Pokemon: Resurgence Chapter 23

Hi all,

Here’s the next chapter. Lucas takes the exam,  and searches for a partner for Icarus.

Chapter 23

A week later, Lucas hired a carriage to take him to Viridian City for the Pokemon Breeder's exam. He had left early to arrive at the Pokemon School with enough time to spare before the start time. If he arrived late, he would have to reschedule and would only be reimbursed for half of his exam fee.

Professor Oak had told him about the exam's content. The first component would be a written exam worth seventy percent of the overall grade. The second part would be a practical evaluation, accounting for the remaining thirty percent. He was especially confident about the latter because it required him to choose compatible Pokemon for breeding from a group of Pokemon. Because of his Insight skill, he knew he would ace this part. The passing criteria for the exam were difficult, as you needed a score of more than ninety percent, which is why so many people fail every time.

Lucas leaned out of the window, looking at the road behind him. A frown creased his face when he spotted the familiar black carriage that had been appearing around town for the past week.

"Is there a problem, sir?" The driver asked.

“It’s nothing,” Lucas replied, taking his seat again.

"Would you like me to find out who they are, partner?" Meowth whispered in his ear.

“It’s fine. Leave it alone for the time being.”

The carriage belonged to a pair of men in suits who had been following him around town for the past week. They hadn’t been discrete about it either. He had been tempted to approach them and ask what they wanted, but since they were not doing anything egregious, he left them alone. He assumed they were only there to keep an eye on him for some reason. Nonetheless, he made certain that he was never placed in a situation in which he was isolated and they could do whatever they wanted to him.

His phone rang as he was about to enter the city. He answered the phone as soon as he saw Sabrina's number. They hadn’t spoken since she left because her phone had been out of range. He was curious as to what she had been up to, but he wasn’t about to pry into her affairs.

"How's it going?”

"I am well," Sabrina remarked. "I received news regarding Marcus' arrest. The news was so delightful that I nearly performed an impromptu dance."

"That would have been one heck of a sight."

“It’s my fault that you were put in danger. I should have left Salem with you.”

From the tone of her voice, Lucas could sense just how much she blamed herself.

"If Marcus decided to hurt me because he couldn’t take an insult, that is his problem." You aren’t responsible for his actions."

Sabrina made an inarticulate noise, as if unsure whether to agree with him. "I am calling to let you know that I won’t be able to return to Pallet Town for quite some time. My uncle has asked me to assist him with something."

Lucas frowned. “Aren’t you supposed to be on vacation?”

"It has been pushed back a few weeks. I can’t let my uncle down.”

He wondered whether she felt compelled to help her uncle due to his position as the prime minister or because they were family. The man had better not be taking advantage of her, or he would have something to say about it.

She hadn’t returned to Pallet Town, even though she could do so in less than two hours. Aside from the Pidgeot Charter Service, in which flying Pokemon transported people to various locations, there was a more expensive and faster way to get around. The teleportation towers were a service where Pokemon who knew how to teleport could instantly transport someone to another tower within the United Kanto Region.

The towers served two purposes. They helped guide the Pokemon to a specific location. While Pokemon could teleport on their own, it was a different story when they were carrying an object or a person. The introduction of external elements to the teleportation process disrupted its functionality. To address this issue, a tower with a signal beacon was implemented to provide guidance.

The second purpose was that it allowed the government to regulate teleportation to prevent criminals from abusing it for their criminal activities, such as smuggling.

He suspected there was technology out there that allowed people to teleport with their Pokemon from anywhere, but this was just speculation. Even if it existed, it would most likely be given to individuals such as gym leaders and senior government officials.

"You have been out of service range," Lucas said. "Will that continue, or will you stay closer to the city?"

“I will be working within the city. Why?”

"Because I will be heading there in a few days to visit the Alchemists Guild after I get my breeder's licence and tie up a few loose ends."

"Is it time for you to take the exam already? I hope everything goes well for you."

"Thank you," Lucas said before something occurred to him. "By the way, for the past week, I have had a pair of stooges in suits following me around. You wouldn’t know anything about it, would you?”

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Can you describe their appearance?"

"Wait a moment; I'll take a picture and send it to you," Lucas said. He leaned out of the window once more, capturing a photo of the carriage as well as one of the men who were driving it.

