Jun carefully, barely moving his arm, pulled a pokeball from his pocket and touched it to the sleeping bird's head. It disappeared inside, and he let out a sigh of relief. He breathed in the light scent of satan's a*****e coming from his jacket, and let out another sigh. "Good girl, Cricket." He gave her a head pat before returning her, and headed back for the city.
At the pokemon center he handed his pokemon in at the front desk and left his jacket in the washing machine at the back. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and sat at a computer in the front to look up information on his new pokemon.
It was over an hour later than his alarm rang for the second time, indicating the drier was done. Jun had found good tips online, and intended to look into the brand of disposable baggies one user swore by. It was all sounding like a bit much - he may need to look for someone to adopt the bird from him when he reached Goldenrod. For now, he retrieved his jacket and put it back on. It smelled like lavender.
As he was retrieving his pokemon from the front desk, Jun overheard three kids chattering excitedly about some kind of halloween fair. He was filled with memories of glowing pumpkins and going to the gym's haunted house. Those were... some of his fondest memories, actually. There was a gastly floating by the kids, and it held a flier in its mouth. "Hey, could you take me there?" Jun asked. It nodded, and then there was darkness.
■ violet city [exit to spookival] ■ amorette ■ curious ■ OOB:
■01/3 Movement ■ 12/15 NPC ■ 12/3 PKMN ■ 12/25 Super Potion x5
With an objective to accomplish in Violet City, once they arrived Christian and Amorette went straight to work, searching out the nearest bookstore and entering it once they had. But, since Amorette was the only one who knew what they were looking for, Christian stood by the door while she went searching, and entered both himself and Chickpea by playing with the latter's leaf. The activity quickly became dull, however, (through no fault of Chickpea's) and Christian's eyes began to wander. What they fell on was a flier taped to the adjacent wall, bright words against a contrasting dark background making it more noticeable, and, officially interested, Christian moved in for a closer look.
"A Spookival, huh?" He read the top of the flier out loud, then read down for more information. So it was, apparently, some kind of... halloween-themed carnival, and was being held near Laverre Trail, wherever that was! He wanted to go, it sounded like a great place to spend some time, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd been to a carnival! Heh, literally. Before he could go off to find Amorette, and inform her of the event, she found him, tapping the blonde on the shoulder and then placing a book into his hand once he'd turned around. "I've gone ahead und bought joo ze book, zo do jour best to take care of et," she explained, only to quirk an eyebrow at the excitement painted across Christian's face. "What?"
After explaining to her his find, Christian was shocked to find that Amorette didn't share the same excitement as him, in fact, she didn't have any interest whatsoever to go; something about 'having more important things to do'. She did, however, take it as a good opportunity to depart, though not before helping Christian track down a Gastly, who would, supposedly, transport any and all interested parties to the carnival. "I have un familee matter to attend to, zo zis iz where we part ways, Christian," Amorette began, though her head was tucked down as she wrote something out onto a piece of paper. "If joo evah get jour phone fixed, or save up enuuf for un new one, call me." And with that she handed Christian the piece of paper, gave Chickpea's face one last squish, and backed away. "Bonne journée! Und take care of good care uf Chickpea!"
Both males waved goodbye, Chickpea using his leaf to do so. It sucked that they had to depart so suddenly, after all Am was the first person he'd met since coming to? (he still wasn't quite sure how to phrase it). But, he understood that she had to get back to her own things, she had told him that she was originally from Kalos (wherever that was) and was only in Johto for business. He'd definitely have to give her a call, when he had access to a working phone. Christian turned to look at Gastly, which was a.. floating ball of purple gasp, and gave it a hesitant smile. "So, how does this work? Do I close my eyes and count to three? Or do you just do your--" He was gone in the blink of the eye, with Gastly's amused laughter filling the air where the rest of Christian's sentence should have.
Amorette quirked an eyebrow at the pokemon, this was why she didn't trust ghost types. But with her part played she started walking off. Christian would be fine on his own, he had Chickpea and now that book, both would help him along. So, he'd be fine. Definitely fine.
Absolutely fine. She didn't even need to worry. She didn't even know why she would worry. Because, as she'd said before: he would be fine.
