30

With disappointment making up the whole of my being, I left the Valley of Steel, strapped down the Rider's Seat that Winter still donned along his collar for my personal comfort.

I'd spent another week here, completely derailing my initial training intentions, having Thoros dig around the area that that shiny Aron had come out from as best he could, and though he came across some thirty or so Aron and Lairon around, including some rarer Ground types according to my Pokédex, the Aron that I truly wanted remained hidden.

It was just like with my actual game systems. My first shiny was a big batch of disappointment; in myself, of course. It was a Graveler during my first playthrough of Pokémon: Emerald. Me, being a little kid at the time, had just assumed that there was an issue with the color of my Gameboy, so I killed the rockball and restarted my device. After relaying this particular bit of curiosity to my elementary level friends during a recess, I was summarily informed by my incredulous brochacho's the wonders of the shiny.

The shame I felt from that moment never really left whenever I booted up my games again.

And shame was all I was feeling during that week.

But that wasn't the only reason I left the valley! Oh no, that wasn't.

For, you see, I have come to a startling conclusion.

Being a trainer is boring.

Now, you might be thinking something along the lines of Golly gosh gee! You really think that? What an idiot! Pokémon training being boring? As if! And, normally, you'd be right. Hell, I love being a trainer.

But doing the standard stuff is not fun.

Let me break it down in a different manner. Training in a deserted wasteland hoping for a specific creature to add to your party? Spending two weeks away from civilization, in the early onset of a tropical summer without cell service?

Yeah. That shit is boring.

I've always known I've been lucky. Literally every Pokémon in my current roster save for Thoros and Ramsey were obtained through luck. They came from either pure happenstance, the right circumstances, trade agreements or egg hatchings. There was skill and serious training on top of all that, sure; but luck was the primary method of their capture.

Most trainers don't have my luck. If you want a specific Pokémon, they have to research, plan, and slog until they get their hands on it.

Prior to these past two weeks, I'd only done that once; when I spent a month in wait to capture the Crystal Onix. But, and I maintain a but!, that was different. Sunburst Island was entirely mapped out with cell service, I was able to go into the town whenever I damn well felt like it, my focus as a trainer was almost entirely on Nagga and the controlling of his massive size, and I had a clear goal right from the start.

The Valley of Steel was a bit of a smorgisborg of a hope and a prayer. There was no real plan, just a base idea of what I'd like to happen, and that was it. The two can't really be equated.

This has been a lesson learned to be certain. And I'm glad I learned it sooner rather than later; I'm not one for these training trip sorts of things. I'm goal oriented; I need to know what I'm doing right from the start, and it needs to be able to be done in a transparent manner.

With that being said, I still had another week before my vacation was to let up and I'd need to return to Fortree City. Which meant I needed to figure out the best way to spend said week. And, as I'd just concluded, I needed a goal. It could be simple, it could be over-the-top; point is, it needs to be tangible.

What could be accomplished in a week? What might be of an interest to me? Hmmmmm?!

…Well, this probably won't take the whole of a week, at best it might take up a few days, but I do know that there's been a task I've been meaning to take care of for a while now. Plus, that previous monologue had it on my mind. Might as well do it, right?

Let's sell that damn Onix.

.

"That everything?" Marty asked, his face afflicted onto a flan screen. He was sat at the Fortree Gym front desk, fiddling with a pencil between his fingers, a bored look in his brown eyes.

"Should be it. If you wouldn't mind, that is." I nodded.

I was in a Pokémon Center, getting my roster healed up. It had been a day since I left the valley, and my team was tired. Though none of them were properly injured, they were exhausted and deserved some pampering. All but one, that is.

He shrugged, his long hair rustling with the movement. "It's not a big deal at all. I'm just surprised you didn't want to make the trade yourself. It's a Teleport away, and I know your Natu knows the move."

Yes, that would have been a good idea. And yes, I would have done just that. Alas… "I don't really know what Winona would do if I showed up before my time was up."

Winona was an awesome woman; I just want to preface that. She took me in, has begun to teach me her method's, and is seriously a good trainer. A bit of a ditz and a little too interested in getting a ring off of my sperm donor, but all around she's a wonderful woman that I'm happy to know. That said, as I've come to discern, she has a bad habit of living vicariously through her Gym Trainers.

Meaning, she has a habit of living vicariously through me.

