23

Lance left for the Dragons Den almost immediately after our battle, stating that he needed to work with his Tyrantrum in private. Winona tried to follow him but found herself stopped by the Blackthorn guards.

The Dragons Den was a land that was designated for members of the Blackthorn clan only, them and those few that were named allies along with a smattering of trusted Gym trainers who were only allowed to enter under extremely strict supervision. Dating Lance meant nothing regarding this; Winona was not a named ally of the family. She wasn't allowed to enter. That whole bit with Ash Ketchum being allowed in was due to anime logic and the fact that there was an emergency. He would never have been permitted to enter were that not the case.

Pouting and disappointed, the purple haired woman dashed away to parts unknown. Well, that was a bit of an overstatement. Really, she just huffed and stomped out of the room, flipping her hair like the diva she knows she is.

Me? I am proud to say that I'm no fool; I wasn't going anywhere near that. I was now situated in the Gym's sickbay, looking over my dragons. Viserion had the easiest time of the group, he was only a little bit bruised up. He was a quick fix up, and while disappointed he lost in such a fashion, my Dragonair took it surprisingly well. He had a fire in his eye, looking ready to train like he never had before. Losing must have inspired him.

Rhaegal was in the worst spot health-wise. Her shell was weakened severely, as was her will. Apparently, Lance worked his Tyrunts jaws so that they could pierce his own Salamence's hide, which happened to be quite a bit thicker than Rhaegal's was. She looked pitiful, and I hoped that she would get better soon. She was reacting well to my mothering at least, which was a good sign as far as I could tell.

Drogon though, while perfectly fine health-wise, was in a mental state that I really didn't like. He was healed and fit, but…

Drogon was the strongest of my dragons, disregarding his not being a Dragon type. He was the first to evolve, was the one that liked training and getting strongest the most, and due to his Shiny nature already had an enhanced ego. He'd lost a handful battles before, like when I challenged Robyn and Drake in the Orange League or trained with Blacthorn Gym trainers on the side. But to lose in such a decisive, overpowering way? It shook him.

The moment a Nurse Joy that had been invited to the party gave him the okay, he bolted. He had run out of the sickbay and secured an unoccupied room. Upon entering the room, I found him curled up in the corner of the room, his tail wrapped around his bunched-up legs like a security blanket. Brooding did not do my Charmeleon well.

"Drogon," I announced, only receiving a grunt. He buried his snout in his arms, hiding from me as if closing his eyes would make him invisible. Like that was going to work, I could see his horn and everything else. "It's time to get up. You've been moping for too long."

"Char!" he whined, pushing further into the wall.

Dear lord, but teenagers.

Winter had been so easy. As a Pidgeotto, all he cared about was becoming a Pidgeot, wanting the ability to fly everywhere without ever having to worry about being stranded again. Drogon was almost exactly as he had been ever since he was a Charmander, wanting to be stronger than everybody else and dominate those he viewed as lesser. When beaten in training he adjusted himself accordingly, but proper loss was something he'd never appreciated.

Fuck, this was partially my fault, wasn't it?

Well, this was a Pokémon, not a human, no matter how smart or responsive he was. I knew how to deal with him, and more than that I was prepared for his acting this way. Drogon is nothing if not predictable.

In my hand was a paper bag, a bag holding a single item that had been saved as a treat for training sessions. I pulled it out, ripping its plastic preservation away, allowing the scent of cold meat to permeate the room.

Drogon lifted his head up ever so slightly, his dark orange eyes curious. They lit up as they took in the sight of the Tauros steak I'd stolen from the fridge in my hand. He slowly, and still quite sulkily, treaded towards me, claw outstretched in the universal sign for gimme.

I lifted it above my head just as he was within grabbing distance, doing my best to ignore the petulant whine he let out. An easy task, to be perfectly honest.

"Are you going to stop sulking?" I asked him, eyebrow raised.

He huffed and turned his head away from me, his arms crossed over his gold-scaled chest. "…mele."

