There was nothing better than spending a Saturday in order to avoid being blackmailed.

When June had delivered an artifact with the promised 'fifty-percent off', Howard's stress levels were through the roof. She complained and bemoaned her lack broken motorcycle. Clearly, she had wanted Howard to pay for it, lest June tattle on him to the proper authorities. Instead, he suggested catching a new ride, and thus found himself helping June catch one. He didn't want to. Frankly, he was hoping the delivery girl would forget about the exchange.

Yet if June was angry, then there was little stopping Howard from kissing concrete before getting tossed inside a jail cell. He had heard that Hoenn's newest prison had a notorious warden, and Howard didn't want to find himself bleeding out in prison because Team Rocket labeled him as a risk factor.

"Bonjour. Alola. Whatever you say. Hello, June." Howard's voice rang out from behind June as he approached her. She was easy to find, given that Howard had offered the meeting location. Between his knowledge of rural Hoenn and June's urban expertise, Howard was confident that they would be able to find something that would keep her satisfied. At least, he hoped so. Just as he hoped June knew anything about Slateport. Otherwise, he would be doing most of the work.

A horrible prospect.

"Yes. Deep breaths. I agree! Howard beamed at her. "Calm your nerves! Steel your vision! Prepare yourself! That way, we can get this done as quickly as possible before we both die of heatstroke!" It was stupidly hot today, yet Howard was well-prepared. His hat was wide-brimmed and his clothing was light. Scorching heat was his constant ally. Hopefully it meant that he would last longer than the delivery girl. Unfortunately, it also meant he'd have to drag her back to safety should today go poorly. The only funny idea Howard was remotely entertaining was whether or not it would be better to simply push June off a cliff and run away.

That wasn't a bad idea, actually. What was she going to do? Get on her motorcycle and chase after him?

Ha.

"Remind me what we're hunting for, again?" Howard barreled past his introduction. "Something fast, right? Can we hunt for like, an ice pack too or something?"

---

june sleigh

June whipped around at the sound of Howard and his best attempt to cover every common greeting used by people. She sighed a breath of relief and waved, "Hello hello! Glad you made it in one piece! And heat stroke is the least of my concerns personally."

"Hunting for a Pokemon I can ride and that goes decently fast. Online sources tell me Electric Types and Steel Types are common in the area," she reminded the archeologist. She swung her sling backpack around and undid a zipper to reveal a dozen and some change poke balls. The Red and white balls rattled in her sack as she dug out the first one and trapped them back in. "As you can see, don't got a bajillion of these things, but it should be enough to get at least two or three wild Pokemon. Of course, if you see anything else that you want, more than welcome to do... whatever you think is best."

If their last encounter had been anything to go by, Howard could be trusted to make some reasonable decisions. Not in terms of money. Any financial roadblocks would need to be solved by June. The prospect seemed dreadful to the delivery girl, but they both had their part to play. One could handle the people and necessary shops, the other would manage everything pokemon related.

She reached over to the side hidden from Howard of her backpack and produced a water bottle from another pocket. "And no ice pack yet! We've got a city to explore! Well, I do anyway. Not too many need a person like me here. Besides, you sounded like you knew the area like the back of your hand!"

Hopefully, Howard didn't mind her lack of knowledge of Slateport. June resolved to not be a total sack of dead weight when it came to navigation, but she simply didn't know the area well. Hence her decision to ask the man for help in the first place. At least he was overwhelmingly able and willing to help her out in a time like this.

Too enthusiastic even. 

"So let's go!" June declared. She swiveled her head around one last time before a direction was picked. Straight ahead of where she stood seemed the best course of action, right towards the start of an alleyway. Absolutely no basis in logic or reasoning. "Pokemon would hide out where there are less people, right?"

No great reasoning, anyway.

---

howard slayte

"Same." Howard sighed as he produced his bag and showed her his small amount of Pokeballs. "I'm not much of a collector. Can't really afford it, see."

This was said with a completely straight face, as if he didn't have enough antiques in his home to fill up an entire museum. Plus, he had given June a generous tip! He couldn't be that broke, right? Right? "You'll get something you can ride. Riding Pokémon is quite fun, assuming there's a trash can to vomit into nearby."

