Interlude - Second Pokemon Portal Exploration
"Ugh, stupid little bugs."
Candice grumbled. She swatted the air, driving away the buzzing mosquitoes.
"Didn't you use the bug-repellent cream?"
"I did! But they still won't let up. Sigh.Why couldn't we have entered the Snow Portal again."
The group chuckled at Candice's whining. They were currently undergoing their monthly portal exploration- this time in a Tropical Jungle. An accident had apparently happened in the Snow portal, causing the university to shift their destination to the next nearby portal.
"Cheer up, today's the last day. And the Professors even gave us a free opportunity to explore."
Shinobu encouraged while pushing away a branch in her path. This reminded her of the time when she accompanied Dante in the Intra Forest. Although the Pokemon here are much stronger, they themselves are also not the same as before.
"Ugh, I hope we find something useful."
"With Dan's luck, is there even any doubt? Chichi, use Tail Slap!"
Shinobu commanded. Mankey, who wanted to sneak attack from above the trees, suddenly saw a gray blur.
"Minccino!"
Mincinno's slapped the unprepared Mankey with her tail. Once. Twice. Thrice. She slapped him a total of five times, before the gathered energy on her tail disappeared and she fell back towards Shinobu.
With the combination of Skill Link and Technician, the 25 base power Tail Slap had a power comparable to a 188 base powered move. Not to mention, being a Normal-type move, it exerted greater power when used by the similarly Normal-type Minccino.
If it weren't because her Attack stat was still too low, this alone would have been enough to knock out the monkey-like Pokemon. But as it is, it only made Mankey stagger and slip from the tree branches.
"Eevee!"
Without giving him time to recover, Eevee on Dante's shoulders jumped. Her feet stretched and she slammed Mankey back up into the air, his body disappearing among the foliage.
"Vulpix!" (You didn't give me a turn!)
"Eevee! Eevee!" (Teehee, it's not my fault you're a Slowpoke!)
"Vulpix!" (Daddy! She's bullying me!!)
Vulpix pouted and buried her body into Dante's arms. She looked up at him, her big, blue eyes glistening.
Dante chuckled and rubbed the soft and cool fur on her forehead.
"Don't worry, Vulpix. You'll have plenty of chances later."
"Vul…"
"Hnnggh, she's so cute!"
Candice sneaked beside Dante at some point. Her eyes turned into hearts, and she stretched out her arms to hug the ice-blue fox.
Vulpix shuddered. She dodged Candice's grab, and climbed onto Dante's bag where she hid behind Big Brother Pikachu while warily looking at this twin-tailed girl.
"Aww~ Little Vulpix, are you still angry about last time? Big sister Candice is sorry about that, she was just too excited. Here, I brought this super delicious handmade Pokecube for you as a token of apology."
Candice held a light-blue Pokecube, her behaviour like an uncle tempting a child with sweets. Seeing the food in her hand, Vulpix just harrumphed and turned her head.
"Hahaha, it seems there's still a long way to go before Vulpix can forgive you."
Dante chuckled as he scratched the fox Pokemon's chin. Seeing how docile Vulpix was in his arms, Candice lowered her head in frustration.
"Next time, for sure!"
Candice huffed, before she turned back to join the other girls.
Their group is walking through the forest under Dante's lead. With his Copycat Vision, he led them towards where the energy was most abundant.
"Over here! There's a clump of Energy Root!"
"Ohh! Enigma Berries!"
"Grassy Seeds!"
The girls constantly exclaimed. During their two hours of exploring, they obtained more resources than compared to the previous day- when they were exploring with the whole class.
"Is this the legendary Dante's luck?"
Kachina whispered, holding the Kebia Berry they recently found.
"It's not that exaggerated. It's because we've only been around the periphery that we didn't find as many items yesterday."
Dante said. He glanced around, searching for their next destination.
"Even so, I don't think that would explain how fast we are finding these. And without you, I doubt we can search for treasures so leisurely."
Focalors said as she eyed the fallen bodies of Primeape and Heracross, their numbers reaching more than a dozen. And this was just the group guarding a single treasure. If all of the Pokemon they encountered were counted, it would reach more than 50 by now.
A normal Trainer needs to rest and recover after every such battle. But with Dante, they don't need to face such trivialities.
Looking at the back of her boyfriend casually leading them towards the next treasure, Focalors smiled.
Interlude - Seeds
"Focalors! On your right!"
"What?"
"Oh. You died."
"Hahahahaha! You're so clumsy, sis!"
Focalors sneaked a glance at her gloating sister. She silently switched the screen to her point of view, awaiting an opportunity to laugh when she died as well.
Of course, it wasn't for her to die in the literal sense.
This day was supposed to be when the new trio of lovers- Dante, Shinobu, and Focalors, had their first date. However, when they met up, Furina followed after her sister. According to her, she wanted to join them so her sister wouldn't be outnumbered.
After some back and forth, they agreed to let her go with them. And now, they were currently sitting inside a private computer room, playing the first person shooter game, Valomon.
"So? What do you think, Focalors?"
"Hmm. I can understand the appeal of this game. Environmental awareness, split second decisions, and tactical thinking- all crucial aspects of a Trainer can be honed by playing this game."
