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Pokemon: Way Of Life Chapter 5
🕑 Added 2022-09-27 03:30:32 +0000 UTCDisclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Gamefreak.
“Give it to me straight, Doctor. Am I going to live?” Lucas joked.
Dr Potts had joined them in his room to discuss his treatment going forward. Abigail was in the corner, with colouring pencils scattered on the floor, as she happily occupied herself with drawing.
His parents sat next to his bed with his mother grasping his hand. Lucas didn't exactly feel comfortable with prolonged contact, but he could deal.
Dr Potts smiled. “I think it is safe to assume you'll be around for a while. You are simply a miracle.”
“Besides the physio,” Sophia asked, “does he have any reason to be in the hospital?”
“Well, I would like him to stay in for another week. Just in case there are any setbacks we didn't foresee.”
“But you said he was as healthy as he could be, that he didn't need any more tests.” Sophia absently stroked Lucas's hand in agitation.
“That is true,” Dr Potts said. “This is just me being cautious. Now, we need to discuss his rehabilitation. We have a fine department here…”
“That won't be necessary,” David interrupted, “I have someone already lined up to take on that role.”
“Does he have the proper credentials?” Dr Potts asked dubiously.
Dr Potts appeared to be faintly agitated. Lucas frowned at his strange behaviour. The doctor had barely made eye contact with Lucas since he walked in the door and looked away immediately when he did. He wouldn't have picked it up before, but since he unlocked the {Perception Attribute}, he noticed details better. Lucas decided to try something. He tried scanning the doctor.
‘{Observation}.’
Lucas didn't get what he expected, though.
=====
Pokemon: Haunter Age: ?? Type: ????
Description: ????
Moves: ????
=====
“Haunter,” a ghost Pokemon from behind Dr Potts appeared. Abigail screamed.
“What the hell,” David stood up.
“Abigail,” Sophia rushed to her side.
“Haunter, stop. What are you doing?” Dr Potts scolded.
“He belongs to you?” David asked angrily.
Lucas had never seen this side of his David. Even though he was a tall muscled guy, he didn't usually come off as threatening because of his demeanour. Now, he was witnessing an angry David, and he was intimidating as hell.
“I’m sorry. My Haunter is very mischievous. He is not allowed to scare people like that.” Dr Potts returned him to his Pokeball.
Sophia picked up Abigail and soothed her.
“I thought Pokemon are not allowed in the hospital?” David demanded, looking like he wanted to punch the doctor.
“Haunter is a special case. He entertains the children to keep them happy. I usually keep him in my office. He is not allowed to roam.”
Lucas knew it was his fault that his sister was frightened. He silently apologised to her and remembered to get her a gift when he got out of here. However, what he discovered was troubling. His Haunter had been hiding there for however long, and it was only when Lucas used {Observation} that he realised it was there. Had it spied on him before? He realised he needed to be more careful not to give away any hints about his ability.
He at least learned that he couldn't observe people.
Haunter had been too strong for him to read, but he assumed that he must a high level considering his owner was middle-aged.
“Yes, well. Everything seems to be in order. I will talk to you in a week so long as nothing else happens.” Dr Potts rushed out the door.
“What a pansy,” Davis muttered.
“David,” Sophia scolded. She sat back down with Abigail in her lap.
“I don't trust him,” Lucas said.
“I cannot say I like him right now, either. But do you have a specific reason?” David asked.
“Um, it’s just having a Haunter roaming the hospital that can turn invisible sounds unethical. He could spy on anyone without anyone knowing.”
David looked pensive. Sophia noticed her husband's preoccupied state and tapped his leg. “Worry about it later. Let’s finish our visit with Lucas first.”
David nodded, then sat down, and Abigail crawled into his arms.
“We need to get Abigail to school soon,” Sophia said. “David will be back later with Vincent, who will be your physiotherapist.”
“Vincent?”
“He works at my main gym here in Pallet Town,” Davis answered. “I met him during my time at the Rangers like your mother. We have been friends ever since.”
Lucas nodded.
They soon left, and Lucas succumbed to the lure of sleep once again.