She wants me to go out there and live my best life, to bring back stories and trophies and tales of triumph. And honestly, I want to do that myself, and I try! I certainly don't want to waste me time here. But she takes this to a further extreme, and I honestly worry that if I returned to the gym prior to my three weeks of vacation running out that she'd boot me from the gym permanently.

Extreme. I know. And I know that that's unlikely to happen.

But Winona is an extreme sort of person when she's invested in a topic. And the reason she only takes one Gym Trainer at a time is so that she is invested.

Marty snorted from his end of the line. "Would you be in and out?"

"Well," I fumbled. "I mean, yeah."

"Then she wouldn't care." He deadpanned. "Her whole shtick is about you taking the time to enjoy yourself and make the most of your working under her. If you came back early just because things didn't go your way, she'd be pissed. If you came back early just to grab something before leaving again, she wouldn't even care."

My smile turned even weaker, and the only thing I could do was shrug. Once again, I didn't know how she would react.

Good to know for future reference, though.

"Lesson learned then. Ready to make the trade?"

"Yeah, let me punch the code. Go ahead and place the Poké Ball on the transfer machine and okay the transaction."

I did as told, placing the Poké Ball onto the trade machine. Umber's belly was growing even larger as of late, and it was likely that she'd be popping out her egg soon enough. Not wanting to deal with it, and knowing that Winona and her crew would be more than willing to help out, I elected to have Umber traded over.

The machine whirled as I pressed the green button, and a stream of electricity overlapped her Poké Ball. With a flash of light, the red and white sphere was replaced by a black and white sphere with a yellow U inked onto the black portion.

I grinned and pocketed Onix's Poké Ball. "Thanks Marty."

"No problem, man. Get what you need done." With that, the line went dead, the screen blackened out, and I knew he hung up on me.

Rolling my shoulders, I approached the front counter. Nurse Joy was not stationed at the front, likely working on a patient or two in the back, and instead a different, less doppelgangerish nurse took her place; a man looking to be in his early thirties with a shaved head, full beard and muscular physique.

"Any idea when my Pokémon will be ready to go?" I asked him

"Name?" The nurse replied, eying me up and down.

"Jon Snow."

He typed something into his computer and hummed lowly. "Probably not for another four hours. Joy has notes about wanting to give your Shelgon's old injury a thorough look over."

Longer than I wanted, but I'd be fine. Probably. I thanked him and left the center. The sun was bright, not a cloud to be seen, and I had to shield my eyes from the glare it produced. That then caused me to look around the city I was to peruse for the next few hours.

Rustboro City was a curious clash of cultures; of old and weathered with modern and sleek. The buildings and architecture were designed with stone, and yet that was only the lower levels of the buildings. On top of these stone undersides were steel and metal skyscrapers, and I was genuinely confused on how such feats of engineering were possible.

Located on the shore of the sea to the west, but also with a mountain pass to the east with a forest clearing to the immediate south, the place was host to a variety of differing peoples and Pokémon that wouldn't often be seen together. A woman walked with both hands held by a child on her left and a Slakoth on her right; a burly sort of man chattered aimlessly with a Cleffa securely held within his arms; a small elderly woman was hitching a ride on the back of a decently large Numel that was probably going slower than she would have trekked had she just walked; and a teenaged girl struggled with the leashes holding a pack of Poochyena and Houndour and Growlithe from across the street.

There were odd sorts all over in the world of Pokémon. I'd seen plenty, and by this point there was no denying that I was among that number. Still, Rustboro was a pleasant sort of odd, and I had yet to see anybody genuinely mad in its vicinity.

I followed the dog walker more closely though, because not only was it odd to see somebody sporting neon green hair, she was also walking past a building that I had a vague interest in.

Pokémon Trainer's School, the billboard said, with the slogan of We'll teach you anything about Pokémon!

Bullshit propaganda, I know. But having never been to a Pokémon school, I'm curious.

Maybe I'll actually learn something!

…nah.

.

.

The receptionist was more than happy to allow me to tour the school. According to her, it was rare enough that established trainers had any interest in their facilities, but Gym Trainers were a step up, especially when you add in that Roxanne, the Rustboro Gym Leader, was also the head of Battle Class. She had a staff assistant guide me around, and from what I saw, well…

I don't want to admit it. Hell, I don't like it, but the facts remain facts. This school wasn't a waste of money.

