Outcast

Part 5

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Jason’s enthusiasm continued to show in both his school work and his job. His promotion to the cash register still stood, despite butting heads with his father, for whom Jason now had a greater appreciation in his ability to separate personal and professional issues (at least when it came to Jason). He was cordial and helpful to everyone who showed up at the place, and did his best to keep a pleasant atmosphere in his little pocket of the store. It left his co-workers scratching their heads at first, but they weren’t going to complain about him being perky; it seemed to have a positive effect on the rest of them.

He did his best to avoid Daniel at all times during working hours, and to avoid hearing about him from anybody else. The thought had occurred to him during his period of punishment that if their father wasn’t going to hear out one of his most respected employees and his younger son when they were both saying the same thing, nothing would sway him to act against Daniel.

But where accusations seemed to get Daniel no closer to being axed from his job, his own confessions to their father did at least get him moved away from the pens. He transferred to a more cushy desk job. Jason found the man’s job title basically forgettable – “Daytime Operations Special Assistant” or something of the sort – and he felt it was a burden lifted to know he wasn’t going to be bothering the Pokémon nearly as much. At the very least, their father had made it more difficult for Daniel to interrupt the work the breeders and trainers were doing.

Jason didn’t make his order immediately, choosing to heed his father’s advice – at least in part – regarding the aptly named “amateur fee”. Let’s face it, though, I have that fee coming to me. I am an amateur. Three weeks after his discussion with his father about the matter, however, he saw how close he was getting to his fifteenth birthday – now only two months away – and decided it was time.

The process was simple enough on the surface: one went to CBC’s Main Services building and spoke to a designated official about purchasing a Pokémon. That official then interviewed the potential customer to determine exactly what Pokémon, what characteristics, what strengths, and what abilities they wanted. In the event the exact attributes desired were present in the exact Pokémon species desired, the official would take the buyer to see the available specimen. It was a shrewd method of sealing the deal before the customer even knew it, because rare was the person who saw what they wanted face-to-face that did anything but say they wanted it right now.

Jason wondered how much simpler the process would be with his knowledge and his already-made decision to purchase a Gyarados. He pulled out the piece of paper on which he’d neatly written everything his liaison would need to know about the specimen he was looking for and kept it in his left hand, while he used his right to open the front door of the Main Services center.

“Jason!”

He wasn’t surprised to hear his name – everybody and their Poochyena here on Tangelo Island knew who he was. What did surprise him, however, was the sound of his mother’s voice issuing that name to the local atmosphere. He blinked and turned to his left; sure enough, there she was, seated at a desk whose nameplate read Amelia Creight – CBC Advanced Breeder / Official Liaison.

That last also was no surprise to him, as he knew that she acted in both capacities. Although she preferred breeding grounds, she was an expert saleswoman... calm, compassionate, open, friendly – but also firm and knowledgeable. He’d often found himself wondering if there could have been any other woman intended for Carson Creight’s hand in marriage, but he’d always been left with the conclusion that there really was no one better suited to be his wife.

No, what surprised him was that she was in here at this particular time on this particular day. The schedules he’d seen had said she was going to be working the Grass-Type pens all day. He’d rather expected to see Kyle or Cody approaching him with an inquisitive look. But no – there his mother sat, fingers laced and a professional smile on her face.

“Today’s the big day, then?” she asked.

For that one moment, Jason actually felt himself forget what he’d walked in for. “Uh... what?”

“Your Pokémon, Jason. You’ve got that list you’ve been writing and re-writing for weeks.” She nodded toward his hand. “But I’ll bet I don’t need to see it to know you’re looking to get yourself a Gyarados. It seems such an odd fit for you, though.”

“Um.” Jason felt his ears turn red and he felt awkward as he sat down opposite his mother. “Well, I guess maybe it is.”

“So you’re settled on Gyarados.”

“Yeah, I think so. But I know it’s your job to ask questions, so go ahead.”

