8-9

Y'know Nothing Jon Snow! Chapter 8: Eight's Pretty Great, Mate, a pokémon fanfic

It was when I was packing up my gear that a thought came to mind.

In the banned episode about the Safari Zone, the Dragonair I just caught had given birth to a Dratini. Now, I don't know if it's there or not, but if Dragonair was a mother and I separated her from her child, there was no way in hell that she'd work with me.

So, instead of putting on my clothes and making my way out of here, I dove into the water and began my search.

As far as I could tell, there was nothing to be found. The water was surprisingly clear, and with my Pokégear being waterproof, I was able to use its flashlight function effectively. There wasn't much to see, a few Magikarp were around, but they weren't anything special. There was no trace of a Dratini, no trace of an egg to be found. Whether or not I was wrong, I'd find out soon enough.

I hope I wasn't wrong.

For now though, I returned to the surface, intent on drying off in the oven that was this enclosure. I also took the chance to release Winter from his Poké Ball.

Winter was still knocked out, but that was soon to change. I began to put on my clothes and grabbed my bag, putting my Super Rod away to withdraw a yellow fragment that was only a bit smaller than a piece of Pokémon food. Walking up to Winter, I shoved it in his mouth and forced him to swallow it like a pill, enraptured as he righted himself, his fatigue and wounds and worry evaporating before my eyes.

Revive was a wonder. It forced a Pokémon to regain its mental faculties, even when knocked out. In the process, the item healed the Pokémon that ingested it for roughly half of their wounds. Well worth the money. Without Revive, I would have been stranded here, waiting for Winter to settle himself, and that could have taken a long, long time.

Normally Revives would cost around ₽1,750, but due to the big purchase I made with the Super Rod and Great Balls, and because I had become more known, I was able to get a discount for it. The discount was minor, totaling at ₽1,610, but money was money and with the amount I had been spending I would take what I could get.

Winter righted himself after a few minutes. Though it was worth it, Revive wasn't perfect. It a temporary solution, muffling his pain and giving him an adrenaline boost. I needed to take advantage of his state of cognizance and bring him to a Pokémon Center before his energy ran out, which would bring Winter back to the state he had been in prior to consuming the Revive.

Gear packed and mind made, I pressed the [+] on his Rider's Seat, the tan cloth billowing out for me to sit on. I hopped on, tugged on his feathers, and made for the south.

The trip was a short one. I didn't want to risk Winters health, and more than that I didn't know how long Revive would last. So, we just returned to Fuchsia City, it's Pokémon Center easy to spot. Fuchsia was a small city in the first place, more akin to a large town than anything. The red roof and white walls of the Pokémon Center were easy to spot.

Winter landed and I returned him to his Poké Ball. Entering the building, I was immediately greeted by Nurse Joy.

"Welcome to the Pokémon Center, how may I help you?"

"Hi Nurse Joy, I'd like you to heal three of my Pokémon." Only Winter, Arakh and Umber could be healed. As I stated before, just after capturing Arakh, no Nurse Joy or Pokémon Center would care for a recently caught Pokémon until it could work with strangers. Viserion was in no mood for such things, and it wasn't even knocked out. It was a risk, a risk I had no intention to take.

Then I took a whiff of myself and cringed. Clear though the lake water was to see through, it wasn't clean by any stretch of the word. "And can I have a room for the night?"

She nodded, asking for my ID. Here, I had a conundrum. The Pokémon Centers of the Archipelago were pretty lax, they didn't have ID requirements for renting a room, just that you have a Pokémon in need of healing.

The mainland centers were much more detail oriented. Due to the fact that the League had a stronger hold on the regions of Kanto and Johto, and due to the mandates in place, a trainer could normally only rent a room should they prove they were on their Journey.

Of which, while I was, I technically speaking wasn't according to Joy's database.

"Yeah, about that…" Her eyes narrowed as I trailed off. I just cut to the chase. "I'm a new trainer from the Orange Archipelago, on my way to a fostering program in Johto. I was intending on seeing some sights in Kanto before making my way over, but I was lucky enough to find a rare Pokémon and caught it. But it was really strong, and my Pokémon are injured, so I was hoping…"

"You wanted them healed, which I can do without issue. But to stay the night, I require an ID." She was frowning, looking around the lobby. There were a few people around, but nobody else was in line. She sighed.

"Tell you what, stick around and let me heal up your Pokémon. If I have rooms still available when I'm done with them, which I doubt I will, you can have one. If there aren't any, you'll need to find other accommodations."

That was… eh. I mean, she's healing my Pokémon and she's being polite, which is all she really needs to do. I guess I've just been spoiled for the island Joy's, who were lax and always kind.

There's just a lack of personal interest, y'know?

I should probably stop it with this. I feel like an ungrateful Yelp reviewer.

Still, I took her offer. I had the money, so even if she wouldn't put me up, I could get a hotel without a fuss. Or a motel, more likely. Hotels required ID as well, motels just required money.

.

Nurse Joy's prediction came to pass. In the two hours it took to heal of my Pokémon, more trainers started to pile in to the Center as the sun began to fall, and all of the rooms became occupied by the time I had my party back.

Disappointing, but not horrible. Joy at least allowed me to use her shower and washer-dryer. The shower was unique, in that there were a few other people in the room. It was… awkward, to say the least. Awkward, but doable.

Actually, I struck up a weird conversation with a dude while in that shower, a conversation that helped me out for the night. I spoke about my lack of room, and he commiserated. He had apparently gone through a similar issue when he was younger and told me where the cheapest and cleanest motel in Fuchsia was. When I was finished with my shower and my clothes were good to go, I thanked him and then departed.

It took about fifteen minutes to find the motel.

It was a ratty looking building, stereotypical in its parking lot design. Still, a bed was a bed, so I bit the bullet, paid the ₽25 fee, and after getting comfortable promptly fell asleep.

.

I awoke as I always did. At seven o' clock on the dot, the alarm on my cheap ass watch blared.

Getting out of bed was easy enough. The bed was a thick spring mattress, meant to be durable as opposed to being comfortable, and it was indeed uncomfortable. I was more than willing to leave the room, the call of the covers weak when compared to the screams of my back.

To try and stretch my back and return to a semblance of comfort, I took a walk. I explored the city for two hours, taking in the sights and acting like a general tourist. Then I got some grub, a breakfast sandwich with egg and shredded Tauros steak. A decent ₽5 spent.

But it was time to leave. I was feeling better and I didn't want to stay here in any case.

Releasing Winter, I smiled. I'd grown used to him, and he'd just plain grown. His appearance caught the attention of some of the peoples of Fuchsia who were going about their days. Such a massive Pidgeot was indeed unusual.

I mounted him, tightened the straps to the Rider's Seat, and tugged on his scalp feather. He cried out, and we were off.

To be certain, I withdrew my compass. We were currently heading southeast, which was a no-no. We needed to go the opposite direction, to the northwest. Turning him around, we were on our way.

