18

It took roughly a half an hour for the paralysis to wear off enough for me to move: maybe more, maybe less. I don't know, wasn't timing when I started the race with Cissy.

Nagga had been distraught over the course of my paralysis, warbling and crooning pitifully at me all the while, doing his damnedest to make me comfortable by way of his whiskers. They were surprisingly soft. I made sure to let him know I wasn't mad once I had control over my body. And how could I be? He learned a new move, I won a badge, and I saw my first pair of boobs that weren't from a picture or video found online.

That, more than anything, more than the badge or even my newly caught Onix, made today a good day.

In fact, it was such a good day that I decided to forego riding on Winters back and instead chose to stretch my limbs and walk back to town. I'd gotten accustomed to walking around Sunburst Island, looking for any and every lead that might bring me towards my Onix, and I wanted to keep up with it. I've never been one for exercise, but the benefits were plain to see.

Plus, I needed to shake off the last jolts of paralysis. Sure, I could move. There were still shudders running through me though, and they wouldn't go away until I either got my hands on a paralysis heal or walked it off.

The path back to Mikan City was relaxing. The sun was overhead, covered just the right amount by thick white clouds to make it refreshing. The trees along the path offered shade, the gust of wind carried the scent of the beach, and a multitude of curious Pokémon looked towards me in interest. Rattata's, Spinarak's, Caterpies and Bellsprouts; I even caught sight of an Ekans coiling around the branches of a tree.

While interesting, I didn't pay them much more than a cursory glance. They weren't Flying types and I was more focused on the screen of my Pokégear in any case. I had emails to look through.

Roughin' it in the forests of a minor tourist destination meant I had little in the way of internet access. I was basically a month behind on my contacts.

There was one from Professor Oak sent earlier today, letting me know that he saw that I captured an Onix and offered me congratulations. In the note, he stated that since Onix was a burrowing Pokémon by nature, he wasn't going to be releasing it onto the ranch like he did for Umber and Viserion. He had space aplenty, but he didn't want to have to tunnels all around. This was apparently a policy he held for almost all burrowing Pokémon that he cared for.

I understood. Really, I did. It didn't even matter in this case, Onix was to be sold to the highest bidder after things were said and done. While it was easy to consider this a cruel notion, I felt it better not to form a connection to the rock snake. I remember having a friend back in my voice acting days that tried to make a side business by way of selling the kittens his maine coon popped out. In the end, he couldn't do it. He'd gotten attached to the kittens and by the end of it all he wound up owning seven cats.

Onix were most definitely not cats, and I wasn't the type to get attached easily in any case, but better there be no risk than one at all.

I looked through some more emails. Claire wanted to know how I was doing, Liza asked for an update on Drogon, and Jasmine even sent me a notice a week ago, asking me to call her at my earlier convenience. That message was sent three days ago.

Well, it wasn't like I was going to ignore the Emma Watson lookalike. That would be sacrilege.

I dug through my contacts, all nine of them, and shot Jasmine a call. The ringer rang, as it was wont to do, a few times, before her voice came through.

"Jon?"

"Hey Jasmine."

"Hi! How are you?"

"Pretty good! I just finished up a Gym Battle."

"I take it you won?"

I scoffed, twisting my voice so that a posh British accent came forth, sounding as snooty and haughty as I could make it. "Of course. As if I could lose to such a plebian woman."

She laughed. One thing I could appreciate about her was she wasn't a giggler. I found myself grinning, it was always a good feeling when you got a girl to laugh. Especially one that would become a looker.

"What Gym was it?"

"The Mikan Gym, on Mikan Island in the Orange Archipelago."

"Hm… I can't say I know it, sorry. The Orange League isn't recognized over here, so I didn't have to study up on them. What was her specialty?"

"She didn't really have a specialty." Even after over a year of being here and knowing about them for years prior, that particular facet of the Orange Crew was always strange to me. "I suppose she'd be a Water type specialist, she had a Blastoise and a Seadra. But her challenge was a race instead of a normal battle."

"Strange," Jasmine hummed. "Anyways, you're calling about the message I sent a few days ago, right?"

"Yup."

"Okay, cool. I'm a little busy right now myself, but I've got time to talk about this. Yeah, something interesting came up and I thought you'd like to know. You're still planning on specializing with Flying types, right?"

