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pokemonthenovel2017-06-27 08:00 pm
2bamaster) wrote in pokemonthenovel2017-06-27 08:00 pm
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Chapter 1: The Iwark of Nibi City (Japanese Terminology)
Sightseeing guide... Nibi City
It's not certain where the name for Nibi City came from.
However, the surrounding region has a number of towns with colour themed naming, so the prevailing theory is that Nibi City was also named with colour in mind.
Not many would know of the colour nibi... but it's defined in the dictionary.
The term nibi colour is fairly old fashioned. In English you would call it pewter... a dark grey colour. A dull colour. In other words, the colour of an average rock or boulder.
Since olden times, Nibi City has been well known for its stone.
In the past, stone was commonly used as a material to build buildings, monuments and graves.
Beautiful stone like marble in particular was used to build important government buildings, rich people's bathtubs or statues of famous people. Long ago, Nibi City was a bustling metropolis filled with marble, back then it was called Marble City.
The colour of marble is a patterned light ashen grey, not a light yellow or light pink, not even a chocolatey brown.
However the mines ran out of marble, and not long after the name Marble City faded away.
Eventually, other types of stone were also replaced by concrete and synthetic materials.
Nowadays, stone is only really used for either gravestones or to weigh down tsukemono pickles.
Nibi City is no longer the bustling place it once was.
The majority of young people, not liking pickles and not keen on dealing in graves, moved out of the town, leaving behind a population of old miners. With few visitors, the sparsity of the town's population led to it rusting over, they may end up changing the name to Spar City soon enough. ... That's what the tourism guides have to say about Nibi City, but last year's revised guidebooks have a new addition.
Fossils of ancient lifeforms were found in the old stone mines.
The fossil was named the Nibisaurus.
When it was discovered, hoping it would become a tourist attraction the mayor and city hall used the budget allocated for a retirement home to build a science museum focused on ancient lifeforms.
The Nibisaurus alone wasn't enough for a whole museum, so they borrowed extra fossils from other nearby museums, leading to biology experts from nearby universities gathering to work as researchers at the museum.
However the result of the experts investigation brought about an unexpected truth.
The Nibisaurus used as the centrepiece was actually a fragment of an Omanyte, an ancient Pokémon with many other fossils on record. ... The discovered Omanyte fossil was of a malnourished specimen, thus its emaciated form was mistaken for something else.
Nibi City council, having already built the science museum and having no reason to put the museum's researchers out of a job, eventually settled on having it open to the public only on weekends.
Unfortunately, with the museum's only attraction being an Omanyte fossil, it brings very little in the way of tourism, the day it becomes Spar City may not be far off.
***
After entering Nibi City, Satoshi and Kasumi went towards the Pokémon Center.
In addition to being Pokémon hospitals, Pokémon Centers also acted as hotels for aspiring Pokémon Trainers on their journeys.
If you show your Pokémon Field Guide in place of your ID, you can stay free of charge.
“You're here. I've been expecting you.”
The female doctor at the Pokémon Center smiled at Satoshi and the others as they entered. She was the doctor who had received the Monster Balls transferred to Nibi City when the Tokiwa City Pokémon Center was under attack from Team Rocket.
“Ah...”
Satoshi's eyes widened when he saw her face.
She looked identical to the doctor in Tokiwa City.
The doctor nodded, taking Satoshi's surprise in stride.
“We look identical, don't we? Myself and Tokiwa City's Joy. She's my younger sister... My name is also Joy.”
Used to staying at Pokémon Centers, Kasumi spoke as she signed her name on the register of people staying the night.
“Most doctors at Pokémon Centers are named Joy.”
“That's right, we're all related. ... It can get a little confusing, so you can call me the most beautiful of the Joys.”
“Fufu.”
Kasumi laughed.
“What's so funny?” Joy asked her.
“Every city's Joy-san says that.”
“Oh my... How self centred of them.”
Joy and Kasumi both shrugged.
Satoshi slapped his hands as he spoke.
“Oh yeah. I just remembered, Kasumi referred to herself as the world's greatest beauty earlier...”
“Oh, is that so?” Joy said.
Though he probably should have dropped it, Satoshi answered anyway.
“What a joke. It's hilarious. I mean who'd consider Kasumi as beautiful anyway... Seriously.”
“What was that!?”
To stop Kasumi from completely exploding at Satoshi, Joy stepped in with more to say.
“Anyway, thank you both for helping my little sister. It's due to your efforts that all the Center's Pokémon are safe. I'm sure your Pokémon are tired by now. I'll be glad to take them for you.”
Kasumi nodded when her Pokémon were brought up.”
“Oh yeah. Right. We need to revitalise our Pokémon...”
Restoring the vitality of Pokémon tired out from battle was one of the Pokémon Center's important functions.
“You're right. I'll be challenging the Nibi City Gym tomorrow. I can't go wasting my time with Kasumi.”
Satoshi removed two Monster Balls from his belt, and handed them to Joy.
They were the Monster Balls containing the Pidgeon and Butterfree he got in Tokiwa Forest.
“As if I actually want to spend time with you!”
Kasumi's short cut hair stood on end as she handed her Monster Balls to Joy.
“Bleh! I've got three of them.”
One more than Satoshi had.
“Counting Pikachu, I have three too. Right, Pikachu?”
No answer came from Pikachu.
“Huh? Pikachu! Where'd you go?”
“Oh, the Pikachu that was with you...”
Joy began speaking.
“He's already resting.”
Further inside the Center, there was in an incubator like a baby's cot.
Pikachu was sleeping in it.
Pikachu are typically nocturnal.
So they usually become active at night.
But in a safe place, there's no reason not to sleep at night.
If a Pikachu has to deal with creatures like humans who sleep at night, it's better to just sleep at night if there's a safe place to do so.
Besides, Satoshi was planning to challenge the Pokémon Gym tomorrow morning.
The sooner he rests away his fatigue the better.
That said, it's hard to say whether Pikachu was actually aware of tomorrow's battle.
But Pikachu was sound asleep.
Almost as if he could sense tomorrow's battle approaching.
***
Oversleeping was practically Satoshi's special ability, but he woke up on time for once.
He woke up immediately as the Triple Bird Pokémon Dodrio began crowing to announce daybreak.
Without eating breakfast, he picked up the still sleeping Pikachu from his cot and dashed from the Pokémon Center.
And spent the next three hours lined up outside the gym until it opened.
Although it's not really a line if he's the only one there.
According to the map in the Pokémon Center, the Nibi City Pokémon Gym was in a backstreet on the city's outskirts.
Although Nibi City was known as a city of stone, the gym was a wooden building that looked ready to collapse... it had some resemblance to a school gymnasium.
Looking at the entryway outside the gate straight on, Satoshi began to lean slightly.
It wasn't an issue with Satoshi's ability to stand straight, the building itself was slanted like a rhombus.
Looking closely, the wall was patched up with plywood in a few places.
There were even a few spots under the eaves where the rain and wind wouldn't get that were patched with cardboard or plastic garbage bags. ... Is this really a Pokémon Gym?...
No matter how many times Satoshi rubbed his eyes, the sign... for some reason, the sign alone was impressively large and made of marble, had the words “Commemorating 100 years... Nibi City Gym” carved into it. Underneath it said it was open all year round. Business hours were from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. From 12:00 to 1:00 it was closed for lunch... There was an additional break from 3:00 to 4:00 for tea... All that was written on the sign.
It seems the place was undeniably a Pokémon Gym.
However, even one hour from opening time, Satoshi was still the only one waiting.
... I'm the only one here...
Pikachu was dozing by Satoshi's feet.
... You gotta be kidding me...
Having come to challenge a Pokémon Gym for the first time, it was somewhat of an anticlimax for Satoshi.
In his hometown of Masara Town, any time something related to Pokémon was released, like new goods at the supermarket or a new video at the video rental store, there was always a huge line of kids.
The word Pokémon was practically synonymous with having to line up as far as Satoshi was concerned.
... Maybe they're not open today...
The next thing he knew, he could smell delicious miso soup. ... I'm starving... I should've eaten breakfast before leaving the Pokémon Center...
I wonder if there's a convenience store where I can buy some onigiri nearby...
But there doesn't appear to be anywhere like that nearby. ... And if I wandered off to buy something, the line might build up while I'm gone...
While he floundered about such matters, opening time grew closer.
Yet nobody lined up behind Satoshi.
Just before opening time arrived, he heard a voice shout from behind him.
“Aah! There you are! Don't think you'll escape me!”
It was Kasumi.
“Escape? What are you talking about?”
“Oh, so you weren't running away then.”
Satoshi was indeed responsible for taking Kasumi's bike without permission and reducing it to scrap.
Kasumi had tearfully left the remains of her bike at a dump in Tokiwa City.
“I never run from anything... I'm the man aiming to be the ultimate trainer.”
“You're speaking nonsense. Any kid can become a Pokémon Trainer. And that has nothing to do with my bike... You weren't in the Pokémon Center's cafeteria this morning, so I figured you were trying to skip out on paying me back for my bike and ran off.”
... Morning... Cafeteria?... Hearing those words made Satoshi's stomach growl.
“What did you eat?”
“Eh?”
“Breakfast, what did you eat?”
“Toast... With lots of strawberry jam.”
“Lots of jam.”
Satoshi's mind wandered.
“It's not particularly well known, but this city grows really good ishigaki strawberries. Joy-san recommended them.”
“Pikachu...”
Having been asleep until now, Pikachu was now awake and making noise.
“What did you eat next?”
Satoshi asked, with an expression almost as if he was going to eat Kasumi's thoughts.
“Ｓｃｒａｍｂｌｅｄ ｅｇｇｓ. Ａｎｄ ｃａｆｅ ａｕ ｌａｉｔ... Ｓｕｇａｒｌｅｓｓ.”
“What language is that!?”
“Oh, you don't know? What language do you think it is, they're fairly common menu items... I guess Masara Town really is out in the boonies... Oh, that smells nice.”
Kasumi noticed the scent wafting from the gym.
“Miso soup… Goes well with rice for breakfast. Especially miso soup with tofu and pickled seaweed and cucumbers.”
“Silence!”
Having skipped breakfast, Satoshi would settle for western food, Japanese food, Chinese food or even cat food. (Rice with katsuobushi bonito flakes... cats love that stuff.)
And so “Tofu sounds good, but I think I'll fry some sprouts in oil today... A little wakegi (a type of scallion)...”
A young man, the one speaking, suddenly came between Satoshi and Kasumi.
“The miso stock goes well with dried sardines.. Today's tsukemono should be picked eggplant extract... Going by today's weather, they shouldn't be pickled longer than twelve hours or else they'll go sour.”
Though I say young man... he had thick eyebrows and traces of facial hair... Which made him practically a full grown adult compared to the ten year old Satoshi.
But if not for the facial hair, you may not have even realised he was male.
He wore an apron with a heart mark on it and carried a broom which he used to sweep outside the gate.
It seems he was connected to the Nibi Gym.
“Uh...”
Satoshi spoke up.
“Oh, cucumber tsukemono would take a bit longer, but it should be fine.”
“Thanks...” Kasumi instinctively thanked the man for the lesson on tsukemono.
“So pops...”
Satoshi wanted to ask about the Nibi Gym.
“Don't call me pops!”
The man said with a tense expression.
“I'm still only fifteen... By the way, miss...”
The man in the apron smiled at Kasumi.
“May I ask your age? Ah, is it impolite of me to ask a lady's age?”
He ignored Satoshi entirely.
“Eh? ... It's fine... I'm already an adult. I'm ten years old.” Kasumi answered.
“Another eight years and things could really get interesting... I'd be twenty three. You'd be eighteen. Uh huh.”
The man nodded with a serious expression.