Dante smiled helplessly when he saw Focalors nod to herself with a serious look. When Focalors learned that he and Shinobu often play this game, she expressed her curiosity and wanted to try it out. He thought she was curious about the game itself, but he didn't realize it would be more the 'training' aspect of it.
"Come on, sis. It's not that complicated. We play to have fun!"
"I am having fun. And how come you're so good at this? I haven't seen you playing video games at home."
"Why due to my natural talent, of course, ohohoho!"
Focalors frowned as she saw her sister get another kill. Looking at the scoreboard, she was currently at the bottom with 1 kill, 8 deaths, and 1 assist. Even Clorinde, who just filled the position of their last teammate, had a higher score than her.
"By the way, Focalors, does your family have any business in agriculture?"
"Yes? Is something the matter?"
Focalors turned to Dante. At this time, he was still operating his character on-screen. She watched him casually flick towards an enemy and kill them while answering her.
"I found some strange seeds from our last portal exploration. I consulted the professors at the university, but even they were clueless how to grow it. They suggested I hand it over to the Alliance for research."
Dante paused. His character moved swiftly through the screen, killing the opponent who was sneaking up on Furina.
"Thanks, Dan!"
"No probs. Anyways, I looked it up in the Pokenet, and there are still many things on Alliance's list to research. If I gave them the seed, who knows how long it would take before I get the result."
"I understand. So you want us to study it for you? It's not a difficult matter. I'll explain the situation to my family."
"Thanks, babe! You're a lifesaver."
Focalors blushed at the sudden remark. Furina's mouse slipped and her character became exposed to the enemy and died. Clorinde also twitched. Meanwhile, Shinobu only chuckled.
"Please don't say that in my presence again."
Furina groaned.
"Well, you were the one who wanted to accompany us on our date."
"Ughh, I guess it's my fault, then."
The next round began and Furina and Focalors' character finally revived. Seeing their faces shift into a serious expression, Dante smiled.
The seed he mentioned earlier were the ones from the PMD world. It had always been a mystery to him. Even though they were called Seeds, he hadn't found or heard of a plant in the PMD world that grew from them.
Until now, Dante was beginning to suspect they were named like that just because of their appearance. He tried planting them in soil once, but even after a week, no buds blossomed.
It's why he wanted other more professional people to study it for him. Of course, as precaution, the seed he was going to give is just the simple Sleep Seed. And if they really learned a way to cultivate it, he planned on growing them himself.
He already had plans to buy a large plot of land for his growing number of Pokemon. If he can also use the land to grow the seeds, then that would be all the better.
Depending on the cost of cultivating them, this may be what he needed to earn a more stable income in the human world. And if the cost is unsustainable, he can just cultivate the useful ones like the Joy Seed, Heal Seed, and Reviver Seed.
Interlude - Sleep
Ah…I woke up again…
How long has it been? Years? Decades? Centuries? …I don't know anymore. Everything…everything seems the same.
The same dark walls. The same companion. The same numb pain. When will it all end?
Will someone come and rescue me? But…with them here, that would be futile.
Yawnnn, I…I can't even stay awake for an hour now…That's great. Although I've become accustomed, as expected, not feeling the pain is better after all.
…my body…it's reaching the limit. When it does…will I finally be able to sleep in peace?
Inside a large cave lit by torches.
"Whew, I'm exhausted. Goodbye, friends! I'm going to have to rest now."
"Thank you very much, Mew!"
"Rest well!"
Mew smiled, and with a flash of pink light, disappeared. With her departure, the group of Pokemon that remained began to whisper excitedly.
"At last! I finally evolved!"
"Me too! I thought I would have to wait for one or more years!"
They looked amongst themselves, some walking clumsily, others awkwardly flapping their wings; getting accustomed to their new body.
From the group, a trio of Butterfree, Pidgeot and a Swellow separated and slowly flew in front of a white-haired Zorua, a Mega Mawile, an Eevee, an ice-blue Vulpix, and a Riolu who were standing by the side.
"Thank you, Omnipotent Travelers! If it wasn't for you, I don't know how long it would have taken before me and my team can finally evolve."
Butterfree said, her wings flapping somewhat uncoordinatedly with each other.
"Hey, don't thank us. Mew deserves all the credits. We're just his messengers."
"But according to him, if it wasn't for your team pitching the idea, Mew wouldn't even bother helping us."
"Well, when you put it like that…"
Dante sheepishly smiled. His tail smacked Eevee who was snickering behind him.
Right now, they were inside a large cave found by Dante and his team, a distance away from Treasure Town. This was the ritual site for the 'Legendary Pokemon Mew' to exert his powers and allow other Pokemon to evolve.
After expressing their gratitude once again, Butterfree gave 30 Gummies and flew out of the cave with his companions. The other Pokemon also followed suit. They thanked the Travelers and handed over the 'service fee' of 10 gummies each for accompanying them to meet Mew.
Soon, only Dante and the others were left inside the cave.
"Great work, Mew."
"Heehee, anytime."
Mew suddenly appeared beside Dante, his paws held over his mouth as he snickered.