"Yeah…" She knew this. Almost all of our conversations involved a debate on how I thought Flying types were better than Steel types and she would do her best to prove me wrong.

"Well, a certain Pokémon that just so happened to be a Flying type was being a pest during one of my training sessions a few days ago, and I ended up catching it just to make it stop. You don't happen to have a Murkrow yet, do you?"

No. No I did not.

And I wanted one.

Dark type Pokémon were interesting, able to ignore the affects of Psychic energies and smother Ghost and other Dark types. As far as I know, Murkow is the only Flying type with an added Dark attribute. With the Dusk Stone that Aunt Claire gave me, I'd be able to evolve it into a Honchcrow too. It could be my buster once I was against Sabrina or those twins in Hoenn.

So, yes. I want it.

"I would be happy to take it off your hands."

My enthusiasm must have been noted, because she just started to laugh some more. "As my dad would say – 'No freebies.' I was calling to let you know that I have one, and if you can catch me a Steel type or a Pokémon that will evolve into one, I would trade the Murkrow for it."

I couldn't withhold the groan that built from my throat at that bit of knows. I don't really know shit about Steel types, and I definitely don't know anything about the Pokémon that evolve into them. The only Steel types I know much about are Scizor, Steelix and Lucario, and the only reason I knew about Lucario was because the Pokémon animation franchise spam advertised that their next movie would have a Lucario as a main character.

That was also the last time I auditioned for a role for Pokémon.

"Will any Steel type do?"

"No," she said, quite bluntly. A girl after my own heart. "I have three Steel types right now: my Magnemite, Steelix, and Scizor."

Still felt weird that she didn't call Arakh the name I gave him. Her prerogative as his trainer, but still. Weird.

"I'm not interested in another one of those three, and I don't want any Pokémon from their line either. Find me any other Steel type and I'll trade it for Murkrow."

"…Are Voltorb's Steel types?" I vaguely remembered that there was some place on Mandarin South where there were a ton of those buggers. I could hope, right?

"No."

Alas, my hopes were dashed.

"Well, I'll keep an eye out for something while I'm traveling. I'm planning on going to Hoenn soon, is there anything there that's good?"

The plan wasn't to find anything terribly rare. If I came across something awesome then I would catch it. If not, oh well. But Jasmine new Steel types way better than I do, and she'd know both what she wanted and where that might be able to be found.

"I'd be fine with anything, really. Raising Pokémon is the fun part, not playing collector. But, hm… Well, Hoenn doesn't have that many Steel types, but the ones they do have are pretty great. There's the Aron line, the Beldum line, then there's Mawile. There's a pretty famous spot in Hoenn called the Valley of Steel, it's next to Mauville City. A lot of Steel types go there, some from other regions too, so you might be able to find something good."

Great. More work to be had.

At least she gave me a location. Better to look in one area than to search all over.

"But really, anything is fine." She repeated as firmly as she could. "I don't have time to go out and catch my own Pokémon anymore. Dad is putting me and my team through the paces, getting us ready to take over the Gym. An egg would be another option, if you can across one."

Oh, an egg? My eyes trailed down to Valyrian's Ultra Ball, and my mind carried over.

An egg would be quite possible, considering the way my Skarmory has been acting as of late.

The only question would be whether or not she'd give up an egg. She's certainly not the mothering type, but things change when you've got a sprog of your own. I can't guarantee anything with her.

So, I was a little stumped.

"Alright, I'll look around." I told her. "Just make sure to hold on to that Murkrow for me."

"Hopefully things work out for the both of us. I need to get back to what I was doing, but don't be afraid to send me a text! I want to hear about your Journey. Johnny already started his in Kanto."

"Wait really? I thought the Kanto season ended." Gym's from the main Pokémon League are open nine months out of the year, schedule varying between regions. After these nine months, the League Tournament of that region starts.

In Kanto, they open in May, closing in February. Johto opens their doors in July and closes them in April. Hoenn begins in March and ends in December. I don't know about the rest of the regions, but I do know they all follow similar schedules.

