(XXIV) Getting Started

Grandpa Hugh perked up as Ava began roaming around the porch inspecting all the curious scents. Isaac smiled and picked her up and placed her in his lap. Artorious and Elisabeth cuddled next to each other at his feet and took a nap while Hanzō hopped up onto the porch railing and sat on it staring off into the distance.

The two found their places in chairs on the other end of the porch, Isaac placed his bag on the ground next to him as Mallory came out with a tray of lemon squares and refills of tea when Hugh repeated his question, "What kind of garbage have you been feeding your Pokémon?"

"Um..." Isaac was taken aback, "I've been feeding them these berries I found in the forest as a snack, but they've all been eating Pokéfood pellets!"

He grabbed his bag and pulled it onto his lap as he began rummaging through it and pulled out one of the pellets and handed it to Hugh, "Here!"

Hugh rolled it around in his hand and sniffed it before breaking off a piece and placing it onto his tongue, much to Isaac's dismay as he grimaced, sticking his tongue out in disgust.

Hugh spat it out and smacked his mouth a few times, "Where did you get this garbage?" He asked while throwing the pellet in a trash can and taking a big gulp of his tea.

"Um... It's a family recipe..." Isaac muttered as he looked away.

"It'll keep a Pokémon alive, but that's all it's got, there's nothing going into it that will help them grow stronger!" Hugh said as he stood up and walked down the steps and approached the other barn. Isaac remained seated as he watched Hugh walk away before Grandpa Hugh nudged his head in the air causing him to scramble to his feet and rush after him.

Isaac followed him into the worn-down barn whose interior was far cleaner and the near-pristine almost new interior of the barn was a stark contrast to the exterior. He slowed down as he entered the barn and looked astonished as he stopped at the entrance.

Hugh went to one of the coolers and pulled out a small container and brought it over to Isaac, opening it to reveal a dozen small cookie-esk biscuits in the shape of flowers that were yellow in the center and the petals were a bright blue.

"Would you rather eat that pellet or eat this?" Hugh said as he picked up the biscuit and handed it to Isaac.

"Well, this obviously, the pellets look like oversized hampster food!" Isaac retorted.

"What's a hampster?" Hugh asked briefly before shaking his hand, "Never mind that! Now, what if I told you that this provided the full daily nutritional value that the pellet provided, but also allowed a Water-type Pokémon to increase the power of their Water Moves?"

"Woah, really?" Isaac said as he stared at the cookie with increased interest.

"Absolutely! But wait! There's more!" Hugh said excitedly as he had a large smile plastered across his face while he closed the container and placed it on a nearby table and returned to the cooler and grabbed another container.

Inside was an assortment of biscuits in different shapes and colors and Hugh began pointing to each one and explaining their benefits, "This one, will increase a Pokémon's attack power, this one their speed, this one will make them more durable, this one makes their bodies harder, and I have so many more!"

"Seriously? If they're this amazing, why is Hugh's Ranch struggling so badly? No offense!" Isaac asked which immediately brought down Hugh's elation and he sighed, heaving his shoulders.

"Well, it's a rather long story but it boils down to being blacklisted by some company and they walled me out. Any attempt I made to bring investors in was met by rejections without even hearing the pitch." Hugh sighed heavily, "After that, orders were canceled and no one would try anything I offered stating there were rumors circulating."

"I see..." Isaac said and stared down at the biscuits for a moment, "Well, I'm definitely interested in how these will affect my team. I'm not going anywhere, I'll do everything I can to help!" He said with a smile and patted Hugh's shoulder consolingly.

"I'm glad to hear that Isaac, I really am." Hugh said as he returned both containers to the cooler and the two returned outside, "Give me a few hours and I'll whip you up enough Pokéfood to last through the rest of the month."

"Perfect! That should last me long enough to get through Viridian Forest and reach Pewter! Do you know where I can get some camping gear? I really don't want to be caught out in the wild without any equipment." Isaac asked as they entered the massive house once again.

"Ah, of course! There's this cheap shop nestled hidden by the skyscrapers that only locals really know about." Hugh explained as he grabbed a map and pointed to where it was located. He then pointed to another building that was close to the exit, "This here is a PokéSchool. It's pretty famous for graduating Elite Trainers. You may want to check it out before heading to Pewter!"

Isaac nodded and marked both on his Pokétch Map App, "Thanks! I'll definitely check it on my way back from the store!" Isaac replied, before leaving Hugh and Isaac went over what Isaac wanted each of his team's diet to reflect:

Artorious' diet would include nutrients to increase the strength of his attacks and help him move faster.

Elisabeth's diet boosted her ability to withstand attacks as well as make her more durable.

Hanzō's diet was filled to increase the power of both sides of his attack power.

Ava's diet was tricky for Isaac as her nature made it difficult for him to choose an evolution to focus on. In the end, he decided to make her more durable and boost her special to cover her Nature.

After returning his team to their pokéballs, Isaac was organizing his bag as he disposed of the remaining Pokéfood when Hugh noticed the PokéEgg and picked it up.

"How come you haven't placed this baby in an incubator, or are you trying to sell it?" Hugh asked while turning it over in his hands looking at the design.

"Ah, no, I'm not, I just haven't had the time to get one for it." Isaac said scratching his cheek innocently.

"You'll be hard-pressed to find one for a decent price, most new models run for about ₽100,000. We have one if you want to borrow it. It's not as good as they are, but it'll still get the job done." He said placing the egg carefully onto the chair before opening a door leading to the basement and returning after a few moments carrying a small cylindrical tube with metal ends.

The metal pieces were a bright yellow and the glass of the tube was crystal clear. Attached to the top and bottom of the tubes were a dozen cables with nodes attached to connect to the egg. He adjusted the cord that came out of the bottom of the incubator as he placed it on the coffee table in front of Isaac.

"I'm sorry it's not one of the portable incubators, but you can leave it here and when she's getting close to hatching I'll let you know so you have time to return." He said as Isaac began looking at the incubator with fascination.

"How long will it take to hatch?" Isaac asked curiously.

"Let's take a look and see..." Hugh said, plugging the incubator in and opening the tube before attaching all the nodes to the egg and placing it comfortably in the center as he closed the capsule.

After a moment, a dusty screen flashed to life that Isaac had not noticed previously as it began booting up. After a dozen lines of code scrolled past the screen it revealed the time remaining of 122 days.

"Four months? That seems like a long time..." Isaac muttered.

"Yeah, the newer models can get it done within a few weeks, breeding back then was so much more of a challenge than it is today." Hugh stated as he dusted off the incubator.

"I'll leave the egg in your capable care then! I'll be back as soon as I'm done!" Isaac said as he grabbed his bag and walked out the door. He returned to Viridian City quickly and found the store and was able to purchase a retractable tent that folded into the size of an umbrella for ₽2,000.

"Not much money left..." Isaac muttered as he counted what remained of his annual stipend as he approached the large gated grounds of the Viridian PokéSchool.

He pushed on the gate as it squeaked open and began walking down the large concrete pathway that led to the entrance.

———

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