"Isn't it weird talking to yourself like that, Dad?"
Eevee said as she jumped and rode on the floating Legendary Pokemon. She squealed in delight as Mew flew around the room, the pink Pokemon doing barrel-rolls.
"Dad, me too~"
A soft and waxy voice from behind asked. He turned, meeting the large blue eyes of Vulpix.
"Haha, alright, princess. Up you go!"
Alolan Vulpix cutely giggled as a Jirachi appeared under her. It carried the ice-blue fox alongside her sister, causing the two to let out laughter that echoed throughout the cave.
"Do you two want a ride as well?"
Dante turned to Mawile and Riolu, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"No way! I'm not a child!"
Mawile crossed her arms in protest. Riolu, on the other hand, struggled before reluctantly nodding.
With a whoop, the blue canine was carried through the air by a Melmetal.
"Incorporating the mechanics of Levitate is one of the most useful things I have done with my Ability so far."
Dante murmured. While the solid Illusion he gained from Uxie is powerful, its usefulness depends on his knowledge- more specifically, how much he knew about the composition and reaction of elemental energy.
He can easily make his Illusions solid and take different shapes, but for it to use moves and Abilities like how Uxie did, Dante must be able to understand how they work.
Offensive moves like Scratch and Energy Ball are easy- just a basic manipulation and compression of energy. However, due to the low stats of his Illusion, even a Hyper Beam can only cause a scratch to Pokemon with above 50 Special Defense.
Therefore, Dante focused more on understanding Abilities and Moves that can provide an auxiliary effects for their team. Levitate is one such example. After learning these, he wasn't as in a rush to recruit a Flying-type Pokemon anymore.
Dante smiled softly as he watched the trio chase each other in the air.
"You sure you don't want to join in, Mawile?"
"No. I prefer to be by your side more."
Dante glanced at the stubborn look on the cream-colored Pokemon's face. He nodded in understanding and opened the Item Men, planning to check the gains from today's evolution ritual.
In addition to the 'symbolic' price of 10 Gummies each given to their team for accompanying these Pokemon, they also obtained other items that were offered to Mew.
Dante already said that the Legendary Pokemon who will help wasn't interested in any items; to just bring a Joy Seed as well as the Evolutionary Items that they need for their own evolution. However, most of them disobeyed.
According to them, getting the help of a Legendary Pokemon without giving anything in return feels like they are taking advantage of Mew's kindness.
So they give things to Mew as appreciation, which all ended up in Dante's hands.
Most of the time, the items they gave aren't that valuable. It's usually Apples, Berries, Gummies, Chestnuts- food that Legendary Pokemon may appreciate.
However, there are the occasional generous Pokemon who give Ginsengs, Gold Ribbons, Exclusive Pokemon Items, and other precious items.
Dante swiped through the item sections in the menu, skipping through the large number of Apples and Berries before stopping on the Ginsengs. Right now, he has a total of 27 of such items.
That is equivalent to being able to add 27 or more Base Power to a move- something Dante is thinking about who to use for.
Minccino and her Tail Slap would have been a perfect candidate. But it's a pity the chinchilla Pokemon only occasionally joins them in the dungeon, mostly when Shinobu comes over.
But as his Dad, Dante still allotted 5 Ginsengs for Minccino. A 30 base power Tail Slap should ensure she wouldn't get bullied by some ordinary Pokemon. And if he gets extra Ginsengs in the future, he could continue helping her boost the move until it reaches 60 base power.
However, Dante still prioritized strengthening Pikachu and the others. After all, he doesn't plan on taking Minccino to fight against Dialga- not when she isn't prepared for such a battle.
He skipped through the Ginsengs, the more than 70 Joy Seeds, 20 Life Seeds, 10 Violent Seeds, then at the 120 different Gummies. With this, there should be enough for Eevee's stats to break past 105.
He stared at said Pokemon who was using a low-power version of Swift to hit Vulpix and Riolu.
It had been more than a month since the siblings had left their infancy period. During that time, Dante and his team mostly explored the 1-star dungeons and above to level the two newbies.
Along with the help of Gummi drinks, this was the result of their effort:
Alolan Vulpix
Type: Ice
Abilities:
Snow Cloak (Grants Camouflage Ability in the snow)
Snow Warning (The Pokemon can easily summon hailstorm)
Level: 42
HP: 113/113
Attack: 108 Defense: 108 (+3)
Sp. Atk: 115 Sp. Def.: 105 Speed: 107
Item: Light Clay (Increases duration of moves like Reflect, Light Screen, and Aurora Veil)
Exclusive Items in Bag:
- Glowing Bow (Special moves are weakened to half their strength)
- Vulpix Tail (Defense +3)
Eevee
Type: Normal
Abilities:
Adaptability (Powers up moves of the same type as the user)
Anticipation (Sense threats within a certain distance)
Level: 44
HP: 89/89
Attack: 104 Defense: 100 (+3)
Sp. Atk: 108 Sp. Def.: 100 (+3) Speed: 103
Item: Special Band (Sp. Attack +12)
Exclusive Items in Bag:
- Prism Ruff (Weather does not damage this Pokemon)
- Volt Collar (May afflict attacking enemies with a Paralysis status condition)
- Aqua Collar (May afflict attacking enemies with a Cringe status condition)
- Fire Collar (May afflict attacking enemies with a Burn status condition)
- Light Collar (May afflict attacking enemies with a Confused status condition)
- Dusk Collar (May afflict attacking enemies with a Blinker status condition)
- Virid Collar (May afflict attacking enemies with a Poisoned, Paralysis, or Sleep status condition)
- Icy Collar (May afflict attacking enemies with a Frozen status condition)
- Fairy Collar (Increase the damage of the user's Fairy-type moves)
- Evolve Charm (Earns the Pokemon bonus experience)
- Eevee Tail (Defense +3)
- Eevee Card (Sp. Defense +3)
All of the sibling's stats exceeded 100. And this was done without tilting the resources towards the two…well, not much at least. Dante, Pikachu, and the others still experienced a massive improvement of stats.