The significance of being eight years wasn't quite apparent... but speaking of eighteen year olds... Satoshi recalled that was the same age his mother Hanako got married.
Kasumi answered the man with no knowledge of this fact.
“Huh... I suppose I will be eighteen eight years from now.” Kasumi said.
“I'll be eighteen too.” Satoshi added without thinking.
“I didn't ask you.”
The man went back to ignoring Satoshi and spoke to Kasumi.
“My name is Takeshi... Takeshi of Nibi City's Nibi Gym. You may call me Takeshi-kun... actually, as long as it's you, I don't mind if you just go with Takeshi.”
“Takeshi-san!”
Using neither -kun or dropping formalities entirely, Satoshi addressed him with a -san.
“Hm? What is it, kid?”
Takeshi looked at Satoshi almost as if he hadn't noticed him until now.
“I... came to get Nibi Gym's badge! I'd like to meet the gym leader.”
“You've got guts kid... You're planning to challenge a gym leader just like that?”
Takeshi shrugged as he spoke.
“Normally before challenging a gym leader, you need to have some practice matches with the gym's members to warm up.”
“I've got Pikachu. We won't lose.”
“Pika?”
Having heard his name mentioned, Pikachu turned his head.
Kasumi shook her head in exasperation.
“You sure you wanna do this? ... Gym leaders are a lot stronger than your average trainer.”
“I'm aiming to become the ultimate trainer. I can't go putting things off before I get my first badge.”
Kasumi's jaw dropped.
... Isn't he getting a little too carried away here?...
“If you can't stand putting things off, how about you reimburse me for my bike?”
Kasumi said coldly.
“I've gotta beat the Nibi Gym's trainers first.”
“Fine, but don't expect any help from me.”
“I didn't want your help anyway.” Satoshi said indifferently.
... Why you...
Kasumi swung a fist in anger.
“You should!”
It didn't matter either way... Satoshi thought.
“Even if you offered help... it wouldn't be anything useful.”
... How dare he...
In both the Tokiwa City Pokémon Center and Tokiwa Forest, Kasumi had done her best to offer support to Satoshi.
If he doesn't appreciate it then he's not a young man at all... He's a brat. A twerp. A blockhead. A screwball.
“Fine, whatever...”
Ignoring Satoshi, Kasumi spoke to Takeshi.
“Um, you were Nibi Gym's...”
She had forgotten his name.
“It's Takeshi.” Takeshi replied without a moment's delay.
“Ah... Takeshi-san. Please take this screwball kid to see your leader... so that he can be utterly crushed to pieces...”
Takeshi spoke as he continued sweeping outside the gate with his broom.
“Miss. I have no idea about your relationship with this boy, but when a girl deals with a boy, no matter how weird, unpleasant, charmless, bratty or screwballish...”
Satoshi became increasingly angry.
Continuing to sweep, Takeshi spoke with almost a whisper.
“Treat him with kindness. It's a losing battle for this twerp. Don't let him go through with this. No matter how horrible this child is, you shouldn't push him against the inevitable. That is the role of a girl. That is the role of kindness. Kindness becomes you well, miss... at least in my humble opinion.”
His lines were kinda cool.
Kasumi got caught up in them and whispered back.
“I am indeed a girl. Yet, still only ten years old... Do you really seek a mature kindness from me?”
Kasumi's answer came in a monotone like an amateur voice actress reading straight off the script of an anime.
It seemed she thought the whispering made it sound cool.
Takeshi and Kasumi were lost in a world of their own.
“Cut it out already... You're pissing me off...”
Satoshi suddenly began shouting at the gym beyond the gate.
“I'm Satoshi of Masara Town. I'm a man aiming to become the ultimate trainer... With my ultimate partners, Pikachu... Butterfree... and Pidgeon, I challenge the Nibi Gym! My name is Satoshi of Masara Town... You hear me? Nibi Gym leader!”
Takeshi stopped sweeping in front of the gate.
“Masara Town...? Did you just say Masara Town?”
“Yeah, I'm Satoshi of Masara Town.” Satoshi answered.
“I didn't ask for your name. But you're from Masara Town.” Takeshi spoke in a low voice.
“That's right. I'm Masara Town's fourth batter... Satoshi, the cleanup hitter.”
“Fourth batter?” Takeshi asked back.
“That's right. Four days ago, four guys left Masara Town on a journey. And the strongest of them is me, Satoshi!”
Not that I've got the confidence to back my words up, but Kasumi and Takeshi have spouted crap too. It's only fair I get to talk myself up a bit... Satoshi thought to himself.
What's going on?... Pikachu thought as he stared blankly.
The three humans seem to be enjoying their chat.
However, Pikachu, still feeling hungry, had a bad feeling about the upcoming battle.
“You said Masara Town.”
Takeshi said once more.
Upon those words, Pikachu took a defensive stance.
He had felt something frightening about Takeshi since the moment they met.
However his words just now had surpassed frightening and gone straight into dangerous.
As long as you don't provoke something frightening, nothing will happen.
However something dangerous can be set off by anything, and it'll pursue you if you attempt an escape.
Pikachu felt danger in Takeshi's words.
“We've just had three trainers pass through... All from Masara Town.”
“Eh?”
Satoshi gulped.
“The first guy's Pokémon was ridiculously fast. It was tough trying to slow him down.”
I wonder who that was... Satoshi thought about the other kids who left Masara Town the same day he did.
Before he could figure out who it was, Takeshi continued speaking.
“The second guy's Pokémon were cautious and firm.”
Who could that be?
“The third guy, was downright gaudy. He had a cheerleader squad following him around. The cheerleaders were all girls I'd have a good time with in another eight, wait no, three years.”
Takeshi said keenly.
Satoshi had a pretty good idea who the third guy was. ... A guy walking around with his personal cheer squad... It had to be Shigeru.
Satoshi decided to ask Takeshi.
“So how did he do?”
“He wasn't just all talk. His Pokémon were fast, firm and above all, powerful.”
... They're all way ahead of me... Satoshi panicked. He wanted to ask Takeshi.
... Did they all get the badge?...
But before he could ask, Takeshi spoke to him.
“And you, number four, are the toughest of them all?”
“Eh? ... Me?”
When asked directly, he had to maintain his pride.
“Of course. Whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner, you always save the best dish for last. I'm Masara Town's cleanup hitter.”
Takeshi nodded.
“Then I guess the Nibi Gym leader will have to take you on after all.”
“I can meet him?”
Satoshi shouted.
“You've already met him.”
“Huh?”
Satoshi and Kasumi both stared at Takeshi in bewilderment.
Takeshi tossed away his broom and removed his apron.
Takeshi stood there in his pajamas.
“I am the Nibi Gym leader, Takeshi.”
“You...”
“You're...” Satoshi and Kasumi stared at Takeshi wide eyed.
And then a small girl came running out.
She looked to be about three or four years old.
“Big bro. Aren't you having any more miso soup?”
“There's still some miso soup left...?”
Takeshi asked the little girl.
“Yeah. About half a bowl... It's not much... But everyone thinks you should have it.”
Takeshi spoke to the little girl.
“Thanks. But you can split the miso soup amongst yourselves. Big bro has to have a gym battle.”
“Gym battle?” The little girl asked back.
Takeshi looked at Satoshi as he spoke to the little girl.
“This person is a challenger from Masara Town. I need to accept his challenge.”
“Masara Town?”
The little girl furrowed her brow slightly.
The little girl wandered over in front of Satoshi.
“You're from Masara Town?”
“Yeah.”
Satoshi answered.
The next thing he knew, his knee was in pain.
“Owowow!”
The little girl had kicked Satoshi in the leg.
And then the little girl glared at Satoshi as she spoke.
“You won't get off so easy when my big bro crushes you.”
“What's her problem?”
Takeshi held the little girl back.
“She's my little sister. Sorry. She's lacking in manners... Anyway, come on inside.”
Takeshi picked up the little girl and vanished through the gym's back entrance.
“I'm opening the main entrance now...”
Takeshi's voice came from inside the gym.
Gogogogo...
The gym's entrance opened with a rumble.
Despite only being made of wood, the sound of the doorway opening was exaggerated like a stone gate opening.
***
That wasn't the only thing over the top.
Inside the building was as large as the schoolyard back at the school Satoshi attended in Masara Town.
On the ceiling were lamps lined up like the lighting in a TV studio, lighting up one by one.
It was a lot larger than it had seemed from outside.
It really was like a gymnasium.
Though there were a few spots where the walls were crumbling and repairs weren't exactly thorough.
More importantly, the building had no floor.
Just the pure earth ground with a few boulders scattered around.
“This is where we're battling?”
Satoshi faltered slightly.
The only Pokémon Satoshi had were Pikachu, Pidgeon and Butterfree.
None of them were impressively large Pokémon.
On such a large ground, Satoshi felt just running around could tire them out.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to wash up after breakfast. It'd be nice if we could afford an automatic dishwasher...”
Takeshi appeared atop a particularly large boulder wearing his combat gear.
He may have been speaking of domestic matters, his expression was serious, without a hint of a smile.
“I'll introduce myself again. I am Takeshi of Nibi City's official Pokémon Gym.”
It hadn't really been noticeable when he was wearing the apron earlier, but he was tall with a solid physique.
He had thick eyebrows and narrow eyes, when Satoshi got a decent view of the look in his eyes... he felt as if he wasn't a Pokémon Gym leader, he would be a man who would participate in human martial arts like boxing or wrestling.
“Man, he looks tough~”
Satoshi whispered, prompting Kasumi to say “What, scared already? You're not fighting him yourself. It's a Pokémon battle.”
“I know that.”
Satoshi said as he looked up at Takeshi on the boulder.
“I'll reintroduce myself too. I'm Satoshi of Masara Town.”
“The other three from Masara Town said the same thing, but I'm assuming this is your first gym battle?”
“Huh? I've got experience battling with a trainer training in the forest as well as Team Rocket.” Satoshi stated proudly. Takeshi shrugged.
“Gym matches are different from battles with amateurs or thugs. It's an official match endorsed by the government's Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology, Agency of Cultural Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of International Trade and Industry and Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Finance, the pre-merger Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Pokémon Scientific Community and the International Pokémon Trainer's Association.”
“Sounds complicated.” Satoshi said, as even Kasumi who was far more knowledgeable about Pokémon than him, tilted her head.
“Guess that's what it means to be official. ... The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is one thing, but why do you need endorsement from the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of International Trade and Industry?”
“Dunno.” Takeshi answered swiftly.
“Anyway, there's a whole lot of qualifications and approvals which may sound pretentious at first. While it's only natural to expect your Pokémon's injuries to require medical treatment, in the off chance a trainer is injured, our insurance policy will cover any doctor's fees or hospital charges. It's something to be thankful for. In exchange, the match has established rules.”
“Sounds like a pain in the ass.”
“Even if you're Masara Town's best Pokémon user, if you've never challenged a gym before, you're no different to a beginner. A beginner may use up to two Pokémon... They're permitted to battle freely anywhere on the battleground within this room.”
“If they can battle anywhere...” Satoshi asked.
“What?”
“Can't we make the battleground a little smaller?”
“Different city's gyms have their own characteristics. Conquering all the different circumstances is what qualifies you as a Pokémon Trainer. This is a city of stone. Which means you must battle in a world of stone. Now, have you chosen your two Pokémon?”
Satoshi was troubled. He only had three Pokémon to begin with.
Butterfree only evolved from Trancell yesterday... I better use something more familiar with itself, Satoshi thought.
“My Pokémon are Pikachu and Pidgeon.”
Takeshi spoke looking down at Pikachu.
“How long have you trained with that Pikachu?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Pokémon normally stay inside their Monster Balls. Doesn't it listen to you?”
