victory_road | 67th treasure [text]

[....Dimitri meant to answer this more straightforwardly, because, well. He has many rats. Pickup is a move that rats seem to often know. He could talk about this.]

[Except when he hears that bit about "people's carelessness", it's.. weirdly familiar...]

I cannot give you any answers on a gold nugget factory.

However, do you believe that a human can have the ability Pickup? This sounds incredibly familiar to me from my days before I arrived in Johto.

[Ash would normally be very much in favor of rat talk (Sharp and Shade are, objectively, superior to every other rat out there), but today he has Thoughts and Questions.]

A shame, that. Buying them directly from the source would be far more efficient than waiting for Bouncy or Stripes to pick them up.

I don't think humans can have the ability itself, not really, but they sure can pay great attention to details and be talented at finding items that are out of place. Or at snatching them from their rightful owners, if that's the case.

I would normally not believe that a human could have the ability of another creature, yet the individual that I am thinking of seems particularly talented at it?

The Professor at my academy found everything from simple wooden buttons, to overcoats, to books, to a simple flower, and they were able to return such things to their owners.

Granted, their process for the returning of items was often to begin taking things out from their pockets and sleeves to show you them one by one, until you saw something familiar.

Teachers are supposed to have eyes in the back of their head, so maybe they also have a pair fixed on the floor?

Are you sure they weren't simply responsible for the lost and found box, and just particularly proactive when it came to the 'found' part? Even if that's just asking for fraudulent claims.

I do not believe the academy had a lost and found box. We merely had an advice box, where the clergy and professors could give you advice if you submitted a small card. I heard it had a varied effect.

[He might have used it, don't worry about it]

From what I understand, things were simply left on the ground or dropped in places, and they just kept a hold of them?</font?

Really? That's interesting. It makes sense that a religious school would care for its students's personal progress beyond their grades, but I didn't expect it to be tailored so directly to each pupil.

[His own high school was nice, but not that nice.]

They just... kept everything until they found an item's rightful owner? For their sake, I hope you guys weren't too absent-minded, or that your world's fashion favors large bags and pockets.

It was also a school where the vast majority of students were from noble houses, or the families of knights and merchants. When it was active, it was meant to be a uniting place for the future of three different countries to mingle and unite with one another.

And yes, I believe that is how they did it. I am not certain how much they kept on their person on any given day, but, from what I understood from the gossip which regularly circled the school about them, they would find around a good dozen items in a single month.

Fortunately, they seemed to be mostly small items such as what I described to you. Necklaces, books, little things like that. The largest items I ever saw them carry, at least that I can recall, were a large overcoat and a bow sheath.

I wish I could say I was more on top of things, but I am afraid I was careless on a couple of occasions as well.

Oh, so it was a fancy, probably expensive religious school, then, with strong family legacies to boot. The sort of place where the administration has much to gain from happy, fulfilled students, and also receives the amount of donations necessary to offer that sort of service. That explains it.

How many students were you? A dozen items a month is a lot more alarming if you were a few dozen than if you were a thousand. Then again, the pocket space remains the same no matter what, so maybe that didn't matter much to your teacher, as long as the necklaces outnumbered the coats.

Aptly described. Of course, it was to their benefit as well if they knew a bit more about what their students were thinking and experiencing. I can only speak for my own country with any true knowledge, but the Church of Seiros was quite intent on having a finger on the pulse of the continent.

Not that it helped them avoid destruction in the end when war broke out, of course.

[If only the church could have been as overbearing to the Empire as they were to the Kingdom.... He's going to get aggravated soon, maybe he should stop thinking about this.]

On average, there would be twenty or thirty students to each house, of which there were three. I never did a proper count, back then, and my memory may be fuzzy due to the passage of time, but I would hazard a guess of around 100 students, perhaps.

Then again, our year was a particularly notable one. Many children from noble, knightly, and merchant families were attending. Depending on the year and activities of the different families, I imagine the number would be much less.

No amount of information and no good intentions are enough to stave off war, when facing a sufficiently determined foe. But if their knowledge and preparations helped keep even one person safe, I'd say they did well.

