21

By way of a fireman's carry, Aunt Claire brought me into a small little café on the populated beach of Pummelo, with an offer of a free meal of whatever I wanted. Never one to not take free stuff, I happily accepted. It also helped that Drake didn't give me any prize money and my wallet was hurting from clothes shopping the other day.

I pigged out, to put it mildly. A meal after a big victory meant the meal needed to be big. And as I bit into my pound of Tauros steak, medium rare with a side of steamed potatoes, I melted into a puddle of imaginary bliss.

Aunt Claire coughed, catching my attention, food still in my mouth. "Firstly, I'd like to congratulate you again. I didn't even win a League when I was on my Journey. It's really impressive, Jon."

"'Fanks," I said, still chewing.

She shot me a look, one I translated easily enough. I swallowed my food and put my knife and fork down. Best not to annoy her too much, she might just make me pay for my own food.

"As I was saying." Cue another glare. "Good job."

"Thank you." I stated as clearly as I could, wiping down my lips and jaw with a napkin. That meat was a little bloodier than expected, more rare than medium. This made it all the more delicious to my American palate.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question, Jon?"

Of course not, Aunt meal ticket. Ask away.

She didn't actually wait for me to respond with a positive and instead just barreled on through. "Is your dream still to become a member of the Elite Four?"

"Yup." Of course it was, that was the pinnacle. Well, no. Being a champion was the pinnacle, but as a member of the Elite Four I would get some serious celebrity while also retaining my autonomy. And since I wouldn't be the champion, my workload was cut into quarters. I just needed to show up to events and battle around here and there and I would get paid an exorbitant amount of money.

It was like being a professional athlete without all of the physical work.

Essentially, it was the perfect job.

"Do you know the most common way that the Pokémon League recognizes Elite Four candidates?" Aunt Claire asked, cutting at her plate of steamed Seel fin.

I took a moment to think. There wasn't much information on how to become a member of the Elite Four out there. I just knew that I wanted to become one.

Well, there were couples answers I could go with, at least.

"Winning a regional League tournament and being scouted by a champion, right?"

She smiled at me. "Those are both acceptable was of doing so, Bruno being a good example of a scouted Elite. And yet, neither Lorelei or Karen have won any Leagues, and Agatha competed in her last one over fifty years ago. Lance, your father, hasn't even accepted an open challenge in almost nine years."

Why does she have to drop the daddy card whenever she brings up Lance?

Her smiled turned a tad sharper. "The best way to get their attention is to be involved with a Gym of your specialized type. Agatha was an Ecruteak Gym trainer prior to starting her Journey and Lorelei is one of many of Pryce's children, up in Mahogany town."

Was this another attempt at trying to make me one of her Gym trainers? No thank you.

"As for Karen, well. Karen was Agatha's apprentice three years ago and was supposed to be her replacement. But, when Cory the Grass Master announced his intent to retire, Karen offered herself as a replacement. Lance knew she was an Elite level trainer, and Cory was willing so long as she put up a good fight. Her Houndoom destroyed his team quite handily with a scant bit of help from her Weavile, and he happily stepped down." She finished her monologue by taking a sip of beer, with the label of Pokéweiser printed on the glass bottle.

The advertising monopoly that the Poké brand holds is just mind-numbingly ridiculous. Honesty, to profane the sanctity that was Budweiser in such a manner was never meant to be done!

Um. I- I mean… What? No, of course I've never downed a beer before. I wasn't drinking before I was legally allowed to, which hasn't happened just yet. What kind of person do you think I am?!

I need a lawyer!

Actually… What is the legal drinking age here? I don't even know.

"What does that have to do with me?" I asked, trying to turn my mind away from beer.

"Well, a friend of mine has just let go of her most recent Gym trainer and I mentioned you as a possible replacement. Her name is Winona, she's the leader of the Foretree Grm over in Hoenn. Specializes in Flying types, too. If you studied under her, it'd build up your resume for when you become good enough to be considered an Elite."

Huh… Didn't expect that.

I took another bite of my steak and took the time to study my Aunt. I had been planning to go to the Hoenn region next in any case, so I would visit Foretree City soon enough. The thought of becoming a Gym trainer was a little annoying, but that was more due to the ingrained annoyance that they offered by way of the Pokémon games I played as a boy.

