Searching Far and Wide

[intricate_engineer]

Glen was creating a prototype for a new gate design. It was meant to be affordable and provide quick transport between individual homes. She tests several objects and a rat and everything seems to be working.

She steps through. Instead of finding herself in the room next door, she finds herself standing on a sidewalk in an empty city. The buildings are tall and perfect, colorless with doorways far too tall for any human. The roads have no straight lines and twist in on themselves. There is no life or sound.
Glen tries to stay calm. She begins to walk along the road, randomly opening doors and exploring buildings that are as silent as the rest of the world.

She opens a door that she hopes will lead onto a roof and is instead met with warmth, and soft noise, and color.

Comments

[the_very_best]

And out comes her Pokémon.

It's actually not hard to feel if you're accustomed to detecting subtle psychic sensations: she is its and it is hers, at least for now.

"Well?"

[intricate_engineer]

"Hello," Glen says softly.

[the_very_best]

"Maaaaachop," says the Machop.

"Did it work or should I continue to be poised to have it tackled by one of mine if it decides to turn on you because you're foreign," Bella says.

[intricate_engineer]

"I think it worked?"

[the_very_best]

"Try telling it to do something."

[intricate_engineer]

"Uh, sit down please?"

[the_very_best]

"Maaaa," says the Machop, and it sits.

[intricate_engineer]

"Thank you!"

[the_very_best]

The Machop blinks at her.

"It's somewhat more customary to say, like, in this case 'good girl', or give her a treat," Bella says. "Etiquette is not so much something they cover when they train the rentals."

[intricate_engineer]

"Good girl."
Glen turns to Bella, "Can I borrow a treat?"

[the_very_best]

Bella hands her one.

[intricate_engineer]

Glen gives it to the Machop.
"How long does it take to train them to this level?"

[the_very_best]

Nom nom. The Machop is pleased.

"Depends on the 'mon. Months for single-trainer 'mon, longer for rentals probably."

[intricate_engineer]

"Are they dangerous towards the beginning?"

[the_very_best]

"Depends, again! If you get a vicious one you want another on hand to keep it under control until it learns. But they usually won't attack their trainers."

[intricate_engineer]

"Has anyone ever tried to teach them sign language?"

[the_very_best]

"Some trainers have signs they use to direct them. I've never heard of a 'mon signing more than rudimentarily."

[intricate_engineer]

"Now that I know it's possible, I'd like to try to train a Pokémon and try to understand them. I don't know if it would be better in the long run to try to start from scratch."

[the_very_best]

"This place doesn't rent-to-own, but if you want one that starts partially trained we can get you such a one. Or I can catch you something."

[intricate_engineer]

"How difficult is it to catch one?"

[the_very_best]

"Depends on how picky you are. If you just want whatever comes up first if I go wading in waist-high grass, thirty minutes and the cost of a few Pokéballs."

[intricate_engineer]

"What about one with hands or some other flexible appendage?"

[the_very_best]

"If we go looking for a few hours a little farther away than 'right outside this particular town', I can get you a wild Machop, or a Geodude? They're not particularly rare and have hands."

[intricate_engineer]

"A wild machop would be perfect. I'd also be interested in exploring the potential of some psychic powers, but one is probably enough."

[the_very_best]

"I could try to get you an Abra, which have hands and are psychic, but they're really hard to catch, they can teleport and will often do it rather than be caught."