25

It should come as no surprise that I found myself spending the night in Pallet Town.

With Valyrian and Ramsey – ahem – busy, as well as my needing to create a contract with Professor Oak regarding the breeding of the Fossil Pokémon, this made sense. Just because we'd agreed on a percentage didn't mean we'd gone over anything else. We didn't go over how much an egg would sell for, didn't determine how many eggs we would sell at a time – which was quite important to me. And Oak wanted the power of negotiation, as well as other things. No, I couldn't leave Pallet Town without handling this matter.

Plus, Baelish was a puddle of goo right now over at the Ketchum residence. I'm not about to leave without him.

Oak offered me Gary's room for the night, and I took it gladly. I was exhausted. So much had happened today. I'd yelled at Claire, battled Lance, took care of Rhaegal, played psychiatrist for Drogon, became a Grym trainer, caught a new set of Pokémon, found a rock that regional professors all over would fight to study, and gained the tentative loyalty of an impossibly rare and volatile Flying type.

Like I said, busy day.

Luckily, the next day was far less hectic. I woke up to the smell of eggs, trudged down to the Oak family kitchen, and ate a hearty breakfast with Daisy and her grandfather and her creep, who'd also spent the night.

Speaking of said creep.

"Hey, Professor Elm."

He looked at me from the other side of the table, a rasher of bacon halfway in his mouth. "Mmm?"

"Since I'm going to leave soon, can you tell me how to feed Nagga? My Gyarados."

Honestly, I should have done this the moment I hit the mainland. Nagga couldn't keep eating other Pokémon once we landed in Hoenn, or at least not at the rate he was currently going at it. Population control policies aren't as lax there as they are on this side of the world. Plus, my relatives don't really have any authority there, so I can't ask for some legal help. Not easily, at least. Wouldn't be worth the effort to try.

Elm swallowed his bacon and nodded. "Of course! Why don't you come by my lab in… two hours? Yes, that should work. I'll be back and ready to show you the process by then."

"Sounds good."

And thus, the conversation halt once more. The Oak clan were not breakfast talkers, it seemed. Or, and this is far more likely by the way the older professor was balefully staring at the younger, talk wouldn't be a smart idea for health purposes. Lookin' at you Elm.

As it was, I did not need to be a part of this bit of family drama.

So, finishing my food and putting my plate and fork in their dishwasher, I packed up my gear and exited the lab by way of the back door. This led me to the ranch where Ramsey and Valyrian were draped over one another, snoozing in the shade of the close-by trees.

I returned them to their Poké Balls. No point in waking them or cause a fuss. Not yet.

And based on the way that Ramsey was included onto my team, there would indeed be a fuss to be had.

I left the ranch in its entirety then, and headed towards Pallet Town proper. The walk was calm, the breeze pleasant, the sun high and the sky clear. It was a beautiful day, really.

A skip in my step, I made my way to the home of Delia Ketchum. The door was unlocked, as I'd expected. The residents of Pallet believed in an open-door policy, their highly communal system partnered with the overly trusting nature most people in the Pokéverse seemed to hold made them think this was a good idea somehow. At least they weren't open to a fault. It was considered a major faux pas to just walk into another person's home without invitation or reason to be there, and in a town like this reputation mattered.

I guess I just can't understand it. Ellie had her apartment broken into once when she was at work and I was at school, and in response she invested in multiple security measures. When I bought my own place, I did the same. The measures need not be named, mainly because I don't remember the names of the companies, but suffice to say I felt safe in my home.

There's no way I would be able to feel safe going along with this kind of culture. But since I had no plan on living here, there wasn't any point in overthinking this further.

And thus, I entered the home.

Delia was in the middle of the room, nothing like the woman I'd seen twice now. She was passed out on a couch, snoring away without a care in the world, a coat of white cream masking her face, a loogie of drool dribbling down her chin. Her legs were open like a hung trucker, and her arms were snuggled against Baelish, pushing him into her cleavage.

Baelish, however, was not asleep. He was wide awake, and not particularly happy to be her designated pillow. He stared at me, somehow taking on a pleading expression.

"Help me, human." He quietly pled. Still squeaked his words.

"Just Teleport," I whispered back. It seemed like an obvious solution.

His eyes widened further. Had he really not thought of that? Well, smart or not, he's got his stupid moments. Then he did just that, appearing atop my head in a flicker.

The disappearance of her pillow had Delia wake up with a startled snort. She sat up, rubbed at her eyes, then hissed because her rubbing made it so her face cream got in her eyes. Flailing, Delia stood and hobbled her way to her kitchen, where she washed her face at the sink.