And as for why Eevee has a complete collection of Exclusive items? That is because of the 2-star Mystery Dungeon they found; a dungeon in which all 13 floors contained an Eevee.
The dungeon is called the Summer Forest, one of the dungeons which comprised the 4-seasons Forest. There is the Spring Forest, Autumn Forest, and Winter Forest- all of which are also 2-stars in difficulty.
Another reason why they easily obtained all her Exclusive Items is due to the 3-star Exclusive Items only requiring Eevee's own drops to synthesize in Croagunk's Swap Shop.
In addition they also found a Teddiursa in Autumn Forest. This led to Ursaring also gaining a single set of his Exclusive Items. Now, the bear Pokemon only needs the set from Ursaring and Ursaluna.
After Dante finished taking stock of everything in his inventory, he controlled his flying Illusions to land before him.
"Come on, let's go back. Pikachu and the others ought to be done by now."
"Aww~ come on, Dad. 5 more minutes?"
Eevee said as she landed on all fours, right beside her sister and Riolu.
"Haha, we'll play as much as you want later. "
"That's a promise!"
Dante nodded with a smile and led the way out of the cave. With a shimmer, a flat disc appeared underneath their group, carrying them towards the distant Treasure Town.
"Dad, can you make it a bigger version of brother Pikachu?"
"For the last time Eevee, no. The less Pokemon who know about my Ability, the better."
"But this is different! We can also say we got it from the mysterious seller!"
"No means no."
"Then how about…"
Dante sighed for the nth time. How come Alolan Vulpix is such a well-behaved child, but Eevee turned out to be a menace? He raised both of them the same way!
They were currently high above the sky, standing on the flat futuristic-looking disc that he conjured.
When the other Pokemon in Treasure Town asked what this was, he had claimed it as an exclusive gift from the seller who gave them the Pokeballs and other items- that had been enough to convince them.
Now, the problem comes from his overenthusiastic Pokemon, Eevee. According to her, such a mount was too boring and needed a redesign.
Dante humored her at first, adding mats and tables and what-not to make the flight more comfortable. Soon, however, the designs she proposed became more and more outrageous.
What about adding an Eevee tail that leaves trails of rainbows? Or making their mount a glass Zorua that glows in the dark?
In short, Dante learned the artistic spirit hidden within his brown fox Pokemon.
Eevee continued to suggest other artistic modifications to their mount, only stopping after they arrived at the base- much to Dante's relief.
When they entered, they found Pikachu, Ursaring, and Azumarill relaxing on the sofa.
"Hey, what took you guys so long?"
Pikachu greeted, tapping his phone to pause the ongoing movie.
"I inventoried our items. After all, tomorrow's a big day. How about you? How was the meeting with Chatot?"
"They apparently locked down five possible locations of the Time Gears. Here, they gave everyone a copy of the map."
Pikachu handed over a Wonder Map, with 5 areas encircled and labeled.
"The Northern Desert, Eastern Forest, Crystal Caves, Limestone Mountain, and Treeshroud Forest. Hmm? Wasn't the Time Gear in Treeshroud Forest already taken?"
"Yup! Chatot just marked it in case a team wants to investigate Grovyle's past traces."
Dante stared at the map and fell into deep thought. More than a month has passed, and traces of Grovyle have yet to be found.
The Federation had been worried they would once again fall one step behind the fugitive. So, after some discussion, a plan of action has been made.
Since they can't catch Grovyle, then they'll just wait for Grovyle to come to them himself.
The Federation combed through the archives- to search for areas that likely contained a Time Gear. Since that was Grovyle's target, they would just find it first then lie in wait to ambush him.
The meeting today was held to inform the Exploration Teams, who accepted the task of capturing Grovyle, the result of their research. Then, they are tasked to personally confirm which of the places really held a Time Gear.
"Which area should our team investigate? I vote for the Crystal Cave! There's definitely a treasure hidden in there!"
Pikachu stood up from the couch, his eyes shining.
"Ohh! I also vote to go there!"
Eevee followed suit. Hearing the word 'crystal' had her immediately sold. The others also began to voice their opinion.
