The leg is all wrapped up, but man, does this still hurt. I just hope the others managed to get through the cave safely.
Hey look, there's some more injured people coming in!
Well...of course. Alright, let's share the war stories, folks. What're ya in for?
Holy hell, you guys caused a cave-in?! How?
Oh...wait, you mean you tried to take down that dirt wall? With Shieldon's Fissure?! I hate to say it, but I'm glad it happened to you. I was chiseling away at that wall with all of my Pokemon and if I succeeded, probably no one would have found me and I'd be dead. I mean, I'm really glad you guys are okay...but that could have been me and I may not have been so lucky.
I think we need to talk about this cave, though. There's these constructed walls to make the paths more winding, they're dangerous Pokemon in there, and someone or something was clogging up the natural skylights that illuminated the cave's tunnels. If this cave was the only way to get through Cythos, I'd say someone was trying to keep people from traveling between the north and the south. I mean, if that were the case though, and the water damage on Route 3 was also a part of this plan, why wouldn't they just block off the caves? Why bother just making it more dangerous?
That is, of course, unless there's something in the caves that those people don't want us to find. Now, I don't know what it could be or whether or not this is actually connected to the S.S. Anne sinking, but what I do know is that someone or something does not want travelers in the Earthen Cavern. I'm not saying we should go in there and investigate it right this very moment, but I think we should at least let the right people know about this and maybe, if we are prepared enough and come up with a good plan, we can try to solve this mystery.
Jess, you may want to call your Uncle Hitch and see if he, his Graveler, and any other trainers he might know with equally-qualified Pokemon can help clear up the caves on the northern side; I did some work clearing up those skylights, so if a Gligar can manage, a Graveler would be invaluable. Arturo, you should probably get on the horn and call Professor Cherry to let him know what's been going on, what we're all discussing, and what he might think on the idea. As for me...
I should probably get me a friggin' phone, or X-Tranceiver, or whatever you call it. Say, isn't there a big farmer's market in town? Perhaps they've got some good stuff, maybe even some items that could help make our Pokemon stronger. I mean, my leg's not in any shape to go there right now, but--
Your Umbreon can heal people, Jess? Would you...would you mind?
Alright! That's a lot better. So, now we just--
Where the hell did Kevin go? We should probably find him before going out into those caves again. Maybe he went to the farmer's market...we could look for him there, and it wouldn't hurt to just browse a little, too.
Let's go pop some tags.
Let's see what kind of stuff this market has to offer...
Hmm, herbs that help heal Pokemon...but the Pokemon hate them. I mean, maybe for Pidgey, but--
Nah, you know what? I'm good.
Let's see...OH! Second-hand clothes! Well, my jacket is pretty torn, and it's not very effective if I get it wet, so let's see what they have in stock that's light, waterproof, but also keeps me warm and looks stylish for an affordable price.
Say, this one looks nice...and it's pretty comfy, too.
RARECHLORISSPECIALTYHONEYCANDIES...I'm assuming that's all one word, since that's how it's written on the signs. Say, maybe they're like Rare Candies and can increase a Pokemon's power!
...but for $1000 bucks a pop, that is not happening.
Let's just--
Hold on...are they selling Pokemon over there?!?! I am definitely going to look to see what they've got in stock!
Oh, would you look at this little guy! He's adorable! Look at him with his wee little ball and his little springy-butt!
Spoink...Psychic-type...over $7000. Yeah, no thank you--
D'aww, would you look at that little fella! He's so fluffy I'm gonna die! With his little dingle-dang little feet and his boopy little tail!
Mareep...and he's an Electric-type! Oh, I bet he and Elekid would get along great--!
...as soon as I find a cheaper way to get him than shelling out $9000. I mean, you can't just dangle adorable Pokemon out there for us and then keep them completely out of our price range; that seems so cruel to us. Well, I just have to try not to fall in love with--
OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!!!!!!!
I LOVE HIM! I WANT HIM I LOVE HIM AND I NEEEEEEEED HIM!
And it's a Fire-type! That's got to be really hard to come by, since I never really saw too many Fire-types back in Kanto.
Torchic...aww, even the name is cute...
$15,000?!?! Fuck you, vendors! Fuck you!
Soon, though...soon.
Say, what's over here?
The Pawn-iard Shop. Huh...interesting. Hey sir, what is all this?
So, these are items a Pokemon can hold or wear and they'll get special abilities from it? Like what?
Okay...a spiky helmet that hurts other Pokemon when they try to attack, a ball of string that helps attract an opponent's Pokemon if it attracts yours, a balloon that makes your Pokemon float...you know, these all seem very weird--
Wait a minute. That balloon makes Pokemon float? So...hypothetically speaking...if a Pokemon were to attack a Pokemon holding this balloon with a Ground-type attack...they wouldn't be affected? And Chloris's gym leader is a Ground-type trainer, yes?
I'll take it!
What else have you got?
Hmm...okay. You've got a used battery, a rubber band, a boxing glove on a spring, what looks like the fallen off tail of an Onix, a target to put on your Pokemon that makes it easier to hit...and a tooth that you don't know what it does--
You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were selling random junk to unsuspecting trainers. Hold on...I'm gonna test this out. Elekid, come on out and hold this balloon.