“You're wrong. I just like being casual with my Pokémon.”
“Sure, whatever you say.” Kasumi said exasperated.
Takeshi then told Satoshi “If you like keeping it casual, then give up on the match. Pikachu is a cute Pokémon. But it's hardly powerful. It's more suited to life as a pet running around the palm of your hand.”
“Come on, as if he'd fit in the palm of my hand!”
Indeed, at around 40 centimetres, Pikachu was small enough to carry in your arms, but not small enough to sit on your hand.
Takeshi's lips curled into a slight grin.
“You should take care of cute things... that's all I'm saying.”
“Don't underestimate my Pikachu. If you do, you're in for a shock.” Satoshi said full of vitriol.
Lame! Kasumi was disappointed by Satoshi's line. Satoshi had no intention of making a joke though, his expression was serious. Which only made him lamer!
Takeshi gave a silent nod.
“If you insist then. As a gym trainer, I must accept all challengers.”
Takeshi leapt down from his boulder.
“There's no time limit! Let the match begin!”
At that moment, the audience seating was filled with children. The eldest boy wasn't much younger than Takeshi and the youngest was the three or four year old girl who had kicked Satoshi earlier, Kasumi was unable to count them all on her fingers. There had to be roughly twenty of them.
All of them wore aprons.
The boy shouted.
“Big bro. I'm not sure no time limit is a good idea, we need to watch the power bill.”
“I know. Has the laundry been done yet? Don't go beyond a double rinse, okay? We can't afford to waste any extra water.” Takeshi answered.
What the heck... this is supposed... to be a battle...
Satoshi deflated slightly.
The boy shouted.
“By the way, big bro. Don't let your guard down or you'll lose the way you did against the other three!”
“I know!”
Hold it? ... The other three?
“Just a minute.” Satoshi said to Takeshi.
“The other three, the three from Masara Town... you lost against them?”
Takeshi bit his lip.
“You're all from the same town. You'd hear about it sooner or later whether I tell you or not. I did indeed fail against them. Knowing my first opponent was from way out in the boonies, I made the mistake of going easy on him and used a weak Pokémon. The second one dragged his match out for a while and I started getting concerned about our power bill, so I got a bit flustered and tried to end things quickly. The group of cheerleaders with the third guy drew my attention and the next thing I knew I'd lost.” ... The guy with the cheerleaders had to be Shigeru.
“But if I have four consecutive losses against kids from the same town, the Nibi Gym's reputation will be damaged. Even if the power gets cut during the match. This time I won't lose. If I'm worried about our power bill, it'd only drag out the match anyway. And fortunately, the girl with you is still a bit immature to take my interest.”
Kasumi suddenly took notice of having been mentioned...
... He's calling me too immature...?
Ngh!
“Satoshi, beat the crap out that old man!”
She shouted as if giving an order.
Takeshi shook his head.
“Not gonna happen. I'll be using my strongest Pokémon right from the start this time.”
Takeshi pulled out a Monster Ball.
“I'll finish off your electric rat... within 30 seconds.”
“Pika?”
Pikachu's expression became irritated by Takeshi's words.
He may not be well versed in human words, but he could somehow tell that he was being dissed.
“My Pikachu can last longer than a TV commercial. As if he'll lose! Go! Pikachu.”
Pikachu, stretched out his shoulders in a way that seemed to say... let's get this over with... stepped forward.
Takeshi briefly gave Pikachu a kind look...
“I hate to pick on the weak, but the gym's reputation is at stake. It's for my family's sake... forgive me.”
Then he threw his Monster Ball.
“Go! Rock snake Pokémon... Iwark.”
Takeshi's Monster Ball opened with a flash of light.
Up to this point, the Monster Ball had been no different from any other.
But the moment he saw the Pokémon that came out, Pikachu was petrified stiff, fear written all over his face.
It was over ten times Pikachu's size.
It was a Pokémon like a snake made of round stones strung together like a necklace. It was Iwark.
Naturally, it was a Pokémon Satoshi had never seen.
He didn't even think to look it up in the Pokémon Field Guide.
No matter how he looked at it, it was so large and powerful looking that Pikachu didn't seem to have a chance of victory.
Satoshi spoke in a daze.
“The other three battled this Pokémon too?”
Takeshi shook his head.
“This guy is my trump card. My victory is assured this time. If I'd used him against the other three, I wouldn't have lost.”
“No way. That's not fair. Only using it against me.”
“That's why I'd like your forgiveness.”
“Asking for forgiveness sounds more like a line for when you're losing... right?”
He sought Pikachu's opinion on the matter, but Pikachu was no longer in front of Iwark.
“Huh? Pikachu?”
He noticed Pikachu by his feet, who gave a shrug as if to say ...You can't expect me to handle this...
“You can't give up without even fighting.”
Somewhat flustered, Satoshi pushed Pikachu forward.
“You're fired up then.” Takeshi said.
“Iwark. Tackle attack.”
Iwark stretched out its coiled body.
Then it began to fall towards Pikachu.
It sent shattered pieces of the battleground's boulders and stones flying.
Pikachu's only option was to run.
Pikachu wasn't the only one running.
Faced with the flying rock shards, the only option for Satoshi and Kasumi was to also run.
“Do something.”
Kasumi shouted.
“I'll hold out at least 30 seconds just running.”
“If all you can do is run, you may as well admit defeat already.”
“You say that, but...”
Satoshi considered the idea of switching out to Pidgeon.
Though no matter how hard it struck with its wings, Pidgeon probably couldn't lay a scratch on Iwark.
Besides, flying around while restricted by the ceiling of the indoor battleground would give it nowhere to escape to and tire it out.
That's when it happened.
“Kyah! Pikachu!”
Kasumi screamed.
Part of Iwark's tail was coiled around Pikachu.
Iwark coiled around Pikachu binding him tightly.
“I hate to do this, but Bind attack.”
Takeshi muttered.
Whether he truly hated it or felt sorry for his actions... hearing him quite deliberately give each order to Iwark pissed Satoshi off.
But this was no time to lose his cool.
Pikachu couldn't move a muscle within Iwark's grasp.
It was only a matter of time before he'd be crushed.
Satoshi's only option was to call out the best move Pikachu could muster in this situation.
“Pikachu! Use Thundershock!”
... As if you needed to ask... Pikachu knew he had no other moves he could rely on.
“Pikah!”
He discharged an electric shock as his whole body trembled.
But it had no effect on Iwark.
Takeshi spoke as he looked at the struggling Pikachu. There was a hint of bitterness in his tone.
“Its upbringing is lacking... An electric attack of that calibre will have no effect on a rock type Pokémon... Listen up, electricity can pass through certain stones and minerals, but they can also be insulated. Various minerals are mixed within the bodies of rock type Pokémon, meaning basic electric attacks won't work.”
“My Pikachu is better than basic.”
Pikachu let off a second and third discharge as he suffered.
Takeshi spoke.
“It's futile. No matter how much electricity you use, it'll only tire Pikachu out. And once it's all out of power...”
“Eh?” ... Satoshi was dumbfounded.
“Don't make me spell it out. If the gym runs out of power, we'll have a blackout. But if a living being like Pikachu exhausts all its power... Well, what do you think will happen? I'm sure you can guess.”
Satoshi was lost for words. ... It's true that Pikachu wasn't just a battery powered toy. He was alive. If all his bodily functions ceased, he wouldn't start back up with a change of batteries.
Takeshi spoke frankly.
“Give up the match. Don't let Pikachu use up any more power.”
The brightness had begun fading from the flashes of Pikachu's shocks.
It was clear he was weakening.
“Satoshi... At this rate...” Kasumi whispered.
“Pikachu is my Pikachu! I never asked for your input, Kasumi.”
Satoshi yelled.
“Please give up! Forfeit the match! A trainer fighting a losing battle like this is no better than abusing their Pokémon.”
Takeshi shouted.
Satoshi understood that.
But it was frustrating. Frustrating that Takeshi was the one who had to say it. Frustrating that he had to hear it from Kasumi too. But...
Satoshi looked at Pikachu. No, he couldn't even bare to look any more.
“That's enough.”
Satoshi fell to his knees in disappointment.
“Stop it. Please, stop it!”
Takeshi spoke with a sigh.
“Do you forfeit the match?”
“I do. I lose.”
“Woo! Big bro! Yay!”
The kids in the audience cheered.
The girl who had kicked Satoshi in the knee rang a bell.
“Iwark. That's enough.” Takeshi called out.
Iwark loosened its grip on Pikachu.
Pikachu was unable to even stand. He lost consciousness and collapsed on the spot.
Takeshi ran over to Pikachu even before Satoshi could.
Takeshi put an ear to Pikachu's chest and let out a sigh of relief.
“Don't worry. It's still breathing.”
He gave instructions to Satoshi as he ran over.
“Get it treated at the Pokémon Center quickly...”
“Right.”
Satoshi replied as he picked up the fallen Pikachu before Takeshi yelled at him again.
“The match is over. Hurry. It's your precious Pikachu, right?”
Carrying the unconscious Pikachu, Satoshi ran to the Pokémon Center.
He felt pathetic. And also worried about Pikachu.
Satoshi was unable to hold back the tears streaming down his face as he ran.
***
“The Nibi Gym Leader sure is strong. To defeat this Pikachu in such a way.”
Joy murmured as she examined the unconscious Pikachu.
“Eh?”
Satoshi couldn't believe his ears. ... Complimenting Takeshi's strength while Pikachu was still in this condition... It's a bit too callous?
But the one to voice their thoughts was Kasumi.
“That's horrible! Where do you get off? Talking like that.”
Nobody could beat Kasumi when it came to being the first to speak their mind.
Joy smiled at the enraged Kasumi.
“Calm down... This Pikachu will be just fine...”
“What do you mean by just fine?” ... There's nothing fine about him! My Pikachu hasn't moved a muscle since the match ended... Satoshi was the one who flared up this time.
“Your Pikachu... doesn't have a single scratch. He's simply sleeping from exhaustion.”
“He's just sleeping?”
Satoshi asked back.
“He's exhausted a lot of his electrical energy though. But he should be able to recover fine from this on his own. Just let him rest. Let him sleep for today and he should wake up just fine tomorrow... He'll be able to enjoy his breakfast.”
Joy softly placed Pikachu into the cot he had slept in last night.
“Um... Isn't there some way... to charge him up or something?”
Kasumi asked.
“It's no different to humans? If you take unnecessary medicine just because you're feeling tired, you'll only make yourself sick. If we force any strong man made currents on Pikachu at the moment, we'll only harm the electrical pouches on his cheeks... We should let nature run its course. A doctor's job isn't to go doping up their patients. If it's something that will recover naturally, then it's best to leave it be. When the patient is unable to recover on their own is when we need prescriptions and treatment.”
“I'm still not convinced Pikachu will be fine.” Satoshi was still concerned.
“Me too...” Kasumi felt the same way.
“The Nibi Gym Leader is an admirable man.” Joy said with a smile.
“Eh?”
“After examining this Pikachu, I see that he won without injuring it's body. It's an ideal form of Pokémon Battle.”
“An ideal form of Pokémon Battle... One where you don't harm your opponent... huh?”
Kasumi nodded.
“That's a good point. Especially when there's instances where people go for overkill after already defeating their opponent.”
“When it's not a situation of predator and prey, fights between living creatures will typically end the moment it's clear who's stronger. They have no reason to gravely injure the weak... The only ones who go for extra damage or outright killing are humans.”
Joy shrugged as she spoke.
“Well, as long as Pikachu's okay, I'll challenge him again tomorrow. I won't give in!”
Satoshi shouted.
“Satoshi-kun... You... might be better off studying a little more instead.”
Joy said kindly.
