Turns out, yes, the park floor battlefield areas are impact rated. In fact the system used in the games is a standard metric used here. Meaning the fields up here are rated for a 500 point max. They have one stadium field for events rated up to 600.

Honestly I have mixed feelings about learning this. I understand that these values are derived from maximum theoretical values derived from baseline averages. So while my eventual Galvantula probably will never beat Noami’s Florges or Jane’s Krookodile, it's dependent on their training as well.

As it stands my eventual Crobat has the highest potential to be my ace.

Looking at Shak lazily snoozing from another tilted perch in my hotel room, “Ya, not exactly ace material there I guess.”

Assuming we work our asses off all year, come the final tournament the girls will likely have more power in their teams.

Not that this is a bad thing… It just doesn’t do my pride any favors. While I’m perfectly capable of keeping up my clever little tricks, eventually I’ll hit a wall.

I need a real Ace. Tesla just wants to cuddle, my phantump is a little trickster, and my Golbat...

An awful stench hits me like a semi truck, “Holy shit Shak!”

The flying bear scratches his ass. This is what I have to work with for now... I’m not even supposed to use him in broad daylight! Everything on the internet, Pokenet, stupid naming convention, says the zubat family gets sunburnt to hell in less than an hour under the sun. Also, I’m apparently supposed to give him a Bucket of blood before a gym fight for best results.

“Pardon me, what aisle do you keep your buckets of blood?” Cause that doesn’t feel weird AF to say.

Nevertheless, apparently it is an option in larger Pokemarts, “This world is F’ing weird.”

Scanning across the rest of this high income hotel room, Tesla is snuggled in my lap while I’ve been on the computer. Blue has stripped the leaves from a potted plant into an impromptu nest, and my incubator is wrapped in my jacket at the bedside.

A knock thumps at my door, Jane calles out, “We’re headed down to shop around before Naomi meets her mother for lunch later.”

I stood up when she started and open the door, “Alright I’m gonna head out to the woods and get some training done. I can’t bring my Joltik out in the park up top. Remember you’re doubling as Naomi’s body guard, no matter how much security this mall has.”

It only takes another fifteen minutes for my plan to be derailed however.

Apparently Jane told her aunt that she cashed in an actual pirate hoard. Now the woman has caught me exiting the elevator and we’re headed into the trainer gear wing of the mall.

At least The Pike is patient enough to answer any of my craziest questions, “After the assistant literally lost their mind, any attempts to teleport humans via machine have been banned. Similarly, Bill never taught anyone how he transferred his mind into a pokemon and destroyed the data.” She gives me that suspicious side eye, “How do you know about top secret, missing mad scientists and clone programs that the WPC swept under the rug decades ago but can’t remember your own name?”

I can only shrug, “Ask Arceus.”

“Whatever Mr. International Security Risk,” She points to the shop just ahead, “We’re here, third best TM shop in Hoenn just behind Evergrand and LaRousse.”

The shop front has screens showing high level battles from various tournaments. Just inside the double doors, the central showroom has a stunning holographic display running. An amphitheatre like colosseum but scaled down shows a Mega-Sceptile dodging lightning shot by a Rayquaza.

Recalling Sawyer from the Littleroot Lab, I check the info screen at the front of the display and sure enough, his name and Zinnia’s are there. Back on the display, Sawyer’s pokemon eventually runs out of places to hide and gets fried. An ad appears showing the Sceptile flipping over a blast of lightning, “Get your Leaf Glide trainer manual today!”

Lucy sighs, “Man, Rayquaza would be my capstone ya know, that final crowning achievement to my name. But you don’t just snag a legendary dragon and retire.”

Wait, I’m confused, “Isn’t there just one? Zinnia has it right?”

I get another one of those, where’d you come from looks, “Um, no, even legendaries breed Kurt. Arceus keeps their protectors hidden but very few are truly unique.”

Well, I knew as much with the Lugia and rumored regional bird variants. Whatever, “So, you didn’t say what we are here for specifically before kidnapping me.”

She pulls her hair back in a quick knot before waving at the varied displays around the room, each noticeably themed to a pokemon type, “I’m picking out some moves for Janey. The Wattson girl has her own experts, I figured you could use a few tips.”

While the main display switches to Metagross versus Emboar I check my bank account on my phone. I’m sitting near Fifty Mil, which sure sounds impressive, the boat auction must have gone well.

Unfortunately I already jumped through a bunch of math hoops, 50 mil only equates to about 250,000 american… super roughly. Ditching two zeros and slicing the value in half is a simple way to think of it. They have nothing on the other side of the decimal though.

Absurd inflation aside, I can afford to spend, well invest in some nice things today. “What are you getting Jane?”

Miss Pike heads to a circle of displays mounted to a fake, creepy tree. The Dark section has a live Mandibuzz, basically a vulture, currently trying to mount a new rib bone in her head crest feathers.

Lucy hops on an available touch screen, “First up is her Sandile, one of the best dark moves is Taunt as long as the pokemon has the personality for it.”

I watch her scrolling down a list, nothing is numbered, apparently they gave up having to constantly update a national standard. Another interesting thing catches my eye, there are way more moves and some have hybrid typing.

