PokeWild

Sarah found a battle quite quickly.

David didn't. He wanted to think it was the type difference. Most of the trainers he spoke to had Grass-Poison types, leaving them at a disadvantage to Pidgey’s Flying, but on even ground with Sarah’s Rattata. The answer was likely much simpler than that.

Sarah was a friendly outgoing woman and the majority of the trainers waiting around the entrance way to the stands were men.

David had baulked when the crowd of twenty or so trainers descended on them like sharks smelling blood. Sarah took in her stride and walked into the centre of the swarming mass, calling her preferences for battle out.

While Sarah distracted the majority of the trainers, David approached them one by one. It was undoubtedly a less effective method but he needed to keep a low profile. It wasn’t like he was hiding Pidgey, but there was no need to shout to the world and any listening Rockets.

By the time David had talked to five trainers, Sarah was already queueing for the nearby pitch. David talked to one more trainer, who unfortunately wanted to wager too much Poke, before taking a break to watch Sarah’s match.

It was odd that so many trainers were scouting for a match at once. He would have expected with the twenty there that they’d be able to find matches between themselves. Why be so interested in newcomers when there's another nineteen people waiting? After talking to a few of them it was clear why. Trainers had different numbers of badges, two being the highest David encountered, different desires for battle - some wanted to fight a specific Pokemon and nothing else, and different amounts of Poke to bet.

The skewed ratio of men to women was also odd. David hadn’t seen any evidence of that in Pokemon trainers so far. For now he was chalking this group down to a low sample size.

Sarah didn’t have to queue long for her battle. The pitch right by the entrance that had been claimed for the money battles. A cheerful man, the self designated referee for the pitch, met the two trainers at the centre of the pitch for a quick talk. There was a lot of nodding before the referee retreated out of bounds.

The referee counted down from five and both trainers released.

Interestingly another Rattata appeared on the pitch across from Sarah’s, who was nicknamed Squeak today. The other Rattata was slightly larger than Squeak but not enough that David grew concerned or began to suspect foul play.

Squeak launched into a Growl as soon as he spotted his opponent. The other Rattata leapt forward in a Quick Attack to close the gap between them. It shook as it passed through the shimmering wave of beige but shot into another Quick Attack as soon as the wave had passed.

What followed was a comparatively short chase which consisted of several rounds of Quick Attacks as the two Pokemon of the same species chased each other back and forth across the pitch. Both Pokemon wanted to land the first attack and neither wanted to take the first hit. It was a fast paced positioning game with no possible input from the trainers. Any orders would only serve as a distraction. A distraction that would lose the game.

Squeak started to pull ahead. His dodges were a touch more accurate, his leaps carried him a slither further.

The other trainer likely noticed this before David. When Squeak Quick Attacked next, he interrupted the doomed chase with an order.

“Bite.”

Squeak’s attack connected and the other Rattata let out a squeal.

“Quick Away!” Sarah shouted.

The Rattata didn’t let Squeak escape that easily. It latched onto Squeak and the two began to roll and scratch at each other. Squeak couldn’t get his feet under him for long enough to perform the pounce needed for Quick Attack. A murky brown glow formed between the two Pokemon.

Squeak let out a pained cry that matched its name in the worst way.

“Tackle!” Sarah screamed, abandoning the plan to get away.

“Bite again!”

Squeak’s move this time was more successful and he was able to blast the other Rattata away. Not without wounds however. A murky glow lingered on his back right side.

Sarah ordered a ‘Quick Away’ again but Squeak was a hair too slow to move. His back right leg moved slower than it should have. The other Ratatta pounced, attacking Squeak's right side again with gloom dripping from its front teeth.

Another Tackle got the Rattata off Squeak. Sarah recalled Squeak after that and the match was over.

The other trainer recalled their Rattata immediately. They stepped away from the mark to meet Sarah and the referee at the centre of the pitch.

