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A Winkle in Reality: Chapter 15.
🕑 Added 2025-06-23 13:00:19 +0000 UTCThe journey officially begins. Fucking finally. I'm gonna be 80 before this shit wraps up.
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The surroundings blurred by as the car sped along the dirt path, small rocks crunching under the tires. None of us paid much attention to it. It was far from the first time we’d visited the Pallet outskirts. The Professor had multiple times taken the class on an overnight field trip, to observe the truly wild Pokémon outside the reserve. The camping had been fun and good experience for our journeys, but the Pokémon themselves weren't anything to write home about. Pidgeys, Rattatas, Weedles, Caterpies, it was all basic stuff. Ash swore that he’d seen a Scyther once and Oak had sent them on a multiple hour expedition to find it, running around like dickheads in the middle of the night, but nothing ever came of it.
Neither were the people anything to talk about, mostly on account of them not being there. The reserve was very much off limits to those that didn't have permission, several Rangers rotating in and out to make sure poachers didn't sneak through. Combined with Viridians close proximity, it was rare to find people just hanging around. Any Trainers passing through were either only a handful when the League season started and the newbies set out or experienced Trainers coming back to Pallet. Neither were really worth it for Rookie Crushers to bother hanging about, especially when they could just wait outside Viridian to find more victims and avoid Oak's well known disdain for the practice.
As such, the two hour trip passed quickly and without anything noteworthy occurring. The only thing of interest was when we rushed past Jonathan, Gary spamming the horn and Jonathan screaming obscenities in return. Beyond that, Gary busied himself with his new PokéDex while I talked to the cheerleaders.
“You got five badges? Damn, that's impressive.” I praised Serana, making her smile at me and toss her red hair over her shoulder.
“Thanks! I was on my third circuit by then, but it was really hard! I trained for months to beat Koga and even then it was only because of Kadabra that I won. And Sindy got six! The most out of all of us!”
I turned to the blue haired Sindy, genuinely impressed. “Beauty and skill, you are one hell of a group!” And I meant it. Gym badges weren't anywhere near as easy to get as in the games. Most people could get the first one as that was very basic. Two, three, and four got progressively harder and harder but it was generally accepted that if you wanted to make a living of off being a Trainer, you should be around the level of a fourth badger.
Anything beyond that though was where the men were separated from the boys. Type advantages and basic moves weren't gonna cut it. It took real skill from both Trainer and Pokémon to get the fifth badge, not to mention the sixth.
There was a reason that Trainers with eight badges got an automatic buy-in to the top 256 in the Conference. It didn't make you Master level, but if Conference winner was the step under the coveted title, then having eight badges in a single season was just under that.
I’d suspected that there was more to the girls than just moral support, but that confirmed it. Oak might spoil Gary a little, but giving him five professional Trainers as disguised bodyguards made way more sense than giving a teenager a bunch of smoking hot cheerleaders.
Unless the Professor was trying to parent trap his grandchild to keep him at home, yet I doubted it.
“If you're done embarrassing yourself, we're here.” Gary piped up from the passenger seat.
Looking ahead I saw that he was right. The solid Steelix steel gates of Viridian stood open before us with the Gym logo etched into the front, a 40 foot wall of old, yet sturdy stone encircling the ancient city.
It wasn't the first time I’d been to Viridian, having accompanied Delia to the city when she needed something that Pallet couldn't provide, but it was as impressive everytime I noted as we rolled past the armored samurai-like guards.
In many ways the city reminded me of some European cities. The architecture was very old and traditional, the sloped roofs of the big stone houses with ornate overhangs displaying the old Kanto style, carefully placed buildings equally spaced out along the road. They’d managed to avoid industrialization throughout the years through very strict requirements for immigration and building permits, alongside significant cultural weight in the community. Viridian was an ancient city, with an undeniable pedigree, and they were damn fucking proud of it. That pride could be seen everywhere in its people, many of them wearing traditional Kanto kimonos of purple and orange, scowling at us as we rolled through in Gary's flashy sports car.
