowly reached down for the takeout container and picked up the first one. "I'll be taking my meal to go," I said calmly. I slowly began transferring the meal into the containers

He leaned back, his face an emotionless mask. "I see," he replied. "Best of luck with Erika then." He looked down at my take out containers and smirked slightly. "I do hope you enjoy the meal. This really is the best place in the city."

Uh… considering what the title of this arc is, I’ll heavily take the under on that remaining true within 5 chapters.

I saw his eyes soften and couldn't help but believe that he was really being truthful about the food. I got to my feet and pounded back the drink he had poured me. "Thank you for the meal," I said plainly.

He didn't say anything. I turned and left, not daring to look back. I didn't look back until I arrived safely at the pokemon centre. I collapsed against the door and breathed a deep sigh of relief as I locked it.

Luna: “*Oh yeah, that’s really going to stop them when they’ve broken into your hotel rooms multiple times in the past.*”

Marcus: “Luna, can you just let me have my psychological comfort right now?” >_>;

I picked up my pokemon some time after I woke for breakfast. One of the training fields was open, so I booked it for the morning. I headed outside before the sun managed to break through the thick morning clouds.

I let Pride and Acolyte out first. Both of them ran the length of the field in an impromptu race, one that Pride won by a healthy margin. I smirked at the sight of Pride's happy trot and knew his ribs had properly healed.

Acolyte: “*... I call hax.*” >_>;
Pride: “*No, no, this is the way that things should be right now.*”

Luna was next, materializing at my side with a lazy yawn. I scratched her affectionately behind her ears and smiled as she leaned into it.

"Gather round," I ordered.

Oh, so Marcus is just going to pop that Fire Stone right here and now… unless this is to get that killer beetle of his into line.

Pride and Acolyte lazily trotted back to my side. They took their places on either side of Luna as I pulled out the container of honey I'd bought the day before.

Okay, scratch that comment about the Fire Stone there.

"We have a gym challenge later today," I said plainly. "Now, I know we haven't done much training for it, but I think we can pull out a win. It'll be a tough battle, but Surge was probably tougher." I lifted the heracross' ball, knowing I was going to draw a reaction. "And he's gonna help us."

Team Marcus:

Marcus: “Because I’d like to suddenly get a text informing me that Curie is an ex-Happiny, okay? And look, we didn’t go through all of that trouble to catch him just to bury him in a PC Box.” >_>;

Luna sniffed cautiously at the ball. Her lips curled back as she bared her teeth and growled at my newest capture.

"I know he tried to kill us, but we don't really have any better options." I opened the jar of honey and smiled innocently at my starter. "And besides, I read that heracross go crazy over honey. Makes them compliant. Maybe we'll even get lucky and he'll be a softy, just like Pride."

If there was a chance, I’m pretty sure that it’s gone now by virtue of you jinxing yourself, Marcus.

Her teeth were still bared, but she didn't continue growling. I set the auto-return function on the heracross' ball just in case it decided to run.

I think you should be more concerned about the case where Heracross decides to try and use you as a human piñata over being crabby about that last battle, Marcus.

I raised the ball and tapped the release button. A spear of red light erupted from the tiny ball, coalescing into a five foot tall bug. I got a clear look at him for the first time and gasped.

He had a hard shell of matte blue-green chitin covering his body. His horn stretched another half a foot above my head and I realized that he was larger than I had originally thought.

Marcus: “... Okay, in retrospect, I probably should’ve given Luna that Fire Stone before letting him out. Since hoo boy do I suddenly feel small and vulnerable right now.”

The plates on his back shifted and a pair of powerful wings flitted out experimentally. I watched the bug gingerly test his wings as if he was expecting them to still be damaged from his battle with us.

Then he saw me. His tongue flitted out, tasting at the air. His eyes darted around his surroundings, jumping from Pride, to Luna, then Acolyte and back again. His wings buzzed slowly and I sensed that I had little time before he attempted to take off.

I mean, at least he’s not attempting to spear you out of rage/spite, so… progress? ^^;

I lifted the container of honey and smiled as best I could. "Good morning!" I offered the honey out and the heracross flitted his tongue out hungrily. "I'm Marcus, and you've already met my team.

Luna growled at her introduction and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. She really did think she was a houndoom sometimes.

inb4 she unironically has Houndoom parentage in her somewhere up the family tree.

"Pay her no mind," I continued. "She's just protective of me. I know that you'd never do something to hurt me!"

10 words spoken seconds from disaster.

I had read long ago that pokemon understand tone and body language innately. I was willing to bet that the heracross had no clue what I was actually saying. However, I knew I had his attention and that was the first step.

I mean, not that I’m really expecting it to turn out that Heracross here sounds like “Hera, Heracross” when engaging the “how these characters actually sound like”, but having a language that encodes based on enunciation is something that would more or less be a necessity from only being able to say three phonemes consistently.

The second step, was food.

And there’s our universal language.

"You can have some of this honey," I said. "I read that your kind really love honey and I thought you'd like some." I gently put the honey on the ground and slid by it towards my bug.

