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Happenings Between Goals	By : GreatMasterM Category: Pokemon > General Views: 1715 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The Pokemon franchise isn't mine. The whole thing belongs to Gamefreak, The OC human characters are mine, though, so no stealing. Any resemblance to real people, live or not, is coincidental. I make no profit from this.

Chapter List
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So I'm breaking my 1-per-month rule just this once so that I can get some more hits and especially reviews, build up a following before things go back to the 30-day itch. I do want to know what people think of this, so review away! If the indention paragraphs don't work, well, get used to it. This is gonna be on several websites, and I don't feel like editing every chunk of sentences several times. In the meanwhile, how about some Fun Facts? Number 1: There are many different kinds of people who work with Pokemon, such as professors, trainers, collectors, rangers, breeders, coordinators, and more. Number 2: There are thousands of species of Pokemon out there, not just 649. Oddly, this still means that there is only a fraction of the number of species in the Pokemon world compared to the real world. Number 3: So far, this story is being posted on four different sites. Find them. The Fun Facts are going to be different for each one of them.

Chapter 2: A Challenger/Friend Approaches in Jubilife City

                We were fortunate not to be stopped by anyone else on our way to the station. As I entered the building, one of the station attendants spotted me and walked over.

                “I’m sorry, sir,” he said. “But you’ll have to put your Beldum back into its Poké Ball if you wish to ride any of the trains today.”

                “Why?”

                “Beldum use a magnetic force to stay afloat, and that magnetic force can cause some serious damage to the station’s electronics and the more technical parts of our trains. I’m terribly sorry, but the only way to nullify the electromagnetism is to keep the Pokémon inside the Poké Ball.”

                I looked at Beldum, who seemed sad to have to go back into its ball, which is odd considering that it doesn’t really have a face. It was only just then that it hit me. Perhaps Beldum was using its limited psychic powers to communicate to me, being only strong enough to communicate feelings to me rather than words.

                “Sorry, Beldum. I know I said you would be seeing a lot more of the world than you have, but it looks like you won’t be seeing as much as I’d promise. Don’t worry, though. I have a feeling we’ll be traveling on foot for most of the time after this. I’ll let you out as soon as I can.”

                With that, I returned Beldum to its ball.

                “Very good, sir,” the man said. “Now then, do you need help figuring out where to go?”

                “Well, I need to go to the front desk and ask about train schedules, I guess.”

                “Do you know your destination?”

                “Yeah, Canalave City.”

                “Ah, that’ll make things much easier. Come with me.”

                We went to where the tickets were being sold, which also had all the current train departures’ time and destination scrolling on an LED display overhead. To my dismay, it didn’t look like any trains were going to Canalave City today.

                “When does the next train leave for Canalave?” I asked.

                “Never,” the man said pointedly.

                I must have heard wrong.

                “What?”

                “There’s no trains going to Canalave because there’s no tracks leading to Canalave. Besides going through some thick woods, the only way to the city is across the Canalave River.”

                “Oh.”

                Well how was I supposed to know that? I can’t remember every geological aspect of every region they teach us in class.

                “Looks like the route with the least amount of stops is the train leaving for Jubilife City in about an hour. From there, you can probably catch a ferry from just outside the city that’ll take you to Canalave.”

                “Sounds like a plan.”

                I walked up to the ticket sales employee.

                “Hello, I’d like one ticket for the train leaving for Jubilife in an hour.”

                “May I see your ID?”

                I handed him my trainer ID card.

                “I’m sorry, sir, but this doesn’t have your birth date on it. I need to see a valid ID that has your birth date on it.”

                “O-kay…” I said, thinking this was weird.

                I shuffled through the bag I didn't store and finally found my old (but still valid) driver’s license. Thank goodness that there wasn’t a line behind me. I handed him the card. He looked at it.

                “Thank you,” he said, handing me back the card.

                Now I was even more confused.

                “Don’t you need it?”

                “Only if the person looks too young to be traveling alone without a human guardian.”