Viridian was also known as the Gateway of Indigo Plateau, and was the birthplace of Champion Indigo, the first Champion and the one to unite the Clans of Kanto under one banner. Supposedly he was the younger son to the ruling family of Viridian, which is why he started his conquest with Pewter. According to legend, his older brother was the leader of Viridian and only after uniting all the others, did Indigo challenge his family and found the Indigo Plateau deep in the Silver Mountains to the north.
For over 500 years since then, Viridian had stood guard of the only Kanto road that leads to the League headquarters and seat of the Champion, against multiple invasions from the sea and holding back and taming the wild forests of the area, despite its small size. They controlled their territory much more carefully than most other Gyms, due to the thickness of the forest that was a great breeding ground for powerful Pokémon.
As it was kept in check, it was a popular starting spot for new trainers. The city had a Gym, but unlike the other ones, Viridian Gym was allowed to be much more brutal and utilize stronger Pokémon, as the strongest Gym in the region.
Which was another reason the town was called the Gate. Viridian in Kanto and Blackthorn in Johto. The Gatekeepers of the Conferences.
One of which was the most important part of Viridian for me.
Giovanni.
Giovanni was the Gym Leader, and despite the close proximity with Pallet Town, neither Gary nor I had ever met him or even heard all that much about him. He was allegedly a stern, hard man, like the Ground-types he favored, yet a genius businessman. He was also a descendant of a branch family of the Pebble Clan of Pewter, despite not claiming the name, and distantly related to the near extinct Satoshi Clan. And, of course, how he was the next strongest Trainer in Kanto outside the Elite Four.
That was it. That was all I’d been able to figure out about the fuck. Not even a hint of all the crimes he’d committed, not even a whisper on the PokéNet. I had to hand it to him, he was good.
It wasn't gonna save him, but he was good.
“It's fucking bullshit that we can't challenge the Gym. The guy only gets a couple challengers a year and spends the rest of the time fucking around and we have to pay the bum taxes!?” Gary complained as we drove by said Gym. It loomed tall over us, large pillars holding up the suspended stone porch roof. Made of natural granite and sandstone, the Gym felt as ancient as the rest of the city, if not even older, clearly designed with practicality and lifespan in mind. The only hint to form over function was the odd roof being two quarter circles that met in the middle, only for the left one to be several feet under the right one.
“Perks of being the Gate and a bona-fide Master, I guess.” I absently commented while surveying the building. It was a tradition that both Kanto and Johto followed, allowing their strongest Gyms to only be challenged by those with seven badges or more. “Also what do you mean ‘we pay taxes’? You don't pay shit.”
I was ignored.
“Are you sure you wanna get out here? It's a long walk to Pewter.” Gary asked as we came to the other side of the wall, identical gates to the ones we came in through leading out. The driving woman, whose name I never got, pulled over to the side once we were a bit outside the walls.
“Yeah, I haven't been through here. Only feels right to do it on foot at least once.” I shrugged, squeezing Sindy and Serana one more time before climbing my way out.
“If you wanna be left behind, that's your prerogative I guess. However,” I turned to him to make my goodbyes, only to find him standing outside the car with a smirk, lightly throwing a Pokéball up and down with his right hand, “don't think you can escape before getting your ass kicked. This has been years in the making.”
I returned the smirk, reaching down to grab Siren's ball. She was technically my first Pokémon so it was only fair that she was my first pick for my first official battle. “Inadequacy issues finally got the better of you, huh? That's cool, you've been needing a beating for a while.”
Seeing where my hand went, Gary quickly shut me down. “Hey, none of that shit! Use Growlithe, he's the only one you haven't trained.”
I stared at him incredulously. “What!? You can't do that! That's bullshit! You'll have to use your Growlithe too then!”
“Nope,” the dick crossed his arms, “yours is bigger than mine. This is the only fair way. Unless you don't think you can handle it?”
I gritted my teeth at the infuriating superior expression on his face, yet still moved my hand to grab Growlithe’s ball instead. Cheating fuck, baiting me like that. “At least you finally admit mine is bigger.”
That made him fume himself. “Shut up and send out your Pokémon.” Putting his money where his mouth was, he threw his own Pokeball and released Squirty, catching the ball on the bounce back confidently.
