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A Winkle in Reality: Chapter 11.
🕑 Added 2025-05-26 15:00:13 +0000 UTCSo we're gonna be being a bit of timeskipping over the next couple of chapters while at Oak's Lab. I'm sure Peri would appreciate the break.
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Rays of light broke the dark, the cold shadows banished by the arrival of dawn. Beings of the night scurried into cover, shying from the coming sun that heralded the ending of their part and the time to concede it to their brethren. Flocks of Zubat swarmed around their Golbat leaders as they headed for the trees, staying close to avoid the last hungry eyes of lurking Noctowls and Hoothoots. Murkrows caw'd mockingly from their hidden perches while the withering shadows withdrew further into the shade, large green spiders hurring in their wake.
It had been night when I woke, which was surprising as it had barely been noon when I finally collapsed. The disorientation upon finding myself in the spare bedroom Oak had lent me thankfully faded quickly and lacking a better option while everyone was asleep, I'd made my way out to the back porch overlooking the grounds.
Grass plains and flower beds covered well over a square mile in vegetation, the intermittent bush or tree growing increasingly dense as it turned to thick forest. In the distance, peeking over the canopies, rose a minor mountain chain, the jagged tips shining in the emerging light. Occasionally, a dark dot too far to make out darted to and from the summit, whatever Pokémon that called the rocky peaks home leaving or returning at the change of day. Likewise, Pokémon seemed to be everywhere if one looked hard enough.
Every tall patch of grass shook as they were illuminated, Oddish waking and stretching the remnants of sleep from their spherical purple bodies, Bellosoms and Sunflora moving from their vegetative covers to greet the sun with anticipatory leaves. Rattata and light blue and purple rodents I identified as Nidorans poked their heads out from their burrows and sniffed inquisitively at the morning dew. Pidgeys and their larger Pidgeottos flew lazy circles overhead, keen eyes on the lookout for those too slow to hide. They folded their wings tightly to their bodies, their aerodynamic shapes plummeting like a missile to grasp their unfortunate prey with sharp talons.
It was idyllic in a way I’d yet to experience. Sevii likely had as many, if not more, Pokémon per square inch in the dense jungle, but my time there had been filled with sorrow, paranoia, and grim purpose. I hadn't taken the time to stop and smell the flowers, so to speak. Or Sunflora, or whatever the colloquialism was.
On the left side of the open grounds, a lake shone like a plane of glass in the dawn. A flock of large yellow ducks sat on the shore, quacking at each other in a way that managed to sound confused, randomly falling over or walking into each other. A couple of blue turtles, with a brown shell on their back and a yellow underbelly crawled from the lake and shook their squirrel-like tails. Following behind them, parting the water like Godzilla, came what I presumed was their parent. The bipedal turtle was large, taller than a man and much wider as it stood on its hindlegs. Its body was blue and mostly hidden by its tough, brown shell. Said shell had a cream-colored underside and a white ridge encircling its arms and separating the upper and lower halves, a stubby tail poking out from beneath. Two powerful water cannons resided at the top of its shell over its shoulders. The Blastoise's head had triangular ears that are black on the inside, small brown eyes, and a cream-colored lower jaw. Its arms were chunky, each hand ending in thick claws, the same for its feet, with an additional one on the heel.
The hulking Blastiose had an amused expression on its wide, flat face as it herded its young away. I chuckled as I saw the cause, Siren's little head popping out and glaring at them before she resubmerged and went back to inspecting her new territory.
Atta girl. You show them who's boss.
“She seems to be settling in well.”
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden voice from behind.
Professor Oak stepped out, closing the open door behind him. He looked rough. The already messy hair closer resembled a bird's nest, stubble visible on his chin as he yawned and dark circles underlined his eyes. He’d discarded his lab coat and shoes, clad only in his red shirt, ruffled now, and creased tan pants. He flopped down beside me with a thump and another yawn, blearily gazing out over his preserve as he extended a mug of coffee in my direction.
“I don't know if you drink coffee. I don't think Gary does, or does he?” The older man mused. “Maybe he does? I think we have some Moomoo Milk in the fridge…”
I took the cup. “Thanks, Professor. You're looking kinda like shit. Long night?”