.

We'd been flying for a little over an hour at this point, and already found ourselves at the destination we needed to reach. When compared to the Archipelago, Kanto was extremely close-knit. Travel was far easier here than it was there, which suited me well.

No, it didn't take us an hour to reach the Charicifc Valley.

It took us an hour to reach Pallet Town, however.

When I interviewed with Professor Ivy, she offered to give me a Trainer's License and to house my Pokémon in her lab. Normally, I'd jump at the chance, but I had higher aspirations, and furthermore I had space to think about.

Ivy's lab, while homely and sufficient for the average trainer, was small. There wasn't much land space available for Pokémon to settle, and she was unwilling to allow the Pokémon of trainers that signed up through her lab out of the Poké Ball for long enough. Nice enough woman though she was, I wanted to ensure that there were no hard feelings between me and my current and future Pokémon, so I declined her offer.

But it got me thinking, and after a bit of research, I came to a simple conclusion. Professor Oak had the most space. Elm had a lot of space as well, but he stuck to a schedule in which Pokémon were given a set amount of time outside before being returned to storage. Oak was different: the back yard of his lab is about the landmass of Shamouti itself, and he lets Pokémon spend as much time as they want outside. A space dedicated to the protection and availability of the Pokémon he cared for, guarded by his Elite level team from back when Professor Oak was Champion Samuel.

So, yeah. I wanted Professor Oak to be the one to give me my license. I wanted to use his lab, his space, and his resources. If he sponsored me, awesome. If he didn't, oh well. So long as I could get this settled in a quick and efficient manner, I'd be happy.

Plus, Oak had something else. Something that I felt I needed, as opposed to something I wanted.

His lab was easy to spot. A pink roofed building standing on the top of a high hill, a wind turbine spinning wildly. It was impossible to actually miss.

Winter landed in front of the door. Unlike before, I decided to leave him out, just in case I needed proof of my being a trainer.

Ringing the doorbell, I waited.

I didn't have to wait long. A man in a white coat came before me, opening the door with a curious expression.

"Yes?"

Must have been an assistant.

"Hi," I said, beginning my spiel. "My name's Jon Snow, I'm a Pokémon Trainer from Shamouti Island in the Orange Archipelago. I was hoping I could speak to Professor Oak about getting a proper Trainer's License, as well as permission to use his facility for my current and future Pokémon."

His eyebrows rose higher and higher. Must have been weird, watching a nine-year-old brat speak so clearly. To be fair, I'd been practicing those lines in my head over the past hour. Flight, while fun, allowed the mind to wander.

He cupped his chin, brown eyes looking thoughtful. "I'm afraid I'm not the one that deals with that. That would be Professor Oak himself. If you'd like, you can wait in the lobby and I can let him know he has a visitor."

I beamed. "That'd be great, actually."

He opened the door wide, leaving room for me to enter. I returned Winter then, stuffing his Poké Ball on my ball belt, and entered the lab. Well, not really. The lab was downstairs, a basement dug from the hill the facility was built upon. This was more of a lobby, like the assistant said. Leather couches and a television on a local news channel, it's about what I could expect.

So, I plopped myself on a chair and waited, my Pokégear in my hands. I was playing a riveting game of Tetris, which I was surprised to know it existed, when a body plopped itself down on top of my chair's headrest.

Startled, I craned my neck towards the source. Large black eyes stared back at me, eyes attached to a youthful face with a large mop of spiky brown hair partially blocking view.

"Who're you?" The kid asked, voice squeaky and accusatory.

I just – stared.

This was a young Gary Oak.

Now, I don't have a problem with people that come from money. Good friends of mine were of the wealthier sort, and a lot of the actors I worked with had their own fortunes.

But Gary Oak was an enigma.

A boy that would eventually become a Pokémon Trainer of acceptable skill. A boy that would throw it all away to become a researcher. A boy that would, through use of his grandfathers' resources, understand the natural habits of the extinct and ancient Pokémon of the world.

That was all impressive, and if that's all that was known about him, I'd be quite happy to meet him. But before all of that he was a pain in the ass that had a fucking cheer squad following him around while he drove a convertible.

…I'm conflicted.

"Jon." I replied shortly, slowly moving so that I was now sat on the couch. Young Gary flopped onto the chair I had been occupying just a moment prior, feet kicked up against the arm of the leather recliner.

"I'm Gary. You a trainer?"

I nodded silently.

"Bet you're not that good," he said snidely. Okay, excuse me? "Bet you're just here to bug my grampa for a starter. Well too bad! We're all out!"

I stared at him. Like, really stared him down, hard enough for him to squirm in place.

"I have four Pokémon," I said, annunciating my words clearly. "I'm not here for a fifth. I'm here to ask Professor Oak for a license before I foster under another trainer."

Gary puffed himself up like a peacock. "Well I bet they suc-!"

Professor Oak arrived then, the elderly man fashionably late, though not slow with his punishments. He bopped Gary handily on his skull, a bruised growth appearing through the fringe of his grandson's hair.

"OW!" Gary cried, tears gathering.

"What have I said time and time again, Gary?" Professor Oak sighed, pinching his nose. "When you don't have anything nice to say…"

"…Don't say anything at all." Gary grumbled, folding his arms and pouting.

"Indeed," Oak drawled. "Now, why aren't you at school? It's mid-morning and you have lessons to attend."

"The teacher sent us home early," Gary said, still nursing his head. "She got sick and spat up all over the floor."

Oak sighed once more, mumbling about standardized education. I hear ya man, that shit sucks.

He turned towards me fully then, taking a seat on the couch in front of me. "So, you'd like a license. I can provide you with one, no problem. But why should I allow you to use my facilities?"

He wants an elevator pitch. I'll give him one and then some.

"Well, to start with I'm already an established trainer. I've captured four Pokémon so far, one just yesterday. My Pidgeot, a Scyther, a Delibird and a Dragonair. My intention is to become a Flying type specialist, and I already have plans lined up. I'm to foster with the Charicific Valley after this, and I should be there up until I turn ten, which will be in the next five months."

"Hrm," he scratched at a scab on his chin. "While I commend you for capturing such rare Pokémon and achieving a profitable fostering, they are irrelevant to this case. Instead, let's focus on your relationship with your Pokémon. If you've done your research, you'd know that my primary area of study with regards to Pokémon is their relationship to humans and how coexistence is vital to the fulfilment of both people and Pokémon alike. If you wouldn't mind, would you be willing to show me your Pokémon? The way they interact with you will go a long way to helping me determine if you can use my facilities."

…Fuck.

I don't have an issue showing my Pokémon off. I'm quite proud of them, to be perfectly frank. But Viserion is where my issue lies. She was captured not even a full day ago, I haven't had the chance to get her accustomed to me and my team. I haven't gained anything close to her allegiance.

But… This might be a boon in the making.

He led me out to his back yard, Gary trailing along. The open space of the coral, coupled with the abundance of berry trees and Pokémon sparring with one another in the background, made this place ideal.