"It ends in a few days, yeah." Jasmine agreed. "Johnny wants to camp out and look for Pokémon while the season is down. Apparently, that's prime time, according to him. You're the most exciting thing happening right now, so make sure you keep up with me!"

Her enthusiasm was infections. I found myself laughing. "I promise to keep you posted."

"Alright, I'll talk to you later then."

"Same. Bye."

She hung up and I stared off.

Well, this changed things.

I now had a new goal to add to my current one and needed to finish up the islands quickly. The sooner I finished the Orange League, the sooner I could head to Hoenn and hunt for a Steel type.

I grabbed Winters Poké Ball and released him. He let out a loud, long screech with outstretched wings and then made to preen my hair. I maneuvered myself away from his affections and mounted him.

Strapping myself down in the Rider's Seat, I gripped the long feathers atop his scalp and tugged them. He shot into the sky, and we were off for Kumquat Island.

By the time Winter landed five hours had passed and the sun had just finished setting.

No Gym was open during the night, certainly not in the Orange Islands. Or at least, not in the traditional sense.

Gyms were public areas, and as such often had additional forms of revenue going on. The Cerulean City Gym did water shows and the Cyanwood City Gym doubled as a dojo, to name some examples.

The Kumquat City Gym is no different. Its secondary revenue comes in the form of a four-star hotel, with services and amenities that focus towards trainers and their Pokémon.

Normally speaking, I wouldn't ever consider renting a room when I could just go to a Pokémon Center. However, I did believe in the philosophy of treat-yo-self and I had earned it. Camping out for a month and eating fruit and cooked Rattata for that time kept that mindset firm.

I wanted comfort. I wanted relaxation.

I had earned my break.

And so, I would splurge.

Walking up to the brightly lit multi-story building, I opened a large door made of dark wood and stepped inside. The waiting room was homey, though fancy enough to let people know that it wasn't a home at all.

"Welcome!" A bright and cheerful voice rang to my left. I turned towards the source.

A tall woman with short red hair and twinkling blue eyes looked towards me with a wide open grin. She wore a long summer dress with a simple jacket over it, a pair of sandals on her feet.

"The name is Luana! I'm the owner of this fine hotel." She said, looking down at me happily. Luana sounded horribly proud of this building. "You're Jon, right?"

Wait, Luana?

"Uh, yeah." I said, trying and failing not to sound awkward. I wasn't used to strangers instantly knowing who I was. Even if I knew who the stranger was. "How'd you know?"

"Cissy sent me a picture this morning. Said to watch out for you. I'm the Gym Leader here."

Yup, knew it.

"I'd like to challenge you to a battle then," I said. Then I yawned. "But it's pretty late. Can I get a room for the night and a challenge for the afternoon?"

Her smile turned megawatt. "Of course! Would you like a standard deal or the trainer deal?"

"Trainer deal?"

"I made it up a while back," Luana cheered. "The way it works is that you get a room for the night and I have your Pokémon shipped to our spa for healing and unwinding. Then, the next day, we battle. If you win, you and your Pokémons stay was free, but if you lose you've gotta pay double."

That… What? Why would you-…

Huh?

"Uhm, hold on. How much is the normal fare?" I would never entertain such a bet without knowing what I might lose.

"It'd be 300 a night, so if you lost a match with me through the trainer deal then it'd be 600."

Ouch.

I'd been spending a good bit of money lately. Just a month ago I'd dropped six grand and spent even more after that. Six hundred would seriously dig into my finances.

…But with Onix, I didn't really need to worry about that too much. Once I was able to sell it, I would have enough money to never need to worry about money again.

I could take the risk.

"I'll take the trainer deal."

She gave a loud clap. "A risk taker, alright! Before I can give you the key to your room, I need you to sign something."

Puzzled, I followed her to the front desk counter. She went behind it and sat down at the desk, pulling out some type of contract from a drawer outside of my line of sight.

Reading through it, I felt myself relax. It basically stated that I would agree to pay the six hundred should I lose, and that this hotel would care for my Pokémon as if they were guests. Should I skip out on paying in the event that I lost, then the hotel would hold on to my Pokémon until they received payment.

They wouldn't have put that clause in at the end unless somebody'd done this before. It at least let me know that this was a serious offer, not just Luana being swindly.