David sighed and rubbed his eyes. That sucked for Sarah. One Move had decided the entire battle. After the Rattata had gotten its teeth into Squeak it couldn’t be shaken off. Squeak was ill prepared for a match up like that. He was used to hit and run tactics, none of the Pokemon in the training group were able to pin him down like that.

“You looking for a match?”

David turned to face the voice. He vaguely recognised the blond haired trainer from the group of trainers by the entranceway. He had a bulging tote bag slung over his shoulder.

“Yeah.” David blinked and remembered his spiel. ”One Pokemon, no badges, 100 Poke. Fair warning, I have a Pidgey.”

The blond's small button nose twitched but he didn’t start to turn away. “One Pokemon, no badges,” He echoed before reaching into this tote bag and pulling out a.. Pecha berry. “I’d like to change the wager though. I have a Nidoran, so 70 Poke if you win, 110 if I do. Either way, you get this berry.”

David frowned automatically as he tried to figure out the money. Nidoran was a Poison type and the fact the trainer was offering a Pecha berry meant that Poison Moves were guaranteed. Pecha berries usually cost about 30P to buy from a stall. At face value, that made it 100P value if he won, while he was only ‘losing’ 80P if he lost.

“We will be using Poison type moves,” The blond confirmed. “Nidoran’s poison isn’t strong though. This berry will remove any aftereffects from your Pidgey. I have an antidote on hand for the worst case but you would be paying pokemart prices for it.”

“No badges?” David confirmed.

They both took out their licences and confirmed the metal cover was blank on each other’s.

“80P if I win. There’s no way you paid full price for the berry,” David said finally. It may have sounded like a good deal, but while he was sure Pidgey would have been happy to eat more food, it didn’t need to be a Pecha berry.

The blond’s face twitched in a frown but he held his hand out.

“Thomas.”

David shook it. “David.”

He checked with Sarah first. She was a bit gloomy but would stay to watch the match. Rattata was hurt but not enough to need anything beyond a quick spray of Sarah’s Potion.

Thomas and he queued up and soon were in front of the referee, who introduced himself as Jack. Jack made it clear he was not here officially but to relax and watch Pokemon. He heard out their wager, ruining David’s plans of denying everything if Thomas had screwed him, and explained the countdown. Soon enough, David and Thomas were on their marks and listening to the numbers falling down.

“1.”

David's finger twitched on the button.

“Go!”

Pidgey appeared in a flash of light and across the pitch so did a blue Nidoran.

The Nidoran looked so small across the pitch but maybe David was unfairly comparing it to the Nidoking and Nidorina he’d seen previously. This Pokemon didn’t have the jagged spikes of its evolution. The bumps along its back were closer to pointed nubs. Large ears flopped backwards along its head in a strange contrast to the thick exoskeleton of a Nidoking.

If anything, the Nidoran looked more like a stubby baby blue Rattata with how its two buck teeth stuck out.

Pidgey showed no signs of underestimating her opponent. She took to the skies immediately after appearing on the field.

Across the pitch, Nidoran tilted its head back and let out a whining Growl.

David hid a grimace at the Move. It was far too common around here for his liking. The Move didn’t hurt Pidgey but it made her slower to gather energy and seemed to weaken the flow of it through her body. It made him all the more eager to get Leer perfected.

“Cannon.” David ordered.

Thomas’s scowl was clear across the pitch but his next order didn’t sound shaky. “Growl.”

Another wave of beige swept out to greet Pidgey but as this one passed, Pidgey was able to respond. Spirals of lavender twirled away from her wings. The glowing lavender seemed to waft through the air one moment and slice through it the next as it travelled. A rough circle on the ground around Nidoran was sliced to bits. Nidoran was not spared. Lines of almost purple blood oozed from its body. The Pokemon shook its head at a long cut down the back of one of its ears.

Pidgey’s Flying type energy was not dense, it never penetrated far, but it was sharp.

“Again!”