One eyebrow fell and my other one elevated even higher, my lip twitching involuntarily. I couldn't help it, he was being such a brat that it was funny. "Well… If you don't stop, I guess I'll just give it to your sister. She actually has a reason to be sad."

He snapped his head at me, baring his teeth in both surprise and aggravation. "Char char, leon mel-ar!"

I bopped him on the nose with the plastic wrapper still in hand. He reeled back, hissing. It was after hatching this little bundle of nuclear fire that I learned to be a disciplinarian. Now, I'll admit I'm not very consistent with my discipline, but I can have a firm hand when it's needed. Charmeleon and the majority of the Charizard line tend to have extreme Dragon type characteristics, sometimes being even more aggressive and difficult than actual dragons due to an instinctual need to challenge others. Further, the dude wasn't even a year old. He didn't have the experience or wisdom to know when to stop, so I had to physically show him sometimes.

It wasn't even all that rare that Drogon would act up, sadly. Evey now and then, he'd challenge everybody in an attempt to show he was dominant, including me. At least he was aware that he could mutilate me should he challenge me physically, and accepting that I was his father, he would instead ignore my commands and drills, wanting to do other types of training. When I wanted him to do laps with Rhaegal, he would instead try to belch out a Flamethrower for as long as possible. When he was supposed to do that, he would instead start doing laps. It was as if I went back in time to my old freshman gym class; there was always that one kid whose name escaped me that only wanted to mess with the bench press, even when we were supposed to be doing something else.

Oh, but I got frustrated. He'd been annoying the shit out of me at that point. But then, I remembered a small little tid-bit that could possibly help me out. When I was thirteen, my old agent, Ellie, had gotten a dog while I was living with her. That dog was a piece of work, not really mean but definitely ready to fight when bothered. However, my agent knew how to handle him.

So, to copy my old agent and see if that worked, the next time Drogon challenged me I tapped him on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper. Every time he did it, I would tap him. Eventually, he got fed up enough to just do what I wanted to make me stop.

And well, if it works then there's no point in stopping, right?

I knelt down and put the plastic wrapper on the floor, our eyes level. I put my free hand on his shoulder and patted him.

"You knew it was never going to last," I said. "You and Nagga and Winter and Valyrian fight all the time, and you don't always win those. Did you think that they were the best of the best?"

He grumbled, looking away. I grabbed his chin and gently made him look back at me.

"No, it wasn't. But that doesn't mean you should give up. Does losing once mean you're bad at battling?"

Drogon barked at me, growling. By the look in his eye, I could tell I was toeing his line. Sadly, it needed to be done.

"It doesn't." He nodded shortly, snorting out a small plume of smoke. "So, don't treat it like it does. Get stronger, get better. Every time you lose, do something about it until that person you lost to loses instead. That's why I'm here, along with the rest of our team; to help you get to that point."

Drogon was still moody, but he accepted my words without much further fuss. I lightly pet his scalp and gave him the steak. He ripped a strip from it off with his sharp teeth, spat it in the air, spewed out a stream of fire that charred the meat black and happily devoured it as it fell back to his waiting tongue.

I walked out of the room then, and surprisingly, Drogon toddled just behind me, loudly chewing on his treat. I thought he would want to eat his food in the room he'd taken over, but I wasn't going to go against his wanting to be nearby. It was a rare enough event.

We walked without any goal in mind. It was just a nice time, basking in each-others company.

Five minutes later, we found ourselves in the Gym lobby once more, the location that Aunt Claire's party had taken place. Most people were gone now, with just a few hanger-on's trailing along. Jasmine was one such hanger-on, playing with her Pokégear while sat on a blue-leather couch. Immediately to her left was Winona, looking over her shoulder, her hair sprawling everywhere. I cleared my throat; they looked up.

"Jon!" Jasmines eyes were alight and her smile wide as she put her gear away and made her way over. She didn't give me a hug like she normally did and instead she was staring thoughtfully at Drogon, who was still chewing on his last few pieces of steak. Winona skipped over to me and randomly used my head as an armrest.