He sent her the picture and then heard her softly curse a moment later. Lucas was surprised because he had never heard her use an expletive before.

“I’m guessing you recognise them,” Lucas said.

"The men are part of the security detail that guards the prime minister and his family," Sabrina said. “I recognise their carriage. My uncle appears to be interested in you because we have spent time together."

“Huh. That is not nearly as bad as I had imagined. But having them follow me around is inconvenient. I value privacy."

"I will talk to my uncle and persuade him to stop spying on you," Sabrina promised.

“I understand why he's taking that action given his position, but he should also respect your privacy.”

"Unfortunately, given my history, he has reason to be cautious," Sabrina responded. After that cryptic remark, she quickly changed the subject. "What day do you intend to visit Saffron City?"

Lucas grinned. "Do you miss me as much as I miss you? It will most likely be the weekend."

“I will show you around the city once you get here. But don’t you have to work?”

"I have already handed in my resignation. After I pass the exam today, I won’t be returning to the lab. I don’t require the funds, and I want to focus on my breeding career."

“You sound confident. Alright. I will see you soon.”

Lucas ended the call. The carriage entered the city and proceeded down the main street.

The driver turned in his seat. "Sir, where would you like to be dropped off?"

“The Pokemon School.”

Ten minutes later, Lucas and Meowth exited the carriage, and he paid the driver. He looked at his watch and saw that he still had some time before his exam began. Others had gathered on the front lawn for the same reason as him. Today, the school was closed and only opened its doors to participants in the exam.

He summoned his Pokemon so they could get some fresh air. Saphira wasted no time scaling the bench, where he sat and rested her head on his lap. He affectionately scratched behind one of her fins, and she trilled in contentment.

Some people pointed at him and murmured among themselves. Saphira and Icarus received the majority of their attention. The former due to her rarity, and the latter due to his size.

“Kid!” Max stood in front of Lucas, tugging at his trousers.

Max pointed to Icarus, who was strutting around, soaking up the attention of the onlookers. Icarus loved receiving attention, an aspect of his personality that emerged after he battled in the battle arena.

“Let me guess. You want to be as big as Icarus."

He didn’t need Meowth to translate because he was well aware of Max's desire. For some reason, he disliked being shorter than his teammates, which had been obvious since Icarus evolved.

"You still need to level up some more before you can evolve," Lucas explained to Max. "It should be another week before I finish my business, at which point we can focus solely on training. I have already prepared a growth potion for you, so you will be much bigger in no time."

Max nodded and wandered off to explore the surroundings. He was just over two feet tall, which was about the upper limit for his species before they evolved. Even without a growth potion, his final evolution, Electivire, would reach a height of more than five feet. But he didn’t think Max would be content with that.

Lucas was led to a classroom where the written exam would be held forty minutes later. He only had four hours to answer fifty questions. It may seem like a long time, but none of the questions were multiple-choice, and he had to answer them in his own words.

Lucas put his pen down and stretched three and a half hours later. He was confident that he had answered all of the questions to the best of his ability. Looking around, he noticed that everyone else was still occupied with answering the questions. He spent the remaining time going through his paper and making a few adjustments.

The practical portion of the exam came next. Lucas was led to the back of the building, where dozens of Pokemon had been specially brought in for the test. Each person had to observe the interactions of the Pokemon and determine which were potentially compatible with each other. This wouldn’t be an easy task because all of the Pokemon had never met before today, so their interactions would be completely new.

Although those who were compatible with each other would gravitate towards each other over time, it was difficult to see at first. It was more subtle, so people had to carefully observe them to find those nuances, and they only had a short time to give their answers. Lucas didn’t have any trouble with this and immediately paired up three different Pokemon that were compatible. This was more than enough to get him full marks on the practical exam.

He left school around lunchtime, confident that he had done enough to pass the exam. He planned to spend the night in the city because he would receive the test results the next day. After his exam results were known, the process for receiving his licence would be quick, allowing him to take care of it right away. He made a hotel reservation and then ordered room service for dinner.

He was getting settled in for the evening when he received a phone call.

"This is Officer Jenny from the Viridian City police station."

"Good evening, Officer Jenny. Is there something wrong?"

"I need you to come into the station to see if you can identify someone connected to the incident at Professor Oak's house a few weeks ago. When is a good time for you?"