⋅ BATTLES WON ⋮ 0 ⋅ BATTLES LOST ⋮ 0 ⋅ POKEMON CAUGHT ⋮ 0 ⋅ OBEDIENCE ⋮ lvl 20
■ PARTY
⇨xxN A M E: Chickpea - Chikorita *
T Y P E: L E V E L: 05 G E N D E R: Male ＮＡＴＵＲＥ: Mild: Too curious for his own good, a little more than 'a little clumsy' ＡＢＩＬＩＴＹ: Overgrow: When HP is below 1/3rd Grass type attacks do x1.5 damage ＨＯＬＤＩＮＧ: N/A ＡＴＴＡＣＫＳ: Growl - Lowers target's physical attack one stage Tackle - 40 --- ---
50/50 HP | Status: None | 08/15 EXP | Next Move; lvl. 06 - Razor Leaf
■ INVENTORY
⋅ Special Items - Pokedex
⋅ Poké Balls - Pokeball x∞
⋅ Medicine - Potion x∞
⋅ Berries
⋅ Battle Items
⋅ TMs / HMs
⋅ Personal Items Broken Cellphone | Waterlogged music player | Tangled earbuds | Trail mix | Empty Wallet | Trainer ID | What Can I Do With My Life?: Pokemon Edition | Amorette's number
Jun appeared back in the Violet City pokemon center, with Dune at his feet and Ledian in the air next to him. It was weirdly disorienting, because he had been teleported out from the lounge area but was now off the side of the main entrance. Maybe that was to not bother anyone who was in the lounge?
"Hm. Still nothing," he mused to himself. He'd been wondering if he'd feel whatever Christian had, when they'd first met. There was a dizzyness, but it passed fairly quickly. He started undoing the cord tying his sword closed, because while it wasn't allowed at the halloween festival it was perfectly okay inside the pokemon hospital, right?
It was to be expected that, once they touched back in the city, Christian would have some hard time gathering himself, or standing steady on his feet for that matter; expected, but undesired and something he'd truly hoped wouldn't have happened. With the groan of a dying man, the blonde flopped down onto the ground, on the side of the road, and put his head between his knees. As cool as teleporting was, what good was it if it left you incapacitated for minutes after?
Once the world had stopped spinning Christian dared to glance up, and found that the Genger that'd transported them back was gone. His own pokemon were all that remained, thankfully, though Chickpea looked a little less peppy than usual; sullen, actually. "What's the matter, bud?" asked the 'responsible' trainer. Chickpea only crooned out a soft 'rita', before ultimately sinking down onto his stomach. "He misses Dune," Cress translated, though in a far more cheerful tone than what was accurate. "Dune?" Christian glanced over to Chickpea, "You mean the pokemon you were hanging out with?" Chickpea nodded mournfully.
Slowly, and with some effort, Christian pulled himself to his feet, and dusted the back of his pants off in the process. "Alright. Well, let's go give him a call." He rifled around his pocket to pull out Jun's number, and waved it around to show his pokemon. "I bet there's one of those... centers around here." It took a bit of wandering, and then eventually relenting the role of line leader to Cress, but eventually the trio were standing in front of the doors of the Pokecenter, doors which slid open when they stepped onto the welcome mat.
"Very nice. Very hospital-esque," Christian observed, hands on his hips, taking in the lobby area with its chairs neatly tucked against the wall and the pink-haired woman, in a nurse's outfit, behind the front desk. "That's because Pokemon Centers are hospitals for pokemon," Cress explained, then tapped a claw to her snout. "You know. For a trainer you sure don't--""Oh woah, hey!" In his excitement Christian interrupted Cress' observation, though it was for good reason, at least in his opinion.
Chickpea, turning his head in Christian's direction, instantly understood his trainer's excitement, and shared it, as he ran ahead. "Duuuuuune!" Christian followed after, though at an even pace, and grinned. "Should I be worried that you're stalking me?" he teasingly asked Jun. Whose name he still, totally, definitely remembered.
⋅ BATTLES WON ⋮ 0 ⋅ BATTLES LOST ⋮ 0 ⋅ POKEMON CAUGHT ⋮ 02 ⋅ OBEDIENCE ⋮ lvl 20
■ PARTY
⇨xxN A M E: Chickpea - Chikorita *
T Y P E: L E V E L: 10 G E N D E R: Male ＮＡＴＵＲＥ: Mild: Too curious for his own good, a little more than 'a little clumsy' ＡＢＩＬＩＴＹ: Overgrow: When HP is below 1/3rd Grass type attacks do x1.5 damage ＨＯＬＤＩＮＧ: N/A ＡＴＴＡＣＫＳ: Growl - Lowers target's physical attack one stage Tackle - 40 Razor Leaf - 55: 1/10 chance to critically hit Poison Powder - Poisons Opponent
100/100 HP | Status: None | 09/20 EXP | Next Move; lvl. 12 - Synthesis
⇨xxN A M E: Watercress, "Cress" - Totodile
T Y P E: L E V E L: 06 G E N D E R: Female ＮＡＴＵＲＥ: Impish: Loves scaring people and pokemon ＡＢＩＬＩＴＹ: Torrent: When HP is below 1/3rd, Water type attacks will do x1.5 damage ＨＯＬＤＩＮＧ: N/A ＡＴＴＡＣＫＳ: Leer - Lowers target's physical defense one stage Scratch - 40 Water Gun - 40 ---
60/60 HP | Status: None | 14/16 EXP | Next Move; lvl. 13 - Bite
■ INVENTORY
⋅ Special Items - Pokedex - Balm Mushroom
⋅ Poké Balls - Pokeball x∞ - GS Ball x2
⋅ Medicine - Potion x∞ - Super Potion x5 (Unclaimed) - Rare Candy
⋅ TMs / HMs - TMO2 Dragon Claw - TM14 Blizzard - TM53 Energy Ball - TM80 Rock Slide - TM99 Dazzling Gleam
⋅ Personal Items Broken Cellphone | Waterlogged music player | Tangled earbuds | Trail mix | Empty Wallet | Trainer ID | What Can I Do With My Life?: Pokemon Edition | Amorette's number
Guess next stop is a store to get stuff for Peafoul. Should give her a name, too... Jun was blocked from his thoughts and the exit by a big ledian fist held inches from his face. "...yes?"