I released Winter first. "This is Winter, my starter."

Oak approached, examining Winter thoroughly. My Pidgeot became weirded out quickly enough, and tried to use me as a shield, just as he did with Danny on Navel Island. If anything, his using me as a buffer made Oak happier.

"A good breed, quite a bit larger than the norm. You said you were from the Orange Islands, yes? I would assume it was a native of Fairchild Island then, they migrate to Viridian Forest during the winter seasons."

"You're right," I nodded. "Winter was a Pidgey that got lost from its flock and was stranded on Shamouti Island, where I'm from. I was lucky enough to earn his trust, and I caught him about six months ago. We've been pals for the whole of that time."

Winter chirped his agreement, taking that moment to preen my hair. I winced, since even when he tried to be gentle, he wasn't, and Oak looked like he commiserated. Gary just laughed.

I sent out Arakh next. He buzzed around curiously, keeping close to me with strangers around.

"This is Arakh, my Scyther. I captured him… I'd say it was four months ago."

"Once again, a good breed. Though this Scyther seems to be less active when compared to your Pidgeot."

If by active he means playful, then yeah. Arakh is as serious as serious gets, and Winter only plays around with me, nobody else. Umber is my playful one.

"Then again his species tends to be more reserved in any case," Oak continued. He poked Arakh in the side, earning a hiss from my bug.

I released Umber then. She looked around and zoned in on Gary. Choosing that moment to be a general nuisance, she floated over to the young Oak and started to play with his hair.

"Wha- hey!" Gary complained, trying to swat her away. If anything, that made her more annoying. "Stop it!"

"That's Umber," I told Oak, ignoring the byplay. He could not though, nor could he hold back his smile. "When I caught her, she was looking for a mate. Wants to lay an egg really bad. I learned that she likes to mother people, and I guess she uses me as an example. Anybody younger than me and…" I waved my hand at Gary, proof in the pudding.

Umber has been quite funny over these past few months. I realized that the easiest way to keep Melody away was to use Umbers desire to mother to my advantage. At first, Melody would run away, Umber on her tail. But then she realized that Umber was only being playful, and then started to play right back.

Which eventually backfired on me, and Melody had more reason to flag me down.

"And what of your fourth? I believe you said it was a Dragonair."

I shuffled nervously. "Actually, could I get some help with her?"

He paused, lips tugging downwards ever so slightly. "What kind of help?"

No point in hiding what my problem was, though I was definitely going to hide how and where I caught her. "I caught her yesterday. My intention was to fly Winter from Shamouti to Lavender Town, where I would then just see the whole of Kanto from above before coming here. On my way out of Lavender Town, when we were above the flying over the Rock Tunnel, we saw a small little lake and decided to take a breather. I've got a Super Rod, and I was wasting my time fishing when I hooked Dragonair. I admit I – I let the opportunity get the better of me and tried to capture her immediately."

"Not necessarily a bad thing to do," Oak commented.

"No, but she knocked out Winter and Umber and I was only able to capture her because Arakh used Attract and she was distracted."

"Ah," he grimaced. "There are two issues with this capture. Number one, the fact that you didn't properly defeat Dragonair with a single Pokémon. Dragon types are prideful, so much so that they rebel even against more experienced trainers when not properly trained, and wildly caught ones as opposed to bred ones are far worse. That you captured her through distraction would prove to her that you weren't a worthy trainer, and she would be trouble the whole way through."

I groaned, having guessed as much. I wanted that Dragonair, I really did, but I went for her way ahead of schedule, and now it was likely that I lost may tank in my excitement.

"Wait, what was the second thing?" I thought the way I caught her was the only issue. There was more.

"The season," he said simply. "Certain Pokémon species have certain mating seasons, and Dragonair is no exception. Currently, we are at the tail end of mating season for her line, meaning…"

Motherfucker.

I caught Viserion when she may have been trying to score a mate or might have already done so and was pregnant. Umber was one thing, she had likely only just arrived on Ice Island when I caught her and I was able to control her instincts by way of Winter and Arakh. Viserion though? Viserion would tear me apart.

Damnit, I really did bungle this one up.

"Yeah…" I trailed off, imagination going off. "Anyways, that's where you might be able to help me out. I know you've got a Dragonite, and I figured she might be willing to calm down if he was in the fray."

Oak looked at me, a look I couldn't recognize. Was he annoyed? Distracted? Conflicted? I don't have a damn clue, but he eventually brought his hand to his mouth and whistled loudly.

A few seconds passed, nothing happening, when all of a sudden Dragonite was there. Next to Oak, standing tall and proud. And why wouldn't it? It was the perfect specimen of its species, big and bulky, scarred along its tan belly, eyes soft yet stern. This was a Champion level Pokémon, something that might have a chance against the Birds of Shamouti.

"My friend," Oak said, patting the beast on its belly. Dragonite cooed at its trainer, scratching Oak on his chest in turn. "I have a task for you. This young man before me has captured a Dragonair, one that is not happy about her new lot in life. Would you be willing to help keep her calm?"

Dragonite nodded, a spark of interest in his eyes. He turned to me, motioning for me to carry on. Rather than be stubborn in front of the Pokémon before me, I just settled with acceptance.

Viserion was released ten feet away from us, her scales sleek and anger in her eyes. She was slightly exhausted, having not received healing like the rest of my team did, but was still strong enough to surround herself in a Dragon Rush, intent on spearing me alive.

Winter and Arakh were close-by and got in front of me. It was unnecessary, though I appreciated the movement.

Dragonite caught Viserion by the throat and choke slammed her to the ground, snarling his name. Dragonair squirmed in place, crying out in aggravation, before stilling. Her eyes dilated, face purpling as she caught sight of the creature holding her back so effortlessly. She began to purr.

She slowly calmed down, slithering her tail around Dragonite's arm, coiling around his body. He released her when she didn't do much else, but she didn't release him. Instead, she began to coo, rubbing her face against his, muttering something that only Dragonite could comprehend. By the way his eyes widened and the way he started to pant, it was something of the more promiscuous nature.

Dragonite stood, looking us over before turning to Oak, nodding like an excited dog, tongue out and all. He lifted off, Viserion still attached to him, and flew off into the forest.

We stared at where they once were, different emotions rolling within. I was blatantly confused, as were my boys, though Umber looked envious. Gary was looking sick, going green at the gills.

Oak, however. Oak looked ecstatic, happier that he's looked since I've been here.

"Well!" He announced, giddily. "It seems that we have some things to discuss! Come on back inside, I'll get you a license and we can discuss the details of you using my facilities."

Wait, I got in?

Huh.

.

Oak did indeed help procure my Trainer's License. Gary was shunted up to his room, and we went to the basement where his lab was proper. There was a small area on the second floor of his lab, a corner with a green screen and a camera-computer setup. He took a quick snap of me, printed it on a piece of plastic and helped me create my League account.