Vulpix and Azumarill stated they are alright anywhere as long as it's not the desert. Riolu said he preferred the Crystal Cave or the Limestone Mountains, while Ursaring wants to go to the Eastern Forest. Only Mawile asserted that she will go wherever Dante wants to.
"Nice, everyone. Great show of teamwork."
Dante smiled, a pair of hands manifesting above him which made a clapping motion. Then, it disappeared, turning into grinning Gengar.
"Unfortunately, this team doesn't work that way. What I say, goes. And I say we go to the Northern Desert!"
Except for Mawile, the team collectively groaned. Vulpix even used her wide-eyed teary look to make Dante reconsider. But this time, it had no effect. (Dante used his illusion to mask her face so he wouldn't see it.)
"No! That's unfair! It's against the majority rule!"
"There's no such thing as fairness in this world, dear Pikachu. As the leader of the team, it's my decision where we will go."
"Not if I can help it! Off with the dictator!"
"Off with the dictator!"
Pikachu dramatically yelled, Eevee repeating after him. The two Pokemon rushed at Dante, who slapped their head with his tail in amusement.
After sharing a laugh, the topic finally got back on track.
"Seriously, Dan. Why the Northern Desert? It'd be all hot and stuff there. Is it because of your future knowledge again?"
"Yeah. From what I know, Grovyle should obtain the next Time Gear in a desert after getting the one from Fogbound Lake. Though now that I think about it…"
Dante paused. At this time, shouldn't Grovyle already have three Time Gears? After getting the one from the desert and the Crystal Cave, he would have gotten all five… Or did he remember it wrongly?
"What is it, Dan?"
"It's nothing. Anyways, don't think about the desert so much. After all, we still have an important thing to do tomorrow. If we delay that again, Ursaring would be the one to throw a tantrum this time."
Dante turned to the large brown bear, his eyes twinkling in amusement.
"Come on, Dad! I wouldn't do that. But…did Eevee finally reach the requirements?"
Ursaring turned to Eevee, who pouted in dissatisfaction but otherwise didn't say anything.
"Not yet. But from the Gummies we got from the Evolution Ritual, this should be more than enough."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go to Mr. Spinda!"
Eevee ran out, urging the others to hurry.
Before her birth, the team had apparently made an agreement to go to a 5-star dungeon when they gained enough strength.
And fortunately, the team agreed for her and Vulpix to similarly grow up before entering said dungeon.
And now, the only reason they still haven't gone is because her stats have not reached her Dad's criteria.
'Stupid genes. We came from the same egg, how come Vulpix gains more from leveling up than me?'
—
Glug glug "Burp~ More!"
Eevee shouted, her stomach having a visible little bulge from all the Gummi drinks she had.
"Slow down, we're not going anywhere today."
Dante said in exasperation. From the moment they entered Spinda's Cafe, this Pokemon of his had been on a warpath and disregarded everything else. She sat on their usual seat and began to chug glass after glass of the Gummi drinks.
At the counter, Spinda worked non-stop just to keep up with Eevee's drinking speed.
Honestly, if it was any bartender, maybe their team would have been blacklisted already due to how much Gummi drinks they ask for every day. Fortunately, Spinda is the opposite. Even when Dante offered to pay some Poke for his service, Spinda always refused and just enthusiastically made their drinks.
"Dad. Burp~ How is it? Have I reached the target?"
Dante shook his head in helplessness and opened the Team Menu.
"Yes, you've reached it. You can stop drinking now."
With the drinks Eevee had, all her stats finally surpassed 105. And not only that, she also obtained a powerful IQ skill: No-charger.
No-charger allows a Pokemon to use charging moves like Solarbeam instantly at the cost of double the energy. Among their current team, only Mawile and Riolu have also learned this IQ skill.
When Eevee heard she reached the requirements, she slumped in relief. She had consumed almost half their Gummies in the bag, and her stomach was about to burst. If that still wasn't enough, she would have puked.
"That's great. Hehe, 5-star dungeon, here we go!"
Dante took a sip of his Gummi drink. Staring at the eager expression on everyone in the team, he smiled.
He doesn't know the purpose of the guy who gave them this dungeon's information. Is it really just to complete the commission? A trap? Or something else?
Whatever the case, even if they meet another Legendary above Zapdos' level, Dante is sure.
Their team could take them on.
The sun has not yet begun to rise, but inside a cottage in Manila Pokemon University, a green-haired girl had already awakened. She glanced at the clock. Seeing the 4:26 AM displayed, she took out her phone to check for messages before getting up.
"Shelly, Chichi, wake up. It's time for morning exercise."
"Accel…"
Accelgor awoke to the sound of her Trainer's voice. Her bandaged hands reached out, shaking the Minccino beside her who was still drooling in her sleep . Mincinno yawned, her hands stretched above her head as she drowsily looked at her surroundings.
"Let's go, Chichi. You can catch up on your sleep later."
Shinobu said as she changed out of her nightwear and into her jogging gear.
She walked out of her room and glanced at the closed door opposite- Candice's room. At the beginning of the semester, said girl had been her jogging companion.
However, after a week, Candice gave up, stating that she preferred to train more late into the night than the wee hours of the morning.
Shinobu smiled in amusement and led Minccino and Accelgor out of the cottage.
