16

Professor Oak stared at me through the screen of the Trovitopolis Pokémon Centers videophone, his face a mask. All that he allowed me to see with regards to his true thoughts was a single raised eyebrow on his wrinkled face.

I returned the look with a raised brow of my own.

Baelish, being the little shit he is, couldn't stop giving this squeaky little laugh from atop my head that did more harm than good.

Nagga, whose head barely fit inside the Pokémon Center front door, his body and tail blocking the outside road, cars honking loudly in the background, warbled behind me in hunger.

I stoically ignored the panic-stricken look Nurse Joy and the other Pokémon trainers in the vicinity were giving me and Nagga with practiced ease.

"You know," Professor Oak said conversationally. "I enjoy working with Pokémon quite a lot, wouldn't have become a regional Professor if I didn't. That does not, however, mean I enjoy dealing with a living, breathing bankruptcy."

It took a fair bit of effort not to bust a gut at that description of Nagga.

A description that was quite accurate. Which was why I was calling the Professor in the first place.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" I asked him. We were on the topic of how I was supposed to feed Nagga. Oak was very surprised that I had captured a King and was even more surprised that Nagga listened to me.

To be fair, so was I.

But Oak had the answer as to why Nagga didn't go into a rage upon evolving, and it was an unexpected, if welcome answer, to be honest.

Gyarados as a species tend to be hyper aggressive when newly evolved. The massive change their body undergoes as well as the typing increase with Flying data, with the characteristics of Dragon type power immediately flowing through them, causes this change. Normally speaking, it takes years before a Gyarados calms down enough to listen to orders effectively. The few natural exceptions to this – because a good trainer can supposedly get any Pokémon to listen to them – come in the form of Magikarps that evolved when they were older. While still willing to fight, they didn't exude the aggression that their species were known for.

My Magikarp was seventeen-years-old before it evolved.

Whether it was due to his being a King or his want to keep with the Nurse Joy he imprinted upon, Nagga didn't evolve for almost two decades.

Which means I have a Gyarados with the same personality as he had as a Magikarp.

Naturally, I have no complaints.

Professor Oak sighed from his side of the screen, rubbing his hand through his hair. "There are two options. You can either feed him on the large population of deep-sea dwelling Pokémon that live in the Islands, or you can ask Professor Elm."

Option one worked fine in my book. Gyarados as a species don't give two shits about Magikarps that they didn't make, hell they sometimes cannibalized other Gyarados' if they were hungry enough, so there would be plenty of feed for Nagga.

The problem came in the form of my leaving the Archipelago, when I head to the mainland and don't have access to the sea. True, I could just have Winter fly me to the sea so that Nagga could grab some grub, but that would be a fairly time-consuming investment. One I'd like to avoid, if another option is available.

Option two might be what I need. "Professor Elm?"

Oak nodded. "As you know, each of the regional Professors study a different branch of Pokémon. We collaborated our findings very closer with one another. I study the relationships between humans and Pokémon while Professor Elm studies Pokémon breeding. He's one of the few people to have worked with an owned a King, a Raticate if I'm not mistaken."

Oh yeah. Forgot about that.

"If anybody knows how to feed a King," Oak finished. "It'll be him. I'll send you a message on your Pokégear with his contact information. Just let him know that Samuel sent you."

I nodded and we chatted amiably for the rest of the call. While interested in Nagga (who I had to return because an Officer Jenny was about to write me up), he seemed practically entranced by Baelish. Kept asking me to send my super-circle-bird on over for translation purposes. Normally speaking, I would have no problem doing this, but Baelish is my translator and my previous interaction with Oak let me know the kind of stunts he pulls when he wants a Pokémon.

So, no. I'm not going to send Baelish over. Ever.

He also told me how Viserion was doing. My boy apparently had a rough time at the start, his mother ignoring him in favor of the Dratini she'd birthed by way of Oaks own Dragonite. But Dragonite ignored her in turn and worked with the little guy. Oak wouldn't tell me much, but Viserion had apparently learned a few new tricks, maybe even a new move.