“I agree... You're short on both skill and knowledge.” Kasumi nodded.
“What was that?”
“What Pokémon would want face an opponent they lost to a second or third time? ... Fighting when you know you'll lose is the action of a human moron. Think of the poor Pokémon you're commanding...”
Satoshi wanted to say ...What was that?... to Kasumi again, but she'd only respond with ...You need me to spell it out again?... anyway, so he dropped it.
“What do you think I should do then?” ... He felt a little pathetic having to ask.
“You really are a moron. This isn't the only town with a gym. There's plenty of other towns with gyms in this region. All you need to do is win at eight of them.”
Kasumi spoke with the tone of an older sister.
“Even a poor marksman will hit a target with enough shots... huh?” Satoshi murmured the proverb he had only recently learned.
“However...” Joy spoke seriously.
“There's always next time. Next time I'll do better. There's people with that kind of mindset without any real plan will wander constantly from town to town never winning at all.”
Joy looked through the window to the center's lobby.
There was an old man sitting on a chair eating a piece of anpan.
“That old man came here three days ago, according to the center's records, it's his fourth time in town. The last time he was here was twenty years ago.”
“Twenty years ago...” That was twice Satoshi's age.
“Of course, that was before I was born.” Joy said.
“That old man is over eighty years old. For as long as he's been aiming to become a Pokémon Trainer, he's relied on centers for his bed and food. Yet even now he travels between towns aiming to become a Pokémon Trainer. That old man... a medical examination said that he no longer has the stamina to continue as a trainer. I have no idea how I can break the news to him though...”
“You haven't told him?” Kasumi asked.
“Not yet, but I'm sure he's already realised it himself.”
“Eh?” Kasumi asked back.
“I've received contact from elsewhere. That old man gets a medical examination at every Pokémon Center he goes to. And every time the result is the same...”
“No good?” Satoshi asked.
Joy nodded.
“The old man continues to travel from town to town, but doesn't go to the gyms. He goes from town to town hoping that a center somewhere will tell him he's fit to keep training after his medical examination. But I couldn't do that.”
Gshk.
There was a sound of a chair moving.
The old man slowly made his way to the counter.
... It's not like we were trash talking him or anything, but...
Satoshi and Kasumi stiffened instinctively.
“Joy-san. I'm going for a walk.” The old man said.
“Sure. Enjoy yourself.” Joy replied.
The old man silently left via the foyer.
The tense moment dissipated and Satoshi and Kasumi let out a relaxed sigh.
“It's kind of sad...” Kasumi said.
“He's like a fossil of a trainer.” Satoshi said.
“Speaking of fossils...” Joy said trying to change the mood.
“This town has a science museum. And as luck would have it, it's only open on weekends. How about you go check it out?”
“But I need to look after my Pikachu...”
“Just let him sleep until tomorrow morning. Amateur attempts to care for a Pokémon that just needs rest are counter-productive. Pikachu is under my care... Anyway, the museum. It may not be anything special, but the uninformed may just learn something there.”
Joy gave a bright smile.
Chapter 1 appendix
(... If you're in a hurry, feel free to skip ahead to chapter 2. ... However, there may be some important information written here that nobody has ever seen before.)
... Pokémon Related Reference Material 3...
Regarding certain (particularly noteworthy) aspects of Pokémon biology.
Currently, it's said there are 151 confirmed species of Pokémon... (There are written reports that treat this number as established fact, however there are some Pokémon within this number whose bones or fossils have not been confirmed.)
For example, there are the mythical Pokémon Fyre (similar to the legendary bird of fire, the phoenix, known throughout the world) and Freezre (a legendary bird of ice).
And since legendary Pokémon (resembling Eastern dragons of legend) like Hakuryuu and Kairyuu are included in the number of 151, that 151 isn't quite a solid number.
Besides, the distinction between mythical Pokémon and legendary Pokémon isn't quite clear. The mythical Pokémon Fyre and Freezre have names inspired by English words, while the use of the Eastern term ryuu (dragon) describes the legendary Pokémon, this is the most likely explanation I can come up with, but with deeper consideration it's an odd classification system. For example, the name dragon would make it mythical, while ryuu would classify it as legendary.
... Budweiser is Western and Kirin is Eastern... But either way it's still beer, it makes for a convincing argument... (Whoops, slightly off topic there) The point I'm trying to make, is that among the 151 species of Pokémon, not only the rare ones, but the ones you encounter every day, have some instances of truly bizarre biology for a living creature.
It goes without saying that this world is made of organic matter that supports life and inorganic matter like air, water and minerals that don't support life.
To fully outline the difference between organic and inorganic matter would take several thousand page volumes, so forgoing any long explanation, normally lifeforms are made of organic matter.
It's a given that lifeforms contain the proteins that make up organic matter. ... That is to say that these proteins are what carry genetic information. Whether it be animal or plant, life requires the proteins that make up organic material.
That said, there are certain Pokémon that completely ignore this basic law of biology.
For example, rock type Pokémon, like Ishitsubute, Golone or Iwark have bodies clearly made from mineral substance.
... Or the magnet Pokémon, Koil and Rarekoil. Given the attraction and repulsion between the north and south poles of magnets, their movements may not even be those of living beings. At best, they're no different to magnetised minerals like steel or copper.
... Or the poison gas Pokémon Dogas which was first discovered in a military warehouse. If gas were a living being, we'd be killers for just boiling hot water. Drawing a hot bath would be a massacre. But remain calm. Gas is inorganic. Yet, Dogas is alive.
... Nowadays, in areas plagued by industrial waste, you'll likely find the sludge Pokémon Betobetah... Since sludge typically contains inorganic matter hazardous to lifeforms, the people of the city went into an uproar at its discovery.
Anyway, there are a number of Pokémon existing in this world with their bodies not comprising of any organic matter.
But inorganic matter doesn't support life.
These inorganic Pokémon have easily smashed right through this basic common sense logic.
Why not have inorganic lifeforms? What's the point of denying it? ... Some optimistic scholars take this viewpoint.
But if inorganic material can gain sentience, then it wouldn't be odd to assume things from old sci-fi (science fiction) novels or sci-fi films like living robots and computers or machines with souls to be discovered and/or invented.
This would remove the fiction from sci-fi (science fiction), leaving sci-fi authors unemployed along with various other dangerous outcomes. For example, dolls and other toys don't come to life and start moving no matter how well they're cared for. Anime and manga are merely drawn images. No matter how smoothly a character in a game moves, they aren't a real living being.
However, for centuries the number of people who consider their dolls and toys or characters from anime, manga and games as living beings who are their friends, or even lovers, have increased.
This is acceptable as a child, but allowing it to continue into adulthood leads to people who love inanimate objects more than other living beings, it is estimated that about 30% of humanity have currently reached this state. As these people love inanimate objects, as adults they never marry other people and never have children.
Due to the declining birthrates, there are some people who lament the inevitable collapse of the human race.
It was at this point that Pokémon made of inorganic substances appeared. If inorganic substances can gain life, then other beloved inanimate things like fictional characters may come to life too.
This fact served to encourage those who love inanimate objects.
If a person who loved fighter jets, tanks or other weapons discovered the poison gas Pokémon Dogas in a military warehouse, they would jump for joy.
If a real life fighter jet Pokémon or tank Pokémon were discovered, I could befriend it and play out our own little war games.
If a pistol Pokémon or sword Pokémon came into being, we could become best friends and they'd take care of people I don't like in my stead.
There may not be that many people who love war machines or other weapons, but a lot of people love dolls and anime characters.
If perhaps, a doll Pokémon or anime Pokémon came to exist, I'd be able to quit researching Pokémon and befriend my beloved doll Pokémon and anime Pokémon and live a joyful life.
Whoops, I may have let my personal opinions out a bit there. My apologies.
Can inorganic material support life? Let's return to that question.
Around the mid 20th century... a unique (peculiar) theory about life came to be.
It was a theory about inorganic objects not only having life, but something akin to a soul.
The one who came up with this theory was Dr. Lycamo Watson.
I'd like to make clear that this Watson isn't Detective Holmes's friend, but a real scholar named Dr. Watson.
I'll try to explain his theory in simple terms.
For example, you may have even experienced this yourself, but something you thought you'd lost and long since forgotten suddenly turns up one day in a place you never would have expected.
For example, finding a pen or pencil you thought you'd lost years ago in the corner of a room... despite having cleaned out that corner several times before and never finding the pen or pencil there before.
Another example would be cleaning out your closet for the first time in years and finding a doll you could have sworn you'd thrown out as a child in there?
You may have rearranged the closet a few times. But it hadn't been in there at the time.
But why would it turn up once you had forgotten it?
Dr. Watson had a hypothesis. It wasn't a case of you finding it, but the forgotten item wanting to be found.
You had loved it once and treated it well and it had come out wanting to meet you again.
Basically, inanimate objects, though lacking a soul, had the potential to develop something similar to one.
There's something in golf known as a hole in one. It's when the golf ball ends up in the hole within a single stroke, however this event is so rare that it's considered miraculous even for pro golfers.
However, this miracle has been known to happen even for amateur (inexperienced) golfers.
The chances of a pro and an amateur getting a hole in one are actually fairly equal.
Regardless of whether your good or bad at golf, these miracles continue to occur.
Why is that?
Isn't this something to mull over?
Getting a hole in one is the ultimate dream of any golfer.
In order to grant this dream, the ball went into the hole.
Regardless of the golfer's skill, the ball went into the hole for them.
There are other similar examples.
For example, an archaeologist at a dig site discovering an ancient stone tool.
They find a fragment of the stone tool.
If an ordinary person had found it, they'd consider it as nothing but a normal rock.
Even so, among the earth and rocks they discover earthenware and stone tools.
How is it the archaeologist distinguished the earthenware and tools from ordinary rocks?
Many archaeologists give the same answer.
“I thought something might be there and it just turned up.”
They didn't find it, it found them.
The earthenware and tools used by ancient people would naturally desire to be found by a person who wanted to search for it.
No, perhaps the word desire is a little too lifelike.
But with something similar to desire, the inanimate earthenware and tool fragments may have moved on their own...
This power could be considered a form of inorganic life with no organic components...
There are people who decry this theory as ridiculous, however a great number of people now subscribe to this theory, not only in the field of studying life, but also in studying philosophy.
All studies of life and biology ultimately lead to humans gaining a deeper understanding of themselves.
Rock Pokémon and poison gas Pokémon, despite being inorganic are alive.
And of course there are other inorganic Pokémon as well.
I believe that by studying inorganic Pokémon we may also unlock the secrets of organic Pokémon, ultimately leading to the human race gaining a deeper understanding of themselves along the way.
... A nameless Pokémon Researcher with absolutely no relation at all to Professor Ookido...
An excerpt from an email sent to Masaki Sonezaki
A Pokémon Analyst who participated in the 98th International Portable Beast Academic Conference
Annotations by Masaki Sonezaki
The Dr. Lycamo Watson referred to in the text is likely a misspelling of the name of biologist Dr. Lyall Watson.
In the latter half of the 20th century he made a name for himself in a field known as new science.
Getting such a rudimentary detail as his name incorrect brings the level of confidence (or credibility) I have in this email to plummet. Forcing a name drop into such half baked theories... it's a shame.
New science... A method of thought that deals with not only hard science, but also spiritual matters. Do you understand the concept?
Translation Notes:
• "In English you would call it pewter", originally this line said that nibi colour (にびいろ) is written as (鈍色) in kanji.
• "Spar City" in the original Japanese was "Sabi City" a pun on "rust" (sabitsuita) and "desolate" (sabishii), a pun on "sparsity" was the best English alternative I could come up with.
• Ishigaki strawberries are strawberries grown on a stone wall.