“Fine, but you're doubling your side of the bet.” I returned, sending out my own ball and catching it again. I’d gotten a lot better at that over the years.
Growlithe materialized with a big stretch, barking happily at the sight of Gary and Squirty, his tail wagging. Yet, upon seeing the serious look on my face, he crouched down and focused, letting out a deep growl.
“Fine, not like it's gonna matter anyway.” Taking out his PokéDex, he fiddled with it for a second. A ping! made me look down at my own device as the screen lit up, a notification informing me that I'd been challenged to a one-on-one Pokémon battle by Gary Oak, with a wager of 100 Poké, against his 200. Clicking the ‘accept’ button, we stashed them away again and readied ourselves.
We stared at each other, tension laying heavily in the air as we waited for someone to make the first move. The cheerleaders/bodyguards had all moved out of the car and were standing behind Gary. They too were silent, waiting for the battle to kick off.
Gary broke first.
“Water Gun!”
“Dodge and Tackle!”
Squirty's cheeks ballooned for a second before a pressurized jet of water shot out of its mouth. I couldn't help but admire its technique. Despite being a third of the age and a little slow, that wasn't much worse than Siren's. A faint suspicion blossomed in the back of my mind.
Fortunately, even though Squirty was a lot more proficient than I’d expected, Growlithe wasn't taken off guard. He’d started his charge even before the Water Gun launched and nimbly sidestepped the attack and continued hurling towards the turtle, his head lowering and preparing for impact.
Unfortunately, that faint suspicion proved to be true.
“Again!”
Seeing water gather in Squirty’s mouth for another Water Gun, I gritted my teeth and mentally cursed the smirking dickhead. There was no way an untrained Pokémon could attack twice that fast.
Growlithe was too close to dodge again, so there was really only one choice.
“Take it!”
Gary's eyes widened as Growlithe lowered his head even more and took the Water Gun head on. He stumbled, slowing down and winching as the attack hit him head on, but he stayed up and powered through it, his speed picking back up as the move petered off.
Squirtle had good defense, but wasn't known for their mobility. There was no way Squirty could get out of the way fast enough.
“Withdraw!”
I literally growled as the turtle's limbs shot back into its shell, and it fell to the ground right as Growlithe hit it. The force of the over three foot tall and 80 pound canine sent the shell flying, slamming into a tree hard enough to crack the bark. Growlithe panted while Squirty dazedly emerged from its protection, the Fire-Type obviously exhausted from the super effective move.
Untrained my ass. Squirty's responses to commands were too fast, its moves coming too smooth.
It would seem Gary had pulled a fast one and trained him when I wasn't looking, then tricking me into a losing battle.
Or so he thought.
“Growlithe, again!”
Gary looked at me confused, but quickly shook it off.
“If you wanna give me the win, then by all means! Squirty, Water Gun again!”
I tensed as the Water Gun built up, Growlithe charging fearlessly forward at my command. The turtle’s cheeks shook from the pressure before the jet of water pierced through the air with force towards my Pokémon.
As planned.
“Roar!”
“What?!”
Mid run, Growlithe opened his mouth and let out a mighty bellow, a deep rumbling sound that caused the forest around them to fall silent. A visible shockwave erupted from his mouth and spread swiftly. Squirty flinched from the loud sound as the attack hit him, instinctive fear making him take a couple steps back and cut off his Water Gun prematurely. The initial blast still hit Growlithe as he resumed his charge, yet it was unfocused and weaker than it could’ve been, allowing Growlithe to take it and make it through to the other side, hurt, yet still standing.
“Bite!”
“Withdraw, Squirty, Withdraw!”
It was too slow, the Roar still affecting the Water-Type and making him hesitate. Growlithe was upon him in a flash, maw opened wide and teeth glinting black with poorly wielded Denial energy. Amateurish as the use of Dark energy was compared to those I’d seen in the past, it was still effective as Growlithe’s jaws wrapped around Squirty's shell, the carapace bending from the force. The turtle cried out as the dog Pokémon shook his head back and forth viciously, growling as small cracks started spreading through the Squirtle's natural armor. Before anything serious could be afflicted, Growlithe let go of his opponent with one last flick off his head, sending the blue Pokémon flying back into the same tree it hit the last time.