Ledian shook her head, buzzing and pointing at Dune. Of course, Jun didn't get what she was trying to say. "Huh, yeah might be good to get him checked out." He picked up the limp Dune and took him to the counter, just to have Nurse Joy check and make sure that fall down the stairs hadn't made anything worse.
"Well, your dunsparce is doing well. He doesn't look any worse than the last time but... please don't do whatever you did that made you bring him in again. He needs rest, not battles." Nurse Joy sounded genuinely understanding. It was easy to imagine her dealing with overeager trainers and pokemon that injured themselves by straining too much.
When they were done Jun set Dune back on the floor and stepped back so ledian could 'inspect' and hopefully be satisfied so they could get going. He tried stepping away, but Dune didn't seem keen on following. He hand was halfway to his belt and Dune's pokeball when he heard a familiar voice behind him. Jun turned and there was Christian.
"That's my line. I was here first you know," he replied dryly, making sure his voice and body didn't betray the spike of alarm. Because his first thought was that Christian did follow him here, that somehow he knew, or suspected, about, well, anything. It could have been a trick, from the very beginning. No. Think about it. He has a Chikorita. It made sense, Christian had probably started out in Johto, and recently if Chickpea had been his only pokemon. Okay, that made sense, and Jun was ready to hop onto anything that could explain this into being just a coincidence.
Dune meanwhile had no thoughts but a continuous stream of, Chickpea? Chickpea! Chickpea's here! Chickpea, Chickpea! The moment he saw his friend he heaved his wings, sending himself sliding across the floor on a collision course. [ "Ch- chuh- chick-pea!" ]
Christian laughed, "Oh yeahhh, I guess you were." Though he couldn't have known Jun would be here. So it was fate that brought them together. Or destiny, or a higher power, orrrrr it was just a coincidence. "I was actually coming here to call you," he confessed, then gestured over to his starter. "Chickpea was feeling pretty down about leaving...""Dune!" Cress piped up, picking up where Christian had faltered. "That's your Dunsparce's name, by the way." Christian nodded his head, then continued. "I guess they really bonded, so I thought seeing him would help cheer him up."
Christian's assumption was right, as Chickpea seemed back to his usual sunny disposition.... even when he collided with Dune; he'd been running too fast to stop himself. "Oww..." he whined softly, the impact sending him tumbling back. He was quick to recover, thankfully, and even faster to return to Dune. "Sorry! Are you okay? You aren't hurt are you?" He leaned in close to inspect his friend, from several different angles. Hopefully Dune hadn't been hurt at all; he didn't need to be injuring his friend upon their reunion. "Dune! I really missed you! I'm so glad to see you again!" Chickpea gushed, once his inspection was over.
Christian turned to look back at Jun, even if he couldn't understand pokemon Chickpea and Dune's interaction was endearing. "So! What're you doing here?" he asked, rather happy to see his friend as well; maybe not as happy as Chickpea, but he was happy.