I know, weird. But the classes were serious, giving a varied lecture format on all things from Pokémon medicine, contests, battle, breeding and capture. The students were attentive, with very little nonsense happening. And the staff were friendly and kind and always happy to answer a question. I caught the tail end of a battle between intermediate level students that were using a Bayleef and Croconaw provided by the school, and though they didn't really go particularly hard, it wasn't nooby stuff. They were actually learning.

Still. Just because a school wasn't a waste of money didn't mean it wasn't a waste of time. Most schools are wastes of time. Just because they taught good things didn't mean that those things needed to be taught.

Or maybe I'm just overreaching. School was never my thing.

But, I digress.

From there, I was led into a hallway where the beginners classes took place. They were all empty though, save for one where a video lecture was being held. My guide said that their guest was of a higher caliber, and though she didn't offer further details, she did say that anybody could join in if they wanted. Me, being the nosey sort that I am, wanted to see what the hubbub was about.

She smiled, opened the door, and bade me to enter.

I did and was then face to the massively plastered face of Professor Elm along a monitor the size of a chalkboard.

"-ou've got to think about their care, Timothy." He said, hoisting a plain brown egg with two black dots onto his lap. "Eggs, while hardy, need to stay in specific environments meant for their survival for long periods of time. Ice type Pokémon eggs will often require colder environments, and Water type Pokémon eggs will often require to be submerged. If they don't the egg will turn to mush, and the Pokémon inside will sadly not have a chance at life."

"But how do we take care of an egg when we're on our Journey?" A girl asked, perhaps seven years old. Yeesh, that was actually a good question. I knew the answer, but she still asked it in a courteous and smart manner.

What are they even feeding kids these days?

"Name?"

"Sarah."

"There are plenty of opportunities for eggs and travel, young Sarah. Sometimes, it makes sense to just stay in the environment you find or are offered an egg. Other times, incubators make more sense. Often, you can purchase them in your local Pokémart, or if your local Pokémon Center is especially kind, they'll gift one to you, though they can't do that all the time seeing as incubators are not mass produced like Poké Balls are."

He looked around the room, smiling, and then looked at me. He blinked. I blinked. He blinked again. I blinked again.

We blinked at each other for a while, actually.

Then, he hacked out a lung in surprise and started coughing, tears starting to well up in his eyes as an assistant on his end hastily brought him a glass of water. He drank greedily from it, and then pointed at the camera. "If you want to know about eggs, look no further than behind you!"

As one, the class did, zeroing in on me.

It was like I was a deer in headlights. My eyes were wide and my jaw hung loose. I couldn't believe he'd throw me under the bus like that.

What a prick. It was well played, but still. Dick move.

"That right there is Jon Snow, class. An exceptional trainer of ten who has a knack for finding rare Pokémon. Already he has gathered and raised three separate Pokémon from eggs and has four separate breeding Pokémon pairs on top of that. Why, this egg I'm holding came from one of his!"

Then that'd be a Kabuto egg. "You're not supposed to have that, though."

My agreement regarding those eggs was with Professor Oak and only Professor Oak, up until they were to be bought. Elm might have helped me out with Nagga, but that didn't mean he was supposed to have one of my eggs. Had he stipulated that as payment for the information provided, it would have been one thing, but he gave me a freebie and I'm not about to let him take liberties that weren't offered.

He smiled. "No, I am. I purchased it four days ago, you see. If you'll check your bank statement, it should have increased decently."

When money is involved, I tend to move quick. Fiddling with my Pokédex, the device earning gasps of interest from the group of demon sprogs, I opened my banking app and fiddled around with my settings.

Sure enough, he was telling the truth. My checking account now had 77,730 in it. An extra 60,000 flat to add to my numbers. I opened up a calculator app and punched the numbers in. Elm ended up paying an odd number for me to get a flat 60k from that, something along the lines of 86,000ish. My math was probably wrong. But, regardless. I got my money.

No complaints here. I take it back. You're no longer a prick.

Well, you are. Just not as big of one as I was initially thinking.

"And what egg is that, David?" A melodical voice asked to my left. I turned towards her and saw a striking sort of woman sat in front of a long desk. A slender woman, with long brown hair styled with buns and curls galore whilst her vivid red eyes sparkled with delight. Full lips, high cheekbones and well-muscled legs were the most apparent things about her; the legs because I just happen to love legs. Sue me. Dressed in a poofy skirt, red leggings, and a professional blouse, she was hitting my librarian fetish hard, and I was gladdened to have not hit puberty yet. Stiffy's around kids would not do my any favors.