Almost at the exact same time, a white-blue-haired girl walked out of the opposite cottage with her Dragonite.
"Morning, Focalors."
"Hmm, good morning as well."
Their steps fell into a rhythm as the two walked naturally side-by-side, doing warm-ups together with their Pokemon. The cold morning air blew, ruffling their hair.
"I saw the news. Will Mr. Neuvillette come here?"
"Ah, I'm not sure. Father said negotiations would take quite a while. Depending on the Philippine's stance, he may or may not help."
"Is that so?"
Shinobu murmured as the two of them started to jog around the campus. Their Pokemon already sped past them, their human speed not even a warm-up for these creatures.
…
When Shinobu and Focalors returned, they encountered Candice who was training her Abomasnow and Cubchoo in the open field in front of their cottage.
Abomasnow was constantly releasing snow, while Cubchoo was running around with a light weight on his back.
"Geez. I don't know how you two can endure waking so early everyday."
Candice yawned and complained. Before entering University, she thought getting up at 5:30 to exercise was already considered a strict morning routine. So when her first roommate turned out to be someone who trained an hour earlier, she was flabbergasted.
"It's just a force of habit."
Shinobu chuckled as she moved to the side and started Accelgor and Minccino's training. Focalors also did the same with Dragonite.
A serene scene befell the field. There were constant sounds of moves being used, as well as the occasional shouts of three youthful girls guiding their Pokemon.
"You know, I've been thinking. Sister Mualani said she wakes up by 6. And Dante doesn't even do morning exercises. Do you think not training in the morning is actually the secret to becoming stronger?"
Candice asked Shinobu and Focalors, a hint of humor in her tone.
"That's…an interesting proposition."
Focalors put a hand under her chin. Although it sounds counterintuitive, but Pokemon are not logical creatures to begin with. Maybe there's merit to the idea of less training gaining greater results?
"Isn't it!? From now on, how about we start our morning routine at 6? Hehe, all for the sake of science!"
Shinobu stared at the grinning Candice. Although she knew her friend was joking, she couldn't help but mull over her words.
The reason she practices so hard is because she's accustomed to the mindset of more training leading to better results.
However, when she thought about it, that wasn't necessarily true. There are Trainers who only train casually, but still emerged stronger than the others.
The most prominent example is her uncle Itto. From childhood, she observed him just messing around with his gang everyday. But out of the blue, he won and became their countries' Bug-type Gym Leader.
Are there other factors involved in the increase of Pokemon's strength besides training?
"Uh, Shinobu? Focalors? Yoohoo!"
Shinobu was awakened from her contemplation by Candice's dissatisfied shout. The twin-tailed girl stood akimbo as she stared at her and Forcalors with a pout.
"Even if my joke is not funny, don't just stay silent like that. It hurts my fragile maiden heart~"
Candice swooned exaggeratedly.
"No, I was thinking. You may have a point."
"Huh? What point?"
"About practicing less to gain more strength."
"Hahaha, that's a good one, Shinobu."
Candice laughed. However, when she saw the serious expression on Shinobu and Focalors' faces, her laughter slowly subsided into an awkward chuckle.
"Huh?"
"I, myself, think the idea holds some merit."
Focalors said. She remembered that after their mother died, her Father's Pokemon made successive racial breakthroughs.
Until now, she thought the reason for that was because he and his Pokemon trained themselves everyday to the point of exhaustion. But can breaking the racial limit really be that easy?
Most criminals treat their Pokemon as tools, forcefully training them in various inhumane ways. But in the end, few can match a Gym Leader in strength, much less the Elite Four or Champion.
"Wait, wait, wait, you two are serious, aren't you? So, you'll move your morning exercise from 4:30 to 6?"
""Of course not!""
Shinobu and Focalors shouted at the same time.
"Before we can obtain more concrete data, it's too reckless to arbitrarily change our schedule."
"Indeed. And if there's a more efficient training method, I'm certain my Father and the family elders would have informed me."
That they didn't, made Focalors assume there's a problem with that method. As for them not even noticing? She didn't entertain that idea at all. She wasn't so self-centered as to assume they were the first to discover this discrepancy.
"But if we don't try it, how will we know? Do we ask the Professors?"
Candice asked, her eyes alight with curiosity.
"Hmm, I don't think the Professors know about it. If they did, they would have taught us about it at the beginning of the semester, or at least mentioned it."
"I just messaged Father. However, it's midnight in France right now. I estimate he'd wake up and answer it around lunch."
Focalors said as she put down her phone. She also included in her message the question of why he didn't tell her; if there really is a more efficient training regime.
"Thanks, Focalors! Lunch, huh? Speaking of, I remember Dan prepared something later that would make you jump in joy, Candice."
Shinobu smirked. This morning, a notification was sent to her phone. It was just an update about a delivery for Dante- he linked it to her number in case he wasn't there to pick it up.
"Ah! Is it, that thing?"
Focalors covered her mouth and chuckled. She had received a similar message. Indeed, just as Shinobu said, Candice would be over the moon.
"Don't play riddles with me, you two. What is it?"
