Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.
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"Upper incisors three inches… back molars appear slightly sharper than the average Bagon… tongue is-AH! Crikey, that was a close one!"
"Can you hurry up!?" I grunted, feeling my tendons straining against the 500-ish pounds I was holding back as it lurched forward.
"Science cannot be rushed!" Bill Misaki chirped brightly and leaned back in, like he wasn't less than an inch from losing a finger mere seconds before.
Suicidal lunatic.
Hercules whirred his agreement, the electric burr rising and falling in pitch as he slid forwards in the grass a little, the Electabuzz securing his footing and yanking backwards with a mighty heave, Betty snarling as the burly arms around her midsection pulled her out of biting range. I wasn't sure how much my own grip around her neck was helping, but at least it gave me access to her jaw and a chance to save Bill's hand from the snapping teeth. It was really Herc's strength and Siren's threatening glare that was doing all the work.
Those Fire Stones better be fucking worth it.
"You know," the scientist continued while typing furiously on a large I-Pad-esque device, gesturing to the large scale he'd brought. He turned to look at Gary as he spoke, paying no attention to the loud groaning, cursing, and screeching as I tried to get Betty to stay in one spot long enough for an accurate measure. "I knew I would be getting a call from Peri one of these days; no man can hold out for long against those kinds of incentives, but I never thought you would be here as well, Beri! I imagined Sammy warned you off. Old chap threw a wobbly last time we worked together."
"It's Gary, not Beri, you fuckin-..." Gary trailed off into an angry mutter, taking a deep breath to centre himself and closing the box with the pair of Evolution Stones. Plastering a fake smile on his face that was less than convincing, with all the quivering and stormy eyes. "Nah, Gramps speaks very highly of you, sir! Thank you so much for helping us out."
"It is no trouble, my boy, no trouble at all. Especially if Sam has gotten his knickers unwadded, though that was not the impression I got the last time we spoke." Normally, I'd have been impressed that Gary sucked at pretending so much that even Bill saw through him, but I was a little busy trying to dodge the spray of dragon fire that immolated many of the colourful flowers around us, leaving large swaths of charred wreckage behind.
Based on the smell of burning hair and the weak Water Gun that Siren doused my head with, I was having limited success.
At least I got the weight, a whopping 487 pounds. It was also fortunate that Bill was still facing away when he threw me a tape measure, so he didn't see the very rude gestures I directed at him before I got back to it.
Why did Betty have to be so difficult as soon as other people were around?
"Oh, well, you know that old man," Gary tried to deflect, "he barely remembers if he put on socks that morning, so, you know…"
"Hmmm," Thankfully, the billionaire left it alone after that. "So, you lads are evolving your Growlithe. I will not lie, that sounds very exciting."
"4'10!" I exclaimed, letting go of the angry Dragon-Type and letting her run away to hide behind Sol, who was getting his sunning time in. It took less than a minute for them to be chasing each other across the flowery meadow that Bill and his Alakazam had Teleported us to. "And a half. Fuck me, can't you just trust me when I give you the numbers?"
"That is not very scientific of you, mate, and you were an inch and a half off anyway."
"I'll make you an inch and a half off…" I was glad I kept that to myself; I wasn't quite sure what I meant. "As for the Fire Stones… I don't know. Maybe."
"What!?" Gary clearly hadn't been expecting that answer. "The hell you mean, you're not sure!? Did you learn nothing in the Tower!? We need that power!"
"Yeah, sure, I agree that we need to be stronger," I assured him, "I'm just not sure this is the best way. They're not even a year old yet, Gary. I don't know if they're ready."
"They'll be fine." I looked at Bill for his input, not trusting Gary's cavalier attitude. As much as I'd love to see Sol as an Arcanine, I'd rather wait than risk causing him permanent damage by rushing.