"Why, I thought you of all people would know, Roxanne! Especially with your specialty. This is the egg of a Kabuto!"

Roxanne, Gym Leader of this city, snapped her head over to me. Those red eyes gleamed directly into my own eyes, and now that she was facing me I realized that she was still a teenager, maybe fifteen or sixteen. She just happened to dress maturely and had an air of maturity about her.

She also happened to have a massive forehead, but that was neither here nor there.

"And where did you find a live Kabuto?" She asked me.

"Secret."

Boo's and hisses and whines were my retort, for the children did not care for my answer. I turned towards them and did the mature thing by blowing a raspberry and holding my eyelid down.

"It was quite an astounding find; all things considered. Nine live Fossils Jon found, eight of whom are being looked over by my colleague Professor Oak."

"And the ninth?" Roxanne queried; attention firmly held onto my person.

"One of my Pokémon." I told her.

"It's species?"

"Secret." Much as I wanted to brag about Ramsey, about all of my Pokémon, I felt it better not to go into detail about them. For now, at least-

"An Aerodactyl."

"Oh come on!" I whined, flinging my arms into the air. "You can't give away all of this info for nothing, Elm! I didn't come here to talk about my eggs, man."

He scratched the back of his head, looking abashed at least. "My apologies Jon. I just did not expect you to arrive during my lecture! Daisy always says I have a bit of a chatterbox when surprised."

And she was damn right. "Just- just cool it down, will you? I'm on leave from the gym, and I'm trying to enjoy my time and do some business."

"Reasonable. But why are you at the school then? And what sort of business are you hoping to accomplish?"

That, I wasn't opposed to talking about. "Just on a tour; I wanted to check the place out. And I'm hoping to get into the selling or trading of a rare Pokémon I caught a few months back."

Preferably selling, of course.

Roxanne clapped. "And that is a wonderful segway into our next topic. Class, thank Professor Elm for his time, won't you?"

""THANKS PROFESSOR ELM!~"" Was the mass response of the class. Damn squeakers, burning my ears.

"Thank you for letting me speak! And remember to ask your teachers for help if you have a question."

Roxanne nodded and clicked a switch at her desk. The screen went black, and it rolled over to the right side of the wall, revealing a white-board with a black marker boldly spelling out Acquiring Pokémon.

She walked up to the front of the board, grabbed a marker, and wrote the word Egg beneath the words Battle and Gift.

"Jon Snow, I believed Professor Elm said was your name? First off, it's lovely to meet you. The students are always happy to have trainers around. I know you're on a tour and did not sign up for this, but would you mind helping me out with this last lecture? A different point of view could go a long way from a trainer recognized by a regional professor."

I made to say no. I didn't want to give a lecture. I didn't want to deal with whatever questions would be asked of me. But then, of course, I faltered. Not of my own doing, but of the class. The brats weaponized the dread puppy-dog-eye technique on me, and in mass it was a critical hit.

On the spot and singled out and overwhelmed by those looks directed my way, I could do nothing but sigh and walk to the front of the class. That Roxanne was genuinely happy to have me around and didn't look to have any ulterior motive made it hard to have a leg to stand on too.

I faced the kiddies, twenty-two pairs of eyes facing me in turn. The puppy-dog-eyes were gone now, revealing their true thoughts. Some were clearly curious of me, others uninterested, but at least half were showing clear disappointment in their newest lecturer compared to their previous one.

Can't blame 'em. A ten-year-old trainer versus a Pokémon professor. The winner would normally be quite obvious.

But still, that's a punch in the gut.

"Now!" Roxanne began. "We've gone over gifted Pokémon and Pokémon captured by way of battle. Professor Elm was kind enough to give us detailed information on the caring of eggs. There are three more primary ways of receiving a Pokémon. What are they?"

A hand raised instantly, a bald, dark skinned girl. "Trading."

"Indeed!" Roxanne said, writing the word Trade onto her list. "Trading. It's an important part of being a trainer. Sometimes, we want a certain Pokémon more than one we have. Sometimes one we have isn't compatible with us. And sometimes, we capture Pokémon specifically to be traded. Jon, do you have any experience with this?"

"I've traded Pokémon three times." I admitted, glad to be in familiar territory. "The first of my trades was because I wasn't ready to handle that Pokémon. She was captured in an unfair way after taking down all but one of my Pokémon. Professor Oak took her on in exchange for both an egg and a favor."