“SQUIRTY!”
I watched worriedly as Growlithe laid down on his belly, panting furiously. He didn't have any injuries other than a big bruise already forming on his forehead, but Type energy interaction wasn't as simple as that. I hadn't figured out the exact mechanics behind it yet, but super effective attacks somehow caused way more exhaustion than they should, like they diminished the victims own energy.
“Yeah, that's it! Show that ugly mutt what's what!”
Looking back at Squirty, I frowned as the Water-Type struggled to his feet once again. His eyes rolled around in his head as he stumbled, fissures spreading through his shell from two puncture marks in the front and I imagined matching ones on the back.
Yet despite the beating he’d taken, the Squirtle took a wide stance to keep his balance and tried his best to focus.
Neither Pokémon would make it through another attack consciously.
It all came down to who was faster.
“EMBER!”
“WATER GUN!”
Growlithe was a lot more tired, his energy drained from the repeated exposure to Water-Energy, yet Squirty was dizzy and fuzzy from being shook around and thrown into a tree repeatedly. The barrage of sparks burst from the Fire-Type's mouth first, too exhausted to even stand up from the ground. The jet of water followed before the Ember could cover more than half of the distance. The compressed liquid tore through the Fire attack in a burst of steam, not even slowed as it ripped a clean path towards Growlithe, striking him in the chest and sending him rolling across the grass with a whine.
But Water Gun was a narrow attack and no matter how great the Type advantage, it still had to hit for it to matter. Squirty cried out as the remaining 70% of the Ember attack pelted him and the immediate area, bursting into small flames on impact like tiny fireworks and making the Turtle Pokémon collapse onto his back.
“GROWLITHE! GET UP!”
“COME ON SQUIRTY, CRUSH THESE LOSERS!”
No reaction. Both Pokémon laid motionless on the ground, save the rhythmic rise and fall of their chests.
They were both knocked out.
It was a draw.
Stomping forward, I quickly recalled Growlithe to his ball. While I was worried about him, there was a PokéCenter in Viridian and I knew that he wasn't in critical condition. He'd be back in tip top shape within a couple of days. If anything, Squirty came out the worst in the battle. It was gonna take at least a week for his shell to recover.
However, all of that rushed through the back of my mind. I was far more concerned about rearranging Gary's face.
“What the fuck was that!?” I growled.
“What was what? You getting lucky?” He retorted from where he was crouched down, applying a Potion to his unconscious Pokémon. He didn’t look at me, at least until a swift kick sent the Potion bottle flying. Standing with an angry expression, he appeared completely taken aback when I was suddenly in his face, a light push to his chest forcing him back a couple of steps.
“I meant your fucking Pokémon, dipshit! I had to use an untrained Pokémon, huh!? To make it fair, huh!? How long have you been sneaking out and training him, huh!?” another push rocked him, though he managed to brace against that one.
“I don't know what you're talking about, loser! Don't blame us for having more skill than you!” He played a good game, but even if I hadn’t been certain, the way he wouldn't meet my eyes gave him away.
“Skill!? The fucker is already near evolution!” I hadn't noticed it at the Lab, but it was the truth. The blue color of Squirty's skin had a slight purple tint to it, and the size that I’d attributed to his lineage and diet was greater than I remembered. The turtle was almost the size I’d expect an Alpha Squirtle to be. Likewise, now that I got an up close look, the curled up tip of the Water-Types tail was elongated and turning pale, while two tiny points of a pair of fangs peeked out from his open mouth.
He didn't have anything to say to that, just gazing off into the trees sullenly.
“Does the Professor know about this!?” That got a flinch from him, though based on the slight look of guilt he gave me from the corner of his eyes, it wasn’t for the reasons that I hoped.
“Un-fucking-believable. So, I can't train the Pokémon I nearly fucking died to get, but you can train one that's not even yours yet!? Nepotism is alive and fucking well, huh!?”