• Anpan is a bread roll filled with anko, or red bean paste.
• Lyall Watson is a real person who lived from 1939 to 2008.
It's not certain where the name for Nibi City came from.
However, the surrounding region has a number of towns with colour themed naming, so the prevailing theory is that Nibi City was also named with colour in mind.
Not many would know of the colour nibi... but it's defined in the dictionary.
The term nibi colour is fairly old fashioned. In English you would call it pewter... a dark grey colour. A dull colour. In other words, the colour of an average rock or boulder.
Since olden times, Nibi City has been well known for its stone.
In the past, stone was commonly used as a material to build buildings, monuments and graves.
Beautiful stone like marble in particular was used to build important government buildings, rich people's bathtubs or statues of famous people. Long ago, Nibi City was a bustling metropolis filled with marble, back then it was called Marble City.
The colour of marble is a patterned light ashen grey, not a light yellow or light pink, not even a chocolatey brown.
However the mines ran out of marble, and not long after the name Marble City faded away.
Eventually, other types of stone were also replaced by concrete and synthetic materials.
Nowadays, stone is only really used for either gravestones or to weigh down tsukemono pickles.
Nibi City is no longer the bustling place it once was.
The majority of young people, not liking pickles and not keen on dealing in graves, moved out of the town, leaving behind a population of old miners. With few visitors, the sparsity of the town's population led to it rusting over, they may end up changing the name to Spar City soon enough. ... That's what the tourism guides have to say about Nibi City, but last year's revised guidebooks have a new addition.
Fossils of ancient lifeforms were found in the old stone mines.
The fossil was named the Nibisaurus.
When it was discovered, hoping it would become a tourist attraction the mayor and city hall used the budget allocated for a retirement home to build a science museum focused on ancient lifeforms.
The Nibisaurus alone wasn't enough for a whole museum, so they borrowed extra fossils from other nearby museums, leading to biology experts from nearby universities gathering to work as researchers at the museum.
However the result of the experts investigation brought about an unexpected truth.
The Nibisaurus used as the centrepiece was actually a fragment of an Omanyte, an ancient Pokémon with many other fossils on record. ... The discovered Omanyte fossil was of a malnourished specimen, thus its emaciated form was mistaken for something else.
Nibi City council, having already built the science museum and having no reason to put the museum's researchers out of a job, eventually settled on having it open to the public only on weekends.
Unfortunately, with the museum's only attraction being an Omanyte fossil, it brings very little in the way of tourism, the day it becomes Spar City may not be far off.
***
After entering Nibi City, Satoshi and Kasumi went towards the Pokémon Center.
In addition to being Pokémon hospitals, Pokémon Centers also acted as hotels for aspiring Pokémon Trainers on their journeys.
If you show your Pokémon Field Guide in place of your ID, you can stay free of charge.
“You're here. I've been expecting you.”
The female doctor at the Pokémon Center smiled at Satoshi and the others as they entered. She was the doctor who had received the Monster Balls transferred to Nibi City when the Tokiwa City Pokémon Center was under attack from Team Rocket.
“Ah...”
Satoshi's eyes widened when he saw her face.
She looked identical to the doctor in Tokiwa City.
The doctor nodded, taking Satoshi's surprise in stride.
“We look identical, don't we? Myself and Tokiwa City's Joy. She's my younger sister... My name is also Joy.”
Used to staying at Pokémon Centers, Kasumi spoke as she signed her name on the register of people staying the night.
“Most doctors at Pokémon Centers are named Joy.”
“That's right, we're all related. ... It can get a little confusing, so you can call me the most beautiful of the Joys.”
“Fufu.”
Kasumi laughed.
“What's so funny?” Joy asked her.
“Every city's Joy-san says that.”
“Oh my... How self centred of them.”
Joy and Kasumi both shrugged.
Satoshi slapped his hands as he spoke.
“Oh yeah. I just remembered, Kasumi referred to herself as the world's greatest beauty earlier...”
“Oh, is that so?” Joy said.
Though he probably should have dropped it, Satoshi answered anyway.
“What a joke. It's hilarious. I mean who'd consider Kasumi as beautiful anyway... Seriously.”
“What was that!?”
To stop Kasumi from completely exploding at Satoshi, Joy stepped in with more to say.
“Anyway, thank you both for helping my little sister. It's due to your efforts that all the Center's Pokémon are safe. I'm sure your Pokémon are tired by now. I'll be glad to take them for you.”
Kasumi nodded when her Pokémon were brought up.”
“Oh yeah. Right. We need to revitalise our Pokémon...”
Restoring the vitality of Pokémon tired out from battle was one of the Pokémon Center's important functions.
“You're right. I'll be challenging the Nibi City Gym tomorrow. I can't go wasting my time with Kasumi.”
Satoshi removed two Monster Balls from his belt, and handed them to Joy.
They were the Monster Balls containing the Pidgeon and Butterfree he got in Tokiwa Forest.
“As if I actually want to spend time with you!”
Kasumi's short cut hair stood on end as she handed her Monster Balls to Joy.
“Bleh! I've got three of them.”
One more than Satoshi had.
“Counting Pikachu, I have three too. Right, Pikachu?”
No answer came from Pikachu.
“Huh? Pikachu! Where'd you go?”
“Oh, the Pikachu that was with you...”
Joy began speaking.
“He's already resting.”
Further inside the Center, there was in an incubator like a baby's cot.
Pikachu was sleeping in it.
Pikachu are typically nocturnal.
So they usually become active at night.
But in a safe place, there's no reason not to sleep at night.
If a Pikachu has to deal with creatures like humans who sleep at night, it's better to just sleep at night if there's a safe place to do so.
Besides, Satoshi was planning to challenge the Pokémon Gym tomorrow morning.
The sooner he rests away his fatigue the better.
That said, it's hard to say whether Pikachu was actually aware of tomorrow's battle.
But Pikachu was sound asleep.
Almost as if he could sense tomorrow's battle approaching.
***
Oversleeping was practically Satoshi's special ability, but he woke up on time for once.
He woke up immediately as the Triple Bird Pokémon Dodrio began crowing to announce daybreak.
Without eating breakfast, he picked up the still sleeping Pikachu from his cot and dashed from the Pokémon Center.
And spent the next three hours lined up outside the gym until it opened.
Although it's not really a line if he's the only one there.
According to the map in the Pokémon Center, the Nibi City Pokémon Gym was in a backstreet on the city's outskirts.
Although Nibi City was known as a city of stone, the gym was a wooden building that looked ready to collapse... it had some resemblance to a school gymnasium.
Looking at the entryway outside the gate straight on, Satoshi began to lean slightly.
It wasn't an issue with Satoshi's ability to stand straight, the building itself was slanted like a rhombus.
Looking closely, the wall was patched up with plywood in a few places.
There were even a few spots under the eaves where the rain and wind wouldn't get that were patched with cardboard or plastic garbage bags. ... Is this really a Pokémon Gym?...
No matter how many times Satoshi rubbed his eyes, the sign... for some reason, the sign alone was impressively large and made of marble, had the words “Commemorating 100 years... Nibi City Gym” carved into it. Underneath it said it was open all year round. Business hours were from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. From 12:00 to 1:00 it was closed for lunch... There was an additional break from 3:00 to 4:00 for tea... All that was written on the sign.
It seems the place was undeniably a Pokémon Gym.
However, even one hour from opening time, Satoshi was still the only one waiting.
... I'm the only one here...
Pikachu was dozing by Satoshi's feet.
... You gotta be kidding me...
Having come to challenge a Pokémon Gym for the first time, it was somewhat of an anticlimax for Satoshi.
In his hometown of Masara Town, any time something related to Pokémon was released, like new goods at the supermarket or a new video at the video rental store, there was always a huge line of kids.
The word Pokémon was practically synonymous with having to line up as far as Satoshi was concerned.
... Maybe they're not open today...
The next thing he knew, he could smell delicious miso soup. ... I'm starving... I should've eaten breakfast before leaving the Pokémon Center...
I wonder if there's a convenience store where I can buy some onigiri nearby...
But there doesn't appear to be anywhere like that nearby. ... And if I wandered off to buy something, the line might build up while I'm gone...
While he floundered about such matters, opening time grew closer.
Yet nobody lined up behind Satoshi.
Just before opening time arrived, he heard a voice shout from behind him.
“Aah! There you are! Don't think you'll escape me!”
It was Kasumi.
“Escape? What are you talking about?”
“Oh, so you weren't running away then.”
Satoshi was indeed responsible for taking Kasumi's bike without permission and reducing it to scrap.
Kasumi had tearfully left the remains of her bike at a dump in Tokiwa City.
“I never run from anything... I'm the man aiming to be the ultimate trainer.”
“You're speaking nonsense. Any kid can become a Pokémon Trainer. And that has nothing to do with my bike... You weren't in the Pokémon Center's cafeteria this morning, so I figured you were trying to skip out on paying me back for my bike and ran off.”
... Morning... Cafeteria?... Hearing those words made Satoshi's stomach growl.
“What did you eat?”
“Eh?”
“Breakfast, what did you eat?”
“Toast... With lots of strawberry jam.”
“Lots of jam.”
Satoshi's mind wandered.
“It's not particularly well known, but this city grows really good ishigaki strawberries. Joy-san recommended them.”
“Pikachu...”
Having been asleep until now, Pikachu was now awake and making noise.
“What did you eat next?”
Satoshi asked, with an expression almost as if he was going to eat Kasumi's thoughts.
“Ｓｃｒａｍｂｌｅｄ ｅｇｇｓ. Ａｎｄ ｃａｆｅ ａｕ ｌａｉｔ... Ｓｕｇａｒｌｅｓｓ.”
“What language is that!?”
“Oh, you don't know? What language do you think it is, they're fairly common menu items... I guess Masara Town really is out in the boonies... Oh, that smells nice.”
Kasumi noticed the scent wafting from the gym.
“Miso soup… Goes well with rice for breakfast. Especially miso soup with tofu and pickled seaweed and cucumbers.”
“Silence!”
Having skipped breakfast, Satoshi would settle for western food, Japanese food, Chinese food or even cat food. (Rice with katsuobushi bonito flakes... cats love that stuff.)
And so “Tofu sounds good, but I think I'll fry some sprouts in oil today... A little wakegi (a type of scallion)...”
A young man, the one speaking, suddenly came between Satoshi and Kasumi.
“The miso stock goes well with dried sardines.. Today's tsukemono should be picked eggplant extract... Going by today's weather, they shouldn't be pickled longer than twelve hours or else they'll go sour.”
Though I say young man... he had thick eyebrows and traces of facial hair... Which made him practically a full grown adult compared to the ten year old Satoshi.
But if not for the facial hair, you may not have even realised he was male.
He wore an apron with a heart mark on it and carried a broom which he used to sweep outside the gate.
It seems he was connected to the Nibi Gym.
“Uh...”
Satoshi spoke up.
“Oh, cucumber tsukemono would take a bit longer, but it should be fine.”
“Thanks...” Kasumi instinctively thanked the man for the lesson on tsukemono.
“So pops...”
Satoshi wanted to ask about the Nibi Gym.
“Don't call me pops!”
The man said with a tense expression.
“I'm still only fifteen... By the way, miss...”
The man in the apron smiled at Kasumi.
“May I ask your age? Ah, is it impolite of me to ask a lady's age?”
He ignored Satoshi entirely.
“Eh? ... It's fine... I'm already an adult. I'm ten years old.” Kasumi answered.
“Another eight years and things could really get interesting... I'd be twenty three. You'd be eighteen. Uh huh.”
The man nodded with a serious expression.
The significance of being eight years wasn't quite apparent... but speaking of eighteen year olds... Satoshi recalled that was the same age his mother Hanako got married.