"How's it going, little minion?"

I stared at her. Little minion? What the hell was she on about?

Upon voicing that line of questioning, she just laughed. "Weeeeell, you did good out there. Enough to impress me, which means I have a new Gym trainer! That's just another word for minion, y'know."

"Wha- but I lost! Badly!"

"You did," she shrugged, moving my neck as her shoulders rolled. "But it wasn't like I was expecting a win. If you did beat Lance by some miracle, even against a Pokémon that isn't on his main team, then you are obviously doing something right and don't need my help. Honestly, Lance would have probably fast tracked you to be an Elite apprentice if you did that, like Karen had been for Agatha. Jon, you were supposed to lose."

Naturally, I became confused. I mean, by the time Tyrunt evolved I knew that I wasn't going to win. But even still, I thought I had a shot in the beginning.

I was supposed to lose?

"Think about it from your opponent's perspective," Winona continued. "Lance has been the Champion of both Kanto and Johto for more than a decade. If he were to lose to you, even for a recreational match, in a public setting like this was, he would be hounded by everybody, thinking that he'd lost his spark and that his title was up for grabs. He's a very private man, your father, and hates it when people bother him about things like that, especially when he's against opponents he doesn't consider worthy. In his mind, he couldn't lose to you. So, while he didn't use a main team member, he didn't go easy on you. That Tyrantrum of his has been owned for about a year and a half at this point; it was an Elite level Pokémon as a Tyrunt, it might even be a Champion level Pokémon now. And you still did good, good enough to make him actually panic! That takes some skill, and while I didn't see anything regarding Flying types in that battle, I know that you've got a good roster of them and that you've got what it takes. So, yes. You passed."

"Oh." Well… when put that way…

"Wait, Lance is your dad?" Jasmine asked, shocked. Without even meaning to, I snapped my neck towards her. Her mouth was literally agape, her hand shaky as it pointed at me.

"Uhh…"

"Don't worry Jon," Aunt Claire said as she walked in the room, the necklace of Everstones Tyrantrum had been using casually held in her hand. "It's fine is Jasmine knows."

In her mind, it was fine if everybody knew. Even after our fight. I didn't really care that Jasmine knew, since my Emma Watson lookalike was quite level headed and didn't seem the type to get star struck, but still. It was the principle of the matter.

Winona ruffled my hair. "Sorry 'bout that, minion. It slipped my mind that you don't like talking about it. I'll make sure not to mention it when we're in Fortree."

With a sigh, I waved her off. "It's fine." I switched the line of conversation, quick as I could. "Actually, speaking of Lance, how'd he get his Pokémon that strong?"

Aunt Claire exchanged a quick look with Winona, then took her place on the couch. "Lance is actually a very simple battler. He focuses on turning all of his Pokémon into tanks that can last for extremely long periods of time. That's actually why he uses Dragon types, since they naturally challenge each other and figure out how to battle, and he makes sure they can take a hit. With a team of Pokémon that are already Elite and Champion level, it's expected that his younger Pokémon will grow quicker. That's all he does."

"But how does he do that?" Really, Tyrunt was already a natural tank, but it was able to take a super effective attack and shrug it off like it was nothing. Possible for Tyrantrum, sure, but a Tyrunt shouldn't have that kind of power.

Aunt Claire shook the Everstones in her hand. "With these. When it comes to his Pokémon roster, all but a few don't evolve. What he does is he forces them to train for extremely long periods of time while wearing Everstones. They're great for training, but extremely uncomfortable when a Pokémon genuinely is ready to evolve. Even when they aren't ready it's not great. His Tyrunt had been ready to evolve for almost ten months at that point, but he wanted to squeeze every ounce of endurance he could out of it before it couldn't go further."

That made… sense, I suppose. Everstones were curious things anyways, especially since Baelish couldn't evolve due to them. Well, he was a rare case regardless.

