4-5

We returned to town with a flourish. Winter was screeching his joy above whilst I was hollering from his back, the townsfolk gawking at us. I admit, we were being obnoxious. That didn't bother me all that much, to be honest. We were too excited.

I was excited because I was free. True, I didn't mind my time on Shamouti, but I've essentially been pocketed away in the Pokémon Center grounds for the past two months. Now though, with Winter, I was able to see everything. Winter was basically excited for the same reasons, though he was also quite happy to have been able to grow so quickly. It was a sign, in both of our minds, that he was a strong boi.

He landed in the back yard of the Center, his wings gusting some things to the ground by pure accident. Joy raced outside, Chansey hot on her tail. Upon seeing us, her jaw legitimately dropped, her eyes bulging outwards.

Let it be said that the rate of Winters growth was indeed very unusual, and her reaction is understandable. It was one thing for him to have evolved into a Pidgeotto, he could have been an experienced Pidgey that was nearing his first evolution when I first caught him, and that was that. But for him to be a Pidgeot now? Well, not to toot any horns, but I'm probably a record holder. I'll look it up later, just to be sure.

"Well, congratulations you two." Joy said, having come out of her stupor. Chansey cheered from her side, holding her egg like a pompom.

I hopped off Winters back and, with a rub under his beak, returned him. I handed Joy his Poké Ball, which she took with a knowing smile. That bird was about to get some healing, and a feast to boot.

We all returned inside. While Joy and Chansey went to the back, I made my way to one of the lobby computers. I logged on to the interwebs and browsed, spending a good thirty or so looking for the world record of Pidgeot evolution (I learned that such a thing didn't exist) before deciding to check my email, and wouldn't you know it, this day has even more good news!

I had a message from Liza.

TO: Jon Snow

Hi, Jon. Sorry for the late response, I only just found your message. I was busy with some of the Valley's inhabitants and didn't really get the chance to check my computer.

In response to your inquiry, I'd be happy to take you on. I won't say for certain whether or not there will be a Charmander or an egg in it for you, but anything is possible. That primarily has to do with how well the Charizard like you, not me.

It should be noted, however, that I will not be able to host you at the moment. We're still in the middle of winter, and since the Valley is located inside of a mountain range, the weather is quite chaotic over here. The Charizard and their younglings are currently hibernating, and they have to remain undisturbed. Their line is easily distracted by new faces and have bad a tendency to be violent when awakened from their sleep, so until they finish their hibernation period you won't be able to come.

Please send me a date as to when you can come, and I will make sure to have a room ready for you. If possible, please give me at least two week's worth of notice before doing so.

Regards,

FROM: Liza Hawsen

…Oooohoohoohoohoo.

This is something I can work with.

"Huh, lucky break." An old, weathered voice sounded from just behind me. "The Charicific Valley is pretty famous, even down here. Good job, young man!"

I startled and twisted the chair around, only to catch sight of Tobias. He was sporting a green Hawaiian shirt this time, with a pair of board shorts. Casually, he was fluffing the left side of his mustache-sideburn combo with one hand, while the other was holding his shaved chin. Seriously, his facial hair was so weird.

And he was being very obvious in his reading over my shoulder.

"…Can I help you?" I asked, silently minimizing my email. He pouted. I mean, I wanted to ask a lot more. I wanted to know what he was doing and why the fuck he was reading my personal messages, but I'm a little too shocked right now. Completely left field, y'know?

"Why yes! Yes, you can," he boomed, grinning broadly.

I waited. He too waited. We were just staring at each other, and when five minutes passed, I couldn't handle the awkward any more.

"What can I help you with?" I sighed.

He beamed at me. Legit, his smile was this megawatt thing, bright and shiny and pearly and all the adjectives that involved white teeth. I think they were sparkling.

Creepy.

"On Shamouti," he began. "We have a tradition. Once a year, around the end of April, we host a festival in the center of town. The festival is based around a mythical figure known simply as the Chosen One. Only a person who owns a Pokémon, preferably a trainer, is allowed to become a Chosen One. The Chosen One is selected by the year; there are no repetitions. The Chosen One sets out to the islands of Ice, Fire and Lightning along with their Pokémon to retrieve three orbs, each denoting the islands element, bringing them to our temple so that the Beast of the Sea may continue to protect us."

Well. My interest has been piqued.

"Normally we just have a local trainer take on the role, but then I caught sight of your Pidgeot this morning and realized that that wasn't necessary. Plus, it's been a while since we had one of our own islanders take the role. There's a certain type of pride with having a Shamouti native take the lead role in the festival of Shamouti."

He paused for a second, furrowing his brow. "You are an islander here, right?"

"Technically no." I admitted, frowning. "I haven't filled out a form or anything to make this place my home."

"Bah!" Tobias scoffed, waving his hand lackadaisically. "You don't need to do any of that nonsense. Do you want to live here or do you not?"

"I do." Of course, I wanted to live here! There was so much open space on Shamouti where nobody would bother me once I gained more Pokémon, and there were three legendaries just off the coast. This place was perfect!

"Great, then as mayor of Shamouti I allow you to claim membership as an islander of Shamouti. There, it's done."

What?

"You're the mayor?" And since when did mayors have power over immigration policies?!

I don't even have any papers, man.

…Not that I'm complaining about being streamlined through the system, mind you. I'm just hella confused.

"Indeed, I am!" He boasted, clapping his chest. "Tobias Brinks, mayor of Shamouti and head of courier services." He held out his other hand, waiting for a shake.

Slowly, I did so. "Jon Snow, citizen of Shamouti and future Pokémon trainer."

"Welcome Jon! So, want to be the Chosen One this year?"

Did he even need to ask?

.

The festival was to begin on the 29th of April this time around, so I had time to kill.

And I decided to kill that time in the most effective way I could.

Stood in front of a two-story building, built with an effective set of brick walls and an entirely ineffective roof of thatch and hay, I politely rang the doorbell. The sound it produced was… Well, it sounded like an old-fashioned car horn, those obnoxious ones that went AWOOOOGA.

It was actually kinda funny.

The door unlatched from the back, and it opened. It was a woman that opened the door, a very cute one at that. She had a curly mop of brown hair that jutted all throughout, bright green eyes and an easy smile; bangles hung from her ears. Dressed in a simple white blouse and a pair of jean shorts, she looked perfectly at home.

Probably because this was her home.

"Can I help you?" She asked with a kind smile.

"I'd like to talk to Mayor Brinks."

She quirked a brow but didn't say anything else. She just opened the door and allowed me to enter. It was a quaint space; a combination of a home and an office. It had a lived-in sort of appeal, decorated by coffee tables and chairs and couches, with family pictures and business portraits scattered along the blue trimmed walls.

"Hey gramps!" The woman called, banging on a door to the back. "You've got a guest!"

