Latest update:June 4th, 2024
Summary:Snowboarder Brad. What a joke. Of all the NPC's in the wide open infinite universe for me to be unceremoniously isekai'd into...I got Snowboarder Brad. An absolute nobody Gym Trainer from the Generation II Pokémon games.
Link:https://m.fanfiction.net/s/14351879/1/Feel-The-Ground-Shake
Word count:46k
Chapters:15
Chapter 1
Johto Region, Goldenrod City
Snowboarder Brad.
What a fucking joke.
Of all the NPC's in the wide open infinite universe for me to be unceremoniously isekai'd into...I got Snowboarder Brad. An absolute nobody Gym Trainer from the Generation II Pokémon games. Place of birth? Mahogany Town. Age? 25. Height? 6' even. Total Pokémon to his name? One. A Swinub he'd named 'Bubbles' when he was four.
More than two decades of life..squandered. Day after day spent lounging about. Eating chips on couches. Sleeping in until noon. Getting consistently dunked on by challengers to the Gym because Brad was -on top of being just plain unremarkable as a battler- too stupid to realize his aura was naturally aligned to Ground, not Ice.
Can you imagine that? To be a natural born aura user, to win that kind of lottery at birth…and then spend your days focusing on a type-energy that was nearly in directopposition to it.
If there's only one thing I can praise him for in this head full of memories, it's the fumbles in the sheets he had with Lorelei when the two were teenagers. Of course - by way of being a teenage boy - he went and fucked that up too.
Truly, he was a moron in every way that mattered.
The good news..is that it's been sixteen months since Brad busted his head open on the icy slopes and I stepped in.
The ref raises his flag. "Aipom is unable to battle! The score is now 2-0! Gym Leader Whitney has one Pokémon remaining!"
Sandile's tail wiggles back and forth as he almost snickers at the downed foe. Shining white light begins to build over his form and with a massive burst a new reptile now stands in the ring. "Krok! Krokorok!"
Krokorok: Lv. 27
Nature: Impish
Potential: A-
'Hmm. Up one rank from B+. Expected, though I had hoped for better.' I was given one gift and one gift alone when I was so rudely pulled from my world and dropped into this one. The power to see potential. To look at a 'mon and instantly know how far it could push itself. To see what physical limits were imposed on it by its biology, by its genetics. To see a group of near identical Pokémon and instantly know which ones will never come close to Lv. 100 and which ones have the stuff to make it as an Elite.
It's not a perfect cheat. It can't see a Pokémon's Ability for one thing, and there's no instruction manual on the specifics of what the 'ranks' actually mean. In that avenue all I've got is data points. I've been in the crowd at enough tournaments to deduce the 'E' ranks level cap somewhere in the high 40's. C+ can at least go as high as 63. Last year's conference winner had an Electabuzz as their team's ace that showed me that.
I'm also fairly certain the rank at least somewhat affects growth speed but I've got no hard numbers to prove it.
As best I've been able to tell, the only way to increase a 'mon's rank, to 'raise the level cap' as it were from whatever it was born with, is via the process of evolution. One or -sometimes two- ranks is what I've found to be most typical, though I did once witness as high as four from a Kakuna.
Of course, an extreme on one end of the spectrum often implies an extreme on the other. Five months ago I had the privilege to view a Scyther become a Scizor and its potential didn't even budge from B-. Though admittedly, since that particular evolution is just a reshuffling of base stats perhaps I shouldn't count it.
The red light finishes sucking Aipom into the Pokéball and Whitney seems considerably annoyed. Her brow is furrowed while a thin frown is playing over her lips. I was warned ahead of time that she sometimes lets her emotions get the best of her during matches and my fielding of a foreign 'mon she wasn't familiar with probably didn't help things much.
She reaches behind her back, grabbing a Great Ball she hadn't intended for this match, and chucks it out with a wild spin. "We're down by two Bluebell! Let's show him what we're made of!"
From the amorphous white light a healthy pink bovine plops down to shake the stadium floor, bellowing out a thunderous "Moooooo!" as it stands to its full height.
I feel the urge to use the word 'bovine' because 'cow' doesn't quite emulate the feeling of how jacked this thing is. Truthfully I want to use the term 'bull' but since Miltank as a species is 100% female, that's not quite applicable either.
Miltank: Lv. 40
Nature: Hardy
Potential: D+
I feel my eyebrows knit together as I assess the new threat. My gut tells me this isn't the iconic 'Whitney's Miltank' that everyone who's familiar with Gen II knows about. Based on its age -and the few faded scars I can see- I'm more willing to bet this is an old family Pokémon. Perhaps one that once belonged to her father.
