27. What's in a name?

Spend time with your starter

-----------------------

"Does it really matter?" the Witch groaned, slumping back into the chair. 

You'd decided to try talking to her again, bringing your dinner up to your room so that the two of you could speak in private. The pokegirl had nibbled on her food a little, then pushed her plate aside and declared that she was full and that she wanted to go back into her pokeball now. 

Despite your sympathy for her situation, you were personally beginning to get a little annoyed at your starter's glum attitude. "This is important," you insisted. "I can't just call you 'Hey, Witch!' all the time." 

"Then just come up with a name and be done with it." the Witch grumbled. 

"But you already have a name," you pointed out. 

The pokegirl glared at you, treason brimming in her eyes. "That girl is dead." she declared. "Call me whatever the hell you want. I don't really give a damn." 

Looks like you've stepped onto a sore spot. Still, even as the Witch huffed and looked away, you can't help feeling irritated. You've been trying again and again to reach out to her, but your starter just seems stuck on the past and everything she's lost. 

Taking a deep breath, you remind yourself just how horrible thresholding must have been for her. Losing your humanity would be painful for anyone. Once a girl becomes a pokegirl, she loses everything - friends, family, home...

You just hope that she'll get over it eventually. 

Still... even if you couldn't get her name, you'll need to call your Witch something, right? 

[] Insist on getting her real name. 

[] Rename her

- [] What? 

26. Now what?

Initial bling: 34K

-15 PMed Basic: 3K (+Dispenser)

-4 PMed Advanced: 2K

-1 Recover 2K

-5 DTox 0,5K

-3 Med Burn 0,6K

-2 Med Ice 0,4K

-Basic Tent 10K

-Portable Stove 5K

-10 Pokechow 3K (2 people 5 days)

Total: 26,500 SLC

Remainder: 7,500 SLC

------------------------

"Thank you, please come again!" 

You leave the pokemart, straining to carry all your new purchases. What you wouldn't give for a Pokepack now...

Unfortunately, even the cheapest of such items is well out of your budget, forcing you to personally carry all your items back to your room at the pokecenter. Only after you dump the plastic bags onto the bed do you spot the pokeball on your belt and realize that you could have gotten your new Witch to help you out. 

Cursing yourself slightly under your breath, you organize your new equipment, trying your best to pack them all into your raggedy old backpack. Fortunately, it's a certified tamer's backpack, filled with all kinds of little pockets and pouches that you can use to store things in. It's a bit of a pain to carry, but you're sure that you'll get used to the weight eventually. 

Now that you're done, you collapse onto the bed, taking a moment to rest after your long and eventful day. It's only about 4.30 pm now, meaning that you still have a few hours of daytime left. 

You're thoroughly sick of shopping, but a part of you is interested in seeing how well your starter would do in a practice battle. But then again, considering her depression it might be a good idea to keep things slow and just get to know her a little. 

Or you could put aside all this tamer business for now. You're on your own for the first time. Why not take the chance to relax and explore a little? 

You groan, flipping back onto the mattress. So many things to do, so little time! In the end, you decide to...

[] Screw it, you're too tired to care anymore. Just go to sleep. (Skip to tomorrow)

[] Spend some time with your starter

- [] Tame her

- [] Don't tame her

[] Explore the city

- [] Find someone who's up for a battle

- [] Look around for anything interesting

[] Something else? (Write in)

25. Stocking Up

[] Nah, I'd rather not

-----------------------

While having an evolution stone on hand might be useful, you'd rather save your money for things that you'd definitely need. Leaving the market, you head up to the pokemart you saw yesterday. 

The place isn't as cramped as the market, but there's still quite a few people around. You take the time to look around and check the prices of anything that might come in handy. Unfortunately, it seems that you're not the only tamer in town - several of the more useful items are sold out, but you're sure that you can still get the basics.