Howard had a flashback to when he was introduced to the wonderful world of riding Pokémon. It had involved much screaming, projectile vomiting, and a biker helmet. For a moment, Howard imagined Mauville's Gym Leader smiling down at him, pleased that his lessons were being remembered.

"My knowledge of Slateport is passable. Think less 'back of the hand', and more 'childhood photo you looked at once and wish you could forget'." Howard confessed, disappointed that June didn't know her way around Slateport. The blind was leading the blind. Well, Howard wasn't blind, so he guessed it was the visually impaired leading the blind. Hopefully they didn't bump into any metaphorical walls while they were stumbling around. "Guess I should prepare myself, then. Shirley, get up." The Aerodactyl's ball rattled before opening, leaving Howard with the familiar weight of the Aerodactyl on his shoulders.

"Sniff something?" Howard asked the fossil. Shirley's nose was impressive, even if it was mostly used to hunt down the treats Howard hid about his apartment, or the saltine crackers he kept on his person. "Not the crackers, no!" Howard flicked his partner's nose. She let out a small whine, and Howard wilted slightly. "Don't make me feel bad..."

Shirley began to yap in the direction June pointed at, then at her, and Howard sighed. "Does she have food on her person?" Shirley grew quiet.

"Shirley?" Silence. Howard cursed. "Fine. Let's go this way." Maybe they would just find a homeless person or something. Howard didn't think a fast Pokemon would be hiding off in an alleyway. They would prefer the open fields. Howard was unsure if this was actually true, but it seemed like something Josh Devlin would support.

"I have a question." Howard asked timidly as he jogged into the alleyway. "So do you ever do like, drug drops like in the movies? Where the package is in a super hidden spot and people have to come and get it later? Y'know, like in Brycen-Man 7?"

---

june sleigh

Since Howard made no attempt to stop June, she continued on entered the maw of the alley. It looked exactly as one would expect: clumps of litter and debris clung to the walls like barnacles, which in turn reeked. There was a surprising amount of room, though. Enough for the both of them to comfortably start their journey without fear of their Pokemon being too close for comfort. For when they found some wild Pokemon. 

"Depends on the person," she said in a deadpan tone while she stepped over a musky, damp cardboard box. "Idiots ask me to hide it somewhere super secret. Usually stop hearing from them real early on. Turns out, cops have plenty of Pokemon like yours: smell that shit from a mile away when it's just out in the 'open'. That or they never find it because they couldn't navigate their way out of a lunch box."

She nudged a plump garbage bag with her foot, which did little more than produce an awful slosh sound. "Big risk on my end too. All it takes is someone with a overblown sense of justice and I get thrown in the slammer. Lot easier and simpler to hand it to them in a discreet location. Long as you have a reason to be there, people don't even know what's going on."

This, of course, didn't cover a lot of risks and possibilities. The act itself had inherent risks that could not be avoided. People grimaced and complained about the relative monumental upcharge for those deliveries, but they paid it all the same. Those who didn't and went cheaper, she sometimes saw their names listed in the weekly police report. Dumbasses.

"And I'll shoot a question your way," June turned around and walked backwards, eyes locked onto Howard. "Did people way back when do drugs? Is that something you can even figure out from all those artifacts you got stuffed inside your place?"

---

howard slayte

Drugs? Oh, Arceus. She was hinting that if they didn't find this Pokemon for her, she'd end up reporting him to the authorities for posession of illegal substances. It wouldn't be hard for June to do so, either. She likely had a slew of sources from all her contacts as a delivery girl. It wouldn't be hard for her to ask for just enough magic powder to dust Howard's bag, resulting in him getting mauled by an officer's Growlithe at the bus stop.

There was no way this was a normal question. It was... baited.

Yet he had to answer her, right? In order to keep up appearances of this being an actual conversation. If he simply laughed nervously and looked away, she'd think he was deranged. Or flirting. Or both. Therefore, he dug into his knowledge on Sinnoh history. He blew out air as he put his hand on his hip, before answering.

"Yeah, I haven't unearthed any myself, but there's evidence that people in northern Sinnoh chewed on a plant called Spright. It made them feel warm during winter, which, in northern Sinnoh, was essentially every day." Howard frowned at her. "And no, I don't have experience with it. Don't even think about asking that."