Thus, I became a proper Pokémon Trainer.

On top of that, Oak explained what the hell just happened with Viserion.

"They've decided to mate," he happily announced. "Dragonite has been with me since I was a newer trainer, my mother captured him as a Dratini and gave him to me after I earned my third badge. We've been partners for decades, and over the course of those years he's only mated twice, once with a Ditto and once with a Kingdra. He's a bit of a prude. But Pokémon prefer their species, and more than that they like to be picky. For a Dragon type, mating with a member of their line means a life-mate, so you can imagine why I'm so happy."

"But couldn't you have just set him up with another Dragonite? Doesn't Lance have, like, ten or something?"

"Lance owns three," Oak corrected. "Two of them are mated to one another, the third being one of their offspring. I've attempted to have my Dragonite find a mate within the borders of Blackthorn, but he's refused them all. No, I'm just as surprised as you that he has taken your Dragonair to mate. But, with that comes a few issues."

"Issues?" What issues? I thought we were golden.

"Contrary to the way people see me, I can be quite selfish," Oak shrugged, straightening his lab coat. "My Dragonite is my Dragonite, I don't like to share my Pokémon with others. Most of my team has passed away due to old age at this point, and I want to ensure those that I have left are comfortable. The issue comes in the form of you being Dragonair's trainer, which means you own something that my Dragonite wants."

…What.

"So!" He beamed, smile going megawatt. "What would you be willing to trade for your Dragonair? I have a fair few Pokémon ready to go. You said you intended to specialize in Flying types, yes? I have options if you're interested, including a Gyarados that has a benevolent nature. Interested?"

…Once again.

What.

This was nothing like I expected. Nothing even close. The games and anime, they never showed this side of Professor Oak.

I kind of like it. I respect cutthroat business, and this was some cutthroat shit right here.

"Let's, ah…" I stalled, twiddling my thumbs. "Let's just wait for them to come back. I don't want to make a decision about my Pokémon without my Pokémon being there."

Not only would that earn me a heaping of enmity, it would also reflect poorly on me. Say I traded Viserion. Not only would I be adding a stranger to my team, but my Pokémon would be pissed. They worked hard to let me capture her – for me to trade her away less than a full day later? That'd be sort of like spitting on their effort.

I do admit that the Gyarados he mentioned was interesting, however.

He calmed, smiling. "I'm glad you chose to be rational about this. Yes, in my haste I ignored one of my own tenets. It seems that my allowing you to represent my lab was a good choice. Actually, here. I almost forgot."

He reached down into the drawer of the desk his computer station was sat upon and withdrew a small device. Light grey in color, it beeped and shimmied.

"This is your Pokédex. It's used to allow you quick information on Pokémon that you've caught and Pokémon in the wild, with a function that let's you insert your own findings. The more you offer your own findings, the more likely it is for the Pokédex to update itself."

Fancy.

Seven hours later, the sun just about to fall, and they finally returned.

I'd been spending these past bunch of hours doing a whole lot of nothing. My Pokémon were exploring the grounds, getting a feel for where they might be sent should I need to swap out party members. Winter and Arakh seemed to enjoy the area, Umber going so far as to establish her own little winter wonderland.

I ate lunch and dinner with the Oaks, getting into philosophical debates with the elder Oak and even went over my imaginary encounter with Raikou. He was suitably impressed, and Gary gained a little bit of hero worship. Legendary's were that important to these people.

After that, being firmly in the grasp of boredom, I settled to spend time with Gary. When he wasn't being a little shit, he wasn't too bad of a kid. Was still a little shit, mind you. We played Poké Kart on his gaming system, where I got him mad enough to start breaking things.

Good times. Gotta love those Squirtle Shells.

But, enough about that. I was just enjoying the sunset, fiddling with my brand new Pokédex with Umber in my lap, when they appeared. There was no warning, one moment they weren't there, the next they were, an Alakazam at their side.

Dragonite looked satisfied, Viserion looked harried. In the arms of the Alakazam was a blue oval, lighter in coloration to Viserion's scale, but shaped in such a way that told me exactly what that was.

An egg.

Alakazam's eyes flashed blue, and Oak appeared before us. He blinked, I blinked, Viserion blinked, Dragonite just laughed.

Oak caught sight of what this was and laughed. "Ah! Now I understand, it all makes sense now." Taking the egg from Alakazam, he studied it intently, nodding along. "Yes, I see."

"See what?" It shouldn't have been possible for them to have spawned an egg so quickly. Dragon types are notoriously slow to grow, and following that line of thought, would be slow to procreate as well.

"This egg, it's not my Dragonite's." Which was obvious. "Your Dragonair must have been carrying it what you captured her. She likely settled for a Gyarados or a Seadra, her instincts overtaking her."

The female offers her clutch to the boy, a voice said. I spun around, trying to find the origin, but came up empty.

"That's just Alakazam, Jon. I've trained him up enough so that he can transmit thoughts."

Indeed, Alakazam acknowledged. The she-dragon offers her egg, in hopes that you would allow her to stay with her mate, my friend.

I looked to Viserion. She nodded at me, eyes untrustworthy, but willing.

I didn't buy it for a minute.

"What's really going on?" I asked Alakazam. The Psychic type smiled ever so slightly, Viserion hissing from his side.

The egg is from poor stock, it admitted. With a proper mate of her own line, she sees no reason in keeping it. Your capturing the she-dragon allowed her access to my friend, thus her anger towards you is abetted. But she does not wish to be a part of your group, and so she offers an alternative.

So, it was a damned if I do and damned if I don't sort of situation. If I took the egg, I would have an easier time to be certain, but Viserion would be lost to me. If I didn't take the egg, I would have an ass of a time controlling her. I'm certain that I'd eventually gain her allegiance, but the question of how far down the line that would be came up.

Was it worth it?

Yeah, actually. It was. But it wasn't enough.

I turned to Oak, the professor brimming.

"I'll take the deal," I started, earning a cheer from Viserion and a grin from the professor. "But I have another condition."

"Name it," Oak said, salivating.

"My carry limit, I want it increased. And the Dratini that hatches, I want Dragonite to tutor it when I bring it back to the coral. Same for any other Dragon types I may catch, or Pokémon with Dragon type characteristics, like the Charmander line."

Oaks smile had slowly slipped away, and now he looked contemplative. "I have no issue with Dragonite helping your Pokémon with their training, but your carry limit is in place for a reason. How much were you intending to increase it by?"

"To twelve." As a start.

"Absolutely not," he denied swiftly, not even allowing me the chance to argue. "Trainers that can carry that many Pokémon are considered to be Ace trainers, trainers that are a single step below that of the Elite, which you certainly are not. If you were, you'd have little issue handling Dragonair, and would have never needed my help in the first place. I'll increase your carry limit up to seven."

"Ten," I countered.

He narrowed his eyes. "Eight."

"Nine."