A relatively small school, then, if a hundred students was a busy year. Then again, it's not like nobles and rich people are the majority of any population. If I kept finding so many lost items so regularly, I'd be tempted to tie or tape them to their owners to avoid further incidents.

No one ever told me I'd have the patience necessary to be a teacher, funnily enough.

[If the knowledge and preparations helped to keep even one person safe... Dimitri can't really disagree with that. There was a lot about the church that Dimitri didn't like, and which gave him pause and plenty of questions, but still. Thanks to the church and the academy, they were able to meet the Professor. They were all able to heighten their skills.]

[With that in mind... It was a good thing, to go there.]

That's right. Honestly, the house that likely kept the Academy going the most would have been the Golden Deer house, where students from the Leicester Alliance often attended. While the Alliance is lead by a group of nobles, in comparison to a king or emperor, merchants and other commoners are more likely to attend the classes.

The only thing that stands in the way is often funds. If that can be managed, then they are welcome like anyone else. I knew of a girl whose entire village helped fund her own attendance.

At any rate, that would not be the worst solution, honestly. I wonder if our Professor ever considered it.

I think they still do that now, actually, since they've arrived here.

[He.... may have been handed some things... listen]

Having a group at the head of a country does imply greater chances of social mobility, even if the effect would still be reduced by the presence of an hereditary class. The fact that a whole village had to pitch in for a single student is a bit worrying, though. In my world, schools would often pay part of the poorer students' fees, if their grades were high enough or their talents particularly prized. Wasn't that an option?

They do? You might want to warn them about Pickup's existence, then. If they catch a Zigzagoon and start looking for the owner of every single pokéball they get, they'll never have time for anything else.

A lot of factors can contribute to the cost - the size of a village, the circumstances in their area, and how far away they were from the academy. You are right that it would have been ideal if the school had paid a part of other students' fees, however, although I suppose it no longer matters. However, if it reassures you, I had heard of students impressing a noble or prosperous merchant, and having that as their backer so that one day they could serve under them.

Everyone's circumstances were different, really. Still, I would like that kind of idea to be implemented some time in the future. It would just require a lot more thinking than to put it down so simply. I imagine a lot of working families didn't bother about it, because they planned on passing down the trade to their children, and so sending them to a school to learn combat and battle tactics was not a high priority.

I heard that even the magic school in my country had similar thoughts directed its way, although to be a scholar or mage could be quite prestigious. But what is prestige to a family that has to worry about how many hands they have on their farm?

Thank you for the advice. I will be certain to warn them of such a thing. They are taking to this lifestyle well, I think.

Unless they're taking things out of people's bags or pockets, I don't think it's stealing. Nothing wrong with giving discarded or unused items a new purpose, eh?

See, if they're really discarded, no problem there. Finder keepers and all that. But that would mean that multiple people somehow manage to regularly lose pure gold nuggets, and that strikes as financially irresponsible.

[Oh right, money stuff. It's still a concept he's adjusting to, and one that frankly gives him a headache.]

Maybe they are taking stuff, then, but I think a lot more folks would be complaining about being robbed if that was the case.

Especially if it's valuable stuff, true. A missing pokéball is easier to write off than a very fancy potion, especially if it happens more than once. People suddenly missing their nuggets would be expected to call the police.

Unless it's not a crime if a Pokémon commits it? No, that can't be it.

Actually, that could be the case, I guess. I mean, Pokemon seem to function their own way, so who knows if they have their own laws or not?

If that the case, it HAS to only apply to wild Pokémon. Otherwise, it would be far too easy for criminals to exploit that loophole by sending their teams and pleading ignorance.

Definitely.

Although I'm sure some Pokemon take a little while to learn that a new set of rules apply to them. That probably causes some trouble.

And some just never learn at all, no matter how long they've had a trainer. That's even the case for Pokémon bred by breeders, who have never known the wilderness.

Yeah, that makes sense. They've all got there own personalities, just like anyone else, and some of them are definitely troublemakers.

And yet we still love them! Usually. Most of the time. When none of our personal belongings are missing or damaged.