"Hmm?" The only adult human in the large, Celadon training ground looked up from his notes again, having started to ignore us as soon as the attention wasn't on him for a millisecond. Well, I said only adult human, but there were a few other Trainers hanging out on the other side, mostly just socialising with their teams. I'd noticed quite a few Grass-Types among them, but I supposed that was to be expected from the city of the Grass-Type Gym. "Oh, I would not fret too much about it. While evolution is not my primary field of study, Fire-Types are generally sturdy and fast-growing. Not as much as, say, Bug-Types, but who wants a Bug?" He laughed at his own comment, Gary snorting in reluctant agreement. Several of the nearby Trainers glared our way, not intimidated by my returning stare. In fact, some of them seemed to be getting ready to come over before they saw Sol, Growly, and Betty running around, Vulpix and Clefairy on their tails, and thought better of it.
My eyes lingered on the ones that looked at little too long, suspicion flaring in my mind.
Who knew which ones were reporting to Team Rocket, or were actual members themselves?
It wasn't paranoia if they really were out to get you.
"Stone evolutions, and non-strength-based evolutions in general, are often easier," Bill continued, either oblivious or uncaring about the reaction he got from the others. "Typically, if the Pokémon is not ready for evolution, they will refrain from using it. There are exceptions, usually due to conscious or unconscious pressure from their Trainers, and people have been arguing about the right time to evolve for centuries, but I am sure it will be perfectly fine."
Was I the only one who wanted to make sure before we made our Pokémon go through an unnatural, potentially harmful metamorphosis? Or was I overthinking it?
"Anyway!" The green-haired man clapped his hands, and the Alakazam he never recalled grabbed his stuff telekinetically and began packing it up. "While this has been absolutely lovely, and I am simply chuffed that you called, Peri, my lad, I do have other things to do today, so I do not have the time to faff around. Cheers for the data, both on Bertha-"
"Betty." I corrected him, to little effect.
"-and on that stunning Vulpix. The gits on that terribly backwater island were so reluctant to share. I know several blokes who will pay a proper fortune for this stuff."
"Speaking of pay…" I 'hinted'.
"Come now, mate, those are top-shelf Fire Stones!" Bill snatched the case from Gary without even asking, once more ignoring the insults that followed. He popped the lid and held it up to my face. The orange rocks shone in the midday sun, the flames in the centre flickering and dancing despite their physical nature. I couldn't deny that the two Fire Stones were quite a bit larger and shinier than the Thunder Stone Nurse Joy had given Ash in Vermillion, but I wasn't sure how much that actually did. "They are enough to turn a Magby into a Magmortar! Well, not actually, but you get the idea. You will not get these anywhere without knowing the right folk. That is a hefty price for a preliminary peek at your Bagon, innit?"
"Sure, for Betty, but you yourself said that you haven't been able to get anything on Alolan Vulpix." I pointed out.
"And I still have not, other than a brief physical. Greed is good, my boy, but you have got to learn when to push and when to wait for the next time. A good impression will get you further than endless pushing."
I had to swiftly reach down and grab Honedge's handle, making me unable to avoid Bill when he reached up to ruffle my hair. It had taken over 30 minutes to convince the Steel/Ghost-Type to stay in it's PokéBall long enough that we could Teleport without its innate Distortion screwing it up, and it had been attached to my hip ever since. Apparently, it had been holding its elaborate, brown sheath with three holes in the top behind my back while we'd been in the Pokémon Tower.
"Whatever."
"That's the spirit! Tata, lads!" We didn't have a chance to say anything – which wouldn't have been nice, anyway – before the man vanished alongside his Psychic with a slight twist of space in a very smooth Teleport.
"Dickhead!"
"A smarter than I thought dickhead. You need to hit up some other scientists, make him Ponyta up to stay ahead of the competition." Gary chimed in before turning back to our teams. "So, you done being a bitch and ready to get this show on the road?"
"Excuse me for actually caring about my team, unlike-" I bit the rest of my comment off, an uncomfortable silence settling in as Gary's face turned red.