A sly smile passed over her features. “It’s my job to ask the questions, but you don’t have to worry about giving me the wrong answer – there’s no such thing. First thing’s first, though. Why a Gyarados?”

“Well...” Jason could already tell he was growing fidgety and he unfolded his paper to give his hands something to do. “I spent some time thinking about the sort of Pokémon Danny would get. And I figured that certain types just wouldn’t be the sort he’s interested in. I’ve never seen him deal with Electric-Type Pokémon – he’s barely even mentioned them – so I figured that weakness would be one I wouldn’t have to worry about.”

“‘Worry about’?” She tilted her head at him. “Sounds to me like you want to get a Pokémon that can beat your brother.”

His ears flamed a darker red and it started to creep into his face. “Well... sort of.”

She blinked. “If your selection’s based entirely on that, I’m not sure a Gyarados would be a proper fit for you. Mantine is the same type classification and it has a reputation that’s far friendlier.”

“Mom... I thought about Mantine, really I did. I even thought about a Croagunk because I figured Danny wasn’t the sort to get a Psychic-Type. But Gyarados appeals to me the most. It’s big, it’s bad, it’s powerful to the max...”

“And it’s also dangerous.” She leaned across the desk and fixed a serious gaze upon her son. “I would have some very real concerns about your safety and the safety of anyone around you as long as you had a Gyarados in your possession. Magikarps need to be at a power index of Level 20 before they’ll even evolve, and it’s difficult to get them there. When they evolve, suddenly they have all that power they don’t know what to do with.”

“I know all that. That’s why I want to get professional trainers to teach this Gyarados the moves I want it to know. Then it’ll know its power and be more tame when I’m able to finish paying it off. I’m willing to pay the amateur fee so that it’ll be safe.”

“It’s also a big commitment, you know,” she noted. “Gyarados isn’t a small Pokémon. Its appetite matches its size, and it doesn’t eat Magikarp, which is by far the most prevalent Pokémon in the waters around Tangelo Island. And if you were to unleash your Gyarados in those waters, what guarantee would you have that it would return to you?”

“Like I said, the pro training it receives before I get it. It’s not like I’m wanting to get a completely wild one and tame it myself, Mom. I’m not a breeder or a trainer. I want a Pokémon that’s scary. It’ll surprise people who think I’m not that scary. It’ll make them think.”

“About what?” She leaned back and clicked her pen several times with her thumb. “Not messing with you? Respecting you?”

He sighed. “I wasn’t expecting you to be here today.”

“I delegated some of my work. Your brother needs a closer eye kept on him while he’s still adjusting to his job, and I’m starting to feel that there’s a potential bad seed in our clientele we need to watch out for – the vicious trainers who only want Pokémon in order to hurt and humiliate others.”

Jason’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute... you’re not saying I’m like that, are you?”

“Not necessarily, but I know you’re not like that because I know you. I meet customers all the time who don’t have the luxury of a lifelong relationship with me.” She gave him a momentary slight smirk, but her expression grew serious again. “And I don’t have the luxury of one with them, either. In performing interviews like this one, my job is to determine whether it’s appropriate to sell a Pokémon to a given customer. We could be held responsible for what a Pokémon does even once it’s out of our hands, if it’s in the hands of an irresponsible or even a cruel master.”

“But you know I wouldn’t be either of those things, Mom,” he answered. “I honestly think I can handle the responsibility. I know what I’m getting myself into. I see trainers of all kinds around here and I know which ones are the ones I should be learning from. I’d be following their example. And I’d also make sure I asked for help when I needed it.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “And for what reason would you do that?” she inquired, much in the manner of a schoolteacher administering a challenge to her student.

“Because... just ‘cause it’s my responsibility doesn’t mean I have to do it alone.” Though it had taken him a moment to come up with the answer, he felt a slight swell of pride in his chest for having recalled his mother say the same about his responsibilities at work, when he’d first become employed. He peered at her; her blank expression had yet to change, making him wonder if he’d offered the correct response after all. “...Right?”