Candice pouted. These past few weeks, she noticed that the relationship between Shinobu and Focalors had suddenly gotten much closer. At this rate, her status as Shinobu's best friend was in jeopardy.
"Hehe, just wait patiently. I assure you it's something you'd love."
"Mouu, you're such a tease~"
—
"OMG! OMG! OMG! YOU'RE GONNA EVOLVE VULPIX!!?"
Candice's eyes turned into hearts. In front of her, Dante stood, with Alolan Vulpix in his arms.
"Jeez, you wanna shatter everyone's eardrums?"
"Ahhh, Alolan Ninetails. The most beautiful Pokemon in the world. Hehehe, I'll make sure to rub her whole body later."
Candice didn't even hear Dante's complaints. She danced around the field, grinning all the while under the amused expression of Furina, Dawn, Kachina, Mualani, Liuai, Isa, Shinobu, and Focalors.
"Just how much does this girl like Alolan Vulpix…"
Dante sweatdropped. He knew Vulpix and Ninetales are cute, but this is almost bordering on obsession. Look, even Vulpix has burrowed deeper into his arms in fright.
"Don't worry, princess. I'll make sure this bad guy won't be able to touch you."
Dante gently rubbed Vulpix's soft and smooth fur. Her six tails fluttered, each one curling around his hand.
When Vulpix was born, she only had a single tail. It started to split in accordance with her growth in strength. And it had already been quite a while since they reached their maximum number of 6.
"You sure about this? You know you can't turn back, right?."
"Vul~" (I'm sure, Dad~)
Vulpix stared at the 'Perfect-Grade' Ice Stone held in Dante's other hand, anticipation welling up inside her.
When she saw the appearance of Alolan Ninetales for the first time on television, she was instantly mesmerized by its elegant and beautiful charm. Right then and there, she made a resolve to one day evolve into the same beautiful Pokemon.
And now, after training in the PMD world for more than half of her lifetime, she was ready.
Vulpix jumped off Dante's arms and sat on the grass in front of him. Then, under everyone's gaze, Dante knelt down and gently tapped the stone on Vulpix's forehead.
Her body and the Ice Stone shone a brilliant white. Vulpix felt a warm and soft sensation wrap around her body- it was as if she was back in the Egg with Eevee. But different from that time, she felt her body being filled with power.
From the outside, Vulpix's form began to visibly change. Her height slowly increased from half a meter to a full meter. Her tails uncurled and elongated. Her snout also shifted, becoming more pronounced.
The light started to dim. Standing in Vulpix's place was a canine Pokemon covered in thick, luxurious snow-white fur. She has a small mane of thicker fur around her neck and a long, wavy crest atop the head. She has slender legs with three-toed paws and nine wavy long tails with bright, white tips. Her eyes were the color of sapphire, and she had pointed ears, and a triangular blue nose.
It was Alolan Ninetales!
"Dad, do I look gorgeous?"
"Yes dear, you are gorgeous."
"Tehehe~"
Alolan Ninetales giggled. She turned back to the mirror in their Exploration base, her tails gently swaying as she hummed.
Seeing her like this, Dante shook his head in amusement. After she evolved, her personality shifted to being less timid and more…how should he describe it, lady-like.
"That's nice. I want to evolve soon, too."
Eevee said enviously as she pawed Ninetales smooth fur.
"You could evolve now if you want too."
Dante took out a bunch of Evolutionary stones and laid them before Eevee. They were the Perfect Evolutionary Stones series he ordered from Devon Corporation overseas.
Normally, Evolution Stones only cost around 100,000 to 200,000 credits in the market. With 10 types of stone currently discovered, one can buy a set at around 1-2 million.
However, the Perfect Evolutionary Stones are priced at 1 million each, with the whole set costing 10 million. The reason for the increase in price is that these stones are proven to contain more energy than the normal evolutionary stones.
According to research, a Pokemon that evolved using the Perfect Stones will have higher stats than Pokemon who only used the normal one. Although, in the end, their racial limit will still remain the same.
However, there are rumors floating in the Trainer circle that using the Perfect Stones would help loosen the racial bottleneck. But no scientific evidence has backed these findings. Some even speculate it was just propaganda used by the big companies.
And if that was the case, then the one who thought of it deserves a raise. After all, Pokemon only evolve a limited number of times. In people's perception, the higher quality the stones used, the better.
Even Dante chose to buy the more expensive Perfect Stones for his Pokemon. He didn't lack the money, so he wanted to give them the best, even if it doesn't make a difference in the end.
"Ngghh! But there's so many to choose from!"
Eevee rolled in frustration as she stared at the sparkly evolution stones.
"Well, you don't need to rush. Maybe you'll be able to make your choice after our exploration."
"Hnggh, okay, Dad."
Eevee reluctantly looked away as Dante placed the stones back in the bag. And right on time, Pikachu, Ursaring, and Azumarill entered the base.
"Hey, we're back! We've almost got delayed. Azumarill's sweetheart nearly didn't let him go- said it was too dangerous."
Azumarill's yellow face turned a shade of orange. He glared at Pikachu, who mischievously stuck out his tongue.
"How did you convince Sunflora?"