"That's a fair reason to trade, indeed." Roxanne nodded. She returned her attention to her students. "Sometimes the Pokémon we capture are unwilling to be used. Remember class, just because they can be trained does not mean you can train them. Pokémon are dangerous at the best of times, and though they are also wonderful and caring and the best of our friends, they need to be treated with respect and a certain level of wariness. If you feel that you can't handle a Pokémon, it might be best to either wait until you are a stronger trainer before attempting to train it, trade it for something you will be able to better handle, or, and this might surprise you, release it."

Another hand was raised. "Have you ever released a Pokémon before?"

I shook my head and said "No." whilst Roxanne nodded sharply and said "Yes."

I turned towards her, and backed away with a furrowed brow, offering the opportunity to tell her story.

"This correlates well to the point I just made. Three years ago, the Rusturf Tunnel became home to a dangerous visitor." She started, pulling a tablet out from beneath her skirt. The monitor screen to the right lit up once more. "An Onix had burrowed in and claimed the pass as its territory, blocking trade and other important tasks with Mauville City. I was still an intern of the previous Gym Leader at the time, and I wanted to prove myself ready for more responsibilities. So, I decided to try and defeat and capture the Onix."

She took a deep breath, and her eyes looked towards the back of the room, glassy and a little forlorn. The image of an Onix was now displayed on the screen, with a size comparison to a human. "It was, to put it mildly, a humbling experience. Onix defeated all of my Pokémon and would have likely turned his attention onto me had it not been for the local Whismur and Loudred coming to my aid to finish the job. I captured the Onix while he was down, but that did not mean he would listen to me. Indeed, Onix refused to listen to anything I said, and was more likely to destroy the environments I attempted to train him in than actually train. After four months of trying to make him do anything I said, I realized that some Pokémon are just not meant to be held by human hands. So, I scheduled a week off and took a trip to Dewford Island, where I released Onix into the Granite Cave, where others of its species were already noted to live. That was the only moment that Onix showed me any civility, and even though our time together was strained at the best of times, I remember him fondly."

Roxanne's smile was brittle, but she clapped her hands and turned her focus back onto me. "So! What about your other trades?"

Subtle subject change. Subtle as a battering ram, that is. Eh, no biggie. "My next trade was with a good friend of mine. We met while trying to capture Gligar from the same flock. My Scyther and I were having problems at this time, I should add. He didn't like that I traded that first Pokémon since he was the last one of my team to not be knocked out. Well, my friend is a Steel type Pokémon specialist, and had her own unruly Pokémon, a Skarmory."

As I said this, three more images appeared onto the monitor screen; the Pokédex pictures of a Scyther, Skarmory, and Gligar.

"She was capturing those Gligar for her cousin, who was willing to trade an Onix for it. And she made a deal with me. She wanted my Scyther to evolve him into a Scizor, and she would trade her Skarmory for him. He wanted to evolve badly, and though I was unwilling to do it myself, I was willing to trade, so long as he agreed."

"Why did you not want to evolve your Scyther?" Roxanne asked, the images of a Steelix, and Scizor appearing on the screen. Onix was still up from her own story.

"I'm a Flying type specialist. I understudy at the Fortree Gym, actually. And Scyther lose their Flying typing when they evolve into Scizor."

Roxanne nodded shortly at that, and directed her attention to her class once more. "This is another this to remember. When you want to specialize, like I do with Rock types or Jon does with Flying types, you'll need to make sacrifices in your rosters."

I shrugged. "True. Anyway, we caught those Gligar, and made some trades. She had two Metal Coats, and evolved those Pokémon right on the spot."

"Did everything work out?" A student asked.

Once more, I shrugged. "Decently. Last I heard, Scizor was doing fine, and my Skarmory likes me more than she ever liked my friend. Which leads into my last trade. Being a Steel type specialist, and my being a Flying type specialist, we made a deal. If one of us finds a Pokémon the other might want, we would hunt for a worthy trade. This is actually going to come into effect soon, because I recently caught a Lairon that I know she'll want. I should actually tell her about that soon… Anyway. She had come across a Murkrow during her training, and I traded an egg from what was once her Skarmory for it. Imprinting makes a big difference in how well a Pokémon will listen to its trainer."

"And that leads us to the next method of obtaining a Pokémon." Announced the Gym Leader. She grabbed her marker once more and wrote the word Purchasing beneath the word Trade.

