1-3

It was time. I was ready.

I was just minutes away from losing my virginity: My skydiving virginity, to be specific. I was both terrified and awe-inspired all at once. This was the best eighteenth birthday present ever.

I'm also offering a hell of a lot of filler information without any background information to compensate, so let's just back it up a bit. Hi! My name is Johnathan Snow, affectionately called Jon Snow by everybody and their grandmother.

Yes, I am perfectly aware that my name is famous. No, I am not the reason it is famous. I was not born the bastard son of Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. I am a bastard, however. As it were, I was just a kid with a curious name. Curious enough to make me look up Game of Thrones and then read the books. George R. R. Martin is a genius, might I add; his works make up my favorite book series of all time.

Anyways.

Like I said, I'm a bastard. I was born to a teenage couple in 1994, on December 26th. Obviously, one of my parents raised me, right? Being a bastard in the modern world isn't really anything terrible, single parents are common enough.

Well, that's wrong. Not only was it wrong, it was hella wrong, meng.

Instead, as they were teenagers and had no interest in becoming actual parents, I was shipped off to an orphanage in San Francisco called Baychester.

It wasn't all that bad, to be honest.

I was given a fair amount of food, decent company in my fellow orphans – we learned to stick together – and a surprising amount of opportunities. Most people think orphanages don't have the ability to grant their inhabitants many opportunities, and that would be correct for the most part. Orphanages aren't really able to financially back their children outside of their basic needs due to their stretched funds, but there were plenty of people that volunteered and helped out that were… Well, pliable isn't a word I should use, but they were pretty pliable.

I was lucky. One of the volunteers was a college intern at a local production firm. She thought I was cute, and I was fortunate enough to be born with a clear voice and the ability to project it. So, through her connections, I was able to start a career as a voice actor at the tender age of eight years old.

By the time I finished middle school at fourteen years old, I had been able to plow my way through the field enough to earn roles in some video games, commercials and even a few cartoons. My opportunities brought me into the actual world of acting as well, though I never was able to break out of plays. I didn't necessarily have much in the form of money, but I had way more than most people my age did. Money equaled security, and I wasn't feeling secure at Baychester anymore.

Don't get me wrong, Baychester is a great place. For children. The caretakers and matrons are wonderful people and the volunteers are happy to give their attention. The teenagers were often put to the side, however. To put it bluntly, nobody wanted to adopt them because they weren't in the cutesy stage anymore.

To be even more blunt, I was a runt. Right now, at the age of eighteen, I barely stood 5'6. At fourteen I wasn't even five feet tall. So, as both the runt and the only kid in the orphanage that had any money, I was the most common target for bullying. Nobody beat the shit out of me or anything, but I had my share of scars and body bruises.

…Where was I? Oh, yeah. Security.

That girl that gave me my connection? Her name was Ellie. We still talked, and she ended up being my agent while I was her first client. She was kind enough to "adopt" me. The word adopt is in quotations because it was just a pile paperwork; in truth, we ended up being something akin to roommates. I had my area, she had hers. I never took her name, she never got in my business. Our relationship had always been more like what I presumed siblings or close relatives felt for one another, and things ended up calming down rather significantly.

Life was good.

Fast forward three and a half years, through my embarrassing high school career and the struggle I went through when my voice started cracking (which put a dent in my voice acting opportunities, let me tell you), and we return to my birthday. Ellie had always known I was a bit of an adrenaline junkie, so she called up a friend of a friend and was somehow able to get me a ticket to skydive in the middle of winter.

Which brings us to the here and now. My jumpsuit was tight, my body as prepped as it could possibly be, and I was stood in front of the hanger ready to jump.

The hatch opened; I secured my parachute pack as well as I could. There was a red light above the door. We were waiting for it to change color. I wasn't the only one jumping, but since I was the birthday boy I was obviously going to be going first. I even wore a pair of absorbent swim trunks underneath my suit, ready for any eventual bladder leaks that may or may not occur.

The light above the hatch flashed green. I wasted no time. I jumped.

It was easily the most exhilarating feeling I have ever experienced, just falling through the air and feeling the wind on my face. I could see everything from up here, all the mountains and beaches, even the curve of the planet. I wish I could describe it better. Sadly, my vocabulary had never been my strongest suit. I had to thank the public education system of California for that.

It was both terrifying and calming. Terrifying in the whole I'm falling fast enough to hit the ground like an old tomato way. Calming in the sense that this was a place where none of my problems could worry me. I could only focus on the here and now. I closed my eyes and just started to think.

I was eighteen years old; halfway through my senior year of high school and was living without a care in the world. My future plans weren't really set in stone. I was going to keep voice acting, that was certain. And now that I was eighteen, I was considered an adult in the eyes of the world. I could move out, and I was actually able to afford a flat in California of all places! I was already looked at pretty well at my school for having such a cool job, and if I got my own place I might even pop that pesky cherry; the real one, not my sky diving virginity.

Did I want to go to college? No, not really. The only degrees that interested me were media focused, and I was already involved in entertainment. Media was all about connections, and I had those. I mean, I wouldn't mind going to a university; Ellie had always said that I absolutely needed that college experience. To find myself, whatever that meant. If an opportunity to go somewhere for free or for cheap popped up, I would probably take it.

But I also wanted to travel. So long as I kept a decent microphone on my person and a laptop with the ability to edit audio I could essentially work anywhere with an internet connection. Europe sounds fun. So does South America-

-Splat

"AGH!?" What the fuck? Did I just smack a bug with my face? No wait, that's the wrong wording. Did a bug just smack me in the face?! I wiped at my check with my hand, green ichor coating my finger. Belatedly, I remembered that I had to keep my body stable as I dove, and I began to move in a manner that did not promote confidence. I was spinning randomly now, my eyes wide open in fear. That calmness that supposedly came with terror? Yeah, that was nonexistent, this was pure terror.

I panicked and pulled the string to my parachute. The recoil of it smacked me like a truck, and it was in this moment that I learned something quite important.

Never trust a parachute that says Made in Vietnam. I've always had the feeling that they still hate Americans for that war. Well, that feeling was accurate. And returned. I needed to tell people. The people have a right to know!

Sadly, it seemed as if I would never be able to tell others of my discovery. Once the recoil hit, the string connecting my 'chute snapped like a piece of twine. My chance at survival was gone.

I was going to die.

I wasn't religious. I didn't believe in fate, nor did I especially care about anything steeped in the supernatural. However, I had also never been in a life or death situation up until now; though it could be argued that this was more like a death or death situation. I needed a miracle. So, I did something I've never done before; I started to pray.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I'M TO YOUNG TO DIE! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE, NONONONO, I'M STILL A VIRGIN, FUCK! LET ME LIIIIIIIVE~ GOD, BUDDHA, ZEUS, ALAH, AZOR AHAI, SHENRON! SOMEBODYYYYYYY!"

I probably didn't pray right. I've never tried, so it wasn't like I knew if there was a certain way to do so. Most folk probably didn't scream as much.

I stopped bothering with words, just screaming my throat hoarse. I screamed and panicked and cursed and cried and pissed myself (I knew those absorbent trunks were a good idea).

I also determined that I hated the Vietnamese.

I was closing in on the earth; the designated landing sight was surrounded by a set of rocks. I wasn't going to hit the landing sight, I was going to hit those rocks. The training prior to the skydive included, in the case where my parachute didn't work, that I was to position myself like I was sitting. My legs were supposed to take the majority of the impact. I probably wouldn't ever walk again, but I might live.

That was all I could hope for.

So, I did as I was supposed to. I tucked my legs into position and tightened my muscles as much as I could. The ground was approaching fast, faster than I could keep up with.

The moment my feet touched down, there was nothing but pain, and then there was just nothing.

Surprisingly enough, I opened my eyes. It… It worked?

Wait, what worked?

Hold up. Which deity was the real one? I need to know who to worship from now on.

"I'm alive?"

I then promptly closed my mouth because holy hell did I sound like a squeaker.