I knew better. Spending time with the Blackthorn Gym trainers opened my eyes. They weren't npc's to wreck without a thought to be had, they were essentially interns. They did odd jobs around the Gym and basically did whatever Claire asked of them, and in return they learned as much as they could from her about Dragon types.

I want to be a Flying Master. I was going to be a Flying Master. To earn the title of Master, I needed to be either a member of an Elite Four or become the champion of a region.

If this helped me become a Master, then fine. I'd do it.

Though I do have to wonder shy she offered me to Winona instead of Falkner. She would surely know her fellow Johto Gym Leader better than she did a Hoenn one.

Fishy…

"How long would it be?" Gym trainers couldn't participate in Gym Circuits while studying under a Gym. So, by stating that I would take this position, I was also stating that I would be choosing not to participate in the Hoenn league.

A price to be paid, certainly. But Gym trainers could come and go and had flexible schedules. One of the main reasons I wanted to go to Hoenn in the first place was to capture some new Pokémon, so it wasn't too big of a loss. Sure, I wanted to go crazy with the Hoenn League.

There would be other times to do so.

Claire looked at me, taking a sip of her beer. "It varies. My Gym trainers tend to stay for around two years, but that has more to do with the nature of Dragon types and the slowness of their growth. Two years gives them plenty of time to not only learn how to handle their Pokémon but maybe gain the trust of a Dragon that intrigues them. Winona will be different, though by how much I don't really know… Expect a year, at the minimum."

That long, huh?

Damn.

I groaned, a small spittle of steak sauce dribbling from my mouth. That was a long time, far longer than I was thinking. I thought I would be a Gym trainer for like, a few months. Learn some tricks and then participate in the Hoenn League proper.

Hell, it's only been a little more than a year since I've been here. I wanted things to get going.

"Can I think about it?"

I needed more time. I didn't want to put my Journey plans on hold for a year, but I also wanted to become a Master. I needed to weigh the pro's and con's and base my decision off of those.

This conversation quickly became annoying.

"Of course!" Claire actually looked a little offended that I needed to ask. "I don't want you to give me an answer right now anyways. Take your time, figure out what you need to do, and then come back to me with your answer."

I let out a sigh of relief and took a deep gulp of my orange soda.

"Even if you say no, you'll meet her, right?"

"Definitely," I nodded. Of course I would meet her. Even if I said no, I still had to beat her for a badge.

"Perfect," she smiled.

Then she snagged my hand and gained a supremely intense look. "Now tell my about your Gyarados."

Oh boy.

The trip to Pallet Town was slow, but comfortable.

I hitched a ride with Aunt Claire by way of he Altaria. While the Humming Pokémon was far slower than Winter was, she was much more relaxing. She was also quite large, leaving plenty of room to take a nap on her fluffy wings.

Not gonna lie, I'm now debating getting my hands on an Altaria. Purely so I can travel by way of a flying bed.

Why did I not stay on Pummelo Island? Well, because Claire went heavy handed on me. Her birthday was coming up, and even though I didn't have a present for her, she claimed to want my company. So, for the next week, I would be staying at the Blackthorn Gym once again.

I also left because, now that I have won a League, unofficial or not, I wanted to see if Professor Oak was amenable to increasing my carry limit.

Aunt Claire dropped me off at the base of the lab at 4:15pm and told me to return to the Blackthorn Gym in two days at the latest. If I didn't… Don't actually know what'd happen, she left after that line.

Good job at being cryptic and scary all the same though. Aunt Claire's got some nasty in her.

It took a little while to climb the stairs leading towards the lab. The first time I came here, Winter landed director at the front door and I didn't have the opportunity to appreciate the fact that this lab was plotted on a big ass hill. Well, I appreciated it now.

Didn't like it.

I approached the glass door and rang the doorbell, a gong-like sound going off from inside.

Three minutes later, a girl looking to be around seventeen-years-old with long brown hair and bright green eyes opened the door. She wore a green turtleneck sweater with a white lab coat on top of it.