Kasumi answered the man with no knowledge of this fact.
“Huh... I suppose I will be eighteen eight years from now.” Kasumi said.
“I'll be eighteen too.” Satoshi added without thinking.
“I didn't ask you.”
The man went back to ignoring Satoshi and spoke to Kasumi.
“My name is Takeshi... Takeshi of Nibi City's Nibi Gym. You may call me Takeshi-kun... actually, as long as it's you, I don't mind if you just go with Takeshi.”
“Takeshi-san!”
Using neither -kun or dropping formalities entirely, Satoshi addressed him with a -san.
“Hm? What is it, kid?”
Takeshi looked at Satoshi almost as if he hadn't noticed him until now.
“I... came to get Nibi Gym's badge! I'd like to meet the gym leader.”
“You've got guts kid... You're planning to challenge a gym leader just like that?”
Takeshi shrugged as he spoke.
“Normally before challenging a gym leader, you need to have some practice matches with the gym's members to warm up.”
“I've got Pikachu. We won't lose.”
“Pika?”
Having heard his name mentioned, Pikachu turned his head.
Kasumi shook her head in exasperation.
“You sure you wanna do this? ... Gym leaders are a lot stronger than your average trainer.”
“I'm aiming to become the ultimate trainer. I can't go putting things off before I get my first badge.”
Kasumi's jaw dropped.
... Isn't he getting a little too carried away here?...
“If you can't stand putting things off, how about you reimburse me for my bike?”
Kasumi said coldly.
“I've gotta beat the Nibi Gym's trainers first.”
“Fine, but don't expect any help from me.”
“I didn't want your help anyway.” Satoshi said indifferently.
... Why you...
Kasumi swung a fist in anger.
“You should!”
It didn't matter either way... Satoshi thought.
“Even if you offered help... it wouldn't be anything useful.”
... How dare he...
In both the Tokiwa City Pokémon Center and Tokiwa Forest, Kasumi had done her best to offer support to Satoshi.
If he doesn't appreciate it then he's not a young man at all... He's a brat. A twerp. A blockhead. A screwball.
“Fine, whatever...”
Ignoring Satoshi, Kasumi spoke to Takeshi.
“Um, you were Nibi Gym's...”
She had forgotten his name.
“It's Takeshi.” Takeshi replied without a moment's delay.
“Ah... Takeshi-san. Please take this screwball kid to see your leader... so that he can be utterly crushed to pieces...”
Takeshi spoke as he continued sweeping outside the gate with his broom.
“Miss. I have no idea about your relationship with this boy, but when a girl deals with a boy, no matter how weird, unpleasant, charmless, bratty or screwballish...”
Satoshi became increasingly angry.
Continuing to sweep, Takeshi spoke with almost a whisper.
“Treat him with kindness. It's a losing battle for this twerp. Don't let him go through with this. No matter how horrible this child is, you shouldn't push him against the inevitable. That is the role of a girl. That is the role of kindness. Kindness becomes you well, miss... at least in my humble opinion.”
His lines were kinda cool.
Kasumi got caught up in them and whispered back.
“I am indeed a girl. Yet, still only ten years old... Do you really seek a mature kindness from me?”
Kasumi's answer came in a monotone like an amateur voice actress reading straight off the script of an anime.
It seemed she thought the whispering made it sound cool.
Takeshi and Kasumi were lost in a world of their own.
“Cut it out already... You're pissing me off...”
Satoshi suddenly began shouting at the gym beyond the gate.
“I'm Satoshi of Masara Town. I'm a man aiming to become the ultimate trainer... With my ultimate partners, Pikachu... Butterfree... and Pidgeon, I challenge the Nibi Gym! My name is Satoshi of Masara Town... You hear me? Nibi Gym leader!”
Takeshi stopped sweeping in front of the gate.
“Masara Town...? Did you just say Masara Town?”
“Yeah, I'm Satoshi of Masara Town.” Satoshi answered.
“I didn't ask for your name. But you're from Masara Town.” Takeshi spoke in a low voice.
“That's right. I'm Masara Town's fourth batter... Satoshi, the cleanup hitter.”
“Fourth batter?” Takeshi asked back.
“That's right. Four days ago, four guys left Masara Town on a journey. And the strongest of them is me, Satoshi!”
Not that I've got the confidence to back my words up, but Kasumi and Takeshi have spouted crap too. It's only fair I get to talk myself up a bit... Satoshi thought to himself.
What's going on?... Pikachu thought as he stared blankly.
The three humans seem to be enjoying their chat.
However, Pikachu, still feeling hungry, had a bad feeling about the upcoming battle.
“You said Masara Town.”
Takeshi said once more.
Upon those words, Pikachu took a defensive stance.
He had felt something frightening about Takeshi since the moment they met.
However his words just now had surpassed frightening and gone straight into dangerous.
As long as you don't provoke something frightening, nothing will happen.
However something dangerous can be set off by anything, and it'll pursue you if you attempt an escape.
Pikachu felt danger in Takeshi's words.
“We've just had three trainers pass through... All from Masara Town.”
“Eh?”
Satoshi gulped.
“The first guy's Pokémon was ridiculously fast. It was tough trying to slow him down.”
I wonder who that was... Satoshi thought about the other kids who left Masara Town the same day he did.
Before he could figure out who it was, Takeshi continued speaking.
“The second guy's Pokémon were cautious and firm.”
Who could that be?
“The third guy, was downright gaudy. He had a cheerleader squad following him around. The cheerleaders were all girls I'd have a good time with in another eight, wait no, three years.”
Takeshi said keenly.
Satoshi had a pretty good idea who the third guy was. ... A guy walking around with his personal cheer squad... It had to be Shigeru.
Satoshi decided to ask Takeshi.
“So how did he do?”
“He wasn't just all talk. His Pokémon were fast, firm and above all, powerful.”
... They're all way ahead of me... Satoshi panicked. He wanted to ask Takeshi.
... Did they all get the badge?...
But before he could ask, Takeshi spoke to him.
“And you, number four, are the toughest of them all?”
“Eh? ... Me?”
When asked directly, he had to maintain his pride.
“Of course. Whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner, you always save the best dish for last. I'm Masara Town's cleanup hitter.”
Takeshi nodded.
“Then I guess the Nibi Gym leader will have to take you on after all.”
“I can meet him?”
Satoshi shouted.
“You've already met him.”
“Huh?”
Satoshi and Kasumi both stared at Takeshi in bewilderment.
Takeshi tossed away his broom and removed his apron.
Takeshi stood there in his pajamas.
“I am the Nibi Gym leader, Takeshi.”
“You...”
“You're...” Satoshi and Kasumi stared at Takeshi wide eyed.
And then a small girl came running out.
She looked to be about three or four years old.
“Big bro. Aren't you having any more miso soup?”
“There's still some miso soup left...?”
Takeshi asked the little girl.
“Yeah. About half a bowl... It's not much... But everyone thinks you should have it.”
Takeshi spoke to the little girl.
“Thanks. But you can split the miso soup amongst yourselves. Big bro has to have a gym battle.”
“Gym battle?” The little girl asked back.
Takeshi looked at Satoshi as he spoke to the little girl.
“This person is a challenger from Masara Town. I need to accept his challenge.”
“Masara Town?”
The little girl furrowed her brow slightly.
The little girl wandered over in front of Satoshi.
“You're from Masara Town?”
“Yeah.”
Satoshi answered.
The next thing he knew, his knee was in pain.
“Owowow!”
The little girl had kicked Satoshi in the leg.
And then the little girl glared at Satoshi as she spoke.
“You won't get off so easy when my big bro crushes you.”
“What's her problem?”
Takeshi held the little girl back.
“She's my little sister. Sorry. She's lacking in manners... Anyway, come on inside.”
Takeshi picked up the little girl and vanished through the gym's back entrance.
“I'm opening the main entrance now...”
Takeshi's voice came from inside the gym.
Gogogogo...
The gym's entrance opened with a rumble.
Despite only being made of wood, the sound of the doorway opening was exaggerated like a stone gate opening.
***
That wasn't the only thing over the top.
Inside the building was as large as the schoolyard back at the school Satoshi attended in Masara Town.
On the ceiling were lamps lined up like the lighting in a TV studio, lighting up one by one.
It was a lot larger than it had seemed from outside.
It really was like a gymnasium.
Though there were a few spots where the walls were crumbling and repairs weren't exactly thorough.
More importantly, the building had no floor.
Just the pure earth ground with a few boulders scattered around.
“This is where we're battling?”
Satoshi faltered slightly.
The only Pokémon Satoshi had were Pikachu, Pidgeon and Butterfree.
None of them were impressively large Pokémon.
On such a large ground, Satoshi felt just running around could tire them out.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to wash up after breakfast. It'd be nice if we could afford an automatic dishwasher...”
Takeshi appeared atop a particularly large boulder wearing his combat gear.
He may have been speaking of domestic matters, his expression was serious, without a hint of a smile.
“I'll introduce myself again. I am Takeshi of Nibi City's official Pokémon Gym.”
It hadn't really been noticeable when he was wearing the apron earlier, but he was tall with a solid physique.
He had thick eyebrows and narrow eyes, when Satoshi got a decent view of the look in his eyes... he felt as if he wasn't a Pokémon Gym leader, he would be a man who would participate in human martial arts like boxing or wrestling.
“Man, he looks tough~”
Satoshi whispered, prompting Kasumi to say “What, scared already? You're not fighting him yourself. It's a Pokémon battle.”
“I know that.”
Satoshi said as he looked up at Takeshi on the boulder.
“I'll reintroduce myself too. I'm Satoshi of Masara Town.”
“The other three from Masara Town said the same thing, but I'm assuming this is your first gym battle?”
“Huh? I've got experience battling with a trainer training in the forest as well as Team Rocket.” Satoshi stated proudly. Takeshi shrugged.
“Gym matches are different from battles with amateurs or thugs. It's an official match endorsed by the government's Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology, Agency of Cultural Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of International Trade and Industry and Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Finance, the pre-merger Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Pokémon Scientific Community and the International Pokémon Trainer's Association.”
“Sounds complicated.” Satoshi said, as even Kasumi who was far more knowledgeable about Pokémon than him, tilted her head.
“Guess that's what it means to be official. ... The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is one thing, but why do you need endorsement from the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of International Trade and Industry?”
“Dunno.” Takeshi answered swiftly.
“Anyway, there's a whole lot of qualifications and approvals which may sound pretentious at first. While it's only natural to expect your Pokémon's injuries to require medical treatment, in the off chance a trainer is injured, our insurance policy will cover any doctor's fees or hospital charges. It's something to be thankful for. In exchange, the match has established rules.”
“Sounds like a pain in the ass.”
“Even if you're Masara Town's best Pokémon user, if you've never challenged a gym before, you're no different to a beginner. A beginner may use up to two Pokémon... They're permitted to battle freely anywhere on the battleground within this room.”
“If they can battle anywhere...” Satoshi asked.
“What?”
“Can't we make the battleground a little smaller?”
“Different city's gyms have their own characteristics. Conquering all the different circumstances is what qualifies you as a Pokémon Trainer. This is a city of stone. Which means you must battle in a world of stone. Now, have you chosen your two Pokémon?”
Satoshi was troubled. He only had three Pokémon to begin with.
Butterfree only evolved from Trancell yesterday... I better use something more familiar with itself, Satoshi thought.
“My Pokémon are Pikachu and Pidgeon.”
Takeshi spoke looking down at Pikachu.
“How long have you trained with that Pikachu?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Pokémon normally stay inside their Monster Balls. Doesn't it listen to you?”
“You're wrong. I just like being casual with my Pokémon.”
“Sure, whatever you say.” Kasumi said exasperated.