Son of a bitch. The Professor had been on my ass every time I spent more than an hour with either Betty or Siren, bitching and moaning about ‘fairness’ and ‘favoritism’, yet that was apparently only a thing for me?
An ugly thought struck me. Was it about me, or was it about Gary? Was it to make sure that my team wasn't too strong for a rookie Trainer, or to make sure that I wasn't that much stronger than Gary?
In my peripheral, over Gary's shoulder, I saw the cheerleaders look between Gary and I and at each other, one hand by their Pokémon belts.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath through my nose, holding the air in my lungs. I was getting out of control. Taking action based on assumptions was a stupid idea, as I'd been repeatedly told in therapy. I had to stop and think about the pros and cons before deciding anything, like Dr. Enthal had taught me.
Cons of breaking Gary's nose: 1, it would sour our relationship, which I didn't give a fuck about at the moment. 2, I'd probably get jumped by the girls. 3, it might fuck things up with Oak, which I also found it hard to care about. 4, I'd be beating up a kid.
Pros: 1, it would feel really fucking good. 2, I'd probably get jumped by the girls. It was a matter of perspective.
Exhaling explosively, I carefully uncurled my fists and opened my eyes. They were all watching me carefully, the girls with serious expressions totally at odds with their earlier good cheer, while Gary had gone slightly pale.
Not worth it.
Fuck.
Sticking my finger in his face, I hissed at him.
“It's real fucking ironic that you run around calling other people losers, because you're the biggest fucking loser I've ever fucking seen! You fucking suck, Gary, and there's a reason no one fucking likes you!”
With my piece said, I spun around on my heel and walked back into Viridian.
“Peri, come on…”
I ignored him, making for the PokéCenter.
“Whatever…”
The rumbling of the engine and crunch of gravel heralded them taking off.
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“Here's your Growlithe! He was mostly just exhausted, so we gave him a couple of Potions and cleared the Water-Type energy out of his system. He should take it easy for at least the rest of the day, but there is nothing truly wrong with him.”
“Thank you, Nurse Joy.” I accepted the ball she held out to me and attached it to my belt. It hadn't taken more than two hours for them to clear Growlithe, time I'd spent stocking up on some more supplies. A couple of Antidotes and Repels, as well as extra water and food. Viridian Forest was crawling with Bug and Poison-Types, most of which wasn't particularly happy with being disturbed. I'd been willing to risk it earlier, but since I had the time, there was no reason to not do it.
It had drained most of the 500 Poké Oak had put in our accounts when he made them, but it was worth it.
“It was my pleasure to help such a handsome Pokémon. Thank you for your patronage, we hope to see you again!”
I gave her a weird look, but didn't say anything. That line hadn't made sense in the games and it didn't make sense in reality.
The trek back to the northern exit of Viridian passed uneventfully. The PokéCenter was near the middle of the city, but Viridian wasn't very big in the first place, so it took less than 10 minutes to make it back to where I'd fought Gary. The trip was actually nicer than in the car. The glares of the natives had disappeared alongside the flashy vehicle, people on the street smiling at me as our eyes met. Well, some smiled. Others started to look pleasant, only to take a closer look at my face and sneer instead, whispering to their friends and throwing me glances in a faux sneaky way.
I didn't know what their problem was, but they could go fuck themselves. My earlier good mood had vanished after the way things went down with Gary and I just wanted to actually start my fucking journey already.
The crisp spring air filled the Viridian Forest with the scent of budding flowers and plants. The tree lines on either side of the main path started out thin, with plenty of room to move between them, the undergrowth sparse and young, yet the further in I looked, the thicker and more untamed it got. It was by design, I knew. Viridian Forest was one of the most popular spots for new Trainers to gain experience, Bug Trainers flocking to the woods in droves in hopes of catching one of the rarer species like Scyther or Pinsir, the forest boasting the largest single population of Bug-Types. As such, the main roads were heavily patrolled by Rangers and Viridian Gym Trainers, keeping the stronger wild Pokémon at bay and kicking out the more shameless of the Rookie Crushers. There were large signs posted every few hundred yards, warning against exploring the woods with anything less than four badges, and even then to be careful. A single Beedrill might not be a threat to a professional level Pokémon, but a swarm of a 100 was a different story.