Trying to move on before my mistake could linger, I threw out a thought I'd been having for a while.
"I think we should get the Badge before attacking the base."
"Who gives a fuck about the Badge!?"
"Didn't you hear Proton? They'll be looking for Betty, and by extension, me-"
"And you think giving them more time for a response is the right idea? Is that sword freak sucking out your brain!?" Honedge vibrated against my palm as I held myself back. I'd started it, so it was only fair.
"They already know we're here!" I glared over at the other Trainers, a couple of their heads spinning away to seem like they weren't listening in. "And maybe you're the one that didn't learn shit in the Tower or the S.S. Anne! You think a single evolution will be enough to take on a whole base!? There's no way there's not an Executive down there, and if they're even close to as strong as Proton, we'd be fucked!"
"Then what, huh!? You wanna just fuck off, forget everything and act like it didn't happen? Go, then! I'll do it myself-"
"Shut up for just a second!" I drew in a deep breath, trying to centre myself like Champy had shown me back at Oak's Reserve as Gary crossed his arms demonstrably. I'd fallen out of meditating over the last couple of weeks, since leaving Cerulean, actually, but Agatha's words hung heavily in my mind.
I needed to control my emotions and not just act on my impulses, hard as that was. That kind of shit was what got me in trouble back in Mt. Moon.
"We need more people." I softened my voice deliberately, trying to gear down the conversation. It had taken multiple fuck-ups for me to get to learn that lesson, and it was still fresh for Gary. "Maybe if I called Walter-"
"Fuck no!" Gary instantly rejected.
"Walter helped on the S.S. Anne!"
"No, he helped after the Rockets had already left the S.S. Anne! Somebody called and warned them, and the only one we told was him!" I didn't have a good response to that. Surely I wasn't getting scammed by the Admiral, right? "And beyond that, he won't do shit in another Clan's territory, not even the fucking Gardeners!"
I had to concede that Gary probably knew more than me on that topic. Walter did seem pretty concerned with Clan politics.
"No," he continued, taking one of the Fire Stones and whistling for his Growlithe, "We're on our own, and that's fine. We're strong enough to-"
"Gary? Peri?"
The sudden voice from behind had us spinning around, Honedge flying out of its scabbard and slicing through the air before I managed halt it. I looked up, ready to snap at the idiot who snuck up on someone with a visible Ghost-Type, only for the words to die on my tongue when I realised that I recognised them.
"Green?"
Sure enough, it was indeed Gretchen, or Green as she preferred. I hadn't seen the girl since we got our Pokémon back in Pallet Town, but not much seemed to have changed. She'd switched out her hat for one of straw, and coupled with her green sundress and flipflops, she had a farm-girl vibe going on. Behind, a knee-high green Pokémon followed after her, the main body a twisted stalk, with the plant-esque Grass-Type's hands ending in a blue and red flower, respectively. The Rosalia blinked up at me curiously before seeming to get bored, bouncing over to one of the untouched patches of vibrant flowers.
"Hey!" She was all smiles, stepping forward and hugging Gary, the boy freezing in response. It would've been funnier if I weren't forced to awkwardly pat her on the back with one hand, the other still holding Honedge. I really needed to get the ghost under control. "Long time no see! I didn't know you guys were in Celadon!"
"Back at you. Didn't think you would still be here." I remembered her talking about her brother teleporting her to Celadon, but I figured she'd moved on by then.
"Well, you would've known if you bothered writing," she huffed, hands on her hips, before she relented with a sigh. "Though the same can be said about me. Guess we've all been busy getting used to being real Trainers, huh?"
"Uh-huh, something like that," I grunted noncommittally. Gary crouched down to pet Growly, trying his hardest to appear uncaring about the conversation.
"Anyway, yeah, the City of Rainbow Dreams has got a hold of me," she laughed while I rolled my eyes at the pretentious nickname for Celadon. "It's fine, though. There's still plenty of time to get my Badges before the Conference starts, and I'm still learning tons from my brother and the other Gym Trainers. This is so neat, though, we're all in the same spot again! Well, other than Jonathan."