“I’m actually in the city at the moment and will be staying overnight. How about tomorrow morning?”

“Perfect. I will see you then.”

Lucas hung up the phone, wondering what was going on. He didn’t know what help he could give to the police, as he didn’t know anyone from Team Rocket besides Jessie, James, and Giovanni.

He took a notebook from his inventory so he could organise his thoughts. He was confident that he would pass his exam, so he could make plans based on the assumption that he would receive his breeder's licence soon. Armed with Pokedollars in his pocket and a promising career ahead of him, it was time for him to start making more concrete plans.

Before proceeding, he opened his menu to review the progress he had made over the past week.

In addition to studying, he had been working hard to create the growth potion. He wasted a lot of ingredients, but he finished the potion two days ago. It was the main reason he wanted to go to Saffron City. He wanted to visit the Alchemist’s Guild to determine if selling the recipe would be worth his time.

In addition, he wanted to join the guild.

Lucas also used his days off from work to continue exploring the Viridian Forest and gaining experience. He didn’t need to be so cautious now that he had three strong Pokemon and some ways of protecting himself. He explored a section of the forest populated by Pokemon ranging in level from twenty to twenty-five and battled every wild Pokemon he came across.

It took some getting used to using Saphira in battle, but she was smart and caught on quickly. Her abilities were no joke, and she gave his battles a real boost. It was important to level her up because she would be the main offence when he returned to the mine to deal with the rock-type Pokemon.

Max would also participate in the battles. He purchased a new TM for Max, which was ironically named Rock Smash. Max's fighting-type affinity hadn’t advanced much since they hadn’t been to the Fighting Dojo in a while, but it was sufficient to learn the move. It would be effective against rock-type Pokemon.

Even though he hadn’t yet used Meowth in battle, he had persuaded the Pokemon to train at least. His stats were maxed out for his current level, and his affinities had greatly improved.

Lucas had also made some good progress. His Pokemon Breeder profession levelled up to four. He suspected he was getting passive experience by simply bonding with his Pokemon Egg based on the time it took him to level up. Although he was steadily gaining experience by working at the lab, it was beginning to slow down.

He accumulated nearly two levels' worth of experience points. He had been hoping for a new function once he reached level twenty-five. However, it turned out to be different from his expectations. Instead of gaining a new function, the number of skill points he received at each level was doubled. This was a welcome addition because he was acquiring too many skills and didn’t have enough points to go around.

Lucas wrote a sentence in his notebook.

Find a rental property in the city.

Although he was grateful for Delia's generosity, Pallet Town was too small for him to stay in the long run. He could return to town whenever he wanted to see them. They had become his family ever since he arrived in this world. He still needed to fulfil his promise to Ash as well.

He would set up shop in Viridian City because it was close to the mines. In the future, the mines would be one of his most important revenue streams. If he ever wanted to open a store, he needed to make as many Pokedollars as possible.

But he would need specialised equipment to mine the stones, which wouldn’t be cheap. He had to spend Pokedollars first to make Pokedollars from the mines. He had to be careful that no one else found out about his secret as well, or else he would be in big trouble.

"Hey partner, listen to this!" Meowth said, grabbing Lucas’ attention. Meowth grabbed the remote and turned up the volume on the television.

A commercial was playing, and the topic immediately piqued his interest.

"The S.S Anne will leave Viridian City in two days and arrive in Vermillion City three days later. There will be plenty to do onboard, with several events planned and incredible prizes to be won. Tickets are free for this trip only, but there are a limited number available. Head down to the harbour master's office in Viridian City before it is too late to claim your free ticket!"

Lucas rubbed his chin. “Perfect timing. If I manage to grab a free ticket, I won't have to fork out the fee for the flight to Saffron City. And since Vermillion City is just a hop away, I won't be delayed and should reach Saffron City by Sunday."

Because there would be so many trainers on board, he could gain valuable experience while also enjoying a relaxing cruise at sea. He and his Pokemon gained more experience battling trainers. He might be able to earn a decent amount of Pokedollars as well. He chose to spend his time exploring the wilds rather than the battle arena because finding hidden items was more profitable at the time.