"Eight. If you prove yourself in Pokémon Leagues and other areas of expertise, I would be willing to increase the limit further. Eight is already far too high in my mind."

If memory serves… Alakazam began.

"Your memory is eidetic, old friend. You know it serves," Oak admonished lightly.

Alakazam huffed. The egg was born on your land, Samuel. Does this not mean it is yours?

I stared at the Pokémon that spoke in my mind. Is he serious?

"Indeed, it does!" Oak exclaimed, turning back to me. "I'll increase your carry limit by two slots and give you a Dratini egg in exchange for your Dragonair."

Weakly, I tried to think of a protest. "How do you know it's a Dratini egg? Alakazam said it was lower stock, if might be a different type of Pokémon."

"No, it's a Dratini," Oak said. "The species of a Pokémon is determined by its mother. It will always follow the speciation of the one that carried it. The father is irrelevant, save for certain egg moves and speed of growth."

I looked at Oak. I looked at Alakazam. I looked at my own Pokémon, who had arrived by this point. I looked at Dragonite. And finally, I looked at Viserion. She was giving me the puppy dog eyes of all things, wobbling her nose as if she were about to cry.

Well… It was a decent deal. I'd be able to raise my own Dragonite from a Dratini, meaning I would have its affection without issue. The only way I could fuck that up was if I abused it, and there was no way I'd do anything of the sort. With an increased carry limit, even if it's only been increased by two notches, I could coordinate my party even more handily.

Sighing, I held out my hand. Oak gripped it firmly, shaking it for a deal well struck.

.

Oak did me a further solid. Knowing I was ill equipped to handle an egg, he gave me an incubation unit. Stuffing the egg inside of it would ensure it was constantly warm and in the ideal conditions it needed to be in to hatch as quickly as possible.

My team was a mixed bag. Winter couldn't care less about my trading Viserion, nor could he care less about the egg. Until the egg hatched and the Pokémon inside it showed promise, it was just a rock that I was carrying around to him.

Umber was ecstatic. She wanted to be a mother terribly bad, and while adoption wasn't her intention, she'd take what she could get. It was a struggle to get her to let the egg go, I had to promise to let her keep it warm when we arrived at the Charicifc Valley before she begrudgingly gave it away. Through the egg, I gained her full loyalty. So long as she could claim it as hers.

The struggle that I encountered came in the form of Arakh. He was the one that was last up when I caught Viserion, the one that embarrassed himself with Attract. That he didn't get to spar with her, that she was outside of his reach, had him reeling. He hadn't been this mad at me in, well, ever. He'd never been this mad at me. He listened to my commands still and kept cordial, but there was something new, something I didn't like one bit.

I'd figure it out later.

When this Dratini hatched, it would be my new Viserion. Its mother was a thing of the past as far as I was concerned, an event that occurred but didn't matter anymore.

For now, I was riding on Winter, heading due west.

To the Charicific Valley.

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, Metal Claw, Attract

Ability: Swarm

Umber/Delibird – Female

Moves: Present, Icy Wing, Peck, Rest, Attract, Ice Beam, Hail

Ability: Hustle

Viserion/Dratini – Egg

Moves: Unknown

Ability: ?

Jon Snow – Male

Date: Jul 31

Badges: N/A

Pokémon: Pidgeot, Scyther, Delibird, Dratini(Egg)

Currency: ₽19670

9

There are many lessons I've learned over the course of my life. Don't run with scissors, don't talk with your mouth full, don't start fights if you can help it, be kind to the rando's, don't get caught stealing, and many, many more.

In this case, I did not learn something new. I've known this lesson for years.

But my eyes have been opened. I see now why this lesson is so important. Why only a fool would ignore it.

Avoid angry women.

"What do you mean," Liza hissed, eyes like fire. "That you've never had any blood work done?"

Now, I'm sure you're confused. Trust me, I was just as confused as you were, still am to be honest.

Perhaps a jaunt down memory lane will help?

Upon leaving Professor Oak's ranch, Winter brought me into the region of Johto, parking in Azalea Town, where I spent the night at the local Pokémon Center. Now that I had ID, I was good to go, and Nurse Joy was happy to have me. She took my Pokémon for a checkup, fed them a bit, and looked over my egg.

Apparently, Viserio- Dragonair. The Dratini in that egg was Viserion, its mother was just Dragonair.

Anywho.

Dragonair basically forced the egg out of her body earlier than intended. While the egg was whole and hale, it was on the smaller side, and Joy worried that the Dratini inside of it wouldn't develop entirely, and that even if it did it would require extra care to reach its true capabilities.

I was annoyed, and why wouldn't I be? More work is more work. But, even when I was annoyed, I didn't kick up a fuss. Pokémon that hatched from eggs required extra care in any case, and I intended to treat the Dratini that hatched properly.

So, at the end of the day, it didn't really matter. I had a premie baby on the way, and I needed to prepare accordingly.

Preparations involved doing a whole lot of nothing. An egg was an egg, there was nothing to be done. Once the egg hatched, I just needed to be careful and give Viserion plenty of space and make room for some allowances.

I just grabbed the egg, thanked Nurse Joy, and tuckered in for the night.

The next day, I didn't leave the Pokémon Center until eleven. I'd been attempting to contact Liza for the whole of the morning, and she had only woken up thirty minutes prior to my leaving.

I told her I was ready to go, that I was already in Azalea Town. She said that that was perfect, since she had just finished up her side of the preparations two days ago. I could come over whenever I wanted but would need to land in front of the main gate of the valley. If I flew over the gate, the Charizard would assume I was an invader, and, well, things would hurt.

I was ever so glad for that warning.

And thus, I left the Pokémon Center after a quick meal and after searching through the mountains, found the Valley in… Some time between twenty and thirty minutes.

Liza was standing at the front, waving me over. Her own Charizard, a great beast of a Pokémon that liked to wear a pink bow along her horns, called Charla, greeted Winter easily.

After returning Winter and keeping a good grip on my incubation unit, Liza led me inside. The Valley was massive, red-brown stones making up a small canyon where what seemed to be hundreds of Charizard's and their pre-evolved forms were doing their do's.

I had actual chills when I entered. The Valley was that impressive.

The Charicific Valley Natural Reserve was a unique landmass. According to one of the scattered legends of Johto, Ho-oh created Entei here, absorbing the lava of a dying volcano to do so. What was left was a crater that would always give off heat but would never combust in truth. Basically, the perfect natural reserve for Fire types. And it shows, there weren't just Charizard here, but other Fire type Pokémon as well, Vulpix and Growlithe and Cyndaquil, along with their evolved counterparts spread throughout.

Liza offered me an explanation of the Valley as we walked. Apparently, while the legend might hold true as to how the Valley was formed, there was some extra stuff that occurred. A couple hundred years ago, the first of the caretakers came to be. He was a Pokémon trainer that specialized in Rock and Ground type Pokémon, and wanted to release his starter, a Charmander. The man was done with his journey and intended to allow all but a few Pokémon their freedom. When he found this place, where wild Charizard could be found, he knew that this was perfect. His Charizard found a mate, and in celebration the man had his many Ground and Rock types carve out the habitats of the Valley, all so that his friend would be more comfortable.