"This is a grey area; it needs to be said. Black markets for rare Pokémon exist, captured by poachers and thieves and other unsavory sorts. Those markets are highly illegal, and should you come across one, you should tell the local police about it immediately." She told the class, her voice stern and serious. The kids bobbed their heads in understanding. Hell, I nodded with 'em. Roxanne, when she's talking stern like that, really makes you want to listen.

That, or I'm just a bit of a bitch.

…It's probably me being a bitch.

When she saw that everybody understood, her tone warmed, and her lecture continued. "With that said, there are three primary ways to purchase Pokémon. The first, which Jon here is affiliated with, it breeding. Professor Elm purchased an egg from Jon, and once his Kabuto hatches, it will be his. Breeding is considered both the most profitable and tamest of Pokémon purchasing, and is a respected career.

"Can anybody think of another way?"

Mumbled answers echoed the room, and though kids looked to have answers, none were willing to voice them loudly enough to be embarrassed.

I did not care about being embarrassed, however. And I had my own question. Because the legality of selling Pokémon was, of course, of an interest to me. "I once saw a guy selling Magikarp in a marketplace..."

Roxanne snapped her fingers at me, a thankful smile alighting her face. "Yes! That's a good example. Some cities, during certain times of year, or depending on the Pokémon sold, will allow street selling of overpopulated Pokémon. Magikarp, as you pointed out, are permitted to be sold at any time, as it is in Hoenn with Taillow. But did you know in Fallarbor Town that Spinda are sold throughout the winter? Or that Sootipolis City permits the selling of Luvdisc during their spring?"

No I did not know that. "So, so long as it was in the right season, I could sell those Pokémon on the street if I was in the right city?"

"You'd need a permit granted by the local bureaucracy, but as a whole, yes."

"And how do you get one of those?"

"A topic for another day, I feel." She said, jerking her head towards the class, mouthing the words later to me. I understood quickly that this was not the time, but thankfully we'd be able to have some time to chat soon enough.

"But what's the last one?" A kid asked, that same bald girl from before. "You said there were three ways to buy a Pokémon."

"The last one is more touch and go," Roxanne admitted. "But all the regions of the Pokémon League have an auction house. They sell everything, from houses and land deeds to antique furniture and sports cars. And, as you would expect from this topic, they also sell Pokémon. I won't say you can find anything there, but certainly there will always be some type of rare and valuable Pokémon to be had. What matters more, though, is that you have the money to purchase one."

"Where are the auction houses in the world?" I asked, butterflies pooling in my stomach. This- this was what I needed. I'd been here for a year and a half at this point and I never knew that these existed. The anime never showcased them, the games never talked about them, and even though I only read like three chapters before getting bored, I'm pretty sure the manga would have ignored this too.

Gracefully, Roxanne rolled her shoulders into a shrug. "I don't know about the rest of the world, I'm afraid. But in Hoenn, it's located in Mossdeep City. Auctions occur once every other week, while we're on the topic. In three days, it'll be made available. If that's your interest."

Your damn right it's my interest.

She clapped her hands just the once, and then turned to the class. "Now! We have one more common way to acquire a Pokémon. What is it?"

Nobody answered. Nobody could think of one. Hell, I couldn't think of it. Battling, Trading, Eggs, Purchasing and Gifts were pretty much all there was.

Wasn't there?

Roxanne sighed, showcasing some disappointment, and then wrote onto the board once more. The word Volunteer was stark to see.

"I know it's not what you expected." She began. "But Pokémon, just like humans, know what they want. Most Pokémon crave companionship, same as we do, and if they meet a human they like well enough, they'll elect to join them without need of a battle. Sometimes a Pokémon views a human as a source of steady food, sometimes personalities just mesh well, and sometimes a human does something that a Pokémon feels deserves a reward."

"Sometimes a Pokémon doesn't even know it's been captured," I said quietly, thinking on Hodor.

Roxanne rolled her eyes but nodded towards me as if to concede my point. "At the end of the day, if a Pokémon joins up with you, that means that you have done something right. Not everything needs to be a battle, not everything needs to be a transaction. Be the trainer you are meant to be, and the rest will follow easily enough."

The class ended immediately after her point, and Roxanne kindly led me away from the school towards the gym she claimed as her own.

"Thank you once again for assisting with that lecture." She told me as we entered her facilities. The lobby was packed with trainee hopefuls, and she stoically ignored their pleading looks.