Unlike evolution stones, which altered a Pokémon's DNA in specific ways, an Everstone halted a Pokémon's natural inclination to evolve.

Baelish was an extremely unfortunate case. If he just had an Everstone as a held item, he'd be fine. However, his old trainer didn't know jack shit about how to be a decent person and actually made the super-circle-bird swallow the damn thing. The Everstone in his body wasn't going to leave unless he underwent surgery, and honestly, especially after the battle with Drake's Dragonite, he was over it at this point.

"Can I have it?" There was nothing wrong with asking. It could be useful!

She quirked her eyebrow and after a moment smirked to herself before tossing the necklace over to me. I made to catch it, but Drogon grabbed it first, securing it around his neck. He already looked uncomfortable, even when he wasn't ready to evolve. Or maybe he was and he was just waiting for a good time?

Meh, I don't know. I haven't really interrogated my team on whether or not they want to evolve. It doesn't really matter at this point, considering the only Pokémon I have that can evolve are my dragons, and I know that they all want to. Drogon wants to be a Charizard so he can be the strongest, Rhaegal wants to be a Salamence so she could fly, and Viserion wanted to become a Dragonite to keep up with them.

When I get some more diversity in my roster I'll let that line of questioning return.

"Lance has a ton of those necklaces, a perk of being a close friend of Steven Stone. I don't think he'll care if he's missing one."

"…his dad is Lance…" Jasmine mumbled, still lost in her little world.

I ignore her, and instead shifted my attention away from Lance and on to my new job opportunity in the form of Winona.

"When are we leaving for Hoenn?"

She removed her arm from my hand and began to think. "I was planning on returning to Foretree City on my own and you'd meet me there, but if you intend to come with me then we'll be leaving in… ten or so days. It's only a rough estimate. I might stay for a little longer, but the Hoenn Gym circuit is going to start back up in two weeks on the 20th, and I have to get back by the 18th at the latest. My plan was to be back by the 16th. Better to be safe than sorry, y'know? I'll make sure to keep you informed, but be packed after I've been here for a week to be on the safe side."

That meant we wouldn't have much time to train before having to do actual work. Though, due to her being ranked as the third most difficult gym, she wouldn't get too much traffic until the middle of the season.

"Oh!" Jasmine squeaked, escaping her trance. "You're going to Hoenn! That's perfect, maybe you could find a Steel type to trade for that Murkrow!"

I've been so focused on other things that our deal slipped my mind. I'd not forgotten it, but it certainly hadn't been high up there on my to-do list. Let's see… the Steel types in Hoenn that I know the most about are Aron, which are already pretty rare. Not crazy rare, like Beldum were, but still, tricky little critters.

Forcing a smile, I looked at her. "I'll try my best."

Honestly speaking, it'd probably be easier to just wait until either a Steel type drops into my lap or Valyrian lifts her tail feathers and pops out an egg. She certainly wants one, instinctually at least.

Food for thought.

Half an hour later, I grabbed some supplies for a relaxing day and left the Gym.

Winter gave me a quick ride to the Lake of Rage, where Nagga was feasting on his own Magikarp kin. It was always interesting to think about how Gyarados gave no shits about their pre-evolved forms. The only time a Gyarados would care about a Magikarp in the wild would be if that Magikarp was one of that Gyardos's spawn, and even then, and all that would mean would be that the Gyarados in question would try not to eat it. That Magikarp was fair game to the other Gyarados in the area, though.

I was sat on a lawn chair fiddling with the equivalent of a Go-Pro, with Umber sprawled next to me. Claire, trying to bring us back to the way we had been prior to today's fight, had given me a bunch of random tech after giving Drogon those Everstones. Speaking of Drogon, he was off to the side, punching on some trees while Thoros flew overhead. Viserion was above the lake, battling against Valyrian, who I'd withdrawn from Professor Oak while Rhaegal was healing up. Winter, knowing that Valyrian was here, chose to stay in his Poké Ball. All of my Pokémon, save for Baelish, were here.