Which then got me curious. So, I had him take Umber back to the lab and give me Viserion in return. My Dratini was happy to see me, though tired as he had been sleeping when Oak grabbed him, settling himself on my shoulders for the remainder of the call.

Oak then told me how Gary was doing, along with the boy's supposed rival: Ash Ketchum.

I hadn't bothered to think about Ash all that much outside of being an example for how the anime got things wrong. I knew so much about Pokémon because I watched the show with an almost religious fervor as a kid, and since Ash was the main character… Yeah, I found myself curious on what the Professor had to say about the kid.

Apparently, Gary and Ash started their rivalry with fishing. They fished up a deactivated Poké Ball and Gary, because he doesn't do things the simple way, broke it in half and took one half from Ash. Thus, the rivalry began. From there, he started to pester Oak for a Pokémon or a working Poké Ball so he could catch his own from the forest between Pallet and Viridian. Obviously, Professor Oak rejected this. It was one thing for somebody like me to capture a Pokémon young. I was an orphan that had been using my Pokémon for work purposes. Allowances could be made.

Gary, however, was eight and was also the grandson of the world-renowned Professor Oak. He didn't need a Pokémon until he was of age or close to the proper age.

And outside of that, Oak's pretty strict. No way in hell would he let Gary do something that a normal trainer wouldn't be able to do. Ten is the youngest Oak's gonna let him have a Pokémon at.

Talk of Gary and Ash brought me into a strange place. A thought struck me, just as Professor Oak was about to hung up his line.

"Professor, one more question."

He paused his motion, returning his attention to the screen. "Yes?"

"Sorry, but when is Gary's birthday? Same with Daisy. Actually, might as well tell me Ash's while we're at it."

He blinked a few times, obviously confused by my line of questioning. But I was only asking about birthdays, I didn't want to know their social security codes or anything superbly personally, so he acquiesced easily enough. "Gary was born on May 1st, Daisy on February 17th, and Ash on May 6th – the day the Kanto Gym circuit restarts. Why did you want to know?"

My actual reason was private. In fact, I don't even know if what I'm thinking can occur. It's that unlikely.

But I had plenty of backups.

"Well, if Gary's been bugging you for a Pokémon, I might be able to help him out. Same with the others-…"

"-You will not get him a Pokémon for his birthday. He will get his starter the same as everybody else. That is final."

He hung up on me right then in there, without even saying goodbye.

Must have really aggravated him with that one.

Ah well.

Viserion yawned from my shoulder, so I returned him. I then dialed the number that Oak gave me for Professor Elm into the videophone, waiting as patiently as I could.

The ringer went off three times, the screen awash with static, until on the fourth ring the call was answer, the back of a man's head in view of the screen.

"Hello?!" He called out, his voice nasal and seemingly frazzled.

Professor Elm seemed to be of the weird sort.

"Professor Elm? My name's Jon Snow. Professor Oak gave me your contact information so that I could ask a question, if you have the time." I frowned, noting a particularly large piece of dandruff on his scalp. I did not want to look at this for the duration of the call. "Also, you're facing the wrong way."

He stilled, quickly circling towards me, giving me a proper look at him. He seemed pretty young for a regional Professor, looking to be in his mid-thirties with a patch of cropped brown hair, thick glasses covering blue eyes and an overall skinny frame.

"My apologies! Didn't know this was a video call. But really? Samuel gave you my direct line, hm? He's normally the type to keep his proteges to himself… Well, what can I do for you?"

He looked like he was trying to be calm, obviously biting his lip to keep his face set. He kept shooting glances downwards, his leg moving in and out of the frame randomly.

There was also a good bit of background noise. It sounded like things were falling.

"I caught a Magikarp two weeks ago with a King gene that evolved into a Gyarados this morning and I don't know how to feed him." Better to be blunt than not. Dude looks like he's got things going on.