I looked around. I was on a sand beachfront. This- this wasn't possible. I was miles away from the beach, and even then, this looked nothing like the beaches I was accustomed to. There was too much sand, too many tall trees. There were no businesses or overly large crowds.

"Hello, who are you?" Who the fuck was that?

I turned my head the side. Sat next to me was a… thing. It was pink, with a pale-yellow muzzle and a scaled belly, with a red and white striped ruff around its neck. On its head was a grey crown with a ruby gem in its center.

It smiled at me in a sort of dopey way, "How'd you get here?"

…

"AHHHHHHHHH MONSTER!"

"WHERE?!"

Nope. Nopenopenopenopenope. Not gonna happen. I began to run away, or at least tried to. Pain lanced through my legs. I couldn't move. Looking down, I realized that my legs were, well, a mess. There was blood and gore everywhere; if not for them being attached to my body, I wouldn't have even realized that these were my legs. Sweat poured out from all around my body. I started to shake, my breathing turned sporadic.

"Now that's not nice, calling me a monster," the pink thing whined. "I'm a proper Pokémon, you know?"

"Pokémon aren't real." I should know, I auditioned for the role of Max Maple a few years ago for the dubbed animation. I didn't get the role due to my balls deciding they wanted to drop around that time, but I was perfectly well aware that Pokémon didn't really exist. It was a game and an anime and a job for some lucky sobs, nothing more and nothing less. And why did I sound like such a squeaker? Where was my beautiful, velvety, panty dropping voice?

"Then what would you call me?"

I would call him a freak. I'd seen some weird stuff on the internet, even some dude that augmented his body with tattoo's and surgeries to make him look like a reptile. Even if this guy was way more bloated, he was human. Had to be.

My body was spasming more and more.

"Mmn, perhaps now isn't the best time for this. You're in pain."

No shit, Sherlock.

"I'll just put you to sleep and take you to a healer. My good deed for the day, as the islanders like to say."

Healer? Doesn't he mean a doctor- what the fuck? This guy just- he just yawned out a yellow blob that slowly floated towards me. I tried to scurry away, but the blob, while slow, was still faster than I was, and slapped me in the face.

I was weak. I was hurt. And all of a sudden, I was just tired. So, so tired…

With a yawn my eyes closed, and I felt myself drift off.

.

This time, when I awoke I was in an environment I could understand. The sanitized smell and white wash color of a hospital may not have been especially familiar to me, but I could understand it. Waking up on a beach, that must have been a dream.

…I am both happy and sad about that. Happy, because I was able to continue with my life. Sad, because I once dreamed about being in the world of Pokémon. I mean, who didn't want to live there? Pokémon was the first game I'd ever played; it was near and dear to my heart. When I was younger, I would dream about Pokémon all the time, hoping beyond reason to become a trainer. I had been past ten at that point, which meant I would have been able to go on my Journey.

Ah well, life's life. At least I've got my… health? Experimentally, I tried to lift my leg, only to see a great big cast on it.

Well, that sucked, though not as badly as it could've. Cast or no cast, I could feel my leg. It didn't look like I was going to be in a wheel-chair for the rest of my life. A few months of uncomfortableness along with a helping of rehab and I'd be back to the grind. Probably. Maybe.

Hopefully.

Hold up, how long have I been asleep?

I looked around the room. There was no calendar, nor was there a clock. My bed was more like a long chair. Next to it was a button, with the symbol of a nurse printed on it. I pressed it; a buzz echoed from the hall. I stared at the door to my room, waiting.

My wait was short. The door opened, and an attractive woman walked in. She had bright pink hair, deep blues eyes, fine pale skin and wore a stereotypical nurse's outfit, the kind that could be confused with a sexy-nurse Halloween costume if it were a little tighter. On her obviously dyed hair was even a cap, with a bright red cross on it. I almost laughed.

Instead of laughing, I settled for a simple greeting. "Hello."

Wait… My- voice…?

"My goodness!" Her eyes were wide, her mouth ajar. What was up with my voice? "I expected you to be asleep for another few days at the very least! Slowking must have used a Heal Pulse on you before bring you over."

…Slowking?

"Chansey and I were ever so worried," she continued, casually ignoring my shock. "This is a Pokémon Center for a reason, not a hospital. It's a rare day when anybody comes in with wounds like yours, human and Pokémon alike. This Center is away from most gyms and not many strong Pokémon come to this island. Honestly, you're quite lucky. Being unconscious for only a few days is better than what could have happened."

…Chansey? Pokémon? Pokémon Center? Gyms? I was unconscious?

"What the fuck is going on?!"

"Language!" The woman whose name I was beginning to suspect might rhyme with toy scolded. "You're far too young to use words like that. What have your parents taught you?"

"Nothing, seeing as I'm an orphan," was my quick response. I've had that reply lined up since I was ten and served my first detention. It's served me well. And what did she mean I was too young to curse? I'm eighteen, damnit. I'm an adult!

Her demeaner shifted in an instant. Gone was the scolding, indignant woman and instead she became this puddle of sad. She was tearing up, sniffling and dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief that she hadn't had before. Where the hell did that come from?

"Oh, I'm so sorry." She's crying now. Big, fat honking tears. I don't know how to deal with this. As the stereotypical white girl would say, I can't even. "Of course, you'd speak so crudely! No parents…"

Well, isn't that just rude?

Whatever. I don't have the inclination to care about her rudeness right now. Why the hell was she talking about Pokémon as if they existed. Where was I? Why did I sound like such a squeaker?

I also needed to pee.

"Can I go to the bathroom?" Maybe I could look at a mirror then, see how bad the damage really was.

"Yes, yes of course you can." She pulled a sphere out from her robe, a ball with a red top and a red bottom. It split in half in a flash of silver light, and then a pink blob with an egg in a sack stood in the room.

My-Wha-Who-Huh!? That wasn't- That- HOW THE FUCK?!

"Chansey, be a dear and take this young man to the restroom." The nurse said. She paused for a moment, and as if it were an afterthought continued. "Be mindful of his legs."

"Chansey- Chan!"

The blobs black eyes turned a pale blue, and I was lifted out of my bed and floated out of the room. The blob-Chansey walked out of the room at a sedate pace, my flailing and floating form psychically made to follow. It stopped at a bathroom, opened the door and sent me inside, sitting me on a toilet and forcefully dropped a diaper that I most definitely hadn't been wearing previously down my legs, resting against the base of my cast. It left the room then and closed the door. I could see its shadow though, from beneath the frame. It wasn't leaving.

I only kind of had to go to the bathroom. Really, it was just a little trickle. But I couldn't even get that out. Not when I looked at the mirror stood just in front of the toilet I was sat on. I know that I was looking at myself but…

This wasn't me.

My long brown hair was now crimson and shaggily cropped. My hazel-blue eyes were now purely yellow and amberish, almost hawk-like. The scars on my body were gone, all except the one just over my left eye, jutting diagonally through my eyebrow. Speaking of my body, it was now tan and stocky, as opposed to my pasty pale normality that was beginning to grow a gut. I looked like one of those pretty boys I'd seen some classmates gush about, with higher cheekbones, dimples and naturally straight white teeth.

And I was definitely not eighteen. I looked nine.

What the hell happened? This wasn't a lucid dream, I'd had one of those before. It was too real, everything had a scent and a feeling, that Chansey was too animated. Too alive. The woman who took care of me wasn't just any woman, she was a damned Nurse Joy.

Impossible as it may be… I think this is real. Somehow, someway, I was in the world of Pokémon.

…I have no explanation. Nobody could have one. I guess my prayer was heard by somebody, I was allowed to live; just not on Earth. For the first time in a long time, I – Jon Snow – knew nothing.

The irony of that phrase is not lost on me.