Silently, while she was doing this, I left the house. Nice woman though she was, I didn't want to overstay my welcome by any stretch of the word. Added to the fact that I basically broke in, and it doesn't paint the best picture.

Baelish shivered from my head. "I have seen that which should not be seen."

I snorted, walking down the road languidly, hands in my pockets. "Good bit of drama, there. How'd your spa day go?"

"It was strange," he admitted. "Her items were not meant for feathers or a Pokémon of my size, so I did not participate much. There was a heated blanket she wrapped me in though. I liked that quite a bit. But these… television shows she had me watch- nonsense."

"How so?"

"Somehow, it was deemed acceptable to have a romance between a Gardevoir and a human male. Bad enough that, Pokémon were not meant to mate with humans. But worse! The show tried to play it off as a female, but that Gardevoir was male!"

I shivered along with him. Don't really care if Delia's soap operas involve gay characters, but Pokémon? One of the weirder things to have learned during my studies was that poképhelia was a thing. There were actual people that got off to that stuff.

Wait, did that mean-

"How did Delia take that?" I asked, a begging note in my tone. Please don't let this be. Not my childhood.

Baelish grunted. "She did not care for it, only watched the show for the human male, who she likes."

Oh, thank goodness. She wasn't into that level of nasty, just some actor. Perfectly acceptable homemaker behavior.

"Well, you up to traveling again?"

Baelish nodded. A nod for him meant the entirety of his body moved. "I am well rested. Where do you wish to go?"

"New Bark Town." I said, releasing Viserion. My Dragonair was silent with his release, looking around curiously. I patted at his crest and hopped onto his back. Normally, Winter was my go-to. Him or Valyrian. However, Winter was still reeling from his fight with Aerodactyl, and Valyrian… Yeah, I'm not gonna mess her after the lay she'd had.

I quite like my sanity, thank you.

.

It was not as quick a flight as I was used to. The distance between New Bark Town and Pallet Town was quicker than the flight between Pallet Town and Viridian City, but Viserion was not Winter. He was fast, yes, but not as fast as our Pidgeot companion. Still, Viserion was happy to carry me and I was happy to spend some added time with him. It took almost an hour and a half to reach New Bark, but we got there.

It was curiously different from Pallet Town. I knew that these places weren't recognizable from the games that they were given life from, but still – the difference between New Bark and Pallet was staggering.

New Bark Town looked to be on the cusp of being renamed New Bark City. It was a sprawling place, covered in high tree's and thick buildings, a melding of forest and industrialization that was honestly quite compelling. No building stood taller that three stories high, none save for the red roofed Pokémon Center and the curiosity that was Professor Elm's lab. Pallet had a lot of building's too, but it was a proper town. Nothing like this.

My team wasn't in the best shape at the moment, the capture of Aerodactyl not being an easy thing, but Elm's two-hour limit was close to approach. So, I had Viserion bring me directly to the lab as opposed to the center. We'd have time for that later.

His lab was interesting. A purple rooftop mixed with blue walls some five stories in height. It was square too, save for a cylindrical outcropping against the front of the building, a story higher than the rest of the lab. It had a Weasley-esque vibe to it, in the sense that it didn't look like it should have worked but did.

I don't know, I'm not a designer.

We landed in front of the gate, casually ignoring the wide-eyed stare that passerby's were giving me. Yes, I own a Dragonair. Not even the rarest Pokémon on my roster, people. Returning said Dragonair, I approached a glass door that was darkened with window tint. They opened electronically, allowing full access to the building.

Cozy was a fair word to describe it. Well-lived was another. There were couches sprawled all around the pale-yellow room, and a handful of desktop computers sat against the walls. Pokémon were running throughout the lobby without a care in the world: a Rattata chasing a giggling Marill, a Hoothoot hopping from one computer screen to another, an Oddish rode around on the back of a Vulpix and a Zubat ran into a wall. They were all young, and I belatedly noticed a Farfetch'd looking on at the small group with strict eyes, holding its stick like a sword.

"You a new trainer too?" A voice asked. I turned towards its origin, noting the group of three kids my age sitting down next to each other. Or at least, I think they're my age. Hard to tell, kids look like kids. Anywho. Two boys and a girl.

"No," I said, pointing to Baelish who was still on my head. "Already a trainer. Just have an appointment."

"Good," one of the boys said. The same one that had spoken before. A burly kid with tawny hair and brown eyes, a high collared green shirt hiding his neck. "Less competition for my Chikorita."