Elm's eyes went wide, jaw hanging. He put himself together quickly, but now he was looking at me with these twinkling eyes that reminded me greatly of how some people described Dumbledore.

"Truly? Oh, that's wonderful! Kings are such a rare group, though I suppose the gene would be more prevalent with Magikarp, their being the most common species in the world certainly couldn't hurt. My own Raticate was a stroke of luck, I just had my Noctowl track the biggest thing she could find and she found him in a little less than an hour."

"Mine imprinted on a Nurse Joy I met with. She actually was the one that captured him for me."

"Yes, luck seems to be the only thing people that have caught Kings have in common. Well, that and the King itself."

"Can we go back to the original point though?" I asked, trying to steer things back. "Food?"

He coughed into his hand, ears going red. "Well, first of all, we need to talk location. Where are you at the moment?"

"The Orange Archipelago. I'm at the Trovitopolis Pokémon Center in Mandarin South."

"Well, you're in a good location. I'm sure it's already crossed your mind, but while you're in the Islands have him consume the local wildlife. When you reach the mainland, come visit me. I'll show you the trick I used for my Raticate."

Alrighty then. Solid plan.

Professor Elm then started to spaz out on screen, stamping his leg down erratically. Out of nowhere, a Totodile hopped onto his lap, clambering up his shoulders. It bit at his head.

"GAH! GET OFF ME TOT-"

I just cut the connection there.

I debated calling Claire, but knowing her schedule she was probably dealing with her trainers or currently in the middle of a battle. The thought of Liza came up, but nah. I could call Shamouti, only I was there two weeks ago.

Better to just be on my way.

I walked up to the counter where a Chansey was stationed. The pink blob with a hat looked at me disapprovingly, though never-the-less passed me Thoros's and Drogon's Poké Balls. The only reason I was in the Pokémon Center in the first place was to get them checked over. The idea to ask Professor Oak for help came while waiting in the lobby, when Nagga decided it would be a great time to let himself out of his ball.

Gonna need to fix that quirk of his. Not ideal.

But it was time to leave.

Walking out of the Pokémon Center, I made way towards the beach. From the sighs in the background, my exit must have been quite a relief. A quick ten minute walk brought me to the surf, where peoples of all sorts were littered.

So many people.

So many solid nines and tens in bikinis.

So many people to scare the shit out of.

Grabbing Nagga's ball, I released him right at the edge of the water. If I threw him with a sprinkle of fabulousness, well. Nobody's gonna call out a guy with a Gyarados that big as flamboyant.

He exploded onto the sand, causing at least thirty or so people to scream. His appearance also seemed to be seen from the traffic behind us, for the sound of car crashing into car was quite apparent.

…Which also let me know I needed him to get the hell out of here. Take the attention off of me, y'know?

"Nagga, hey bud!" I said to my King. He bent his face towards my own, rubbing me into the sand. Better than the floor of the arena where he avolved.

"Bud, I've got some news. You're gonna have to hunt for your food. I'll wait for you right here till you've had your fill and then we'll move on. Sound good? I asked, rubbing his jaw strongly. If I wasn't strong with my rubs, there's no way he would feel it.

And Nagga wants to know he's getting' some lovin'.

He warbled an affirmative at me, offering one last push before slithering into the ocean.

Looking around, it's quite easy to tell the general state of mind these people hold. They're scared shitless of me. It's a fair reaction, most people have a Pokémon as a pet or something, normally cutesy ones like Growlithe or Meowth. To suddenly see such a massive thing certainly would have startled the hell out of me if I were just hanging out.

I returned my gaze to the ocean. It occurred to me that Pokémon as a whole don't really understand the value of time. Nagga could be gone for a long time.

And would you look at that? A bunch of beach supplies, courtesy of a family that ran off with my appearance. With a body that doesn't really burn and time to kill, properly enjoying the beach sounded like a grand idea.