But where was I? Nurse Joy's were everywhere according to the anime. And in the games they were only located in select cities and towns. If I were in one of these cities, it would need to be on an island. She specifically said it was an island. Let's see… Cinnabar Island, the Whirl Islands, the Seafoam Islands… I can't think of anything else-

…

Oh, right. I'm an idiot. I started this new existence by having a conversation with a talking Slowking. There was only one place that had one of those; Shamouti Island, setting of the second Pokémon movie: The Power of One. It was my favorite movie of the Pokémon franchise, and more than that, it was among my favorite animated movies of all time. Only one of them, though; nothing beat the Lion King, and nothing from Japan could top Spirited Away. But The Power of One was my number three!

There was a good reason that I loved The Power of One. My favorite Pokémon were Flying types, and the focus of this movie was four legendary Flying Pokémon: Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno and Lugia. It was great and amazing and all the feels. That movie let me see them at their best, which also just happened to be their worst since they nearly started a global storm that could be considered apocalyptic. Still though, best battle royale in all of Pokémon.

Flying types were the shit. My favorite playthrough of Pokémon Blue was when I started with a Charmander and made the whole of my team consist of only Flyers. My main team consisted of Charizard, Aerodactyl, Pidgeot, Dragonite, Zapdos and Articuno. I would have used Moltres, but Charizard was already a Fire type and I needed the diversity on my roster.

…Now that I thought about it, this was damn perfect. I could be a Pokémon trainer. I knew where a hell of a lot of Pokémon were from the anime, movies and games. I would be able to see the world on the back of a Pokémon, just like I had dreamt when I was a kid, soaring with one of my Flying types.

I would miss Ellie. She did right by me, and now she was probably devastated. I was dead on Earth, dead or missing. But there was nothing I could do about it; this was my second chance and there was no way I would be lucky enough to get a third chance.

No, I would make do with what I was given.

I was going to fulfil my childhood dream and be just like my character in Pokémon Blue: Assfart. Don't judge me, I was, like, nine when I made that character.

Wait, was that why I was nine now?

Whatever. Goal established.

I would become a Flying Pokémon Master.

Jon Snow – Male

Date: Dec 29

Badges: N/A

Pokémon: N/A

Currency: N/A

There we go, the first chapter of my reworked Y'know Nothing Jon Snow! Some of you might be wondering why I did this, and the simple answer is that this was one of my first Fanfictions, and while looking at it from the perspective of a better author is interesting, the simple fact of the matter is that I'm a better writer. I don't like looking at my old works and just think "Oh, look how much better I've become." I prefer looking at my old works and thinking "Let's see how much better I can do with this."

The over-all pace of the story isn't going to change, the events that you're all familiar with will be the same, but now they will be written by a better, more mature author. Plots will make more sense, details expanded upon, characters given a better opportunity, the works. Though the story itself won't necessarily be meant for the mature, that isn't going to change.

Also, if anybody's curious, the move Slowking used on Jon to make him fall asleep was Yawn.

If you liked this story, please Favorite/Follow it and don't forget to shoot me a Review!

2

Nurse Joy was a lonely woman.

She rarely had visitors, and those few trainers that did come by usually left within the day, too caught up in their goals and the other more interesting islands in the Orange Archipelago. She hadn't had many people to treat either; as it turns out, there was a hospital on Shamouti which took care of the general populace. Slowking was a Pokémon however, which meant he had no reason to use the hospital, and when he found me he didn't think to take me there. I was her first patient in almost three weeks and the first human patient she'd had to deal with in over five months. I was her singular focus, and while this was admittedly interesting, I was quick to grow bored in this stifling environment.

My being bored and Joy being lonely made an odd combination. She tried to baby me, I tried deflected her babying. I tried to get out of my bed, she would have Chansey force me back under my covers. This was a routine that lasted for a full week, up until I was fit enough to leave the bed in a wheelchair.

Surprisingly, I was almost fully healed within that week. The reason such a thing was possible?

Pokémon; duh.

There's this move called Heal Pulse that Chansey used four times a day on me. I had never seen the move in any of the games I played, so it must have been created after I stopped, or maybe it was just too overpowered for the games and was an anime-only plot device. As its name implied, it heals others. It made me tired, but its effects were awe inspiring. I could literally see my muscles reform and my skin return to a healthy coloration. My leg injury would have been crippling on Earth, but here I was, hale and healthy after only a week of care. Joy said I would need to stay in the wheelchair for a few more days and would then need to spend another few days accustoming myself to using my legs again, but the fact of the matter was that I would be able to use my legs again.

Exploration was soon to be within my grasp. And in the time I waited to be able to move properly, I realized that I damn near loved my wheelchair.

Now don't get me wrong, I would much rather be walking around than carting around in this thing. Wheelchairs are devices of necessity, they are not meant for fun.

But fun I had.

Joy hadn't been a fan of my moving about in the wheelchair, searching every inch of the Pokémon Center in hopes that I could find something interesting, but found herself more inclined towards ignoring my being a pest when I attempted to leave the Center. Apparently, I had become a local celebrity in the sense that I was the most exciting thing to have happened to Shamouti in a long while. According to her, I wasn't fit to deal with the islanders until I was fit enough to run away from their prying. I found myself agreeing with her.

So, I explored the Center. I found the gardens, where berries and medicinal herbs grew. I found the sickbay, empty and foreboding. I even found a lost and found, which was kind of perfect. My clothes from before were a wreck, so much so that Nurse Joy just tossed them and set me up with a hospital gown. I needed clothes, man; I wasn't wearing that diaper anymore and I don't appreciate the breeze down there.

It took a bit of time, but I was satisfied with my haul. I now had on a pair of grey sweat pants that were a tad too large, a black long sleeve shirt that was definitely too large, though I just rolled up the sleeves and tucked the shirt hem into my newly acquired pants, so it worked, and a pair of sneakers that were a perfect fit, tattered though they were. Added to this was a green backpack with a small tear through its logo of a Clefairy. I even had a watch that had a little alarm! I was set.

But the best thing I found was in the pocket of a skirt. I didn't mean to go digging through a skirt, but it was ridiculously small and I thought it was just a strange pair of boxers; new world offering new fashions and all that jazz. So, when I put it on and noticed there was no slit between my legs, I ripped them off and threw them against the wall. When it connected, I heard the sounds of both the cloth hitting the wall and something else, something that clinked like metal. Curious, I looked in the pockets and found my prize: A Great Ball.

I hadn't even thought that somebody would leave one of these around. Still, I had the foresight to look through everything, and by the time I left the lost and found I now possessed one Great Ball and two Poké Balls.

I assumed that since Joy hadn't had any visitors, they were up for grabs. So, I did just that; grab them, that is. Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission in this case.

And even if it was theft… I felt perfectly fine to steal. I wasn't eighteen anymore, where my thievery would result in possible reparations and jail time. Now I could claim innocence, could claim that I didn't know that it was bad and that I wouldn't do it again, but can I please keep it? And really, if the anime was to be trusted, stealing in the Pokémon world was ridiculously easy. So long as you had some decent sense and didn't have a hot-air balloon in the shape of a Meowth you were golden

Even though I dread puberty when it comes, I can't really find any issue with being this young right now.

It's too easy.

.

Morning came with the caw of a local Fearow, owned by some native of Shamouti I didn't know. The sun was up, as were Chansey and Joy. I joined them with a stretch of my arms and a loud, drawn out yawn. I grabbed the crutches at the side of my bed, shuffled them under my pits, and maneuvered out of the room.

Joy had said that I could use my legs now, just a bit. The crutches were to ensure that I didn't put too much pressure on them. I honestly felt fine, I'd already tried walking around a little and didn't have too many issues. Just some cramps that spasmed here and there. I wasn't entirely up to snuff, but I was getting close.

I made my way into the lobby of the Center. Chansey was sat at a table, happily eating a bowl of berries. Joy was nowhere in sight.

"Chansey," I called out. She turned towards me with a bright smile. "Where's Joy?"

"Se-chan!" The blob pointed a stubby arm towards the sickbay. Weird, the only time she'd used the sickbay in the time I'd been here was to clean it. Joy preferred to busy her afternoon with cleaning, not mornings. Her mornings were rife with coffee and emails and long phone calls with her many cousins.