At the same time, the untamed parts had served as a natural defense against Johto and even Hoenn forces coming from Sevii, for centuries. The dense forest and highly aggressive Bug-Types had done as much against invasions as Viridian itself. It was even a common theory that Giovanni had the wild Pokémon trained to make them even stronger.
All of that passed through my mind as I stepped off the path and headed in between the trees after a small half-hour walk. I didn't go deep, but it was still nerve-wracking. Many a rookie had thought themselves above the warnings, often because they had a Fire-Type starter, and had vanished, never to be seen again.
Thankfully, I didn't have to go far to find a small clearing, only having to take a minor detour to avoid an overly aggressive Pidgeotto that luckily backed off when it saw that I didn't have any Pokémon out and went out of my way to avoid it. Not all wild Pokémon were that graceful when someone stumbled into their territory and I had a hand on Siren's and Betty’s Pokéballs the whole time.
Flowers of every hue bloomed in the glade, a carpet of barely opened petals filling the area with their sweet scent. Budews and Sunkerns fled at my approach, rushing to hide behind Roselias and Sunfloras as the evolved plant Pokémon bared their blossoms at me threateningly, the smell of pollen intensifying as they got ready to protect their children. I held up my hands and stayed at the outskirts, trying to show them that I wasn't a threat. I refrained from releasing my team, hoping the locals would calm down a little and not take it as a challenge. I also slyly pulled my PokéDex from my pocket and captured a small video of the young Grass-Types hiding behind the older ones. Not every Budew went to the Rosalias, nor the Sunkerns to the Sunfloras. They seemed to have merely sought the one that was the closest, which was interesting to see in the wild.
I may have been slightly pissed at the Professor, but that was no reason to miss potentially interesting research.
Gazing around the clearing, I frowned as I noticed the lack of sunlight. It should only be around noon. Looking up, my eyebrows shot up at the dark, rolling clouds above me. Now that I thought about it, there was a slight hint of ozone in the air, hidden beneath the flowers, fresh dirt, and plants.
It would really suck if it started raining. I had an umbrella, but I just wanted something to go right today.
Judging that I might be in a hurry, and seeing that the Grass-Types had gone to the other side of the glade to let the children play while a Roselia and two Sunflora kept an eye on me, I finally released my three Pokémon.
Siren scanned her surroundings with a suspicion that made me sad, though she quickly brightened up when she saw me and no enemies. Levitating a good foot over the ground, she shot over to me nearly as gracefully as she would in the water and plopped down by my feet to glare over at the watchful Grass-Types. I smiled at the ease at which the Feebas moved. It had been a while since she’d shown off for me so I was a little out of date on her progress. I was pretty sure she wanted it to be a surprise when we finally set off.
Betty, on the other hand, had barely finished materializing before she noticed that we were in a new place. Screeching with happiness, she rushed towards the closest non friendly Pokémon, the Rosalia, with a wide open maw.
“BETTY, NO! STOP!”
Grinding to a halt, her weight digging a small trench into the ground, grass and plants trampled, she turned back to me with wide eyes and a whine.
“Here.” I pointed in front of me.
Her head on a swivel, she turned from me to the Grass-Type, completely unbothered as the evolved forms gathered together once more to present a united front. The Dragon-Type whined piteously again, trying to take another sneaky step towards her perceived prey.
I wasn't having it.
“Now Betty!”
Skulking, she stomped back towards me, falling on her ass gracelessly as she pouted. I sighed while throwing her a treat, making her perk back up, even as Siren scolded her with disapproving gurgles.
I was really nervous about using her in battle. It would be a while before I did so, as the Professor was probably right about keeping her somewhat hidden until we were stronger, but even wild Pokémon were gonna be a challenge.
Growlithe had ignored Betty's behavior, being used to it, and was laying on his side exhaustedly. Sitting down beside him, I ran my fingers through his thick warm fur, both to comfort him and to check him over. As Nurse Joy had said, there wasn't anything physically wrong with him, the bruises on his forehead and chest were gone, but he would be low energy for a couple of days.
