Professor Acacia

'I wonder how long it will take before I find a tentacool or a group trapped on the beach.' Ignacio thought as his pace increased. His smile stayed on his face.

After an hour of searching, he found three. All stuck on the sand on the horizon. He ran towards the trio with hope as he gazed upon them before chuckling loudly. Once arriving, he stopped behind one.

"Hey, would you like some help, fella?" Ignacio asked as his eyes sparkled, ready to try his luck.

"Tentacool" Tentacool nodded weakly before pointing one of its tentacles at the ocean.

Ignacio quickly nodded before spending fifteen minutes pushing the Tentacool back into the water.

"Tentacool!" The Tentacool thanked before submerging into the deep.

Ignacio wasn't discouraged as he helped the other two. And after finishing, they both left without thanking him.

'It seems it's going to be harder than I thought for a Tentacool to want to stay with me willingly.' Ignacio thought while his brows narrowed before continuing his search for more Pokémon to save.

He'd spend five hours searching and saving Tentacool. During this duration, he saved eight others. However, his luck remained the same, as each Pokémon had a life to live, and most weren't willing to leave it without battling.

'I'm hungry.' Ignacio thought before leaving the ocean shore and entering the forest. Walking through the undergrowth, he surveyed the surroundings for something to eat.

His efforts were not fruitless, collecting enough berries to make a small pile. However, once he tried one yellowish one, the urge to spit out the piece assaulted him. After fifteen seconds of conflict within his mind, he forcibly swallowed it.

"Bleh, that tastes spicy." Ignacio stated while fanning his tongue before gritting his teeth and biting the berry again. However, this prompted his veins to start dilating.

Ignacio quickly finished the berry before grabbing a green one and biting into it. This action resulted in his mouth shriveling up a bit before he begrudgingly finished eating the berry.

'That berry is the sourest food I've ever eaten.' Ignacio calculated before grasping a red berry. However, when he was about to bite into it, he hesitated briefly.

Ignacio deliberated on his actions before sighing and biting into this berry. However, the horrible taste he anticipated didn't commence. Instead, a predominantly sweet one hit his tongue and made his mouth water.

'This tastes amazing. I think I'll eat this one from now on.' Ignacio decided before picking out all the red berries from the pile and leaving the rest for Pokémon to snack on.

Afterward, he returned to the beach while carrying the red berries. Once he arrived, he continued walking across the shoreline.

Ignacio persisted in his attempts to get a Tentacool to follow him until dusk. However, his attempts all were for naught despite helping ten more Tentacool. When he stopped, he began digging a hole and covering himself in leaves. Subsequently, he laid back, pondering what his new life had in store, before sleeping.

***

The following day Ignacio decided to stay here until he could finally save one that'd want to follow him. Consequently, he spent a month saving Tentacool, rescuing over three hundred individuals.

However, his actions didn't go unnoticed, as a mysterious person watched him most of the time from afar. Surveying his movements and deteriorating state.

On the other hand, Ignacio knew not of his actions being spied upon but just persisted with his goals. Yet he slowly began growing despondent and sluggish.

'When will I finally be able to succeed?' Ignacio questioned in his mind before walking into the cool ocean water, trying to relax. Afterward, he sat in it, leaving his head above the water, before closing his eyes. Consequently, he rested, listening to the waves hitting the coastline and the sound of different flying Pokémon going about their daily lives.

Three hours passed as he relaxed, listening to nature before he felt a tap on his shoulder. However, Ignacio didn't respond, and this prompted the individual to tap his shoulder once more.

"Huh? Who is that?" Ignacio asked with his eyes closed and sat motionless like a statue.

The tapping stopped before he felt a soft hug from the side by something gelatinous. This action prompted him to open his eyes and survey his surroundings. However, his eyes widened, and his mouth lay agape after realizing his situation.

'Are they all the Tentacool I saved?' Ignacio thought while gazing at them all, feeling at a loss for words as he waited to see what they would do.

He didn't have to wait long, as most made way, as one of them moved towards him, carrying a small blue object in its tentacles.

"Tentacool." The Tentacool handed the object to Ignacio gently.

"Wait, is this an egg?" Ignacio questioned after leaving his stupor, carefully holding the object with care. And his eyes dilated after looking at it further.

"Tentacool." The Tentacool nodded before slowly swimming away while the others followed suit.

"I'll make sure to take care of this egg, goodbye Tentacool." Ignacio replied while waving his hand while holding the egg carefully with his other arm.

"Tentacool" All the Tentacool yelled back in unison before disappearing beneath the waves.

Afterward, Ignacio left the water steadily before smiling at the egg, pondering on what he should name his new friend.

"You are fortunate to have received an egg from wild Pokémon of their own free will. Please cherish this moment, for you have formed a bond even deeper than normal Pokémon and their trainers share." A deep voice stated in awe.

Ignacio froze after hearing the voice, staying completely motionless while his eyes widened.

"Don't just wait and stay silent. Greet me." The voice told again.

Ignacio turned around at a slow pace and saw a tall older man with a bushy white beard. He wore a lab coat.

"Hello, sir. I'm Ignacio." Ignacio greeted while on guard.

"Well, hello, Ignacio. I am Everett Acacia. I'm a professor traveling the world researching different Pokémon." Acacia stated.

"Well, I'm Ignacio Koch, and well, I live here in the wilderness alone. Um, how should I address you?" Ignacio replied and asked.

"You can call me professor Acacia, Ignacio." Acacia stated

Acacia became silent for a few moments before smiling.

"How about you travel with me until your egg hatches?"

"Sure, I'd like that, though sadly, I haven't showered in a month." Ignacio replied while smiling wryly.

"Don't worry about it. You can shower when we reach my yacht. However, once your Pokémon hatches, I'll drop you off at a friend's. Where you can get your Pokémon license." Acacia stated before holding out his hand.

"Alright, I understand, professor Acacia." Ignacio replied before giving a firm handshake.

"Good, now let's go. We should reach the yacht before nightfall." Acacia stated before ending the handshake and walking to the east.

Ignacio nodded before following Acacia across the coastline while carefully holding the egg in his arm.