"Vincent," the girl groaned. "Be nice." She had blue hair, a slightly darker shade when compared to Aunt Claire. Teal eyes turned to me in apology, and she offered a small shrug. I returned the gesture.

"I mean, he's right Mary." The last kid said. He had dark hair and blue eyes and wore a black and yellow baseball cap backwards. "I don't want to lose Cyndaquil any more than you want to lose Totodile."

"Not you too, Jimmy." She whined, pulling her beanie down to hide her face. "It's called being polite."

"…Right," I said, not really knowing what else to say. I tapped Baelish on the head. "Go ahead and fly around, try to find Professor Elm or anybody wearing a white coat and let them know I'm here."

Wordlessly, Baelish flew inside, the Farfetch'd trailing along with a suspicious eye. I took a seat on a different chair and ended up becoming the curiosity of the giggly Marill. It was a cute bugger, so I spent my time scratching its head for however long I was stuck waiting, casually ignoring the other kids.

I could have had a conversation with them. Could have done a lot of things. But the honest to goodness truth of the matter was that I didn't care about them. Ash and Gary were one thing, but these three? Complete strangers that I had no interest in. Blips on the proverbial radar.

And I was douchey enough to ignore them for that reason.

I ended up waiting for about seven minutes before Baelish returned, Daisy Oak casually following along. She waved a hand at me and beckoned me towards the back. I followed along happily, taking no mind of the trio of childish Me too!'s from the other kids.

"I thought you were going to be spending more time with your grandfather."

She hummed, cutting through a hall. "He lent me his Alakazam to take David back to the lab. I'll be back tomorrow."

Probably because she's going to be spending her time boinking. Well, hormones and sex drives are a thing, so I can't really say I blame her. Responsible and mature though she may be, she's still a teenager. Comes with the territory.

Wait, David? Professor Elm's name is David?

…Huh. I shouldn't be surprised, seeing as Professor Oak has a normal name like Samuel. But still, David?

It doesn't seem to match Elm.

But I'm not one to talk. I might share the name of Kit Harrington's character, but I am no Kit Harrington. Especially not now that I'm a ginger. This Jon Snow knows that much.

Daisey led me towards a small alcove in the building, a little nook where an artificial preserve was glassed in. Professor Elm was inside of the preserve, knelt before a small boulder covered in fuzz. No, wait. That wasn't a boulder.

That was his Raticate.

Well then. Das a big boi.

"David! Jon's here!" Daisy called out, rapping her knuckle against the glass.

He jolted and turned around, nodding. Returning his own King, he exited the enclosure and made his way over to us.

"Glad you could make it," Elm said. "And you're right on time."

"I would have been happy to do it later," I offered. "Those kids outside look like they want their Pokémon. It's not that big of a deal."

He sighed. "There's a small issue with that."

"Oh?"

"They aren't ten!" He screamed, causing me to flinch. Baelish teleported on top of Raticate in surprise. "They're still nine! They've been coming by my office every day of the week for the past five months to claim their Pokémon when the oldest of them doesn't turn ten for another six months! Every other trainer that comes by looking for one of Johto's three starters gets harassed by them!"

"Ah," I sounded, scratching at my chin. That- yeah, that sounded like a pain in the ass. "Why don't you just tell them to leave?"

He slumped. "Because League law makes it so that I can't kick any prospective trainers out outside of my operating hours. Even if they're taking advantage of the system, the system still protects them. I've tried to have Mr. Goodshow adjust the rules, but he hasn't budged. You shouldn't punish children for their exuberance, he says. I think he's laughing at me."

I would be too. If the president of the Pokémon League doesn't feel like adjusting the rules, then there's nothing you can do. Shit outa luck, bud. I would have pitied him, had it not been possible for him to just threaten the kids. Children are children and if you say that you'll keep their starters from them if they keep this up, they'll tone it down quick. Alas, Elm did not do this.

Hopefully your next few months of torment by way of annoying children will help him grow a spine.

"Anyways, let's get to it." Elm said, moving towards a room corner. He bounced back fast. A small, square machine sat low, up to my shin, with the symbol of a Poké Ball emblazoned proudly onto its forefront. "Are you at all familiar with Pokéblock?"

"I know coordinators use them to help maximize certain physical traits, like beauty or toughness." It was basically a necessity from when I maxed out Pokémon Emerald. A solid waste of a month of my life.