"Send 'em in, Carol!" came Tobias's jolly voice.

She did so, and I entered Tobias's office. It was strange that the mayor of the town kept to his own home, but I suppose it wasn't a huge issue. Shamouti had a population of only a little over five thousand inhabitants, and most of them are pretty relaxed. Actually, that probably was why Tobias kept his office at home in the first place, since he could relax there.

Huh.

The room wasn't anything special. A wooden desk sat in the middle, with a large computer screen on its top and a pair of comfortable chairs at its front, windows to the side allowing natural light to flow in. Tobias was sitting there, looking at me with a knit brow that reminded me of Carol quite easily. There were some facial features that they shared, now that I noticed. Both had wide cheeks, and their ears were the same.

"Jon? What are you doing here, my boy? We talked only three hours ago."

True. He left the Pokémon Center after I accepted the role as Chosen One and that was that. An hour after that, Nurse Joy gave me Winters Poké Ball and proclaimed him to be in perfect health, and that he now had a full belly. She informed me of some dietary changes I would need to take note of, as well as grooming habits to be on top of, but that was it. I had just been relaxing. She also returned the Poké Ball and Great Ball she'd taken from me, citing that with Winter's final evolution, I'd proven to be a good trainer and deserving of the chance to catch more teammates.

So why was I here?

"I'm broke."

"And that has to do with me… how?"

I shuffled my way into one of the chairs in front of his desk. "You're the head of courier services. My Pidgeot wants to fly, I want to fly, but we don't have any place in mind. So, I thought- y'know… maybe you could pay me to deliver some things throughout the archipelago? Kill two birds with one stone."

He was silent. In fact, the room itself was silent.

Then, like a bulldozer, a strong stomping sound echoed from the other side of the office door. It was slammed open, and a harried and hopeful looking Carol made her way in, plopping down in the chair next to mine.

"You're doing it." She said, staring at Tobias.

"Now Carol, he's a minor and-"

"I've been doing that job since I was eight years old." Carol growled, a tirade starting to form. Oh boy. "You saddled me onto your damned Fearow before I could say no, and for the past eleven years I've been doing that job off and on at the most random times. Fearow barely tolerates me; last time we did a delivery he legitimately left me before I could return him to his Poké Ball. I had to hire a boat to take me back home! And the wages! I'm nineteen now, grampa. I want to move out of this house soon, and I can't do that if I have such a random schedule and confusing income. I've already been offered a job with the fishers' guild, but I can't take it because Melody hates Fearow more than Fearow hates her, and we don't have a replacement. So, you're going to hire him, you're going to be happy about it, and all will be well."

I have a philosophy I like to live by. When an opportunity slaps you in the face, you grab it by the wrist and make it your bitch.

This is one such event that begets this type of treatment.

"I'm nine, so since there's precedence of somebody younger, there shouldn't be a problem with my being a minor." I said, Carol nodding beside me. Tobias was sinking into his chair, eyes wide and chin wobbling. It was funny. "And Winter is my starter, we've got that bond. He'll listen to me, he won't treat me like your Fearow apparently treats Carol here. Plus, he really just wants to fly everywhere. He won't have any issue with traveling."

"Fearow's been getting on in the years, gramps." Carol continued. We were on a roll. I looked down and saw that she had her fist propped beneath the desk, pointing at me. I bumped it. "Pretty soon we're gonna have to either release him into the forest until he passes on or put him down medically. Fearow already spends most of his time in the forest, so there wouldn't be an issue. I know you don't want to think about it, I don't like it either, but you know it's going to happen sooner or later. If you hired-"

She paused and then whispered in my ear, "Your name's Jon, right?"

I nodded.

"If you hired Jon, he could relax." She said. It was impressive how easily she could ignore the detail of my name until it mattered. "He'd have a longer life, and you could spend your time with him in a better environment."

"And then-"

"Stop!" Tobias groaned. "Just, just stop. I get it."

Wearily, he began typing on his computer. A minute later, the sound of a printer began to buzz from beneath his side of the desk. He grabbed the document and gave it to me. I took the warm paper and began to read.

"I know how I said you didn't need to fill out any forms, but since you're wanting a job then you're going to have to deal with it. These forms require your personal signature, here at the top and there at the bottom, with your initials on that line in the middle." He said, pointing at the lines with a thick finger.

Carol held a pen up to my face, my eyes going cross as I looked at the device. I took it from her and read what was before me.

Basically, this form was the bare bones equivalent of a work visa, back in the states. Those took a lot more paper work to fill out, and required a lot of background information, but this was the best thing I could compare it to. The form stated that I would be accepting temporary work that would have me trudge through various weather conditions, with the occasional long distances and possible medical issues depending on my mode of travel.

The pay was determined based on how frequently I traveled, how far I traveled, and my quickness in delivering messages and supplies.

That last part caught my attention, and I looked at Carol.

"What did you mean the pay is bad?"

She exhaled loudly. "It's not that the pay is bad, per se. It's that Fearow hates me and I can't ever trust him to take me very far. He wouldn't go fast and because he hated me, I couldn't use him too often. Essentially, I could only get paid when he was in the mood, and he had a habit of changing his mood mid-delivery."

Ah.

Well, Winter isn't going to have that issue, or at least not with me. True, his personality might have shifted again with his quicker evolution, but even with that, I still hold his loyalty. He was grudgingly accepting of me as a Pidgey, a determined soldier as a Pidgeotto, and now that he was a Pidgeot- well, I don't know for a fact, but my gut is telling me that he's not going to have a problem with this arrangement.

So, with a flourish, I signed my name. Fun fact, the flourish was unnecessary. I've got some pretty nasty chicken scratch.

Tobias collected the form and signed it himself. With that, I now had employment.

It seemed too easy. I felt as if it was going to be taken away from me, that something was going to happen.

Then I remembered that it didn't matter. I was gonna be heading to the Charicific Valley soon. This job? It was the equivalent of a high schooler getting a summer gig between grades, a way to make money that's supposed to last for a little while.

This wasn't a career. It was a stop-gap.

Carol grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me out to her back yard. It was a very open space, connected to the forest.

"How soon do you want to work?" She asked, hand still on my wrist as she dragged me towards the forest.

"I can start today, if it works." I kept my other hand in my pocket, my fingers resting on Winters Poké Ball. Even though I doubted I would have anything to fear with Carol, I had been in this forest earlier today, and knew that it wasn't happy with me.

"Perfect!" She panted, eyes glazed. "Just give me a sec then."

She pulled a cord from her neck upwards, its staple being a whistle that was cleverly concealed within the confined clasp of her cleavage. Oooh, that was a good one; almost a tongue twister.

Carol took a deep breath and blew into the whistle, its frequency echoing through the trees. Multiple Pokémon cried out in response, the most numerous of them being Spearow.