She tapped her pen on her desk. “It’s more than just a mantra, Jason. Make sure you heed that advice. I know you’ll hate hearing this, but your brother owes more than just a little bit of his success to it. So does your father, for that matter. You’ll find a lot of people do.”

Jason tried to keep his face from twisting at the mention of Daniel’s good fortunes. His mother knew him all too well – he didn’t want to hear yet another comparison to his brother just now, or be told how to be more like him. At this point, that’s as likely to get me to not act like him!

Still, he knew she meant well by it. She’s just trying to help me be successful myself. He gave her a nod. “Okay. I’ll try my best.”

Now her façade broke, and she gave him a smile – one that he knew had dazzled its fair share of boys and men. It was that smile that got her customers to submit to the “amateur fee”, to extra training, and to supplementary products, any of which could drive an average trainer to the poorhouse. But in addition to being charming, she was also quite shrewd, and an excellent businesswoman; she knew how to take care of her customers so that not one had been made to feel like they were required to purchase the extras, nor did any complain that she had somehow put them in debt. Jason knew there had been several salesmen who had come and gone over the years who could not make that same claim.

“So... let’s talk about your Gyarados.”

—

It was scarcely an hour later when Jason was going on a somewhat unnecessary tour through the Water-Type Pokémon pools, where each weight- and height-class were given their own dwelling. Pools and tanks though they were, those words did nothing to offer justice to the domain – each dwelling was appropriately-sized so that most of them did not want for extra space. For those that did, there were tunnels that led into the fresh water coves in and around the island, naturally-occurring but dominated by the Pokémon bred at the CBC.

He had never been familiarized with the exact overall measurements relating to the tunnelspace and the pools, but he knew it had to be in the range of miles. In fact, the structural integrity of a sizeable chunk the island literally rode on the pillars supporting it in the tunnels – though it would take nothing short of a total catastrophe to fell them, there existed the possibility that everything upon which the CBC was built could quite literally fall into the ocean.

That didn’t just go for the CBC, but other buildings and businesses in the area, as well. Should there be an earthquake, volcanic activity, or some other volatile deep-earth event, at least half the island could kiss its treasures goodbye. But Jason knew from his studies that there hadn’t been any naturally-occurring tremors here in eons. No tectonic activity had ever been recorded in this region since it was first settled by humanity, and scientists had no reason to believe they would see any for a very long time to come.

His mother gestured to the pane in front of which they now stood. “Here are the specimens you’re looking for, Jason.”

“I’m really just looking for one. You sure we’ve got the right kind?”

“Shouldn’t underestimate our resources.” She glanced down the lane and gestured to one of the hands walking in their direction. “Kyle, c’mon over here for a minute, would you?”

Kyle was a lanky blond with a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and a rumpled-looking lab coat that wasn’t quite white. Upon Mrs. Creight’s beckon, he altered his aim up the alley and offered them both a polite smile. “Hey, Mrs. C. What’s up?”

“Well, Jason here is looking to get a Gyarados from us.”

The tech blinked. “Did his birthday arrive already? I must’ve forgotten, I didn’t get an alert or anything...”

“No, no,” she laughed. “Actually, he’s making a full-on purchase. And since he’s going to be a paying customer, I’d like to make sure we extend our best resources to him.”

“Do we have anything less?”

“Nice save.” She clapped him on the shoulder. “Jason, you know Kyle, our resident water watcher.”

Jason nodded. “Yeah. Passing me off, then?”

She chuckled. “For the moment. You’re in very good hands, I think. I need to get back to the office, but once you’re wrapped up here, come on back and we can sit down and go over the paperwork you’ll need to fill out.”

“Okay. Thanks, Mom.”

She smiled. “Of course.” She wrapped her arms about Jason for a moment, then looked at Kyle. “Take good care of him, huh? He’s a mole for the boss.”