Regardless, what's got my focus is that this thing is way too high a level for a simple 'third-badge challenge'. This is more of a sixth or possibly even seventh-badge contender. Is this a test maybe? A challenge she wants to see me overcome? Or are the unkind rumors really true and she actually is just a poor loser? If it's the latter, then that's just unprofessional.
Down below my freshly evolved Krokorok openly scoffs at the opposition, folding his arms to himself and pointedly looking away. His nature has always made him a bit dismissive of others and right now he's riding the high of evolution plus two separate Moxie boosts. 'But that's not gonna be enough to bridge the gap here.'
The flag drops and Whitney's order is immediate. "Brick Break!"
'Tch. She's realized the Krookodile line is Dark-type'."Protect!" I demand, no room for any of my 'mon's nonsense right now.
The hexagonal dome cracks under Miltank's glowing fist and I can feel Krokorok physically balk through our connection.
"Hit it again Miltank! One more shot!"
"Poison it!"
Thick nasty sludge expels from Krokorok's snout just as Miltank's arm comes sailing through the barrier. The Normal-type cries out as it takes the Toxic directly to its face but it's my boy who ends up far the worse off. The Super-effective Brick Break strikes him perfectly center mass and with that single blow he's sliding across the field completely down for the count.
"Krokorok is unable to battle! The score is now 2-1! Challenger Brad, please select your next Pokémon!"
I take a few seconds more than strictly necessary to draw Krokorok back into his Level Ball. I'm not overly dragging my feet about it but I'm not so honorable that I would miss the chance to let the Toxic soak into my opponent nice and proper.
"Good showing K. Rool. " I mutter to the ball. "Though I hope you realize now that you've evolved, the kiddie gloves are coming off in training."
'I wonder if it was the evolution that tipped the scales and convinced Whitney to pull out this bruiser.' If so, then that's rather unlucky timing on Sandile's part. Going by canonical 'levels', 27 is a bit early for his species to make the change. In the Unovan games you can't even encounter any Krokorok below 29. Though of course -as this new world constantly reminds me- things are not so hard locked in their requirements here.
Not every Caterpie evolves at Lv. 7, not every Pidgey at 18. It is usually close to there though. I'd say a good rule of thumb is a plus or minus three type of deal. That covers at least 90% of the cases I've witnessed. If a 'mon gets farther than that past its evolution level and still hasn't undergone the process it's almost certainly because the Pokémon is deliberately choosing not to.
For a moment I'm tempted to reach for the second foreign Pokémon on my belt..though eventually I decide not to. Type-advantage by being a Ghost or not, he's a bit of a timid soul. Haven't really gotten him ready for competitive battling yet. Plus there's a chance this Miltank's ability is Scrappy which could end up spelling disaster. Instead I turn my head to the 'mon who's been hanging off my shoulder this entire time. A nasty little bugger who hates being in Pokéballs almost as much as Ash's Pikachu does. "You want in?"
Gligar: Lv. 52
Nature: Adamant
Potential: A
"Gligar!"
"Well get in there then. Let's demonstrate why you don't escalate against us."
"Gli! Gli!" My little scorpion-bat swoops into the arena just as the referee starts to look impatient. He darts his eyes between both contenders, raising the flag high...and then drops it!
"Taunt!/Heal Bell!" The two commands are simultaneous. An ethereal golden bell appears above Miltank, only for the cow to suddenly reel back as a thin layer of Dark shatters the device, dispersing the technique.
"Tut tut tut," I wiggle my finger at Whitney much in the same manner Gligar did to Miltank a moment ago. "None of that now. The Toxic stays." I chide at the girl, deliberately trying to needle her.
The young woman stomps her foot at being predicted. "How did-!"
"Agility." Truthfully the command is unnecessary. Vlad is well trained enough to spot opportunities to set up all on his own. He'd already been building the Psychic energy before I even got the word out.
Whitney sweeps her arm forward. "Lean into the aggression Miltank! Go for Body Slam!"
The Taunted animal takes two steps forward before launching itself into the air with an angry 'Mooo!', sailing across the field with far more speed than one would expect for something of its size. Momentum is mass times velocity and if that much weight were to crash into me..well it's easy to understand how the move can Paralyze.
The blue sheen of Agility around Gligar finishes its job and with that I now know the fight is effectively over.
'Speed is Miltank's second-best stat.'
The heifer attempts to body-check my flier only to sink through the afterimage of a Double Team.
'But it is also Gligar's.'
"Blind it! Then set the storm!"
The power behind the Mud-Slap is minuscule, but damage has never been the goal of that move. In fact, Vlad and I have worked on making the move actually weaker so long as it hits quick and goes exactly where we want it to go.