“Poison Sting!”

As Pidgey worked to regain her balance in the air and prepare another Gust, Nidoran opened its mouth wide. Below its two buck teeth a purple blob started to form. The blob solidified into a dart and shot out with speed at Pidgey.

David scowled at the speed of the attack. Sandshrew’s had never been so strong - or so accurate. The dart struck Pidgey at the base of her neck.

Pidgey let out a shriek that turned to an angry squawk. Her next Gust created more spirals but they were not as tightly controlled. David winced as lines were carved into the ground in a haphazard pattern around Nidoran.

Nidoran didn’t seem to care that Pidgey aim took a hit. The Pokemon let out a yap as more lines of blood welled up on its back.

“Cannon! Keep moving.”

“Dodge and Poison Sting!”

Both Pokemon began to move. The orders weren’t as successful as either trainer hoped.

Nidoran suffered under another blow of Gust. The Pokemon couldn’t escape the target area before the attack arrived.

A purple blob smacked into Pidgey’s side as she squawked out of anger. David’s happiness at the lack of a shriek of pain turned to worry as purple flashed over her body. Poison.

The match now had a ticking clock.

“Again!” Both trainers shouted.

Pidgey won the next exchange. Both Pokemon released their Move simultaneously, a purple dart stabbing through a lavender spiral on its way up into the air. Pidgey, however, was not where she should have been. The powerful flap of her wings needed for Gust sending her off to the right as she struggled to maintain her balance in the air.

Nidoran got to the outer edge of Pidgey's targeted area but suffered more cuts. With its deep blue spots and all the cuts, Nidoran’s back was now closer to dark purple than blue.

Neither trainer called another order. The Pokemon continued on their own.

Another flash of purple racked Pidgey and she missed a beat. Nidoran was not so affected and a purple dart stuck Pidgey at the base of one of her legs. Pidgey shrieked.

David’s hands, now sweaty, twitched on her pokeball.

Pidgey dropped a little closer to the ground and unleashed another stronger but less accurate Gust.

Nidoran couldn’t escape and staggered. The Pokemon let out a mournful bark before disappearing in a bright flash.

David blinked the fuzz out of his eyes and recalled Pidgey before he could fully see again.

He met Thomas and the referee in the centre of the field. Jack congratulated them both on the battle and gave Thomas a calm look. The look wasn’t necessary, as Thomas reached into his bag and handed over the berry and 80P, already counted out.

“Good match,” David said, holding out his hand.

“It was interesting,” Thomas agreed with a smile and shook.

“Any tips for dealing with the poison?”

Thomas nodded at the Pecha. “It’s best to feed your Pidgey small bits rather than all of it at once. Pidgey will have less trouble with it out of a battle but sooner the better.”

“Mind clearing the field?” Jack interrupted.

“Thank you,” David said to Thomas as they walked away, adrenaline fading and the realisation he’d won his first match dawning. “Your Nidoran was accurate but it never seemed to attack while Pidgey was moving. Have you tried moving targets? Clay pigeon shooting kind of thing?”

“Clay shooting?” Thomas asked, brow furrowed.

David missed a step. Shit. They didn’t have pigeons or guns here. “Sorry, my term for it. Clay disk targets you throw through the air.”

David tried not to stare at Thomas while he waited for his reaction.

“Huh.” Thomas seemed to be considering the idea rather than finding it suspicious. “Can you get them in the department store?”

“Eh.. I’m not sure. I got mine in Saffron.”

Before he could make another slip up, David said his goodbyes and headed for Sarah.

-.-

“Congratulations,” Sarah said with a smile that looked a little stretched. “How are you going to celebrate with Pidgey?”

Without thinking David reached for the Poke again, almost as if to confirm it was actually there. “I don’t know actually. Any ideas?”

Sarah’s eyes brightened a little at that. She tapped her fingers against her Pokeball as if to count something.

Before she could speak, David held out Pidgey's pokeball.