He lowered his head towards the jar, his tongue flitted his out again to test the honey. I saw his eyes light up and his tongue dive eagerly into the container.

inb4 he just takes it and flies off.

[ ]

"Give him some space," I said to the rest of my team. "Practice evasion for now. Dodge and counter drills just like we've been doing." I looked over at my starter. "Except you, Luna. I have something for you."

I feel like there probably should’ve been a bit more transition to Marcus focusing on the other members of the team, since something about this felt a bit sudden to me.

Pride and Acolyte wandered off into the field and began the drill. They would prowl around each other in circles until one decided to attempt a physical attack. The idea was to dodge the attack and counter it with one of your own.

Despite their fierce rivalry, Pride and Acolyte were fantastic training partners. They constantly pushed each other harder, going above and beyond to improve themselves. Their sparring matches were the fiercest by far and I would often have to heal minor injuries when they were done.

I’m surprised that Marcus is able to just automate this instead of picking a side and barking out orders in order to also train for command recognition and response time. But I suppose even the games are coming around to this one as of more recent generations, so I won’t knock it.

It had done wonders for them both. They were getting so much stronger in the two weeks since I had captured Acolyte. Even Luna was benefiting from their rivalry, striving to keep herself ahead of both our newer team members.

inb4 this winds up breaking down in spectacular fashion with a later recruit. My money’s on Savage.

Luna sat patiently in front of me, carefully eying the heracross with disdain. She didn't dare outright challenge it, but I could tell she was not impressed by the bug. Probably because it had nearly torn my arm off.

Marcus: “Luna, you realize that Pride almost gored me when we first met, right-?”

Luna: “*Whoever said I liked him, either?!*”

I pulled the fire stone out of my pack and it was like a trance came over Luna. She head whipped away from the heracross and looked up at me. Her eyes seemed to deepen and her gaze lingered on the stone.

"I know how we can evolve you," I started cautiously. "But it'll be difficult. I don't think you're quite ready yet either." I put the stone down on the ground in front of her. "Vulpix evolve naturally after enough time in the wild. Usually when they reach about fifteen to twenty." I frowned. "But evolution can be sparked early with the use of a fire stone."

Oh, so Evolution Stones are inherently accelerants for evolution. I wonder if that means that natural evolution correlates with the amount of time it takes to pick up sufficient amounts of trace evolution stone residue like in that one anime episode with the feuding Bellossom and Vileplume, or if Luna would still eventually age into becoming a Ninetales if she lived in a sterile environment for 15-20 years.

Luna stepped closer to the stone, sniffing gently at it. She reached out a paw, cautiously batting at it. I half expected a rush of energy to flow out of the stone at her touch even if I knew better.

"You have to break open the outer shell with your fire. Only when your flames are hot enough to crack the stone will your body be strong enough to handle the transformation." I smiled and stepped back. "Try, if you want."

Aha. That one is certainly convenient for keeping evolution from just being ‘run up and poke the rock’. Though I’m suddenly feeling a bit less confident that she’s going to evolve right here and now if these stone evolutions are inherently strength-gated since I don’t think Luna’s quite there yet.

My starter planted her feet on each side of the fire stone. She looked at me and I saw the recognition in her eyes. She knew what this was. She knew what her evolution was. I didn't understand how, perhaps instinctive memory, perhaps just intelligent intuition.

My money is on ‘instinct’ there, yes. Even if some part of her might literally be feeling the power rolling off of it in front of her.

Either way, Luna knew what I was asking her. Evolution was baked into a pokemon's genes. For a proud pokemon like Luna, evolution was something that was a dream come true.

Just don’t tell her about the fact that her learning moves afterwards is going to be a lot harder from thereon out.

She sucked in a breath of air and I felt myself go silent. A stream of white-hot flames erupted from her mouth, washing over the fire stone. I heard a high pitched whine and what sounded like glass slowly cracking.

Luna's stream of flame withered slightly and the sound died. I looked carefully and watched in dismay as a hairline fracture in the fire stone closed and sealed back together. Luna coughed and the flamethrower died suddenly.

Alas, no evolution today, even if I kinda saw that coming. I’m surprised that those evolution stones are self-annealing, though. I legit wasn’t expecting that one.

I smiled, proud of my vulpix. Even if she wasn't there yet, she would grow into that power soon enough. "It's ok, Luna. Remember, I did say that I wasn't sure if you were ready for this yet."

Cue her having the world’s biggest

face in response.

She hung her head and I knew that Luna was ashamed. She hadn't failed at anything I'd asked of her up to this point, always my infallible stalwart. She had outlasted Brock. She had enabled victory against Misty. She had survived Surge.

Huh. Wasn’t expecting that one, but I suppose that it does track if this is literally the first time she’s been able to do something that Marcus has asked of her.

I scratched her behind the ears. "You're close," I started. "Maybe we'll try again after Erika?"

Luna's gaze met mine and she nodded. I saw the resolve burning in her eyes and I knew that this one failure would not break her. She would be a ninetales and the League would fear that day.

Giovanni: “Lol. Lmao. Have fun eating Earthquake all day every day if you make it to my gym, kiddo.”