                Was I just carded?!

                “Is this trip one-way?” he asked.

                “Yes.”

                “Okay, the total comes to $32.16. Will that be cash or credit?”

                Wait, what?

                “Um…isn’t train fare free for trainers?”

                “No it is not. For car and bus transportation, it’s free, and for air fare it’s 10% off, but there are no discounts or wavers for train fares for trainers. Do you still wish to purchase a ticket?”

                I sighed again for what seemed like the millionth time today and dug out my wallet and handed over my emergency credit card my parents gave me before I left. I really didn’t like using it already.

                “Debit,” I said. Not like they can mail a statement to me when I’m on the run.

                He swiped the card and handed it and a copy of the receipt back to me, having me sign the other copy. Then he handed me a ticket.

                “Have a good day.”

                Leaving the ticket counter, I checked my Pokétch. I had roughly an hour before the train left. Just enough time to go back out and find something to eat for lunch. Now that I thought about it, what DOES a Beldum eat? I checked the Pokédex. Iron scraps and raw meat, huh? Well, I don’t think I’ll have access to those very much. Sorry, Beldum. It’s Poké Kibble for you. Oh, I should probably let it out once I’m outside.

                “Time for lunch, Beldum,” I said, releasing Beldum from its ball.

                It looked up at me, wondering something, probably where we were going.

                “I’m going to find a place for me to eat. Once I’m done with that, we’ll find a store that sells food you’ll eat.”

                Beldum seemed satisfied with my answer. Walking around town, I managed to find a cheap place to eat and, once I gulped down my meal, the waitress was helpful enough to point me in the right direction towards a shop that sold Pokémon food for inorganic Pokémon like Beldum. She said it would be a bit more expensive, though. I’m really gonna have to start battling trainers once I get to Canalave, or I’m going to be broke in no time. Hey! Why didn’t that N guy give me any prize money when we battled?! But wait, I didn’t set my Pokédex to “Battle” either. He didn’t give me time to think! He attacked first! Stupid, cheapskate trainer.

                I walked along with Beldum until I managed to find the store (would it hurt to put a bigger sign out front to draw trainers’ attention?) and went in.

                “Hi! Is there something you’re looking for?” said the shopkeeper.

                He glanced over to Beldum, who stared back at him. Then again, I think the only thing Beldum can do is stare at things.

                “A Beldum, huh? I reckon you’re looking for some food for the little feller?”

                “Yes, please. It says in my Pokédex that its diet consists of iron scraps and raw red meat, but I can’t carry that around all the time.”

                “Obviously not. Fortunately, we carry some bagged Pokémon food for Pokémon that don’t normally consume organic substances, like steel and rock types. In Aisle 3, you’ll find a selection of Pokémon food that’ll be just right for your Beldum.”

                “Ok, thanks.”

                “No problem.”

                I walked down Aisle 3 and found a huge selection of assorted Pokémon foods. I honestly didn’t know which one to get Beldum. Beldum, on the other hand, eyeballed every package hungrily. I had a feeling that if it were up to it, I’d be buying ALL the food in this Aisle. Thank goodness its psychic powers aren’t fully matured yet. I chose the bag that had the closest metal-to-meat ratio and headed back to the front counter. The man rang me up.

                “Good choice, young man. I’m sure Beldum won’t be tricking you into feeding it anytime soon with this.”

                “What?” I asked, looking at Beldum suspiciously.

                “Haha! I’m just kidding there, boy! I have a feeling you’re a new trainer, which means that Beldum of yours is pretty young as well, so its powers aren’t strong enough to manipulate you just yet.”

                “Oh great. I’m so glad I have that to look forward to,” I said sarcastically, giving Beldum another look.

                The man laughed again and swiped my credit card. Pretty soon I was out the door. I opened the bag and suddenly realized I had no dish to put the food in. Beldum took that moment of opportunity to dive claw first into the bag and start feeding.