And I didn't need to worry. I had the six hundred and plenty more.

So, I signed it and handed it back to Luana. She took it with a smile, a smile that quickly morphed into a scowl as she stared at the computer screen before her. She began to type at the keyboard, an agonizingly slow input of data due to her using just the tips of her fore fingers.

"Just so you know, it's up to you to let me know how many Pokémon you leave with me, but you have to leave at least one. We can take all of them, if you'd like."

I hummed, thinking. No way was I gonna let anybody near my dragons, nor would Drogon go anywhere near somebody that wasn't Liza or a Nurse Joy. Winter was fine, as was Baelish, Thoros, and Valyrian.

That only left Nagga.

"How much space do you have for Pokémon? Say a Water type, for example."

"Well," she started, stilling poking at the keyboard. "There are two floors dedicated to Pokémon services, and there's a pretty large pool outside."

Yeah, but I saw that from the sky. It was indeed a large pool, probably about fifty feet long.

Nagga easily eclipsed that.

"I saw the pool, and it's too small." Better to just be blunt about it.

Luana looked at me, genuinely concerned. "What do you have on your team, a Wailord or something?"

"Or something," I replied.

She shook her head. "I can't really do much for that one then. Sorry."

I shrugged.

Fifteen minutes later, she finally finished her typing.

"I'm sorry for the wait, I'm not good with computers." Luana rolled her shoulders, not seeming to care about her inability to use the most important tool in the world competently.

She then dug through the drawers of her desk and pulled out a tray with six spherical indentations on it.

"Put the Pokémon you want us to look over in here. When we battle, if you intend to use one of them, they'll be ready for you."

I deposited the Poké Balls of Winter, Thoros, Valyrian and Baelish. Hopefully they would have a good time.

Luana traded the tray for a card key.

"Here's your room key. If you have any interest, we've got a hot springs set up down here that'll be open for another three hours. I'd recommend having a soak while you're here, it's one of our specialties. Pokémon of human sizes or smaller are allowed in as well. Our match is scheduled for tomorrow at two in the afternoon, so you'll have plenty of time to sleep in."

Sounds good.

I gave her my thanks and headed towards my room. It was a small walk and was located on the first floor, and I found myself pleased with the room offered.

It was essentially a small suite. A large, queen sized bed took up the middle of the room with a plasma screen on the wall perpendicular from it. A bathroom was positioned next to the entrance to the room, with a mini fridge situated next to the sink.

Grinning, I dumped my bag on the bed and began to strip. Luana had the right of it, I needed a bath. A dip in the hot springs would be wonderful.

Blinking, I then realized I'd never been in a public hot spring before. The Charicific Valley had one, but it was for the Charizard and I didn't get the chance to use it. Territorial buggers.

Was I supposed to enter naked? Did I treat it like a normal bath?

Do I care?

Nope. To be on the safe side I grabbed a pair of swim trunks from my bag, just in case I broke the rules of propriety. This wasn't Japan, but they had similar views on the breakage of these unspoken rules and it was best to just go with the flow.

Putting them on, I snatched my ball belt to complete the look. I could have left my Pokémon in the room, but what was the point? Sure, I wasn't going to release Nagga, but the remaining three would love the hot springs.

.

A small walk which involved getting lost and having to have one of Luana's employees point me in the right direction brought me to the hot springs. I immediately went towards the section designated for mixed bathing. Not only did that mean men and women could bathe together, but Pokémon could also be added to the mix.

I wasn't the only person there, too. I hadn't expected to be, this is a relatively popular hotel, but I most definitely hadn't expected to recognize anybody.

And yet, I do recognize these people. One far more than the other. It almost makes me think this is some elaborate conspiracy theory to throw me in the mix with minor and major characters from the series.

…Nah.

There were two people and two Pokémon to be seen.

One of the people was an elderly man, with a bush of curly white hair atop his hand and a pair of small glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose. He had a deep tan and was comfortably nestled in the water, a Tylphosion at his side. The Johto starter was large and powerful, and similar to the man it soaked next to was quite old.

