Aiden has to admit, this food was amazing!
He didn't have the chance to eat when the guild master of Soaring Sky called him, and he lost his appetite after the argument.
But now? He was eating heartily!
The curry gave him energy, and the tea calmed down his nerves.
It was worth the price.
"So…"
The boy caught his attention, seeming to be somewhere between shy and excited.
"Here at the Ranch, we have to three types of service when distributing Pokemon" The boy said "Choice, recommendation and adoption"
Aiden set up straight, curious and serious while the boy made a gesture to the Audino, who nodded and disappeared somewhere.
"Choice, well, you'll come to the Kindgardem and see with your own eyes all, and I really mean all, our pokemon, then you can chose the one you bond the most and buy it"
The Audino came back with two folders, one much thicker than the other, giving it to the boy.
"The second one, recommendation, is a more limited versions of the first one, with only grass, water and fire type pokemons that are recommended for rookies and, usually, easy to bond, with some exceptions, of course, and this service is also paid"
He offered the thicker one to Aiden, who took it and opened it.
"The third, adoption, is a service where you'll meet with the rescues, Pokemon who had bad experiences, be it with humans, with pokemon or any other, this service is free, but it won't be easy to take them with you, as most are aggressive or too afraid to approach others"
Aiden looked at the file inside the folder, the first picture he saw was of the two bunny-like creatures.
In the picture they were in a kitchen, the light gray holding a pan and the dark gray holding a spatula.
He looked at the file, then at the pair in the caunter, chattin in weird cries.
He then read the introduction.
[The Haboot siblings
The previous trainer wanted only the female due her status as a Shiny, but ended up getting the two, the trainer tried to abandon the male, but he always finds a way to come back, once both evolved, the trainer got tired and abandoned both.
Good at house chores and schedule organization, don't usually fight, but like to do so from time to time.
Note: Can only be adopted together]
He turned the page, and a purple creature appeared, looking sad.
Its section was as sad as its face.
[Baby Kangaskhan
Lost his mother to poachers shortly after being born, is scared of humans and is a bit aggressive.
Note: Completely dependent, can only be adopted by someone capable of keeping him close all day.]
In the next one, a surprisingly humanoid creature with feathers appeared seated in a tree eating a blue fruit with a smile, its body covered in scars and some missing feathers.
[Hawlucha
Fighted in illegal fighting rings where pokemon were forced to fight to death, is a pacifist most of the time and loves gardening.
Note: Will fight if feeling threatened, and he hit HARD]
Aiden chuckled at the note.
He had come to investigate, but ended up interested in actually taking one of these guys.
What better way to know if it's dangerous than analyzing it yourself?
He looked at some more files, seeing more and more interesting creatures, from dinosaur looking one, to really a ugly fish with a scar, but soon put it down.
If he was going to take one for analysis, he's taking a healthy one.
"I don't think I can take care of and rescues at the moment" He explained "And I don't really know much to properly choose one among a thousand, but I would like to take a look at the recommendations"
With a nod of understandment, the boy gave him the second folder.
"This ones are the different 'generations' of Grass, Water and Fire" He explained "They're much simpler choices, but with big potentials"
Aiden looked at the files, finding pokemon that were very similar to normal animals, such as Piplup, Torchick and Litten.
He soon began to think about which one to choose, taking in account his profession.
"How does Type affect Pokemon?" He asked.
"The Type affect the kind of moves a Pokemon can learn and it's weakness and stranges in a battle, in the case of these three types here, Grass is strong against Water, Water is to Fire, and Fire is to Grass, but that doesn't mean that the result is set in stone, since a fire type with a good plan can win against a water type"
"One nullifies the other" Aiden muttered.
As a blacksmith, he was constantly close to fire, and he was good at fire magic, since he needed it for magic weapons, so he focussed on the fire types.
That's how he ended with his choice.
"I kind of like this one" He said, showing the file to the boy.
"Chimchar?" The boy said amusedly, "Do you have a fire related profession?"
"I'm a fire mage"
It wasn't a lie, even though he's a Blacksmith, he was as good as fire mage.
Nodding, the boy showed the file to the Meowstics, who nodded and left for another place deeper in the building.
"They'll be bringing the one you've chose, now we will talk about the second part"
Aiden was confused.
There's more?
The boy processed to explain the diet, habits and a few more things about the one he had chosen, and, honestly?
It was hardly any different from a normal pet, just smarter and stronger.
The boy was talking about some things that he should be careful about when taking care of Chincar when the Meowstics came back.
But, before Aiden could look at the pokemon, an orange bolt flew to his face.
"Char!"
***
Nate quickly picked the agitated Chinchar from the man's face, who looked confused and stunned.
"I'm so sorry!" He said "I swear she's not always like that"
He was so embarrassed, he knew that the Pokemon were excited, but he forgot how excited.
Seriously! The Chinchar in his arms was one of the calmest.
The man took some time to compose himself, but soon opened an amused smile.