I took off all my clothes, save for my boxers and ball belt, and settled down on a beach towel with the print of a Squirtle on it. Baelish used my discarded clothes and bag to make a nest of sorts, seeing as how my scalp was unavailable.

Closing my eyes, I started to drift off.

Good time for a nap.

.

Nagga came back about two hours later and after returning him, putting on my clothes, and releasing Winter, I was off to the next island.

Winter, as I came to learn, was also hungry. Not so much that he couldn't fly, but enough to know that it would be best to make a pit stop. Originally, we were just going to go straight to Mikan Island, home to the Mikan Gym.

However, with Winter being hungry and vocal about it, it was easier to just stop at Sunburst Island. There would probably be a Pokémon Center there that could give him some food. And I feel like renting a hotel for the night. I've earned it.

Now, while I remember quite a lot from the Pokémon series as a whole, I don't remember everything. I don't remember the significance of most islands in which important events didn't occur. The only reason I remember so much about the Orange Islands arc is because of the gyms and the movie. I never really paid attention to Ash and his side adventures in the Archipelago.

So, when I landed on Sunburst Island, it hit me. I knew this place. More than that, I forgot about this place, and that just would not do.

Shops littered the whole of the town, selling glass and crystal wares with a variety of uses.

Naturally speaking, I decided that Sunburst was a great place to relax. I could tour the town, keep up with the local Pokémon.

Capture an Onix made out of fucking crystal.

What? You think that just because I prioritize Flying types that I won't catch anything else? If I saw a Legendary Pokémon that was a different type, say a Latias for example, I'm gonna try to catch it. If I see a Pseudo Legendary that isn't a Flying type, such as Tyranitar or Metagross and their pre-evolved counterparts, I'm gonna try and catch it.

Anything unusual and rare is of interest to me. I might never use it for battle, but I can sell it to breeders and other interested parties without a hint of remorse.

And the Crystal Onix is certainly worth the struggle.

. . .

I've spent a solid month looking through this damned island, on foot and on sea and in sky. I'm mad, mainly because I can't remember shit. I only remember that the Crystal Onix exists, not where it lives, nor where it might show up at. I have to hunt for it, with no hint save for that it's on the island.

The respect I feel for those Pokémon Trappers I've read about has shot up. This is a time consuming and generally aggravating job. Sunburst Island isn't even that big! It's just- Onix is a Pokémon that can live underground indefinitely and I am horribly equipped for that.

Most of my Pokémon are pretty useless for this as well. The only ones I can really rely on for help are Baelish and Thoros. Baelish by way of Teleport and talking to local wild Pokémon and Thoros by way of Dig. My other Pokémon are unreliable for this.

Winter hates being confined to the ground, Valyrian just refused to help, Nagga is water bound and way to big besides, and there was absolutely no way in hell I'd let Rhaegal, Viserion or Drogon out of sight for any damned reason. I don't care if they can take care of themselves, they're rare and that means other people want them too.

Nagga might be the rarest Pokémon on my team, but he's also the strongest. By way of being a King, his natural power aptitude is ridiculously high. Once he learns more attacks, he'll be essentially unstoppable.

Naturally, Drogon and Winter are counting the days. Their reaction to meeting the evolved form of Nagga was almost orgasmic.

Worrisome, but ignorable.

Plus, I couldn't use Thoros in the first week of searching. He was still too damned excitable from his victory about Rhydon – more-so in the way he won. He chose to show how excited he was by being difficult.

Which translates to him shitting everywhere and not stopping for breaks.

Took Nagga to end his terror. Thoros accidentally let some fling at the sea serpent, and, well. Just because Nagga was docile didn't mean he wasn't a Gyarados. It was a quick switch, one moment he was trying to needle attention from me, the next he's snarling at Thoros, shooting a massive Thunderbolt befitting his size at Thoros.

The Thunderbolt didn't hurt Thoros, his being a Ground type allowed him to avoid any pain, but the message was clear.

Stop or I'll make you stop.

