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]

"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."

[intricate_engineer]

"Do they live in the same areas as either of the others you mentioned?"

[the_very_best]

"I don't remember if they have overlapping range with Machop anywhere, but maybe. Geodude probably not, Geodude live in caves."

[intricate_engineer]

"If you don't mind, can we try to catch one? Even if we fail, it will give me a chance to observe some Pokémon in the wild."

[the_very_best]

"If they're convenient to some Machop or Geodude, sure, lemme look it up - you wanna return that one or hang onto it for a bit?"

[intricate_engineer]

"I'll hang onto it for a bit."

[the_very_best]

Bella looks up ranges. "Here's a good place. We should be able to fly there in an hour and a half. You wanna return your rental so Rachis doesn't have to carry as much?"

[intricate_engineer]

"Sure. Should I buy some more pokeballs or pay you back after?"

[the_very_best]

"Buy 'em, I don't carry enough spares to go catching."

[intricate_engineer]

Glen returns the Machop. She buys a few Pokéballs.
"Anything else I should get?"

[the_very_best]

"I mean, are you planning on embarking on an adventure with your new 'mon and spending time inaccessible to civilization, or anything?"

[intricate_engineer]

"Not without further preparation, no."

[the_very_best]

"Then you probably don't super need anything, you can pay me back if you suddenly have to have a Potion or whatever, I'm stocked."

[intricate_engineer]

"How many Pokémon have you caught?"

[the_very_best]

"Five, and I traded most of them for the ones I have now."

[intricate_engineer]

"Are there people who catch Pokémon for a living?"

[the_very_best]

"Sure, you can sell the rare kinds for a lot."

[intricate_engineer]

"Are they valuable because they are rare, or do they have abilities more common Pokémon lack?"

[the_very_best]

"Mostly because they're rare, some of them are also specially powerful in some way but you can get really common 'mon quite powerful if you put the work in."

[intricate_engineer]

"Would you say more trained Pokémon are caught or bred?"

[the_very_best]

"Mmm, if by trained you mean trainers have them and go around with them, caught. If you include domestic herds and stuff - the kinds that give milk and edible eggs, say - bred."

[intricate_engineer]

"Is there an advantage to using wild Pokémon? How difficult is it to breed them?"

[the_very_best]

"You can catch them without having to have suitable parent 'mon or hatch an egg," Bella says, "and it lets you shop around by adult traits instead of sticking you with whatever hatches, and it only costs the price of Pokéballs, which is significant but less than paying for a well-bred 'mon. Wild adult 'mon are stronger than new-hatched, too, so you save on time or money for training. Breeding 'em isn't hard unless the ones you want to breed don't get along or something, though."