“That was a good fight.” Given the way he huffed and curled into a ball, he disagreed.
“Come on buddy, don't be like that,” I shook him playfully, “it was a great fight. Sure, we didn’t win, but it was your first real battle and we got fucking robbed as well. Not only did Squirty have the Type advantage, but Gary's been training him for months, and you still managed to pull off a draw. How many rookie Fire-Types can claim to take two Water Guns head on and keep going? You're such a good boy.” I'd managed to roll him over onto his back and was aggressively giving him belly scratches while he pawed at me, panting happily at the attention and praise.
I wasn't sure how it happened, but I soon found myself on the bottom of fur and scales, Growlithe’s tongue wagging and Betty trying to dislodge him from the top to get her own turn pinning me down. Siren watched with slightly upturned eyes as I managed to extract myself.
“Okay, okay, enough of that.” Growlithe sat down and looked at me attentively, while Betty leered at the still watching plant Pokémon. “You're the only one on the team without a name. Do you want one?”
“WOOF!”
“Good! I have the perfect one. In honor of your mother and the Professor, your name shall be… Smokey!”
Growlithe stared up at me with no reaction.
“Okay, not Smokey. Hmmm… Fiery?”
Nothing.
“Doggy? No, that's not a name. Uhh… Growly? Though you're not very growly… Flamey?”
Still nothing.
“Damn, you're picky. What about…” a flash of a red fox in a dessert passed through my mind.” … Sol? It's an old name for a sun god I'd heard once.”
That got a reaction, the newly named Sol cocking his head for a second before jumping up and taking me down to the ground again, licking my face all the while.
“AH! No, don't- ahhh, get off!” It took a bit, but I did eventually manage to get back to my feet, Sol running around in happy circles as Betty cheered and Siren gurgled. I wasn't sure Betty really understood what just happened, preoccupied with thoughts of murder as she was, but she was happy to be there nonetheless.
“Yes, yes, it's very exciting. Alright, line up. Good girl, Siren. No, Sol, in front- Betty! Betty, here! Don't look at me like that, they're not food, here! There we go, okay. Fuck. We’ll work on that.” There were some minor problems, but soon all three of them were standing in a rough line.
Acting quickly before someone got impatient, I wiped out my PokéDex and pointed it at Betty. Hitting the button, I smiled as a mechanical voice that was practically the incarnation of my childhood spoke.
“Bagon, The Rock Head Pokémon. Bagon has a dream of one day soaring in the sky. In doomed efforts to fly, this Pokémon hurls itself off cliffs. As a result of its dives, its head has grown tough and as hard as tempered steel. Although it is small, this Pokémon is very powerful because its body is a bundle of muscles. Its well-developed neck muscles and iron-like head can smash boulders into pieces.”
“This Bagon has the ability: Sheer Force, and knows the moves: Tackle, Bite, Headbut, Ember, Dragon Dance (egg move).”
A long list of information followed. Things like gender, height, weight, age, and even current physical condition. It was an impressively comprehensive list for a simple scan.
Though I knew from one of Oak's rants that the PokéDex was connected to the Pokéballs and his own servers as well and that's where it got most of the in-depth info.
I snorted slightly when I saw the weight at over 450 pounds. It was easy to tell that she was big just by looking at her, clearing four and a half feet tall, yet I was always surprised by how fucking dense she was.
“I knew about most of these, but Dragon Dance?” I whistled impressed, rubbing Betty’s hard skull cap. “You're full of surprises, aren't you baby girl.” The Bagon seemed awfully smug about my words, glomping onto me happily now that she didn't have to stand still. Steadying myself, I accepted the hug. If nothing else it kept her close and out of trouble.
“Okay, let's just keep going down the row. Siren.” My ever patient Feebas looked at me with hooded eyes as the machine talked.
“Feebas, The Fish Pokémon. Feebas's fins are ragged and tattered from the start of its life. Because of its shoddy appearance, this Pokémon is largely ignored. While Feebas's body is in tatters, it has a hardy and tenacious life force that enables it to live anywhere. However, this Pokémon is also slow and dimwitted, making it an easy catch. Ridiculed for its shabby appearance, it is ignored by researchers.”