⋅ BATTLES WON ⋮ 0 ⋅ BATTLES LOST ⋮ 0 ⋅ POKEMON CAUGHT ⋮ 02 ⋅ OBEDIENCE ⋮ lvl 20
■ PARTY
⇨xxN A M E: Chickpea - Chikorita *
T Y P E: L E V E L: 10 G E N D E R: Male ＮＡＴＵＲＥ: Mild: Too curious for his own good, a little more than 'a little clumsy' ＡＢＩＬＩＴＹ: Overgrow: When HP is below 1/3rd Grass type attacks do x1.5 damage ＨＯＬＤＩＮＧ: N/A ＡＴＴＡＣＫＳ: Growl - Lowers target's physical attack one stage Tackle - 40 Razor Leaf - 55: 1/10 chance to critically hit Poison Powder - Poisons Opponent
100/100 HP | Status: None | 10/20 EXP | Next Move; lvl. 12 - Synthesis
⇨xxN A M E: Watercress, "Cress" - Totodile
T Y P E: L E V E L: 06 G E N D E R: Female ＮＡＴＵＲＥ: Impish: Loves scaring people and pokemon ＡＢＩＬＩＴＹ: Torrent: When HP is below 1/3rd, Water type attacks will do x1.5 damage ＨＯＬＤＩＮＧ: N/A ＡＴＴＡＣＫＳ: Leer - Lowers target's physical defense one stage Scratch - 40 Water Gun - 40 ---
60/60 HP | Status: None | 15/16 EXP | Next Move; lvl. 13 - Bite
■ INVENTORY
⋅ Special Items - Pokedex - Balm Mushroom
⋅ Poké Balls - Pokeball x∞ - GS Ball x2
⋅ Medicine - Potion x∞ - Super Potion x5 (Unclaimed) - Rare Candy
⋅ TMs / HMs - TMO2 Dragon Claw - TM14 Blizzard - TM53 Energy Ball - TM80 Rock Slide - TM99 Dazzling Gleam
⋅ Personal Items Broken Cellphone | Waterlogged music player | Tangled earbuds | Trail mix | Empty Wallet | Trainer ID | What Can I Do With My Life?: Pokemon Edition | Amorette's number
Dune wriggled, barely keeping back giddy laughter as Chickpea looked him all over. [ "I'm fine, I'm fine, Chick-pea!" ] He fluttered his wings a bit, barely bothered by the twinge of pain. [ "I thought- when they said- I'm g-glad to see you too!" ] And then Dune couldn't keep it in anymore and bubbled over into happy laughter. [ He... he-ha, it's Chick-pea! Chick-pea!" ] He sounded silly, but he didn't really care.
Huh. So if Jun hadn't waited to get his dunsparce checked out, and if Christian hadn't come in to make a call, they could have completely missed each other. Possibly would have never even known how close the other was. Trippy. "Chickpea?" Jun hadn't really noticed anything with his dunsparce, given the wing-check, but he couldn't miss the way the two pokemon were clearly excited to see each other. Wait a second... "...Dune?"
Dune perked up from his spot on the floor and looked over. "Huh. Dune. Okay... thanks... Cress..." This totodile was just so weird. Jun glanced at Ledian as if to ask if she had a name he should know about, but she just shook her head. "I guess they did miss each other. I didn't really realize that could happen." When he thought about it, it was obvious. But Team Rocket didn't exactly treat pokemon like anything but tools.
"Well this is where I left one. I was just getting Dune checked out before we left." He paused, considering. He'd assumed he was back to traveling by himself and had been fine with it. But, well, now Christian was here and he wasn't quite so keen on it just yet. Maybe Christian would need to go to the pokemart too? Or the gym? Or Jun could offer to pay for a meal. "Have to pick up some stuff at the pokemart, too. So I guess this means you started out at the lab recently, right?"
Chickpea heaved a sigh of relief, "Okay! I'm glad." Dune's mood was infectious, and an already excited Chickpea began to bounce up and down. "Yeah! It's me, Chickpea!" Gosh, he didn't think he'd ever been this happy before, this was great! With a laugh, he leaned over to give Dune an arm-less hug, and used his vines as substitutes. "We should celebrate!"
Cress gave a salute, happy to help, before proceeding to waddle away to look around, and potentially find a way to scare Nurse Joy. Christian left her to her own devices. "Mhm. I started today, actually. My friend, Am, helped get me started--visiting the professor and all that--before we came here. She didn't wanna come to the fair with me though, so we parted ways," he explained. He wondered if she was still in the city? Probably not, she did say she had 'un familee matter', so she must've left by now.
Which... meant he was without a guide now. For the first time in a week, which was also the first time since he'd 'woken up'. Ah, well. That certainly wasn't ideal! He certainly didn't mind being on his own, after all he made for pretty good company, but there was the slight issue of having no idea where to go, or, really, what to do from here.
"Hey, you said you're headed to the... pokemart, right?" Christian glanced back over at Jun. "D'you mind if I tag along? I don't have anything to do." Or a plan, only a general idea that he needed to make some sort of progress.