After that, he appointed a trusted friend of his own to look after the Charizard. That friend had a sculptor create the grand gate located outside, and the rest was history. The Valley became a national landmark years later, the Charizard line turned into a protected species, and the Valley became quite selective in who could enter.

But time changes things. With Pokémon trainers becoming more popular and children ever curious, it made sense for fostering programs to begin to come into form. Many places started these programs, and after a while the Charicific Valley too allowed those that wished to learn to enter.

I didn't really get to interact with the Pokémon of the valley. A few Charmander approached me curiously, but a Charmeleon shooed them away, shooting mistrustful looks in my direction. There was a Cyndaquil that bumped into me, but it ran away the moment it realized I wasn't a Pokémon or Liza.

After packing my belongings into the room I was given, not a lot happened. Liza slowly introduced me to the various Pokémon in the Valley, and I in turn introduced my own Pokémon. Winter was wary, though quite interested in the behemoths. Arakh and Umber, not so much. Natural type disadvantages did that sometimes.

Five days later, after getting to know one another and beginning the process of learning my duties, Liza asked about my medical records.

I can't remember the exact words that I stated, but they went along the lines of: "I think I was born in a hospital, but I had only been in one recently, and that was because I got hit by a Thunderbolt."

Now, she was naturally worried about the fact that I was hit by a Pokémon attack, but more than that, she was mad that I had never gotten any blood work done. Or, at least, I don't think I did.

Which is how we get to where we previously began.

"Well," I hummed, knowing she was not happy. Best to but honest. "Yeah, I don't think I've had any blood work done. Is that really that big of a deal?"

She groaned, raking her red nails through her green hair. "Is that really that big of a deal, he says. Of course it's a big deal! Do you know how many diseases some Pokémon hold? Hello! There's an entire subsection of Pokémon known primarily for being poisonous!"

…I will admit, in the eight months I've been here, I have not considered such an obvious dilemma even once.

So, when she grabbed me by the collar, dragged me into her little blimp and had Charla the Charizard fly us to the Blackthorn City general hospital, I didn't make a fuss.

Though I totally would have been faster on Winter.

.

It took us two hours to reach Blackthorn and an extra twenty minutes to enter the hospital grounds. Liza had to land at the Blackthorn City Gym, where she had a Gym Trainer keep watch over her blimp while we were gone. Apparently, she was good friends with Clair, the Gym Leader of the city. Like, good enough friends to say that "Claire and I are totes bff's" with a straight face. The trainer that was tasked with looking after her blimp didn't even fuss, likely used to her presence.

Arriving at the hospital could have been easier. Could have been harder too, now that I think about it. We had to sit in a lobby for an hour, awkward energy abound. We spent most of our time in that lobby ignoring one another, Liza through way of generic magazines and me through way of my Pokégear.

When it came time for me to get my blood work done, old fears crept up. It was stupid, I'm aware, but I don't like needles. I'm not phobic or anything, I just don't like them

In the end, after I thrashed like the twerp I was, I had to be essentially strapped down to a table for a half hour, where they took my blood and gave my injections. If anybody attempts to question why the doctor that looked me over is now sporting a black eye, I will say I know nothing. That's right, Jon Snow knows nothing.

Nothing!

Ahem.

After my visit to the hospital, we were told that my information would be returned within the next week or so. Liza, being the person in charge of my fostering, would be the one to receive the information, and it was up to her discretion to give me my information.

While we were here, she took the opportunity to give me a tour of the city.

Originally, Blackthorn City was known as Blackthorn Village, a town built near the famous Dragon's Den, a cave-system and valley grassland home to various Dragon type Pokémon. It was – is – a preserve, a place where wild dragons reign supreme, allowing only a select few humans to enter their abode.

Blackthorn became a city in the aftermath of Lance Blackthorn becoming the Champion of Johto some fourteen years ago. With the rise of Lance, Blackthorn's population skyrocketed, a Gym taking shape and a city in the making. Five years later, both were realized, and Blackthorn City became the most recent destination of note on the Johto/Kanto maps.

Blackthorn City was big. Big enough that Liza didn't feel like giving me a proper tour. Instead, she brought me back to the Gym, where I was introduced to Claire and summarily shown the prime destinations to see in the city.

Claire was a pretty cool woman, good looking too with her lightly tanned skin and sky-blue hair. She was willing to talk about anything, and when I mentioned that I had Dratini egg (no way in hell was I going to mention I had been jipped out of a Dragonair), she got really excited. Bring up Dragon types around her and you have a chatter box.

In the end, she gave me her Pokégear number and offered me some training tips for my Dratini and any future Dragon types I might catch. She very blatantly winked at Liza when saying this, earning a sad shake of the head from the greenette, nearly dashing the hope I held in my heart for a Charmander in the near future.

There were plenty of Charizard around, plenty of their line in the Valley to take. But if Liza said no, that was it.

I'd need to convince her. I'd need to show her that I was worthy. More than that, I'd need to show them that I was worthy.

We returned to the Charicifc Valley at the peak of night. The Pokémon in the Valley were either asleep or nearly there, and Liza and I hit the hay ourselves.

All in all, it was a good day.

Aside from the needles.

Claire Blackthorn was a well-known woman in the region of Johto. Dragon Mistress, Strongest of the Gym Leaders, Onezie Enthusiast, her titles were heavy and grand. Her fanbase was solid, her position secure, and above all else, she was the only female Gym Leader that wasn't jailbait.

…Claire did her best to avoid the fans that mentioned that tidbit. While she didn't mind the stares, the detail of her being twenty-years-old was one she tried to ignore when it came to her popularity.

Claire was a prudent woman, strict and domineering, with a soft side seen only by family and close friends, friends like Liza Hawsen. Claire was loyal to a fault, especially to Lance, her beloved cousin who had adopted her as his sister after the passing of her parents, her idol. It was Lance that helped raise her, helped her along the path to becoming a Dragon Mistress. He even went so far as to give her the progeny of his mated Dragonites as a starter Pokémon.

Lance was a very important person to Claire, and she would do anything to help him.

So, when she received a called from the Blackthorn Hospital claiming that there was an issue regarding her brother, Claire rushed over. The wait in the lobby filled her with worry, but she was soon cleared to enter a screening room. A doctor with brown hair and a healing black eye was waiting for her, looking over a document.

"Claire Blackthorn?" He asked, eyeing her.

"Yes, doctor." Claire nodded, taking a seat. "That's me. What's wrong with Lance?"

Scene after scene had played in her mind, horrors of the craziness Lance got up to getting the better of him surfacing in her dreams. Claire hadn't felt such an anxiety in years.

"Ah, nothing is wrong with him, per se, but we did learn something… interesting, about Lance Blackthorn that required either his, or his emergency contact's, attention."