Takeshi then told Satoshi “If you like keeping it casual, then give up on the match. Pikachu is a cute Pokémon. But it's hardly powerful. It's more suited to life as a pet running around the palm of your hand.”
“Come on, as if he'd fit in the palm of my hand!”
Indeed, at around 40 centimetres, Pikachu was small enough to carry in your arms, but not small enough to sit on your hand.
Takeshi's lips curled into a slight grin.
“You should take care of cute things... that's all I'm saying.”
“Don't underestimate my Pikachu. If you do, you're in for a shock.” Satoshi said full of vitriol.
Lame! Kasumi was disappointed by Satoshi's line. Satoshi had no intention of making a joke though, his expression was serious. Which only made him lamer!
Takeshi gave a silent nod.
“If you insist then. As a gym trainer, I must accept all challengers.”
Takeshi leapt down from his boulder.
“There's no time limit! Let the match begin!”
At that moment, the audience seating was filled with children. The eldest boy wasn't much younger than Takeshi and the youngest was the three or four year old girl who had kicked Satoshi earlier, Kasumi was unable to count them all on her fingers. There had to be roughly twenty of them.
All of them wore aprons.
The boy shouted.
“Big bro. I'm not sure no time limit is a good idea, we need to watch the power bill.”
“I know. Has the laundry been done yet? Don't go beyond a double rinse, okay? We can't afford to waste any extra water.” Takeshi answered.
What the heck... this is supposed... to be a battle...
Satoshi deflated slightly.
The boy shouted.
“By the way, big bro. Don't let your guard down or you'll lose the way you did against the other three!”
“I know!”
Hold it? ... The other three?
“Just a minute.” Satoshi said to Takeshi.
“The other three, the three from Masara Town... you lost against them?”
Takeshi bit his lip.
“You're all from the same town. You'd hear about it sooner or later whether I tell you or not. I did indeed fail against them. Knowing my first opponent was from way out in the boonies, I made the mistake of going easy on him and used a weak Pokémon. The second one dragged his match out for a while and I started getting concerned about our power bill, so I got a bit flustered and tried to end things quickly. The group of cheerleaders with the third guy drew my attention and the next thing I knew I'd lost.” ... The guy with the cheerleaders had to be Shigeru.
“But if I have four consecutive losses against kids from the same town, the Nibi Gym's reputation will be damaged. Even if the power gets cut during the match. This time I won't lose. If I'm worried about our power bill, it'd only drag out the match anyway. And fortunately, the girl with you is still a bit immature to take my interest.”
Kasumi suddenly took notice of having been mentioned...
... He's calling me too immature...?
Ngh!
“Satoshi, beat the crap out that old man!”
She shouted as if giving an order.
Takeshi shook his head.
“Not gonna happen. I'll be using my strongest Pokémon right from the start this time.”
Takeshi pulled out a Monster Ball.
“I'll finish off your electric rat... within 30 seconds.”
“Pika?”
Pikachu's expression became irritated by Takeshi's words.
He may not be well versed in human words, but he could somehow tell that he was being dissed.
“My Pikachu can last longer than a TV commercial. As if he'll lose! Go! Pikachu.”
Pikachu, stretched out his shoulders in a way that seemed to say... let's get this over with... stepped forward.
Takeshi briefly gave Pikachu a kind look...
“I hate to pick on the weak, but the gym's reputation is at stake. It's for my family's sake... forgive me.”
Then he threw his Monster Ball.
“Go! Rock snake Pokémon... Iwark.”
Takeshi's Monster Ball opened with a flash of light.
Up to this point, the Monster Ball had been no different from any other.
But the moment he saw the Pokémon that came out, Pikachu was petrified stiff, fear written all over his face.
It was over ten times Pikachu's size.
It was a Pokémon like a snake made of round stones strung together like a necklace. It was Iwark.
Naturally, it was a Pokémon Satoshi had never seen.
He didn't even think to look it up in the Pokémon Field Guide.
No matter how he looked at it, it was so large and powerful looking that Pikachu didn't seem to have a chance of victory.
Satoshi spoke in a daze.
“The other three battled this Pokémon too?”
Takeshi shook his head.
“This guy is my trump card. My victory is assured this time. If I'd used him against the other three, I wouldn't have lost.”
“No way. That's not fair. Only using it against me.”
“That's why I'd like your forgiveness.”
“Asking for forgiveness sounds more like a line for when you're losing... right?”
He sought Pikachu's opinion on the matter, but Pikachu was no longer in front of Iwark.
“Huh? Pikachu?”
He noticed Pikachu by his feet, who gave a shrug as if to say ...You can't expect me to handle this...
“You can't give up without even fighting.”
Somewhat flustered, Satoshi pushed Pikachu forward.
“You're fired up then.” Takeshi said.
“Iwark. Tackle attack.”
Iwark stretched out its coiled body.
Then it began to fall towards Pikachu.
It sent shattered pieces of the battleground's boulders and stones flying.
Pikachu's only option was to run.
Pikachu wasn't the only one running.
Faced with the flying rock shards, the only option for Satoshi and Kasumi was to also run.
“Do something.”
Kasumi shouted.
“I'll hold out at least 30 seconds just running.”
“If all you can do is run, you may as well admit defeat already.”
“You say that, but...”
Satoshi considered the idea of switching out to Pidgeon.
Though no matter how hard it struck with its wings, Pidgeon probably couldn't lay a scratch on Iwark.
Besides, flying around while restricted by the ceiling of the indoor battleground would give it nowhere to escape to and tire it out.
That's when it happened.
“Kyah! Pikachu!”
Kasumi screamed.
Part of Iwark's tail was coiled around Pikachu.
Iwark coiled around Pikachu binding him tightly.
“I hate to do this, but Bind attack.”
Takeshi muttered.
Whether he truly hated it or felt sorry for his actions... hearing him quite deliberately give each order to Iwark pissed Satoshi off.
But this was no time to lose his cool.
Pikachu couldn't move a muscle within Iwark's grasp.
It was only a matter of time before he'd be crushed.
Satoshi's only option was to call out the best move Pikachu could muster in this situation.
“Pikachu! Use Thundershock!”
... As if you needed to ask... Pikachu knew he had no other moves he could rely on.
“Pikah!”
He discharged an electric shock as his whole body trembled.
But it had no effect on Iwark.
Takeshi spoke as he looked at the struggling Pikachu. There was a hint of bitterness in his tone.
“Its upbringing is lacking... An electric attack of that calibre will have no effect on a rock type Pokémon... Listen up, electricity can pass through certain stones and minerals, but they can also be insulated. Various minerals are mixed within the bodies of rock type Pokémon, meaning basic electric attacks won't work.”
“My Pikachu is better than basic.”
Pikachu let off a second and third discharge as he suffered.
Takeshi spoke.
“It's futile. No matter how much electricity you use, it'll only tire Pikachu out. And once it's all out of power...”
“Eh?” ... Satoshi was dumbfounded.
“Don't make me spell it out. If the gym runs out of power, we'll have a blackout. But if a living being like Pikachu exhausts all its power... Well, what do you think will happen? I'm sure you can guess.”
Satoshi was lost for words. ... It's true that Pikachu wasn't just a battery powered toy. He was alive. If all his bodily functions ceased, he wouldn't start back up with a change of batteries.
Takeshi spoke frankly.
“Give up the match. Don't let Pikachu use up any more power.”
The brightness had begun fading from the flashes of Pikachu's shocks.
It was clear he was weakening.
“Satoshi... At this rate...” Kasumi whispered.
“Pikachu is my Pikachu! I never asked for your input, Kasumi.”
Satoshi yelled.
“Please give up! Forfeit the match! A trainer fighting a losing battle like this is no better than abusing their Pokémon.”
Takeshi shouted.
Satoshi understood that.
But it was frustrating. Frustrating that Takeshi was the one who had to say it. Frustrating that he had to hear it from Kasumi too. But...
Satoshi looked at Pikachu. No, he couldn't even bare to look any more.
“That's enough.”
Satoshi fell to his knees in disappointment.
“Stop it. Please, stop it!”
Takeshi spoke with a sigh.
“Do you forfeit the match?”
“I do. I lose.”
“Woo! Big bro! Yay!”
The kids in the audience cheered.
The girl who had kicked Satoshi in the knee rang a bell.
“Iwark. That's enough.” Takeshi called out.
Iwark loosened its grip on Pikachu.
Pikachu was unable to even stand. He lost consciousness and collapsed on the spot.
Takeshi ran over to Pikachu even before Satoshi could.
Takeshi put an ear to Pikachu's chest and let out a sigh of relief.
“Don't worry. It's still breathing.”
He gave instructions to Satoshi as he ran over.
“Get it treated at the Pokémon Center quickly...”
“Right.”
Satoshi replied as he picked up the fallen Pikachu before Takeshi yelled at him again.
“The match is over. Hurry. It's your precious Pikachu, right?”
Carrying the unconscious Pikachu, Satoshi ran to the Pokémon Center.
He felt pathetic. And also worried about Pikachu.
Satoshi was unable to hold back the tears streaming down his face as he ran.
***
“The Nibi Gym Leader sure is strong. To defeat this Pikachu in such a way.”
Joy murmured as she examined the unconscious Pikachu.
“Eh?”
Satoshi couldn't believe his ears. ... Complimenting Takeshi's strength while Pikachu was still in this condition... It's a bit too callous?
But the one to voice their thoughts was Kasumi.
“That's horrible! Where do you get off? Talking like that.”
Nobody could beat Kasumi when it came to being the first to speak their mind.
Joy smiled at the enraged Kasumi.
“Calm down... This Pikachu will be just fine...”
“What do you mean by just fine?” ... There's nothing fine about him! My Pikachu hasn't moved a muscle since the match ended... Satoshi was the one who flared up this time.
“Your Pikachu... doesn't have a single scratch. He's simply sleeping from exhaustion.”
“He's just sleeping?”
Satoshi asked back.
“He's exhausted a lot of his electrical energy though. But he should be able to recover fine from this on his own. Just let him rest. Let him sleep for today and he should wake up just fine tomorrow... He'll be able to enjoy his breakfast.”
Joy softly placed Pikachu into the cot he had slept in last night.
“Um... Isn't there some way... to charge him up or something?”
Kasumi asked.
“It's no different to humans? If you take unnecessary medicine just because you're feeling tired, you'll only make yourself sick. If we force any strong man made currents on Pikachu at the moment, we'll only harm the electrical pouches on his cheeks... We should let nature run its course. A doctor's job isn't to go doping up their patients. If it's something that will recover naturally, then it's best to leave it be. When the patient is unable to recover on their own is when we need prescriptions and treatment.”
“I'm still not convinced Pikachu will be fine.” Satoshi was still concerned.
“Me too...” Kasumi felt the same way.
“The Nibi Gym Leader is an admirable man.” Joy said with a smile.
“Eh?”
“After examining this Pikachu, I see that he won without injuring it's body. It's an ideal form of Pokémon Battle.”
“An ideal form of Pokémon Battle... One where you don't harm your opponent... huh?”
Kasumi nodded.
“That's a good point. Especially when there's instances where people go for overkill after already defeating their opponent.”
“When it's not a situation of predator and prey, fights between living creatures will typically end the moment it's clear who's stronger. They have no reason to gravely injure the weak... The only ones who go for extra damage or outright killing are humans.”
Joy shrugged as she spoke.
“Well, as long as Pikachu's okay, I'll challenge him again tomorrow. I won't give in!”
Satoshi shouted.
“Satoshi-kun... You... might be better off studying a little more instead.”
Joy said kindly.
“I agree... You're short on both skill and knowledge.” Kasumi nodded.
“What was that?”
