Chapter 26 - Power Up

A thick, but fresh smell penetrates Booth's nostrils as he walks along the river. Booth is quite sensitive to smell and can't help being overwhelmed by the strong scent.

The smell isn't bad, it has a rich aroma from the surrounding trees and plant life. After taking everything in, Booth finally feels at ease.

Booth travels along the river with steady steps. He takes a look around, and notices the vast amounts of clay near the river.

Redwater Valley is known for the large amounts of clay and other minerals found lying along the river. After storms and rain, water washes the soil into the river, turning the river reddish brown hence the name 'Redwater'.

Booth and Emmet walk until they can see the valley clearly. The valley is covered in a vast amount of trees, and the river continues right through the middle of it. Calling it a valley was a bit of a stretch as the valley was surrounded by hills, but the area is a nice place regardless.

"How is it?" Emmet asks.

"It looks interesting, I guess." Booth replies while taking another look. "There has to be a reason you took me out here. What's so special about this place?"

Emmet keeps a watchful eye as they enter the valley. "I know you've achieved a link, but have you received any power ups from a wild pokemon yet?"

"Yeah, although it was like 1 in 10 chance of finding a wild pokemon with one."

"I would have thought so. Well, there's no need to worry anymore. A pokemon domain is a little special. The pokemon here nearly all have a power up to give you."

"You make it sound like pokemon are just waiting to be collected."

Booth already knows there's more to the situation than Emmet is letting on.

"Of course, it's dangerous, but I can assure you the benefits are worth it. The main issue is that Redwater Valley's pokemon are quite ferocious. Trainers mock their behavior saying it's the real reason this area is called 'Redwater'. You're at tier 2, so things should be fine as long as you're careful."

Booth's eyebrows raise at Emmet's words. 'No joke, this place doesn't sound like somewhere people can play around. I wondered why pokemon domains weren't recommended online, but now it makes sense.'

"The deeper we go into the forest the more difficult things get. Even I can't get any further without help." Emmet eases up a bit and says. "Well, we can train around the outskirts of the forest for as long as you want. If you feel comfortable going further in the forest, then we can do that later."

Booth thinks over Emmet's suggestion and finds it fair. "Sure, let's do that."

Booth starts looking in the forest for a wild pokemon to battle. Not long after he finds a wild mankey rustling through the trees. It takes a look at Booth and Emmet before jumping at Booth to attack.

Booth immediately steps back and releases his pansear from one hand. In the other hand he slides his finger over the Integrator switch. Booth doesn't immediately activate his link, but he is still able to control his pansear very well.

'How about I see how special the pokemon here are.'

Booth pays close attention to the mankey's movements as it leaps from the tree. He reaches one arm forward to try and block mankey's attack, and pulls the other arm back for his own move.

Mankey lands in front of pansear and leads off with a Karate Chop. Mankey's arms are much longer than Booth thought. The attack forces Booth to lower his guard to not get hit in the side. Booth wants to launch a Scratch, but a quick jab stops him from getting close.

'This mankey has some idea of how to use distance. Getting in on mankey with an Incinerate would be easier, but I want to use Snakebite on him. At this rate I'm going to take too much damage though, I have to switch things up.' Booth starts treating the battle seriously.

He takes some space away from the mankey and prepares his strategy. The mankey follows and starts applying more pressure. Booth notices right away that when the mankey is uncertain, it always responds by attacking first. This preference for aggression, gives Booth an idea of how he can get an advantage.

Before mankey can figure out what's going on, Booth finds another opportunity to pull back. Mankey doesn't suspect anything this time either and falls for Booth's bait.

'Why should I force an attack, when my opponent comes to me.'

Booth abandons defense and goes in with Fury Swipes. Mankey tries to react but it's too late. Pansear's claws rake into the mankey continuously. Booth swings the momentum in an instant.

"Keep it up, Booth!" Emmet cheers from the side.

Booth nods and continues to press forward. Mankey uses another Karate Chop. Booth easily anticipates the attack and takes advantage of the situation. He catches the attack and slithers his arm over with the mankeys with Snakebite. Booth doesn't take any chances and breaks the arm immediately.

Mankey becomes furious as it screeches in pain. Even though it's right arm is disabled for the fight, the mankey is scarier than ever. It lashes out at Pansear to get its revenge.

Booth gets a feeling that things are getting dangerous and attacks with full force. Pansear's palms heat up two fireballs to finish the mankey. The monkey menace unleashes a Cross Chop full of its rage. Booth uses Incinerate and blasts through the attack. The fireballs engulf the mankey and blow it away. Mankey flails on the ground and faints.

The fight finally ends. Booth can't help but be amazed at the mankey's tenacity. Suddenly, Booth feels a change. He looks at his integrator and sees that it is already activated with a green light. Booth recognizes the feeling of a power up, but it's a stronger feeling than before.

Emmet also notices the change in Booth's Integrator and says, "That was a good battle, Booth. So how does the power up feel?"

"I'm not sure. It's weird. The power up is stronger, but it feels… softer than before."

Emmet nods and explains, "It seems you received a Fluid power up."

"Huh..."

"Well, there's a couple power ups you can get. Solid and Fluid power ups are the main ones. Both are good for you, but certain arts will benefit more from one power up over the other. In your case, a Fluid power up is probably better to collect for Snakebite."

"Is there a limit to how many power ups I can get?"

"There is, but not in the way you may think. There are four types of power ups, including the ones I just mentioned, each power up has a limit you can reach. When you reach the limit in all of your power ups, that's when you become a tier 3."

Booth gets excited at the news of a new challenge. "That's awesome. A pokemon domain seems like the fast track to tier 3. How much danger is there if people would give up on a chance like this."

Emmet prepares to explain, but is cut off by a wild screech in the distance. Different sounds get closer and the ground starts to shake faintly. Emmet manages to hide most of his shock and quickly explains to Booth.

"It's a pokemon horde. Run!" Emmet doesn't wait after his declaration and leads the way.

Booth accelerates close behind Emmet. He's a little curious to see the pokemon horde, but he doesn't dare look back.

Booth still has a couple more questions, but it will have to wait. Emmet leads Booth to a good enough hiding place behind a hill, and takes ducks behind it. They sit there and listen for any approaching danger.

After ten or so minutes the horde moves away, but the two sit there for a moment longer to confirm that the horde is really gone. When they have waited long enough, Emmet continues what he was going to say earlier.

"Danger is the main concern, yes, but what really gets to people is how stressful this place is. The pokemon in hordes aren't as strong as the pokemon you just fought, but their numbers more than make up for it. The chieftains are even more powerful than normal. And if you don't finish a pokemon, it will surely come back for revenge later."

"I'm guessing that means..." Booth already knew this would be the case, but he finds it difficult to say out loud.

"We have to kill them, yes. It's the best way to avoid trouble later on. It will be fine this time, because the horde from earlier probably already ate the mankey. Just be prepared in the future."

"Alright, I understand." Booth says seriously.

"I'm glad you do. With this, you can be a true tiered trainer, nothing will stand between you and getting stronger."

Booth makes a slight smile at Emmet's encouragement.

"And hey, don't feel too bad, I make a crazy good barbeque. I'm sure you'll love it!"

Booth flinches a bit. 'Well, it's a little direct, but I can't say his comments aren't helpful.'

Booth climbs up from behind the hill and continues his hunt!