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A few days after the Petalburg Gym and we’re back in Mauville Mall. Lacy is back getting caught up with work in Rustburo. We’re hitting the road like a good old fashion rookie journey.

The mosh isn’t for a few days but we won’t be waiting around for it. It’s stock up and team plan day now, tomorrow we make for Lavaridge. In fact, Citro and I won’t challenge the Mosh until early fall. Naomi’s production team wants some high level pokemon action to build hype leading towards the big, end of year tournament.

Back in the here and now, I grab the wheel and jerk Jane clear of some idiot fixing his hair while driving the other way.

Her knuckles are white on the wheel, “Thanks Kurt.”

“No worries kid.” Looking back to Naomi, “Mall security knows we got a new ride right?”

She nods without looking up from her tablet, “Yup, just drive right into the same garage as last time.”

“You’re gonna get car sick missy.” Turning to Citro, “Make up yer mind there bud?”

He lets out a nervous breath while fixing his jacket for the hundredth time, “Ya, I gave a shopping wishlist to Naomi. I’ll head straight up to the park to catch an electric pokemon. I’m going to get the most time out of today.”

Jane looks in the mirror, “I know you said you could manage by yourself but I’d rather explore the park more with you then hang out shopping for hours.”

I catch her eye and give her a thumbs up out of view of the boy trying not to show his relief.

“Finally, thank Arceus,” Naomi stretches out, “I’m caught up on work so we can focus on the actual trainer stuff! Jane, if you're going to the park is there anything you need?”

“Um, ya,” she almost reaches for her phone but spots my glare and puts her eyes back on the traffic, “I’ll get a list to you asap. I definitely need more polish for my Onix, oh, and a new scale brush. Crooky mauled his, he was getting too big for it anyway… I might need a bigger backpack.”

Naomi smirks, “Don’t worry, I guilted my father into letting us ‘Test’ one of the new bags, the ones with a pocket dimensional space. He just said not to put any high energy items in it for now, like our z crystals.”

Sweet, pokemon bag of holding score!

We pull into the Wattson family, private company garage.

“Alright, good hunting Citro.” I clap him on the back as he steps into an elevator with Jane, “Oh, and keep the horney teen boys off our fiery redhead!”

The brutish girl grasps his arm and gives her best helpless maiden expression, “My hero!”

Naomi snorts at Citro’s rapidly redding face as the doors close between us.

“Okay,” I stretch a bit myself, it was a two hour drive after all, “Where first Boss?”

Naomi shows me a map of the mall on her tablet, “Let's visit the Pokemon Care shop first. Then the TM store.”

While sliding into another elevator, “Did you hear back on what battle format will be available in Lavaridge gym yet?”

“No,” she puffs out a breath, “But I already know it won’t be more than a three pokemon match, whether that's a triple battle, 3v3 singles or doubles with one sub. Boss Encounter is out of the question without Flannery serving as the gym leader.”

We hop in a mall provided golf cart, a pair of security guards tail us in their own.

“Cool, and for sure Fire typing still right?”

Naomi links her tablet map to the onboard navigation screen, “Correct, no tricky stuff like Petalburg. Lavaridge Gym pokemon are all Fire types, we need to pick teams that can handle the heat. The gym arena is the true test.”

First I’m actually hearing of it, “Saw a glimpse on the News, it looked like just another field.”

“Nope,” she points at an upcoming store while ignoring the few people we pass that recognise her, “That was the First and Second Badge arena, we’ll be on the next stage. A field just at the edge of Mt. Chimney and the Valley of Steel, complete with active volcano vents and stone spires.”

“Joy.” I park us and raise a brow at a grown man trying to sneak over for an autograph before security can get out of their ride. “Not today dude.”

He sulks off before the goons with tasers can make him.

In the store are all manner of displays both physical and digital, some even holographic. Instead of everything being sorted by type, it’s more of by use.

I spot food all along the back wall.

“Is this where my orders of blood come from?”

That gets some of the gawkers to return to their own business.

Naomi grins and nods, “Yup, and Jane’s ore nuggets for Onix. I already arranged food deliveries for our scheduled stops. Let's find Jane’s brush, I need a heat resistant wax for my team.”

Sighing, “That is the issue for us, isn’t it, Fire type disadvantage, what do?”

We browse the pet store isles passing a shelf with everything from claw clippers to a steel plate grinder.

Naomi counts off, “I can use my Altaria and Mienfoo without issue, I’ll have to risk Florges or hope my Kirlia… No, she’s still mid evolution.”

She bites a nail while looking at the brushes, “I think this one will work. Anyway, I’m stuck fielding at least one pokemon with disadvantage. At least my Delphi isn’t primarily Grass type, fairy winds will keep back most of the heat. She’ll be on full support duty.”

Thinking of my own situation, “My Joltik and Phantump are out, can we swing an evening battle?”

Shak’s fur is growing thicker but he’s still pretty vulnerable to sunlight.

“I should think so, I can work it using the viewing hours angle. Claim we want a live broadcast with better viewership, that does mean we’ll be battling live Kurt.”

We move on to an area clearly aimed at everything related to plant care.

“Alright so my Golbat should be in, I’ll wait till we know for sure to have Lacy send him up.”