"Fair. Pokéblocks are the combination of berries ground and juiced in a specific pattern offering added results. I actually learned to feed my Raticate from a man in Cerulean City that breeds Snorlax and Munchlax. He devised a particular recipe of Pokéblock that can take in the full nutrition of tens of naturally filling berries into one single block and added a small amount of appetite suppressor to the mix."

"Isn't that dangerous though?" I asked, scrunching my brow. "Like, I understand making Pokéblock, but the appetite suppressor? That's bad, right?"

"Not wholly," Elm smiled. "The point of the drug isn't to make it so that the Pokémon doesn't eat, but instead insures that they only eat what their body needs and nothing else. Putting it simply, it'll get rid of the desire to snack. Your Gyarados will only eat when it needs to eat, and it should need… I'd say a full case dispenser's at a time will keep him full and happy."

I frowned. He must have caught on to my remaining unconvinced and reached towards the Berry Blender, pulling a single pink block out from an open slot. He then released his Raticate and tossed the Pokéblock into its waiting mouth.

The moment Raticate swallowed the block, his body just- poofed. I don't know how else to describe it. One moment, a standard looking Raticate – ignoring the King's nature for a moment – stood before me. The next, it turned into an oval, its feet barely toeing the floor. Like a balloon blew up within its gut.

"Raticate are stockpilers by nature, the more food they intake the longer they can go without food. Their bodies take their excess as energy; a sort of constant state of hibernative instinct. In this case, one block will keep Raticate fed for roughly a week." Explained Elm- no. Explained the professor. I take back all the bad things I've thought about you Elm. Daisy picked well, creep and all. "Your Gyarados has a much larger frame than my Raticate does, regardless of their both being King's, and so will have a different manner. But a Gyarados that is properly full can go up to twenty days without eating again."

My savior.

My boxes were officially packed.

Four days have passed since I handled the issue of my overeating King. Elm gave me the recipe for his Pokéblock as well as a standardized Pokéblock kit in exchange for the chance to study Nagga before I left and access to the first batch of Fossil eggs after Oak gets his go at it. Easy enough to do, and since I literally only had to give my okay as the majority owner of the eggs, Oak would have no choice but to accept.

I'm sure he wasn't happy about that, but eh. Not my problem.

After everything was settled, I headed out of Elm's lab and made my way into the Pokémon Center. Four hours later, my team was healed and ready to go, and after I dropped Nagga off with Elm, after letting the Gyarados know that Elm was just going to take some notes on him, Baelish kindly brought me back to the Blackthorn Gym.

Lance pounced on me immediately, demanding to use my Mega Stone. Shoulda known he would have found out quick. I blame it on Oak. I, of course, said no. Well, my exact words were more along the lines of get off me you fucking pleb. Then he begged like a kid while reprimanding my language. I swear he's bipolar.

Still, I repeated my rejection. I said that I wasn't interested in letting anybody but me use my Aerodactylite. Not unless they were willing to make an equal or greater trade.

Then he shifted his focus to his sister, my aunt. He'd all but begged her to give me her Key Stone and Gyaradosite so he could have the Mega Stone. Honestly, I was willing to make the trade for those. Make my stronger Pokémon even stronger? A Key Stone that would give me the chance to turn my other Pokémon Mega? Yes please.

But Claire had to choose to be responsible. He's not ready, she was would say. He's too young/I'm not giving my stones away for nothing/Let go of my legs Lance. Nothing he said could make her budge, not even when we teamed up on the begging, and he sulked for the rest of the day, up until he was called back to the Indigo Plateau by one of his assistants.

While disappointed, I wasn't mad. Honestly, I feel as if I dodged a bullet. A bullet that didn't know how to control his emotions and had a hair trigger on his crazy.

Though I shouldn't be surprised. This is the world of an anime, crazy was par for the course.

My time has been spent gathering my belongings and purchasing new belongings. I've always been a frugal guy, and I only owned three sets of clothes: my trainer gear, my winter apparel, and my swimming stuff. According to Claire, this was unacceptable. I needed casual clothes and formal wear and business attire.

She was buying though, so I didn't stop her. Sure, shopping is a pain in the ass. But when somebody is willing to pay for you and give you their full attention, you man up and accept it. Basic courtesy.

I doubt I'd need any of these clothes, mind. Maybe the casual clothes, and maybe the business clothes for when I sold my Onix, but the formal wear felt useless. Especially when you factor in the detail that I'm currently going through a growth spurt and it was unlikely that I'd be able to fit into the suit in the next few months. Puberty was going to be a bitch, but I was hopeful that I'd be taller than my former 5'6 by the end of it.

Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure Claire bought the suit purely for the sake of pictures.

Eh, but it's fine. Packing was a simple affair that I took to a bit at a time. I actually spent most of these past four days with Ramsey and Valyrian, aside from that one blip where I returned to New Bark to grab Nagga.

Ramsey was well named, I soon learned. A proper pain in the ass that liked to play rough and play often. Honestly, Valyrian was a godsend in this case. She made him calm down and held his more dangerous instincts at bay. I wasn't able to get him to listen to me, but I was able to get him to not attack me.

So. Progress.

Also, Valyrian had a bun in the oven. Considering her ovaries were made of metal, that statement was more factual than expression. But yeah, she was preggers.

She also didn't care.

Valyrian was just as I expected she would be. Horny until knocked up, then mad that she got knocked up. Baelish had translated her anxiety towards me, and the simplicity of it was that she did not want to play mother hen. In basic terms, she didn't want to be a mother at all. She didn't want the egg.

Part of it had to do with her nature. Valyrian is a caustic thing, sadistic to enemies and tolerable towards allies. But not friendly, not really. Her friendships with myself and my team were more akin to useful partnerships mixed with a begrudging respect. She takes direction well enough, but still requires a firm hand. That does not a mother make.

Another part of this had to do with her species. Skarmory as a whole tend to be very territorial, even towards their young. Should they live in a large territory, a canyon for example, then they'd be more willing to share space. But as a whole? Skarmory are like the reptiles of Earth, laying eggs and leaving them to their own devices.

And her egg was soon to come. Unlike Viserion's mother, Valyrian was not a Dragon type. Dragon type Pokémon notoriously take a while to produce an egg, an expected three weeks to a month. Oak surmised that Dragonair laid Viserion's egg just after the second week of pregnancy.

Skarmory's are quite different. All Pokémon are different when it comes to eggs, really. Skarmory don't even need a week. Actually, Valyrian was pretty close to due. I would bet that-

"Jon!" Jasmine called out, skipping towards my room. "She did it."

Yep, there we go. I'm a grandtrainer.

I hastily grabbed Viserion's old incubator before we rushed towards the yard, where Valyrian was perched on a fence, an ovular object at its base covered in stringy mucus. The egg was metallic in color, just as its mother was, with cut divots of red banking thick lines across its sides.

I approached. Valyrian turned to me, her eyes narrowed. Then, with a swoop of her wings, she flew off towards the waterfall entrance of the Dragons Den, leaving her egg behind. I grabbed it quickly, wiping the mucus remains from it with my shirt, and plopped it into the incubator.

Turning around, Jasmine stared at the egg with a breathy sort of excitement. In her hand was a Quick Ball, one that she'd shown me the other day.

It contained her Murkrow.

The trade was quick. I handed her the egg, she handed me the Quick Ball. This was the only reason she was here, really. The chance for a new Steel type was something she couldn't pass up, especially with the imprinting process at play. The moment she learned Valyrian was pregnant, she chose to spend the days up till this moment in Blackthorn, idly allowing her father to continue being the Olivine Gym Leader.

I held the ball against the circularly indented slot of my Pokédex, the device letting out a ding, signifying my registration and ownership of the ball and Pokémon inside. It then disappeared in a mote of light, headed for Professor Oak's lab. Jasmine hadn't registered the Quick Ball to her person after catching Murkrow, meaning it was essentially a fresh Poké Ball that needed to be marked to a trainer.

I'd had to do this same process with Professor Oak when we first met. Winter, Arakh and Umber had been captured by way of the Poké Balls I'd taken from the Shamouti Pokémon Center, meaning they once belonged to somebody. Technically speaking, at that time, they weren't owned by me. He overrode ownership to me when it was clear that they were my Pokémon, of course. But still, that was a scare I did not want to repeat.

In Jasmine's case, she just grabbed a ball from her Gym's supply when Murkrow was being a pest. All of the Gyms of Johto were linked to Silph Co. and the production facility of Kurt, meaning they received new Poké Balls all the time that weren't registered to anybody specifically. They went into storage and were given to Gym trainers and those that were distinguished in the area, and that was it.

"What are you gonna do now?" I asked, looking at her. She hadn't stopped staring at the egg in her hand.

"My da's missed me," Jasmine shrugged. "And being honest, I shouldn't have stayed so long. It would have been easier to have you travel to Olivine and trade there."

"True." Easiest on her, at least. This was quite easy on me. "But you didn't do that."