⋅ BATTLES WON ⋮ 0 ⋅ BATTLES LOST ⋮ 0 ⋅ POKEMON CAUGHT ⋮ 02 ⋅ OBEDIENCE ⋮ lvl 20
■ PARTY
⇨xxN A M E: Chickpea - Chikorita *
T Y P E: L E V E L: 10 G E N D E R: Male ＮＡＴＵＲＥ: Mild: Too curious for his own good, a little more than 'a little clumsy' ＡＢＩＬＩＴＹ: Overgrow: When HP is below 1/3rd Grass type attacks do x1.5 damage ＨＯＬＤＩＮＧ: N/A ＡＴＴＡＣＫＳ: Growl - Lowers target's physical attack one stage Tackle - 40 Razor Leaf - 55: 1/10 chance to critically hit Poison Powder - Poisons Opponent
100/100 HP | Status: None | 11/20 EXP | Next Move; lvl. 12 - Synthesis
⇨xxN A M E: Watercress, "Cress" - Totodile
T Y P E: L E V E L: 06 G E N D E R: Female ＮＡＴＵＲＥ: Impish: Loves scaring people and pokemon ＡＢＩＬＩＴＹ: Torrent: When HP is below 1/3rd, Water type attacks will do x1.5 damage ＨＯＬＤＩＮＧ: N/A ＡＴＴＡＣＫＳ: Leer - Lowers target's physical defense one stage Scratch - 40 Water Gun - 40 ---
60/60 HP | Status: None | 16/16 EXP | Next Move; lvl. 13 - Bite
■ INVENTORY
⋅ Special Items - Pokedex - Balm Mushroom
⋅ Poké Balls - Pokeball x∞ - GS Ball x2
⋅ Medicine - Potion x∞ - Super Potion x5 (Unclaimed) - Rare Candy
⋅ TMs / HMs - TMO2 Dragon Claw - TM14 Blizzard - TM53 Energy Ball - TM80 Rock Slide - TM99 Dazzling Gleam
⋅ Personal Items Broken Cellphone | Waterlogged music player | Tangled earbuds | Trail mix | Empty Wallet | Trainer ID | What Can I Do With My Life?: Pokemon Edition | Amorette's number
Dune waved his tail in a spiral pattern, barely able to sit still. [ "Y-yeah! Ooh, what do you normally do to celebrate, Chick-pea? We um, where I'm from we would d-dig." ] For most Dunsparce, just moving was celebratory already. Since he had left home Dune had been moving because he had to. This was the first time he felt so much energy, which just made him even more giddy. [ "I d-don't think I could even sleep right now!" ]
Jun watched the little totodile waddle off, once again unsure what to think of her. He didn't comment on it though, because at some point he'd just have to accept how weird she was. "Seriously? Today?" And Christian was already all the way in Violet City? Okay, let's never ever ever tell him about the month spent in the woods between Cherrygrove and Violet. "I guess that explains why you only had Chickpea with you," he said.
It seemed kind of odd for Christian to just part ways with his friend without plans to meet back up. But that wasn't too far off from how Jun would describe 'parting ways' with Takumi (who could, theoretically, be called a 'friend') he figured there was probably a reason for it.
...also ******** yeah, that meant Christian could come with him.
Ahem.
"Yeah, works for me," he said, giving Christian a bemused look at how he said 'pokemart'. Was there some kind of joke in there? Maybe Jun imagined it. "I wouldn't mind the company," he said, starting for the door. "I think Dunsparce.. Ah. Dune, and Chickpea, would say they like that idea too."
Chickpea tipped his head away from Dune in thought. How did he celebrate? Hmmm. "I dunno!" he blurted out, his tone chipper than it should have been, considering his lack of information. "We didn't celebrate too many things." Hmmmmmmmmm. "Oh!" He righted himself up, eyes shining bright as he came to a realization of sorts. "But, whenever a pokemon got picked to go with a trainer, the rest of us were given a bigger-than-usual-dinner," he revealed. "So, we can do something like that!"
Christian nodded his head, to both of Jun's comments. "Yup! We didn't run into any other pokemon on the way, sooo I never got the chance to catch anything." Though maybe that was a good thing. He didn't know what other kinds of pokemon there, and, as of right now, he was content with Chickpea and Cress.
He struck up a grin, "Buds gotta stick together, right?" That's what they all were, after all, 'buds'. The proof was in their hug, and general attitudes towards each other, he supposed. "Cress, c'mon, we're heading out!" Christian called out to his pokemon, catching her right as she'd begun sneaking behind the front counter. The Totodile gave a huff, none too pleased to have been stopped, but obediently turned around and ran after the pair of trainers.
"So, what kind of stuff are you gonna buy?" Christian asked, following after Jun as they hit the streets, the Pokemart their destination. Considering the first part of the name, he could assume that the items would be for his pokemon. It'd be interesting to see just what all they offered.