He nodded enthusiastically. “A long and productive night! I've been studying that egg of yours. Getting it set up with an incubator, luckily I still had the big one stashed in the back, checking its vitals, minor shell samples. Fascinating, fascinating stuff!”
“Right, you said something about Titan nature or some shit.”
“Language. Delia will box your ears if she hears you. Gary learned that the hard way.” Oak laughed, slurping up a huge sip of coffee and smacking his lips in satisfaction. “But yes, Titan nature. You said you visited Five Island?” I grunted in agreement, a little taken aback by how casually he brought it up. “You might have noticed that the Pokémon of that island tend to be a bit bigger than the average? There's of course always a certain amount of deviation, based on genetics, diet, training, environmental causes, and so on. In fact, the inhabitants of Five Island likely get their size from the particular variety of berries that grow there. The nutritional value is almost twice that of berries elsewhere and despite our best attempts, no one has been able to grow them elsewhere. It's speculated to be a combination of the volcanic soil that is so prevalent on the Orange Islands, and the unique mixture of Pokémon from multiple regions in near equal numbers and the combined effects of their feces serving as fertilizer…” The older man drifted off, scratching at his cheek. “What was I talking about?”
“Titan nature.” I reminded him with a smile. The empathy of the day before had taken me off guard, but this was more what I thought he’d be like. A stereotypical obsessive scientist.
“Titan nature, right! Yes. So, some Pokémon are bigger than others, is really all that I wanted to say, I suppose. Sometimes we can tell why, but other times, it's simply a genetic mutation, much like the rare alternative coloration that sometimes shows up. Occasionally, usually only one or two per generation in an area, a Pokémon will be born that is up to twice the size of the average specimen. We call these Pokémon Alphas, as they usually end up in charge of their local community.”
Okay, all of that made sense, and I think there was something like that in one of the later games.
“But even rarer than that, much rarer, like maybe one Pokémon per species somewhere between once in a generation, to once a hundred years, depending on the species in question. That rarely, a Pokémon will be born even bigger. Much bigger. If the Alpha is twice the size, Titans are three to five times larger. They are the natural pinnacles of their kind, the summit of random genetic luck. They rule entire mountain chains or whole forests. For example, it's believed based on Psychic-Type testimonials that a Titan Tyranitar rules the Silver Mountains.”
“And you believe my egg is one of these Titans?” The thought beggared belief. Why would Slowking give me something like that?
“Oh, I'm certain of it!” The Professor was only gaining steam as he went on, gesticulating with his arms so violently coffee spilled all over his pants leg without him seeming to notice. “All the tests confirm it, all the data is matching up to the Titan Caterpie egg I had the pleasure of seeing years ago! Oh, this is terribly exciting!”
“Why would he give me something like that?”
Like the air leaving a balloon, Professor Oak sunk in on himself with a sigh at my question. “... something we must always keep in mind, and you've seen this yourself, is that for all that Pokémon are as smart or even smarter than humans, they are also much more in tune with their instincts. Some will say that it makes them animalistic. I think that's an oversimplification, and humans are capable of just as base behaviour, but it's hard to deny that Pokémon sometimes resort to more… permanent solutions, than the average human. As I said, Titans end up ruling everything close by when they evolve. There are those, current pack leaders or Alphas, that don't want that to happen. Few, very few, Titan natured eggs make it to hatching, much less adulthood, and most of them are raised by humans. I know of less than 20 Trainers in the whole world who have a Titan.”
That would explain it. I knew that some animals back on earth did things like that, killing the offspring of a rival or previous leader, but I hadn't thought Pokémon would do the same.
Any further conversation was interrupted by the wooden boards of the porch creaking violently. The whole structure shook rhythmically as something massive made its way towards us from the left.
The Mightyena of Sevii had been hulking beasts, the largest canines I’d ever seen by far. The Rocket’s Houndoom had been a close second, even taller at the shoulders if thinner. Even the Snagem Grunt's Mightyena had been large, though untrained.
They all looked like chihuahuas compared to the monster that rounded the corner.