The rest of our pre-challenge training revolved around acclimating our newest team member to professional battling. He was still yet to understand that we were his allies, but he had stopped attempting to flee from every attack. A few times he lashed out when Pride and Acolyte got too close, but he always allowed me to come close to replace the honey.

Just saying, I don’t think Erika’s going to let you get away with walking onto the field to spot your new kinda-sorta-buddy honey to get him to do what you want, Marcus.

We hit a break through just before we broke for lunch. I had my team practicing follow up moves, switching from long range to close in quick succession.

I had my back turned to him, but I knew that the heracross was watching. Luna splashed an energy ball off the target dummy and dashed forwards, using her agility to close the distance for a quick attack.

So, is he going to just waltz in and blow everyone out of the water with a Pin Missile followed by some punches, or…?

I heard a loud buzzing drown out the noise of the city. A rush of wind buffeted me and I stumbled forwards from the force of it. For a half a moment, I thought that the heracross was attempting to escape or attacking me. Then he shot past me, speeding just over the ground.

He clipped the practice dummy with his horn and cut his flight at the same moment. My heracross landed deftly on the other side of the dummy as it rebounded towards him and drove an armoured fist into it. The dummy bounced away, rolling to a stop against the wall of the pokemon centre.

Well, say what you will about Pokémon in this setting, but they certainly learn fast.

I grinned ear to ear as my newest team member looked to me for approval. "Great job!" I shouted.

He buzzed off the ground excitedly and circled me as he chittered with joy. His long, thin tongue flitted out rapidly and he came to a stop in front of me.

"So," I started. "You want to be a part of our team?" I asked. A coy smile crossed my face and I knew his name before I even said it. "Vector?"

That name’s ruined for me both by the crocodile from Sonic and the evil megacorporation from Xenosaga. Though welcome to the team properly, punch buggy.

He chittered happily and buzzed his wings in agreement. The smile on my face was real. I was a trainer, and this was why I knew we could do anything. Erika didn't stand a chance.

I cracked my knuckles and let my smile show. "Alright then, let's get to work."

Aaaaaaand Marcus is tempting fate again there. You’d think that he’d learn about curbing his enthusiasm with the number of times that’s almost blown up in his face horribly up to this point.

Pokédex Entry Addendum – Evolutionary Catalysts

There are some stones formed in extreme environments that are imbued with certain elemental energy. Some pokemon have been found to react with these stones, most notably the eevee family, however many pokemon have shown reactions to exposure.

A pokemon must be physically strong enough to withstand the evolution process. They must typically crack the stone itself, which is usually comprised of a protective shell over an elemental core, and absorb the catalytic energy from the elemental core.

OwO What’s this?

An end-of-chapter Pokédex blurb that’s not about an individual species? Wasn’t expecting that one, but I suppose that it makes sense given that we literally didn’t see anything new this chapter. Definitely a nice change of pace, and it certainly keeps things from feeling formulaic.

Intermediate Trainer KT#07996101, Marcus Wright, current team

Luna, Vulpix

Pride, Nidorino

Acolyte, Marowak

Vector, Heracross

Time to see how long Marcus’ team remains a team of four, since I know at least one Pokémon on this list isn’t making it to the credits roll.

Alright, and made it to the end. I take it that this was a bit of a slower chapter since it was mostly just Marcus settling into Celadon and prepping for Erika, getting a view of the absolute state of human society in Kanto, and getting an offer that he couldn’t refuse from Archer in the swankiest Game Corner that I’ve ever seen. To its credit, I think it did its job well as a setup chapter, since there were a lot of little things that give a vibe of Kanto and Marcus’ journey basically being held together with duct tape and prayers, which lends itself to this a pervasive ominous air to the chapter where we’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop and half of Kanto burning to the ground. I felt that the introduction for Vector was also fun, even if I kinda wish we got to see a little bit more of him and Marcus’ team in general given that they’re effectively absent from the first 60%-ish of the chapter, but I suppose that’s life in a setting where Pokémon are at baseline perceived as dangerous beasties by the locals.

On the more critical end, I noticed a couple of stray typos here and there, and some paragraph formatting that I didn’t quite see eye to eye with. I do kinda feel like there were points where you missed out on opportunities to get into Marcus’ head harder, especially with the whole dichotomy between having to be friendly and approachable to Vector while knowing that he tried to kill him with all the niggling little doubts and paranoias that would come with that. Ditto some of the subtext that Archer brings up his parents and their status, since I’m a little surprised that Marcus wasn’t freaking out harder since it was shaping up to be a fairly textbook ‘plata o plomo’ ultimatum even if Marcus didn’t quite pick up on it.

But altogether, it was a pretty fun chapter to come back and settle into for this story, @Joshthewriter . Even if I suppose I shouldn’t get too used to the peace and quiet, since there’s a track record of how things wind up going in your stories, and it’s that sooner rather than later, there’ll be more explosions in whatever place the protagonists are in than in a Michael Bay movie.

Hope the feedback was fun, and I’ll be looking forward to crossing paths again sometime soon.