But what to do… ten days was a fair bit of time, but not really a ton.

With ten days left, along with over a years' worth of work ahead of me, it only made sense that I start mapping out what I wanted to do before leaving, and what I wanted to do while in Hoenn. Things people told me about, events that were going on and objectives I'd mapped out ever since washing up on Shamouti's shoreline.

I still needed to visit Professor Elm; he was supposed to show me how to feed Nagga when I entered Hoenn. The base diet of a King was immense, and while the Lake of Rage could always use a culling, I don't know about the places in Hoenn that needed the same. There had to be a trick that didn't break my budget.

What else? Sell Onix. Now that my apprenticeship in Foretree has been finalized it'd probably be a lot easier to sell Onix, seeing as how I'll be in Hoenn. With the Stone family and their obsession with interesting Rock and Steel types, an Onix made out of crystal would probably be right on their radar. If nothing else, they could point me to the right people to buy it.

My biggest worry was my Pokémon. More specifically, the ones that would fight the Legendary Birds of Shamouti.

Thoros, my Gliscor, was the only real option I had when it came to Zapdos. His being a part Ground type negated the most dangerous aspect of Zapdos, its electricity, which meant they would be in a physical battle. I was going to spend this year working that bat to the bone, trying my damnedest to make him a quick evader and a powerful physical combatant.

When it came to Articuno, my best bet was Drogon once he evolved into a Charizard. Drogon and Umber were my only Pokémon that didn't have extreme weaknesses to Ice, but Drogon was the only Fire type I had. In this regard, adopting Lance's Everstone training method could only help me. With extreme endurance, a focus on his Fire attacks, and the drive that he already possessed, I knew Drogon'd do me proud.

My biggest issue came in the forms of Moltres and Lugia. Nagga was my strongest Pokémon in general right now, and against a Fire type he already had the advantage. The problem was that Moltres was also a Flying type and barely ever landed, while Nagga was sea-bound. This meant Moltres would probably never go within my Gyarados' range of fire and was more likely to try and boil the water under my buddy as if he were a giant piece of seafood. Which, depending on who asked, he was.

Lugia though… I didn't really have a chance against him. His Psychic typing coupled with his natural abilities at sea and his unique attack Aeroblast meant that there wasn't really anything I could do. Maybe Viserion, if he got to the same level as one of Lance's Dragonites, but that was unlikely. Lance spent over five years training his starter before he even entered the Pokémon league, and even still, Lugia was on another level. Lance wouldn't have an easy time against Lugia.

Hopefully I would find a way to deal with Lugia during my time in Hoenn. And if not, maybe during the Kanto circuit. I had two years between then and now, time that I had to use wisely.

My thoughts were interrupted by the rustle of wind, my hair ruffling, and a soft pop that heralded the arrival of Baelish, who took his place atop my scalp.

"Human," he rasped, spinning around on my head until he was able to find a place to nest. "I've found the place you asked of me."

I won't deny my wariness. Baelish had been gone for ten days by this point. Not only were Natu uncommon in Kanto, my Natu could talk and Teleport. He was something trainers all over the world would want, which certainly had me worried.

However, it seemed as if I didn't need to worry. He found what I asked of him with little issue.

"GUYS!" I yelled, causing all my Pokémon to turn towards me, simultaneously cocking their head to the side in curiosity. What a weird habit they'd all gained. Nagga even raised his massive head from the water, eyes crinkling as he chewed on… wow, that's the tail of another Gyarados in his mouth.

Good for him, I guess. Hurray for cannibalism!

"Form up! We're going on another trip!"

They meandered over to me, and I returned them one at a time. Once all were in their Poké Balls, Baelish chirped and suddenly I was no longer in a lake.

I was now inside a dark, damp, dreary cave, with nothing for light save for a tiny little hole that only a Pokémon such as Baelish, a Natu, would be able to fit. Water dripped from speared stalactites and stalagmites, echoing through the chamber. There were few other sounds, but the most impressive and important was the snoring that rumbled from my left, a high-pitched sound that burned my ears.