Over seven feet tall, the massive dog had an orange pelt marked by jagged black stripes, the fur bushy and thick. Diamond-shaped ears with beige insides sat high on its torso-sized head, black eyes hanging over a round, black nose. The huge creature yawned, exposing palm-long, sharp teeth as it smacked its jaw sleepily. Its head, muzzle, and chest were covered in shaggy, beige fur, except for two oval sections around each eye and ear, while its underside was black. The limbs were as thick as my head, long tufts of fur growing behind its elbows and around its ankles. The swaying tail was beige, with a bend in the middle, long hairs billowing in the early morning breeze. Dinner plate paws sunk the wood beneath it as it came to a stop next to the Professor.
The enormous Arcanine sniffed the Professor as he petted it, giving him a long lick up the side of his face and hair, making it stick straight up much to his protest. The Fire-Type huffed in amusement at Oak's attempts to smooth it back down and laid its warm black eyes on me.
I’d seen some very beautiful and graceful Pokémon as of late, like Radiant-Moon, but at heart I’d always been a dog person. And the towering Arcanine was one of the most incredible things I’d ever seen.
I held out a hand towards it, making sure to keep it out of reach and let it make the first move.
“Hello girl,” I said with a low voice, after a quick look under it, “aren't you gorgeous.”
The mighty canine sniffed at my hand, its nostrils so large I felt my hand jerk towards it on the inhale. It quickly sniffed up my arm and shoulder and started on my neck and chest, shoving its huge head into me and leaving trails of dog slopper everywhere. I laughed as I scratched it behind the ears and under the jaw, making her pant and swing her tail hard enough that the wind ruffled my hair.
The moment was much too short before Arcanine lost interest in me and jumped down off the porch, swaggering out on the plains as more and more Pokémon woke up.
“Smart move, holding out your hand like that. You have a good grasp of Pokémon.” The Professor sounded pleased.
“Thank you,” my voice was a little breathless as I stared after the Pokémon, “she's amazing.”
“Isn't she?” Now he sounded smug. “Her name is Flame. She was my fourth Pokémon and has gotten me through some hard times. She has a gentle heart, despite the incredibly strong body.”
“I didn't know Arcanine grew to be 500 years old.”
The Professor laughed loudly, throwing his head back. “You're a mouthy one, aren't you!? I'm old, Peri, but not that old. Though I suppose any adult seems ancient to babies.”
“Haha. Stick to science, old man, and leave the jokes to me. That was embarrassing.”
We chuckled and allowed a comfortable silence to fall over us. I took a deep breath, a small smile on my face.
It was nice. Oak was fun to talk to and there were Pokémon everywhere. The only thing that could make it better was if the others were there with me.
I quickly looked back to the lake to distract myself before I sunk back into the grief and rage. There was going to be a time for that, but if it was gonna take three years before I could become a Trainer and do something about Team Rocket, I had to learn to think about something else. I'd go insane if I stewed in it for years.
They wouldn't want that.
“Is it okay that she's doing that?” I pointed to the Blastoise and Squirtle that were basking in the sun. Siren was still swimming in circles, occasionally jumping out to look at me before diving back down. “I swear she's not normally so aggressive. She's a sweetheart, really. I just think the last few days have her on edge.” So much for thinking about something else. I forced my hands not to curl into fists.
Patience.
“I'm sure she is. Don't worry about it. There's always an adjustment period when someone new arrives and everyone figures out how the hierarchy works. If things truly get that far, then Blasty will handle it.”
I snorted a little at the name. Flame and Blasty. Not the most original, the Professor. I did however remember a question regarding Siren.
“I’ve heard of Water-Type Pokémon levitating in mid air. Is that bullshit or actually true?”
“It’s true,” the Professor nodded affirmatively, “Though it’s rarely seen among beginners. Usually takes years to develop to a useful level. It takes a lot of control and stamina to use the innate hydrokinesis that their natural Water-Type energy gives them to hold themself up. If you’re thinking about teaching it to your Feebas, I would hold off. From what you told me, she is barely two weeks old. I wouldn’t put her through much more than some vigorous swimming for now.”
I grunted, mind stuck on something else he said. “Innate hydrokinesis from their Type energy?”