"Ash is here?" That surprised me. I'd have thought they were further along, given the time Gary and I spent walking to Lavender.
Bill's Teleport really saved us a lot of time.
"Yeah, he and his friends. I can't believe he's travelling with two former Gym Leaders. I'm so jealous. Guess that's the goofy, friendly attitude for you."
I looked at Gary meaningfully. He appeared confused for a moment before our previous conversation came back to him, and a look of intense disgust overtook his features.
But he didn't say no.
Unaware of the silent conversation – though I saw her eyes narrow a bit at the exchanged looks – Green continued.
"You guys are here for the Badge, right? Have you signed up for a match yet?"
"No, not yet."
"That's great!" She beamed, grabbing us both by the wrist and tugging us towards the centre of the city. "I know the secretary! I'm sure we can get you squeezed in early! The city is being overrun right now with Trainers, so you'd have to wait a while otherwise!"
"We were in the middle of something!" Gary finally snapped, yanking his hand out of her grip. Green appeared startled and upset at his rough reaction.
"Oh, uh, sorry, Gary…"
"It's been an… eventful trip," I tried to hint. The girl's face fell, a sympathetic expression replacing the hurt, and she reached out a comforting hand to squeeze Gary's shoulder.
"Ash told me. About the S.S. Anne, I mean. I heard about it on the news, but I didn't know you guys were there… Gary, I'm so sorry about your-"
"Whatever." He shrugged off her hand and turned back to his Growlithe. "It's fine." I grimaced at the glance she gave me.
It was definitely not fine.
Anything further was cut off by a bright shining light erupting right before us, the Fire Stone in Gary's hand pressed against Growly's snout as the canine and stone both lit up with energy.
It was my first time seeing an item evolution, and I watched with interest despite my reservations. The glow grew more intense as the stone dissolved and seeped into Growly, who was completely hidden from sight by the blinding light. Slowly, much more slowly than Herc's evolution had been, the Growlithe began growing, a series of cracks ringing out as everyone nearby stopped to watch. Snarls and a whimper left the Fire-Type as her legs lengthened and body thickened. From being little more than three feet tall, the dog-shaped star grew to tower over all of us, over six feet tall, with a large protrusion extending from her tailbone.
Finally, after over a minute of bones shifting and tendons snapping, the energy faded, being absorbed back into Growly, and the newly turned Arcanine stood before us.
The orange, black–striped Pokémon panted, her large beige head held low, her whole body shaking from the exertion of the foreign transformation. Large tufts of similar beige fur covered her massive chest as her lungs billowed for air, tongues of flame blowing with every exhale between large teeth, and more shaggy pelt extended from the back of her ankles and the knees of her hindlegs. The largest difference, other than more than doubling in size, was the large, two-foot tail – beige as well – with a kink in the middle that wafted behind her.
Getting her trembling under control, at least somewhat, the mighty Fire-Type stood up to her full height, looming as she gazed upon us with her black eyes.
"Damn," Gary mumbled, stepping forward without fear. It wasn't common, but neither that rare, for a Pokémon to change its attitude towards its Trainer after evolution, as Ash's Charizard did in the canon. The metamorphosis changed the brain as well, with completely new hormones pumping through their body and neural pathways reconfiguring.
In the best-case scenario, the Pokémon refused to listen.
In the worst case, the Trainer didn't get the hint before their Pokémon showed.
Gary didn't seem to have any concern about that as he sank his hand into the large patch of fur on the Arcanine's chest, even as the breath from a mouth large enough to engulf his whole head blew back his hair. There was something close to reverence in his eyes as the hand moved up to behind the ear and began scratching.
Nor did it seem he had any cause for concern as the huge canine closed her eyes and leaned into the touch, enormous tongue lolling out of her mouth.
Growlithe line and their loyalty. Had to love it.