                “Hey! Stop that! That’s supposed to last you all day! I said stop it, Beldum!” I yelled, trying to pry Beldum away from the bag. Who knew that it’d be so hungry? It’s not like it could express hunger on its face.

                Tried as I might, I couldn’t pry Beldum from its food. I would later check the Pokédex and find that a Beldum’s average weight is over 200 pounds, and I would also have to keep in mind its psychic-assisted electromagnetic powers that it probably used to resist my pulling. Pretty soon, the entire bag was empty. Immediately once it was done gorging itself like a Snorlax coming off a diet, it had the audacity to look up at me sorrowfully with its one eye, trying to act cute and innocent. But I wasn’t having it.

                “No, you were a greedy Gulpin and ate your entire day’s meal in five minutes flat. Don’t be surprised if you don’t get anything for dinner. I’d punish you by returning you to your ball. Fortunately, we have to get to the train station right now anyways, so you’re going in whether you like it or not.”

                I returned Beldum to its ball and threw away the bag that was SUPPOSED to last me all day. Do they not feed their Pokémon at the registration building?

~~~

                I was lucky to only have to wait ten minutes for the train to arrive once I got to the train station. It seemed like it was going to be a crowded train, though. The crowd gathering around its platform was larger than I expected. As long as I got a seat, however, I didn’t mind. Once the train opened its doors and released the people already on the train, the crowd slowly made its way onto the train. I showed the ticket puncher my ticket and boarded as well, finding a window seat near the back. Once the doors had closed, the conductor’s voice came onto the loudspeaker.

                “Good afternoon, everyone. This is Train 649 headed to Jubilife City. The time now is 1:05pm. The expected arrival time is 4:15pm. Please turn off all electrical appliances for the duration of the trip, as the electro waves they give off may disrupt the mechanics of the train. Electric Pokémon and other Pokémon that give off such waves should be kept inside their Poké Balls at all times. We apologize for any inconvenience. We thank you again for choosing Veilstone Velocity and hope you enjoy the ride.”

                People around me started turning off their cell phones and computers while the stewardesses walked down the aisles for inspection. I turned off my Pokétch. When are they going to make riding trains such a non-hassle? I don’t recall this much restriction when we rode the subways in that one city years ago. I resigned to mostly staring out the window for most of the ride once the train started. I hadn’t really brought anything else to preoccupy my time.

                Mom had given me an atlas before I left. I dug that out and looked at my current location. From the looks of it, the quickest path would be passing straight through Mount Coronet. But hold on. Mount Coronet is basically one big magnet. How can we pass through this safely but I can’t release Beldum? How is passing through this even healthy for you? If we go around it, we’d basically be going straight down to the lowest point in the country and coming back up to where we are now. That’d take most of the day, not 3 hours. How are we doing this?

                Just then, I heard a digitized tone beeping ahead. I looked up and saw one of the overheard mini TVs flick to life. A woman appeared on the screen with a picture of a tunnel to the side of her.

                “Thank you for your service. Shortly, we will be passing under one of Mt. Coronet’s many 'mu tunnels,' so named because of the materials that were used to build them. All of the mu tunnels were built with 'mu metal,' which is a type of material that is used to provide a pathway for magnetic waves to travel outside of the designated area that we don’t want the waves to reach. This is because of mu metal’s high magnetic permeability, which in a way allows it to 'absorb' magnetic waves and, in the case of these tunnels, redirect them. All of the tunnels are built six feet thick with this material. This is why we can safely travel underneath the mountains without being affected by the natural magnetic current, but we still need to ask you to turn off all electrical appliances and keep your electric and magnetic Pokémon inside their Poké Balls at all times. Please enjoy the rest of your trip!”

                The commercial faded to black, only to then reappear and repeat itself. It sure was convenient for the TV to turn itself on just in time to answer my question. It sounded too technical for me, so I just took their word for it. After about an hour of doing nothing but watching the scenery go by, we finally got to the tunnel in question. It took another 45 minutes just to get through the whole thing! Whoever heard of such a long tunnel? The entire rest of the trip was just as boring, though the change in scenery from the mountainous Veilstone to the more plains-like Jubilife was an interesting sight.