⋅ BATTLES WON ⋮ 0 ⋅ BATTLES LOST ⋮ 0 ⋅ POKEMON CAUGHT ⋮ 02 ⋅ OBEDIENCE ⋮ lvl 20
■ PARTY
⇨xxN A M E: Chickpea - Chikorita *
T Y P E: L E V E L: 10 G E N D E R: Male ＮＡＴＵＲＥ: Mild: Too curious for his own good, a little more than 'a little clumsy' ＡＢＩＬＩＴＹ: Overgrow: When HP is below 1/3rd Grass type attacks do x1.5 damage ＨＯＬＤＩＮＧ: N/A ＡＴＴＡＣＫＳ: Growl - Lowers target's physical attack one stage Tackle - 40 Razor Leaf - 55: 1/10 chance to critically hit Poison Powder - Poisons Opponent
100/100 HP | Status: None | 12/20 EXP | Next Move; lvl. 12 - Synthesis
⇨xxN A M E: Watercress, "Cress" - Totodile
T Y P E: L E V E L: 07 G E N D E R: Female ＮＡＴＵＲＥ: Impish: Loves scaring people and pokemon ＡＢＩＬＩＴＹ: Torrent: When HP is below 1/3rd, Water type attacks will do x1.5 damage ＨＯＬＤＩＮＧ: N/A ＡＴＴＡＣＫＳ: Leer - Lowers target's physical defense one stage Scratch - 40 Water Gun - 40 ---
70/70 HP | Status: None | 01/17 EXP | Next Move; lvl. 13 - Bite
■ INVENTORY
⋅ Special Items - Pokedex - Balm Mushroom
⋅ Poké Balls - Pokeball x∞ - GS Ball x2
⋅ Medicine - Potion x∞ - Super Potion x5 (Unclaimed) - Rare Candy
⋅ TMs / HMs - TMO2 Dragon Claw - TM14 Blizzard - TM53 Energy Ball - TM80 Rock Slide - TM99 Dazzling Gleam
⋅ Personal Items Broken Cellphone | Waterlogged music player | Tangled earbuds | Trail mix | Empty Wallet | Trainer ID | What Can I Do With My Life?: Pokemon Edition | Amorette's number
[ "Um, Chick-pea. That kind of sounds like.... a consolation dinner." ] Dune wondered if he should feel bad about making that observation. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything. "I- I mean, not like it's a b-bad thing or anything. J-just, um... actually, a big meal sounds really good." ] It was a good thing he was moving around so much now, so he could be hungry enough to eat all this great food.
The doors to the pokecenter slid open, letting them out into the crisp afternoon air. "I need to get some more supplies, stuff for traveling." Jun glanced down at his belt. "And I need some specialty stuff for a couple of my pokemon."
His phone still had the list he'd made before going to the festival. Restocking on travel food and spices, biodegradable soap and shampoo for him and his pokemon (peafoul in particular) along with a brush that should work for feathers. Disposable bags for peafoul, enough to get him to Goldenrod City, where he was planning on finding her a home with someone who could take care of her properly.
After they got to the store he took a basket and got to picking things out. The new items would weigh his bag down some, though it would still be tolerable. His sleeping bag rolled to a tiny size, and his small set of cookware wasn't even heavier than his water bottle when it was full. He'd been considering going in on a tent or hammock, but carrying around more stuff at this point wasn't appealing at all. And unfortunately he still didn't have a fire type pokemon, so he'd still need to make fires the old-fashioned way. At least Cricket would probably be happy to fetch sticks the size of branches for kindling.
"Are you planning on getting anything?" Jun asked, before he remembered that he had been paying for Christian's lunch earlier. "Wait don't tell me. Was your friend carrying all the money?" he asked dryly. "And your supplies?"
"Oh." Chickpea paused, to compare this information to his memory. Yeah, it did sound like one, now that Dune had pointed it out; and here he thought it was a late celebration dinner! "Yessss, something beside the sweet things! Not that they aren't good, but I want my stomach full of other things!" He wasn't too bummed about this revelation, after all that was in the past now, and the food had always been good; he bet all the other pokemon had gotten the same thing, when Christian had chose him. "Let's do that then!"
Christian nodded his head, slowly. "You can buy all that at a pokemart?" Color him surprised, this place sounded pretty cool.
Maybe he should look into buying a few things for his pokemon. Like, food, that was pretty important, they couldn't just survive on cake alone. Neither could he, for that matter. Also, did they need any special... sort of items? From what Jun was saying, it sounded as if he did. It also sounded as if he needed to start asking questions.
Inside the store, Christian followed Jun like a lost puppy, his eyes wide as he looked at the high shelves, filled with items he had no clue about -- well, at least the ones that were pokemon related. There were a lot of human, and easily recognizable, items too. This place had a lot of nifty things in it! Why hadn't Am taken him to one before?
He looked up from his, vain, item perusing upon Jun's question, then gave him a smile as he straightened up. "You're a smart cookie!" he exclaimed, casually. Though... now that he thought about it, he was hanging out with Jun longer than he expected, so maybe he ought to clue him in about his 'situation', before his good friend began to think he was just a bum. Christian brushed at his jacket.