"So, gramps didn't really explain in detail what you're supposed to do." Carol began, taking a seat on the grass, beckoning me to join her. I did so. "Couriers deliver confidential information to important individuals and bring test items to production facilities. Say gramps needed to send some budgeting information on Shamouti's main imports, which are lumber, berries and Seel meat, to another island's leader. Even though most other regions send that information digitally, the Archipelago is pretty old fashioned, so we hand deliver that type of stuff. Same with notices of important events that affect other islands. But you won't need to worry about that too much."

A loud, warbling hissing sort of sound echoed. It approached, quick and precise, and then there was a shadow above. I looked up. It was larger than I'd last seen it, though the last time I saw it I was running away from it. Probably about six feet tall, now that I had a closer look. Its brown feathers, mottled with the grey of age, billowed about the clearing as it landed in front of us, its beak spinning like a drill as its beady eyes glared down.

It was glaring right at me.

"RO!" The Fearow sounded, stamping its talons.

"Fearow, no." Carol sternly denounced, moving so that she was in front of me. The Fearow hissed at her, thrashing in place. "Fearow, I called you for a reason. This wasn't the reason."

It let out another hiss, craning its head downwards so that it was eye level to her. It puffed out a breath from the nose holes on its beak, hot enough that I could feel it from behind.

I was gripping Winters Poké Ball hard, treating it like a lifeline. The sphere might as well have been, now that I thought about it.

Carol took Fearow's descent as permission to continue. "This kid back here is gonna be taking over for me. He's got his own Pokémon to ride, so you can retire."

That statement was what sealed the deal. Fearow calmed in an instant, taking the time to adjust his positioning so that he was perched, rather than looming. He cocked his head to the side, confusion and interest making up his body language.

"I need your held item." She then reached up and gripped a metal collar I hadn't noticed. What? It looked like it wanted to eat me, I wasn't going to be looking for other things. The thing fell to the ground with a clang and Fearow screeched loudly, before volleying away and returning to the forest without a by-your-leave.

I just stared.

"Well that went well!" Carol cheered, turning about face. "Now bring out your Pidgeot. I've got to make sure this works."

I was still staring, but I did finally remove Winters ball from my pocket and released the avian. Winter loudly let Carol know his name, then shot into the air, circling around for a minute or so before landing before us.

"Now do me a favor and put this collar on the Pidgeot." She handed me the device, and I looked it over. It was metal, that much was obvious, though also looked foreign. The metal was brown, like leather, and instead of thick, it was long. The best way I could describe it was it looked like a wide but thin canister that didn't have a bottom.

It did have a snap though, so I was able to take it apart and put it back together on Winters neck. My starter was noticeably confused, though silently bore my attention without a fuss. Well, he did fuss, but it was in a more annoying sort of way. He would preen my hair with his beak, which let me tell you, is not a gentle experience.

But my dues were done. The collar was now on Winters neck, and I admit, it looked pretty snazzy.

Carol handed me a small device, a remote with two buttons that was half the size of my palm. Its buttons were basic, just a [+] and a [-] on its right and left sides respectively.

"Go ahead and hit the plus."

I did and watched as the collar billowed out a cloth of some kind, wrapping its way around Winters back and torso, coursing between his wings. He was noticeably startled and jumped about in a panic at the surprising new layer.

"That is a Rider's Seat," Carol said, motioning for Winter to calm down. "It's used so Pokémon that can carry passengers can do so for a long while. Go ahead and get on his back, you'll understand."

Warily, I took her advice. Winter slowly allowed me to mount him, and the cloth that was surrounding him then morphed around me, turning into a seatbelt and a seat at the same time. Hell, there was a cup holder between my legs!

I turned to Carol in obvious shock. "How the hell did you get this thing?"

"Sylph Co. made it a few years ago. I tricked gramps into getting it for me, since Fearow was so difficult. But I couldn't get him to give it to me, so it's listed as being part of the job package now."

Sylph Co. They were the ultimate innovators of the Pokéverse. Think of it in terms of Marvel, these guys were Stark Enterprises mixed with every other multi-billion-dollar company, without a lick of competition. Sylph Co. owned everything. They created the current day Poké Ball, a lot of the medical machinery found in all Pokémon Centers, almost every single Porygon that had ever been made was created through their servers and-… and it was a wonder in and of itself that they weren't corrupt.

I just thanked my stars that I had such a useful item now, and that I was going to absolutely steal it when I had the chance. That or buy it, since I could probably get a discount from Tobias as opposed to the full price that Sylph demanded.

"Can we start work now?" I asked Carol, and she barked out a laugh, asking me to wait.

It wasn't me that she needed to ask.

Winter took that opportunity to take me up in the air. We were coasting around the island, taking a slow tour of what was available. We passed the mountain range of hills, where a host of Pokémon greeted us with cheers, the most interesting of which was a Hypno that calmly raised its charm in acknowledgement. Winter then moved to the lake, where a Seaking tried to bring us down, only to realize we were about fifty feet too high. It pouted at us, then dove and never returned.

Thus, with our tour complete, we returned to the Brinks family yard.

Carol was waiting for us, her foot tapping against the grass while her arms were crossed, a folder and an envelope held in her hand and a package at her side.

Upon landing she began to tie the package to Winter's torso, leaving enough slack for him to be able to grip its bindings with his talons.

"Alright, so here's the deal. That package? Take it to the Pokémon Center in Kumquat, it's chock full of berries. They like to test if our current batch is good before buying in bulk; the bulk will be delivered by boat since there's far too much for your Pidgeot to handle on his own, so don't worry about it. Nurse Joy will pay you up front for the delivery. The folder, however, needs to go to the Navel Island Gym. Danny, the Gym Leader, is its recipient. Don't worry about what's inside, just know that when you return you'll get paid. The envelope needs to go to the Moro Island museum, it's a hand-written invitation to join the festival; the curator will pay you in person. Gramps'll get an email from the three islands of them letting him know that they received their delivery's, so if you're slow, we'll know. But once you're finished up, you can take your time coming back. There's no rush once the job is done, so long as the job is actually done."

And with that, she handed me the documents and walked away.

Slowly, I tucked papers away, between my lap and the little seat belt the riders seat provided, and then thought.

I won't lie. I don't have a damn clue where either Navel Island or Moro Island is; I only have the general geography of the Archipelago memorized. Kinda like how I knew where the important things in America were, but wouldn't be able to tell you where to find South Dakota if asked.

I do, however, know where Kumquat Island is. I'm using the place as part of my back story, so it only makes sense to know where I'm supposed to be from. So, yes, I can find Kumquat, and Pokémon Centers have maps galore to peruse.