"So that's Chinchar?"
The man looked at the Chimp with amusement while it tried to free herself.
"Let me go! I want to get a closer look!"
The Chimchar brought by Mune e Solana was a female known not only for her curiosity and calm nature, but also her strength, agility and strong attitude.
If Nate wasn't used to it, he might not be able to hold her for so long.
"You're the first human other than me to step on the Ranch, and, if we don't count the rescues and a few others, none of them have ever seen a human that wasn't me since they were born, so they're all exited"
The man nodded in understanding.
The man had a childish gleam in his eyes while looking at the Chimp, curiosity shining like a bright star.
Seeing this, Nate had an idea, a mischievous smile spreading in his face as he dropped the Chimp in the man's arms.
_______________________________________
Aiden couldn't help but be enchanted by the creature that looked at him with such gleam of excitement.
So similar to a Demonic Beast, but so different at the same time.
He nearly panicked when the boy dropped the Chimp on him, his heart skipping a beat, scared that the burning tail would burn him, while the boy seated back at his seat.
Aiden looked down at the Chimp, still surprised by the lack of fire in his clothes, who looked up at him with expectant eyes, unconsciously, he reached out a hand to pet her and, which she seemed to be in favor of, as she tilted her head toward his hand, grabbing it with closed eyes.
"Chimchar!"
He was admiring how warm she was when the boy started talking.
"Now that you have your partner, shall we look for some things for her?"
___
In the end, the boy convinced him to buy a lot of things, like food, medication and a few treats for the Chimp, who's yet to leave his arms.
Now they were at the entrance of the Ranch after a simple check up, signing the paper of ownership and paying nearly a hundred low grade cores in products and ten middle grade cores on the Chimp (Thanks god for making him always walks with a few cores).
"And to more things!" The boy said.
'There's more?!'
The Meowstics approached from the side, each holding something, the male holding a device and the female a white little white ball with a red stripe.
"There are two things every trainer needs" The boy said "The Pokedex and Pokeballs!"
He then picked the things, first giving the device.
"The Pokedex is a device that explains everything a trainer needs to know about pokemon, all you need to do is point it to a pokemon, this is an standart Pokedex that you'll receive for being one the first ten customers"
Following the instructions, he pointed the device to the Chimp, then the thing unfolded itself and started to talk.
"Chimchar The chimp Pokemon of fire type, it's a very agile pokemon, the gas made in its belly burns from its rear end. The fire burns weakly when it feels sick"
The Pokedex also showed some of the abilities that Chinchar had.
The boy soon showed the tiny ball, handing it to Aiden.
"And this is the Pokeball, used to capture Pokemon, and since you are one of or ten first customers, you'll also receive a Premier Ball"
That confused Aiden.
How come a tiny thing like this captures a pokemon?
Seeming to notice his confusion, the boy explained.
"It's like a seal that priests uses sometimes, just press the button and Chimchar will do the rest"
Still confused, he did as was told, pressing the button and getting surprised when the ball grew in size, revealing its semi-transparent top.
He was about to ask about the ball when Chimchar slapped the ball with a happy cry, suddenly surrounded by a red light and disappearing inside the ball, that started to bounce in his hand and stopped after three times with a little spark.
He started to panic, but then the boy approached him.
"Don't worry, she's fine! The pokeball is like room for the Pokemon, here, take a look"
He pointed to the ball and Aiden finally saw the Chimchar.
The ball, previously empty, now contained a mini forest terrarium, where Chimchar played happily.
"You can keep her in the Pokeball if needed" The boy explained "Just give a command and she'll come out"
"Come out!"
Immediately, he called out for her, making the Chimp stop playing and opening the Pokeball, letting a shiny light fly out to his arms, where a familiar weight appeared.
"Char!"
Chimchar was once again in Aiden's arms, she looked happy while he breathed a sigh of relief.
He saw Priests making seals, but none of them was as fast and simple as this one, so he was pretty scared for a second there.
"If you ever need any questions" The boy said "You can use my contact to call me or send me a message, I can also delivery through pokemail the products to your house if you ever need"
Nodding, Aiden said goodbye to the boy and went back to his way, but he hesitated a bit before putting Chinchar in the pokeball again, knowing well how people would react to the Chimp, before leaving.
***
Nate waited till he couldn't see the man anymore before cheering with the others.
(That was our first customer!)
"Did you see his face when she went into the Pokeball?"
"I did! It was priceless!"
Nate smiled at the situation, but then noticed the Haboot siblings, both disappointmented.
"Seems today is not our day" Said de male "Again"
"Maybe next time" The female cheered her brother up.
They didn't have names, as they wanted to be named by their trainer.
Nate smiled at them.
He had the feeling that they would find their trainer soon.
***
In the Golden Empire, in a dark room in a small apartment in the residential area, a woman woke up looking more tired than ever.
She stayed in bed for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling. She had work to do, plans to make, money to count, she couldn't stay in bed for much longer.