To its credit, the Miltank does try to block it -as does any living creature when something comes for its face- but the Normal-type only experiences partial success. Brown still slathers over its eyes and it cries out with a distressed 'Mooooo!'.
"Scrape it off Miltank!"
The Normal-type tries to, it even half-succeeds, but by that point Gligar has already thrown his claws out and the sand is starting to roil.
A proper Sandstorm, one worthy of a Tyranitar, takes over the field and Whitney starts to panic. "Water Pulse!"
'Oh?' That's not something I expected. On top of being good type coverage, it's a long-range option when Miltank as a species typically doesn't have any. Plus, if I recall correctly, in some of the video games Water Pulse can never miss, so sight isn't really needed. Not bad Whitney.
The only hiccup is..well, a Special Attacker Miltank is not.
"Water for Water Vlad. Let's win with some style."
Gligar sails through the dust cloud, his pincer shining with the bright blue of Crabhammer, and with it carves straight through the anemic Water attack.
"What!?" Whitney nearly screams. "Since when can Gligar learn-!"
Vlad finishes his journey down and swoops behind Miltank. With a devastating hammerblow to the back of the head the 100 base-power high critical-chance move slams the enemy ace straight into the dirt!
Immediately I can feel Gligar begin to shift gears, building up Ground energy within himself that rumbles and shakes along the aura connection we share, but I hold off on the order to unleash the 'quake. The most iconic of all Ground moves would end this right now...but I don't think it's needed.
Miltank struggles to push itself up as both the Toxic and Sandstorm chip it down. One buffeting from the outside while the other ravages from within. In the end...it just can't.
"That's enough Vlad." The sandstorm disperses and almost immediately the final flag of the match goes up.
"Miltank is unable to battle! Challenger Brad is the winner!"
There's a small smattering of applause. A few 'Boo!'s as well from Whitney's local fan club, but overall the match ends without any real ceremony. Not that much of a crowd is really expected at 2pm on a Tuesday. In both this life and the previous, I've never much liked events that have stadiums packed to the brim.
Whitney pouts a little as we reach the center of the arena and shake hands. "Mou! Your team's got some tough cookies. Nice read on the Heal Bell. Many trainers don't know about that move since Miltank's the only Pokémon in Johto who learns it." Whitney sighs. "Darn it, and I really thought Bluebell would be tough enough to see your secret Pokémon."
My head cocks. "Secret?"
Whitney smiles unashamedly. "Pryce let slip a complaint about you in our monthly Gym Leader call last week. Something about a new evolution you won't tell him about."
Ah. She's referring to Mamoswine. Bubbles the Mamoswine.
"Sorry, but he's not actually with me right now. He's up at a breeding reserve in Mahogany." And wasn't that a prank in and of itself? Pryce was determined to wring the secret to Piloswine's evolution from me..and I agreed to give it to him. For a price of course. No pun intended.
All the old man had to do was set up Bubbles in his Swinub breeding program and offer me my pick of the litter. As soon as I select a Swinub to take, he gets the secret. Pretty easy.
Of course, right after that deal was finalized I got on a boat and fucked off to a foreign region for about three months so I imagine he's a bit miffed at me. Now that I'm back in Johto though, I really should make the detour to stop by and see what new piglets he's got in stock. Brad's original Pokémon 'Bubbles' was a loyal enough creature, but even as a Mamoswine his potential doesn't seem to let him rise above Lv. 58 which just doesn't suit my long term purposes.
Plus the 'mon was nearly three decades old at this point and it's probably better just to start fresh.
The 'prank' part of the deal was that I had technically already given Pryce exactly what he asked for. Ancient Power was an Egg Move and as such all of Bubbles' progeny will be able to make the change. Now as to how Bubbles himself knew the move as a Swinub...well I don't rightly know. Brad's father caught the piglet in the wild so who knows what its family line was like.
"Aww, phooey." Whitney playfully whines at the info. "I guess I still got to see a new Pokémon though! And I even watched it evolve too! Which region is he from? Hoenn? I know it can't be Sinnoh with their borders closed."
"Unova actually."
Whitney gapes."Unov-Wait really?! How did you even get approved to go in? Isn't their immigration policy like suuuper strict?"
I let a small smile creep up. "I've always found that, if you grease the right palms, there's not a lot of places one can't get to in this world."
"Huh." Whitney mutters. "Well regardless, you've more than demonstrated enough to earn this." She brings her arm up and offers a small diamond shaped pin. "The Plain Badge!"
From there it seems the practiced ritual is just about over. I tuck the pin next to the other two inside my jacket, a few more small words are exchanged, and a commemorative photo is taken of me shaking Whitney's hand if I want to purchase it. After just a few minutes the next challenger is announced and I find myself checking out with a receptionist who hands over the modest bit of prize money my successful challenge has earned.