Yes… There we go. Plan is set. We'll head to Kumquat, deliver the supplies, then after studying a map, possibly buying a compass at a general store just to be safe, I'll make my way to Navel Island, then Moro Island. Or the other way around, if Moro is closer than Navel. Navel Island is the one that has the gym that has the bob sledding race, if memory serves… I don't remember what Pokémon he has. I… think, I remember a Nidoqueen.

But he might have some Flying Types or Pokémon that will become Flying Types upon evolving, and even if he didn't, there might be a tip or two he'd be willing to offer to a prospective trainer.

I was starting to imagine, and with my imagination, excitement sprung. I tugged at Winters scalp, and with one final screech he jumped into the air, the package below him barely even phasing him.

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

5

The flight was pleasant, and quicker than I expected.

Winter was good. He kept a sedate pace, but with the addition of the Rider's Seat, he didn't have to worry about going too fast. With that in mind, his sedate pace was still faster than I would go on a freeway pass in a corvette. And I had a lead foot.

So, not really as sedate as he thought it was.

It was interesting, noting what he considered fast when compared to what I considered fast. Pidgeot's were speed kings, naturally able to go at speeds of over 250 miles an hour, though such an excursion would leave them in need of rest. When trained, they could go into the 300's. They were like cheetah's, able to go fast, but not for very long. However, they could cruise for hours without issue if they paced themselves properly.

Fearow's, when compared to a Pidgeot, couldn't match their top speed. But they had an added advantage; a Fearow could fly at its top speed of 210 mph for almost an entire day. Where Pidgeots were speed kings, Fearows were stamina kings.

It made sense to think about how Tobias was able to deliver so easily with his Fearow. Sure, it might have been boring, but that bird could have travelled the whole of the Orange Archipelago, each island and each stopgap, in one sitting if it were so inclined. Almost makes me jealous.

Meh, almost. Winter is a badass, and due to his lineage as a former denizen of Fairchild Island, home to the pinnacle of his species, he's got the chance to break those natural records, into realms beyond the written word.

Ahem. Anywho.

The flight didn't take long. Kumquat Island was a little under ninety miles to the north of Shamouti, and with Winters speed, we made it there in just over forty minutes. It was a tropical island, same as Shamouti, though it was far more industrialized. There were sky scrapers and building crews abound, with an added uniqueness of Pokémon. No, really, they were everywhere, wild ones prowling the alleyways, baby ones in the arms of children, hell there was a Venusaur giving a small family a ride. Interesting and unique though it was, that wasn't what I was after; I wanted to find the Pokémon Center. The trick was actually finding said Pokémon Center. We had to circle the city multiple times, weaving through the various buildings that were readily available, before eventually finding the red roofed facility. It took longer to find the Pokémon Center than it did to reach the island.

Winter landed in the front veranda area, startling an older man holding a Pichu. I removed the seatbelt and hopped off, clicking the [-] on the remote. The Rider's Seat bulged with air and then promptly deflated, beginning the process of being sucked back into the base collar on Winters neck.

So cool.

Winter stayed outside, preening his feathers. The older man and his Pichu watched him curiously. I entered the building, noting that, for once, I wasn't its only customer. There were a few other people, two older girls carrying a pair of Oddish in their arms, and a kid that looked even younger than me, cheerfully pushing a Sandshrew to the ground, laughing as tucked itself into a ball and rolled around before returning to the kids' side, tail wagging happily.

I made my way to the counter, noting the Nurse Joy in front of me was very similar to my own. However, the Joy in Shamouti was noticeably younger, and had a lighter skin tone.

"Hello, welcome to the Pokémon Center," she said, bowing shortly. The Chansey at her side mimicked her action. "Are your Pokémon in need of healing?"

Shaking my head, I hitched my thumb over my shoulder. "I'm delivering a package from Tobias Brinks of Shamouti. Berries."

She nodded, smiling, and made her way to the front, Chansey following. Winter had moved from preening his belly to trying to preen his ruffled back feathers, showing minimal success. The older guy was gone now.

Joy walked up to Winter and placed a hand on his back, sedately removing feathers and patting down other ones. He trilled at her, nipping at a bun of pink hair happily. Winter liked the Shamouti Joy quite a lot and seemed to be similarly affectionate with her relative.

"A magnificent breed," she commented, giving him one final pat. She than bent down and untied the package, where Chansey then took the item inside the Center.

Joy dug through her front pouch and retrieved a handful of blue wads of paper, handing them to me. I counted them, noting that there were four bills with a 25 on them. A hundred bucks for only a little bit of work?

Hell yeah.

Though I could see where Carol was coming from. If this was the standard fare for what we were to get, then with the difficulty that Fearow gave on the regular added on, her complaints held merit. Luckily, none of that mattered to me.

"Is there anything else you need?"

I snapped my attention back towards her, idly stuffing the money into the front pouch of my tattered backpack. I'm sure I looked strange to Joy, what with my oversized clothes and ratty apparel. But then again, she probably saw all sorts of people, and she was professional enough not to speak about my shabbiness.

"Yeah, actually. Do you have a map? I need to head to Navel Island next." I pulled at my clothes, grimacing. "And, maybe- do you know where I can find a thrift store or something?"

It wasn't that I didn't like my clothes, it was that I didn't like having only one set of clothes.

In this world, it was standard for people to only have a few sets of clothes. This was because, with water being easily accessed with Water Types and electricity being just an angry mouse away, washing machines could be much more precise. They could and would wash and dry their clothes in only a couple minutes, so with that mindset, why buy more?

Sure, there were exceptions. People needed formal wear for certain occasions, and options begot interest, but trainers didn't have the funds for that most of the time, so they stuck to the one-and-done rule. All Pokémon Centers had these quick washing machines available for use, so it wasn't like they needed to go anywhere fancy.

Joy smiled at me and brought me back inside. This time, I returned Winter. She showed me the map of the Archipelago, telling me where I should depart. Navel Island was to the South-East of Kumquat, with Cleopatra Island just between them. Then, directly south of Navel Island were the Seven Grapefruit Islands, of which the western most island on that chain was located directly to the north of Moro Island.

The distance between Kumquat and Navel was almost four hundred miles, but Cleopatra Island, while deserted, was smack dab in the middle of the two, and Joy recommended I take a break over there. It depended on how Winter was feeling, but it was already nearing the late afternoon stage of the day, and I didn't want to risk night flying just yet. So, I agreed.

The distance between Navel and Moro was less than that of Kumquat and Navel, though still quite far. There was, based on what I could see, just over three hundred miles distance. The best way to deal with the distance was to probably just head to the Grapefruit chain of islands and play it by ear based on how Winter feels.

Joy then gave me directions to a thrift store that was built for travelling trainers, sat on the same block that the Kumquat Gym was hidden.

With thanks, I exited the Center and made my way towards the thrift store, noting the street signs that she wrote down as a guide. It took about ten minutes to find, and I was lucky enough to not have had many issues that a local couldn't answer when asked.

