The next day, Nurse Joy shared the results of the baseline tests she conducted. I was surprised to see a noticeable trend upwards, meaning my fitness had improved greatly in the short amount of time I'd been in this world. I still hadn't recovered any autobiographical memories, but the fact that I still had a strong sense of my identity meant they were still there playing an active role. Something was blocking them, which was confirmed by the fact that Psychic energy was STILL lingering in my brain.
Nurse Joy explained that only a Psychic-type at the same level of strength could hope to undo what was done. However, it also came with a hidden benefit. Nurse Joy called it 'passive adaptability.' She said that being consistently exposed to any Type Energy allowed my body to absorb the Infinity Energy it was made of. While my body could not absorb Infinity Energy quickly, or efficiently, it had absorbed enough for my body to be significantly stronger than the average human.
It still didn't compare to the strength of normal Pokémon, but it explained why I was able to hold my own against Inkay and the weakened, starving Pokémon group the shiny Fuecoco led. It would take a while, but I was excited by the idea of wrestling with Machamps or sparring with a Pokémon and gaining its respect before catching it.
Ferroseed had lots of energy and required constant attention. If I left her alone for more than thirty seconds, she ended up rolling around the room and breaking things. Inkay didn't seem to like her energy. He kept pushing her away with his improved Psychic abilities, but I didn't miss the way he lifted her around to keep her metallic giggles going or the way he gently placed her on the floor. He loved keeping his tough, emo squid persona, but I knew he was a softie at heart.
I constantly went outside with the two. Inkay stayed on my head as I walked. From what I could find online, meditation worked best when completely focused on manipulating energy. Circulating Psychic energy was still an effective training technique, but meditation had an advantage in improvement speed and generalizability. Well, at least for Inkay and Malamar.
As for Ferroseed, she still didn't have full control of her spikes. I guess I couldn't expect her to fully retract them on command, but it was nice seeing that it only took her five minutes to do it. She was a fast learner, though that may have been the result of witnessing her body damaging her Trainer/parent and being covered in my blood. While I couldn't hold her without worrying about having my chest stabbed, I was excited for her future.
I was looking forward to training her because I found valuable information when I scanned her.
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Ferroseed (Female): The Thorn Seed Pokémon
Preferring to live in mossy caves, this Pokémon absorbs minerals from rocks and metals found in the walls it sticks to. It shoots its spikes when threatened but does not have good accuracy until it practices.
Ability: Iron Barbs, Anticipation
Moves: Harden, Metal Claw, Pin Missile, Leech Seed, Gravity (Egg Move), Acid Spray (Egg Move), Stealth Rock (Egg Move), Spikes (Egg Move)
Condition: Satiated, Happy, Relaxed
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She was a gold mine of moves. She had a better move set than Inkay. I knew she would be pivotal in my team once I got her properly trained.
But that was in the future. Right now, we sat on the grass near the Roselia fountain for lunch. I ate a Mareep curry, Inkay munched on fried Pidgey tenders, and Ferroseed absorbed a few pieces of clay and metals, along with an Oran Berry. As we ate, the thought of giving my Pokémon names popped into my head.
"Hey, you two," I said, gaining their attention. "How do you feel about having a nickname?"
"Seed?"
I looked at Ferroseed, who looked confused. "I know you already have a name, but if I were to meet another Trainer who has a Ferroseed or Inkay, I wouldn't want to confuse you for their Pokémon."
"Ik?!" Inkay threatened. I still didn't know exactly what he was saying, but it was getting easier to understand him.
"No, I could never actually confuse you for another Inkay. But I think it would be nice to give you names. It makes me feel like we're more of a family, ya' know?"
Inkay sat in deep thought, contemplating my words. Ferroseed, on the other hand, didn't need much more. "Ferro!" she exclaimed with glee.
"Alright, I've got one on board," I said with an amused smile. I turned to Inkay and asked, "Do I have another?"
"Ink," he said simply, closing his eyes and turning his head. He said yes, but he wasn't too happy about it.
"Alright, drama queen, let's start with Ferroseed."
Inkay glared at me while Ferroseed jumped into the air, happy to be the first. "Oh, shut up, Inkay. You literally just showed me you weren't going to be happy with a name."
He stewed in my words while I thought up names for them. A few floated around, though I wasn't sure if they would like them. "Ferroseed, how does Thorny sound?"
Her dead eyes told me everything I needed to know. "Fern?"
She shook her head and growled, "Fer!"
"Egghead?"