It's also come to my attention during this time that when it comes to being a Pokémon trainer I've been nothing but a lucky sob. Well, no. I've known this for a while. The Pokémon I've caught being as rare and compliant as they are should be testament of that fact.

I'm specifically talking about the actual actions of being a Pokémon trainer. It's expected that I, as a trainer, spend days and weeks and months, possibly even years, searching for the perfect additions to my team. Most of my Pokémon were caught by random occurrence, the closest I've come to this being the capture of Thoros. This was different, this was a proper hunt in which if my prey escaped, I had to keep trying. This was what society expected of ten-year-old twerps.

And here I thought that most of my fellow twerp trainers were rich, snobby pricks. Sure, there's the occasional snob – I've seen a couple pass through the Blackthorn Gym when I was with Aunt Claire. However, for the most part, this is a process every trainer has to go through at some point. I take back all my prejudice.

Well, maybe not all of it.

So, I've been stuck in the woods for a solid month: my Pokégear and Pokédex say that it's been thirty days and that the current date was February 16th. Also, another fun fact. Sunburst Island doesn't actually have a Pokémon Center. Winter had to make due with local berries and Bug types, and since the town's prices were exorbitant, I've been roughin' it for most of this month.

Every day save for the first, where I spent 200 on a hotel room, I've been sleeping outside. With a lack of bugs and not being afraid of curious Bug types thanks to the bottomless pit that was my starter, sleeping outside wasn't that big of a deal.

So, I slept and I searched.

And I trained.

See, just because most of my mon aren't good for finding Onix or are too rare to let out of sight doesn't mean I wasn't giving them the attention they needed. I admit, I was pretty lax when it came to training Valyrian and Winter while I was here. Primarily, this was due to Valyrian suddenly going into heat.

She hunted Winter down and tried to force an egg out of him, and when he tried to help out, he learned a painful lesson: Steel type females are not easy to mate with. Bluntly, it's like sticking your dick in a thin pvc pipe. Winter did not enjoy or have interest in this, and Valyrian didn't care.

So, they played a fun game of cat and mouse for the whole of our time on Sunburst.

With that, and with Thoros and Baelish being my main trackers, I gave my dragon babies, Drogon and Nagga my attention.

Rhaegal and Viserion primarily worked on polishing their physical attacks, accuracy, and teamwork. Viserion is the only Pokémon I have that knows Water Gun, and with the Mikan Gym's entire challenge revolving around Water types, I felt it best that he work on increasing his accuracy with it. This proved unnecessary, as while he was at Professor Oaks lab, he'd apparently figured out how to access his egg move: Water Pulse.

Rhaegal didn't mind that Viserion got extra attention; she was just happy to have him back.

Drogon was interesting. While he primarily worked on his own moves and tried his damnedest to get Nagga to fight him, a scenario that my Gyarados wisely ignored, he did learn one new move: Dig. Thoros, once he started being useful, was using Dig to scout Sunburst from below. Drogon, having tried to learn the move from my Gliscor once before, decided that it was entirely necessary to learn it now that we were trying to do things.

He did not appreciate getting dirt all over himself, but a new move was a new move and he wasn't about to let up on it.

The most interesting case came from Nagga. Recently evolved Pokémon tend to take in new moves like a sponge takes in water, and he was no exception. From Winter, when the Pidgeot wasn't trying to escape Valyrian, he learned Twister, and just by using his bulk alone he figured out how to use Body Slam. I used my remaining TM's to teach him Ice Fang and Iron Head, and while he still struggled to use Iron Head properly, he did figure out how to use Headbutt in the process of learning said move.

Then, he went and surprised me further. He took Twister and somehow got Dragon Rage from it. He took well to Ice Fang and, just like Thoros, learned Crunch from it. I don't know how, but Nagga became the biggest badass on my team in less than a month.

And I can't say I mind.

"Meatbag!" Baelish sounded, appearing on my head with a Teleport. "I've found the creature you described."