Taunt is still essentially dark but in the same category of moves I see a dark/ghost move called Shadow Panic. When Lucy finishes adding taunt to her account cart I ask her to show me the new move.

Just like a Youtube clip, a video preview shows a goblin pokemon called Morgrem making shadows snarl and reach for a large, panicking pitbull, a Granbull.

This just screams Blue’s annoying giggles, “I think my Phantump would love this.”

She points at an icon on the screen, “Tap your phone here to register your account and put it in your shopping list. You’ll get a notification to finalize purchases on our way out. Next is Onix.”

While she moves towards a sand sculpted giant rook, I spot a large section with flowery trees and a live Ledyba, “I’m gonna look over here, meet you at poison next?”

Splitting up I have to wait so long at the popular grass/bug area that I see Lucy finish at the rook and move over to a big bird play perch, where a Chatot quartet is singing a pop song.

Finally a spot opens and I search by pokemon recommendations. For Joltik, I still haven’t used my Wild Charge manual or finished training Electro Ball. I do see a note about Leech Life being able to boost her static charge mid combat.

Looking for Blue’s grass typing, I’m surprised by what I find. Thorn Drain, is a new move that bridges the weaker or slower moves until they evolve to Trevenant and get Horn Leech. At higher power it qualifies as a physical variant of Giga Drain. The video shows brambles rising from the earth to ensnare and puncture victims.

Finding the pike just finishing I have to ask, “I don’t think Jane has a flyer yet?”

The corner of her lips perk up, “I’m not telling.” She shoos me forward, “Let's go, that adorable Ekans over there is begging for chin scritches. I haven’t seen her for months.”

In the mouth of a shallow cave display rests a large purple snake that is actually wagging her tail at the sight of The Pike. Some of the other shopping trainers are impressed with how casually Lucy and the big snake interact.

She informs the crowd, “This darling is from my trial zone at the LaRousse Battle Tower.”

Moving on to the closest available screen, I key in Golbat. Taking up her earlier offer, “My big lug already has some nice flight moves and it’s easy enough to tell him to bite something. What am I looking for here?”

Patting the snake one more time, she comes over and starts flicking through moves, “Golbat are monsters once they close in, any real versatility begins with adding a ranged attack.”

Her fingers pause on a video showing a bat spitting a glob of liquid, “While not the strong suit of the Zubat line, they are still capable of spitting their poison. Sludge Bomb is a simple classic, and with practiced aim it can swiftly create advantages.”

If I recall, my bat’s venom is a flesh destroying cytotoxin that helps them break through tougher skins and scales along with an anticoagulant agent. That would really suck to get tossed into an eye, mouth, or open wound.

Looking back at Lucy, “That's just mean. It’s perfect!”

She barks a laugh while making her own selection, “Thankfully Golbat have relatively small glands and are a bit soft skinned to risk effective use of this Venom Drench. Unlike a Scolipede.”

Finalizing our purchases I can’t help but ask, “This is all digital sales, why the store front? Why not all online shopping?”

Again the look, raised brow, narrowed eyes, pursed lips, “Minors aren’t allowed to shop online for obvious reasons and rookie trainers shouldn’t be lazy.”

The rest of our shopping includes spare clothes, rain gear, food supplies. Using a Wattson company jeep for our journey cuts out a lot of the bullshit. I’m a grown man and like anyone’s gonna claim the princess isn’t taking her journey seriously just because she can afford not to walk… Jane lucked out.

After saying farewell to Lucy and heading toward the food court to meet the girls, I spot a familiar scene beginning on a television in a rest area.

Lisia hops on camera, “Hello Hoenn, and pokemon trainers everywhere, today we have a special show for you. As you know it’s the start of another fresh League season this month and there are already promising new rookies making their debuts!”

Behind her the waves crash onto the Dewford beach as a highlight reel of our team’s prelim battles begin.

“The Red Rebels have crashed like a tidal wave through the Dewford Gym in style. As always the full battles are now up on the net.”

The scene switches to May’s Turtwig slamming head first in a hail of leaves against a baby dinosaur.

“One exciting development this year is the return of several experienced trainers. The challenge is that they must use a fresh team just like the rookies and they are expected to mentor their teammates.”

Another scene shows May teaching that orphan girl how to brush her Numel. Then it switches to Dawn playing ref while Tommy’s Krabby duels Edgar’s Honedge.

“That's right folks, our own May and her rival Dawn will be facing off in this year’s tournament!”

In the lounge around me several trainers and other folk cheer as a wave of excitement over the announcement.

“The final bit of headline news before we head deeper into the topics, Brendan has officially been sworn in as a member of the Hoenn Elite Four!”

Footage appears of a ceremony where a man in a black and gold tuxedo with a burgundy mohawk passes a torch to a man my age with an orange sport jacket.

“While Sidney passes his torch to our new Ground Type Master, Ghost Master Phoebe,”

Now we see a woman in her late forties dancing with her fire spinning Marowak.

“Will be serving her final year. Rumors have already begun to fly about her replacement as Wally has declined due to his health. Previously it was Brawly that was on the short list but with his return to kanto that’s clearly out. Now a movement has begun to elect one of our regional WPC gym leaders. At the top of the list stands our Pike Queen.”

Lucy appears on screen, riding her Gyarados into a storm as Lightning races across the sky.