"Why don't Green and I go and get those Gym battles arranged while you two get reacquainted?" I suggested, Gary nodding despite not looking as if he were paying attention. Still, he handed over his Pokédex without issue. "Watch Sol for me?" I asked, watching my own Growlithe slink over to Growly, his tail furiously wacking, as I recalled the rest of my team.
Well, other than Honedge and Eevee, but that was more their choice than mine.
"Sure."
Satisfied with the response, I gestured for Green to lead the way, and we soon left the field behind.
"A little early to be evolving the Growlithe, isn't it? They're not that old." Green echoed my own concerns, looking over her shoulder as some of the onlookers started approaching, PokéBalls in hand.
"Yeah, that's what I thought, but it seems like it turned out fine. I do wanna call the Professor before following suit, but-HEY! NO!"
Having trotted along after my heels, Eevee had crouched down and leapt up to take her normal place on my shoulder.
Honedge didn't like that, and I barely managed to yank the Normal-Type out of the way before the sharp edge of the sword could part her head from her shoulders.
"ENOUGH OF YOUR SHIT!" I lost my temper, holding it up. For once, the sky-blue eye was wholly focused on me. "You do not try to hurt the team, do you fucking understand! I will not tolerate that shit! I'll throw you back in the tower before letting you touch them like that, understand!?"
Harsh, harsher than I needed to be, maybe, but I was serious. If Honedge couldn't handle being around others, then it had to go.
It stared back at me for a moment before the eye shifted to the side, and a slight shiver ran through the blade. The same sensation of something brushing my mind that I'd felt the first time I picked it up returned, and even though no words were spoken, I got the feeling that it submitted.
Loyalty was something it understood.
I sighed, running a hand down my face as the fury and fear left me as swiftly as they arrived, leaving me feeling quite bad about my anger.
"I'm sorry, that was harsh. I shouldn't threaten you like that. You're young and new to this, and I haven't shown you how to behave yet. I-" Abruptly, I remembered that we weren't alone and sought to put the conversation on hold. For a little bit, anyway. It was something we needed to further address very soon. "We'll figure this out later. For now, don't attack anyone unless I tell you to, okay?"
There was no pseudo-telepathy that time. Instead, the sword Pokémon tugged itself out of my grip, hovering in the air as the large, hand-esque shape its ribbon ended in brought its sheath up, and it slid inside.
Then it dropped like a rock. For a moment, I thought it was being dramatic, but as it hit the shadow beneath my feet, it slid inside like the ground was water, and was soon completely gone from sight. The only thing that remained was a slight chill by my feet, and a lingering presence that reminded me that it wasn't far.
Oh. Guess I didn't need to teach it Shadow Sneak. That was something, at least.
Holding up Eevee with my other hand, I checked her over to make sure I was fast enough. I couldn't find any wounds, but her eyes were wide as they met my own, and she was clearly shaken.
"You okay?" She nodded. Even though I didn't really believe her, I still put her back on my shoulder gently, where she pushed against my neck. "Don't worry, it won't happen again. I won't let anything happen to you."
Finally turning back to our companion, I expected many things from Green. Shock, fear, anger, disdain over how I handled it.
What I didn't expect was a sympathetic smile.
"Ghost-Types, huh? Guessing you just got it?" I nodded dumbly. "Yeah, it takes a bit to get used to. Honestly, I still have trouble with mine sometimes, and its supposed to be one of the easier ones. I don't even recognise yours."
"You have a Ghost-Type? I thought you wanted to be a Grass-Type Master?" All I got in response was a wink as she resumed walking, turning around to keep eye contact with her hands behind her back and an impish smile on her face.
"Were we going to the Gym?"
Shaking my head, I followed her, one hand caressing Eevee the whole way.
Guess I was wrong about nothing having changed with her. That was a lot more confident than I remembered her.
We soon left the training ground behind, navigating through low hedges and stone benches, surrounded by more flowers and colourful plants, and made our way back to the centre of Celadon City.