“It’s an advanced subject better left for at least after you’ve completed Trainer school, but quickly and mostly inaccurately explained, Pokémon with a certain Typing is given that Type because they naturally generate energy of that Type, which allows them to somewhat instinctively manipulate that energy and element, compared to a Pokémon with a differing Type. It can still be done, but takes dedicated effort to reach what a Pokémon of said Type is born capable of. Depending on the species and Type, as always. Normal-Types, for example, are generally very quick to learn foreign Type energy, other than Ghost, anyway, and Dark-Types often have a harder time than most. Ghost’s, meanwhile, vary so much it’s near impossible to confine them within such generalizations.”
I had a lot of follow-up questions, but unfortunately, we were once more interrupted as the door opened again.
Much like the Professor before him, a child around my physical age walked out, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He was wearing blue pajamas of a shimmering fabric that reminded me of silk, small Squirtles napping up and down the clothes. A wild brown mop crowning his head with a serious case of bed hair again led my thoughts back to the Professor, as did the brown eyes squinting at the light.
Even before he spoke, I knew who it was. The original rival needed no introduction.
“Gramps? You're not in the lab? Did something happen? Who are you? Did another beggar sneak in? I told you to stop encouraging the thrash.”
Gary motherfucking Oak sneered down at me. I wasn't really sure how to react. Gary had been one of my favorite parts of the anime, edgy little shit that I am, and it was kind of hype to meet him, like the Professor. On the other hand, he was also a stuck up, entitled, nepo baby, with a planetary sized mouth on him.
“Helooooo? Did you not hear me? I said,” he over enunciated his words and said them slowly, “leave. Gramps. Alone. We don't have time for street rats, there's actually important things to do. So fuck off back to your ditch-”
“Gary! Language!”
Naw, fuck this kid.
“It's okay Professor,” I assured him with a completely authentic smile. “It's not the first time some rich kid with inadequacy issues tries to take it out on his betters. It's fine.”
“Betters!? You!? Seems they didn't manage to finish beating some sense into you in whatever crack house you crawled out of! Let me guess, even Pewter said you were too ugly to stay around and kicked your bitch ass out!”
“Ho, that's rich coming from the nepo baby! Everything you’ve ever done and will ever do is because you're riding the coattails of people better than you! Your grandpa is the only reason anyone gives a fuck about you!”
“Gramps, who the fuck is this loser!?”
After being cut off the first time, the Professor had just been watching us with a small grin. At the prompting, he started doing the introductions.
“Gary, this is Peri, from Orre. He’ll be staying with us-”
“Orre!? We're allowing thugs in now!? Did we hide the silverware!? At this rate, all of Pallet is gonna be crawling with Unovians within the year!”
“Hopefully you'll get so offended you'll fuck off and spare the rest of us!”
Any further insult was halted as the older Oak laughed while standing up. Still chuckling, he padded us both on the shoulder.
“It's good the two of you are getting along. Now come, I think I hear Delia in the kitchen. You should get some food before school starts.”
“School starts!?” I asked.
The adult among us nodded. “Yes, it's Monday after all. Did I not mention that?”
“No, no you didn't. Thanks for the heads up. Also,” I continued, pointing up into the shadowed corner of the overhang, “is it gonna keep doing that? Because it's fucking creepy.”
Saliva dripped from finger long, needle like teeth, a long red tongue flicking the air through the horrid grin. Two huge eyes stared down at me stiffly as the semi-corporeal Gengar watched me as it had for at least the last couple of hours, and maybe since I got to the lab.
“See! Even Gengy knows you can't trust Orre scum!” Came the predictable interjection from the shit stain. The Professor waved off his grandson and snapped his fingers. The Gengar vanished completely into the darkness, before a black patch darted down the wall and melted into Oak's shadow.
“Sorry about that, Gengy's not usually so social. Now come on boys, you can continue to make friends inside.”
Gary and I stared after him incredulously. As he vanished back into the lab, I turned back to Gary.
“Is he okay? Like, in the head?”
The youngest Oak waved me off and followed after his grandfather. “Yeah, that's normal. Gramp’s a genius with science and Pokémon, but fucking terrible with people. Still, I'm sure he's put a bowl on the floor for you or something.”
“If it saves me from having to look at your ugly-ass face, I'll eat in the woods.” I fired back as I walked inside with him.