"Heyyyyyy, we're friends now, right?" It was always good to start out with a reminder of one's friendship, as brief as it was. "So, I think it's cool to tell you that I'm 'suffering'--that's how some folks would put it--from retrograde amnesia; can't remember anything from up until last week. That's when that friend I told you about, Am, found me." Boy, this was sure a lot of stuff to lay on someone he'd just met, and in a 'mart, of all places.
"So, that's, partially, why I don't have any money on me. Or... supplies, or anything real useful."
⋅ BATTLES WON ⋮ 0 ⋅ BATTLES LOST ⋮ 0 ⋅ POKEMON CAUGHT ⋮ 02 ⋅ OBEDIENCE ⋮ lvl 20
■ PARTY
⇨xxN A M E: Chickpea - Chikorita *
T Y P E: L E V E L: 10 G E N D E R: Male ＮＡＴＵＲＥ: Mild: Too curious for his own good, a little more than 'a little clumsy' ＡＢＩＬＩＴＹ: Overgrow: When HP is below 1/3rd Grass type attacks do x1.5 damage ＨＯＬＤＩＮＧ: N/A ＡＴＴＡＣＫＳ: Growl - Lowers target's physical attack one stage Tackle - 40 Razor Leaf - 55: 1/10 chance to critically hit Poison Powder - Poisons Opponent
100/100 HP | Status: None | 13/20 EXP | Next Move; lvl. 12 - Synthesis
⇨xxN A M E: Watercress, "Cress" - Totodile
T Y P E: L E V E L: 07 G E N D E R: Female ＮＡＴＵＲＥ: Impish: Loves scaring people and pokemon ＡＢＩＬＩＴＹ: Torrent: When HP is below 1/3rd, Water type attacks will do x1.5 damage ＨＯＬＤＩＮＧ: N/A ＡＴＴＡＣＫＳ: Leer - Lowers target's physical defense one stage Scratch - 40 Water Gun - 40 ---
70/70 HP | Status: None | 02/17 EXP | Next Move; lvl. 13 - Bite
■ INVENTORY
⋅ Special Items - Pokedex - Balm Mushroom
⋅ Poké Balls - Pokeball x∞ - GS Ball x2
⋅ Medicine - Potion x∞ - Super Potion x5 (Unclaimed) - Rare Candy
⋅ TMs / HMs - TMO2 Dragon Claw - TM14 Blizzard - TM53 Energy Ball - TM80 Rock Slide - TM99 Dazzling Gleam
⋅ Personal Items Broken Cellphone | Waterlogged music player | Tangled earbuds | Trail mix | Empty Wallet | Trainer ID | What Can I Do With My Life?: Pokemon Edition | Amorette's number
[ Yeah, that sounds great! Okay, um, where's Cress? She can tell Jun and Chris- Chris... Chris tee ann." Gosh why was Cress' name the only easy one to say? Even her long name was easy- just add water!
"Yeah. They focus on supplies for pokemon, but they get traveling trainers in here so there's usually everything you need," Jun responded as he compared two different potions to each other. With Peafoul around, some antidotes would be a good idea.
It was clear Christian wasn't experienced with this, which once again had Jun amused because it's not like he had a lot of experience either. Most of it felt pretty straightforward to him, anyways. Apparently that made him- A smart... cookie...?
"Uh, yeah?" Jun liked that Christian thought they were friends, but he wasn't sure he liked where this was going. He had a sneaking suspicion this was going to end with him buying Christian food again.
Amnesia, damn, that was not what he'd been expecting. He took a long moment to process. "So. You don't have a deep passion for knot tying, then?" That would explain why it was the only real thing Jun had learned about Christian, aside from this Am lady. "And here I thought you had a dark and mysterious past," Jun said, amusing himself with the joke.
This made a lot more sense that the myriad of possibilities Jun had been imagining. There was still the possibility Christian was lying, but he didn't seem like it. It was much easier to relax, knowing why Christian didn't quite add up.
And Jun realized he'd been holding back on offering help, even though he wasn't attached to his money. Heck, he thought to himself, this was an opportunity to use some of his ill-gotten gains for something approaching a good cause. "Hey, you know, if you need some stuff, I can pay. Since we're friends, right?"
"Hehe." Laughing good-naturedly at the way Dune pronounced Christian's name, it was funny, Chickpea craned his head around to try and spot Cress, which was easy enough to do with her coloring -- and the fact that she was moving around with them. He lit up when he did find her, peering behind a shelf for some reason. "Hey Cress!" Chickpea called out to his teammate. "Could you tell Jun and Christian that we wanna celebrate by eating a lot of food!" Cress placed a claw over her snout, and gazed curiously at the two friends. "What are you celebrating?" It seemed fair enough to ask. "We're gonna celebrate seeing each other again!"
Christian nodded his head, slowly, but watched as Jun looked over two spray bottles; 'potions', the labels read. They looked a lot like the bottles the professor had given him.
Yes, he was learning!