Suddenly, a pile of litter moved to their left, and Howard held up a hand in a shushing motion. With even, light (as light as Shirley would allow) steps, Howard quickly approached the pile. He nodded at June, before moving a Slateport Sunday newspaper. Under it was...

a Joltik.

Joy.

Howard rolled his eyes and prepared to turn back to June before a large metal object domed him on the side of the head, and Howard kissed trash. "Guhhhwhazzat?" Howard muttered in the dirt before Shirley began to growl and roar at the ball. When Howard stood up, a Forretress was having a stare-off with Shirley. Howard felt woozy, but he managed to paw his way into a bag.

"Ssstupid ball. My ball is better!" Howard slurred at it. Hopefully he didn't have a concussion. He couldn't afford a hospital bill. With a surprisingly lucid throw, Howard flung a ball from his bag towards the metal insect.

HOWARD SLAYTE -1 Pokeball, Catch Attempt on Forretress.

---

june sleigh

"Why would I care if you got experien--"

A rustle and Howard's sudden motion to shut the hell up cut her off. She nodded seriously back, and slowly approached the pile of garbage alongside the archeologist. Not nearly as close as the man, but still close enough to help if the situation called for it. He wasted no time and revealed the culprit of the sudden commotion: a small, yellow creature with four legs. For Howard, it stood for absolutely nothing of interest. Just a creature usually found in the trash or other small places that foraged for leftover scraps or even other potential insects. 

However, a poke ball by June's side rattled on her belt. She spared a glance to see which one it was, but the answer should've been obvious. Too excited, another Pokemon joined the fray. A near identical silhouette materialized a foot away from the small bug type, then copied its own fuzzy body and yellow fur. If Howard had been disappointed with the first one (and wasn't busy getting bodied by a Forretress), he was about to be let down a second time in mere moments.

Another Joltik, from June herself.

"Look Cathode! A friend!"

It buzzed in agreeance and excitement as it skittered towards its own kind. The wild one did not move away but gave its newcomer a curious, deep stare whilst it approached. Soon after the distance was closed, Cathode circled the wild pokemon in order to better understand it. It followed along rather well, it's own curiosity piqued. A double swirl of small yellow crumbs that desperately tried to get a good look at the either. After a few seconds they both slowed down and stopped suddenly, too dizzy to keep going.

After that, the two closed their eyes and let out joyous yet dazed chitters. "Well, not what I was looking for, but... oh, how can I say no?"

June held out the empty pokeball and let gravity do the rest. It fell unceremoniously to the floor and bounced a few times. While this spooked the wild Joltik back into the depths of the trash it had been scavenging in, it could not escape the beam that seized it and dematerialized it. After a few moments, the ball began to shake.

A loud noise distracted June. Howard's slurred speech and angry lob of his own poke ball made itself known, something that she had absolutely no idea was going on. This must've happened while she was enamored with the wild Joltik! "What the hell, you alright Howard? Need some help?"

Notably, she made absolutely no effort to step in and help the man. Forretress weren't known for their physical might or special prowess. If the archeologist struggled with such a unproblematic pokemon, then there was no hope for him to continue on further. Or hope for June to get whatever she needed. That Aerodactyl could help its trainer out more than she could anyway. 

Meanwhile, Cathode skittered back to the safety of the black smelly bags of garbage. One set of eyes on the poke ball-slash-friend, the other on the terrifying fossil pokemon. 

JUNE SLEIGH -1 Pokeball, Catch Attempt on Joltik.

---

howard slayte

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD BOLTUND APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] FEMALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] STRONG JAW
[attr="class","wildtabox"]CHARGE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]ELECTRIFY
[attr="class","wildtabox"]NUZZLE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]TACKLE
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]june sleigh howard slayte

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD ELECTRIKE APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] MINUS
[attr="class","wildtabox"]SHOCK WAVE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]DISCHARGE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]QUICK ATTACK	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]ROAR
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]june sleigh howard slayte

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

BOTH OF YOUR CAPTURE ATTEMPTS ARE SUCCESSFUL!