The thrift store was just as one would imagine, a run-down building. It at least made the attempt to not look as bad as it really did. I could tell that they tried but trying wasn't the same as succeeding.

There were racks of clothing, dressers of bags, slots filled with shoes and tables of knick-knacks. I trudged through what seemed to be a maze of randomness, before finally coming across an outfit I could work with. I now sported a slate grey hoodie with a thin, navy-blue long-sleeved shirt underneath. My sweat pants had been replaced by a pair of black joggers that fit me properly, whilst my shoes remained the same, though I did find some insoles to put in them. To finish my look up, I grabbed a white headband that now rested on my forehead, and a pair of tan, fingerless gloves.

The entirety of the outfit only cost me one of my four bills, so I had money left over.

Due to this, I browsed the knick-knack section. Most of it didn't really interest me, but five items managed to catch my eye. One of them was a simple compass attached to a thin chain that could be strapped to one of the belt holes on my joggers and held in a pocket. Another was a leather wallet, which now that I had money, was useful. I found a whistle tied to a string in the corner, which I could see being handy when I wanted to get Winters attention from far away, or when he was flying so fast that I didn't want to risk opening my mouth. There were a pair of clear goggles that, while meant for swimming, could also use for flying; on this quick trip to Kumquat alone I had quite a bit of trouble seeing where I was going due to wind pressure. And the last item of note was a ball belt, a belt with six magnetic strips able to hold shrunken Poké Balls. Necessary.

They cost fifty bucks in total, the compass being only five, the wallet being seven, the goggles being four, the whistle only one and the belt being bargained down to thirty-three. Worth every penny. Now Winter had a home that was more secure than my pocket, I had a place to store my remaining moneys, my eyes wouldn't burn when flying, I had the ability to emulate my old gym teacher – he loved to blow that damn whistle in my ear – and I could now follow the directions of a map.

All in all, it was a good trip.

Upon leaving the store, I released Winter once more, activated his collar and hopped on board. We took to the sky in short order, and after I had adjusted myself so that I was facing the direction of Cleopatra Island through use of my new compass, we set off.

.

It took just over two hours to reach Cleopatra Island. Just as Nurse Joy said, it was abandoned. There were no towns, no people, and as far as I could tell, no Pokémon. Or, at least, if there were, I didn't catch sight of them.

We landed on the western bank of the island, where grass patches grew along a cliffside that faced the calm ocean waters. It was a very pretty view, especially with the sun setting in the distance, mirroring the water and bathing the clouds with golden pink colors.

Winter wanted to continue staying out, and I had no issue with his enjoying his newfound evolution. Even though a lot happened, a full day hadn't even passed yet. He knew where to find me, and he deserved his fun.

While he was away, I took to finding some dinner. As luck would have it, Cleopatra was host to a decent berry and fruit population. There were plenty of Oran and Sitrus berries, with a few oranges and kiwi's to liven the batch.

The berries were Winters, though I did grab a handful for myself, while the rest of the fruits were for me. This wasn't because I wanted to hog them, but because Pokémon like Winter primarily ate from either a manufactured staple called Bird Feed, or a diet of berries and the more numerous pests like Caterpie and Weedle, along with their evolved counterparts. He needed it far more than I did.

Upon finishing our dinner, we just relaxed. It was March in a tropic, so the weather was as perfect as it could be, and there wasn't a better time to go outdoors.

We fell asleep with full belly's and good humor.

.

The alarm on my watch blared at 7:00 in the morning, though we were already in the process of groggily waking up in any case due to the sun having risen, lightening us with its glow.

With a grunt of effort, I sat up and rubbed the crust out of my eyes, going about my morning routine. It wasn't anything fancy, I just ran around and did a few squats, stretching my body when finished. The biggest reason I even had a routine was because of my entrance into this world. The pain in my leg may have been gone, but there was still a stiffness to it that could only be fixed by using it regularly.

Breakfast was a simple affair. I grabbed the leftovers from dinner and distributed the majority of them to Winter. He greedily ate but was kind enough to leave me some of his portion, noting the difference in what we had.

Food eaten and body stretched, we took off. It was another two hours of travel, but Navel Island was quick to be found. And damn was it a sight.

Navel Island was large. Like, massive. Not in size, for the island was actually smaller than Kumquat, but in density. Along its coast were forested trees where a small, quiet little village was barely visible, the trees covering most homes. But that wasn't the part of Navel Island that was noteworthy.

The special part of Navel Island was its centerpiece.

Almost as wide as the island itself was, a grand mountain stood. So grand was it that it pierced the clouds overhead, its tip invisible to me and Winter. Like, I don't think there are any words I can use to describe it. It's a massive mountain that's smack dab in the middle of the island. Actually, it's probably safer to claim that this was a volcano that was dormant, that the island surrounding it was just the refuse of when it was active, however many years ago that was.

My best comparison is to Ice Island, poor though the comparison was. Ice Island is much smaller than this, and while its mountain is of a similar size, it's far skinnier and was probably made through terrain adjusting Pokémon attacks from the legendary powerhouses that claimed the both island and its neighboring landmasses.

At least I knew where to go. The Navel Island Gym was located at the peak of the mountain, so even though we couldn't really see where to go, we could also, well, see.

It was a weird thing, when the location your going to wasn't visible, but was also obvious in where it existed.

Winter ascended into the clouds, slowing down marginally in case he accidentally ran into the mountain by some stretch. As it were, such a precaution, while smart, was unnecessary. Once we exited the cloud, the peak of the mountain was visible to us, with the clouds buffeting the peak like the shore of a beach.

The peak was partially flat, in actuality. The flat portion of the mountain was directly next to a large gate with the symbol of a Poké Ball branded onto its stone doors, built into the rest of the mountains peak that still ascended.

Can I just take a moment to mention how stupid this gym is? I mean, the location is awesome, I won't deny that, but this is a public gym that is a part of the Orange League. And you've got to climb the mountain, no riding any Pokémon up the cliff. All the other Gym Leaders are relatively access when compared to this malarkey, and then you've got to bob sled down the mountain?

Unless the show just completely skipped passed the safety procedures or the challenge is not, in fact, sledding down the mountain, then I call bullshit.

Winter landed in front of the door and I returned him in short order. Walking up, I found a button, rang the bell, and waited.

I didn't have to wait long.

The door opened with a groan, and a green, insectoid head popped out, its singular, sickle-like claw holding the door open with obvious strain.

"Scy?" It sounded, eyes narrowed.

Ah, hello my dream.

To be fair, Scyther was one of those few that eluded me. Pokémon Blue was the first game I had ever owned, so naturally I played it the most, but I didn't really know a whole lot about it or how to look up a guide and was sadly never able to get my hands on a Scyther. Later, once Fire Red and Leaf Green came out, I found out that Scyther wasn't even available for Pokémon Blue, being a Pokémon Red exclusive. In other words, I never would have had the chance to get my hands on it, since I was a lonely little shit whose friends were into Digimon, those buncha plebs.