“Figured as much,” responded the tech.

Jason’s mother chuckled once more, then departed the tank area. Jason watched her go, then turned back to Kyle. “So... yeah. I’m wanting a Gyarados.”

“So I hear.” Kyle’s head bobbed as he spoke and he shifted from side to side; Jason had never known him to be the most social character, but he definitely knew his Pokémon. “She’s already asked why and all that jazz, so I won’t rehash that – but your question, at this point, is gonna be, ‘Do they have what I’m looking for?’ So let me in on the news here. Got some particular guidelines?”

“Uh, yeah.” Jason consulted his list, which he still gripped in his left hand. “I’m wanting one that has greater potential in special attacks. Y’know, stuff that hits from a distance.”

“Gyarados is pretty good at either one, it’s a flexible Pokémon. But yeah, I kinda like something that doesn’t have to get into the fray. Standing above close combat and all that.” Kyle’s head bobbed again. “Anything else?”

“Well, even though I’d like a focus on special attacks, I don’t want everything else to be sacrificed for it. It should be able to defend itself, though whether it’s better doing it with its own pure speed or just stamina is up to you guys, I guess.”

The tech held up a hand. “Hang on, now, you don’t get to pass the buck that easily. If you’d like us to work on one more than the other, let me know. If not, we can make sure to try and balance them out as much as possible. But this is your Pokémon, man. Own it, huh?”

“Okay, okay, my mistake,” Jason conceded. “I know you take this all seriously. Just... I guess, balance them out as best you can. Obviously even the fastest Pokémon can’t get out of the way all the time, so...”

“Got it. What else?”

“Well... I’ve got a list of moves I’d like it to be trained to know, too.” He held up the paper in his hand. “I know it’s sort of a lot but I want to cover all my bases.”

Kyle took the proffered document and inspected it for a long moment. He folded the paper back up and then looked to its owner. “We can do this but you should probably keep in mind most Pokémon can only remember a few moves at a time. It’s something of a strain for them to keep a bunch of them in memory at once.”

“Yeah, but Gyarados is fairly smart, and it needs direction. I figure the more moves it knows, the more direction it’ll have. Plus it might not get worn out so easily.”

Kyle shrugged. “You’re the boss.” He glanced at a nearby pillar, on which hung a clipboard stacked with a series of report papers, and pulled the clipboard from its mount, then flipped through its contents. Then he looked to Jason and offered him an encouraging smile. “What do you know... looks like we might have one just your type here.”

“Really?” Jason felt his heart skip a beat.

“Yep. Check out the tank on your left, I’ll bring him in. Or, reel, I think.” Kyle reached for a keypad on the wall and dialed in an access code; at first there seemed to be no response, but within just a few seconds, it was clear something was afoot. The smaller water-based Pokémon in the indicated tank were clearing away towards the central pools. Kyle offered Jason no explanation but Jason didn’t need one – the access code the tech had punched in activated a miniaturized tracking device implanted beneath the skin of the Pokémon they owned, and that device was capable of summoning the Pokémon carrying it toward the keypad used.

And here comes the lynchpin of the sale...

A giant shadow in the waters began to take definition in the haze of the tank. As it drew closer, Jason felt a swelling in his chest combined with a surge of adrenaline injecting itself into his blood. Logically, he knew exactly what to expect – it wasn’t as though he hadn’t seen them before. But this was to be different.

This one, he knew, would be his.

And then there it was, in all its terrible glory, mouth hanging perpetually open and steely eyes inspecting the humans on the other side of the window pane. It curled this way and that in the water, fins generating heavy currents whose end results caused audible splashing on the pool surface up above. To hold itself in a slightly elevated position, it twisted its body in a constantly rotating spiral, while its head remained almost perfectly still.

Jason pressed his palm against the pane. “Amazing,” he said.

“Thought you’d like him. Specs on him say he’s a bit of a glutton, which is a good thing if you want him to be as healthy and strong as you say. He’s also got something of a temper.”