Lucas had planned to spend the next few days looking for a partner for Icarus before taking the Pidgeot Charter Service to Saffron City. But he needed to move faster if he wanted to make the ferry on time. He wasn’t too concerned because he already had a location in mind where he could find a partner for Icarus.

He could also use Pokemon Search to find a Pidgeotto with high potential, though he wouldn’t be able to narrow it down to specific requirements. If that didn’t work, he would have to put it on hold until he returned from Saffron City.

“I don’t see what’s so amazing about the sea. Salty air is bad for my fur, Meowth."

“Then stay in your pokeball,” Lucas retorted.

“No way.” Meowth jumped onto the bed, rubbing his paws together. "There will be plenty of opportunities to acquire some loot with so many wealthy people on board the ferry."

“I’m not saving you if you get caught, and I won’t acknowledge you as my Pokemon. They can throw you overboard for all I care."

“That’s a little cold, Meowth."

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Lucas hurried over to the harbour as soon as he awoke the next morning so he could be there when the harbour master's office opened. He wasn’t the only one who had the same idea, as there was already a line forming in front of the building. Fortunately, he was able to obtain a ticket and left soon after. He then had breakfast at a cafe before heading to the police station.

Officer Jenny greeted him as he entered and led him to her office. She showed him a picture of a deceased man after they had sat down. Lucas grimaced and quickly averted his gaze. The man's face was bloated, and his neck was a shambles, where something had ripped a chunk of flesh from him.

“Who am I looking at?” Lucas asked.

“You don’t recognise him?” Officer Jenny asked, taking the photo back.

"I have never met the man in my life.”

"This man gave the orders for the attack on Professor Oak's house," she stated. "He was a senior member of Team Rocket. We learned this from Jessie Maple, the woman who was with the deceased James Turner that day."

Lucas was taken aback. So it was not Giovanni who ordered the attack. That made sense given the man's surprise at the Ketchums' involvement in the incident with the two Team Rocket members. Furthermore, he appeared to have genuine affection for the Ketchums, even though he may have an ulterior motive. Giovanni must have been enraged by his subordinate's actions and meted out the ultimate punishment.

Officer Jenny leaned over her desk. "The man was discovered at the bottom of the sea near the harbour. He was restrained and weighed down by a rock. A horrible way to die.”

Lucas nodded. “I can imagine.”

“Who do you think did it? Was it a member of Team Rocket, or an outsider with a grudge against the man?"

Why was she asking him? Did she suspect him of being involved in the man's murder?

“I wouldn’t have a clue,” Lucas shrugged. “Was this Team Rocket’s doing? You would have a better idea than me of how they operated.”

Officer Jenny leaned back in her chair, tiredly rubbing her neck. "This appears to be the work of Team Rocket. But what was the motivation? Do you think it had anything to do with the attack on Professor Oak's house?"

“Maybe.”

“They were trying to kidnap you. Do you believe someone was attempting to exact revenge on your behalf?"

Lucas gave her an incredulous look. "I am just an orphan. I don’t know anyone inside the Team Rocket organisation or outside of it who would commit murder. Besides, I wasn’t even there. The victims would have been the Ketchums, not me."

That piqued her interest, and he could predict her next question before she even asked it.

“Who is closest to Delia Ketchum?”

Lucas paused for a moment to respond. “Professor Oak and Giovanni. The latter has been hanging around her lately. Her husband was a subordinate of his in the army, so they are well acquainted."

After answering that last question, she thanked him, and he left her office. She was now interested in Giovanni, though Lucas didn’t think he was a suspect by any stretch of the imagination. There was no reason to suspect Giovanni was a criminal, and accusing a gym leader wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

He hoped she didn’t discover anything incriminating about the man for her sake. Because he knew Giovanni was ruthless enough to get rid of her without hesitation. He wouldn’t be surprised if Giovanni had spies in the police force, so any inquiries she made wouldn’t be kept secret for long.

Lucas made his way to the real estate office. He was looking for a place to rent that would last him at least a few months. He wasn’t sure how long he would stay in the city, but he didn’t see it as a permanent residence. Given its population density and proximity to other cities, Saffron City was a more suitable location. If his relationship with Sabrina blossomed, that would be an added incentive to live there. Rota City was also an option because the church had no sway there.