Baelish, still on my head, began to glow a soft yellow light. He was using Flash, not the combat version of it but the exploring one, which lit up caves and dark areas. Through him, I was about to get a better look at the room and found myself rubbing my hands together unconsciously. The cave was extremely wide, now that I could see past five feet from in front of me. So wide, in fact, that it couldn't be called a cave. This was a cavern, with pillared rock formations and a wide, open plan. If somebody were to look at me, I likely would have been sporting a demented sort of smile.

I turned on Claire's camera and strapped it to my forehead. With Baelish still on my head, I walked around, doing my best to be quiet. I failed miserably in that regard, small puddles being stomped over, each time making me cringe.

But that was okay. After only five minutes I saw what I was after.

There they were. I didn't know exactly how many were in here, but there were enough. You thought Onix was going to make me a fortune? So did I. Damn, but we were off. Onix would sell well, but this was going to set me up for life.

Their hard shells were barely visible, but those lit red eyes were very much so. They stepped in to the light, two pairs of Kabuto's and Kabutops', Omanyte's and Omastar's. Legitimate, living Fossil Pokémon that hadn't been revived through scientific means. What should have been impossible was right before my eyes, far rarer than any King gene. Kings were random and rare, but these lot were supposed to be extinct. None of these should exist.

Shit man, I still can't believe that anime trope was real.

The Pokémon that were revived were strong and tended to be aggressive, which most people desire. But there was a fundamental issue with them that no scientist has been able to solve; they couldn't breed. Regardless of the fact that they were Pokémon, due to their not being born naturally they are still considered quite artificial in human terms. There are rules about how to handle them, strict laws that make it some only certain people can possess Fossil Pokémon. In the event that a trainer couldn't handle an animated Fossil Pokémon, they were to transfer it to their sponsor so that the Pokémon in question could be studied.

Originally, after researching Fossil Pokémon, I gave in. Nobody had found a wild Fossil Pokémon yet, and the show could have been wrong; it wouldn't be the first time. However, after finding out that Grampa Canyon existed on the Kanto map, just a few short miles south of Fuchsia City, I had to check. I thought they came from a simple filler episode from the show. I now find myself happily wrong.

These were breeding pairs!

The Kabutops' were clinking their sickles at me, hissing in fury. The Omastar's were slapping their membranes on the stone floors, clamping their sharp beaks together, drooling. The Kabuto and Omanyte pair were skittering between them, letting out trills, keeping their beady stares on me at all times whilst hiding behind their parents.

They expected me to run. They expected me to hide. They wanted me to fear.

They did not get what they wanted.

Instead, I jerked my head closed my eyes. Baelish got the memo and cranked up his Flash to that blinding level that let him beat Drake's Dragonite. The Fossil Pokémon before cried out, their voices raspy from underuse. From behind my eyelids, darkness went bright in an instant, leaving deep purple blotches in my vision.

While they were distracted, I released Nagga, Thoros and Winter. All three took the field, though Nagga was quite cramped and Winter horribly annoyed due to being released inside a cave. Only Thoros was right at home.

"All of you," I announced, opening my eyes. Unbidden, the smirk that I tried to suppress came out in full force. "Use your strongest attacks. Winter, Hyper Beam. Nagga, Thunderbolt. Thoros, Dark Pulse volley. Hit everything! Those Pokémon, the room, everything! Let 'er rip!"

With that order, Baelish then Teleported me outside of the cave, and boy was I glad he did. This was a damn light show, beams of pure orange and bolts of lightning and spheres of darkness blitzing from all around. Grampa Canyon was breaking from the inside, and laughter was soon to bubble as Nagga rippled from beneath the ground, his Thunderbolt arcing from his frill. Winter followed suit, gliding over the Canyon with the beam firing from his beak.

Only Thoros stayed inside. His being a Ground type made him far more comfortable with being underground.