0(((())))0
David and another man walked into the hospital that afternoon while Lucas was playing with his laptop. He was watching a live streamer as they recorded their adventure travelling through the wild. So that was a thing. There were influencers in the world, and what would be more popular than following a Pokemon trainer? It seemed rather dangerous to record a live stream surrounded by deadly Pokemon; at least he had other people with him. From what he had read, there were quite a few trainers who died while streaming.
David carried something in his arms. It looked a little futuristic, with a square base with various dials, switches and attachments. The main bulk of it, though, was the glass case that stood on top of it, with a bowl receptacle inside, just the right size for a Pokemon egg.
“Hi, Lucas. Meet Vincent, your new pain in the ass.”
Vincent was not what he was expecting.
Vincent was a head shorter with a lithe build and corded muscles. He wore his unusual silver hair short in a military crew cut and was dressed casually in track pants and a t-shirt. Judging by his face, he was a hard ass. It was all angles and a pointed chin, offset with a pair of golden eyes. He is definitely more intimidating than his Dad, despite being smaller.
“Lucas,” he said shortly. Under his arm, he carried a foam mat.
“Hello. Did you know me before?” Lucas asked.
“Yes,” Vincent said. “I had just begun training you in martial arts before the incident.”
“Really? Is that something we can start again?” The thought of learning martial arts appealed to him. He thought it would be a nice thing to strive for when he was going through all the pain of rehabilitation.
“Yes, but you have a long way to go first. I brought a mat with me so we can get started on some isometric exercises.”
Lucas didn't know what they were, but any exercise sounded painful, especially if he was getting out of bed to do them.
“It's going to be hard to get out of bed,” David said, setting the machine down on the bedside table. “Are you sure you want to start this now?”
“No reason to wait; it's not going to get any easier,” Lucas said.
“Good man,” Vincent said, a brief smile appearing. He lay down the mat where there would be plenty of space. “Your Dad and I will lift you down onto the mat. Are you ready?”
Lucas nodded. They removed the things on his bed and then took up a position at either end. They lifted him easily and down onto the mat, with Lucas silently screaming. No way was he going to show these tough guys how much pain he was going through.
They started with simple exercises such as Lucas raising one of his legs and holding it as long as he could. He repeated the same with his other limbs. He already had sweat on his brow, and he clenched his teeth in pain.
“Hey, no need to act tough around us,” David said. “This is going to be hard, okay? Let out all your feelings.”
“Son of a bitch,” Lucas gasped.
“Where did you hear that profanity,” Davis asked sternly.
“I can't remember.”
“Dammit, are you going to play that card every time now?”
Vincent chuckled. It sounded rusty as if he didn't often laugh.
David and Lucas looked at him with shock. Vincent lowered his head and started massaging Lucas’s legs.
“How are you feeling? Up for another round?”
“Yeah,” Lucas took a breath.
Ten minutes later, he was tucked back into bed, watching David set up the incubator.
“So how does one establish a bond with Pokemon?” Lucas inquired.
“Well, in terms of eggs, they may reach out and establish one if you spend enough time with them. There have been theories that say that Pokemon in eggs are a lot more intuitive and maybe be aware of what's best for them.” David finished setting up the incubator and switched it on.
“With wild Pokemon, the Pokeballs are used to establish a bond with Pokemon,” Vincent added. “There is a lot of technology that goes into a Pokeball. When you first obtain a pokeball, you have to calibrate it to your energy imprint so the Pokemon bonds with you specifically.”
“Wait, so Pokeballs are not used to hold Pokemon?”
“Hold Pokemon?” David asked, baffled. His expression cleared in understanding. “You mean their second function? They don't hold Pokemon. They are transference devices to send your Pokemon to a specified location. Then you can recall them when you need them.”
“Really?” Lucas asked, astonished.
“Most trainers set up their homes as the place for Pokemon to stay,” Vincent commented, “but some wealthy people set up entire habitats along with carers for their Pokemon. There are also facilities that serve the same service for a fee.”
Lucas supposed that made some sense. Why would Pokemon want to spend most of their time in Pokeballs as…..well, whatever they become in Pokeballs? Was that ever explained in canon?