~~~

                “We are now arriving at Jubilife City, the city of joy! The current time is 4:14pm. Please wait until the train comes to a complete stop and the doors open before exiting the train. Please keep all electric and magnetic Pokémon inside their Poké Balls until you leave the train station. Thank you for riding Veilstone Velocity!”

                The train came to a stop and I exited, immediately relishing the chance to stretch my limbs like a cooped up Persian. Once outside the building, I decided that I should probably let Beldum out, though I don’t know how something like Beldum could get stiff.

                “Alright, you can come out now,” I said, tossing the ball.

                Beldum came out and looked at me, like it was confused as to why it was in its ball for so long.

                “You know full well why you were in that ball for so long. Don’t give me that look. You’re not going to charm your way out of this.”

                I then realized what I’d just said. Beldum? Charming? Maybe I was growing attached to this Pokémon faster than I had realized. Anyways, I looked around town to gather my surroundings.

                The city was quite large, much like Veilstone, but less rocky. One of the buildings nearby had a huge flat screen TV at the top advertising my Pokétch. This reminded me to turn mine back on. A clown outside the building’s front doors was yelling advertisements to passersby. Hmm…gonna have to remember to find a route around him. I also saw the Poké Center in the distance. The bright red roof was unmistakable. However, Beldum hasn’t battled since the weirdo, so a trip to the Center wasn’t necessary. Other, indistinguishable buildings littered the city. Cars drove along the paved roads.

                Looking at my Pokétch, I saw that the exit I wanted was to my right. Turning that way, I made towards the exit. Turning a corner, I smacked face first into someone else.

                “Ow!”

                “Ah!”

                From the sounds of it, his face was hit, too. We both looked up at each other.

                “I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

                “It’s okay. I sped around that corner way too fast.”

                We both tenderly rubbed our faces to assess the damage. Nothing broken on my end. Nothing bleeding. All my teeth still there. I was good to go.

                “Well, I won’t be needing cosmetic surgery anytime soon,” he said.

                “That’s good. It’s a good thing you didn’t bump into Beldum then, right?” I replied, gesturing towards Beldum, who was too busy eyeing my face to notice I was talking about it.

                “I guess. A Beldum, huh? I take it that means you’re a beginning trainer?”

                “Yeah, I am. Just started out today.”

                “Cool. I’m a new trainer too, though I started out a few days before you, I guess. I was going to head on down to route 202 and do some training before heading on over to Canalave City to challenge the gym leader. Maybe catch some new Pokémon so I’m not relying on my own starter. You wanna come with?”

                Oh. I guess it would make sense to do some training before rushing off to fight the gym leader. I guess I just assumed there would be some wild grass between here and Canalave. But if the boat ride skips over all that, then I’d be screwed.

                “Yeah, I can tag along. It’ll be fun. We can do double battles against wild Pokémon!”

                He laughed and stuck out his hand.

                “I’m Greg. It appears I’m going to be your battling partner for awhile.”

                I shook his hand.

                “I’m Eric. Cool trainer. Ace trainer. Champion. I go by a lot of things.”

                Suddenly, I saw a glint in his eye. I knew that glint. Mom said she saw the same thing in me when I first saw a televised Pokémon battle. I grinned.

                “You think you can handle this? My win-lose ratio’s favoring win right now, just so you know.”

                “Let me guess, 1-0?” he asked, smugly.

                I frowned. Though it wouldn’t take a genius to see through my exaggerations.

                “That’s not important. What’s important is that I show you just how awesome my Beldum is!”

                “Bring it!”

                We walked far enough away from each other to give our Pokémon some room and set our Pokédexes to “Battle.”

                “Let’s get ‘im, Geodude!” he said, throwing a Poké Ball at me.

