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[wing_attack]

[So someone looks a little stunned based on what he just heard. He'd joked around about making a Flying-type gym, but that was just a joke, right?]

[Right?]

So. Uh. I guess I have work to do. Joker? I'm taking a break from the circus. Everyone else? I've got the Zephyr, Hive, Plain, Storm, and Fog Badges. That means I have Mineral, Glacier, and Rising left in Johto.

Anyone want to come with me? I'm guessing a bunch of us really want to challenge the gym leaders now, so we might as well travel together. I'm in Goldenrod right now, but I'm getting ready to head out.

[His own gym. It's... a little hard to believe, but it's something to shoot for. And he's been looking for a goal for a while, so...]

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[dashdash]

[Mafuyu hears "badges" and "travel together" and "Goldenrod" and almost jumps out of her seat from one of the department store benches at the chance of striking it out with a group of people. But if she were to be honest with herself, she'd be nothing but dead weight at her current level if a travel group had to lug her around the more dangerous routes. And besides, she'd just gotten to Goldenrod with little inclination to leave.

It doesn't stop her from looking eager, a little bit of awe, a little of jealousy.]

That's so many badges! Your Pokemon must be really strong! How come you stopped?

video

[wing_attack]

Oh. Yeah, a lot of them are. I've got a lot of Pokemon, though... so I've been rotating training them. And I got all the badges that I felt I needed. All I really needed was the ability to use Fly.

[dashdash]

[She knows there's a gym in Violet City that she almost got to before bypassing it completely for Goldenrod, but that there's one here too. But nothing about what kind of Pokemon, how strong they are, how gyms differ across the map]

Which badge lets you fly? What do your other ones do? Which one lets me make friends with other people's Pokemon they left with me?

[BOMBARDS WITH QUESTIONS. So many questions. That trainer manual that all newbies get at the start of their journey and possibly threw away without a second glance, it might be more helpful as an audiobook for those who don't read.]

[wing_attack]

Violet City's gym has the badge you need to use Fly, but you don't get the machine that lets you teach it to your Pokemon until Cianwood. You can borrow someone else's, though. Azalea's lets you use Rock Smash, Goldenrod's is Strength, and Ecruteak is Surf.

And you can make friends with a lot of Pokemon, even if they're ones that were left to you... that's not really tied to a badge.

[dashdash]

Oh. Well, this one Pokemon wanted me dead the moment I let it out of its ball, but I'll worry about dying later. [Out of sight, out of mind. She's heard different thing about how badges tie into Pokemon respecting you as a trainer, so she'll just focus on getting the badges first.] Cianwood... Fuck, is that the island? I can't swim. [Change of plans. She was thinking of hitting up the gyms one by one as she comes along them, but of course it has to be harder than that.] So the order I hit the gyms is Ecruteak first? So surf? And then... [She has no paper on hand, but she does have have a pen and the back of her hand, so she starts scribbling there.] Then... What's the best order.....

[wing_attack]

What kind of Pokemon? And there's a ferry. I didn't do them in order... I still haven't hit Olivine, and that's on the way to Cianwood.

[dashdash]

Ugh... I can't afford anything fancy like a ferry, I'm still trying to save up enough for a bike. Life here's hard. [There's no way she can hold a job when she's itching to get a move on before the minimum five days of work is complete, so she's been living off pocket money earned through battles. Not a great way to live, but enough to get by.] Anyways, it's a Totodile. I'll show you. [She doesn't have the Pokemon on hand, but what she does is switch her screen over, displaying the Pokemon's picture and information. Level 30. OT Yachi. The happy bitey Pokemon is now an angry bitey Pokemon, thankfully unevolved or it might be more than an arm Mafuyu almost lost.]

[wing_attack]

Oh. Yeah, I don't... know about those. Maybe have some meat on hand to distract it with? Have a stronger Pokemon around to keep it in check?

[dashdash]

Look, any meat's going in my mouth, not its. You have no idea how hard food is to come by out there where there's nothing but grass and dirt and berry trees that give you the runs. [But bitterness aside, she's in the city now, not on the routes. With plans to stock up on as much food as she can afford.] And none of my Pokemon are strong enough yet, so I haven't tried letting it out again. Have you left Goldenrod yet? Maybe yours can talk some sense into it.

[wing_attack]

No, I'm still in Goldenrod. I can have them try, at least? Rachel can probably pick it up if she needs to.

[dashdash]

That's great, thanks! I'm in the department store right now, but I can get to a PC and wait by the entrance! What's Rachel look like so I can look out for her?

[Cute girl? Please be a cute girl.]

[wing_attack]

She's a giant bear. She'll be with me.

[dashdash]

Oh. Uh. [Giant bear.] Okay. I'll be here waiting.