I jump up the roof and turn around to see if the angry store clerk would follow us.
"No don't bother Karl, he won't climb up this roof they never do." - Cate says in a calm tone.
"Are you sure? What if -" Cate cuts my sentence short.
"Yeah cause the know they take way to long to get up here and we can just jump to the next roof. So calm down and eat up. If he does climb up we can just jump to the next one."
"Alright, that makes sense." - I calm down again and stop thinking like child.
While we start eating our Fried Doduo Wings, I start thinking about how I want to start my Durant Hunt. Their territory should be in the tundra like area behind the city, at least if what the Pokémon Wildlife People told me is true.
I notice how Cates Mood seems less bright compared to how it was when we were on the search for food.
„Hey tell me, what's your plan now? What are you planning on doing now? We got our food, what do you usually do afterward?" - I ask, maybe she is having problems I can help her with? After all she helped me getting this... trash? In my previous life, I would have never guessed that I would ever search a trash container for food. But in this life,... let's just say it was good not having to kill my food myself...
„Hmm... normally I watch the humans walk by for a while until my stomach calms down again and I get tired. Then I normally search for places to sleep I knwo a few good spots."
„You... you just watch then walk by? Are they that interesting?"
„Nahh,... i can't tell you why but for some weird reason it calms my mind."
[Must be her way of counting sheep to fall asleep]
„Oh ok and what do you do in the day time? Training for the day you find a trainer? How do you do that anyway, are you hunting other wild Pokémon?"
„Well, yeah I train but lately I have been getting lazy. I normally just push my body limits to train,... sure hunting is fine but in the end, I got used to searching for human leftovers, they often times taste better. Well,... once you figure out what you are able to eat without getting sick because of it... I mainly got lazy because it doesn't feel like I can get much stronger." - Cate says with a sad expression while searching for the next best piece of fried Doduo in her paper box.
„So you tested every single meal to find out what works?"
„No only the stuff that smelled really good."
„Oh, that makes sense. You don't hunt much these days? I believe maybe it's because of that." - I take a bite from my Doduo Wings and check for her reaction.
„You think so? Why?" - she asks tilting her head sideways
„Well, if the Pokémon of Trainers get stronger by defeating other Pokémon, no matter if they are wild or trained. Then it would only make sense if the same applies to you and me." - I say while diving into my Box of food.
„That. Oh... I am stupid. I should have known that myself. Oh my God. I wasted all this time -
I interrupt her mid-sentence:
„Nah, I wouldn't say so. I'm sure your endurance and strength training had an effect, aside from the fighting experience that you can get from fighting other Pokémon."
„You think so?" - she looks at me with doubt.
*** Cates Perspective ***
[This dude is one weird fellow. He doesn't know how to get human food while being as big as he is, but knows all this stuff about getting stronger. I mean sure its useful but how did he get so far in life when he doesn't even know where to find the best food? I mean in the wilderness it's obvious but that humans got the best tasting food should also be pretty obvious. So checking out the human city should be on his list when searching for food. He is like a newborn in that aspect. Weird.]
„Yes, I'm pretty sure about that. All this roof jumping and sneaking is also very handy for hunting and traveling, your evening procedure of observing humans might even be good for reading a trainers or normal Humans actions." - he explains in a calm manner while seemingly still being in thought.
[okaay it seems he isn't as dumb as he seems from time to time.]
„Ok, that I wouldn't have thought, even though I really doubt that watching humans couples stroll home will help me in any way in the future."
[Only because what he says seems to make sense doesn't mean I have to believe everything. That watching humans thing first has to happen before I can believe it...]
I grab the next Doduo piece and rip it in half before looking at Karl again when I decide to ask the question that has been bothering me for a while.
„Ok so how come that you know so much about all this fighting stuff and the experience you get from it but not how to move around humans not even where to find the good food around them?"
He seems to fight with a bigger piece of Duduo, his head pointing towards the sky while hardly trying to swallow it.
*cough cough cough*
„Are you ok?!" - I'm really worried that he dies because of his incompetence concerning the most basic tasks, before being able to answer my questions.
„Yeah, *cough* I'm good, sorry. Right, I promised to tell you earlier, for when you showed me some good food. Alright, now that neither of us is dying of hunger anymore I can tell you."
**** Minutes later *****
„[...] and that's why I am here in this city."
He checks if I am still listening but all he gets to see is me sitting there in silence staring at him in disbelieve.
„Do you believe me? I know it sounds crazy but I swear I'm not lying to you."
- he says with a straight face.
„Ahh,... yeahh... Nope. There is no way I can just 'believe' you, Karl. I long as I don't see some proof of your human knowledge or something I just can't believe that story. You just sound crazy in my eyes- ears... something don't ask me what's right after hearing a story like that."
[After telling me something like that, does this guy really expect me to believe him? We met like two hours ago? I mean Karl seems to be a good guy but on the other hand he seems a bit crazy. Maybe he fell on his head after birth?]
*** Karls Perspective ***
"Oh... uhh... Well, this is gonna take a while I think. After all, I could just hear some random facts in conversations of humans here in this world..."
[Oh, well anything else would have been way to easy I guess. Maybe some chemistry stuff? I never was exceptional in chemistry but no normal humans talk about chemical reactions or construction of atoms in their daily life.]