The other person was a young girl, looking to be thirteen or fourteen in age, with a mane of red hair that cascaded down the middle of her back. She caught sight of me, red eyes boring into amber, and offered a small wave as she sunk further into the water. A towel covered her body. Next to her was a shell of obsidian, with the neck of an orange turtle poking out curious, smoking billowing from its nose. That was a Tortkoal if memory served.

I didn't know the mans name, but I remembered him from the anime, at least in context to the girl. This was Flannery, Gym Leader of Lavaridge town in the Hoenn region, and that man was her grandfather.

"Ah, a new face." He announced, his Typhosion mewling at me in greeting. "Come, join us! Let your Pokémon out as well, the more the merrior!"

I did just that.

I released my Pokémon one at a time. First was Rhaegal, the Bagon familiar to the Hoenn natives if their sharp attention was anything to go by. Next was Viserion, which earned a coo from Flannery.

Last was Drogon, which had them gob smacked.

The power of a shiny.

I steered Rhaegal and Viserion into the water, Drogon following along though staying in the shallow end. Viserion was putty in the hot spring, and Rhaegal refused to leave my side. All of us enjoyed the warm water.

"That's a Bagon." Flannery stated, excitement building. "And that's a Dratini. And a Charmander! A Shiny! Where'd you find them all?!"

"I didn't find any of them," I grinned. Bragging always made me smile. "I hatched them, all of them."

"Quite rare to see a Bagon outside of Hoenn," Flannery's grandfather mused. "I've seen my fair share in the wild, a few Salamence nest near our hometown, but it is unusual for them to be seen so far away from home. Was the person that gifted it to you a breeder?"

"Her," I corrected. "And no. I'm a member of the Blackthorn clan. She was my gifted Dragon."

Just because I refused to change my last name didn't mean I wasn't a member of the clan. Aunt Claire officially welcomed me to the clan as one of their own once Rhaegal hatched, and no matter how much the elders fussed, it was done. To not take advantage of their resources and influence was foolish. It was just the right amount of natural born prestige for me to abuse.

Having none brought me to square one, and if Lance acknowledged me then that would be too much. This? This was perfect. I could work with it.

"Hm," he hummed. "I made my way there once, many years ago. I was rejected from visiting the preserve, but Typhlosion was permitted to spar with a Dragonite. I'm assuming that your Dratini comes from there as well, but what of your Charmeleon?"

At the mention of his species, Drogon opened his eyes and growled lowly. Typhlosions eyes opened and its pupils thinned, returning the noise.

I patted my lizard on the scalp, cooling him down. I didn't feel like going into Viserion's history, so I left the man with his own observation. "I was lucky enough to foster at the Charicific Valley and got his egg from there."

"Wanna trade him for anything?" Flannery asked, all bubbly-like. "I've got some awesome Slugma!"

…Wow.

"Flannery, enough." Her grandfather reprimanded. "You know your manners."

She rubbed her hair sheepishly.

"Nice try though," I snickered. She pouted. "But no, I won't be trading him. I'm not planning on trading any of my Pokémon."

There was no way I would do that. Unless she had a Legendary in her back pocket, my team was going to stay as they were.

Mine.

"Perhaps introductions are in order?" The man queried. "My name is Brenton Moore. I go by Brent. This is my granddaughter, Flannery Moore."

Flannery startled, having been staring at Viserion, who was floating around in the water quite happily. She caught on quickly though and shot me a quick smile before returning to her chosen activity.

"My name's Jon Snow. Nice to meet you."

Rhaegal, seemingly bored, doggy paddled over to Typhlosion and began a game of wrestling, a game in which the older Pokémon seemed begrudgingly willing to partake in. Brent laughed and rubbed at her belly, earning a squealing laugh from my baby.

"To you as well. What brings you to this hotel? I myself came to visit Luana, she's my niece and Flannery's cousin. Flannery followed to get out of the house."

"No, I followed because you were going on an island vacation and you bought an extra ticket." Flannery countered. Brent turned pink in the cheeks, turning away from his granddaughter with a grumble.

I hadn't guessed there was a relation between Luana and them, but I supposed it made a sort of sense. Flannery and Luana had the exact same shade of red in their hair, and Brent and Luana had the same blue eyes.

"I'm here to challenge her." I admitted. Then my excitement shone through and I couldn't help myself. "I've got a Gym match with her tomorrow. If I win, I can go to Pummelo Island and challenge Drake!"