"Guh... Whazzat? Woah, I'm seeing double!" Howard groaned as the ball clicked and confirmed a capture. He blinked at June and Cathode, along with their new friend. "Four Joltiks!"

Howard slapped his face twice in an attempt to bully the rest of his body into functioning, which was the physical equivalent of walking off getting ran over by a bus. Forget the phrase 'walk it off'. There was only so much the human body could take. It was easy for June to think about how easy Forretress were to deal with. She hadn't been decked in the back of the head with a steel ball threatening three hundred pounds. Howard's gaze sharpened as everything was put back into sharp contrast.

Huh. He owned that steel ball now, didn't he?

It was a strange feeling. He hadn't owned a new Pokemon since he started digging up fossils. He looked at the ball with a strange mixture of fondness and barely restrained violence. His head hurt and felt like it was packed with sand, but this was now his Pokémon, wasn't it?

Then, something licked Howard's face, and Shirley growled and leapt off her trainer's back, snarling at the new challenger. Howard blinked. "Hey, long time no see, Blitz. Or was it Crash? Play nice, Shirley." Howard said as Shirley growled louder, before lunging forward to snap at the Boltund. It yelped and scampered off.

Howard frowned at Shirley and put his hand on his hip, before turning to June with a smirk.

"Well, are you happy with your new ride? I'm sure it'll take some getting used to, but I have faith in you, Delivery Girl Number One."

---

june sleigh

"Sounds like a 'no'. Well, you got the catch at least!" June said brightly. As soon as she finished her sentence, another familiar click! rang out right next to her foot. She looked at the poke ball that stopped its movement and now lay dormant. Cathode slowly crept out from its hiding spot to investigate the ball, as if it had never seen it before. "And I did too! Score!"

This was certainly anything but a score. Hadn't they come out here in the hopes of getting her a rideable pokemon? Sure, she had gained a friend for her Joltik, but unless those grew to monumental size and also didn't mind her as extra weight then it was not the thing they came here for. She frowned and bent down to grab the now-occupied poke ball. Cathode had clambered onto the top and rode it all the way up to her side belt. From there, she secured the ball and forcibly retreated Cathode back to its own home.

"Oh, ha ha funny guy. Try not to find the pokemon the hard way next time, eh?" She stuck out her tongue at the archeologist. Yea, so the Joltik wasn't what she needed. There were plenty of poke balls to catch another pokemon. Like the one that nipped her ankle! Wait, what?

"Ow, fuck!" June quickly whipped her left foot away from the pain and investigated the area. Once again, her inability to pay much attention had come back to bite her literally. This green creature with the yellow highlights must've snuck up on her while she harassed Howard again. It looked innocent and friendly enough, if still a wild pokemon. It jumped back as soon as June had moved and pressed itself against the wall in defense. 

An almost irresistable urge to send Matchstick out and chase it all the way out the city emerged from her head, but rational spoke up soon after: these things evolved into Manectrics! That one Josh guy had one at his own gym with a saddle and everything, right? If they didn't find a proper pokemon to ride this thing would do the trick if she put in some elbow grease! And restraint to throw it back into the wild in a fit of rage.

"Hope we find something better than you," She pulled another poke ball from behind her back and tossed it at the Electrike. Once more, it disappeared into the ball and shook violently. "And at least I didn't nearly get brained on my side. Hope you're taking notes!"

JUNE SLEIGH Capture Attempt, -1 Pokeball on Electrike

---

howard slayte  

"Indeed I did. I think I need to go to the hospital eventually..." Howard leaned over as another wave of nausea assaulted him. Yeah, he was concussed. It happened to the best adventurers, and at least they were lucky enough to be in a city. Then, a horrible realization hit Howard:

The fees.

If he went to a hospital, they'd charge him out the nose for a bottle of painkillers! No! Absolutely not! If an ambulance was rushing down the street right now, Howard would jump behind a garbage can to avoid detection. If he ever got a hospital bill, Howard would rather die first. Or perhaps he could simply retreat into the wilderness, and refuse to pay his bills. He could live off the land, and use his geographical knowledge to guide people into ruins.