After considering several options, he settled on a location in the residential district just outside the city centre. It wasn’t in a wealthy neighbourhood like Professor Oak's, and it only had one bedroom. But it was more than adequate for his needs. It cost him sixteen thousand pokedollars per month, but that wasn’t much at this point. Even so, after paying the exam fee, the bond, and two weeks' rent on the house, his finances took a hit.

After touring his new place with his Pokemon, he received a text message confirming that he had passed the exam. His final score was above ninety-eight percent, which was by far the highest result on the exam. He went to City Hall to get his certificate and apply for an official licence. It would take a few days to get official documents, but for all intents and purposes, he was now a Pokemon Breeder and could legally sell Pokemon Eggs.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Lucas ventured south out of the city and returned to the forest he had explored before. He remembered that there was a small patch of territory that a flock of strong Pidgey and Pidgeottos had claimed as their own. It was only a couple of hours from the secret base he found, so he stopped there for lunch and made his final preparations.

When he was about a mile away from Pidgey territory, he activated Pokemon Search and chose Pidgeotto as his target. Two arrows appeared in front of him, with only one pointing in the direction of Pidgey's territory. The other was pointing east. He chose to go with the latter because it was the closest option.

When he found the Pidgeotto and used Insight, he was disappointed to find that it wasn’t compatible with Icarus. So he followed the other arrow towards the other potential option. He had to use all three of his teammates to battle through a group of Pidgeys blocking his way.

The second Pidgeotto was high up in a tree, partially hidden by the dense canopy. This one was smaller than Icarus, about the size of a typical Pidgeotto. Despite its smaller stature, it exuded a fierce presence, with a scar across its cheek and various old wounds visible on its body.

"This is the one," Lucas exclaimed after he used Insight on the Pidgeotto.

“Pidgeotto!” The Pokemon in question noticed them and clacked its beak in warning.

"The Pidgeotto ain't happy about us stepping onto its turf," Meowth said.

In response, Icarus puffed out his chest and clacked his beak. It was a tense standoff that looked like it could turn into a fight at any moment.

"When are you going to spill the beans to Icarus that you're on the hunt for a girlfriend for him, Meowth?"

Fortunately, Icarus was too preoccupied with his opponent in front of him to hear Meowth's words. Lucas motioned for Meowth to remain silent.

"I’m not going to say anything because I don’t want to influence the outcome," Lucas said quietly. "Even if the numbers say they are compatible, it doesn’t guarantee they will like each other enough to have an egg together. I don’t want to influence Icarus' choice."

“Pidgeotto!”

Lucas was taken by surprise when the Pidgeotto in the tree unexpectedly called out. Within moments, several Pidgeys appeared, their wings glowing with flying-type energy. He shouldn't have allowed himself to be so easily distracted.

Lucas acted quickly. "Icarus, take out the Pidgeotto. Saphira, use Thunder Wave to paralyse the Pidgeys."

Icarus took flight, and his opponent clacked her beak and followed him high into the air.

Giving all three Pokemon specific commands was too difficult in such a situation, so he only gave them simple commands. A short while ago, he had turned off Battle Commentator because he was forced to fight with all three of his Pokemon at once and listening to it would have distracted him too much.

“Watch out!” Meowth called from atop his shoulder before leaping off his shoulder.

As Lucas leaped backwards, a swarm of whirlwinds erupted from the ground before him. The combined force of multiple Gusts heightened the attack's intensity, causing Lucas to stumble as the powerful winds they generated pushed against him.

Before Lucas could recover an issue further orders, Meowth beat him to the punch. “Max, use Protect to shield us, Meowth.”

Max carried out the order as if it had been given to him by Lucas. He stood in front of Lucas and conjured a Protect.

The action caught Lucas off guard, but he quickly adjusted and let Meowth command Max. Lucas only needed to command Saphira because Icarus was fighting the Pidgeotto on his own. Sapphira took out the Pidgey one by one, with Max supporting her occasionally when he got the chance. They were not too difficult to defeat because their highest level was only fifteen.

Meanwhile, the skies echoed with the sounds of battle as the two Pidgeottos clashed. The winds they generated stripped away the highest branches and leaves from the surrounding trees, resulting in a shower of debris falling to the ground.