She was a woman of routine.

I maneuvered my way towards the sickbay, my crutches smacking the tile floors audibly. Luckily, I didn't have to go far. The bay was just behind the front desk.

Joy was stood in front of a cot, her face a mask of concentration. On the cot was a bird, and a damn big one at that. It was almost two feet tall, with a plump body and smattering of brown feathers. There were a pair of angular black markings extending from its eyes to its chin, and its wings were bent awkwardly. It was asleep.

"What is it?" I blurted out, though I pretty much guessed it already.

"Hello Jon," Joy was tired, yet still quite bubbly all the same. Looks like she was happy to finally have a patient. "He is a Pidgey."

Yup, my guess was right. Nice.

"Who's Pidgey is that? I didn't see anybody in the lobby." Whoever owned it was probably still asleep or at work or something. It was early in the morning.

"Nobody owns this Pidgey, he's wild." Well hello. "Sadly, it isn't that uncommon for one or two of these little ones to become stranded throughout the Archipelago's during this time of the year. They migrate between Fairchild Island and the Viridian Forest, and our little island is between those places," she sighed. "We're going to need to look for a way to bring this one home, or else find him a trainer."

A wild Pidgey that needed a trainer? Yes, hell yes. I wanted this Pidgey. No, more than that; I would have this Pidgey. I mean, I'd rather have a Charmander, but beggars can't be choosers, and I was what one could consider a beggar.

I was gonna make this one my starter.

I just had to finagle how to catch it. I had the Poké Balls, but I didn't have the things respect. This wasn't like the games, where a caught Pokémon would listen to you immediately. Pokémon needed a specific type of empathy. Well, that or they needed to be beaten into submission, which I was not going to even attempt to do. I needed to figure out how to do this right.

"It was only by happenstance that Tobias was exercising his Fearow this morning," Joy continued. "They found Pidgey being pestered by the local Spearow. As luck had it, his Fearow is the alpha of the Spearow flock, and they stopped when Tobias asked them to, being Fearow's trainer and all."

"When will he be ready to leave?" I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral. It was working, barely.

She blinked. "Oh! Well… He took a good fall, and he's still young. Normally, I would let him leave later today, but at this moment I wouldn't let Pidgey leave until tomorrow, at the very least. And even then, Pidgey likely couldn't make it to Fairchild Island. He's not strong enough to make that flight."

Well, I have time to prepare then.

.

The first thing I did was hop on Joy's computer. It had access to the internet – though it was called the Pokénet here, because these people are original – and looked up the Pidgey line.

And boy, did I learn a lot.

For example, did you know that the Pidgey line were among the quickest species to develop? At two weeks old, a Pidgey was combat ready and able to battle without worry. And also, the Pokémon native to Fairchild Island had the habit of being ready to fight even earlier, along with a gene that made them uniquely larger than they were supposed to be due to ideal genetics and hefty diets. This Pidgey was definitely from there, based on the fact that it was nearly twice as large as the computer said its species should be.

So why was this Pidgey unable to fly home?

The simple truth is that Pidgey are only barely not considered baby Pokémon. They can do some fighting and learn a good few moves, but they have little stamina. They can fight, but they can't fight well. They could fly for thirty minutes at an estimated top speed of twenty miles per hours without issue, but they would have to stop flying for days at that point to regain their energy. When compared to the easy two hundred miles per hour a Pidgeot could handle or their ability to fly continuously at that speed for hours at a time it was no wonder that Pidgey were considered baby's.

This Pidgey was stuck on Shamouti Isle, and that meant he was stuck with me.

I idly spun one of my Poké Balls on the desk, smirking.

That wasn't the only thing I looked up though, I also took the time to study a map of the Orange Archipelago.

Shamouti Island was almost smack dab in the center of the chain; just a few miles north of the center, to be precise. I might not have been the most dedicated student, but I understood that knowledge was damned useful. I didn't know the geography of this area, and I sure as hell didn't know any of their customs and cultures. Fairchild Island was about 100 miles south-southwest of Shamouti. No Pidgey would be able to make that journey, especially not when it was young. I had time, and I had a good chance at attaining my goal.

I just had to make up a good reason.

From my research and background in acting, I tentatively came up with a backstory for my new existence here. Nobody was going to believe that I was some reincarnate, and I'm not fool enough to even attempt talking about that. I'd be locked up in the loony bin faster than I could blink. That, or would be hounded by those same loonies for some reason or another. No, I was happy to take my time, come up with a story and stick with it through thick and thin.

Before I knew it, I spent the entirety of my day on the computer. Studying.

I felt like a dweeb.

Surprisingly, it felt pretty good.

.

Night was upon us. We were sat at one of the Center tables, eating our dinner.

Joy and I were eating pasta. Chansey was eating more berries. This was the standard, berries being one of the islands main food exports, while pasta was a personal favorite of Joy's.

The guest in the form of the now awake Pidgey was new, and quite appreciated.

Pidgey was shooting us these looks, not necessarily distrustful but still quite wary. He didn't know how to deal with us. The Tiny Bird Pokémon that wasn't so tiny was only taking an occasional bite of his bird feed, brown eyes never leaving us. I was returning the look. Somehow, this elevated to us having a staring contest. I was losing pretty badly.

Chansey was attempting to engage Pidgey in some format of conversation. Pidgey was only offering the occasional response, and they were gruff at best. His eyes were trained on me, stuck in our staring contest.

Well… There's no better time than the present.

"Hey, Pidgey, I have a question."

His eyes narrowed, and his head cocked to the side. He made no noise, but I had his attention.

I pulled out one of my Poké Balls and placed it on the counter. Joy let out a noise of surprise, while Chansey began waving her arms in confusion. "Want to be my Pokémon?"

I may have plans and the ability to make plans upon those plans, but I always have been and always will be a blunt person. I don't need to shy away from awkward topics. It was best that my intentions be known from the start, especially when it came to Pokémon. These weren't like cats or dogs; these creatures can understand human speech and had near human emotions. If I attempted to trick Pidgey, I likely would never gain his trust.

Pidgey scrutinized me, then moved his eyes to the Poké Ball – Hah! I won the staring contest! – with a healthy dose of skepticism.

"You don't have to answer now," I assured him. It wasn't like we didn't have time, him being stuck here and my not being able to walk right. "I don't mind waiting until we're back to full health," I said, pointing to my bum legs for emphasis.

He gave a short nod and returned to his food, still eyeing us up.

"Jon," Joy's voice was stern. "Where did you get that?"

Now here was the trick, I didn't want to tell her I took it from under her nose. That'd be a quick way to piss her off, child or not. No, I had my script ready and waiting.

Acting training, don't fail me now.

"I found it on Kumquat Island," I began. The most useful ability I developed when I started acting was the ability to lie with a straight face, and I was good. "It was in an alley and I've always wanted to be a Pokémon trainer."

"And why were on you Kumquat?"

And now, my grand performance.

"I was born there." I shrugged, trying to sound casual. "Mum left me with a friend and then went to Hoenn with some guy, and her friend shunted me to one of their friends who sent me to more and more friends. So, when I found that Poké Ball, I thought I could finally find a place for me to live, not wherever these people sent me. I'm nine now, but I look older; I could pass for ten. So, I snuck on a ship that I thought was heading for Valencia Island. I thought I could get Professor Ivy to give me a license, or take me on as an apprentice till I turned ten. But…"

"But you ended up here." Joy's stern voice was watery now, and I could see her dabbing her eyes with one of the napkins on the table. "It's not luck that you got here, it's a miracle."

Yes. Yes, it is.

It's also a miracle that she bought that hogwash.

I could finally walk.

No crutches, no wheelchair – nothing. I was free from my constraints.

To an extent, that is. I couldn't run very well yet, but I could jog and walk and not be hounded by Joy and Chansey to use the wheelchair or crutches. That was all I really wanted. All I needed.