By described, he means that I showed him what a picture of an Onix and then showed him the crystal wares being sold on Sunburst and told him that it should be made out of that instead of rocks.

"Show me," I commanded, quickly returning my team.

Using Teleport once more, Baelish brought me to the opening of a small crag in the ground on the edge of the island. The crag was hidden by a dense foliage, dense enough that I should have checked it out.

Baelish used Teleport once more, returning a few moments later with Thoros in tow, who looked quite comfortable with a pile of berries in claw.

We would be having words about that.

Baelish led us into the cave, and thank god he practiced Flash while looking for this thing; it's too useful a move to pass up. He lit up nice and bright and guided Thoros and me through the cave. I released Drogon too, his coloring and tail offering further light.

Fifteen minutes of walking through cavernous deeps, a few interruptions in the form of wild Zubat here and there, and we made our way into an open setting that could only be described as pure and utter anime.

It was a cavern lit up by fragmented crystals that glowed a bright blue color, comparable to the sky in lightness. In the middle of the cavern was a fairly large lake of water that was so blue it bordered on being unnatural, like somebody shoved a tanker of chlorine in there. More than likely, the light from the crystals overhead were making the water look bluer than it really was.

"This is where I saw it," Baelish squeaked. "Under the water."

I'd been racking my head about this episode, and still could only remember half of what happened. All things considered though, that half was all I needed.

The Crystal Onix was unusual, in more ways than one. It could stand to live inside a water basin, and seemed to be hurt more by a Fire type attack than it did a Water type move.

But, now a new question came to mind. How do I get that Onix out of the water?

The answer was fairly simple.

"NAGGA!"

I released my Gyarados with a flourish. He coiled himself around the rocky shores of the lake, careful not to enter on my order.

"Thunderbolt the water."

His trident-like horn lit up and a large, jolting stream of lightning struck the water. From inside said water, a deep, reverberating groan sounded through the cavern, echoing against the crystals.

Onix came barreling out, its large crystal body blinding my momentarily, and slammed its large form into Nagga. Large though it was, Nagga was probably twice its size and wasn't going down easy. My Gyarados roared in challenge, and they began to go at one another physical.

To be safe, I returned Nagga. I only needed him to lure the Onix out, I didn't want to accidentally collapse the cavern.

Onix glared down at me. I blew him a raspberry.

"Drogon, Flamethrower!"

Drogon stepped up, eyes bright at the challenge before it, and shot a continual blast of flame at Onix. I might not remember much about this episode, but I remember how Onix was taken down in it.

The Flamethrower of a Charmeleon did it in. It's like the universe is telling me that this Onix is to be mine.

And I am the last person to refuse such a divine coincidence.

Onix let out a screech of pain, its crystal body somehow catching on fire. After about thirty seconds of writhing under the flames of Drogon, it toppled down and smacked its head into the side of the cavern.

It was trying to escape. Nope, not gonna happen good thingy!

I grabbed one of my Ultra Balls and threw it at its retreating tail. It was absorbed into the device, defiant until the end.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seve-click

After a month of this nonsense, the cheer I let out was almost dull. I picked up the Ultra Ball that captured Onix from the ground and rubbed it against my cheek.

"You're gonna make me so much money."

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

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

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

Drogon/Charmeleon – Male(Shiny)

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

Ability: Blaze

Rhaegal/Bagon – Female

Moves: Rage, Headbutt, Ember, Dragon Rush(Egg Move), Attract, Skull Bash

Ability: Rock Head

Viserion/Dratini – Male

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

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, Ice Fang, Crunch, Body Slam, Headbutt, Iron Head, Twister, Dragon Rage

Ability: Intimidate

Jon Snow – Male

Date: Feb 17

Badges: Sea Ruby Badge, Spike Shell Badge

Held Pokémon: Pidgeot, Skarmory, Gliscor, Charmeleon, Bagon, Dratini, Natu, Gyarados

Stored Pokémon: Delibird, Onix

Currency: 12,840