Jason resisted the urge to glance over his shoulder at the tech, but he raised an eyebrow. “Well, yeah. This is a Gyarados we’re talking about here.”

“No kidding, but I’m talking about a notably foul temper, here. And a short fuse, too.” Kyle lolled his head to one side. “Speaking of which... how’re you planning on having him trained? Gonna do it yourself?”

“No way,” was Jason’s quick response. “I’m paying the amateur fee.”

“Definitely the way to go for a man’s first Pokémon.” Kyle snickered, then followed Jason’s stare up at the giant sea serpent. “Got an iron will, too, or so the diagnosis says here. And he’s got a higher-than-average auditory capacity, very alert. Actually to the point of jumpy, he sure thrashes around. Which is strange, ‘cause I can’t really think of any reason he’d be concerned about anything that’s making a noise I can’t hear.”

Only then did Jason catch up with what Kyle was saying. “Yeah, weird. ‘Iron will’, though? What’s that about? Is he stubborn?”

The tech perused the document on his clipboard. “Can be, but it looks like they’re more content to say when he wants to do something, he’s doing it, and hang everything else. See here, it says ‘highly persistent’. Good thing he hasn’t been taught how to focus his power yet.”

“What, was he wild?”

“As rashly as he behaves–” Kyle glanced at his clipboard upon the sight of Jason’s raised eyebrow at the adjective. “Yeah, it says he’s ‘rash’ right here in the report – you’d think he was, but no, actually, he’s been captive, born and raised. Still, would you behave tame with a body like that?”

Jason scoffed as he turned back to Kyle. “No, I guess not. Biggest fish in the sea gets to throw his weight around whenever he wants to, right?”

“Exactly. That’s why I thought it was strange for him to be so jumpy, but...” Kyle shrugged. “Whatever, it’s a quirk. Every Pokémon has one or two. He’s crafty, too. Mischievous. He likes to–”

Tink-tink!

Jason turned around – and promptly shouted and jumped away. The Gyarados in question, which had lost Jason’s visual attention, had almost pressed its perpetually-open mouth to the window panel, and tapped its razor-sharp fangs against it. Jason groaned. “What the...”

Kyle rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I was gonna say, he likes doing that. He’s pretty smart, so don’t underestimate him, whatever you do.”

“Good thing is, I may not need to worry about it that much, it’s gonna be a while before I actually have all the money I need to get him out of here.”

“Financing a Gyarados? The amateur fee is one thing, but you’d be paying more for him in the long run, you know.”

Jason scoffed. “Tell me about it. But I figure that it’s the best way to make sure he’s disciplined enough to listen to me when he gets out.”

“Hold up on that, listen to me for a sec,” said Kyle, and he pointed a corner of his clipboard at Jason for emphasis. “The relationship between a Pokémon and its master... it isn’t always about following direction. You’ve gotta treat him less like a pet, more like a partner. Especially with the more volatile Pokémon, you have to respect them and respect what they can do. Otherwise they can seriously hurt you, and sure enough you’re not gonna be able to do anything to them in return. Unless you can blast a Hyper Beam from your mouth. Kinda doubt that.”

“Now that you mention it, I kinda doubt that, too. But I wouldn’t mind trying one day.” Jason crossed his arms and gazed up at the Gyarados still staring at them through the glass. It was hard to gauge from a visage so removed from a human one, but Jason could swear the Pokémon was growing bored just hovering there on display.

Huh, he thought. Maybe a bond’s forming right here and now... people here really know how to seal a deal. I’m not even Kyle’s biggest fan – he looks rumpled, not that professional – but he’s had this sale in the bag from the moment I walked in, so it doesn’t matter. Wonder how he does it with people who aren’t sure. ...Heh, probably just lets Mom do the talking.

Jason pressed his hand to the pane and smiled. “I think I’ll take him.”

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© Matt Morwell, 2011