"But I didn't." She nodded. "I'll head back before the day is done. I want to Claire'll let me borrow her Altaria, I'm sure of it."

"Altaria would like the exercise," I hummed. That living cloud was an antsy thing, to the point that Claire actually designated a rotation with her trainers to let her fly them around. Unsurprisingly, nobody minded. Altaria had a habit of bugging other Pokémon during these free-flies. Once, she stumbled upon a Vibrava somehow, and the trainer who'd been with her caught it without a second thought. If nothing else, that cemented the ideal that Altaria was worth the time expense.

"Well, we'll keep up our deal then." I said. "I'll keep an eye out for a Steel type and you'll do the same for a Flying type, we'll make a trade if we like what we've found."

"Definitely!" She said, giving me a tight hug. I pat her on the back. Emma Watson lookalike though she may be, but she was still a kid.

Didn't really know how to deal with kids, in case that hasn't been made apparent yet.

"You grabbed everything you'll need, right?" Winona asked as we walked along the ferry boat deck, twirling a keyring idly. The boat's horn rang out loud, echoing over the expanse of Goldenrod City.

"I'm- pretty sure." I wheezed, struggling to carry our things. Stupid rule about no Pokémon on the boat, Drogon and Thoros would have made this easy. Baelish hadn't at all been pleased to learn he needed to remain in his Poké Ball. I hadn't either. "If I missed something, I'll ask Claire to send it my way."

"Just know that it'll take a while," she warned, turning towards a small stair flight going down. "At least a few weeks."

"I'm prepared for the wait- fucking stairs!"

I needed to bulk up.

…Actually, no. I take that back. That'd look horrible. I just needed to find a way to fork over this responsibility onto somebody else. That's what Winona did to me, and there's bound to be kid or two that'd carry our stuff for a few bucks.

She laughed at my struggle with a nod, exiting after only one floor down. We walked through a stopping in front of our room. The key entered its hole and she twisted the door open, revealing a decently sized cabin with a single bed and a small couch.

"Bed's mine," Winona dibsed. I frowned, silently shoving our things into the room. Should have grabbed a hand-truck. Should have done a lot of things.

"Oh," Winona sounded, tossing me a copy of our room key. "We'll be on the boat for five days or so. I figure you wouldn't want to have to find me every time you needed to brush your teeth. I know I don't want to have to deal with that. Just make sure you knock before entering, I'll do the same for you."

"Right," I nodded, stuffing the key into my fanny pack. I'm never without that, meaning I'll never be without my key. "I think I'll go explore."

"Go for it," she said. "I want to get comfortable. Maybe take a nap. You've never been on a boat, right?"

"I've been on a boat, just never one this big."

"Ship then, you never been on a ship." She corrected herself, seeming amused. "The captain said we'd be off pretty soon. Why don't you go on the deck until we depart? For the full experience."

I mulled that over. Didn't sound especially interesting, but then again it was an experience, as she stated. I closed our door and roamed through the cabins, taking note of the family's and businessmen and other rando's that were traveling to Lilycove City.

Only a day had passed since receiving Murkrow, and Winona dropped the bomb during last night's dinner saying that we'd be leaving for Hoenn on the morning of the 11th, meaning today. Her original plan was to take a nonstop flight on the 14th, but was apparently unable to book a second ticket for me. With that nixed, her next option was to go by boat.

Claire hadn't been happy. I hadn't been either, but for a different reason. Claire didn't want me to go just yet, or at least wanted more time. I just wanted a fair warning that was not less than a day in advance.

But I sucked it up. The sooner we left the better. I wanted to get started with this.

The smell of heavy sea water hit me hard as I made way towards the deck. My elbows found rest on a white stained rail, and I stared out towards the city. I'd never really looked over Goldenrod much, aside from the occasional fly-bys. Largest city in Johto though it may be, it held nothing of importance to me. The only thing I cared about was its Gym, and I wasn't planning on challenging that any time soon.

Certainly not now. Gym Trainers were only allowed to challenge for badges when their tenure had ended, decreed by the leader they studied under. Until Winona thought I'd learned enough or I quit, there would be no Gym Battles in my future.

The ship's horn blared loudly, an AWOOOOOOOGA-ish noise that had me both laughing and cringing. Then the boat began to move, slowly gaining momentum, until the Goldenrod port was far and away gone.

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

Aerodactly/Ramsey – Male

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

Ability: Rock Head

Jon Snow – Male

Date: Mar 11

Orange League: Complete

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

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

Currency: 12,740