Claire calmed, slouching ever so slightly into her seat. So, Lance was alright, that was good. She was also touched that he listed her as his emergency contact.

The doctor passed her the document he'd been looking over, a tan folder holding bloodwork details. Confused, Claire took the document, eyes widening at the first line of text on the document.

This was a paternity form.

"To be perfectly honest, this was as unexpected for us as it was for you," the doctor commiserated, likely noting her gob smacked expression. "Still, we found this information and felt you deserved to know. As you can see, you apparently have a nephew that had been previously unmarked in our registry, Ms. Blackthorn."

Claire was thinking up a storm, reading the document as if it were a lifeline. It actually was, especially when she looked over the name of her apparent nephew.

"Jon Snow? I met him last week, one of my friends is fostering him."

"Liza Hawsen, caretaker of the Charicific Valley, yes?" Upon her nodded, the doctor before her smiled. "A coincidence then. She brought him in so that he could take his mandatory injections for his Journey and have blood work done to ensure that nothing debilitated his ability to travel extensively."

He took the document from her and flipped to the fifth page, a psych eval available.

"Part of the mandates set down by the League require a general evaluation of physical and mental health from our patients before they can set off on their Journey proper. To be perfectly frank, he's quite astounding. Very mature for his age. Normally, children raised in such confusing environments show signs of abuse in one manner or another, but Mr. Snow was perfectly fine. Well, aside from an apparent fear of needles." He calmly pointed to his black eye, not that Claire was in the mood for such humor at the moment.

No, she was looking over the evaluation that was available to her. In it, the past of Jon Snow was made apparent, and Claire couldn't help but bite her lip at what she read.

The boy, her nephew, was essentially a street rat. Born to a mother that abandoned him and given to family after family, he never understood what a stable home life entailed. In an attempt to find some normality, he decided to become a Pokémon trainer, nearly dying in his leaving Kumquat. It was luck that he washed up on the shores of Shamouti Island, where the local Nurse Joy made him her ward and offered him the first modicum of stability he'd ever had.

Unwilling to let this go, Claire set the file down and pulled out her Pokégear. While Jon had a higher tech model of the Pokégear, Claire had the proto-type of the newest model that was made specifically for holographic communication.

She dug through her favorites file, found Lance, and range him up.

Ring~

Ring~

Rin-"Claire?" Lance asked, his image appearing in a mote of blue light.

"Lance," Claire nodded. Normally she'd be far less informal, calling him Bro or Lancie, but there was nothing normal about this situation. "Are you busy right now?"

"A little," he admitted, the hologram of his face frowning. "I've got some paperwork I'm dealing with at the moment, then I have to help facilitate a territorial dispute between Cerulean City and Saffron City. But I can talk for a little while. Is everything alright?"

"No, Lance. Everything is not alright." Claire signed, fiddling with her ponytail. "I'm here at the hospital and we've got some news."

"I'd like to jump in on this point." The doctor said. Lance's image twisted to face the man of medicine. "Mr. Blackthorn, my name is Dr. Erik Scalin. I've worked at the Blackthorn Hospital for the past thirteen years, primarily dealing with pre-Journey injections and child psychology."

"Er, hi doc." Lance awkwardly offered, coughing slightly.

"The reason for the call is that six days ago, we had a nine-year-old boy come in for his pre-Journey injections with some blood work added to the mix. He'd apparently never had any done before, and the woman he is fostering under demanded such."

"He's fostering under Liza, Lance." Claire clarified, earning a hum from Lance.

"Alright, always nice to hear about newer trainers, I guess. What does that have to do with me?"

Dr. Scalin traded a look with Claire, one that Claire nodded at.

"Well," he started, fumbling with his words. "The boy's name is Jon Snow, an orphan of the Orange Archipelago. Due to his orphan status and the screenings he went through, we had to put his information into our scanners to try and find an immediate relative. Policy is policy, you see. After putting his blood in our system, a match came out. Paternally."

"Lance, he's your kid." Claire bluntly stated. Better to rip off the band-aid than slowly peel it back.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Claire wished she had brought her camera. Lance was normally a very put together man, rarely showing emotion. This? His jaw dropped, eyes bugged and the small "eep" he let out? It would have been a perfect moment.

Alas, such was not to be.

A loud crash was heard, Lance's head leaving from for a moment, followed by a colorful amount of swearing. He returned to frame, almost frothing at the mouth. "WHAT?!"

"Jon Snow is your biological son," Dr. Scalin repeated.

"HOW?!"

The humor of Lance's reaction spurred Claire on, the seriousness of the situation finally losing its edge on her end. "Well, when a mommy and a daddy-"

"Claire, just – just, shut up. Please."

He was groaning, banging his head on the desk. At this point, he wasn't even talking to them, just berating his own self. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. How does this even happen? I'm always careful. Always! And he's nine? What the actual fuck. Let's see… what was I doing ten years ago... Ah! I did go to the Archipelago, and… shit, I was drinking a lot on that vacation. Great, just great... I'm such an idiot."

"Because you two are his closest living relatives, as well as being the closest to the hospital, we decided to give you this information before delivering it to Ms. Hawsen. Currently, neither she nor the lad have any idea of this news."

Lance's voice was a whisper, barely loud enough for the speaker to track. "Well, what's the kid like?"

"He's a cutie," Claire shrugged. "I didn't think about it, but he's got your hair, might have your chin too. A real stubborn one. Says he wants to be a Flying type specialist. Already has a pretty good team, a Pidgeot and a Scyther and a Delibird. I don't know the details of how he did it, but he got his hands on a Dratini egg too."

"That's, that's good." Lance wheezed. "A Blackthorn should have a dragon. And he's at the Charicific Valley, right? A Dragonite and a Charizard, that's a good combo."

"There's a worry that the egg won't survive, sadly." Claire admitted. The conversation with Liza about the smallness of the egg tugged at Claire's heartstrings, and now that she learned the boy was her nephew the tugging was more akin to a torrent of sorrow. "It was lain prematurely, its mother being a recently captured Dragonair that took Professor Oak's own Dragonite to mate while Jon was getting his license. The egg was bred previously, and you know how their line gets when they meet a life-mate. We aren't certain yet if it will survive. And Liza… She's not very hopeful that there will be a Charmander for him. She said that this years breeding season was scarce, that she's only expecting a few Charizards to have clutches, and you know how territorial they are."

Lance frowned from his side of the transmission. Something was going through his head, something serious. He only frowned like that when he was about to do something foolish. Claire hoped this was one of those few times where his foolishness was useful.

"He may not have my name," Lance started. "But he has my blood. A Blackthorn without a dragon is no Blackthorn at all… You're positive he's my son?"

"One hundred percent," Dr. Scalin affirmed.

"Then…" Lance sighed, coming to a decision. "I can't raise a kid, Claire. You know I can't. Not with the media hounding me and all of the issues I have to deal with keeping the region under control. Not to mention the G-men."

