Pokémon Pokemon Freelancer

[Orderneri]

18: To Adventure!​

Ralts further relayed that Sandshrew had found his way to the forest around Pallet. He was still on the move. Ralts could track Sandshrew thanks to the overbearing annoyance. It was noticeable even a couple miles away. There were a lot of emotions throughout town, but Ralts could tell the difference between humans and Pokemon thanks to Pokemon having energy. She could even figure out the exact species. The only thing Ralts couldn't know was the cause of an emotion.

Joe was about to say he'd go and grab Sandshrew, but he watched Sonia instead. She darted around the lab, giving Joe a better look at the interior. It was a wide-open space with white tile floors. There was a balcony to the left, stairs hidden by a wall. Under the balcony was a desk.

Sonia grabbed a long beige coat from the chair at the desk. Rushed to put it on. She ran upstairs and Joe heard a tremendous clattering. Sonia rushed into view a minute later, a pile of items in her arms. Joe could pinpoint a tent, sleeping bag, and clothes.

"You don't need to-"

He was cut off as Sonia ran around him. She grabbed his bag and dragged it down. Joe was somehow brought to a knee. Sonia didn't look like she worked out, but somehow she was absurdly strong. She put enough pressure on Joe's rucksack that it took Joe down. She started unloading Joe's items and shoving her own inside.

"That'll do." She muttered to herself. Ran inside and dumped a pile of Joe's items on the desk chair. He could only see clothes so that was okay.

"I suppose you're coming with me." Joe commented as he stood. He didn't mind the extra load. He would have offered to carry Sonia's share.

Sonia nodded her head vigorously. "The li'l fella is my responsibility, so I gotta come! We're prepped for campin', but I ain't done it before!" She started jumping around. Sonia was energetic if nothing else. "Oh man, this is excitin'! C'mon!" She slammed the door shut. Grabbed Joe's arm. Dragged him along.

They followed Ralts' general Northern directions from her perch on Joe's shoulder. Made it to the outskirts of town. Before them was the start of a dense forest. Joe could see roads to his left and right that led to nearby towns and villages. There was a highway further to the right that Joe couldn't see.

At some point, Sonia let go of Joe's arm, but that didn't stop her talking a mile a minute. Joe was sure that by the time this little excursion was done, Sonia's word count would rival the average for novels. Joe eyed Sonia. She wore boots. He gave her some credit. She was more prepared than expected. Correct footwear was key to hiking. The terrain in forests could be rough and uneven.

Joe swapped his comfortable, civilised shoes for hiking boots. The group walked into the treeline. Ralts pointed North-West now. Sandshrew was still moving.

"You said you've never been hiking before, so you listen to me, okay?" Joe said. Saw Sonia nod vigorously, a giant smile on her face. She didn't know how to take this seriously. "We are not rushing. That's a good way to tire yourself out. We will absolutely reach Sandshrew, but this isn't a sprint. We take it slow." After Joe spoke, he realised Sonia probably knew this. She filled his bag with her items. That meant she expected to be out here for a while. Maybe a couple of days. A couple of days in the middle of nowhere with beauty. Joe's life was blessed.

"I know! We learned that ages ago!"

Joe nodded. Sure enough, they took it slow. Leaves covered them in shade. Thick trunks were always within arm's reach and there were no clear trails to follow. To Joe's surprise, Sonia didn't get tired. She was hyper, but hiking had a way of humbling even athletic people. But not Sonia. She kept up.

Ralts felt like the distance wasn't widening, but it wasn't closing either. Sandshrew was going far. Outbursts didn't usually result in walking miles into a forest. Sandshrew was stubborn in achieving its goal of getting into a fight.

Joe wanted to break the ice further. Even if a question had an obvious answer, it was okay to ask. Especially because Joe was stuck with Sonia whether he wanted to be or not. And damn did he want to be. But in that sort of situation, it's best to get along and talk.

So far, Sonia had talked Joe's ear off, but he hadn't said much. He had the perfect topic. He brushed a branch aside and let Sonia pass "So, your accent. It makes me think you're not from around here."

"Nope!" Sonia responded cheerfully. "I'm from Galar. My accent's a Southern thing."