And now, with my newfound capability, I set off to find Pidgey. He'd been spending his days outside of the Pokémon Center, only returning at night to feed and sleep. Every time he returned he was battered and bruised and I wanted to know what he was up to.

So, after memorizing his path, I found myself here, away from the town and at the edge of a dark, looming forest. The trees were tall and full, and as far as I could tell there was no road or path going inside. There were no landmarks in the forest, it was just that; a forest. Nurse Joy told me that the islanders believed the Pokémon here deserved their own space, so they didn't even touch the place. Whenever they built new land, they kept it along the shore.

With a breath, I entered the forest. It was a wild place, covered in gnarled roots and deep pits that I had to be careful of. A few Pokémon were loitering around as I walked through, including a bunch of Carerpie, a couple Metapods and a few Rattata's; I think I even saw a Pikachu, though that might have been my overactive imagination playing tricks on me.

As I passed through, I was approached. One of the Caterpie came up to me and began crawling up my leg. I didn't really know what to do, not being accustomed to giant larva with intelligence, so I just tried to act normal.

"What's going on, little guy?" I asked as it reached my arm.

It crawled up to my shoulder and started chittering at me, butting its head into my cheek. It was… Slimy. That's the best way to put it, honestly.

Oh wait. Intelligent, lives in the forest, and is interested in me?

Ah, hello tour guide.

"Hey Caterpie, can you do me a favor?"

It stopped rubbing against my cheek, extending itself so that it was hanging off of me. It twisted its head like an owl, a full 180, and stared at me with what I could only hope was curiosity. It chittered at me, so I continued.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine." That might have been a stretch, but Pidgey was going to be my starter so he was going to be my friend in any case. "He's a Pidgey, a pretty big one too. He's been coming here and coming back home with bruises. I just want to make sure he's alright. Can you tell me where he is?"

"Piiii~" the little worm hummed, bobbing its head up and down. It shot a bolt of string from its little mouth to the branch of a tree and beckoned me to follow with its tail.

That was… huh. No words.

So, I did as it wanted. I followed the little green bug, carefully noting where it spat its string and trying my hardest to remember the path. We walked for a good ten minutes, probably a little more. Then, it chirped and landed back on my shoulder, pointing towards a clearing.

When I reached said clearing, I just stared. There he was, Pidgey, looking defiant against a trio of Spearow. He was larger than them all, but he was battered and bruised, and they had the numbers. Actually, now that I had a better look, I saw that there were even more Spearow in the trees, watching the fight. A few saw me but did nothing since I did nothing. Next to Pidgey was the corpse of a mangled Raticate.

Pidgey barked at them, raising his wings and sending a gust of visible wind towards them. The Spearow in the middle strutted forward and shot out a similar gust of visible wind, only it was larger and far less controlled. That wasn't a Gust, so it must have been a Whirlwind.

The other two Spearow weren't idle. While the middle one was countering Pidgey, they flanked him, their beaks glowing with a greyish energy. Flying type energy, that was a Peck attack. They barreled into my soon-to-be-starter, making him cry out. The flock that was in the tree's were cawing at this, laughing.

But Pidgey, he looked defiant. I could see it in his eyes. He made to fly away, only for another Spearow to bring him down. Then another, and another. This wasn't a battle anymore, they were going on a frenzy and Pidgey was the target of their anger. He was being bombarded by gusts of wind and slapped wings. At first there were three Spearow he was fighting, now there were over ten and more coming. This couldn't be called a fight anymore.

They were going to kill him.

I grabbed the Poké Ball in my pocket, enlarged it, and tossed it at him. Surprisingly, it hit. There weren't even any shakes, it just clicked and he was captured. I ran at the ball, the Spearow flock returning to the air in surprise. My hand snaked out and I was now holding the Poké Ball that held Pidgey inside.

Oh, that felt nice.

"Spea- RO!" One of the Spearow hollered, coming to terms with just happened. Angered, it went in for a dive. At me.

Shit.

Survival instincts kicked in and I grabbed Caterpie and tossed it at the Spearow. The worm gave me such a look of betrayal, but I didn't care. It wasn't my fault it trusted somebody that was only alive due to a miracle and really didn't want to die any time soon. Better it than me. It slapped the Spearow right in the face, sending both of them tumbling to the ground, and while the Spearow flock was in a state of surprised shock I bolted away.

In my peripherals I caught sight of the flock gathering their wits, coming to the unanimous decision that Caterpie was to be a mid-morning snack. Thank you, my friend. You will be remembered. Probably… Maybe… Oh, who am I kidding. I'll forget about that overly trusting bug by tomorrow morning.

I bolted through the trees as fast as I could, faster than I could run when I was an adult, strangely enough. I followed the trees I remembered, followed the remains from the now devoured Caterpie's String Shot, and hoped beyond hope that I was going the right way.

Just as I reached the edge of the forest, the town in sight, I heard them. Their wings were rustling the leaves, their cries echoing past tree branches. I didn't even look backwards to see how they looked, I just wanted out of here.

So, I ran. I ran and I ran and I ran. I ran so hard that the cramps in my leg returned with a vengeance, and damn but that was going to be another week in the wheelchair. And I ran some more.

The Spearow were basically at my neck. But I was in town now, bolting through the streets and cruising past a few startled islanders. They saw me and were happy to see my recovery, then they see what I was running from and were quick to hightail it out of there.

There was only one person that didn't run away when catching sight of my followers. He was a short, older guy, with a mohawk of grey hair and a weird sideburn-mustache combo that was really unkempt. He was slightly overweight and was sporting a blue Hawaiian shirt and a pair of white khaki shorts. Actually, for some reason, the Spearow flock were turning quiet, and it seemed like they were staying away.

I was still running, but I risked a glance. Sure enough, they were prostrated before the dude, looking fearful. He had a Poké Ball in his hand, and in a flash of silver light released its inhabitant. Dark brown feathers with hints of grey meshed against a truly grim face, with a spear-like beak and enraged brown eyes. A plume of pink cartilage was attached to its scalp, almost mimicking a crown.

That was a Fearow, and Fearow was mad.

This actually gave me some context. That meant that dude was Tobias, the one brought Pidgey to the Pokémon Center according to Nurse Joy. Well, if I could buy him a drink I would have done so. He saved my starters hide and now my own.

But, uh…

Nah.

And thus, the epic chase was concluded.

I was no longer running, my leg cramping viciously, and instead found myself limping back to the Pokémon Center. The electric doors opened, and I found myself thanking the heavens for the power of air conditioning. Nurse Joy wasn't at the front, but Chansey was, and boy did she look unhappy.

She waddled on over to me and snatched Pidgey's Poké Ball from my hand. Nurse Joy walked in just after, a steaming cup of coffee in hand, and almost dropped the coffee when Chansey dug through her egg pouch, pulled out a cap and threw it at her.

A nursing cap, with a big red plus on it.

I make no qualms about my ignorance. I don't know shit. I also didn't know what doing that meant, but I was able to infer that that was Chansey's way of saying 'we actually have work for once'. Judging by the way Nurse Joy went ramrod straight and bolted for the sick bay, I was banking on that being right.

And thus, the healing of my Pidgey began.

I had nothing to contribute to this process, so found myself returning to my room and crashing on the cot I was gifted.

Nap time.

I was awoken by Nurse Joy, her expression quite contrite.

"You're lucky I like you." She huffed, hands on her hips. "Never go into the forest without a Pokémon for backup. Even if most of its denizens are friendly, you don't know what could be watching you."

Ah, it's always nice when a pretty woman is worried for little ol' me.

Nice though it was, I didn't really care that much. She was here, not in the sick bay, which meant her work with Pidgey was done.

"How's Pidgey?"

She scowled. "He's perfectly fine, though not very happy. Before I let you see him, we need to have a talk."

Please don't tell me this involves the birds and the bee's. Or is it the Pidgeots and the Beedrills over here?

"About?" I asked, genuinely a bit confused.