"Drake is here?!" Brent yelped, paling in shock. His Typhlosion let out a snorting laugh, smoke escaping its nostrils.

"Wrong Drake, grandpa." Flannery sounded. "Don't you remember? The Orange League is run by another guy named Drake."

"Ah… Yes, that's right. My apologies, one of the Hoenn Elite Four also goes by that name."

"The Dragon Master, right?" Claire had mentioned him once or twice, all positive. She respected him quite a bit and apparently his Flygon was from the Dragon's Den originally. The guy had such a good reputation that he was permitted to capture it as a Vibrava without being a Blackthorn.

"Indeed," Brent nodded. "Good man, if a tad strict. Though I suppose when you train Dragon type Pokémon for a living, you need discipline. Dangerous breeds, they are."

In lieu of an answer to that, I just pointed towards my Pokémon. Drogon was in the process of falling asleep, Viserion was splashing happily, and Rhaegal was on the receiving end of a vicious belly rub, courtesy of Flanney.

They looked as deadly as a litter of newborn puppies.

Brent coughed, turning away to hide his blush.

"What time is you match?" Flannery asked, looking up from my Bagon. "I haven't seen Auntie battle anybody before. If it's at a good time, can we watch?"

"It's at 2:00. And sure, I guess."

"We should be back from snorkeling by then," Blaine said, fiddling with his glasses. Flannery whooped.

It would be good experience. I'd never battled with an audience before, but my battle with Drake would be televised with at least a thousand people watching. If I didn't get used to it, then the anxiety would eat me up.

So, yes. They were more than welcome to watch.

After that, we just talked. Flannery spoke of her trials as the heir to a Gym, Brent didn't go into details, but he apparently used to be some kind of bigwig with the League until recently, and I offered some of my own experiences. The hot springs were filled with laughter and commiserations.

I stared Luana down from my side of the arena. She looked towards me, bemused. From the side, Flannery waved towards me with even more energy, her body a shade darker from her beach experience from the morning. Brent was trying to calm her down.

He was failing miserably.

"This is a battle that pits the challenger, Jon Snow of Shamouti Isle, against Luana, Kumquat Gym Leader and a member of the Orange Crew." A child's voice announced from the podium on the other side of the field, opposite to where the Moore's were sitting. I hadn't even noticed him, what with my nerves kicking into gear over the fact that this battle might lose me some serious cash, but he bore a striking resemblance to Ash. The only difference was that the kid had light brown hair and looked like he was just around my age. There was even a Pikachu sitting on his shoulder!

"Make mamma proud, Travis!" Luana cheered. The now-named Travis just went red, turning away from his mother with a huff.

Taking a moment to collect himself, the redness leaving his face, Travis resumed his speech.

"The challenger stands to win a Jade Star Badge and the defender stands to win six hundred dollars. This match will be conducted as a double Pokémon battle. The challenger may return his Pokémon if he feels the need, but he is not allowed to bring them back onto the field after doing so. The defender may not return any of her Pokémon unless they are unable to battle, or the match is over."

"You did great Travy-wavy!" Luana screamed, a flag with his name in her hand. The kid looked ready to bolt. I couldn't blame him. In some cases, over affection was just as difficult to deal with as under affection was.

And ow. We were using microphones woman, you don't need to scream.

Luana calmed down, her flag disappearing as she gave me her full attention. Quiet for once, she withdrew two Poké Balls from the hem of her dress, and I did not need to know how she was hiding those, and released her Pokémon. A Kadabra and a Marowak surfaced.

I too released my Pokémon, Rhaegal and Viserion taking the field. They had the best chemistry of all of my Pokémon for double battles, and more than that they listened. This also seemed like the right time to test them in battle.

Plus, I did a little research on Luana's Pokémon before heading to sleep last night. Based on the limited information I found, they were gonna be fine.

Travis lifted his hands and brought them down. "Let the match begin!"

Before Luana could call her attack, I called out the move that caught me Viserion's mother.

"Attract."

Marowak was male, Alakazam was female. That was basically all I was able to find when I looked into Luana, the forums of the Orange League not being the most useful thing in the world. But that was plenty. With their genders in mind, I'd already told Rhaegal that she was to target the Marowak and Viserion was to go for the Alakazam.