I've met some Pokémon with Pickup who would answer that first question with "Yes," but I think the majority of them go with the scavenging option.

Did the proud thieves happen to bring back more gold nuggets than average? Or are there really that many lying around?

The proud thieves tended to be more concerned with the art of the theft itself than the value of what they were stealing, or were more interested in things that were valuable *to them*, like evolution stones.

It is odd that there are seemingly so many gold nuggets just there for the taking, though.

Evolution stones do also have some monetary value, should they steal more than they need. Then again, stealing a stone that is now useless to them doesn't seem particularly artistic. Or maybe that only applies to the technique, not the target?

People have suggested a few theories for them, but they all raise more questions than they answer. It's maddening.

They were more focused on the technique, I think, although the target and their defenses are part of that.

There are enough of them to be found that I'm actually a little surprised they're as valuable as they are.

I guess stealing a stone from a ten-year-old child would count as less impressive than stealing one from a burly biker, even if they both keep it in a locked box in their backpack. It's all about the image.

If this world's economy made any sense, its currency would have been devaluated ages ago by all those Meowth with Pay Day, so I'm willing to accept that as a quirk of this place.

There would also be any Pokémon they have out to consider, too. If that ten-year-old has a Hydreigon or a Machamp...

And that's a very good point.

In a sane world, no child would be allowed to wield such power, but I'm sure all professional pokéthieves out there are glad they can face such a challenge. I wonder if trying to bribe any Pokémon present would be considered cheating?

I thought the nuggets were natural gold formations. I'm aware of how ridiculous that sounds, but I've come to expect all kinds of ridiculous things from the nature of this fascinating realm. My horse brings me daily coin, for fuck's sake.

See, I could almost consider that the most likely theory. Wouldn't put it past this place. But the nuggets in question come in two different, standardized sizes, and have a stable market value. That makes the manufacted option more credible to me.

I thought Pay Day was a Meowth exclusive, which horse can learn it as an egg move?

I wouldn't put it past this place for its gold to be produced in standardized sizes either, to be quite honest. Mayhap the manufactured option is not a person or a factory, but another Pokémon! If beavers build dams, there could be a Pokémon that chews on gold ore until they become nuggets.

You aren't entirely wrong, I believe Meowth is the only one that learns it naturally. But I've acquired the TM, you see, and taught it to my dear Rapidash - the Galarian kind, but its fiery counterpart can learn it as well.

I was going to say that we would have heard about such a species long ago, but a skill like that would attract every poacher and criminal within travelling distance. They could be nearly extinct and heavily protected. Or even a Legendary!

Plus, you know, there's that whole thing about foreign species regularly out of nowhere, so they could live in another region and we'd have no idea.

The image of a pretty unicorn hurling coins at its opponent as it shakes its mane is one I'll cherish forever. Thank you.

See? Now you're on the right track! Mayhap the nuggets are left by the same force -a Legendary?- that brings us here in an attempt to keep us from becoming tramps. This realm is too nice and clean to have us sleeping on their street. Either way, I highly doubt there is a factory out there constantly losing gold all over both regions.

You're welcome! May I embellish that image more by pointing out my Galarian Rapidash is a shiny born from an egg gifted by Arceus itself?

It could simply sell those nuggets to very rich, very careless people instead. Though that would be a rather boring explanation, and one that would upset everyone living from paycheck to paycheck besides.

It makes for an even prettier picture, true! Even if shiny Pokémon born from Arceus-granted eggs are less uncommon that most of the locals would imagine.

Boring and non-sensical, because I've found nuggets in wild, dirty spots I doubt any socialite would like to step in. And yes, I am aware of how it sounds to consider that explanation non-sensical but not our other theories, but that's this realm for you.

So I've heard. It's curious, really. I've been told Arceus isn't to be blamed (or thanked!) for us being brought here, yet It showers us with gifts in way It's never done with the locals.

I'm completely certain the local socialites occasionally rough it out in the wilderness, or at least once did, as long as your definition of roughing it out is very loose. This place loves its tales of young trainers traveling the land in search of adventure far too much for them not to.