"You don't have to worry about raising him, Lance." Claire said softly. "Don't forget that he's my nephew too, and that he's being cared for by Liza. By the time he's done with her I'll grab him. Before we know it, he'll be ten and starting his Journey. That's only four months away. We don't have to worry about this for a long time, not if you don't want to."

"You know it's not that. It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't… If he's really my kid, and he's serious about his goals… Fine. Being of Blackthorn blood, being kin to us, I'll allow him our Rite."

There was no more to be said. Lance abruptly hung up the phone, the last thing Claire saw was a resigned look of determination on his face. Claire herself was quite shocked. Pleased, though shocked.

Dr. Scalin turned to her, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What does he mean by your Rite?"

"A family tradition," Claire answered. "It's not really a secret, but… Suffice to say, even if Lance can't be there for him, he's acknowledging Jon."

She stood, emotions whirling. Thanking the doctor profusely for his aid, she scampered off, headed for the Gym. There were surely trainers thinking they could conquer her, that would let her take her mind off of things.

Oh. And it seemed as though she had to give Liza a call, to let her friend know to expect a large package.

It had been two weeks since my visit to the hospital, and while I enjoyed the time spent in the Valley, one major facet of information was on my mind.

Eggs take a shit-ton of time to hatch.

Oh, sure. The games made it look easy, you walk a bunch and then poof, you've got a new Pokémon

Anime? They just went about their journey, and, like, seven or so episodes down the line, it hatches. The timeframe of episodes was confusing, but generally speaking they were either a day apart or two days apart. Meaning that Viserion should at least be showing some signs of hatching.

But no, it doesn't work that way.

Unlike the show and unlike the games, there was a further case to think about. The Pokémon typing of the egg in question meant that it would hatch at a faster or slower rate.

Taking the Valley for example. Fire type Pokémon, like Grass types, tended to grow at quicker rates, and hatch at quicker rates as well. Dragon types, due to their slow rates of growth, also hatch at slower rates. There's no exact date to be noted, every Pokémon and Pokémon egg being different, but one thing is certain: Dragon types take a while.

And Viserion was already going to be a trick. It being premie made things difficult enough. There was a worry that it wouldn't even hatch, that the egg was unfertilized.

But I had faith. Viserion would hatch. It would hatch into a Dratini, grow into a Dragonair and evolve into a formidable Dragonite. It couldn't not do that, not after all of the trouble I went through.

However, doubt still crept up on me. By this point, I've had this egg for almost three weeks. Nothing has happened in that span of time. Normally speaking, an egg would at least move a bit, or let off a periodic glow. As far as I can tell, neither of these things have happened yet.

"Jon!" Liza called from the living room space. I was in my little room, doing a lot of nothing. "Come out! You've got a package!"

A package? For me? Nani?!

Curious, I did as was bade, making my way into the living room. The caretakers living space was unique, built into one of the hollowed burrows that was made for the Charizard's to use. It looks like a modern home that was somehow built into a cave. A real unique feel.

And in the middle of this space was a large cardboard box, a letter sat on its top. The box was about two feet tall, a foot and a half wide. There was no address denoting where it came from.

I want to know what's inside.

Tearing into it like a child on a war path, I dug my way through packing puffs, gaping at what was inside.

It was an incubator, a teal egg inside of it, a smidge of grey colorations on its peak and bottom.

I immediately grabbed the letter and opened it. There was no note, just a CD drive.

Liza saw this and got her CD player ready. We both sat down on her couch, her television on and our interests held. After a few seconds, the screen shifted to a white background with a wooden chair in its centerfold.

And then Lance fucking Blackthorn walked into the scene and took a seat.

"So, this is awkward," Lance said, scratching at his head. "But I suppose I should start this off properly. Hello, my name is Lance. You might have heard of me."

"What that actual hell is going on?" Liza asked, perplexed. Honestly, she just spoke my thoughts near verbatim.

"I've certainly heard of you, Jon. I recently received some information, information that has put me in a strange position. To be blunt, the blood work that you put forth in Blackthorn City had a match, a match in the form of me. I'm your father, kid."

What the actual fuck.

"I know, crazy right?" Lance coughed into his shoulder, eyes shifting to the sides of the camera lens. Then he just slumped. "Look, they say you're mature, so I'll be blunt. I was thrown completely left field by that. While I don't mind the idea of becoming a father, I never intended to have you and I learned of you too late. I can't be what you want, and you aren't really what I was envisioning."

You call that blunt? I call that a sledge hammer. On glass.

"Don't get me wrong!" He said, waving his arms wildly. "I wouldn't mind having a relationship with you, but to suddenly act like a father and son… I'm not stupid, and I don't think you are either. Things don't work that way, and I won't pretend otherwise."

Unconsciously, my fists clenched. I knew all too well that things didn't work that way. Years of disappointment in the orphanage attested to such.

"But, ah… Here we are. You should be getting the forms of proof soon, that or you should already have them. I am your biological father, that much is fact. But I can't be there for you, I've got too much on my plate. And since you're trying to become a trainer, I had an idea. It's nothing compared to a family, but in my clan, in our clan, there is a tradition, a Rite in which a dragon is offered to a young man or woman so that they might grow together with strength. I've learned that the egg you yourself have might not survive, that you might not be able to get your hands on a Charmander, and… Well, I've also learned that you want to be a Flying type specialist. This is proof of me accepting that you're my kid. Hopefully, you and this egg, once it hatches, will become partners through thick and thin."

My eyes trailed the new egg, taking it in in its entirety. A Dragon type Pokémon that would gain a Flying type. Was it another Dratini?

No, no it wasn't. Viserion's egg was the standard for how a Dratini egg should look, the only exception being its Shiny variant. This was something else.

I admit, my interest was piqued.

"Normally, I'd ask for discretion," Lance said. "But this, our situation is different. You haven't had anybody for years, and while I cannot be there for you, my name and title might bring you some comfort. If you claim to be my son in public, I will not deny you. Just, be careful, okay? I've got lots of friends, yeah, but more enemies than I can count, and fame is like a Double Edge. It can fun, but it can hurt too. It can hurt really badly."

He shifted, looking to his left. "I've got to go now. If you ever need to contact me for something, ask Claire for help. I'll at least try and keep a correspondence with you."

With that, the screen turned to black, the CD neatly falling out of the player.

…

…

…

…

What.

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, Metal Claw, Attract

Ability: Swarm

Umber/Delibird – Female

Moves: Present, Icy Wing, Peck, Rest, Attract, Ice Beam, Hail

Ability: Hustle

Viserion/Dratini – Egg

Moves: Unknown

Ability: ?

?/? – Egg

Moves: Unknown

Ability: ?

Jon Snow – Male

Date: Aug 20

Badges: N/A

Pokémon: Pidgeot, Scyther, Delibird, Dratini(Egg), ?(Egg)

Currency: ₽19670