So yes, I want one.

"Hi Scyther, I've got some mail for Danny." For emphasis, I waved the folder at him. "Can you bring him out, or can I meet him? If he's available, that is."

Scyther bobbed his head jerkily, opening the door fully and allowing me entrance. Now that I was inside, I was able to get a good, proper look at the Pokémon before me. Scyther stood a few inches taller than my 4"4' (I'm nine, I'm short. It sucks, I know. At least I'm a little above average for my age range), with green and tan scales, open muscles veining around the tan portions of his body. The green seemed more armored than anything.

His wings sprouted from his back, reminiscent of a dragonfly, and he buzzed about the room as I walked. The gym was surprisingly just like a gym, and in that, I meant it looked like a proper gym, not a Pokémon Gym. There were weights all around, some machines I couldn't name that isolated specific muscle groups being prominent. It looked like nobody was using it at the moment.

Scyther led me to a back room, where he beckoned me to sit on a wooden chair. I did so, and he then left.

Uncertain as to what to do, I decided to just go play with the gym equipment.

I'm not an idiot, mind you. Well, at least not in this case; I have my moments. I understand that working out before you've started puberty is a recipe for disaster. I have no intention of going crazy but testing the gear couldn't hurt.

I played with a pullup bar, dabbled with some dips, attempted to curl a pair of ten pounders and tried to squat the bar without any weight, when Danny finally showed up.

His arrival was a surprise. I wasn't paying too much attention and was about to go down for another squat when the bar was lifted from my shoulders and placed too high for me to reach on its rack. My instinctual desire to snark died a quick death upon seeing Danny's black eyes filled with mirth.

Cartoons and animation never really showcase people properly. The two Nurse Joy's for example, while looking similar, weren't identical, and their personalities didn't match. The Joy on Kumquat was a more reserved woman, whilst the Joy on Shamouti was of the more forward type.

Danny is no exception.

From the show, I vaguely remembered a red headed dude that wore hiking clothes. While these two details were in fact true, there was a much deeper part of him that wasn't properly shown. He was ripped. By ripped, I don't mean he was hulkingly large, with muscles the size of my head. No, he was like a Bruce Lee type of ripped, the kind where all the muscles that were defined were used on a daily basis and weren't just for show. Think of an adult Goku from the original Dragonball, bring that ridiculous physique down a few levels, turn him into a ginger and you've got Danny.

"Most messengers don't work out in my lobby," he said, snickering a bit. Even when he laughed, his muscles contracted. Just behind him, his Scyther returned, sharpening his scythes against one another. I would have been intimidated, were Scyther not trained. But since it was, I just smiled.

"I've got a letter for you from Shamouti." Walking over to the wooden chair his Scyther brought me to, I grabbed the envelope for Danny.

"Carol isn't the courier anymore?"

Shaking my head, I handed him the document. "Nah, she didn't like it and she kinda forced Mr. Brinks to give me the job so she could do something else."

With a good-humored smile, my fellow ginger grabbed the file, folding it up and placing it in his back pocket.

And with that, my work was finished.

It was a little disappointing, to be honest. I was hoping that there would be a bigger fanfare, that something interesting would happen, or that I would run into a Pokémon of some sort on my way. I was in the world of an anime-game combo, that type of bullshit was supposed to happen.

Alas, it was not to be.

"Anything else you need?" Danny asked, walking me to the front door.

Pondering, I caught sight of Scyther hovering around the gym equipment.

"Where'd you get him?"

Danny furrowed his brow, "How old are you?"

"Nine."

"That might be a little young for a Scyther, they aren't the nicest Pokémon around. Especially not for a Starter." He said, thinking aloud. We were at the front now, and while the view was spectacular, it was hard as shit to breathe out here. The air was really thin.

And what did he mean about Scyther being a Starter? It may have been a badass Pokémon, but Winter was my Starter through and through.

He furrowed his brow, looking around. "Where's Fearow? Did that old bird leave again?"

Ah. He thought I rode on Fearow.

To alleviate his confusion, I released Winter, barely holding back a snicker at the dumbfounded look Danny was quick to sport. Winter was a little less than twice the size of the average Pidgeot and had room to grow further. It was surprising, to say the least.

He turned a stern eye onto me. "The Pokémon of Fairchild Island are protected."

I just shrugged. "I caught him on Shamouti. He got lost from his flock as a Pidgey during migration, or at least that's what Nurse Joy told me."

The sternness in his look went away in an instant, and he relaxed once more.

"But yeah, I think I should be able to handle a Scyther if I have Winer with me." And even if I couldn't, just knowing where I could find a Scyther was huge. Eventually I would have one, nothing was going to stop that.

Danny approached Winter, who looked at my red-haired kin with narrowed eyes. The older man circled the Pidgeot, inspecting him.

"I caught my Scyther with my Nidoqueen. She knows a few Rock Type attacks, and they have an extreme weakness to those." Danny said, poking at Winters tail feathers. My Starter took the opportunity to hop away, gliding behind me and attempted to use my body, which was almost less than thrice his size, as a shield. "They're Bug Types though, and are weak to Flying Types, so you shouldn't have too much trouble."

He rubbed his chin, and then shrugged. "To be honest, it's not really a secret or anything. You could figure where to find a Scyther if you dug around the Pokénet long enough. There's a swarm of them on the western bank of Murcott Island. Murcott's actually pretty famous for being home to rarer Bug Types, like Scyther and Pinsir."

Interesting.

I hopped on Winter, offering my thanks. Before I left, he gave me on last tip.

"When you look for a Scyther to catch, don't go for the leader," warned Danny. "It may be the strongest, be it's also the oldest, and wouldn't work out well for a team. It gets challenged by a lot of other Scyther though and has a habit of kicking out a few of those upstarts. I'd go for one of them, since it wouldn't affect the swarm, which means the swarm won't bother the islanders. Part of being a trainer is keeping your pursuits away from civilian life."

Made sense. Going for the Scyther that were kicked out would be easier, but probably harder to find.

And it was also quite reasonable to keep walking natural disasters away from the normies.

…Meh.

It honestly doesn't matter that much, not in this case. If I find a Scyther I want, I'm gonna try and catch it, regardless of it being in the swarm or not. Why would I care if the leftovers kicked up a fuss? It's not like I'm planning on sticking around. Murcotts been home to the swarm for longer than I've probably been alive, they should have contingencies in place in case the Pokémon get riled up.

Plan set, I checked my compass, noting that we were facing the correct direction, and tugged on Winters scalp feathers. He dove off the edge of the mountain, righting himself into a fast and steady glide to the south.