                Out popped a Geodude, who gave a battle cry. Everybody knows what a Geodude looks like.

                “A Geodude? You couldn’t pick a more common Pokémon for a starter?”

                “At least Geodude isn’t some masochistic, self-injuring arm,” he taunted.

                “Oh, that’s it. Beldum? Take Down!”

                Beldum’s iris narrowed as it focused on the target and shot out towards the offending pebble.

                “Geodude, Defense Curl.”

                The Geodude curled up into a ball and clenched itself before Beldum hit it, knocking the Geodude back a few feet, causing it to hit the ground, bouncing only a couple inches off it before uncurling.

                “Now, Rock Polish!”

                The Pokémon spun rapidly into the ground, piercing the gravel and concrete while Beldum returned to my side. From my classes, I knew that this technique made the user faster than normal, so I anticipated a bulky bullet coming out of the ground at any second.

                “Tackle!”

                “Dodge!”

                Beldum barely managed to avoid the Geodude as it shot past Beldum and clear into the air.

                “Now! While it’s still in the air! Take Down!”

                Beldum used its psychic powers to swiftly zoom back towards the enemy, colliding with the Geodude. I heard the rock type cry out in pain above, though I was more concerned about Beldum. Since it almost never makes a sound, I don’t know if I would be able to hear it if it were in pain. However, I still remember its battle with Purrloin and how it screeched when it got scratched, so I know it’s capable of sound.

                Both Pokémon dropped to the ground, but both still looked ready for battle. Beldum picked itself up, by which I mean it retained its hovering ability, and stared at the Geodude.

                “Tackle!”

                Before I knew it, that nasty pebble sped right past Beldum, hitting it hard and knocking it to the ground before I could call out orders.

                “Again! Don’t let it get up!”

                “Beldum! Get u…”

                The Geodude hit Beldum again, this time sending it tumbling towards my feet. A faint, crackling sound came from it. Beldum was losing. Since Take Down damages the user along with the opponent, I didn’t know whether I could risk having Beldum continue fighting.

                “Beldum…I don’t think you can win this.”

                Beldum looked me in the eye and struggled to stay afloat again.

                “Eric, I think you should call your Beldum back. It’s too weak to continue fighting, and I’m not about to forfeit just because your Pokémon’s stubborn,” Greg warned.

                I carefully weighed my options and came to the unfortunate conclusion that Greg was right.

                “Beldum, return,” I said, returning it to its Poké Ball; the entire time, Beldum kept giving me that look.

                Greg walked over to me after recalling his Geodude. We swiped each other’s Pokédex.

                “It put up a good fight. That’s the dangers of training a Beldum, though. It can’t attack without attacking itself, so you need to consider each move more carefully than with other Pokémon,” he advised.

                “Yeah, that’s true. I battled another trainer and won, but we never set our Pokédexes nor swiped cards so I didn’t win any money, so now I’m below what I started with.”

                “Ouch, that blows. Well, come on. Let’s get to the Poké Center and heal up your Beldum.”

                “Beldum didn’t really faint, so I guess I can just use a Potion on it and save us some time.”

                “How many Potions do you have?”

                “I bought five.”

                “We don’t know how long we’ll be on Route 202, and I’ve heard it’s an hour’s walk between here and Sandgem Town. Let’s just take the cheap approach for now. You’ll learn to live by that motto as a trainer. Besides, like you said, Beldum didn’t really faint, so we shouldn’t be at the Center for too long.”

                I nodded and we headed back to the Center. When we got to the counter, a nurse with an “Allison” nametag greeted us. I handed her Beldum’s ball.

                “Just the one, hon? You know we can heal more than one Pokémon at a time.”

                “It’s the only one I’ve got,” I replied.

                She checked Beldum’s status on a computer.

                “And it’s already bruised and battered. Beldums only know Take Down, hon, and that injures itself along with the opponent. You need to choose your attacks more carefully or else it’ll be in worse shape than this,” she said, not changing her tone of voice at all.