After about three minutes of letting them rage, their enthusiasm died down and I had them stop. Grampa Canyon, or at least this specific area of it, was a wreck, and from my vantage point I could make out the eight Pokémon I was interested in all happily knocked out.

Baelish teleported me down there, where I tossed a bunch of Poké Balls at the fainted Fossils. Six of them were caught instantly; only one of the Kabutops broke free along with an Omanyte, both were barely conscious. Baelish, helpful little rascal that he was, shot a pair of Nightshades at them that knocked them out proper. Another pair of Poké Balls and I now had my retirement fund.

But I wasn't done. Not by a long shot.

I left Nagga and Winter on the surface, released Drogon and Viserion, and marched back into the cavern. It was quite a bit less pristine than it had been previously. The once speared rock formations were scattered all over the floor, the pillars were crumbled messes, and there were streaks from where the Hyper Beams and Dark Pulses crossed one another, creating an almost unseen pattern.

A ferocious, angry screech echoed. It didn't come closer, strangely enough. My team and I went towards it. Unless there were more breeding pairs, that could only be one Pokémon that made that noise, the one I came here for.

For a solid twenty minutes we trekked, Baelish had to replenish his Flash a few times over purely due to the time limit on the move. Viserion, being the good boy that he was, allowed me to hitch a ride on his back. He floated over all the debris in the room. I could have just returned Drogon at this point, but he wanted to be let out as often as possible to train, and who was I to tell him no?

Finally, we reached our goal. Half buried under a pile of rocks was a furious looking monster, ready to kill us. A bipedal, reptilian Pokémon with large, membranous wings struggled to get its talon-like feet out from underneath the rubble. It glared at us with glowing green eyes, screeching a deafening cry from its gaping mouth, sharp teeth ready to gut us. Its violet-gray skin was sleek with scales, looking as thick as small rocks.

Aerodactyl.

I might not know what I need it for, but I need it. More than that, I would have it. The only Aerodactyl in the world that can properly breed? Even if I had to make it settle for something that wasn't its species, I would make bank from this Pokémon.

While it struggled, I turned to my team. Drogon had just caught up to us and was looking more than ready to fight. Viserion and Baelish were sedate, their eyes were tracking Aerodactyl like hawks, ready to escape if needed.

Thoros though, Thoros was doing his usual. He was flying around without a care in the world, pointing a sharp claw at the downed Fossil Pokémon and laughing at it. My Gliscor was only making it madder, which served me quite well.

"Thoros, use Iron Tail!"

Was it cheap to attack a Pokémon that was downed? Absolutely.

Did I care? Absolutely not.

Thoros did as I commanded, his tail glowing a silver-metallic hue. He dove at Aerodactyl, narrowly missing the Rock type's jaw snapping at him. Iron Tail slammed into Aerodactyl's chest, forcing him backwards at an awkward angle. There was a loud snap, and the rocks that held Aerodacyl down scattered. It was free.

With a screech, it dove at me. Luckily, I was not Ash; I had a competent team that wouldn't let me nearly get eaten. Viserion spat out a Water Pulse at Aerodactyl, missing as he barrel-rolled. Baelish's Night Shade hit it though, right as the roll came to a stop. Aerodactyl cried out, and with a grunt of effort soared just above, its head turning that same silver-metallic sheen that Thoros' stinger did when using Iron Tail.

With Iron Head, Aerodactyl headbutted through the ceiling, allowing light that didn't originate from Baelish's Flash or Drogon's tail to fill the room.

I had a perfect view. The moment Aerodactly surfaced, it was snapped at by Nagga, whose teeth were filled with frost. Ice Fang did its job, forcing a pained cry from the Rock/Flying hybrid, but still, even with all that it had endured, it didn't faint. Instead, Aerodactly shot a Hyper Beam right at Nagga, less than a foot from his muzzle. Nagga released Aerodactyl with a pained roar, and I returned him quickly. Nagga would have been able to tank through that Hyper Beam, but the rage he normally held back would be impossible to control. Better he be out of here than in that state.