Current Budget: 34, 000 SLC

------------------

Healing Items:

P-Med Dispenser - 200 SLC (Free if you buy 15 doses of basic or advanced P-Meds)

P-Med Basic - 200 SLC (3, 000 SLC for 15)

P-Med Advanced - 500 SLC (7, 500 SLC for 15)

Recover - 2, 000 SLC (30, 000 for 15)

D-Tox - 100 SLC (1, 500 for 15)

P-Med Burn/Ice - 200 SLC (3, 000 SLC for 15)

----------------------

Tamer's Equipment:

Single Tent (A tiny tent meant for only one person) - 5, 000 SLC

Basic Tent (Sleeps three if they are cozy and collapses into a compact bundle of fabric, rope, and stakes) - 10, 000 SLC

Pokechow - 300 SLC per 0.5 kilos (1 day's serving per person)

Portable Stove (Makes it easier for you to cook your own food on the field) - 5, 000 SLC

-----------------------------

24. Cracked

[] a stall owned by a large man and hawk-faced woman featuring rare evolution stones

-----------------------

"Oh, hello there!" the pokewoman greeted you, the distinctive antennae on her head identifying her as an Alakawham. "You're a new tamer, yes? Our evolution stones are just as reliable as what you may find in a Pokemart, but they're much more affordable!"

You tap on one of the large, reddish stones, examining the crack running down the crystal's center. "Doesn't an evolution stone need to be properly cut before it can be used?"

The man shrugged. "It depends. Despite what the big companies might say, there's nothing stopping you from taking a stone straight from the ground and using it to evolve a girl. Heaven knows it happens often enough." 

"That's true." You nodded. "But raw or uncut evolution stones tend to produce weaker effects compared to a properly prepared version. The resulting evolution isn't quite as strong as it would have been."

"Which is why our prices are cheaper." the Alakawham interjected smoothly. "We even have stones that are very difficult to find on the open market. Please, have a look. I'm sure you'll find something that'll catch your interest."

Current Budget: 34, 000 SLC

Evolution Stones available (Prices Reduced by 30% due to flaws): 

Uncommon (2, 100 SLC): Dream, Dark, Fire, Ice, Leaf, Thunder, Venom, Water

Rare (4, 200 SLC): Mana Stone, Moon Shard, Psi Crystal, Round Stone

Very Rare (7, 000 SLC): Dragon Scale, Shield Stone

---------------------------

[] Buy!

- [] What? 

[] Nah, I'd rather not 

- [] Leave the area

- [] Stay here and search for anything else that might be interesting

23. Wandering Around

[X] Sure, let's stay here a bit longer
- [X] Just wander around and see what catches your eye (3 random rolls)

--------------------------------------

You decide to wander around for a bit. The marketplace is bustling now, filled with crowds of people shoving and shuffling their way through the streets. All around you, stall owners jeer and shout, advertising their wares for everyone to see. 

It's hot, tight, and a thoroughly unpleasant experience, but in the end, you do find a few interesting looking stalls. You decide to check out...

[] a stall owned by a large man and hawk-faced woman featuring rare evolution stones

[] a small, brightly colored tent set up in a dimly lit alleyway, with a sign proclaiming "Madame Mystic's Fortune Telling"

[] a shabby looking man hovering nervously over a table covered with... fruit? 

22. More Shopping?

2 Conditioning balls (3K)
2 Feral balls (4K)
1 Orgasm ball (1,5K)
10 Greatballs (5K)
1 Heal ball (3.5K)
4 Elemental Balls - Fire, Dragon, Psychic and Steel (4K)

Total 21K (Remaining 34K SLC)

-------------------------

"A pleasure doing business with you, miss," the old man cackles. "If you need any more balls, you know where to find me."

You hand over the credits and pack away the customized pokeballs. Including the standard pokeballs that you got yesterday, you now have thirty different pokeballs of varying power - a fairly decent amount, in your opinion. Barring some horrific bad luck, you don't think you'll need to purchase any more for the time being. 

Looking around, you see that the market is growing more lively as noon approaches. Perhaps you can still find something useful hidden among the stalls?

[] Nah, that's enough shopping for now. Let's do something else

- [] What?

[] Sure, let's stay here a bit longer

- [] Just wander around and see what catches your eye (3 random rolls)

- [] Search for something in particular (1 roll with a bonus)