The attacks hit Luana's Pokémon square on, turning them into a pair of messes, trying and failing to get my Dragon type's attention. Luana genuinely looked confused, opening and closing her mouth in sheer disbelief.

Then she started to laugh. It was not the loud, boisterous laugh that I had associated with her character. It was dark and chilling, almost sinister. The speaker system picked it up quite clearly, and I was only able to withhold my shudder by a hairs breath.

"I think I now understand why the rest of the Orange Crew have lost their tempers around you."

I ignored her. I wasn't going to let myself get distracted and let Attract wear off. I had things to do.

"Rhaegal, Skull Bash; go for the stomach. Viserion, Water Pulse on Marowak."

Viserion swelled up from head to tail and shot an orb of thick, viscous water towards the Ground type that was starting at Rhaegal with an unhealthy amount of interest. He sputtered in the water, certainly not appreciating it, but with Rhaegal's charm still up he didn't react further. The Bagon then broke into a sprint towards the Bone Keeper Pokémon.

Marowak opened his arms wide, thinking he was about to get some lovin'. Rhaegal just saw it as an open target. When she got close enough, she dove right into Marowak's stomach, scalp first, sending the Ground type directly into the wall of the arena. The blow was strong, breaking concrete and leaving Luana's Pokémon in a swirly eyed slump.

Travis's voice echoed through the arena. "Marowak is unable to battle!" To emphasize this, he lifted a green flag in Rhaegal's direction, his words seeming to trigger a shining white light that encompassed her body.

As her body was covered in an ethereal brightness, it began to convulse and expand. A large, spherical shape took form, four stubby legs sprouting from its bottom.

When the light died down, Rhaegal did not look adorable any more, nor did she look awe inspiring. As much as I didn't want to admit it, she actually looked quite dull. Shelgon were not the prettiest species of Pokémon to be found, but they were powerful.

She experimentally moved around, testing her evolved status, and turned towards Kadadra. Her body lit up in a pale green energy, the visage or a wingless dragon overtaking her, and she shot forwards. I watched with bated breath as her egg move, Dragon Rush, finally manifested and was used for the first time.

And then it stopped in midair, Rhaegal along for the ride.

Kadbra had lost her attracted state and was using Psychic to hold back my Shelgon's newfound power. Kadabra, a species known for being constantly calm, was actually glaring at her.

"Kadabra, use Psychic on Shelgon." Luana ordered, sounded every bit the woman scorned. It's a battle, get over it. "Lift it into the air and use it as a battering ram on Dratini."

Shit.

Before I even had the chance to order Rhaegal to get out of there, Kadabra moved. More than likely, she picked up on what her trainer wanted with her telepathic abilities and already began the process of storing her energy. Her spoon was outlined in a deep, dark blue energy, Rhaegal lifting into the air, her body shimmering in a similar manner, outlined in that same blue.

"Viserion!" I barked. "Use Water Gun on Kadabra, distract her!"

Viserion died so, a stream of highly pressurized water sent directly towards the Kadabra. Luana's Pokémon had other plans though, and moved Rhaegal to act as a shield, Water Gun hitting her underbelly, puddles forming all around the arena.

I returned Rhaegal. Better she be out of the fight than be a liability and having to endure the pain of Viserion's attack when she had just evolved couldn't have been good either. The Water Gun was finally able to hit Kadabra, the Psychic type closing her eyes in response.

"Protect." Came Luana's voice.

A sphere of dark green energy surrounded Kadabra, Water Gun bouncing harmlessly off of the shield.

Viserion knew what was up and stopped his assault. Good. Protect, while making a Pokémon invulnerable to any form of damage, was a move that had a limited timeframe of use.

And indeed, ten seconds later, the sphere surrounding Kadabra shimmered out of existence, panting.

While she was tired, I pressed my advantage. "Viserion, Thunder Wave on the ground, hit the puddles."

"No!" Luana cried.

Hah. Too late. Electric currents arced from the little nub atop Viserion's head, lightly slapping the water adjacent from Kadabra. It traveled up the water, liquid conducting plasma, reaching the base of Kadabra's foot. The Psychic type convulsed in surprise.