Ferroseed straight up bristled at that name, her spikes gleaming in the sunlight. Inkay snickered and pointed at her. "Stop making fun of her, before I name you Calamari."
That shut him right up and caused Ferroseed to laugh. I thought about it for another minute. "How about Tetsu?"
Ferroseed looked at me for a few seconds before closing her eyes. After a moment, she opened them with a happy, "Ferro!"
"Alright, Tetsu it is." I turned to Inkay, who scowled. "Hmm, I'm guessing you're not gonna like Kraken or Squiddy?"
Inkay spat right next to me. "Alright, no need to be such an ass. Hmm, Inkling?"
"Ik."
"Neptune?"
"Ik."
"Rorschach?"
"Ik."
"Buckbeak?
"… Ik."
"Fine, how about Squidiot?" I said, trying to hide my smirk and absolutely failing.
I saw a pulse go through his mantle. Ferroseed sat to the side, absorbing her food and watching with increasing curiosity. "IK!"
"Alright, alright. I'll stop messing around. How does Nautilus sound?"
Inkay froze for a moment, actually considering the name. He closed his eyes and turned away from me before nodding ever so slightly. "Kay."
"Alright, Tetsu and Nautilus. Nautilus and Tetsu. They're good names."
We continued eating, enjoying the great weather and getting used to their names. Once we finished, I looked at the available Tasks. I didn't know what the next season would bring, so I wanted to have money saved up for anything I might need.
After scrolling for a bit, I found myself a perfect job. Someone needed a Trainer to get rid of an unknown pest in their store. The pest was stealing food and kept breaking in no matter what the store owner did. They wanted a Trainer to stay overnight and deal with the person or Pokémon stealing their food.
I accepted immediately. It would be great experience for Inkay, and the pay of 8,000$ sounded fantastic. I went back to the Center and grabbed my stolen fanny pack. It held my money and the items I took from the Team Flare grunt almost a month ago, as well as the Heal Ball Nurse Joy gave me. I had a Potion and PokéBall, which wasn't a lot. I made a mental note to stop by the PokéMart after completing this Task.
I walked over to the shop, which was a small grocery store at the edge of the residential district. When I entered, and older man at the counter immediately waved me down.
"Here are the keys to the store. I'm closing early for today. Come back before sundown and stay overnight. I'll include something extra if nothing is broken or taken." With his instructions said, the man turned off the lights, flipped the store sign over, and left.
"Alright, sounds simple enough," I said out loud. I left the shop, making sure it was locked before looking around the outside of the store. The flower beds were built half a meter from the building, giving plenty of room for me to check for an opening. Seeing none, I walked around the side of the building. The only thing I saw was a crack in the pavement.
The back area held several large trash cans, some shrubs, and a single table shaded by a Leppa Berry tree, all closed in by a metal fence. I checked the shrubs since they were right under the windows, but I saw nothing. The ground did not look disturbed or freshly moved, so I stopped looking for a tunnel. I looked at the trash cans.
I didn't see a dumpster, which meant someone had to come and take the trash. I opened them to see them half-full. I opened the Task app and messaged the owner.
[Hey, do you normally leave the trash cans out?]
[No. I pay someone to empty them and bring them inside. She won't be there until just after sundown.]
[Okay. I think I may have found how the pest is getting in]
[I'll tell that person to start checking the inside of the trash cans when she's done]
I went out front to wait for the person the store owner paid. When the girl arrived, I asked if she had noticed anything different about the trash cans. She said one of them was a bit heavier than normal, but she just assumed they put trash in before adding a bag.
"They pay me to take the bag of trash out, not to clean the damn thing."
I stared at her for several seconds. She stared right back and asked, "What? Do you have a problem?"
"No," I said after a moment. "I don't have a problem. The store owner does, however, and he hired me to take care of it."
"Not my problem," she said before turning to leave.
"Actually, it is," I called after her. She stopped and turned back. "Someone has been raiding his shop at night. There are no signs of a break-in or a Pokémon getting in, but the only thing off is that extra weight you mentioned. Any guesses?"
The girl looked confused for a moment, but her eyes widened soon enough. "Shit, something has been getting in through the trash cans."
"Yep," I replied. "Now, I don't really care about it. If the owner keeps paying you, just make sure to check inside the cans after taking out the bag."
"Got it. What are you going to do about whatever is stealing from the store?"
"You're going to take out the trash like normal. Instead of bringing the trash cans in, you're going to tip them both over. My Inkay and I will be ready to battle them. Once they're out, get clear of the area."
"Alright, let's do it.