School, huh? Never was a fan, but it's Pokémon. How bad could it be?
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Bad, as it turned out.
Real bad.
“GARY! WHAT DID YOU GET ON THE LAST TEST!?”
“98%!”
“WHAT!? I ONLY GOT 72! YOU CHEATED!”
“I DIDN'T CHEAT, LOSER! YOU JUST SUCK!”
“SCREW YOU GARY! I BET I'LL DO BETTER THAN YOU ON THE NEXT ONE!”
“AS IF!”
“ASH STOP YELLING!”
“GREEN! WHAT DID YOU GET!?”
“STOP! YELLING!”
“YOU'RE YELLING TOO! WHAT DID YOU GET!?”
I could feel my eye twitch at the bedlam around me. Kids were screaming at each other, raising their voices continuously to be heard over the chaos, the most innocuous conversation turning into a competition of who could burst my eardrums the fastest.
When I heard that I’d be attending Trainer school in Pallet, I’d imagined a small class, tiny even. The entire town had a hundred inhabitants, how many children could there be?
I’d underestimated how famous Professor Oak truly was.
The 15ish snot-nosed Pallet kids were bad enough. Add in the 30+ that teleported in from all around Kanto at the start of the day, and it was actual torture.
“WHO ARE YOU!?”
Especially the main cause of the pain.
I leaned as far back as the desk chair allowed, tipping it to balance on the back legs, to try and escape from the kid that suddenly shoved his face right against mine. Tousled black hair sat like a mop atop a round face pulled into a truly stupid look of inquisition. Huge black eyes peered at me like he’d never seen another human before in his life, a weird lightning bolt shaped birthmark on each cheek distorting as he pursed his lips. The pest wore a blue and yellow hoodie and rolled up jorts of all things, blue sneakers completing the weird-ass get up.
“I'm the guy that's gonna break your nose if you don't get the fuck out of my face.” I growled at the little shit. I’d been in the room for less than 10 minutes and was already so fucking done.
Ash Ketchum gasped at me like I’d pulled out a gun. I had problems standing him in the anime and somehow, he seemed even worse in person. Three years of this?
Maybe I should’ve just fucking stayed on Sevii.
“YOU SAID A BAD WORD! YOU CAN'T SAY THAT!”
“He's an Orre thug, what did you expect!?” Gary chimed in helpfully.
“YOU'RE FROM ORRE!? THAT'S SO COOL! WHERE'S THAT!?” Ash's oversized eyes gleamed excitedly at the new info, gap-toothed grin beaming at me, all offense seemingly forgotten. I was going to get whiplash from this shit.
“You're so stupid Ash! How do you not know where Orre is!?” Ash's rival mocked.
“SCREW YOU GARY!”
“ENOUGH! ASH, SIT DOWN!” apparently I wasn't the only one to be fed up as a girl came up and dragged Ash back to his seat. A green hat with leaves on it held back long brown hair that framed an oval face with black eyes. A large teal jacket covered a red shirt and black shorts, green laced sneakers squeaking against the floor as she frogmarched Ash away.
“Okay everyone, settle down.” The teacher finally arrived, slumping into the room like he already wanted to be somewhere else. I think I remember briefly seeing the tired, mid-twenties guy at Oak's Lab.
“Children, hello? Hello? CHILDREN!”
Nobody other than me even seemed to notice over the sound of another screaming match between Gary and Ash over something incredibly minor.
“SHUUUUUT UUUUUP!”
I could've sworn the windows shook at the scream the teacher let out. To be fair, it worked. Everyone went silent and sat down, looking at the instructor expectantly. It was telling that I was the only one that seemed shocked.
Acting like nothing happened, the teacher continued.
“Today, we'll take another look at the Type chart. Seeing as we’ve gone over it multiple times, I expect you to at least remember 10 different types…”
It was going to be a long-ass three years.
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My lungs screamed for oxygen, each breath growing more and more shallow. Sweat dripped into my eyes and down my neck, shirt clinging to my frame. My legs burned with exertion, each step getting heavier and heavier, yet I continued.
Pain was just weakness leaving the body.
