Pokémon Fool's Gold | Orre & Galar Fanfiction

Chapter 3: Hitchhiking

Drunk sailors staggered from the Krabby Klub. Cassia's keys hung limp in her hand. She swallowed a nervous lump.

'What do we do...?'

Zane was already looking up the Boltund schedule. Both he and Seth were certain the police wouldn't care, but that seemed less intimidating than letting Raihan know the brand new van was gone. The fresh-faced officer who arrived sighed.

'Always lock your car. Plates? Colour?'

'PXY-241. Silver.'

'Well, I'll add it to our database...'

'You better.'

His tone was too vague. Cassia towered over him until he frantically took out his P★DA to add it on the spot. Zane stowed his phone away.

'The Boltund's full. And it's a special service. So there aren't any more until next year.'

Amber sighed. 'At least our bags weren't in there.'

'My snacks were...'

Seth suggested hitchhiking. Though losing the van dampened their spirits, none of them wanted to delay their adventure now. Zane loaded his Town Map to guide them back to the highway. It was almost midnight. They shared sidewalks with occasional drunks, trysting teenagers and sex workers. Streetlight lengthened their shadows. Once the city centre's neon signs and quirky shops faded to suburbs, they were utterly alone. Breeze carried whiffs of garbage and urine. Amber released Charmeleon to light their way through pitch-black parks and side streets. A Rattata scuttled by. Zane leapt into its path before it could flee.

'A-ha! Go, Sylveon!'

'Man, this is dire,' Amber grumbled, 'There's so little action we're getting excited about a Rattata.'

'You bet I am! We wouldn't have seen any wild Pokémon 20 years ago!'

Indeed, wild Pokémon were absent from Orre's desolate landscape for almost 100 years. Trainers had them imported from other regions. It was a dedicated team led by Zane's mother, Professor Jovi Mesquite, who gradually reintroduced them as the region recovered from its history of relentless mining.

'OK, Sylveon! Disarming Voice!'

Sylveon let out a sweet, but piercing cry that knocked Rattata into a rattling garbage can. Lights flickered on in surrounding homes. Zane hurled a Poké Ball. It rocked and clicked.

'Yeah! My first catch!'

He released Rattata to spray at its stiff limbs with a Potion. It tried to scamper away, but when Zane scooped it up, it seemed pleasantly surprised a human was showing it genuine affection. Not everyone was happy about Jovi's work. The first Pokémon reintroduced outside of dedicated Poké Spots were hardy pests – Rattata, Grimer, Wingull, Pidove and Stunky. Zane brandished his new Poké Ball.

'Now I've got two Pokémon – who's gonna be my first opponent, Orre style?!'

Seth only had one. His eyes accosted Cassia. She left her strongest Pokémon – an adult Tyrantrum – in Alola, but she brought along its baby Tyrunt and Kahuna Hau's pet Poipole. They stepped from the alleyway into an empty road.

'Go on, Sylveon! Rattata!'

Rattata was crushed by Tyrunt's Stomp. Poipole gleefully sprayed Sylveon with Acid. Psyshock slammed it down. Rattata scrambled up to ram Poipole with Tackle. Poipole fainted. Tyrunt knocked Sylveon out with another swift Stomp. Rattata's Tackle barely scratched it. It was too inexperienced to stand up to Tyrunt's swinging feet. Cassia won. Zane's arms hung limp by his sides as he stared glumly at the ground.