But she stayed in bed, she closed her eyes and waited.
Soon enough, the phone rang, and she sighed.
Today was a busy day.
***
Aiden arrived at his grandfather's house.
No way he'd come back to his residence when that crazy guild master was hunting him.
He was always been bold, but never suicidal.
"Welcome back young master"
He was greeted by an old butler, a man called Nathan whose family had been serving the Wayland for centuries.
"Long time no see" Aiden saluted "Is Gramps home?"
"He just come back with master Armstrong"
'Oh! Uncle Rich is here, even better!'
He let Nathan guide him to the room where his grandfather and uncle were, already hearing their laughter through the corridors.
Goban Wayland and Friedrich Armstrong were long date friends, Goban, an Blacksmith, and Friedrich, a Berserker, both renomed on their areas.
But the time of their prime was long gone, even though they could still be working, but prefered the peace.
Friedrich even opened a flower shop!
His shop is really well known, but just because his plants were incredible, and not because he's the infamous Berserker.
Aiden is pretty sure that most customers don't even know his profession, just that he's retired.
Arriving at the room, Nathan knocked at the door, making the laughter stop.
"Young master Aiden is here" He announced.
A pause, then steps, and the door was soon opened, revealing a short, but robust, old man.
"You idiot!"
His grandfather had always been shorter than most men, but had a big and odd attitude, so he wasn't surprised when the man just grabbed him by the clothes and threw him in a couche.
A big burly man covered in scars was seated in another couch, Friedrich looked apologetic at him.
"I'm honestly sorry for all the problems Helena must have caused" Friedrich said.
He just smiled meekly while Goban screamed.
"How could you just turn your back at a customer, and to your fiance above all!" He heard his grandfather scolding.
Yes, Helena Armstrong, granddaughter of Friedrich Armstrong, his fiance, guild master and customer.
What a hell of a life he was leaving.
But anyway.
He was ready to hear a few hours of scolding when a familiar light came out of his pocket to his lap and a familiar figure appeared.
"Char!"
Soon a large fire surged and engulfed Goban for a moment before disappearing, leaving a charged, stunned man to stare at nothing.
He quickly picked the Chimchar, who started throwing a tantrum.
"Fiama!"
On the way back, he named the Chimp Fiama, finding it impractical to call her by the species name.
"Calm down girl, that's my gramps!"
Fiama stopped the tartrum, but not the pouting, crossing her arms and showing her tongue to his grandfather before burying her face on his shoulder.
Aiden couldn't help but sight with an amused smile.
She was just like a child.
"What is that?"
Remembering that he was not alone in the room, he turned his gaze to the others with a sheepish smile.
"Hummm… Surprise?"
That would be interesting.
___
"So you buyed this thing-"
"Char!"
"-Pokemon… from a 'ranch' on the hill using beast cores?"
"Pretty much"
After explaining everything, Ainde watched the reations of the three man.
Friedrich seems fascinated, having faced so many creatures, he would definitely be interested in a docile beast.
Nathan seemed curious, similiar to Friedrich, he too had fighted alot, even though he was a butler.
And his grandfather looked suspitiously at Fiama, who stared down at him from Aiden's showders.
"How much of this… pokemon the ower have?" He asked.
"Well he said that there are more then a thousand species, so there might be much more them just that"
A moment of silence, Goban rubbed his chin, browns frowned, Nathan did the same with his goatee, but Friedrich did diferent.
He took one of the snacks at the table and offered it to Fiama.
Aiden wasn't worried about it being bad for her stomach, as Nate had explained to him that Pokmenon could eat the same thing humana could, just that it wouldn't provide any energy to them.
She looked at him suspiciously before taking it and stuffing it in her mouth.
She tried to hide how happy she was with the treats, but couldn't, her tail betraying her by burning more brightly.
"What an interesting creature you are" Friedrich said with a chuckle "It makes me want to see more"
Aiden barked a laugh, kind of expecting the reaction from Friedrich, but then paused.
'That's actually a good idea…'
He took his phone and searched for the boy's number.
Soon enough, he was talking to the boy.
"Hey kid!"
{Mister Aiden! Is there any problem with Chimchar?}
"Nah, Fiama is good, is just that I'm thinking on taking some acquaintances to your place to take a look at the Pokemon, they're really interested"
He could practically feel the boy's smile when he talked.
{Really?! Then you can come any time you- Kokoo! - Zaaa!}
Two loud screeches, loud enough for everyone in the room, disturbed the conversation, followed by the boy's exasperated voice.
{Oi, you rascals! If you're going to fight, do it in the arena! You're going to break something!}
Some more screams, loud noises and screeches occurred before it went silent.
It took a few seconds before the boy was back.
{I'm so sorry about that, two of the Fighting Junkies here decided it was a good time to start a fight inside the ranch, but yeah, come any time, we'll be waiting}
The call was turned off, leaving a stunned group of humans and a giggling Chimp to fend for themselves.