Siren was waiting for me in the shallows, trying to catch her own breath as I rounded the lake for the ninth time. As I passed her, she joined me, trying to find the balance between keeping up with my speed and preserving some energy. She’d gotten better at it as we did it each morning, yet she was still a little too eager and gave 100% right out of the gate.
As I ran, I thought back over the last month since I’d gotten to Pallet. It had been somewhat of a mixed bag. The children fucking sucked, and school was very simple. There were some interesting things, like Pokémon biology which differed enough that it wasn't just a repeat of things I’d already learnt, yet even that was on such a basic level that the nuggets of interest were few and far between.
I’d always wondered how Ash could be so fucking dumb in the anime, but the knowledge requirements for becoming a Trainer didn't seem that high. It was more focused on survival skills and Pokémon management, like what plants and berries were edible, the general needs of each overarching Type, and how to set up camp without disturbing the habitats of the natives and what your reaction should be if you did.
Useful stuff, but not quite what I’d hoped.
It was also for 10 year olds, to be fair. I was sure things would pick up at some point.
Completing the tenth lap I panted, heaving for breath alongside Siren. Keeping my torso straight, I crouched down to give her some attention while we recovered. Getting into shape sucked, but the results weren't to be denied. In just the single month, I’d nearly doubled the length I could run in one go. Nothing truly insane, yet it felt good to make some kind of progress.
“Alright girl, you go practice. It's Saturday, so I'll come visit after I feed everyone, okay?”
Giving me an agreeing gurgle and gentle headbut, Siren quickly swam over to her mentor. The large purple Pokémon looked like two starfish on top of each other, with a red crystal not unlike Slowkings in the middle. I wasn't really sure how Siren made friends with the Starmie, especially with how aggressive she’d been in the beginning, but I couldn’t deny that it was super helpful to have another Pokémon help with her elemental attacks. She was almost to the point where her Water Gun could be called an actual attack, though she still struggled with even gathering an Ice Beam.
It would come though. I had faith in her. Already she was nearly 50% larger than she’d been upon hatching and her strength was sure to follow.
Walking away from the lake, I checked the sky and saw I still had around half an hour before I needed to start bringing food around to the various groups. Which was good as my own mentors were already going at it.
Though mentors might be a strong word.
Two Pokémon were duking it out, exchanging blows in a flurry of fists. The smaller of the two ducked under a punch that barely missed the five blunt protrusions on top of its head, its light purple tunic and kilt-like growths that covered its body ruffeling with the fast movement. A red boxing glove-like fist blurred forward and smacked into a blue-gray chest like a gunshot, the dull thud reverberating through the empty fields. The Hitmonchan sidestepped another hit with some fancy work of his boxing shoe-like feet and landed another quick shot.
His adversary growled furiously at its slippery opponent, barely seeming to notice the blows landing against its steel-like muscles. Its vaguely reptilian face was twisted into a grimace with narrowed red eyes, the short snout bearing the four pointed teeth inside its mouth. On top of its head were three brown ridges. Muscular arms hammered down at its faster enemy, the dark red, vertical stripes on them growing more and more indistinct as it abandoned defense for overwhelming offense. The lower part of its body was planted solidly on the ground, black markings that resembled briefs covering its crotch area, gold belt buckle flashing as it twisted around.
The Machoke feinted with its left arm and finally landed a monstrous punch to the Hitmonchans stomach that sent it flying back. Machoke followed immediately, yet still didn't make it before Hitmonchan was back on his feet and barely managed to slip the attempted follow up. Both Pokémon were breathing heavily, damage slowly stacking on Machoke while the single hit did a lot of damage to Hitmonchan.
They’d shown up a couple of days after I got there, having apparently beat each other to a pulp the same day, as I recalled Oak telling Clefable. The two had an intense rivalry and constantly fought each other, or any other Pokémon that got too close.
Setting my feet and steadying my breathing, I did my best to copy the movements of the Hitmonchan. It wasn’t great, I could barely see him move most of the time and sometimes not at all, but it was better than Machoke. I simply didn't have the physiology to tank damage and deal it back out like it could. The only useful thing it had for me was the great form it had on its punches.
How much I was actually learning to fight was dubious at best, but it was the best I had. Hopefully, with time and combined with the meditation I did after I woke up, I’d at least have an idea of how to unlock Aura. Bruno, as far as I knew, literally just trained with his Pokémon and grew superhuman. It was the best lead I had.