"That Poké Ball you caught Pidgey with." Uh oh. "Jon, I'm not just the registered nurse here, I'm the owner and operator of this Center. I was the one that stripped you when Slowking brought you here, and even if I hadn't, I have access to all the security tapes in my Pokémon Center. There were no Poké Balls on you when you were brought to me. Why did you lie about where you found them?"

Uhhh…

C'mon! Thinkthinkthink. What's a good, plausible reason to lie straight to her face? What would make her back off?

"Because I didn't want you to take them away," I eventually said, deciding to just be truthful. "I wasn't lying about anything else." And just like that, I was done being truthful. "I really did live in Kumquat Island, and I did want to go to Professor Ivy to become a trainer. It's just- I'm so much farther behind than I was before, y'know? So, when I found those Poké Balls I just… I'm sorry." I had my head down and my eyes closed, doing my best to look as miserable as I could.

In actuality, I was biting my cheek in hopes that she'd believe my malarkey.

She sighed, slumping. Success! "I'm not mad, Jon. I'm more disappointed than anything. You asked if you could have supplies from the lost and found and I let you grab some clothes, why do you think I wouldn't let you have a few spare Poké Balls?"

Because they are used to capture and control monsters of elemental destruction and I was an immature, recently injured brat that you were looking after? Ergo, it would only be sane for you to not give me anything that could be seen as ammunition.

Naturally, I kept that thought silent. In fact, I just kept my silence entirely.

"I've already taken the other Poké Ball and Great Ball from your bag." What?! "You have a Pokémon now, and I want you to focus solely on Pidgey for the time being. When I feel you've proven yourself, I'll let you have them back."

I blinked. "I'm getting them back?"

She smiled, a slightly brittle thing but a smile all the same. "I want you to succeed, and like I said before, I would have let you have them if you'd just asked. Just- earn it, okay?"

I nodded my head, and with a breath of relief she made her way out of the room. Chansey then came in, a tray holding Pidgey's Poké Ball in her nubby little hands. She brought it towards me, and I grabbed the ball. She then waddled away, empty tray at her side.

I stared at the ball in my hands. It was so small but held so much potential. I released Pidgey. In a flash of silver light he appeared at my leg, looking annoyed. He stared at me, barking out his name.

He was mad that I caught him.

Funny.

"Pidgey, if I didn't capture you those Spearow would have eaten you." He looked even more annoyed at that. He was a prideful guy. That needed to be squashed. "No, I figured it out. That Raticate, you were sparring with it, right? You want to evolve to get off the island, right?"

He sniffed but nodded his head all the same.

"Those Spearow killed that Raticate," I said, bluntly. He looked down, well aware of this fact. "I don't know a lot about them, but I do know enough. Spearow eat smaller Pokémon, and when they have the chance they'll gang up on larger ones. They were going to treat you like a feast if I hadn't found you."

"DGEY!" He screeched, butting his head right into mine. He wasn't attacking, but I could see his anger.

"I caught you to save your life," I restated. Just as he looked ready to fight, I continued. "But I also have the same goal as you. I didn't want to come to Shamouti. I washed up on the beach and was gonna die if I wasn't saved by one of the local Pokémon. You want to get stronger, so you can get out of here. I want to help you get stronger, so I can get out of here too."

All true. I was stuck here on Shamouti until I had the ability to travel whenever I wanted. Pidgey was my ticket to that. He was large and was going to be a rider; no questions about that. Only a handful of Pidgeot grew to riding size, but the bloodline of Fairchild Island was unique in that they produced not only Pidgeot's that could handle riders, but Pidgeot's that could handle secondary riders. That's how damn big these things grow.

"Become my Pokémon. Together, we'll get what we want."

Pidgey backed away, scrutinizing me. I stared back at him, just as we always did. Slowly, ever so slowly, he nodded his head in acceptance.

Holy shit, I had my starter.

I couldn't help it. I started laughing, a loud cackle that startled Pidgey. Without warning I brought him into a big hug, happily ignoring his squawks of protest and his struggle to get out from my arms.

Upon releasing him, his glare was returned, though resigned as well. He preened at his now ruffled feathers, trying to get them back in order.

Randomly, a thought came to mind. "Oh! Hey, Pidgey. Do you want a nickname?" I hadn't really put much thought into it, but I do like the idea of giving my Pokémon nicknames. Something that further signifies them as mine.

He was still giving me the stink eye, but wave his wing at me, somehow conveying a willingness to listen to my suggestion.

"I'd like to name you Winter."

He cocked his head to the side in contemplation, before suddenly jerking it at me. I took that to mean he wanted me to continue my train of thought. "Where I'm from, there is a saying called Winter is Coming." Or at least, where my name comes from. "It means that the inevitable will always happen. Just as the seasons will always come, the best we can do is prepare for what they bring. You will be that inevitable thing, something that can't be stopped, a Pokémon that can only be prepared for."

His eyes crinkled, and he nodded his assent.

Look out world!

Winter is coming.

Winter/Pidgey – Male

Moves: Tackle, Gust, Sand Attack

Ability: Keen Eye

Jon Snow – Male

Date: Jan 23

Bades: N/A

Pokémon: Pidgey

Currency: N/A

3

It was a cloudy day today. The sun was quickly beginning to darken as the echo of thunder and the pitter patter of rainfall made way towards the island. People were bustling about, trying to finish what work they could outside before the storm hit us fully.

As for me?

Well, I wasn't going inside. Not for a little while longer, at least.

Instead, I was sat on a lawn chair underneath a veranda in the back yard of the Pokémon Center, sipping on some refreshing ice tea. It was a relatively large space, or at least it was when compared to what I was used to in my old apartment. There was about a half acres worth of patchy green grass, with a few rows of berry trees sat on either side of the fence lines. Just behind those trees, I could see Winter in the middle of running his laps with a strap of weights tied over his chest and back. Yes, you heard that right.

A bird was running laps.

Strange, right?

Well, it was and it wasn't. See, when a Pokémon evolves it not only gains a different look, but also an overall boost in its base capabilities; its stats, if you will. So, following that line of thought, since I want to fly on Winter's back, increasing his strength and stamina as a lowly Pidgey would give him a greater edge as a Pidgeotto, and following that same line of thought at that point, I was hopeful that he would become an impressive Pidgeot.

He had only been captured by me two days ago, but after explaining my line of thought to him, he was right on board. Winter wanted to get stronger just as much as I wanted him to.

However, the willingness to do what was asked and the capability to perform certain tasks were two very different things. Pidgey's as a species rarely used their legs when compared to their wings, but straining the wings of a Pidgey in any format could be detrimental to their eventual growth, even one that was already as large as Winter.

So, instead of having him fly laps, I opted to have him run them, which would hopefully distribute some lower body strength and increase his general stamina. Naturally, as a Pokémon with wings, he was quite cross with me. But he'd agreed to do the work, and if there was one thing that I learned about Winter in our recent partnership, it was that he was a stubborn thing with more pride than sense.

"You should really stop this, Jon." Nurse Joy said from my side, a disappointed look on her face. Her disappointment didn't stop her from sitting down on another lawn chair, a similar glass of iced tea in her hand. Chansey was manning the front while we were back here. "Training Pi-Winter is one thing, but this might as well be torture."

Torture?! This was nothing of the sort! Sure, Pidgey's had stubby little legs, and sure, Winter only weighed about twelve pounds and was carrying five extra pounds of weights on him, almost half his body weight, but that wasn't torture!

Torture would have been shucking him with the twenty pound weights I pilfered from the lost and found. Torture would have involved telling him that he wasn't allowed to stop until he'd finished his laps. Torture would mean that I'd work him to the point of blacking out, only to abuse the Pokémon Center and heal him up just in time for another workout.

No, this was not torture. This was conditioning; training. Sure, it wasn't the type of training Nurse Joy was accustomed to, but she's not a Pokémon Trainer and the only training Chansey did was minimal at best.

But, I suppose we could end the session early. Running in the rain was miserable enough when I was in gym class, I can't imagine how bad it would be for Winter, who was almost three times smaller than I was at that point, especially with those little chicken legs.