We made it to Moro in four hours.

From Navel Island, we sprinted to the Grapefruit Islands, reaching the chain in just over thirty minutes. There, we took a break for an early lunch that lasted for about an hour and a half, consisting of grapefruits for me and a few Caterpie for Winter.

After finishing our food, we steadily made our way to Moro, enjoying a nice, sedate fly, basking in the weather. I was flying with my shirt and hoodie in my bag, and dearly loved my new body's ability to tan. On Earth, I was one of those sorts that would go lobster red in an hour under the California sun. Here, I was like a Greek guy, I could be out forever and never have an issue.

It was nice.

So, over two hours later, we made it to Moro Island.

It was… eh.

Moro Island was a smaller island, with a lopped hillside taking up most of its landmass. On the lower bank of the hill stood a small town, its buildings scraping against the ocean water, where little to no sand buffered the wakes. I won't say it's not a nice place, because I honestly haven't found a place in the Orange Archipelago that wasn't nice yet, but when I compare it to the unique geography of Shamouti, to the bustling town of Kumquat, to the open fields of Cleopatra or the mountain of Navel or the harvests of the Grapefruit Islands… Yeah, Moro came up kinda short.

Oh well, it wasn't like I intended to stick around.

Winter landed in front of the museum, Moro's largest and only tourist attraction. There were a good few people loitering about. Those people shot me strange looks when I landed, a shirtless child riding an overly large Pidgeot was sure to be eye-catching, but I didn't mind. I didn't actually care what they thought, so it worked out.

Putting my shirt back on, I returned Winter and entered the museum. It was a quaint space, filled to the brim with old paintings, sculptures and artifacts. They were situated in such a way that didn't really make sense, but I wasn't an art guy, so I didn't really know anything.

I tried to approach, but the teller that stood before me halted me we a leg. He was a broad bodied teenager, sporting a bored look on his plain face, and he stared me down with dull brown eyes that were partially covered by his unkempt blonde hair.

"Welcome to the Moro Museum," he said, his voice almost monotone. "Tickets cost ₽5."

Great customer service skills there. I'm sure he'll make a wonderful salesman someday.

Sarcasm, if it wasn't obvious enough.

I pulled out the envelope from my backpack, a little ruffled but nothing bad, and showed the teller the address. "I have a letter to deliver to the curator."

Bored, he held out his hand. "I'll give it to 'er."

I snatched it away from him, shaking my head. "I've got to give the curator myself." I needed to ensure that it was me that she saw, just in case they tried to snatch my money.

The teller shrugged at me. "'kay. It'll be ₽5"

…Seriously?

What a tool.

Yeah, no. I'm not paying somebody so I can do my job. I'm here, I'm not leaving, and I'm ready to make a fuss.

Which I did.

"Call the curator here," I barked, loudly. The other people that were perusing the museum looked on in interest. "Or your manager. Whoever's in charge. I just need to deliver the letter and get paid, man."

He started picking his ear, flicking a ball of yellow ew onto the floor. "Nah, just pay the ₽5."

"Or you could stop being a prick and let the kid do his job," a cool, feminine voice said from behind him. I'd been giving him my undivided attention, so I hadn't expected the intrusion, and jumped, while the teller flinched something harsh.

It was a woman that looked to be in her mid to late thirties, with sleek blonde hair tied into a strict bun and glaring black eyes that were emphasized by a pair of smart glasses. Her outfit was purely business, a black pencil skirt meshed with a sleeved white blouse with a small black tie wrapped around her pale neck.

She was intimidating.

…She was also pretty hot. What can I say? I've got a bit of a librarian fetish and she ticked off most of my boxes in appearance.

She grabbed the teller's ear with a quick jab of her manicured hand, twisting it painfully. "I gave you a job because you needed money, nephew. I also warned you to treat people with respect. Remember?"

"He's trying to get in without paying!" He yelped, trying to pry the hand off of his ear. It was twisted further.

"This young man has a job to do. We don't make people who are here for business purposes pay, because they aren't here to browse. I've told you this already."

She released him, and as he grumbled and rubbed at his ear, she turned to me. Bending down, she struck out her hand.

"Kara Berks, curator of the Moro Museum. Apologies for Bruce, it's his first week and he has much to learn."

I shook her hand. "Jon Snow. Uh… courier of Shamouti Isle. It's- no… problem?" What do I even say in this situation? I was prepared to just give a little complaint but watching him get publicly embarrassed like that took the sails out of me like they weren't even there. I just felt bad for the guy now.

Not bad enough to do anything about it, mind you.

Her black eyes, which were cold and glaring, lit up like the nights sky. "Shamouti, really? Let me see the letter!"

Dumbly, I gave it to her. She ripped the envelope open right in front of me, and actually squealed when she finished reading, dancing a small jig in place. The teller, Bruce, stared at her dumbfounded, as if he'd never seen her act in such a manner before.

"Exciting news?" All Carol told me was that the letter was an invitation to the festival. Was it worth all that dancing to go to an event that happened annually and was open to the public?

"Very exciting!" She beamed. "Mayor Brinks has decided to allow me to study the orbs of Ice, Fire and Lightning in the aftermath of their annual festival, and has even given permission to make copies for the museum. Very exciting, indeed!"

Oh. Cool, I guess.

With a skip in her step, which seemed dangerous due to the heels she was wearing, she flounced back into the museum, telling me to wait at the front.

Awkwardly, I stood there, Bruce still rubbing his ear in annoyance. We didn't talk, what was there to even talk about? How funny it was to see his aunt give him a talking to? Yeah, that'd go well. So, no. I just stayed silent.

Kara returned with a small wad of cash, shoving the tan bills into my hand. I counted it, and grinned. She payed me ₽225, quite a bit more than I was expecting. If these were the regular fees I'm sure Carol wouldn't have had an issue with the job. Such a shame that Fearow was a bitch to her, otherwise she would have probably been quite happy with her lot in life.

Alas, her loss is my gain.

Depositing the money into my wallet, I exited the museum and released Winter. Hopping onto my Starter, we took off. Instead of going north, where I would return to Shamouti, we headed Southwest.

Towards Murcott Island.

.

Forty minutes later, I was sitting in the Murcott Pokémon Center.

Murcott wasn't that far away from Moro, and with Winters excitement to battle new Pokémon, along with my excitement to hopefully catch a Scyther, he gunned it. What should have taken about an hour of flight at a normal speed took half that time, but Winter, loveable Winter, tired himself out in the process.

So, here I was, in the Pokémon Center. Joy was in the process of healing him up, noting that while he wasn't well and truly exhausted, Pidgeots didn't sprint well for long periods of time, especially when they were recently evolved, and that we needed to be careful. I was aware of this, I just- eh, I got excited and it slipped my mind. At least it happened early on, so I'll remember to be cognizant of it in the future.