As much as I wasn't really a person who enjoyed frollicking among the flowers, I couldn't deny that Rainbow City was arguably the prettiest of the major cities I'd been to. Like a fusion of the modernised Vermillion and the beautiful Cerulean, Celadon's buildings were towering behemoths of glass and steel, multistory structures outnumbering all others. Unlike the Sunset Port, however, each building was a work of art. The steel beams twisted, the glass panels curving with them and reflecting the banners and flowers everywhere.
And I did mean everywhere.
Lining the streets and each side of the entrances to the buildings, there were flowers in every colour imaginable. In every empty spot where more than a single weed could be grown, there were plants that lent their sweet aroma to the air, and where stalls and stores were set up, they sold flowers or flower products. And what seemed like every 10 feet, there were miniature parks, with fountains containing statues of Grass-Types – often from the Oddish line – spewing water and cooling down the humid temperature. Somehow, despite Cerulean being filled with water, Celadon was much wetter, a perpetual pressure to the air that made my t-shirt stick to my skin. The inhabitants' and tourists' clothing reflected that: loose and billowy, and in as many colours as possible.
Given that Green was right in there being a lot of people, probably the most crowded place I'd ever been, it was quite a sensory overload. The people were polite enough, stepping to the side to let us and each other pass, calling out greetings and moving aside to chat, but the more time passed, the less fond I became of big gatherings.
A consequence of hanging out in the wilderness, perhaps, but I wasn't looking to change it. People sucked most of the time.
Unlike Vermillion, however, as we got closer and closer to where I presumed the Gym was, I still saw signs of the history the city had. Sprawling mansions with carefully maintained lawns and hedges stood majestically in rows as we got to what I assumed was the Clan quarters, marble statues and excessive wealth on display everywhere. Opulent didn't even begin to describe the houses, literal gold and precious metals inlaid in carefully carved pillars, the light bouncing kalidoscopicly off what I swore were windows of pure crystal.
They were also completely empty. We walked past dozens, yet beyond the humans and Pokémon tending the plants, I didn't see a single member of Clan Gardener, as Gary had called them. It was quite eerie.
However, despite the undeniable aesthetics of the city, I couldn't wait to leave for one simple reason.
"Fuck, that reeks!" I couldn't hold in a gag anymore, pulling my shirt up over my nose. There was an underlying stench of decay and chemicals that permeated the city, but it was mostly overshadowed by the monstrous amount of flowers. However, as the Gym got closer and closer, so too did the smell.
Fucking hell, Celadon was known for their perfumes!? What was wrong with people's noses!?
"Really, you think it's that bad? Most people find it literally intoxicating. The first few weeks I spent here, it felt like I was permanently high if I wasn't wearing my nose plugs. It's the manure and chemicals, plus the specialised Glooms. How in the world they turn it into something that's legal to sell, I don't know, but I swear it's magic. Well, that or the truckloads of chemicals they bring in every day. I don't know what they even do with it; it's like three times more than they sell."
"Surprised it's not 10 times more to counteract that horror. Fuck, it's almost as bad as a Muk!"
So distracted with the stench of death and misery, I didn't even take in the Gym as we got there, simply hurrying in through the door, though that did little to help. It was so bad my eyes started watering, and Eevee, who hated her PokéBall, jumped off my shoulder and sucked herself into the capture device to escape.
The inside of the Celadon Gym, as might be expected at that point, was highly colourful. The walls were covered in banners, paintings, and – mind-blowingly – more flowers, though the dominant colour scheme was green and gold. The paintings depicted humans alongside Grass-Types, most of them in clothing that reminded me of the Gravetenders in Lavender, with elaborate hairstyles. I imagined it was old members of the local Clan, but I couldn't concentrate on anything but the smell. This close to the source, I got a hint of what Green was referring too, my head feeling a little light.