He rocked back on his heels as he waited for Jun to say... something, anything, and in the silence that followed he absently picked up a pair of bright yellow specs; they weren't the most stylish, but maybe that's why a large 'half price' tag had been slapped onto them. He placed them back onto the shelf.
Christian snorted, and with his laugh he was able to easily cover up his relief. If Jun was making jokes, then it meant that he had, more or less, accepted this. Which, was good! He hadn't been concerned or anything, but it was good to know that he wasn't just going to drop him like a hot potato. "I dunno about a 'deep passion', but I really do know how to tie knots. So, those lessons I promised earlier are still on," he assured. "Sorry to disappoint you. But, hey, even if my past isn't dark, it is mysterious -- at least to me, for now."
His smile, which had naturally begun to rise when he started trading jokes, was briefly overshadowed by surprise upon Jun's offer. Sure, it was no different than what he'd been doing up until now, paying for his things, but now he was just... offering to do it, and Christian wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth! "Thanks, I'll take you up on that!" He paused, "And I'll pay you back, one of these days. When I get a job, or come into a great fortune." Which ever came first!
With Jun offering to pay for him, his store options had increased some, which meant now he could actually browse with the intent on buying. That being said, he did need to figure out what exactly to buy, and if he needed anything in the first place.
⋅ BATTLES WON ⋮ 0 ⋅ BATTLES LOST ⋮ 0 ⋅ POKEMON CAUGHT ⋮ 02 ⋅ OBEDIENCE ⋮ lvl 20
■ PARTY
⇨xxN A M E: Chickpea - Chikorita *
T Y P E: L E V E L: 10 G E N D E R: Male ＮＡＴＵＲＥ: Mild: Too curious for his own good, a little more than 'a little clumsy' ＡＢＩＬＩＴＹ: Overgrow: When HP is below 1/3rd Grass type attacks do x1.5 damage ＨＯＬＤＩＮＧ: N/A ＡＴＴＡＣＫＳ: Growl - Lowers target's physical attack one stage Tackle - 40 Razor Leaf - 55: 1/10 chance to critically hit Poison Powder - Poisons Opponent
100/100 HP | Status: None | 14/20 EXP | Next Move; lvl. 12 - Synthesis
⇨xxN A M E: Watercress, "Cress" - Totodile
T Y P E: L E V E L: 07 G E N D E R: Female ＮＡＴＵＲＥ: Impish: Loves scaring people and pokemon ＡＢＩＬＩＴＹ: Torrent: When HP is below 1/3rd, Water type attacks will do x1.5 damage ＨＯＬＤＩＮＧ: N/A ＡＴＴＡＣＫＳ: Leer - Lowers target's physical defense one stage Scratch - 40 Water Gun - 40 ---
70/70 HP | Status: None | 03/17 EXP | Next Move; lvl. 13 - Bite
■ INVENTORY
⋅ Special Items - Pokedex - Balm Mushroom
⋅ Poké Balls - Pokeball x∞ - GS Ball x2
⋅ Medicine - Potion x∞ - Super Potion x5 (Unclaimed) - Rare Candy
⋅ TMs / HMs - TMO2 Dragon Claw - TM14 Blizzard - TM53 Energy Ball - TM80 Rock Slide - TM99 Dazzling Gleam
⋅ Personal Items Broken Cellphone | Waterlogged music player | Tangled earbuds | Trail mix | Empty Wallet | Trainer ID | What Can I Do With My Life?: Pokemon Edition | Amorette's number
[ "Um, we could sort of, it could be a c-celebration for you too. S-since you just joined." ] Dune really hoped Cress agreed. She was kind of intimidating, but she told Jun about how his name was Dune now so he thought she was maybe she would help even though she was probably too cool for them.
Jun hummed, "Mmm, good point." Christian's past was definitely a mystery Jun was curious about, but he'd guess it was relatively mundane. Hopefully not dark in the way of depressing, though. Or dark in the way of "I have people after me" because there was really only room for one of those in the party.
Huh. Hmm. Jun glanced sideways at Christian as he looked at a pair of glasses. Were they just going to shop and part ways, or would they be together longer? Should he tell Christian about, well, something about how Team Rocket may or may not maybe be after him? At what point would it be a d**k move not to? Something to think on.
Jun snorted, because of course Christian didn't pause a moment before cheerfully thanking him for his money. Not even a single 'oh no, I couldn't'. Jun appreciated the straightforwardness. "I'll hold you to that, you know. And don't go too crazy," he added. He really didn't want to have to deal with running out of money.
That being said, he turned his attention back to the racks of items for sale. He'd probably suggest some stuff, since Christian probably didn't know what to get. "Hey, since you're alone, you want to travel together? I'm just doing the typical gym stuff." He could suggest a typical collection of stuff, make sure Christian got what he needed.