“Alright, we are all set up,” David said. “Have the nurse place the egg in the incubator before you go to bed. Remember to hold it during the day so you can increase your chance of establishing a bond.”
“Okay.”
“We’ll get out of your hair and let the cute nurse give you a sponge bath,” David smirked. “Or would you rather wait until the night shift nurse?”
Lucas shook his head. “No way. Evelyn is an old battle axe. Nice enough, but not someone I want sponging me down.”
David laughed. They both said goodbye and left him wallowing in his sore body.
0(((())))0
David and Vincent stepped outside and made their way to the parking lot.
“So, what do you think?” David asked.
“He seems different, but not in a bad way,” Vincent replied.
“I know. The little bugger sounds so confident after waking from a coma. It's as if he was still growing up while comatose.”
“Some long-term coma patients are known to have a personality change,” Vincent said. He sounded informed on the subject.
“Yes, how much did you read up on coma patients?” David asked, amused.
“I am his godfather.”
“Why didn't you tell him that?”
“It's not important. There's still plenty of time.”
They stopped at the car. “You still blame yourself, don't you?”
Vincent opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. “Helser,” he answered the phone.
His expression didn't change as he listened, but David could tell that he was not happy. After the other side had finished speaking, he said a terse goodbye and ended the call.
“What's the matter?”
Vincent looked back at the hospital. “That was Matt. It seems Lucas was right to be suspicious of Dr Potts. He is a compulsive gambler that racked up a lot of debts. However, those debts disappeared about a year ago. Whoever paid him they have some hefty firewalls. Matt didn't dare to probe further.”
“I see. Then what did the good doctor do in return for clearing his debts?” David mused.
“I don't like it,” Vincent grunted. He looked like he was going to go back and interrogate the doctor.
David knew he would do it as well; anything threatening Lucas or Abigail would receive swift reprisal. David had met the man when Vincent had recently lost his wife and son. It took a lot of work to drag him out of his despair, which almost returned when Lucas was hurt.
The wild Tauros was a recent capture from a trainer who had foolishly let it out in a populated suburb. If the Affection of the Pokemon was low enough, then they broke the bond on their own.
Unfortunately, Abigail and Lucas happened to be nearby when it happened. In his anger, Vincent had destroyed the Tauros when he arrived just afterwards. To say Vincent took his godfather's duties seriously was an understatement.
“Take it easy. We can't do anything without proof that he did anything wrong. Keep an eye on him. Lucas will be out of there in a week. Then maybe you pass on information to one of your friends in law enforcement.”
Vincent nodded. No one was going to hurt Lucas ever again.
0(((())))0
February 7th, 1998
One week later.
Lucas sat in a wheelchair as Amy wheeled him toward the exit. The egg was held in his lap along with a backpack with various items like his laptop and books.
His dad was bringing the vehicle around. He still couldn't walk properly by himself so he would be confined to a wheelchair for a while longer.
Lucas had made a lot of progress in the last week. His daily routine consisted of a morning and afternoon workout with Vincent, levelling his {Meditation}, learning more about the Pokemon World and spending time with his family.
Despite the slow progress with his physiotherapy, he saw results because his {Status} had updated.
=====
Feebleness (removable): After lying in a coma for three years, the player's muscles have atrophied, and your growth has been stunted.
-95% to Physique gains.
No experience is gained until it is removed.
Permanently stunted growth if not corrected in the next six months.
=====
His detriment had decreased from one hundred to ninety-five per cent. It was not a significant gain, but technically he could start training his {Physique Attributes}. Even though he probably wouldn't get any until he lowered the detriment further and upped the intensity of training. Still, seeing the irrefutable truth that he was improving, even if it did not feel like it, was encouraging.
Another thing he had received from the workout was a new skill. Which he gladly learned straight away.
=====
[Isometric Training] (Passive) [Lv:3] (Next:54%) [Cost: 0]
Description: Isometric training is a method of training that tightens a specific muscle or group of muscles without moving the body. A low-intensity workout benefits people recovering from injuries and muscle atrophy.