Okay, he floats...but still, how can you expect to sell this stuff if you don't know what they even do? I mean, if certain objects do things for Pokemon and you don't even know what these things are, then how can you give any sort of assurance that what you're selling is legitimate?
Here's an example: my Gligar needs a specific kind of tooth to evolve. You've got a tooth there. Maybe I don't know what tooth exactly my Gligar needs, but I ask you about this one ignorantly. Are you gonna tell me that this one will evolve my Gligar to make a quick buck? You seem to have a collection of teeth and claws here; how do you even know which one is which?
My Pokedex says I need something called a Razor Fang, and this is what it looks like. Do you have something like that?
That does look like what I'm looking for, but you can't offer me any sort of assurance of product, can you? I mean, I can just have my Elekid hold the balloon to see if he floats or not, but I can't just give this to Gligar and expect it to evolve immediately, and if it does, why would I want to buy it after I "tested" it? So, I'll make you a deal: you want $1000 for this, which is pretty steep considering you don't quite know what it is, but I can afford it. However, I'm not just gonna buy it at full price to get screwed over and have you tell me there are no refunds. So, I'll give you $400 now, and $800 if and when my Gligar evolves. How does that sound?
You want $600 now, $500 later? You're breaking my balls here, especially considering the other crap you--
Say...what sort of process did you have to go through to get this shop? You needed a permit, probably. Was it just paperwork, or did you have to show someone what you were intending on selling?
Your brother and sister took care of all that? So it's their store, essentially. And you're just helping out by selling your stuff here, too? Who authorized that?
Tara the gym leader, huh? So, she's okay with you selling rubber bands and used "rechargeable" batteries along with all this other junk?
She is, huh? What's your name?
Jamarcus? Okay then, Jamarcus So, if I march up there to the gym and ask Tara about Jamarcus, she's gonna tell me that she's okay with you selling rubber bands and batteries? Is she gonna tell me about how good your rubber bands are, or is she going to get upset that you're trying to pass this junk off as valuable items for Pokemon?
Hey, I know you're trying to help your family out by selling this stuff, and I know the value of earning a living. Believe me, I do. But you can't just sell anything without merchant knowledge. If I wanted to buy that rubber band, I'd expect you to know everything there is about that rubber band so you could answer any questions I might have about it. And hey, some of this stuff looks really good. Maybe you just need a little boost for your business and that may help you get more reliable merchandise.
I have another deal for you: I just bought this jacket from the store over there and it's basically a blank canvas--
Wait...what do you mean this was your sister's jacket? You mean it's because I bought it from her, right?
She...she used to wear it? This is a woman's jacket?!
...fantastic.
Anyway, if this was your sister's jacket, then chances are, she would know how to alter it. I noticed that you don't have anything other than this one little sign that even tells you what the name of this shop is. How do you publicize your store? How do you get the word out to other cities about your merchandise? How do you attract customers? You see, a small business that is just starting out needs to think about these kinds of things. Now, let's say I gave you this jacket to write on it an advertisement for your store; you include your store's name, location, and phone number so that people know there's a shop out there that sells the kinds of stuff you sell. I'm a Pokemon trainer, so I'm going to be traveling from town to town, battling trainers and gym leaders, and they're gonna see this jacket and be curious. I already bought the balloon, but maybe if I had more merchandise...that fang, for example, and I show them my Gligar all evolved and whatnot, they're gonna not only want to come to Chloris to buy your merchandise, but they'll know that what you're selling is honest. All I ask is the fang in return for advertising space on my coat. The price of one fang for a roaming, interactive billboard for your store...and who knows, if more people show up, maybe they'll want Pawn-iard Shop clothes, too! What do you say? Care to go into advertising?
You will?! Fantastic! Here's the jacket...come up with a design or logo or whatever, give it back to me with the fang, and I'll wear this all around Cythos.
Jess...I think I may have just gotten my first sponsorship as a Pokemon trainer! Granted, they aren't giving me steady money, per se, but I'm getting a fang that should cause my Gligar to evolve under the right conditions for the price of advertising space on my new jacket! I mean, if this works out, I could probably convince them to give me more merchandise, or even money, just to get training Pokemon and spreading the word about their store!
Yes, I know he was selling rubber bands and batteries, but what harm does this do me in the long run? So they get to write on my jacket. Big deal! I still get the fang out of the offer for no monetary cost, and even if it's a dud, the jacket is second-hand; I mean, it's not like they're going to butcher the logo or something--
Ah, speak of the devil! It's ready! Feast your eyes on--
Are...are you guys...happy with this design?
You are?! I mean, it looks...great...for a prototype. Hey, everyone needs to start somewhere, right? Well, if this attracts a lot of new business, maybe you can invest in some professionally-made and designed jackets, shirts, bags, the whole nine yards and really grab people's attention. I mean, black on black doesn't really stand out a whole lot, and it's kind of sloppy, but it'll certainly do the job...I hope.
Well, let me give you Jess's phone number so you can contact her in case you want to continue doing business with me, maybe even investing a little more in your advertising and a fabric marker on a jacket. We'll keep in touch!
...
...
...at least the damn tooth was free.
Hey look, Arturo's in a Pokemon battle over there. You know, battling someone right now might not be such a bad idea. It'll help our Pokemon get stronger so they can take on the Earthen Cavern with greater ease. We just need to find trainers to...
Why are you looking at me like that?
...
...
...oh.
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