Winter dove down then, a spiral of green energy coming from his beak. Twister slammed in to Aerodactyl, but it tanked that too. Another Hyper Beam was fired, cutting straight through the Twister and hitting Winter right in the face. He started to fall, and I had to return him too.

Fuck. Aerodactyl was strong. Manageable, but damn strong. I needed some bigger guns.

So, I released Valyrian. She screeched her ascent, the sound doubling and vibrating. Aerodactyl looked at her as she approached, its head cocked to the side.

Then… Honestly, what the hell? Why is this happening? How is this happening?

I blame anime, damnit.

Aerodactyl was not an it, it was a he, and he liked Valyrian quite a bit. His tongue rolled, his eyes glazed, and he raced his was over to her, attempting what I presume to be his form of flirting. Valyrian looked at him with a narrowed eye and turned to face me. I nodded to her, and she shrugged.

Upon getting in a physical distance, she did the best thing she did what she was meant to do; her entire body lit up with Steel type energy. Her talons turned to Metal Claws, raking against Aerodactyl's chest. Her wings became Steel Wings, slapping the Rock type to the ground. As he fell, she dove after him, screaming Metal Sound at him.

He slammed into the ground, and though he wasn't unconscious, he wasn't moving his body. He growled as I approached, an Ultra Ball in hand.

I threw it at him, red energy covering his body, shrinking him down until he fit. The ball began to shake.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five-click

My newly captured Aerdoactyl disappeared in a swirl of light, just as the others did. I'm happy. This was a hard fight; he knocked out two of my strongest and was already injured from the beginning. If he hadn't been injured…

Fuck man, if he hadn't been injured then I probably would have only won was because Aerodactyl decided it had a crush on Valyrian. If he hadn't been interested in her, if he was whole and hearty and willing to fight some more, this battle might have gone differently.

I need to be smarter. Next time, I need to not only research the area, but also what Aerodactyl is weak against. All I can think of off the top of my head is Water, Steel and Ice type attacks being strong. I'm sure there are others, but I'm blanking on them.

"Gli-scor, Li!" Thoros sounded from behind me. I turned towards him, curious.

In Thoros' hand was a large blue sphere, with a sort of spiral symbol decorating the middle. He handed it to me, and while cliché, I could feel a sort of power emanating from it.

But what in the hell is this thing?

Winter/Pidgeot – Male

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

Ability: Keen Eye

Umber/Delibird – Female

Moves: Present, Icy Wing, Peck, Rest, Attract, Ice Beam, Hail, Blizzard, Sky Attack, Double Team, Aerial Ace

Ability: Hustle

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

Valyrian/Skarmory – Female

Moves: Steel Wing, Wing Attack, Fly, Cut, Peck, Screech, Metal Claw, Metal Sound, Slash, Night Shade, Steel Wing, Icy Wing, Sky Attack, Iron Head, Attract, Dark Pulse, Aerial Ace, Iron Defense

Ability: Sturdy

Drogon/Charmeleon – Male(Shiny)

Moves: Growl, Scratch, Ember, Ancient Power, Attract, Iron Tail, Metal Claw, Sunny Day, Bite, Flamethrower, Dragon Rage, Dragon Claw, Dig, Protect

Ability: Blaze

Viserion/Dragonair – Male

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

Ability: Shed Skin

Baelish/Nate – Male

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

Ability: Synchronize

Nagga/Gyarados – Male

Moves: Splash, Tackle, Bite, Leer, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave, Ice Fang, Crunch, Body Slam, Headbutt, Iron Head, Twister, Dragon Rage

Ability: Intimidate

Jon Snow – Male

Date: Mar 4

Orange League: Complete

Held Pokémon: Pidgeot, Delibird, Gliscor, Skarmory, Charmeleon, Dragonair, Natu, Gyarados

Stored Pokémon: Shelgon, Onix, Kabuto(x2), Kabutops(x2), Omanyte(x2), Omastar(x2), Aerodactyl

Currency: 12,740