"I met a woman named Melony recently. She was also from Galar." It was an odd coincidence. Joe supposed people with higher end jobs travelled a lot. Scientists and Gym Leaders. Sonia was here to learn, and Melony was here to enjoy herself. He wondered which country Melony was in now.

"Oh, Oh! I know her! I saw her on TV. She's a Gym Leader. Takes after her dad or somethin'." Sonia's face scrunched up, deep in thought. "Ya not from Kanto either, right? I saw it on ya profile."

Joe nodded. "Johto."

"Man, ya have no idea how happy I am that ya here! I lost my cool a little. I was refreshing the app every second. No one around here has it. I didn't know what to do." She looked up at Joe and gave him a toothy grin. "Thanks a bunch, Joey!"

Joe raised an eyebrow but said nothing. It suddenly clicked for him. Sonia wasn't an airhead. She'd given Joe a nickname and shortened Professor Oak's title to just Prof. She was fashionable. Joe didn't keep up with trends or slang, but he'd heard the word 'gyaru' up in Sinnoh. He'd met a few. They spoke differently and were extra bubbly. Extreme extroverts. Even if Sonia's speech was from an accent, Joe felt it was enough to count her as a gyaru.

"How's your work experience so far?" Joe took a genuine interest. It wasn't every day that he had the privilege of talking to a lab assistant. At least, that's what he assumed Sonia was.

"It's cool gettin' to hang out with all the Pokemon! Oaksy left on a trip, so I've been on my own for a bit. Ugh, an' then I go an' lose Sandshrew! But yeah, it's fun. They all 'ave different needs and…"

She continued to talk Joe's ear off about extreme specifics like the schedule and how certain Pokemon woke up and how they acted when they were hungry. She just had general work experience right now to get used to working in a laboratory. That mainly involved caring for the Pokemon. If she couldn't do that then she wasn't fit to be a Pokemon Professor. Eventually she needed to pick a specialist route to take, but for now she was just enjoying what life threw at her. She definitely wasn't holding off on taking her career further because she was undecided on what to do.

Hours later, Sonia's stomach rumbled. She wrapped her arms around her belly and grinned sheepishly. The sun was going to start setting soon anyway. They found a river. Found a nearby clearing. Couldn't see or hear the river, but knew it was close. That was the point. Joe wanted Sonia to know he wouldn't hear her bathe. She deserved to feel safe and secure.

Joe had Absol take down a tree. Split it in half. He built a campfire. Put the two halves of the log on opposite sides. Set up the tents. Brought out pans and started cooking.

"Sorry ya gotta do everythin'. I didn't think this far ahead."

Joe shrugged. He didn't mind. Even without Sonia, he'd be doing a similar amount of work. His Pokemon came out. Cyndaquil and Sprigatito played before dinner. Ralts floated over to Sonia. They had some girls' time again, with Sonia being as animated as usual. Ralts had a calm smile on her face, enjoying talking to another person that emitted happy emotions.

Joe made food. His Pokemon started eating. He handed a plate of salad to Sonia. She ate with gusto, as expected of the bubbly woman at this point. Used a spoon to scoop massive amounts of vegetables into her mouth.

She squealed. "That's some good stuff! Ya a chef or somethin'?"

"Just a hobby. I've lived alone for years now so I guess I got good at cooking."

Sonia grumbled as she finished her meal and looked Joe up and down. "Ya must eat good since ya body seems in good condition. Gran always says good food is key to a good body."

"She's not wrong."

Sonia grumbled further. She'd taken her coat off some time ago so she was revealing midriff again. She pinched her side. Pulled some flab like pulling a cheek. "But fast food is too good. Health nuts are missin' out. Oh well, gran also said men like women with some extra meat on her bones."

Joe coughed as he was chewing food. Laughed a little.

"Into chubby ones, huh?" A sly grin crept across Sonia's face. Another aspect of a gyaru was being shameless. No problem with comments related to adult activities.

"I'm not against them." Joe recalled the times he'd met women at the fitness center. They were just starting so they had some extra fat. He liked it. From stick figures like Jasmine, to extra thick women like Melony. He didn't discriminate.