"Now use Water Pulse. As many as you can. Barrage!"

Cliché though that might have sounded, it worked like a charm. Sphere after sphere of condensed water slammed into Kadabra, making the Psi Pokémon back up more and more. In her paralyzed state, she couldn't do anything.

Hey, yesterday gave me a good idea. Being paralyzed is not fun. Let me tell you.

Perfectly valid strategy.

Viserion slithered closer and closer, the Water Pulses coming from him becoming even stronger due to the quickly closing vicinity. Kadabra blubbered in protest all the while, trying to get her body to move appropriately, and yet all I could really hear was the blubber of protest as water neared her muzzle.

When the blubbering ceased, I ordered Viserion to end his assault. He was only about a yard away from Kadabra at that point.

Kadabra stood still, not making a single sound. I worried for a moment that she drowned. That would be a nightmare.

Then she let out a soft, groaning expulsion of air and fell face first onto a puddle, her spoon clattering out of her hand. Travis ran up to her downed form and checked her over with a worried eye. He let out a sigh of relief, meaning she was alright, which triggered my own sigh of relief.

Good. Viserion's first battle didn't make him a murderer. That'd really fuck up his confidence.

"Kadabra is unable to continue the battle. Victory goes to the challenger!"

Flannery, from up in the stands, let out an explosive cheer, clapping wildly. Brent didn't bother to stop her, for he too was clapping, though there was no cheering. He just smiled. Travis looked lost, though not unhappy. Luana just looked resigned.

I'm sure if somebody had a mirror then I would look manic in my glee.

"You did it, Viserion!" I callet out, and he screamed high into the air in his own joy. As the scream went on, spanning more than ten seconds, his body lit up, just as Rhaegal's did earlier. Quickly, I put on my goggles, just in time to not be blinded by the light of evolution that encompassed him

Viserion began to lengthen, his smaller body doubling in length. Small tips sprouted from the sides of his head, his nub turning into a proper horn, and a spherical gem appeared from beneath his jaw. As the light dimmed down, I saw that his coloring had darkened to a different shade of blue.

He let out a happy cry, actual tears in his eyes. He began to hover, shooting around in the air, testing his newfound ability to fly. As he circled above, letting out joyful cries all the while, I couldn't help but stare.

Two evolutions in one day.

Holy shit.

Winter/Pidgeot – Male

Moves: Tackle, Gust, Sand Attack, Agility, Double Team, Whirlwind, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Twister, Fly, Hyper Beam, Sunny Day, Heat Wave, Attract, Rest, Sky Attack, Aerial Ace

Ability: Keen Eye

Valyrian/Skarmory – Female

Moves: Steel Wing, Wing Attack, Fly, Cut, Peck, Screech, Metal Claw, Metal Sound, Slash, Night Shade, Steel Wing, Icy Wing, Sky Attack, Iron Head, Attract, Dark Pulse, Aerial Ace, Iron Defense

Ability: Sturdy

Thoros/Gliscor – Male

Moves: Sludge Bomb, Slash, Poison Sting, Metal Claw, Dark Pulse, Dig, Guano, Attract, Steel Wing, Iron Tail, Sandstorm, Ice Fang, Crunch

Ability: Sand Veil

Drogon/Charmeleon – Male(Shiny)

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

Ability: Blaze

Rhaegal/Shelgon – Female

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

Ability: Rock Head

Viserion/Dragonair – Male

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

Ability: Shed Skin

Baelish/Nate – Male

Moves: Peck, Leer, Night Shade, Calm Mind, Protect, Teleport, Flash, Confuse Ray

Ability: Synchronize

Nagga/Gyarados – Male

Moves: Splash, Tackle, Bite, Leer, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave, Ice Fang, Crunch, Body Slam, Headbutt, Iron Head, Twister, Dragon Rage

Ability: Intimidate

Jon Snow – Male

Date: Feb 18

Badges: Sea Ruby Badge, Spike Shell Badge, Coral Eye Badge, Jade Star Badge

Held Pokémon: Pidgeot, Skarmory, Gliscor, Charmeleon, Shelgon, Dragonair, Natu, Gyarados

Stored Pokémon: Delibird, Onix

Currency: 12,840