Lucas looked up and marvelled at the sight. The fight lasted quite a while, with both of their conditions gradually deteriorating. But Icarus gained the upper hand in the battle eventually. Despite being larger than his opponent, he was still faster than her.  The female Pidgeotto made him fight for it, though, as she was a scrappy little fighter.

Icarus delivered one final blow, and his opponent began falling to the ground in a steep dive. She hadn’t fainted, but one of her wings looked injured. Lucas took an empty pokeball and carefully aimed it. He threw it just as she was about to hit the ground, which struck her and sucked her inside the pokeball. Max ran and caught the ball, which wiggled briefly in his hands before coming to rest.

Icarus touched down on the ground. He repeated his name several times while scratching the ground with his talons. He didn’t seem happy. Lucas was confused and turned to Meowth for clarification.

“He thinks you are replacing him with another Pidgeotto, Meowth.”

Lucas had to reassure him that this wasn’t the case, but he didn’t provide any further explanation. He took the pokeball from Max and summoned the female Pidgeotto onto the ground. He approached her slowly because she appeared wary of him. She couldn’t flee, however, because she was still injured. He gave her a potion that began to heal her wounds immediately.

“I am going to call you Icaria.”

He used Insight on her again to get a look at her parameters.

==========

Species: Pidgeotto; Bird Pokemon

Gender: Female

Status: Wild

Favorability: Neutral: 300/1000

Favourite Food: Iaflepettle Seeds

Condition: Perfect

Level: 22

Next: [30%]

Exp Cache: [0]

Current Level Potential Met?: Yes

Special Ability: Keen Eye

=========

Attack: 51

Special Attack: 49

Defence: 45

Special Defence: 38

Speed: 62

Luck: 12

=========

Moves:

Tackle

Quick Attack

Gust

Wing Attack

Twister

Whirlwind

=========

Description: Icaria is a scrappy little fighter who managed to evolve into a Pidgeotto by herself. She has been ruling her territory with an iron fist. Although she isn’t the biggest Pidgeotto around, her ferocity makes up for it. She doesn’t know what to think of her new trainer, but she feels the urge to continue battling Icarus, as she hates losing to him.

==========

Hidden Stats

Intelligence: 5

Endurance: 8

Energy: 6

Aptitude: 5

Affinities

Normal: 31%

Flying: 45%

Dragon 15%

Move Proficiency

Tackle: 44%

Quick Attack: 65%

Gust: 51%

Wing Attack 45%

Twister: 21%

Whirlwind: 7%

Egg Moves

Brave Bird: {Not acquired} - Fighting Affinity: 80% required.

=========

Traits

Inherent (Can be passed onto offspring)

Flying-type Aptitude (Expert) - Increases flying-type affinity training by thirty percent.

Defence Aptitude (Intermediate) - Increases defence stat training efficiency.

Defence Boost (Intermediate) - Moderately increases defence stat potency.

Learned

Bird of Prey: Increases attack and speed by twenty percent when attacking from above.

Scrappy Fighter: Able to fight more effectively while in Critical Condition

==========

Evolution Conditions

Pidgeot

Level 36

Condition: Perfect

Experience in Cache: 40000

Flying-type Affinity: 60%

Evolution Bonuses

Max Experience in Cache = 70000: + 15 to All Stats

Speed = 90: Aerial Ace learned upon evolving.

Two Rare Candy consumed: AP + 15

Three Affinities above 50% = Energy + 1

Defeat ten Pokemon with levels five levels above her own: Intelligence + 1

==========

Breeding Compatibility/Conditions

Breeding Type: C

Same Species: +25%

Egg Group - Flying: -25%

Egg Group - Other: -50%

Same Level: +10%

Base Compatibility:

Type A - 3%

Type B - 1%

Type C - 93%

Type D - 60%

Type E - 21%

=======

Icarus trotted over and began inspecting her with interest, but she slapped him with her wing. The tension quickly returned, and it appeared that they would fight again. It didn’t look like their relationship was getting off to a good start.

Meowth grinned. "I am already feeling the love, partner."

Lucas ignored him. He didn’t expect the two Pidgeottos to get along right away, especially since they had just fought.

He returned Icaria to her pokeball. He was going to return to Pallet Town and say his farewells to the Ketchums before he travelled to Saffron City.

So, what do you think? Lucas is finally venturing out into the world. What adventures will he encounter along the way?

Thanks for reading.