"I woulda guessed ya a fitness freak, but I guess ya don't want a woman as buff as yaself." Sonia eyed Joe. "If ya wanna look good, ya coulda picked better clothes."

Joe finished his meal. Placed his plate down. He'd wash the equipment in the river later. "Was I supposed to come out here wearing a suit and tie?"

Sonia laughed. "Nah, I guess guys don't really care about their looks."

"Have you ever been to the men's section in a clothes store? It's either be plain or be a walking advertisement." Joe referred to the amount of branded shirts in existence. Even if they were simple, they still had a logo on them somewhere. And then there were shirts referencing movies and shows. Joe didn't have a problem with people showing off what they enjoyed, but it wasn't for him. Plain suited him best. "It's nice being simple, but I do appreciate how much effort it takes for women such as yourself to look good."

Sonia's cheeks reddened a little. She waved a hand his way like an old woman. "Oh, you! Smooth talker! But I ain't complain', praise me more!"

Joe's Pokemon finished their meals. It was getting darker, so it was time to rest. Sprigatito sat on Joe's foot, watching the campfire. Cyndaquil rested against the log, by Joe's legs. Ralts sat with her knees to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs.

Joe and Sonia spoke until the gyaru let out a giant yawn and fell into her tent. Joe stayed out a bit longer. Read a book. Watched Ralts waddle into Sonia's tent. He moved Sprigatito and Cyndaquil, who were also asleep, into his tent. Zipped Sonia's tent up. Worked out before bed. He did what he could to maintain his body. He was tempted to grab Absol and use her as weights, but he knew how that would end. Claws to the face. A shame. She weighed a fair amount. Not like he could ever tell a woman, animal or not, that she was heavy.

Before entering his tent, Joe simply stood and listened. The noises of the animals. Chirps from birds, buzzing from bees, and roars from fierce fighters. The soft breeze. Joe closed his eyes. He loved the great outdoors. He simply wanted to absorb it all for a moment. Then he'd enjoy wrapping himself in a sleeping bag and dozing off in the middle of nowhere.

The next morning, Joe was awake first. He went to the river. Washed. Went back to the clearing. Started getting breakfast ready. The smell wafted to Sonia's tent and through small gaps. Joe soon heard the young woman wake up. He heard rustling for a bit and then saw Sonia struggle to unzip her tent. He watched, amused, as the zip got caught on fabric at least five times. He could tell Sonia was getting more frustrated, the zip moved faster and harder with each attempt. Eventually she got it. Crawled outside and stood, slouched.

Her eyes were closed and she was sloppily dressed, but she was wearing her sweater, jeans, and coat from yesterday. The coat had fallen off one shoulder and was at risk of falling from the other. Her ginger hair reached down her neck, not fashioned into the side ponytail yet. Sonia gave a tired wave and a sleepy smile. "Mornin'."

Despite just waking up, Sonia somehow looked immaculate. Her skin was perfect, and the wavy ginger hair suited her. Joe commented on it. "Did you even sleep? You don't look any different."

Sonia chuckled as she sat down. Missed the log and hit dirt. She stayed like that. "I remember, smooth talker."

Joe handed her a bowl of cereal. She ate. Got crumbs everywhere. Chunks of food stuck to her cheeks. Joe wiped her with a towel. Fed his Pokemon as they woke up.

It took some time, but Sonia eventually woke up fully. She gasped. Smiled at Joe. "Mornin'." She spoke with as much vigour as yesterday.

Joe grinned. "Good morning."

Despite apparently not remembering greeting Joe, Sonia remembered his comment about her looking good straight away. She got all smug about it. "Ya wanna know how to stay beautiful like me?"

Joe bowed. "O Great Sage, please teach me."

"Well, if I must." She began cackling like a witch. "It's magic!"

They continued to talk for a while. Sonia went to clean up in the river. Joe sent Absol with her, just in case. Sonia knew about the outdoors, but lacked experience. She might turn around and think all the trees looked the same.

Joe packed everything away just in time for Sonia's return. She had fashioned her hair into a side tail again, but otherwise looked the same. Joe's guess what that she wore no makeup. She was just naturally stunning. They set off, Ralts on Joe's shoulder leading the way. They'd closed to gap a little, but Sandshrew was active again and on the move.