While waiting for Winter to be finished up, I was on the computer. I was looking up information on Scyther, and the best ways to handle them. Aside from their natural weaknesses due to their typing, there wasn't much to note.

Meh, much as it annoyed me, it couldn't be helped. The Pokénet wasn't like the internet, even though they had the same base. You couldn't find everything on here. The information availability was a lot more controlled, doubly so with regards to Pokémon, and while there were a few blogs that would give further information, not much else was available. Trainers kept their hard-earned secrets to themselves, only offering their knowledge to friends and family by word of mouth.

With that being the case, I settled for what I could do with what was available online.

I have no shame in admitting that even though I started my wasting of time watching video's of people battling, I ended up watching compilations of cutesy stuff.

It's a weakness.

.

Trekking through this forest did not go as I hoped.

In that a Scyther didn't just pop out and bow subserviently to me, awaiting a lifetime of servitude.

No. Instead, after grabbing Winter from Nurse Joy a half hour later, I released him to search from above while I searched from below. If I needed help, I'd blow my whistle. He was nearby at all times, so even though it was worrisome to be out here without him directly next to me, I wasn't put out.

It also helped that most of the Pokémon chose to avoid me.

But that was also the issue. They avoided me.

For the love of Go- wait, is it Mew now? Arceus? Lord Helix?!

…I'm in a weird way.

Anyways. Because they avoided me, I had been walking around with nothing to show for. Hell, there wasn't even a Caterpie! It's been two hours!

I AM COMPLAINING!

Winter screeched at that exact moment, and thus, my complaints came to a decisive halt.

For to my left side, in a small clearing that I had walked past at least four times already, stood a small group of three Pokémon, all of them being Scyther. Two were fighting, the third was looking on from the sideline. Upon further inspection, I saw that the one that was stood to the side was much thinner than the two fighters, which meant it was a female, if memory served. Well, that, and the bright pink crown of flowers on its head.

The two fighters were defined, large and muscular (for their species, at least) and trying to kill one another. They looked very similar, the only real differences between them being their myriad scars, as well as the signs of aging. The age of a Scyther could be determined by the length of their scythes, and one of the fighters had scythes that were well over a foot longer than the others. Both of their scars were notable, the older one with a littered body while the younger was relatively scar free, save for the line jutting directly over his right eye. It was pretty badass.

I've decided. Win or lose, I'm getting the one with the scar over his eye. He reminded me of Kakashi, or Scar from the Lion King. Best Disney movie there is. I'll fight you Frozen plebs.

My readings on Scyther, while sparse, were informative on some things, at least. One of which was that they respected power over anything, and when it came to humans, they respected trainers that wielded Pokémon that could defeat them. To them, such a trainer could only help them grow even more powerful. Even newly hatched from an egg, you had to beat the stuffing out of them before they'd listen to you.

Scyther were a bunch of battle crazies, man.

But with this information, there was only one goal in mind.

I had to kick both of their asses.

Well. I mean, Winter does. But I give orders! It counts for something.

Gripping the whistle strewn across my neck, I blew hard, the loud screeching noise catching the trio off guard, the fighters heads swiveling towards me aggressively. Hissing, they scraped their scythes in challenge at me.

I smiled.

"Gust."

Winter barreled down, landing between us, his wings stretched as far as they could. With a loud caw, he cried out his species' name, wind buffeting around his form, the torrent turning visible as it slammed into the trio.

The Scyther trio were properly freaking out, with fair reason. Regardless of them being partially Flying types, their main attribute was that of Bug, and Flying Type attacks trumped them in that regard. Type advantages could be circumvented, but wild Pokémon rarely knew how to do such a thing. Hell, I didn't even know how to do it, and I had the Pokénet for reference.

So yeah, they didn't react well.

The female Scyther just fell over, having fainted with one hit. The older one, more weathered and more experienced, tanked the attack, but quickly maneuvered so that he picked up the fainted female and bolted into the forest.

The last Scyther, the one I was interested in, did not tank it like his adversary did. He instead charged at Winter, twisting around to avoid the Gust, his scythes brightening with energy, Slash at the ready. He tried to hit Winter with the attack, but my Pidgeot shot into the air, Gust billowing out from his wings.

Scyther too shot into the air, though he was not as fast as Winter. Compensating for this, he boosted with a Quick Attack, slashing a claw directly into Winters chest. My Pokémon cried out, both in pain and in rage, and without my permission (though it was my next directive regardless) a sphere of green, draconic energy formed from his mouth, Twister blasting Scyther at a point-blank range.

The Bug type fell to the ground, a twitching and spasming mess. Winter glided back down, wincing slightly. I'd have to bring him back to Nurse Joy after this, to be on the safe side.

Scyther attempted to rise, rolling onto his stomach and digging his blades into the dirt, trying to pull himself up using them.

Winter did not want him to do this. And so, he jumped to the Bug Pokémon's side, using a wing to smack him back down.

Ah, but that was mean. I've taught him so well. It almost brings a tear to the eye.

"Scyther," I said, holding an empty Poké Ball. "My Pidgeot beat you, and your kin. Easily."

Winter cried his agreement, just as Scyther hissed out a "Ther!" of aggravation. Winter smacked him again and he shut up, grumbling.

With a grin, I enlarged the Poké Ball. "And with my help, you might be able to be even stronger than my Pidgeot."

By the glare that Winter was sporting, I was probably gonna regret that one. Ah well, the sacrifices one makes to succeed.

Scyther's head shimmied so that his narrow-eyed stare was directed right at me. He held the look for a few more moments, before he exhaled and groaned, body flopping onto the ground in a heap, nodding his head tiredly.

The sphere was summarily chucked at his body, and Scyther disappeared in a flash of red light. It then began to shake, denoting that even though Scyther gave in, he wasn't entirely done.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six-click

Hell yeah. I knelt down and picked up the ball, just staring. I decided that I wanted to nickname all of my Pokémon early on, to denote them as mine, but I hadn't really thought to hard on future names.

But this?

I figured this one out pretty quickly.

With claws shaped like curved swords, I thought back to another type of curved sword, noted in the same book series that I named Winter from.

In the hands of the Dothraki, these swords were mastered, used to pillage and destroy and conquer the eastern half of Essos. These swords were infamous, and my Scyther would eventually hold a similar prestige. Of this, I was certain.

"Welcome to the team, Arakh."

I'd like to reiterate.

Hell yeah.

Winter/Pidgeot – Male

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

Ability: Keen Eye

Arakh/Scyther – Male

Moves: Tackle, Quick Attack, Slash, Pursuit, False Swipe, Fury Cutter

Ability: Swarm

Jon Snow – Male

Date: Mar 20

Badges: N/A

Pokémon: Pidgeot, Scyther

Currency: ₽250