"Oi! Winter!" I yelled, causing his head to swivel towards me. "Come on back inside, there's no point in doing this when it's about to rain!"

There was no complaint in his movement. Instead of running, he flew, or he tried. He didn't have the leg strength to push himself into the air, not with his weights. With a huff, he hobbled back over to me, and jerked his head towards the gear attached to his body.

I couldn't help but snicker at the action. But, I did as he wanted. I lifted him to my lap, undid the straps, and removed it from him.

He stretched his body, almost moaning in delight now that his burden was lifted. He then flew inside the Center, intent on getting some grub.

I followed him inside when the sun was fully covered by the overhead storm five minutes later.

Hah!

Nurse Joy had been annoying lately, calling what I did with Winter torturous and barbaric, but HAH!

She can't say it didn't work, not when only three weeks later I now had a Pidgeotto to show off!

Oh, Nurse Joy was surprised, and more than a little put out. She was right there, berating me for my "torture" when Winter started glowing brightly all over and changed. Not much changed, save for the crest of pinkish-red feathers that grew over his scalp, along with a tail plume of red and yellow feathers with ragged tips. Well, that and he grew larger.

And boy, when I say he grew? He got big. The average Pidgeotto stood at just around three feet tall, but Winter was just over five with a wingspan of fourteen feet. Dude was already taller than I was. Somehow, someway, as a Pidgeotto he was large enough to ride. Nurse Joy said that he was actually on the small side for a Pokémon from Fairchild Island, since most of their Pidgeotto were at six and a half feet tall.

When I have a full party, I think I'll take a week to investigate just what makes the Pokémon of Fairchild so damn massive. I'm thinking the berries over there have some growth hormones or something.

That, or they might have an overabundance of food and only a few predators. That could be a factor.

Well, whatever. That's a thought for a later date.

Winter was now large enough to ride, but not strong enough. He didn't have the ability to carry my ninety-something pounds of awesome. But that didn't really matter to me, not right now. Flight would be have been amazing to have to quickly, but I gained something more valuable; I had his devotion.

He had taken to my instructions without much fuss as Pidgey, thinking that he might get something out of this, but now that he evolved? Oh, it was glorious. The moment I released him from his Poké Ball, he looked to me for guidance. He didn't just listen, he obeyed. My gamble gave me the full trust and support of my starter, which was worth more than anybody could ever state.

And now that he was a Pidgeotto, I felt like I needed to do more with him. I won't deny it, I really don't have a damn clue how to be a trainer. I just know what I know from the games and show, and I'm improvising from there.

But I didn't need to suffer. I had access to computers and the internet – I absolutely refused to insult the world-wide-web by calling it the Pokénet – and just as before it held the world at my fingertips. And I was motivated, oh was I motivated.

So I researched. I fervently looked up training guides, studied the biologies of both the current form Winter took, as well as the later one he would hold as a Pidgeot. And, more than that, I started researching the locations of and habits other Pokémon that were Flying types or Pokémon that would later evolve into Flying types. Shamouti only had Spearow and Caterpie following that train of thought, and I don't really want to capture them. Pidgeot is better than Fearow in all regards in my mind, and the lifespan of a Butterfree is so small that it's not viable for long term competition.

But the rest of the Orange Islands had options. There were some pretty good Pokémon here; though, considering I was the neighbor of the legendary birds, that should have been obvious. And I was even able to look through the catalogs of Kanto and Johto.

I couldn't find any details on places to capture most of the Pokémon I researched, aside from general routes and a few detailed comments, but I did jog my memory to a location from the show. Upon typing that information in, I felt a grin grow.

The Charicific Valley.

Home to the Charmander line, my bread and butter. Home to some of the most powerful wild Pokémon in the whole of Johto. A place where only the dedicated could visit.

Well, no. Not dedicated. Honestly, the caretaker of the valley, a nineteen year old woman named Liza, had her email up on a social media page, so all I had to do was shoot her a message and hope for the best. It wasn't like I could just use anime luck, I'm no Ash. I had to do things the right way, contacting people way in advance.

I worded the message carefully. Mentioning that I was very interested in the Charmander line, but wasn't lucky enough to live near Professor Oak. I tacked on my orphan status as subtly as I could, and basically asked if I could foster with her for a bit.

The fostering system in the world of Pokémon was essentially a pseudo-apprenticeship. They would bring you under their roof, show you the basic skills to emulate their work, then it would be up to you to use that information wisely. In this case, if Liza took me on, I would be following her around, trying my damnedest to learn everything I could about the Pokémon she looked after. Then, if I did a good job and was lucky, I might be able to get my hands on a Charmander or an egg containing one.

To be blunt, if I was to go anywhere as a Flying type trainer, I needed to get my hands on a Charizard. As far as I'm aware, they're the only Pokémon with a Fire and Flying type combination that wasn't Moltres or Ho-oh. I wasn't going to be getting my hands on one of those two any time soon, regardless of the fact that there is a Moltres that lives right in front of me, so Charizard it was.

…I also just wanted a dargon. No, I did not misspell that; I said dargon and I meant dargon.

Message sent, I then started to look up how to teach Winter some new moves. I got a whole lot of nothing for this one, since all I could find was that there was no right or wrong way to do it, it just had to be done. Useful stuff.

You can tell that message boards aren't the best information outlets from that. People are stingy and don't want to share what they know, I get it, and the database for Pokémon training tips that was created by the League's required having a Trainer ID, which I did not.

I'll just figure it out as I go.

The Butterfree in front of us summoned up a stream of Silver Wind from its wings, blasting them at Winter. He was agile though, and weaved around the attack, his wings turning a metallic sheen as he did so, twirling his way through the Silver Wind until he was within the Bug type's range, and slapped his wing into its face. Butterfree cried out in surprise, for Winter was quick in his movements and his counter was unexpected. Butterfree began to stagger and soon fell to the ground, eyes swirling. He was done.

Winter let out a screech of victory, puffing out his chest and preening his feathers. Y'know how a Pokémon might gain a new personality trait when evolving? Well, Winter was now afflicted with vanity, constantly adjusting his feathers after a battle in an attempt to look as immaculate as he could.

He was a pretty bird though, and if you've got it you should flaunt it. No complaints from me. He could have been way worse, like Ash's Charizard.

Our next challenger dropped down from a tree branch, a Pikachu with sparking red cheeks and a wicked grin. Sedately, the rodent made his way inside the little circle I made with a stick, an admittedly poorly drawn battlefield that still got the job done.

This little shit of a mouse had been a pain for us, having been our first loss; the first of many. He was quick and vicious, and his typing was the worst for us. But that was just what we needed, a challenge. Every time Winter lost, he would get better. Every time Winter won, he would get more confident. Battling was legitimately the perfect way to get better.

It's been a month since Winter evolved, and we were now comfortable making trips to the forest. The local Pokémon were kind enough to warn us which area was the territory of the Spearow, so we knew which area not to go in, at least for now.

These forest dwelling Pokémon though, they were interesting. Most of them hated battling due to their peaceful natures but would still train with us when asked. They were fearful of the Spearow, and wanted every advantage they could get. The fact that I had no Poké Balls and really didn't want to capture them made them willing to train with us, and after knocking them out Winter would carry them over to the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy appreciated the work, and the Pokémon appreciated the free health care.

So, yes. I had a decent resource of experience for Winter, which was helping him at a steadily growing rate. We battled constantly, and through these battles we were able to learn some new tricks.

Steel Wing was one such trick, and damn did it confuse me. Winter figured out that move all on his own. Actually, he figured out most of his new moves on his own, with only a little bit of input from me.

With stronger wings, he was able to upgrade his Gust attack into a Whirlwind, and then was able to use Wing Attack, which he deviated into the Steel Wing I was speaking of before. With a more agile body, he was able to learn Quick Attack and Double Team, and through meditation gained the insight needed to use Agility.