"That li'l bugger! I'll teach him a lesson!" Sonia said. She rolled her sleeves up. Punched the air and made sound effects with her mouth.

"Good form." Joe commented. He meant it. Sonia had at least seen boxing before, and it led to this point where she could shadow box accurately.

"Ya look like a fighter! We'll both teach him a lesson!"

They kept walking until they reached a trail. It was faint, but there were small patches of dirt visible through the long grass. They followed the old path since it was generally in the right direction. They ended up on the edge of a dead settlement. The trail turned into a dirt road that went into town for half a mile. On either side of the road were dilapidated houses placed sporadically. At best, the old buildings had two walls left standing. Roofs had fallen a long time ago.

"Oh, oh! Do you know what this is?!" Sonia ran ahead, a spring in her step. She twirled and gestured with open arms. "This is Old Pallet! This place is, like, hundreds of years old!" She spun to face the village. Leaned forward in excitement as Joe came to stand next to her. Sonia stood up straight. Clasped an imaginary monocle on her eye. Adjusted said monocle. Stroked a moustache. "I say, good sir." She went back to normal. "That kinda thing!"

Sonia knew of this place due to flipping through the old books at Oak's lab when she had a spare moment. As evidenced by her knowledge, this was where Pallet was originally situated, but the population moved closer to the coast at some point, for some reason. She hadn't absorbed much apart from name, age, and a picture.

Joe grinned. Sonia's stereotype was that of an old Galarian. This was Kanto. The people that lived here were certainly different from Sonia's impression. Joe put on his best accent. "This is a prime opportunity for some jolly exploration, I dare say."

Sonia had to grip her stomach because she laughed so hard. Put on the voice again. "Only for a time, good friend, as we have our sights set on an objective already!"

Absol rolled her eyes. Now there were two jokers around. As if Joe on his own wasn't bad enough.

They walked until they found a fork in the road. One way had a larger building at the end, so they chose that path. Reached a house three times the size of other buildings. The town hall. It was as badly damaged as the rest of the village, so they didn't risk going inside.

Once again, Sonia's stomach rumbled loudly. Her body knew what it wanted. Joe took off his bag and grabbed some sandwiches. Handed one to Sonia. They sat on a bench outside the town hall. Ate happily.

Halfway through his sandwich packed with lettuce and meat, Joe noticed a little bug had crawled up to him. It had a green body with yellow circles on each segment. A bulbous yellow tail. A red horn that split at almost one hundred and eighty degrees. It looked up at the giant. Looked at the food. Joe figured why not. Handed the bug the rest of the sandwich. He watched it curl around the food and munch on it. He smiled. Noticed goosebumps running up his outstretched arm. Paid it no mind, although it was a little odd.

Sonia had already finished her meal. She'd shoved it all into her mouth in one go and chewed with puffed up cheeks. She gave one big gulp. Jumped to her feet. "All right, let's go!"

Joe rose. Followed after Sonia. The bug watched the humans go. It appreciated the tasty meal. It got comfortable and continued eating.

Joe and Sonia arrived at a cliff edge. Joe shuddered. He didn't have good luck with these places. He'd already survived two falls in a week. He didn't want to make it three. Third times the charm, after all. He might not walk away from this one.

"Sorry." The little voice from Joe's shoulder said in his mind. "Sandshrew is down there."

Joe stroked Ralts' cheek. There was nothing to be sorry about. He had Rotom fly around and look for a way down. About half a mile to the left of Old Pallet was a steady path.

Sonia walked closer to the edge. Put a hand to her hair to stop the wind from messing it up too badly. She had the biggest smile imaginable on her face. She turned to Joe. The smile was infectious. Sonia had never been out in the wild like this. There was a certain thrill to it for beginners. She loved the sights. The fresh, clean air.

She took a step towards Joe and the ground crumbled. She'd been standing on a thin overhang. It had been failing the entire time Sonia stood on it, and it chose this moment to finally give in. Sonia fell backwards as her smile morphed to a neutral expression. She wasn't comprehending what was happening.

A quizzical sound left Sonia's lips. "Huh?"