3% to Physique training speed
3% to Muscle regeneration
3% to Muscle preservation
=====
Lucas had also spent his time levelling {Meditation} and, indirectly, his {Mental Resistance}. However, the latter was tapering off because he saw visions less frequently. He didn't know if it was because of the skill or him coming to terms with the memory, but he was happy about it regardless.
Another thing he did was spend more time trying to bond with his egg. He still had instances where he was sure he could feel the Pokemon’s consciousness brush up against his mind, but it was only for a second. It probably would take a while before he formed a bond, but he could be patient.
He had spent a lot of time learning general knowledge to set a foundation for when he began his studies. He was interested to discover that the timeline matched the original release date of the English adaptation of the anime. At least it would in about eight months. The current date was February 7th, 1998. The world was way more advanced than the old one, but they were completely different worlds, so that was no surprise.
Did that mean that Ash Ketchum existed in this world? But he would be only nine years old right now, and he wouldn't start his journey for another six years. Lucas would turn fifteen in October. The Kanto Championship is held at the beginning of December every year. So if he started his journey in October, he would have over a year to collect the gym badges and prepare for the Championship.
Amy wheeled him out of the entrance, and David was waiting there with his car. One thing he was surprised to read about was how cars differed from his old world. Because the roads were so dangerous outside, most cars were built with practicality and defence in mind. Hence there was a minimal variance of the vehicle, such as sports utility cars, pickup trucks, and heavy trucks used for transportation. They were all usually armoured, even for vehicles in the cities, because wild Pokemon could potentially invade the city and towns. Especially the stronger Pokemon.
David had an armoured black sports utility vehicle similar to a Ford Bronco in his old world. It was a huge beast of a car, and Lucas needed help climbing into the back seat.
“Well, don't be a stranger, you hear,” Amy said. “I expect repayment for all my hard work. Especially all those sponge baths I gave you.”
“Sure, Amy,” Lucas replied cheekily. “If you're ever in need of a sponge bath, just give me a call.”
David laughed.
Amy giggled. “Once you put more weight on, you'll give girls a lot of trouble. See you around, midget.”
“Bye, Amy. Thanks for taking care of me.”
Amy left, and they drove off, heading towards the northeastern side of town. Lucas looked around in interest as they travelled. He found Pallet town to be a fascinating eclectic mix of old and modern buildings. You could see where the expansions took place, such as the tall skyscrapers towering above, but they tried to preserve all the old buildings from when the town was a lot smaller. There were plenty of green spaces with parks, gardens and landscapes. At the moment, though, the trees were bare, and the city was covered in a fine dusting of snow. Overall, it made for an aesthetically pleasing city.
The main road was named Route 1, the same as canon. It led south from the Pallet Docks; to the north, outside of town and heading towards Viridian City.
David drove into a gated community where elegant marbled houses sat amongst gently sloping hills. Each mansion had enormous lawns enclosed by tall stone fences and iron gates. There was plenty of security around, and most had canine Pokemon patrolling alongside them.
“I know you're rich, but I didn't expect you and mother to like this kind of posterity,” Lucas said.
“We don't, but we moved here after you were hurt. The security gets paid a lot of money to keep out any dangerous elements.”
They pulled up before a massive iron gate with a small security building. An older man in uniform came out and greeted him.
“Hello, Jeremy,” David said.
“Good morning, sir. I see you have brought the young master home. It's good to see you up and about, young sir.”
“Thanks,” Lucas replied.
Jeremy spoke into the walkie attached to his uniform. “Open the gate. It's the young master returning home.”
The gate opened, and they travelled down the long driveway until they pulled into a circular entrance with a fountain displayed in the middle, surrounded by beds of flowers. From the outside, the three-storey marbled mansion looked grandiose, with a protruding front section with four massive pillars supporting a triangular arch. Every floor had tall windows with dark trimming that contrasted nicely with the roof, which was clad in grey slate tiles.
“Wow,” Lucas stated.
Sophia opened the front door, and Abigail ran behind her and hurried to the car. David bought the wheelchair out and set it up for Lucas.
Abigail waited impatiently for Lucas to be seated before crawling into his lap. He rubbed her head affectionately.