"I guess it wasn't too bad." I admitted, begrudgingly.

She chuckled. "No, it wasn't. The school is actually quite strict about troublemakers, and we've kicked students out for being too rowdy. Most know that there's a time and place for such things, but in a classroom is not one of those times or places."

"They don't need to go to school for this, though." I pointed out, stumbling as she halted. We were stood in front of a fogged glass door, tinted to the point that I couldn't see what was inside.

"No," Roxanne agreed, typing something onto a touchscreen to the left of the door. "They don't. But parents want the best for their children, and it is the duty of this city to provide the best."

Silently, the glass parted, and an arena was made visible to me. A field of rock and stone and sand and dirt, stalactites and stalagmites lined the floors and ceilings, and viewing stands filled with audio and video equipment lined the upper levels of the stadium.

"So!" Chirped Roxanne. "Are you after a battle? For your help, I would gladly let you skip the line."

"Much as I want to, I can't. I'm Winona's Gym Trainer this year, and you know the rules." Can't earn badges while under her heel. Annoying, but also sensible. And while the season is still relatively early, it made little sense to weaken Roxanne's team when she'd probably have to battle later today.

She tutted in understanding disappointment. "Pity. But I suppose this helps me out in a manner of speaking. I'd like to keep professional with you, but would you mind if I am blunt?"

"By all means," I said, graciously bowing. Well, not gracious. Actually it was a little mocking and snide, but I got a pity laugh out of it, so I'll survive.

"Right, well. Two things. One: I'd like to purchase a Kabuto from you."

"Price?" Was my immediate response.

"Funds are limited, but I've saved my moneys well over the years. How does 50,000 sound?"

"Nope. Can't do that. I found those breeders recently, and Elm literally bought their first egg. The moment he publishes information about it, prices will shoot up. I won't go for less than 80,000."

And that was being nice.

She winced visibly. "Such a high number… Out of curiosity, what of your other eggs? David mentioned that you captured nine Fossil Pokémon."

When not in front of a gaggle of brats, I was more willing to talk. "I caught two Kabuto, two Kabutops, two Omanyte, two Omastar, and one Aerodactyl."

"Oh!" She sounded, looking honestly struck. "Why, that's fantastic! Three separate species of living Fossils. I thought Roark in Sinnoh was lucky with that Rampardos he found, but you? Dear me. In that case, I'd like to make an adjustment. Instead of a Kabuto, I would like to purchase and Aerodactyl egg from you. 100,000."

Yeesh, this is gonna go down harshly, isn't it? "I got that much for an Omanyte egg, and I know Aerodactyl's will be worth more. So, sorry, but no. Besides, much as I'd like to, he's not up for stud right now. Give it a few more months though, then call me. We can talk numbers. I can at least make sure to save you an egg?"

Disappointed, Roxanne nodded. She pulled out a Pokégear and understanding what she intended to do I pulled my own out. Pushing them together, their screens lit up and pinged to signal that we traded contact information.

"You looked interested in the auction house when I spoke on it as well, were you hoping to sell an egg there?" She looked honestly curious.

No harm in telling her. Hell, at this point, she might even be able to help me out with numbers. "Not as such. Though that is a reminder; I should call Oak and see if he's got any more available. If you can guarantee privacy, I can show you why I'm interested in the auction house."

With a raised eyebrow, she tapped a solitary button on her Pokégear. The stadium lights dimmed, the doors all shut and tinted black, and sound distorters began to whirl around.

With a similarly raised brow, I released my prize. Onix roared her freedom, crashing into the dirt, the light of the arena cascading a rainbow effect off of her crystalline form. Snaking her head down towards us, she eyed me balefully, knowing who I was.

This was the third time that I'd met Onix in the months I've owned her. The first came during my initial visit to Pallet Town in the aftermath of the Orange Islands, when I tried to pester Oak for another carry limit extension; before I captured Ramsey and the others. His rejection was quick, and though Delia Ketchum was kind enough to let me stay the night in her home, I did not immediately trudge over towards her house. Instead, I decided to make Onix submit to me.

It was, while not easy, not hard. With Nagga and Drogon at my side, along with the rest of the team, Onix stood no chance. Baelish, acting as a translator, had clarified for me that Onix was, while disappointed to be captured, warily interested in being trained.