I'd seen her in pictures when I visited Professor Oak's ranch the first time around. This was Daisy, his granddaughter and the sister of Gary. A former Pokémon coordinator that was now working under him as a lab assistant. Really, an impressive girl.

And she was hot.

"Can I help you?" She asked, peering down at me. Well, she didn't look down too much, Daisy was on the short side and I had gained a few inches since the last time I was at the ranch.

I smiled at her. "Maybe. I was hoping to talk with Professor Oak, he's my registered professor. Is he in?"

Her smile fell for a moment and she narrowed her eyes. Then they widened and she snapped her fingers. "Oh! You're that kid from the battle this morning. My little brother's been watching it on repeat all day."

"Er, yeah…"

"I didn't know grampa kept your Pokémon," Daisy said. Then she pointed towards the town proper. "But he's over at the Pallet House if you really need him, it's the only restaurant in Pallet Town. Hard to miss."

I nodded, then a new thought entered my mind.

Did I really need him?

"You actually might be able to help me out instead."

"Oh?" She blinked a few times.

I shuffled. "I was hoping Professor Oak might expand my carry limit."

"Ah," she voiced, looking apologetic. "Afraid not. Grampa is the only person in Kanto aside from Bill Montgomery that has those permissions. You're definitely gonna have to talk to him about that."

Nobody could say I didn't try.

"Here, let me grab my bag and I'll take you to the Pallet House. I was going to head on over in a little bit anyways."

"Uh." Why did things escalate so quickly here? "Sure."

She closed the door and moved inside. Through the glass door, I saw her head up the lobby staircase, heading to the floor that the Oak family lived in.

Daisy returned quickly, a purse strung over her shoulder. She exited the lab and locked it up behind her, then beckoned me to follow.

The walk was pleasant. We spoke of inane things after introducing ourselves properly. I mentioned that Professor Oak had brought her up before and wished her a happy belated birthday, which she accepted with a humble thanks and a grumble directed towards her grandfather about how he bragged too much.

Pallet Town was a quaint place. Maybe a hundred houses to be found and not a single tower to be seen, it was more of a village than anything. But it was certainly a pretty place, well deserving of its reputation.

The Pallet House matched Pallet Town to a T. A one-story home converted into a restaurant, it was homey and well lived and had the vibe you might expect from a famous southern café that stuck to its roots.

We entered the restaurant, a bel tingling overhead. A brown-haired woman manned the bar, a few patrons were sitting at the sides, and two children were staring attentively at a tv in the high corner of the area, showing the-

Wait. That's Thoros on the tv.

Indeed, they were watching my battle from this morning. Thoros had just shat on the head of Electabuzz, earning guffaws from the two kids and a shake of the head from the woman. She caught sight of us and smiled brightly, brown eyes twinkling.

"Daisy! Welcome, welcome! And you brought a friend I see."

"Hi Delia," Daisy waved, walking towards the kids. She ruffled their hair and took a seat at the bar, the now named Delia passing her a cocktail.

Wait, Delia? As in Delia Ketchum, the mother of the anime protagonist? That Delia?

…Weird.

"What's been going on?" Daisy asked after taking an experimental sip of her drink. She looked pleased.

"The same as always," Delia said, waving her hand. "Samuel told Gary about how one of his trainers was going to be battling today, so he recorded it and rushed over. He got Ash into it and now they've been watching the match all day."

"I would say I'm sorry," I joined in, sitting next to Daisy. "But it was a good battle, so I'm afraid I can't."

She blinked, then looked back over to the screen. Her eyes widened quickly as she caught sight of me on the screen, and then she burst out laughing. "Boys! Look at who just walked in!"

Both of them turned towards me. Gary had grown his hair out a little bit and might have lost some puppy fat in the months since I'd last seen him, but overall, he looked the same. The kid next to him was unfamiliar, though I still knew him well. Better than I knew most people in this world. Black hair, brown eyes, little birthmarks on his cheeks shaped like sideways volts.

Yep. That's Ash Ketchum.

"It's him!" Ash said. Holy crap, I just hit with a wave of déjà vu. That was his voice, the voice that Veronica Taylor used for years before the anime got rebranded with a different voice cast. My nostalgia feels complete.