Naomi giggles, “I think you should just have him on you. Doctor Cutter Senior is already stretching the legal limit for pokemon at Lacy’s residence.”

“You don’t get it kid, I can’t Not have my biggest, meanest pokemon defending the house… think of it as Men’s version of nesting. Plus I wouldn’t want the old man thinking I’m shirking duty.”

I pause at the sight of freeze dried, Rattata embryos that failed to hatch. For carnivorous plants, bugs, and serpents apparently.

“Gross. Anyway that leaves me with my Carracosta and Palossand.”

Naomi stalls at the display of various riding harnesses. I spot one similar to the one I use for my Golbat.

She taps her lips, “I still want a Rapidash, and we have the race later. You have an in with the Lavaridge breeder ranch right?”

I did catch them a bunch of pokemon, “We should at least be able to swing a tour, from there you’ll have to smooth talk your way to the hidden gems.”

The heiress smirks, “I bet they’re tired of losing to Zebstrika every year.”

“Good angle, we got everything?” She's been placing a bunch of stuff we pass on delivery order. Nothing really struck me as a must buy, although she did put me down for turtle shell wax and a grinder for my Sandslash’s claws.

Near the shop exit is a display of various fresh bones for canine pokemon or others that like chewing stuff.

While Naomi orders one for Crooky I ask, “So is there a store for Pokémon products like this? Or say spools of bug thread and such?”

That earned a raised brow, “Is that sort of thing common enough to warrant whole stores where you're from?”

“Eh, historically,” For some reason I remember the monster hunter game franchise, “In modern days its more frowned on outside of ethical sources. Which can be faked. But it's always been a part of the fantasy of worlds filled with monsters. Dragonhide armor, bone swords, spider silk robes or dresses, you get the idea.”

She snorts, “Just the same, historically, maybe. I can’t imagine the washing instructions on a dress made of bug threads.”

“Fair enough.” I laugh imagining a wash label inside dragon scaled armor, “Where next?”

She plugs in the next destination on the nav, “TM store. We're gonna need some new tricks, we’ve shown a lot of our hand lately.”

“Maybe you have.” I smirk at her confusion, “Think about it, people have seen my Phantump and Palossand, sure, and it’s public knowledge I have a big Golbat.”

Glancing at a roster of my team, “Eh! No one has seen Tesla since she’s finished evolving, or your Sandslash and Carracosta. Half your team has yet to be caught on camera! No fair!”

“Haha,” I steer us towards the shop with a giant screen showing live battles out front, “Exactly, Lavaridge will be Zilla’s premiere fight. Shak and Kona will just be back up.”

“Well,” she puts her tablet back in her bag, “That cranky turtle has been itching to fight for a while. I still think it’s wild that she's almost as tall as me when she fully sits up.”

As we hop out I look at the battle showing on the marquee. It’s the Sootopolis Gym, Electra’s black Mega Gyarados is shooting lightning lasers at a Greninja performing crazy acrobatics while sending giant ice shuriken back across the water filled coliseum.

“Is that monster using Zap Cannon?”

“No, Charge Beam, Zap Cannon is more burst shot instead of a steady beam. She usually opens with a Charge Beam to test the speed of the opponent.”

“You know her that well?”

We walk into the TM store lobby, seeing the familiar displays of move catalog screens surrounding vibrant displays of every pokemon type featuring live pokemon.

“I’ve talked with her plenty of times, she’s worked closely with our family for years. The result being that Electric type Gyarados… You know I’m really starting to think my father knew all along that my mother cheated on him. He’s been looking out for Electra since her father died. You know her real name is Elizabeth?”

Naomi’s focus drifts toward the little garden display blooming with flowers tended by happy looking Ivysaur. A bouncy Cottonee is getting pets from an ecstatic little girl whose mother is also browsing the console screens.

“Kurt, look at this.” She’s pointing out a video of a Sudowoodo, that annoying rock pokemon that looks like a shrub. “A Mimic TM should have some fun notes for your Phantump.”

“I’ll grab it, and look at the next move down.”

Camouflage shows a Sawsbuck growing different plants to blend into their surroundings.

Naomi taps her lips, “You think my Florges could use this?”

“Maybe some combination of the two moves, let's get both.”

Naomi picks up a Cotton Guard TM along with Petal Dance.

We both browse the spooky tree display, grabbing up Ominous Wind. In the bird section we get the idea that most of the moves are the same, just separated into physical or special. Wind manipulation or just how hard can a bird ram an opponent without getting hurt in return. TMs like Brave Bird have hours of math lectures behind how to get the most out of a dive attack angle.

Splitting off towards a metal sculpture being manipulated by a few Klink and a Klang, I need steel moves for Tesla. I already have Anchor Shot, I need a Metal Claw TM for bug types… Rototiller would be great for Rusty.

Iron defense would work, “I wonder if this combos with Pin Missile and Discharge?”

An older male trainer at the next console replies to my mumble while leaning to look at my screen, “It certainly adds power behind a Bullet Punch.”

Rather than making purchases he seems to be updating some of the entries… he looks way familiar. Spiky brown, nearly orange hair, deep blue jacket, sharp face.

“Gary Oak?”

He laughs, “Hey! I don't get recognized that often anymore.”

Holy shit.

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