That had been my routine for the last month. Wake up before dawn, meditate, run with Siren, try to imitate the Fighting-Types, feed and wake the more friendly Pokémon I was allowed close to, and then school or relaxing in the preserve on the weekends. The reduced need for sleep really came in handy. I knew I should be spending more time with humans, yet I didn’t care. Oak was nice and all, but Pokémon were so much better.
While school and my peers, humans in general, were less than ideal, staying at Oak's Lab was otherwise great. Even if the Professor and his assistants were reluctant to share knowledge that they deemed ‘above my level’, the hands-on experience with the Pokémon more than made up for it. It hadn't taken long to convince Oak to allow me to help take care of the preserve, supervised by the Lab Assistants, of course.
30 minutes later, the dawn broke, reflecting off the large droplets of sweat that covered my entire body. Everything hurt, my muscles screaming at the exertion I put them through, but it was a good burn. A burn of progress.
Taking it slow, I made my way back to the Lab for a quick shower before I started the day, greeting Flame as she woke to greet the sun. The mighty Arcanine let out a yawn, maw opening wide enough to fit a man's head with ease.
“Good morning Flame. Cuddles?” I asked, opening my arms wide so she could get a good sniff of my stench. She averted her face with a scrunched nose and quickly got up when I feinted going for a hug. We danced for a moment as I tried to block her escape and grab her, but with some quick footwork, she managed to duke me and run off, tongue hanging joyfully from her mouth. Chuckling, I continued on my way to the much needed cleaning.
Before I’d even made it to the porch, however, the doors slammed open and the Professor stumbled out, frantically looking all around. When he saw me, he lit up and waved at me enthusiastically.
“PERI! There you are! Come, come! It's time!”
I sped up while frowning in confusion.
“Time? Time for what?”
He took me by the shoulders and dragged me behind him as he hurried into the Lab. Experience told me that it was likely something either science or Pokémon related as that was the only time Oak got really excited, but even then, I’d never seen him that animated.
“The egg! Your egg! It's hatching!”
The words had barely reached my ears before I tore loose from his grasp and ran ahead of him towards the side room that held the various eggs Oak took care of for various reasons. Most, he’d explained, were those that didn't have parents and whose species didn't take kindly to raising non-blood related babies. I heard him huff in amusement at my rush as he ran after me.
The door banged open to the hatching room. Incubators lined the walls, attached to machines that beeped away in a choir, yet I ignored them, eyes only on the one in the middle of the room.
When Oak had first shown me the setup he’d made for the egg, I’d been uncomfortable with how much it resembled the Rocket's. Wires ran through the glass dome to connect to the shell, machines showing the heartbeat, temperature, and what I assumed was some sort of energy, presumably Type-energy. Oak had tried to tell me exactly what it did, but as so often happened, he kind of just went on a rant that flew way over my head.
But now, the wires had been disconnected and the glass opened up to allow the egg room to move as it shook violently in its cradle. Thin cracks ran along the surface, inching their way lower and lower even as I reached it and leaned in to watch with bated breath, my heart hammering even more than when I was exercising. I vaguely heard Oak say something to the gathered assistants that were crowding around and footsteps leaving the room. A hand on my shoulder made me briefly glance at the Professor before refocusing on the much more important matter.
“Alright my boy, we'll be right outside, watching on the cameras. The first meeting between Trainer and a newly hatched Pokémon is a magical moment and the imprinting process that takes place sets the tone for the entire relationship. It's especially important with Pokémon like this one.”
That got my attention.
“You know what it is!?” I asked accusatively. Why hadn't I heard of that!?
The Professor looked confused even as he backed out of the room. “Oh, did I not tell you? It must have slipped my mind. Oh well, you're about to find out I suppose!”
I didn't have time to ask anymore questions as the door closed behind him, nor would I’ve. Again, there were way more important matters at hand.
Once the process had begun, Siren's egg finished hatching in less than 15 minutes. That was not the case with the Titan. Hours passed as the cracks slowly spread throughout the entire shell, a spiderweb of white strands on a sea of midnight blue, like mosaic. It vibrated and wobbled back and forth, whatever Pokémon within desperate to escape from the casing holding it back. A small chip pinged off with force, nearly hitting me in the head. Examining the small piece, I saw that it was almost three times the thickness of Siren's egg.