“Sorry, do you mind if I give Pidgey the Pecha before we head back to the others?”

At her nod, David quickly released Pidgey.

Pidgey puffed herself up and gave a loud chirp accompanied by a little wiggle as she caught sight of them. The effect was ruined by a pulse of purple across her body.

David grabbed a knife from his bag and quickly cut a slice of the pink Pecha berry for her.

Sarah and he sat and waited as Pidgey ate.

“Do you ever wonder how far you’ll go?”

“Huh?” David replied, surprised and not quite getting the question.

“How many badges you’ll get. At what point you’ll stop.”

David cut Pidgey another slice and took the time to consider the question. “Not really.” Stopping hadn’t come up as an option so far. He didn’t necessarily need all the badges, that was just a thing to keep Pidgey and get the league off his back. It was also a good way to train and prepare for his ultimate goal. Legendary Pokemon. “I guess I figured I’d get them all.”

“Oh.” Sarah looked a little startled. Then a touch ashamed. She looked back across the stands towards where the rest of their training group was today. “..I guess that’s it,” She muttered in a small voice.

David winced. He wasn’t being considerate here. He was tired and achy now that adrenaline from the battle was gone, but that was no excuse. Sarah may have been supportive of his victory but that didn’t change the fact she’d lost a match minutes before his own.

“Don’t worry about the match. You got unlucky, none of the Pokemon in our group fight like that. Squeak just needs experience.”

Sarah poked at the dirt around them and sighed. “I don’t think I like battling.”

Another shimmer of purple appeared around Pidgey but it was very faint, possibly being forcibly expelled. Pidgey didn’t react to it at all. David busied himself cutting out another piece for her.

How was he meant to reply to that? And why was Sarah saying this to him and not one of the others in the training group? David was possibly the worst person in the world to get career advice from. He could barely name five Pokemon related jobs in this world.

“I mean, I never really liked helping out with pest control. I just thought battling would be different. More sport, less wild you know?” Sarah pulled Squeak’s ball from her belt and stared at it. “I guess I’m not sure what I’m doing now.”

That didn’t sound like a temporary feeling caused by losing a battle.

“You.. you like the training though?” David asked. “You seem to have fun training with Rattata.”

“Yeah I do.” Sarah began to clean a smudge on the ball. “I love Squeaks too. I’ll be getting at least one badge so I can keep him. Beyond that..” she shrugged.

David racked his brains for anything he could remember from the games and anime. What jobs were related to Pokemon that didn’t include any kind of battling? And that you could do with a Rattata? Rattata wouldn’t be of much help in a Pokecenter for healing. His current line of work was out. He and Pidgey needed to battle wild Pokemon every few days. Convoy work was gone for the same reason. The police, dojo and gyms too.

David just didn’t have enough context with this world. He had faint memories of some kind of Pokemon dress up game with ribbons but he’d seen no mention of it so far. Beyond that all his memories were of Ash and his adventures. Adventures that had made perfect sense to him as a kid but now that David was in the world, left him clueless. The games were just a mess of grinding, levels and dodging patches of grass. The only way not to grind was..

“What about a daycare? You know, mind pokemon, train them but no battling.”

Sarah blinked. Her brow furrowed as she considered it. “Isn’t that more of a Johto thing? I mean the one opening on route 5 was in the news but wasn’t there a legal issue about eggs?”

David shrugged. He barely remembered it was a thing let alone how it worked.

Sarah’s brow loosened a touch. “I guess it's like breeding in a way. You’d need a ranch and the same licences.”

David could only shrug again.

Pidgey let out a chirp and settled down in a roosting position. She ignored the next offered piece of the Pecha berry.

Sarah turned to Pidgey at the sound. “I guess she’s okay now.” She stood up. “Shall we head back?”

David nodded and returned Pidgey.

“How about bringing Pidgey for a grooming?” Sarah asked as they walked back to the others.