Honestly, the amount of noticeable progress he made was staggering. Nurse Joy said that Pidgeotto's had a tendency to learn quickly due to how limited they were as Pidgey, but even she was surprised by Winters new move set.

"CHU-PI!" Pikachu shouted, golden shockwaves of electricity bounding out from its body, arcing towards Winter.

"Double Team!"

Winter let out a caw and took off, afterimages of himself following his trail. The shockwave pierced through one of the copies, making it disappear into nothingness. He swooped down then, beak open where a sphere of green energy started to form.

Unfortunately, the energy blew up in Winters face, causing him to startle about, which gave the Pikachu enough time to fire off another round of electricity, which hit Winter dead on. He struggled heavily, but was able to stay in the air. Then Pikachu fired another shockwave. When it hit, Winter fell to the ground now, flailing. Upon hitting the ground, his eyes started swirling. He was knocked out.

With a sigh, I unclipped his Poké Ball and returned him before he hit the ground. Pikachu let out a chittering cheer that was echoed by some of the other Pikachu and Pichu that were scattered around the clearing.

This was the one move I'd been trying to get Winter to learn; Twister, a Dragon type attack that the Pidgey line could naturally learn. It was tricky as shit, and Winter struggled with the move. But when he learned it, I would finally have a counter for his most glaring weakness; Winter has no long-range attacks. Gust was a mid-range attack, and Whirlwind didn't even deal damage. Short of buying a TM, which turned out to be real, Twister was our best bet. For now.

"Since Winter is knocked out, I'll carry those of you that need it to the Pokémon Center." It was a part of our deal, and while annoying at times. Still, the benefits outweighed the cons, by a noticeable margin.

The Pikachu scrambled up onto my left shoulder, and the Butterfree glided into my arms. Another Butterfree joined that one, and a Raticate climbed up my back like a koala, chewing on my hair.

Well, this was uncomfortable.

.

The next week passed following a similar pattern.

Winter still couldn't figure out how to use Twister, but he was showing signs of growth once more and his plumage was darkening in color. I knew what this meant, he was close to evolving, which was legitimately insane.

He's been a Pidgeotto for just over five weeks, and was already showing signs of evolution? It normally took them a lot longer to evolve, even when owned by another trainer.

But that just proves that I was doing something right. Battling the forest Pokémon every day, then having him train with progressively heavier weights had shown its worth.

I think he only needs a little bit more experience, just one last push, and he'd be there. A Pidgeot. My ticket to discovering this new world I'd been saddled in.

Time really has flown. I've been here for exactly eleven weeks, just under three months. Luckily, these people kept with the same calendar that I did on Earth. I came here on my birthday, December 26th, and it was now March 19th.

Regardless, Winter and I were ready. After eating a late lunch with Nurse Joy and Chansey, we made our way into the forest once more, only this time, we weren't going to the clearing for training. This time, we went deeper. Towards the western area, where we hadn't gone in a long while.

I hadn't memorized this place, but Winter knew the forest pretty well. He led me through the trees, past bushels and the concerned gazes our sparring partners were shooting us. Even that trigger-happy Pikachu was looking a mite bit worried. Aw, love you too pal.

My Pidgeotto let out a low warble, and I looked around. Based on the layout, I knew this clearing. It's hard to forget the place you almost died in; again.

…I've got an aggravating feeling in my gut that these near-death experiences are going to become more common than I'd like.

But yes, we were here: the nest of the Spearow flock.

We were here.

And we were severely outnumbered.

The trees were home to only a few leaves on their branches, and instead held up a lot of small little nests made of sticks and tan plant stalks. Inside said nests were what looked to be over fifty pairs of beady, flaring eyes that tracked us. These eyes were all the same, all being Spearow.

"Oh, shit."

What can I say? It felt like an appropriate moment to cuss.

One of the Spearow wasted no time. It dove from its nest, right at us. Winter, in response, smacked it down hard with a Steel Wing, sending the tinier bird directly into the trunk of a tree hard enough to shake the wood, which knocked over three more nests, each nest housing two Spearow.

The six of the now grounded Spearows growled at us, glaringly angry due to the loss of their homes, and charged. Winter screeched, his wings still imbued with Steel type energy, and twirled his body around, smacking the lot of them away, suffering only a couple Peck attacks to the side.

That's when they started playing really cheap.

There was no warning; it happened in an instant. All of the left over Spearow dove down. Winter batted a good few away using his spinning Steel Wing trick, but was forced to stop after a little while. When he stopped, the Spearow flock barreled into him, forcing him to the ground, thrashing all the while.

This wasn't like when he was a Pidgey and there were only three enemies. There were so many Spearow on top of Winter that I couldn't make out his form, I couldn't even return him to his Poké Ball! It was a dogpile of the worst kind.

Winter was screeching in pain, trying and failing to throw them away. I was genuinely worried at this point. Did I just send my starter to his death?

My worry was quick to wash away. From beneath the pile of Spearow, a brilliant white light erupted, blinding everybody in the vicinity, forcing me to hold my hand in front of my face, eyes squinting.

Winter was evolving. He grew even larger, his feathers lengthening and body broadening. The Spearows were forced to fly away, watching the spectacle before them with a mix of awe and contempt.

The light died down, and I got a good look at my partner. Winter now stood at just around nine feet tall, with larger wings, sharper talons and a short, hooked beak. His head crest was now as long as his body, flapping gently in the wind. And his eyes, once black and beady, were now… well, they were still black, but they weren't beady anymore! Now, they were large, expressive, and really mad.

Winter sucked in his breath, and with a scream a green tornado of energy spilled from his beak, demolishing not only the Spearow surrounding us, but much of the area. Trees were felled, and dust filled the air. I had to actually get out of the way when one of the trees tried to flatten me into a piece of paper. Winter let out a screech of victory, a warbling sound that echoed all throughout the forest.

As the dust settled, I wiped myself down. Winter glided towards me, calm as you could be. But his eyes were bright and if he had the ability I'm sure he'd be grinning from ear to ear. He nuzzled his head into me, preening my hair with his beak and started to coo.

Then, he dropped down, baring his neck towards me and motioned for me to mount him. I did so, doing my best to adjust myself; I held his head crest with an iron grip. Interestingly enough, I discovered that a unique tidbit about Pidgeot's is that their crests, the long trail of feathers on their scalp, are impossible to rip off. People that fly via the Pidgeot express use them as a safety rope and steer their Pokémon with it.

Winter moved around a little bit, accustoming himself to my weight genially, before taking off with only a few flaps of his wings.

As we took off, I felt the fear take hold. I was reminded of my fall, the thing that brought me here in the first place. We went higher and higher, and I grew more and more nervous. I closed my eyes tightly, fearing the worst.

The pressure of ascending lulled then, and only a gentle breeze touched me. Slowly, I opened my eyes, elation growing from within.

I'd never seen the top-down view of Shamouti. Not in the movie and certainly not anywhere else. But now that I was here, I could truly see the beauty in this place.

Shamouti Isle was an almost circular island, with an inlet to the ocean shaped like a crescent moon. The town was built all along that inlets beaches, and directly to the west of the town was the forest we just escaped. I'd never seen anything else though, so color me surprised when there were other things to see.

North of the town was a decently sized lake with crystal blue water that was larger than the towns border. Beyond that, a small mountainous range of hills outlined the island, creating a domelike structure. I had always known that there were hills, but I hadn't known that they were this big.

And then, I looked out. I looked past the island and took everything in. The great wide sky, the blue-green water, and the trio of islands off its northern-most bank.

There has never been a time where I well and truly meant this, but this was beautiful.

And it was all mine.

Hehehe…

…Hahaha…

…

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAH-ghack?!"

Ew. I think I just swallowed one of Winters feathers.

Winter/Pidgeot – Male

Moves: Tackle, Gust, Sand Attack, Agility, Double Team, Whirlwind, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Twister, Fly

Ability: Keen Eye

Jon Snow – Male

Date: Mar 19

Badges: N/A

Pokémon: Pidgeot

Currency: N/A