Stepping out of the Gym, I feel a restless shaking from my belt. A low grumbling emanating from the Moon Ball just above my right pocket. "Easy there Grundy," I soothe gently, brushing my fingers over the ball. "Easy there. That Miltank roused you from your nap didn't it?"
The Moon Ball vibrates.
"Relax. It was only Lv. 40." I continue under my breath. "Wouldn't even have been a warm-up for you. Besides, the goal right now is to earn badges, not kill our opponent in the ring. We're in the city right now. Have to act civilized."
There's another low grumble but eventually the ball does go still, choosing to accept that answer.
"Mt. Mortar's not terribly far." I offer as a compromise. "We can swing by there after Ecruteak. Maybe find something down in the lower levels for you and Ma Ma to let loose against."
With that promise made, I find it's time to continue exploring the city proper. Goldenrod is the center of Johto and wow does it show that. Restaurants, railways, businesses large and small, not to mention the iconic Radio Tower that scrapes up into the clouds. Bike shops, flower shops, Poké shops, and Casino's. Oh boy, the casino's.
In my past life I wasn't much of a drinker. I had no issues with drugs or women. But woah nelly was my Vice the Dice let me tell ya.
Fortunately -or unfortunately depending on your viewpoint- my priorities have shifted somewhat since then.
My feet take me past a crowd huddled around a store window where the day's news plays on multiple screens.'...and as such authorities are still searching for the missing ship. In other news, tensions continue to rise with the region of Kalos as ambassadors were seen walking out...'
This world is a death trap with a polite candy coating over the top. The moment I forget that and start confusing it for a children's cartoon is the day I end up in an early grave.
~I'm on the road to Viridian City!~ My ringtone sounds, getting me to fish the smartphone out and glance at the caller ID. ~We're on the road to Viridian Ci-click. "Hey Lori!" I smile into the phone. "That was fast. What's up?"
"Bradley," There's exasperation in her tone. "What is this video file you've sent me?"
"Aww, you didn't even watch it? I'm hurt Lori. It's obviously my match against Whitney. Score 3-1 in my favor by the way. She pulled out this older Miltank at the end that I'm pretty sure was her dad's. Took out poor K. Rool with a single hit. And my boy had just evolved too. He's gonna be in such a foul mood when he wakes up."
"That's wonderful Bradley, I'm glad you're finally taking things seriously," she sounds tired. Low on sleep. Poor girl. "But again, why did you send it to me?"
"Ooph. So cold. Am I not allowed to keep one of my oldest friends updated on my journey? Tsk tsk Lori. Being an Elite Four has really changed you."
"I wouldn't say we've really been friends since I left Mahogany Brad." There's a sigh from the other side. "Do you remember what we talked about last time you did this?"
I hummed, pretending to think about it. "Let's see, you wanted the secret to evolving Piloswine just like your grandpa Pryce did."
"Wha-No! That was an offhand- I meant right after that!" Aww. She still gets flustered. Cute.
"Ehh, something about inter-regional politics and being super busy with this Kalos situation and not to bother you during work and..I just kinda zoned out after that to be honest. Didn't seem that important." I say the words but it's all in a light and joking tone. Truthfully, I track Indigo's relations with the other regions very carefully. I just like hearing her get frustrated.
A breath through her nose. "And how about the time before 'that'?"
"Time before that," I rubbed my chin. "I asked you to dinner and you said 'Make it to the Silver Conference and we'll talk'."
"So if you remember that, then why do you keep blowing up my work number after every Gym Badge!"
I smirk into the phone. "Why do you keep calling?"
"I-! You-! It doesn't- That is-...I'm going back to work now."
"Bye Lori! Talk to you after I thrash Morty!"
After the empty dial tone 'beeps' twice in my ear I slip the phone away and chuckle warmly in my throat. Brad let an amazing woman slip away, but I'm willing to gamble I can reel her back in.
With pleasure now over with though...it does unfortunately mean it's time for business.
Schooling my features, I pull a second phone from my bag. This one considerably cheaper and much easier for me to toss if needs arise. Speed dial rings the single number programmed into it and with a 'click' I hear the other side pick up. "Third badge obtained. I'm available now. What's the job?"
"Well well, let me be the first to congratulate you then." Admin Petrel chuckles from the other side. "We've a lead on one of the items you've requested. Be at the Game Corner 1PM tomorrow for the details on how you can 'earn' it." With that the number disconnects and I slide the phone away.
Oh, and I'm doing a little contract work with Team Rocket on the side.
Did I not mention that earlier?
Link:https://m.fanfiction.net/s/14351879/1/Feel-The-Ground-Shake