                “I know,” I said, feeling annoyed that she was telling me something I already know AND was just told by Greg.

                “Don’t take this lightly! New trainers never fully realize what it means to be a Pokémon Trainer. They think it’s nothing but battling and defeating others. It’s not. Those creatures you’re pitting against one another are living beings too, you know, and they have limits. But because you’re their trainer, they’re willing to go over their limits to please you, and that can sometimes result in serious, even life threatening consequences. If you don’t take proper care of your Pokémon like you would a human child, you could wind up with a dead companion on your hands.”

                Whoa. She was taking this far more seriously than she needed to.

                “I get it,” I gritted, about to launch into my own spiel, but Greg interrupted.

                “I get why you’re saying this, but in case you’ve forgotten, we’re in Sinnoh. They don’t allow stupid trainers in here for competitive purposes,” he said.

                “That only means those ‘smart’ trainers get an overinflated ego and don’t think they can lose and thus start to view their Pokémon more as tools than living things. This problem exists in every region, no matter how strict the standards are,” she rebutted.

                “We’ll keep your words in mind,” Greg said back stoically, effectively shutting down the conversation for all involved.

                “Good. I’ll go and tend to your Beldum then,” she said, walking off with Beldum’s ball.

                We went to the main lobby.

                “What a bitch,” I said, as soon as I was sure that she couldn’t overhear us.

                “Yeah, I know. And she’s a nurse, too. Shouldn’t she be all smiles and warmth? Anyways, it’s a good thing I stepped in during that conversation and stopped you from making a fool of yourself. You wouldn’t have gotten your Beldum treated otherwise.”

                “I wasn’t about to start a shouting match.”

                “You wouldn’t have because she would’ve banned you from the Center before you would’ve had the chance.”

                “She doesn’t have that authority!”

                “Yes, she does.”

                I grumbled to myself as I sat down and waited for Beldum’s recovery.

~~~

                It wasn’t until after another hour of waiting that the PA system announced that my Beldum was ready for pickup. Greg and I had spent the time getting to know one another, figuring that we’ll be spending a lot of time together, at least until we both earn our first gym badge. He seemed like a good guy, someone I can be around for a long period of time without snapping and killing him in his sleep. I did sense a slight bit of superiority in his manner, though. Just because he started off a few days earlier and was obviously qualified enough to be here in Sinnoh doesn’t mean that he’s inherently better than me! When Beldum evolves, I will thrash his stupid pebble so hard.

                Nurse Allison handed me back my Poké Ball and I thanked her with as little emotion as possible. That’ll show her. Somehow. I could hear Greg sigh behind me. I bet he rolled his eyes, too. We made our way out of the Center and headed down to the south end of the city.

                “I hope there aren’t a lot of steel or rock types on this route,” I said, more to myself than to Greg.

                “I don’t know what’s on this route, but I think steel types are reclusive and usually live in more rocky terrains like caves and mountains, so we shouldn’t see any there. Not sure about rock types, though. And we should both probably steer clear of any ground types we come across, unless you think we can tag team them together,” Greg offered.

                “Two on one sounds fair,” I replied. “Especially if we’re at a type disadvantage. Though I’m totally throwing a Poké Ball at it when you’re not looking for a catch-steal.”

                “You ass. I’ll mangle BOTH your Pokémon and leave you high and dry if you do.”

                “You mean you’ll FAIL to mangle either of my Pokémon and have to run crying to the cold, uncaring arms of Nurse Allison.”

                He must not have seen that coming, because he suddenly burst out laughing, covering his mouth and bending over slightly. I smiled and laughed too, proud that I was able to get such a strong reaction out of him. He can seem a little too stiff at times.

                We finally made it to the south exit. My first route as a new trainer lied just beyond the gate. Greg and I looked at each other.

                “Ladies first,” I said, making a sweeping motion with my hand.

                He made a sour face and attempted to kick me. He succeeded.
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Happenings Between Goals