“Hi, Abby. Have you been causing lots of trouble?”
“Just a little,” Abigail hugged him.
Lucas had gotten to know the little rascal well in the past week. Initially, she was timid but opened up soon enough. She reminded him a lot of their Dad, with a laid-back personality and an inclination to make jokes.
“Abigail, get off his lap,” Sophia places her hands on her hips. “You're not a little girl anymore. You could hurt him.”
Abigail buried her head in his shoulder. “Don't wanna,” she mumbled.
Lucas laughed. “She’s fine. Although I don't know how much longer she can climb on my lap. She’s becoming heavy.”
Abigail gasped, then shot him a murderous glare.
‘How to be a Big Brother 101: Never mention your sister's weight at any age.’
It would have been helpful before—stupid Narrator.
“Right, let's get you inside,” David said.
0(((())))0
Lucas sat outside on his balcony, enjoying the bracing cold air as he contemplated all that had happened since he had woken up in this world. It was still Winter, although the temperatures were relatively mild. The night sky above was amazingly clear of pollution, showing a beautiful tapestry of stars.
Lucas had been reacting to his situation since he woke up, but now was the time to solidify his goals. There were already goals he was working towards, rehabilitation being the obvious one, but he had to do a lot of work if he was going to make his deadline of starting his journey right after his birthday. He could wait longer, as he wanted to spend as much time with his family as he could. They had become the most important people to him in such a short amount of time. However, there were plenty of ways of keeping in touch. He also found out he could hire a bird pokemon to take him anywhere in the region quickly if he felt like visiting his family. However, there was a slight risk with that method of travel.
He took out his phone and started noting things he wanted to accomplish in the next few months.
Complete Physiotherapy.
Complete his Quests.
Study up for secondary school exams.
Complete the Trainer 101 course.
Learn martial arts.
Bond with the poke egg. Learn how to raise its potential.
Train his {Attributes}.
Increase his level.
Learn more skills helpful in travelling on the road.
More research on Pokemon Moves.
More research on Geography. Plan a route?
Maybe learn more about crafting professions?
Lucas could probably think of more, but he will add to it as he goes along. He put his phone away and decided to do an overview of where he was at the moment.
=====
Lucas Walker
Age: 14
Title: Arceus’s Blessing
Level: 1 [0/100%]
Aura: 50/50
Physique: 2
Dexterity: 3
Intelligence: 9
Perception: 8
Charisma: 11
AP: 0
Perks
Balanced (Aura)
????: Stage One
Friendly Narrator
Skill Master
Detriments
Feebleness
Ghosts of the Past
Poke dollars: 0
=====
Lucas gained another three points in {Intelligence} from reading many books. Three of his {Attributes} looked okay. Two of them were still terrible, but he would be increasing his {Physique} over the next few months. {Dexterity} was going to be a problem, though, so that's why he considered learning a crafting skill.
There was nothing completely broken when it came to crafting skills, but they sounded handy for what he needed. A few that stood out were Cooking, Alchemy, Tailoring, Cartography, and Engineering. Besides all that, there were plenty of activities that could benefit from having a high {Dexterity}. But before he learned a skill, maybe he could raise his {Dexterity} by learning to play an instrument?
So many things to do, yet he was getting incredibly excited. He next checked on his skills.
=====
Skills
Observation: Level 3
Mind Walker: MAX
Meditation: Level 5
Mental Resistance: Level 8
Isometric Training: Level 3
=====
{Meditation} was coming along nicely. Now that he was out of his hospital room, he could keep spamming his {Observation} skill as well. Mental Resistance wouldn’t level much more now that he was getting fewer visions, but he was okay with that. He wished he had received a skill for resisting pain, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
Lucas spun around and headed to bed. Tomorrow was going to be another big day.
0(((())))0
Adrian Potts gazed nervously at the man in front of him. His foot kept tapping against the floor as a release from the tension.
“Stop that,” the man commanded. Adrian froze and slowly lowered his foot to the ground.
The man didn't even look up from the file he was reading. Mr Carson was what he called himself, which probably wasn't his real name. In this line of business, you don't give out your name unless you completely trust the person.