Dante chuckled. It was quite rare to see Azumarill get flustered.
"I punched a hole in the cloud."
"Eh?"
"Hahaha, yeah! You should've seen the look on everyone's faces when Azumarill did that. It was hilarious!"
"Ah, so that's what we heard earlier. I thought it was thunder or something."
"Ehh! Did you really punch a hole through the clouds, big brother Azumarill?!"
Eevee butted in, her eyes wide in astonishment. She knew her Dad and Big Brothers were very strong. After all, whenever they explore dungeons, they take down every Pokemon in one move. But now, she's starting to realize that maybe what she knew was just the tip of the iceberg.
"You can see for yourself."
Pikachu grinned and walked out of the base. Azumarill sighed and followed suit, with the rest of the team going right after.
The sun was only beginning to climb over the horizon. However, its rays provided enough light to show the unnatural scenery above Wigglytuff's Guild- on the cloudy sky, a conspicuously large patch was missing.
—
"They're gone."
Chatot stood at the entrance of the Wigglytuff Guild. With his keen vision, he saw Team Omnipotent Travelers flying above the sky while sitting on their mysterious contraption.
"I knew you were destined to achieve greatness, I just didn't expect it to be so…soon."
Chatot sighed, a mix of relief and apprehension.
According to the knowledge granted by Lord Uxie, no Guild in history has permanently remained at the top. All will eventually fall- whether it be due to members getting weak, the rise of a much more powerful Guild, or the emergence of a natural disaster.
To date, the Exploration Federation, which started from the unity of various Guilds, is the most successful example of a sustainably powerful Guild. It had stood for more than a century, its reach spreading to all parts of the globe.
Chatot planned for the Wigglytuff Guild to become a similar behemoth. Starting in Grass Continent, he'd partner with powerful Exploration Teams and Guild. Then, he'd slowly extend the Guild's influence, until the whole world knew the name of their Guild as well as their esteemed Guildmaster.
"It's great that the Travelers' have become so much stronger. With our relationship, I'm sure there's no problem forming an Alliance… but why? Why do I feel so restless whenever I see their progress?"
Chatot sighed. He shook his head, deciding not to worry about this for now. Returning to the Guild, his eyes sharpened as he thought of the problem he must first prioritize- to capture the thief, Grovyle.
—
Inside a dark jungle, Dante and his team trudged through the thickets and brambles. They constantly looked around, their brows furrowed in confusion.
"I hope my hair won't get messed up."
Ninetales said in a worried voice. She had wrapped herself with Ice-type energy, to prevent the mud and thorns from ruining her shiny fur. She had learned this trick from Sister Mawile, who was currently doing the same.
"Strange. The map clearly said the entrance is just around this area. But there's no sign of it anywhere."
Dante's face was scrunched as he used his Copycat Vision to the maximum. But his effort remained futile as no traces of abnormal energy reminiscent of Mystery Dungeons remained in this area.
"Is there some sort of mechanism? Like, we have to solve a puzzle first before the entrance appears?"
Pikachu said. The sun had already risen high into the sky, and they had been searching the area for more than an hour. At this point, it's either the entrance was really just well-hidden, or the map was a scam.
"Hmm, then let's split up. Pikachu, you lead Eevee and Ninetales to search in that direction. Mawile, Riolu, you go there. And Azumarill and Ursaring, you take the remaining side. Note down everything strange you find. We'll meet back here in 30 minutes."
"Aye aye!"
"Sure, Dan!"
"Ok."
The three groups headed in three different directions. Meanwhile, Dante conjured his Illusionary platform and floated above the treetops. He zoomed around the area to do a quick scan with his Copycat vision. Whenever he found a tribe of Pokemon, he'd go down to ask if they knew any dungeons or unusual things in the area.
The appointed time passed, but he got no results at all. Nor did Pikachu and the others.
"Munch munch well, this is embarrassing. Should we return to the Guild and say the commission was incomplete?"
Pikachu's mouth was full of apples. Their team was eating lunch as they proceeded to talk about what to do next.
"It doesn't make sense. Every mission is recorded in Wigglytuff's Guild. Even if the team who accepted our task chose to maintain anonymity, they should know the Guild would sanction them if it's proven that they provided wrong information."
Dante furrowed his eyebrows. Although their first commission, the one at Mt. Thunder, was dangerous at first, the team who accepted the task was still accurate in that there was indeed a Raichu.
"Maybe it's underground?"
Eevee tapped the brown soil with the pad of her foot. Since there's nothing above and around the place, then the only place to look is below.
"Maybe…"
Dante muttered without much hope. His Copycat vision can see energy as specks of light. He had already looked underground, and saw no other type of energy except for brown and the occasional green.
However, since they had no other clues, Dante decided it would be worth a shot. He quickly finished his apple and informed the rest of the team he'd search below ground. But as he entered his Ghost form, he stopped.
"Hmm? What's the matter, Dan?"
Mawile asked. She had also finished her apple and stood up, planning to accompany him with her digging skills.
"...I think I found our entrance."
At the edge of Dante's senses, in the dimension parallel to reality, a strong fluctuation of energy characteristic of a high-rated dungeon emerged.