Alas, I just smiled and nodded, and then I bluntly informed her of what I intended to do with her. To say she was disappointed would be an understatement but buried under Nagga's weight and with the treat of attack on the horizon, she groaned out her lot in life, but that was that.

The second time met Onix was in Fortree. With Winona now housing all of my Pokémon, and being the nosy type, she released my Pokémon during one of her breaks while I was still manning the front desk. Imagine my surprise when she barrels into me and asks where I found such a pretty snakeypoo.

And, of course, we are now here.

Roxanne. A calm, collected, kind woman, ready and willing to offer a smile and comment at any moment, was speechless, and no longer looking calm or collected. Her eyes were bulged, her lips parted in astonishment, and though it was subtle, I could tell that Onix was preening.

"Where did you find such a specimen." She stuttered.

Slyly, I said a word she'd likely become familiar with. "Secret."

Manically, she twisted and held me by the shoulders. "No. Nonono. I won't accept that. Where did you find your Onix?!"

"And," I began, smugly. "I will say it again. Se-cr-et."

I returned Onix, and after clipping her Ultra Ball to my belt, continued to speak. "I want to sell her at auction. Initially, I came her to see if Devon corp would be willing to buy her, but even I knew that was a shot in the dark. But an auction house? I didn't even know there was one. Those sound more up my alley."

Roxanne took a deep, shuddering breath. Then, after just a few seconds of silence, she jerkily nodded her head, as if coming to a decision. "I am coming with you."

"Hm?" Librarian-say-what-now?

"To the auction house." She clarified. "I'll schedule a day off from the gym and the school. I'll even have my Baltoy Teleport us to Mossdeep City, and I will lead you along towards the auction house. But I will be going with you. And I will have a chance to purchase that Onix."

Befuddled, I scrambled my words. "Er, not that I'm not grateful, but. Um-"

"No buts." She said. Stated. Commanded. "I want that Onix. I'll take out a loan to get that Onix. I've never seen a Pokémon more perfectly suited towards me in my life, Jon Snow. I won't pass up a chance to have it."

"But I-"

"No."

"You really-"

"No."

"Can you stop interrupt-"

"Not until you agree."

"Fine!" I snapped, tired of this argument.

And thus, new plans were made.

Winter/Pidgeot – Male

Moves: Tackle, Gust, Sand Attack, Agility, Double Team, Whirlwind, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Twister, Hyper Beam, Sunny Day, Heat Wave, Attract, Rest, Sky Attack, Aerial Ace

Ability: Keen Eye

Thoros/Gliscor – Male

Moves: Sludge Bomb, Slash, Poison Sting, Metal Claw, Dark Pulse, Dig, Guano, Attract, Steel Wing, Iron Tail, Sandstorm, Ice Fang, Crunch

Ability: Sand Veil

Viserion/Dragonair – Male

Moves: Leer, Wrap, Thunder Wave, Water Pulse, Attract, Water Gun

Ability: Shed Skin

Baelish/Natu – Male

Moves: Peck, Leer, Night Shade, Calm Mind, Protect, Teleport, Flash, Confuse Ray, Psychic

Ability: Synchronize

Ramsey/Aerodactyl – Male

Moves: Iron Head, Hyper Beam, Wing Attack, Bite, Roar, Crunch, Take Down, Supersonic, Headbutt, Rest, Stealth Rock, Earthquake

Ability: Rock Head

Rayder/Honchkow – Male

Moves: Astonish, Pursuit, Peck, Wing Attack, Taunt, Haze, Perish Song, Dark Pulse

Ability: Super Luck

Rhaegal/Shelgon – Female

Moves: Rage, Headbutt, Ember, Dragon Rush, Attract, Skull Bash, Protect

Ability: Rock Head

Hodor/Nincada - Female

Moves: Sand Attack, Harden, Fury Swipes, Absorb

Ability: Compound Eyes

Onix – Female

Moves: Screech, Tackle, Sand Attack, Rock Slide, Bide, Dig, Double Edge, Dragon Breath

Ability: Rock Head

Jon Snow – Male

Date: May 17

Orange League: Complete

Held Pokémon: Pidgeot, Gliscor, Dragonair, Natu, Aerodactyl, Honchcrow, Shelgon, Onix

Stored Pokémon: Kabuto(x2), Kabutops(x2), Omanyte(x2), Omastar(x2), Charmeleon, Gyarados, Skarmory, Lairon, Delibird

Currency: 77,730