"Woah. The archaeologist blinked. "I am losing my mind. Gah!" Howard took a step back as June leered at him. Was she... threatening him? Howard felt a bit of his soul die. He wouldn't be cowed so easily! He stuck his tongue out too and leered at June, refusing to back down. However, that didn't last long as Howard snickered at the Electrike's biting attack. "Nyeheh...

"Oops. I mean... Oh no! How could that poor dog do something so horrible!" Howard said mechanically as he peered at the Pokémon. Josh did have one of those, didn't he? Howard only had the fortune to ride on a Luxray, so far. Electrikes didn't look very fluffy, unfortunately.

"Is that it! Did you catch something you can ride on? Sure, you'll have to raise it up a bit, but y'know... Howard shrugged innocently in a tone that suggested that he was all-to-willing to escape June's antics. "Practice makes perfect!

Please let me go... Howard thought to himself.

---

june sleigh

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD JOLTIK APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] SWARM
[attr="class","wildtabox"]GASTRO ACID	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]SPIDER WEB
[attr="class","wildtabox"]SLASH	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]DISCHARGE
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]june sleigh howard slayte

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

[attr="class","wildtemp"]

[attr="class","wildbgsaf"]

[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD EXCADRILL APPEARED!

[attr="class","wildshiny"]

[attr="class","wildpkmnbox"]

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtab"]

[attr="class","wildtabox"] MALE	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] SAND FORCE
[attr="class","wildtabox"]MUD SPORT	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]ROTOTILLER
[attr="class","wildtabox"]HORN DRILL	[attr="class","wildtabox2"]MUD SLAP
[attr="class","wildtabox"] ---	[attr="class","wildtabox2"] ---

[attr="class","wildtag"]june sleigh howard slayte

[attr="class","wildnote"] WHAT WILL YOU DO?

june sleigh CAUGHT THE ELECTRIKE!

"Ugh. No. I'd rather release this stupid thing back into the wild than ride it," June bemoaned as she bent down to pick up her new pokemon. She had to resist the urge to chuck the ball as far as possible, and instead holstered it alongside the other newcomer on her belt. Unlike the Joltik, she could feel the weight of this one as it hung there. Desperate times...

No! She couldn't give up yet! She would find a pokemon better and more suitable for riding than this cretin! "Let's get some more practice in by finding more pokemon. If I run out of poke balls before we find something better then it'll have to do, and I still got plenty of them in my satchel!"

With her declaration that their expedition would continue (much to Howard's chagrin), she turned around and trekked further into the alleyway. Who cared if her partner desperately needed a trip to a local clinic, or if he thought this whole entire trip was a waste of time but necessary to avoid her 'wrath'? June needed more chances, and by Arceus she would make it happen. Even if it required one of them to be dragged across the finish line, little more than a sack of broken bones and lost wills.

And she refused to be the one dragged. Drug? Draggen? Whatever!

Her brief, spontaneous motivation, however, died rather fast as the earth rattled beneath the two. Not even ten steps into it and she stopped in sudden apprehension. Bricks shuttered in their mold and rubbish vibrated like jell-o as the weird motion continued. "Woah... what the hell?"

Before them, the concrete cracked. Around five feet ahead of June, right beneath another wild Joltik. A piece of pollen before the ensuing storm of rubble and debris. Crumbles of grey and brown popped out from the ground like firecrackers, dislodged by some unknown force. That tiny yellow spec followed suit, clung on tight to one of the small chunks that flew backwards and away.

Whatever was behind the sudden appearance, it did not stay hidden for long. A metal cone sprouted from the newly created crevice. The cone slowly grew in size as the wielder continued their excavation, more and more of them revealed. It took no time at all for the brown, dirt covered main body to appear from the soil. Streaks of read adorned its chest and neck, as if it has been attacked. 

Unfortunately, she knew exactly what this creature was. "EXCADRILL!"

"Howard! HOWARD! You're an archeolo-ma-person, deal with that thing!" She skipped back a few steps, with only a few spare glances to guide her. June skipped right past Howard and right behind the Aerodactyl. While they had only known each other for little more than a week, this behavior seemed out of left field for the woman, who 'blackmailed' and 'threatened' without a second thought. Bad experiences with Excadrill in the past, perhaps?

---

howard slayte