“This Feebas has the ability: Swift Swim, and knows the moves: Tackle, Water Gun, Ice Beam, Dragon Pulse (egg move).”
Siren deflated at the description, her levitation falling and letting her fall to the ground with down turned eyes. I had to resist the urge to throw the PokéDex against the nearest rock.
How dare it shit talk my little Princess?
“Don't listen, Princess.” Picking her up I held her close to my chest, feeling her lean into the hug. It was a little troublesome with Betty still clinging to me, but we made it work. “It's a stupid machine, made by stupid people. They don't know shit.”
She bubbled in response, trying to reassure me, but I'd know her long enough to tell when she was faking.
“Look at me.” I lifted her up higher so she had no choice. “You are beautiful and you are strong. Who cares what other people think. The only opinions that matter are yours and mine, and I'm telling you, you're awesome. Even if you never evolve, even if you stay a Feebas for the rest of our lives, I'll never be anything but happy that it was you that came out of that egg. Okay?”
She stared at me for a moment, searching my eyes. I wasn't worried. Even if the words might not have been true when she hatched, they were now. After nearly four years, I couldn’t imagine life without her.
My thoughts must have shone through as an awkward smile appeared on her face and she leaned in to press her lips against my cheek in her best attempt at a kiss. Pressing my own onto the top of her head, I put her down on the ground again.
“And hey, Dragon Pulse! That's cool. We'll have you train that with Betty. I want to get her started on Dragonbreath anyway.” Said Pokémon looked up at the mention of her name and bared her sharp fangs in excitement.
“First off, though. Last but not least.” I said, pointing the PokéDex at Sol as he wagged his tail, still sitting where I'd told him to.
Such a good boy.
“Growlithe, The Puppy Pokémon. Extremely loyal, it will fearlessly bark at any opponent to protect its own Trainer from harm. Jealously protective of its territory. Carelessly approaching it may result in a bite. Growlithe has a superb sense of smell. Once it smells anything, this Pokémon won't forget the scent, no matter what. It uses its advanced olfactory sense to determine the emotions of other living things.”
“This Growlithe has the ability: Flash Fire, and knows the moves: Bite, Roar, Ember, Agility, Leer, Odor Sleuth, Close Combat (egg move), Morning Sun (egg move).”
My jaw dropped a little at the list. Holy fuck. I knew that his pedigree was impeccable, but two egg moves!? It was rare for a Pokémon to have one that wasn't just something they'd learn anyway!
Gazing out over my team, I frowned slightly. All three of them had egg moves, and two were horrifically rare Pokémon besides that.
That was so lucky that it was somewhat suspicious. It did seem to be tempered with bad luck as well, but it was still really fucking weird.
“Jes-Mew, you're packing, huh boy?” I didn't let my thoughts show. Sol panted happily at my praise, as well as the ear scratches that followed. “Close Combat is self-evident, though very nice to see, as is Flash Fire. You're leaning more and more into the physical fighter aspect, which is cool, though we shouldn't over specialize. I don't know Morning Sun. Hmmm, let's see… oh, it's a healing move, using the sun. Very nice actually.”
It kind of gave me some ideas, depending on the exact mechanics. Though that was for a later time. Egg moves weren't something Pokémon could instinctively use, as much as it was a move that their parentage gave them the ability to learn, that they wouldn't have otherwise.
“Okay, great stuff all around. Now, I figured we could do a little training before heading towards Pewter. Not so much that we're exhausted, but it's about a week's walk, so we should get some training along the way. To start-”
CRA-CRA-BOOOOOOOM!
An ear shattering clap of thunder cut me off and made us all flinch, Sol in particular whining from the loud noise. I was just in time to turn my face upwards before a waterfall of rain started pouring down on us.
For fucks sake.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gary and the Professor up to some sus shit. And Sol gets his name.
Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed.
Comments
wretched Cat
An awesome read as always, sol is best boy. Except for Ra (R.I.P)