No wonder it was taking so long.
I whispered encouragement as the cracks grew deeper and thicker, small chunks raining from it more and more frequently. The tiny openings were pitch black, obscuring any details, but I could definitely see something moving around in there.
Roughly three hours in, the egg fell still. Bits and pieces of the outer shell littered the incubator and floor around us, the egg as much fissures and holes as carapace by that point. I held my breath, thinking that was it, the Pokémon was about to emerge.
One second passed.
Five seconds passed.
My heart was thudding like a piston.
10 seconds.
20 seconds.
My eyes grew a little shifty, darting all over the egg in growing concern.
30 seconds.
40 seconds.
Something was wrong. Why did it stop moving? What was going on?
50 seconds.
I got up from my chair. I didn’t understand why the Professor hadn't come in, but maybe everyone was getting coffee. I should go get them.
60 seconds.
As I turned to run through the door and get help, the egg briefly shook like it was caught in an earthquake, before fucking exploding like a bomb.
C-CRACK-BOOOOM!
Shielding myself from the improvised shrapnel with my arms, I felt the sharp bits of shell rip through my clothes and tear gashes into my skin. Hissing at the pain, I waited a moment before lowering my hands and looking at my newest Pokémon, my heart in my throat.
“Ba?”
Standing on the incubator, turning its dark blue, reptilian head in confusion and wonderment at the world, was a just over one foot tall, bipedal Pokémon that vaguely reminded me of a dinosaur. A large round snout sniffed at the air curiously, yellow, circular ears similar to a reptile's twitching at all the new noises, and a yellow lower jaw with two teeth protruding upwards chewing on nothing as it tasted the air. Three thick, gray ridges covered the top of its head and continued downwards to cover its neck as well. Its underside had a triangular patch of dark yellow that it idly scratched at with its stubby, digit-less arms, short legs with two toes on each foot crunching fragments of its previous prison as it shifted unsteadily.
Its triangular eyes blinked at the bright lamps, slit pupil contracting and expanding for the first time, before its gaze landed on me. Its peepers lit up at my presence and it held out its arms cheerfully.
“BAAAEEEEEEEEERR!”
The Bagon waddled forward, only to tumble off the edge of its perch. Desperately, I dived forward and just barely managed to catch it without either of us falling, only to be dragged down to the floor anyway from how unexpectedly heavy the baby Pokémon was.
Fucking hell, it must weigh over 200 pounds! The egg hadn't been anywhere near that fucking heavy, what the fuck!?
The Bagon cried out gleefully at the fall, seemingly overjoyed. It gazed up at me curiously, sniffing furiously, before cuddling into me with another, softer cry. I smiled down at it, ignoring the ruckus by the door, consumed by the unbelievable luck.
Not only was I given a Titan natured egg, it was also a Pseudo-Legendary!? I had to suppress my maniacal laughter at the future weapon of mass destruction in my arms. Any doubt about becoming the greatest Trainer ever was dispersed.
“I even know your name already.” I cooed at the automatic ticket to the big leagues. “You're gonna be Behemoth. Betty for short.”
Betty let out another happy cry at my words, seemingly pleased by the name. Mouth wide open, it leaned into me again and-
CHOMP!
-sunk its teeth into my shoulder. I cried out, shaking my arm desperately to try and get it loose, but it held on, whining in a way that reminded me of the sound humans made on a rollercoaster. It didn't really hurt, truthfully. The newborn's bite strength wasn't enough to do more than just barely breaking the skin, but the shock was more than enough.
Finally, the little demon dislodged and was sent rolling across the floor, tumbling head over heels. It came to a stop and dazedly shook its head, before getting up and running straight at me again with open arms and jaws.
I mentally sighed as I got ready to try and somehow intercept it in a way that didn't leave me as a chew toy.
Even when luck was on my side, it still wasn't simple. I really hoped that it wouldn't become a pattern.
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A fucking Titan Pseudo-Legendary. Peri's luck is extreme in both directions.
Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed.