"Ok, let's try this, did you know that -"
[Wait, if she has no idea about chemistry there is no way for her to know if what I said is correct?! I could have bullsh*ted her and my try to prove anything would amount to nothing...]
Cate looks at me in question, obviously, I just cut mid-sentence and went quiet...
"- no. Forget it, sorry that wouldn't prove anything. Can you give me some time to think about it? I will try to convince you somehow."
"Sure, whatever I got time. I don't know what to do now any way now that you told me a different way on how to train."
- she says sounding a bit indifferent, shrugging her shoulders.
"Hey, if it's like that how about we train together a bit? I mean if your goal still is getting stronger then we share the same goal? Like training Buddies? Like I watch your back and you mine? I might even be able to teach you some strategies, but who knows. You were a Pokémon for a way longer time than me. I will probably learn a lot more from you than you from me."
- I'm not sure if she wants to but it would be a welcome change. Don't get me wrong I have no problem being alone. But I have been training alone until now and getting critically injured in the wilderness while being alone isn't funny. There is a reason for Animals living in groups after all.
"I can't say that's a bad proposition. I'm ok with it. Do you have plans concerning the when and where?" - she replies
"Great it feels good to finally find a friend in this world! Yeah as I told you I talked about my plans with the Pokémon Wildlife Guys, they'll tell me where and what I can hunt without disturbing the environment." - I'm really glad to find someone I can talk with that isn't a human. Because I really don't want to get a trainer yet, maybe ever sitting in a Pokéball doesn't seem like a nice thing.
*** Cate's Perspective ***
[Oh, ok wow. Even if he lied before, me being his first friend is kind of sad.]
He continues: "Yeah I do, but I'm not sure if you are going to like it. It's on the other side of the city where the Durants live.
Because of the trainers they've lost their natural enemies and reproduce like crazy which is a problem for the forest in that area because they dig just way too many tunnels in that area. So trees start unrooting, and more problems. So I or now you and I have to deal with them until the remaining Heatmor can take care of them again." - he stops talking and starts waiting for my reaction.
[Urgh... Durants?... it's not like a Durant scares me,... but the problem is there are more then one about 100% of the time. So I'm sure this will be getting dangerous...]
"Are you sure that it's a good idea to hunt for Durants? Especially if there are so many? Isn't that a bit too dangerous for the two of us?" - I'm sure I got stronger and bigger since my last contact with them but I am still not excited to meet those Pokémon again...
"Well, I'm sure both of us are a bad matchup against the Durants. They are Bug-Steel Type after all. I think the Steel attribute will be the most trouble. But I think with our speed as it is now we should have the advantage. Now it's just a thought of how to deal with them." - he exclaims while seemingly in thought.
"We are far less in numbers then they are, how is speed supposed to be of any help?" - I still don't know how this guy thinks we can manage this alone.
"We should be able to dodge and outmaneuver them most of the time. Neither you nor I can use any fire type attacks which sucks, to be honest. That would have been the most helpful in this fight. But even if they have a hard armor we should still be able to defeat them. No matter how armored something is most of the time there is the same weak spot.
Normally the belly or the eyes. Even for most machines, it's like that, well if they are steered by humans... So we'll aim any attacks at those body parts. Now there is only one thing left to talk about...." - he ends his thought process and looks at me.
Uhhh, what does he want?
"So. What Attacks do you know? It's time to work out a strategy."
Oh yeah that makes sense. How stupid of me.
"Assurance, Slash, Sand Attack and Fury Swipes. I learned Slash about a month ago."
- I reply calmly.
"Slash? Wait,... that means you are over Level 30 or something like that right? Wait what makes Slash so different from Fury Swipes? Don't you just scratch the Enemy? What makes it that you require a higher level to learn it?" - he asks looking a bit confused seems like he really can't explain it to himself.
„Oh, that's pretty simple actually, it's just the adjustable length of my claws that makes the main difference. Fury Swipes extends the claws not as far as Slash does. Which makes them less effective concerning damage but less prone to breaking. Slash deals more damage with one hit but you have to be careful to not hurt yourself with a wrong hit." - I'm glad to see that he really isn't that all-knowing as one may think.
"Ahh that makes sense, thanks I always wondered why one differentiates between the two. Those seem to be Attacks we can work with. I got Bite, Sand Attack, Thunder Fang and I might be able to do Crunch. Our Dark Attacks and my Electric Attack should be able to do a normal amount of damage, while I think that even your normal-type attacks should be able to do decent amounts of damage if you can land a critical hit... now, how do we use these..."
Although he seems to be a bit unwordly I guess I can believe his reason why it is like that. All this knowledge about battles can't just come from eavesdropping trainer talk. Especially his point over my Level doesn't make any sense. I have no idea what he means with Level 30 or something. I guess I can trust him with working out a strategy too.
"So what's your plan of fighting them? Any ideas? I guess I can believe now that you are reborn." - time to let him work that human brain.
"Yeah, I think so. Can you lead the way? Really? What made you believe me now? I will explain the plan to you on our way there."
"All that talk over Levels and attacks can't come from thin air or listening to trainers. So I gave it a second thought if that can come from your previous life as a human." - I can't believe I am actually excited to hear what he has worked out." - I say shrugging my shoulders.
"Of course I can lead the way, just try to keep up! Let's go."
*** Karl's Perspective ***
I cannot believe that bit made her believe me. Well whatever works I'm fine with it. Time to Level up!
*** to be continued ***