“What Pokémon would want face an opponent they lost to a second or third time? ... Fighting when you know you'll lose is the action of a human moron. Think of the poor Pokémon you're commanding...”
Satoshi wanted to say ...What was that?... to Kasumi again, but she'd only respond with ...You need me to spell it out again?... anyway, so he dropped it.
“What do you think I should do then?” ... He felt a little pathetic having to ask.
“You really are a moron. This isn't the only town with a gym. There's plenty of other towns with gyms in this region. All you need to do is win at eight of them.”
Kasumi spoke with the tone of an older sister.
“Even a poor marksman will hit a target with enough shots... huh?” Satoshi murmured the proverb he had only recently learned.
“However...” Joy spoke seriously.
“There's always next time. Next time I'll do better. There's people with that kind of mindset without any real plan will wander constantly from town to town never winning at all.”
Joy looked through the window to the center's lobby.
There was an old man sitting on a chair eating a piece of anpan.
“That old man came here three days ago, according to the center's records, it's his fourth time in town. The last time he was here was twenty years ago.”
“Twenty years ago...” That was twice Satoshi's age.
“Of course, that was before I was born.” Joy said.
“That old man is over eighty years old. For as long as he's been aiming to become a Pokémon Trainer, he's relied on centers for his bed and food. Yet even now he travels between towns aiming to become a Pokémon Trainer. That old man... a medical examination said that he no longer has the stamina to continue as a trainer. I have no idea how I can break the news to him though...”
“You haven't told him?” Kasumi asked.
“Not yet, but I'm sure he's already realised it himself.”
“Eh?” Kasumi asked back.
“I've received contact from elsewhere. That old man gets a medical examination at every Pokémon Center he goes to. And every time the result is the same...”
“No good?” Satoshi asked.
Joy nodded.
“The old man continues to travel from town to town, but doesn't go to the gyms. He goes from town to town hoping that a center somewhere will tell him he's fit to keep training after his medical examination. But I couldn't do that.”
Gshk.
There was a sound of a chair moving.
The old man slowly made his way to the counter.
... It's not like we were trash talking him or anything, but...
Satoshi and Kasumi stiffened instinctively.
“Joy-san. I'm going for a walk.” The old man said.
“Sure. Enjoy yourself.” Joy replied.
The old man silently left via the foyer.
The tense moment dissipated and Satoshi and Kasumi let out a relaxed sigh.
“It's kind of sad...” Kasumi said.
“He's like a fossil of a trainer.” Satoshi said.
“Speaking of fossils...” Joy said trying to change the mood.
“This town has a science museum. And as luck would have it, it's only open on weekends. How about you go check it out?”
“But I need to look after my Pikachu...”
“Just let him sleep until tomorrow morning. Amateur attempts to care for a Pokémon that just needs rest are counter-productive. Pikachu is under my care... Anyway, the museum. It may not be anything special, but the uninformed may just learn something there.”
Joy gave a bright smile.
(To be continued in chapter 2)
Chapter 1 appendix
(... If you're in a hurry, feel free to skip ahead to chapter 2. ... However, there may be some important information written here that nobody has ever seen before.)
... Pokémon Related Reference Material 3...
Regarding certain (particularly noteworthy) aspects of Pokémon biology.
Currently, it's said there are 151 confirmed species of Pokémon... (There are written reports that treat this number as established fact, however there are some Pokémon within this number whose bones or fossils have not been confirmed.)
For example, there are the mythical Pokémon Fyre (similar to the legendary bird of fire, the phoenix, known throughout the world) and Freezre (a legendary bird of ice).
And since legendary Pokémon (resembling Eastern dragons of legend) like Hakuryuu and Kairyuu are included in the number of 151, that 151 isn't quite a solid number.
Besides, the distinction between mythical Pokémon and legendary Pokémon isn't quite clear. The mythical Pokémon Fyre and Freezre have names inspired by English words, while the use of the Eastern term ryuu (dragon) describes the legendary Pokémon, this is the most likely explanation I can come up with, but with deeper consideration it's an odd classification system. For example, the name dragon would make it mythical, while ryuu would classify it as legendary.
... Budweiser is Western and Kirin is Eastern... But either way it's still beer, it makes for a convincing argument... (Whoops, slightly off topic there) The point I'm trying to make, is that among the 151 species of Pokémon, not only the rare ones, but the ones you encounter every day, have some instances of truly bizarre biology for a living creature.
It goes without saying that this world is made of organic matter that supports life and inorganic matter like air, water and minerals that don't support life.
To fully outline the difference between organic and inorganic matter would take several thousand page volumes, so forgoing any long explanation, normally lifeforms are made of organic matter.
It's a given that lifeforms contain the proteins that make up organic matter. ... That is to say that these proteins are what carry genetic information. Whether it be animal or plant, life requires the proteins that make up organic material.
That said, there are certain Pokémon that completely ignore this basic law of biology.
For example, rock type Pokémon, like Ishitsubute, Golone or Iwark have bodies clearly made from mineral substance.
... Or the magnet Pokémon, Koil and Rarekoil. Given the attraction and repulsion between the north and south poles of magnets, their movements may not even be those of living beings. At best, they're no different to magnetised minerals like steel or copper.
... Or the poison gas Pokémon Dogas which was first discovered in a military warehouse. If gas were a living being, we'd be killers for just boiling hot water. Drawing a hot bath would be a massacre. But remain calm. Gas is inorganic. Yet, Dogas is alive.
... Nowadays, in areas plagued by industrial waste, you'll likely find the sludge Pokémon Betobetah... Since sludge typically contains inorganic matter hazardous to lifeforms, the people of the city went into an uproar at its discovery.
Anyway, there are a number of Pokémon existing in this world with their bodies not comprising of any organic matter.
But inorganic matter doesn't support life.
These inorganic Pokémon have easily smashed right through this basic common sense logic.
Why not have inorganic lifeforms? What's the point of denying it? ... Some optimistic scholars take this viewpoint.
But if inorganic material can gain sentience, then it wouldn't be odd to assume things from old sci-fi (science fiction) novels or sci-fi films like living robots and computers or machines with souls to be discovered and/or invented.
This would remove the fiction from sci-fi (science fiction), leaving sci-fi authors unemployed along with various other dangerous outcomes. For example, dolls and other toys don't come to life and start moving no matter how well they're cared for. Anime and manga are merely drawn images. No matter how smoothly a character in a game moves, they aren't a real living being.
However, for centuries the number of people who consider their dolls and toys or characters from anime, manga and games as living beings who are their friends, or even lovers, have increased.
This is acceptable as a child, but allowing it to continue into adulthood leads to people who love inanimate objects more than other living beings, it is estimated that about 30% of humanity have currently reached this state. As these people love inanimate objects, as adults they never marry other people and never have children.
Due to the declining birthrates, there are some people who lament the inevitable collapse of the human race.
It was at this point that Pokémon made of inorganic substances appeared. If inorganic substances can gain life, then other beloved inanimate things like fictional characters may come to life too.
This fact served to encourage those who love inanimate objects.
If a person who loved fighter jets, tanks or other weapons discovered the poison gas Pokémon Dogas in a military warehouse, they would jump for joy.
If a real life fighter jet Pokémon or tank Pokémon were discovered, I could befriend it and play out our own little war games.
If a pistol Pokémon or sword Pokémon came into being, we could become best friends and they'd take care of people I don't like in my stead.
There may not be that many people who love war machines or other weapons, but a lot of people love dolls and anime characters.
If perhaps, a doll Pokémon or anime Pokémon came to exist, I'd be able to quit researching Pokémon and befriend my beloved doll Pokémon and anime Pokémon and live a joyful life.
Whoops, I may have let my personal opinions out a bit there. My apologies.
Can inorganic material support life? Let's return to that question.
Around the mid 20th century... a unique (peculiar) theory about life came to be.
It was a theory about inorganic objects not only having life, but something akin to a soul.
The one who came up with this theory was Dr. Lycamo Watson.
I'd like to make clear that this Watson isn't Detective Holmes's friend, but a real scholar named Dr. Watson.
I'll try to explain his theory in simple terms.
For example, you may have even experienced this yourself, but something you thought you'd lost and long since forgotten suddenly turns up one day in a place you never would have expected.
For example, finding a pen or pencil you thought you'd lost years ago in the corner of a room... despite having cleaned out that corner several times before and never finding the pen or pencil there before.
Another example would be cleaning out your closet for the first time in years and finding a doll you could have sworn you'd thrown out as a child in there?
You may have rearranged the closet a few times. But it hadn't been in there at the time.
But why would it turn up once you had forgotten it?
Dr. Watson had a hypothesis. It wasn't a case of you finding it, but the forgotten item wanting to be found.
You had loved it once and treated it well and it had come out wanting to meet you again.
Basically, inanimate objects, though lacking a soul, had the potential to develop something similar to one.
There's something in golf known as a hole in one. It's when the golf ball ends up in the hole within a single stroke, however this event is so rare that it's considered miraculous even for pro golfers.
However, this miracle has been known to happen even for amateur (inexperienced) golfers.
The chances of a pro and an amateur getting a hole in one are actually fairly equal.
Regardless of whether your good or bad at golf, these miracles continue to occur.
Why is that?
Isn't this something to mull over?
Getting a hole in one is the ultimate dream of any golfer.
In order to grant this dream, the ball went into the hole.
Regardless of the golfer's skill, the ball went into the hole for them.
There are other similar examples.
For example, an archaeologist at a dig site discovering an ancient stone tool.
They find a fragment of the stone tool.
If an ordinary person had found it, they'd consider it as nothing but a normal rock.
Even so, among the earth and rocks they discover earthenware and stone tools.
How is it the archaeologist distinguished the earthenware and tools from ordinary rocks?
Many archaeologists give the same answer.
“I thought something might be there and it just turned up.”
They didn't find it, it found them.
The earthenware and tools used by ancient people would naturally desire to be found by a person who wanted to search for it.
No, perhaps the word desire is a little too lifelike.
But with something similar to desire, the inanimate earthenware and tool fragments may have moved on their own...
This power could be considered a form of inorganic life with no organic components...
There are people who decry this theory as ridiculous, however a great number of people now subscribe to this theory, not only in the field of studying life, but also in studying philosophy.
All studies of life and biology ultimately lead to humans gaining a deeper understanding of themselves.
Rock Pokémon and poison gas Pokémon, despite being inorganic are alive.
And of course there are other inorganic Pokémon as well.
I believe that by studying inorganic Pokémon we may also unlock the secrets of organic Pokémon, ultimately leading to the human race gaining a deeper understanding of themselves along the way.
... A nameless Pokémon Researcher with absolutely no relation at all to Professor Ookido...
An excerpt from an email sent to Masaki Sonezaki
A Pokémon Analyst who participated in the 98th International Portable Beast Academic Conference
Annotations by Masaki Sonezaki
The Dr. Lycamo Watson referred to in the text is likely a misspelling of the name of biologist Dr. Lyall Watson.
In the latter half of the 20th century he made a name for himself in a field known as new science.
Getting such a rudimentary detail as his name incorrect brings the level of confidence (or credibility) I have in this email to plummet. Forcing a name drop into such half baked theories... it's a shame.
New science... A method of thought that deals with not only hard science, but also spiritual matters. Do you understand the concept?
Translation Notes:
• "In English you would call it pewter", originally this line said that nibi colour (にびいろ) is written as (鈍色) in kanji.
• "Spar City" in the original Japanese was "Sabi City" a pun on "rust" (sabitsuita) and "desolate" (sabishii), a pun on "sparsity" was the best English alternative I could come up with.
• Ishigaki strawberries are strawberries grown on a stone wall.
• Anpan is a bread roll filled with anko, or red bean paste.
• Lyall Watson is a real person who lived from 1939 to 2008.