I waved at him, thanking Delia for the glass of water she'd just passed me. "Sup kid?"

"But you, but he- how are you here?!"

I do not know how to deal with this level of interest from somebody that I have just met.

"I'm hoping to talk to Professor Oak," I said, rolling my shoulders. My attention returned to Delia. "Where is he, by the way? Daisy said he'd be here."

"Here," Professor Oak said, coming from the back. Above the door he had just come out of showed the blue symbol of a man. Restroom. "Jon! I must say, this is a surprise. Congratulations on your win."

"Thank you."

He sidled up next to me. "Have you come to let me study your Natu?"

The greed in his voice was palpable.

I shook my head. "Nah, Baelish is tired from today and I don't want to disturb him. I was actually wondering if you could increase my limit."

Oak frowned. "I don't believe I can, my boy."

My eyes narrowed. "Why not?"

"Because, even with your accomplishments and current team, you're still too fresh of a trainer. I increased your carry limit originally because it was a part of a trade, but a normal increase? Unless you've ranked highly in one of the main Pokémon League tournaments or made a notable discovery regarding Pokémon, you've not done enough to warrant another increase."

That was blunt.

"But I beat Drake," I protested. "That Dragonite was an Elite level! And it was the Orange League!"

"And having a team able to take down an Elite Pokémon normally warrants an increase from six to seven, not eight to nine." Oak retorted calmly. "Plus, when last we spoke, you admitted you knew that winning the Orange League didn't mean anything outside of the Islands."

I bit my lip, trying to keep from throwing a tantrum. Like that'd help my case.

This was a random thought in any case. Of the ten Pokémon I owned, nine of them were Pokémon I regularly made use of. It made sense to me that with my recent victory, I might be able to increase me carry limit to match my squad.

However, this was not to be. Oak was firm and wouldn't budge.

But that's okay. I had ways of dealing with this.

A notable discovery regarding Pokémon?

I've got an encyclopedia of that stuff wedged in my head.

Delia, being the super mom that she was, offered me her guest room for the night in exchange for stories. Ash was more than happy with this, and while the kid was annoying, he was still a good kid.

Yes, I grew to dislike him from the anime. But I used to love him. And this Ash was still in that loveable stage. So, until he started his Journey, in a little over a year (guy was about to turn nine), Ash was in my good books.

The next morning, Winter brought me out of Pallet Town and into the region of Johto. I contemplated going to see Professor Elm, but I figured that now wasn't the best time. Not with the plan I had in mind. Soon though, I would see the man.

Hopefully he'd be able to settle my food situation with Winter.

Speaking of the plan, I had released Baelish before leaving Pallet Town. His appearance certainly got the attention of Ash, but I ignored the kid. I had a mission for the super-circle-bird. Baelish understood and, while not particularly pleased to have been selected for this undertaking, did as I asked.

From there, we flew directly to the Blackthorn Gym, where my aunt and her trainers greeted me happily.

I spent nine days at the Gym, lazing about and enjoying life. I'd earned some R&R, it was only right.

When Aunt Claire's birthday came, people galore came through the door, as was the usual with Claire's party-throwing ways. Liza was the first to come, and then more and more people I didn't recognize arrived.

I wasn't the only child, at least. Jasmine was here too, along with her father. I ended up spending most of my time with her. It was good to see her again.

Then, the guest of honor arrived. The guest of honor that was not Claire, that is.

Cloaked in a black cape, he cut an impressive figure. His hair was the same shade of red as my own and his skin too was of a similar shade. He had blue eyes though, similar to Claire's, and smiles didn't seem to come easily to him.

On his arm was a woman with a mane of flowing purple hair that reached her ankles. She had grey eyes and a cheery face, and wore a blue jumpsuit that spanned from shoulder to thigh, where a pair of white stockings were then showed.

Lance Blackthorn and Winona something-or-other were here.

And they were together.

…

I may have just caught on to why Aunt Claire wanted me to train under Winona now.

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

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

Rhaegal/Shelgon – Female

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

Ability: Rock Head

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, Charmeleon, Shelgon, Dragonair, Natu, Gyarados

Stored Pokémon: Skarmory, Onix

Currency: 12,740