Adrian was stopped in the parking lot after finishing work. They escorted him to a car, and Adrian was blindfolded and driven around for an hour, making so many turns that he could not keep track of his location.
Mr Carson looked like another ordinary businessman. His blue suit was clean and well-maintained, but it didn't look elegant or overly expensive. Just another suit off the rack. His face was average, with no discerning features that made him stand out from a crowd. Maybe he wanted it that way, Adrian thought.
Mr Carson snapped the folder shut and steepled his fingers together.
“Tell me, what makes this boy different from the other subjects that took the serum?”
“The only difference I can discern is that his body was in slightly better condition because of the Aura Healer.” Adrian smoothed down his tie repeatedly.
“That’s not good enough. We have already factored that into our calculations. You spent more than a year with the boy, yet you didn't learn anything else?”
“He seemed no different from any of the others. All his parameters were within range. There is nothing special about the….” Adrian stopped.
“What is it?” Mr Carson leaned forward.
“Well, it happened when I was discussing his physiotherapy with him and his parents. Haunter was in the room, staying invisible. Then something upset Haunter so much that he appeared. His father was outraged.”
Mr Carson frowned, looking down at the file. “His father is David Walker. He probably is having you investigated right now. This may be a problem.”
“David Walker?” Adrian asked, confused. “He has a lot of money, but he is no threat to your organisation.”
“It's not him I'm afraid of,” Mr Carson said. “Did your Haunter tell you why he was so agitated?”
“Well, not in words,” Adrian looked down, “my bond only reaches the mid-stage. But he can communicate a lot without words.”
“And?”
“Haunter was completely terrified of the boy,” Adrian confessed. “From what I understand, he felt like the boy was gazing right through him. The boy knew Haunter was there.”
“Interesting,” Mr Carson murmured. He went silent for a few minutes, thinking. Adrian dare not interrupt him.
“We will observe him for now,” Mr Carson finally said. “I don’t want to attract attention if it can be avoided.”
Mr Carson rose from his seat. “Thank you for your services, Adrian. We will take it from here.”
Adrian was escorted back to his car. He didn't breathe easier until the car had disappeared. Was that it?
Adrian got in his car and drove home. He didn't realise that this would be his last day alive. Something had spooked Mr Carson, and he was eliminating the weak link.
So what do you think? Not alot going on in this chapter, and I'm not totally happy with it, but it does move the story forward.
Cheers.
Comments
GamerFiction
I edited the chapter so Lucas can’t read Haunters stats. He shouldn’t be able to at his current Observation level.
GamerFiction
Crafting is still in the planning stages so I’ll definetly consider it.
GamerFiction
Im thinking at higher levels of the bond, Lucas and his Pokemon will always have a mental connection no matter the distance.
GamerFiction
Thanks for the comments. Yeah, I wasnt too sure how I wanted the Pokeballs to act, but I got excited about setting up Lucas’s own Pokemon home. His egg pokemon is going to stay out of his Pokeball and so will others he captures as soon as he raises the Affection high enough.
Anthony Maxwell
Besides a few grammar errors I noticed the chapters good. One issue I have with it is how the pokeballs work in the story is that it actually is covered in Canon and I can tell you Pokemon in the pokeballs aren't transported elsewhere they're actually in the pokeballs. As there's many instances in the anime where they come out of the pokeballs on their own in response to something happening in the vicinity. So they're vaguely aware of what's going on around them while the in the pokeballs. As to what it's like inside the pokeballs that isn't covered really and there's two predominant fan theories one pokeballs shrink the Pokemon and put them into stasis in case they're injured until they can be taken to a Pokemon center and treated. The second theory is the pokeball digitizes them as energy and creates an artificial environment for them to rest in. or something like that This is another topic in regards to crafting. So I was just thinking like when the main character brought up crafting you might want to add in pokeball and healing potions crafting to the list as it's a pretty useful skill from the Legends Arceus games. Pokéball crafting's also been around in a lot of the games since the early gens from apricorn. But the player wasn't able to do it until the Pokemon Legends Arceus themselves. So maybe copy the crafting system from pokémon's Legends Arceus.