Considering that those of us who've been here long enough have directly intervened in some major, potentially world-destroying trouble at its request, maybe it feels it owes us a favor. Or perhaps it pities us, torn from our homes as we are.

I suppose you are right, as long as we make that definition as loose as a goose. Even the local socialites must hold tradition, do they not? Yet I haven't heard of any of them having won the League. What could that possibly say about their training methods?

I'd say It doesn't need to pity me because personally, I appreciate having been torn from my home, but I won't say no to pity gifts. That said, I've heard about gifts sometimes coming from our homeland, and I haven't gotten a single one of those since I got here ten months ago, so it would be rather nice of Arceus to get on that.

Talented scavengers! If it's on the ground and no one has claimed it within a reasonable amount of time, it's finder's keepers.

Also, what's all this falderal of a gold nugget factory??

Which assumes that they do find the items in question on the ground, and not in anyone's pockets! Admittedly, most of the Pokémon I know are honest enough for that to be true.

You see, Pokémon with Pickup occasionally come home with nuggets of pure gold. Nuggets that apparently exist in two standardized formats, as flawless spheres in both cases, and with a stable resale value for each. Those have to come from somewhere, and a dedicated factory seems as likely a theory as any to me.

Hmm. The only problem with that is gold can't be manufactured in a factory, at least in no way that doesn't require gold in the first place and is still in such small amounts its cost is more than worthless! Believe me, I know money and all things related to it.

There must be some other explanation for the gold nuggets...

[Shysters? Magic? Redistribution of previously found and shaped nuggets? Strange.]

If there was an existing source of gold, it'd simply be a matter of shaping it, correct? But I've travelled all over the place, and I haven't seen the kind of mining activity that would account for that. Tricky.

It could be that wild Meowth use Pay Day to generate coins, that the gold present in those coins ends up pressed into nuggets somehow, and then that Pokémon pick them up as they wander. But that leaves a very critical step unexplained.

Aye, a large enough mining operation would be hard to ignore, if nothing for the claimjumpers that'd try to be all over it.

There are certainly ways to pass large amounts of wealth for someone who's got their eyes on security, but there'd still be something suspicious somewhere that someone would bound to have noticed. I've had it happen to me enough times, no matter how careful you are it'll never be careful enough. And that still ignores the idea that there's some kind of Midas-minded Johnny Appleseed out there, dropping nuggets around willy nilly.

[You know...]

Someone just suggested to me a Meowth. I'm certainly willing to experiment with this Pay Day, Pickup combination. Find out the mystery.

[For mystery's sake. Of course.]

That hypothetical Johnny could disseminate nuggets easily enough, with the assistance of a trusty team of Pokémon. Yet that, too, would likely be noticed sooner or later, since toughing it out in the wilderness is the national pastime. Unless we're dealing with something like Santa and his Delibird army, in which case all bets are off and the gold is likely created from nothing in the first place.

[Obviously. That makes perfect sense, even if Ash would find that explanation disappointing.]

Meowth are good Pokémon to train in general. You need money? They can generate it out of thin air. You enjoy battling? They can learn a surprising number of moves once they evolve, as long as you're willing to invest in TMs. You want companionship? They're warm, furry beasts that like to snuggle. Can't go wrong with one, even without a mystery to solve.

["Santa and his-"? Oh lord, so that's here too, huh. Anyway, going to move from business to, well, business.]

I've certainly been hearing all about the virtues of Meowth. The same someone I mentioned a moment ago has had one in the past, though not one native to this area apparently so he couldn't quite tell me where to get one. Might you have that information?

As a matter of fact, I do. Got mine from an egg purchase, but I've seen plenty in the alleys of Goldenrod, especially near places that sell fish and seafood. The routes between Ecruteak and Olivine are a good bet, too. Note that this only applies to the native variant; the others might be more difficult to find.

67th treasure [text]

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I thought I replied to this already, but *as it turns out*...

Thought replies are the worst, especially when you erase the notif after...

They really are

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Text | lmk if you need me to drop the font!

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I thought I replied to this already, but as it turns out...