Green moved to a desk where a red-haired, older teen girl sat, wearing a dress similar to Green's. She looked up, a pair of green eyes peering out through large glasses perched on a nose stuffed with giant plugs.
"Hi, Petunia!"
"Green, hi! If you're looking for your brother, he just left, I'm afraid." The teens voice was nasally due to the nose-plugs, but still understandable.
Green shrugged, not bothered. "That's fine, I'll catch up with him later. But I was actually looking for you. You know that favour you owe me?"
"You mean the favour you used literally two hours ago?" The older teen didn't appear impressed.
"Come on, I just need two more spots."
Petunia hesitated for a moment longer, eyes darting between us. Like a Sharpedo sensing weakness, Green leaned even further across the desk and began whispering. Despite not being that far, I genuinely couldn't hear what they were saying. The only hint to how it was going was Petunia's face crumbling further and further, before, with a giant sigh, she slowly began typing on her keyboard.
"Okay, fine, but this is the last time, Green! I swear, you were so nice when you first got here. You've spent too much time with Rose."
"Aw, I love you too!" Giving the older woman a big hug, which she half-heartedly returned, Green turned around and gave me a secret thumbs up, which I returned.
And like that, five minutes later, we were walking out of there with two battles set up for the very next day.
More importantly, I was able to breathe again and let Eevee back out of her ball. I'd even call it progress when my shadow didn't twitch as she retook her position, though she still eyed it wearily.
"How the hell did you swing that?" I asked my companion as we left the foul odor behind.
"Come on, let a girl have her secrets." I shook my head, still unused to the new attitude.
"Gotta agree with Petunia – and do all the Gym workes have flower names? She mentioned a Rose – you've changed since Pallet. Celadon's been good to you, then?"
"It has," she nodded, looking out over the almost painfully colourful city as it glittered and moved with the wind and the motions of the people. It really was quite a sight. "I'm not any closer to being a Gym Leader. Honestly, I'm probably even further away now than I was. I've learned a lot about the Clans and the League in the past couple of months, and I understand how unlikely it is. But that doesn't mean I've given up."
"I'm glad to hear it, and if it helps any, I believe you can do it more than I used to. I've mostly learned that the Clans and League are a mess, and they primarily operate on a 'who can punch the hardest' principle. I'm sure you can get there." And I truly was. She slipped my mind with everything that had been going on, but Green was easily the nicest of the kids I used to hang out with, and she deserved it. If nothing else, I hoped I'd altered things enough that she wouldn't drop out of being a Trainer.
Maybe I'd put in a good word with Walter and Grant, should a spot open up.
"Thanks, Peri." She smiled at me brightly, eyes closed in cheerful squint.
Checking my watch, I saw that it hadn't been that long since I left the training field behind. At the same time, though, it had been more than five minutes, which meant that Gary had probably killed someone and needed me to help bury the body. "I should get back before someone does something stupid. And by someone, I mean Gary."
"Yeah, that's fair. Just-..." She clearly wanted to say something about the other boy, but held it in. "Take care of him, please? How about I grab Ash and we meet up for dinner later? I know a great place that caters to whole teams."
"That sounds good," I agreed. That would give me time to call Oak. Maybe get an actual plan figured out as well, if Gary could keep his chill for five minutes. "I'll leave you to it, then. Send me the address."
"See you, Peri!"
Watching her fade into the crowd of tourists, I navigated through the masses myself back in the general direction of Gary, though I stopped once I found a rare, empty spot where I could get some privacy.
Sitting down on the bench surrounding a fountain, I threw some veggie treats to the loitering Sunflora and Budews. Watching them sway with the real flowers as a gentle breeze tickled my nose with a semi-artificial blossom scent so heavy I couldn't help but sneeze, I eventually sighed and pulled out my PokéDex.
It needed to be done, and being a pussy about it wasn't going to help.
The call didn't even have time to beep once before it got picked up, and Professor Samuel Oak appeared on the screen.
He'd looked rough the last time I saw him, but if he'd gotten any sleep in the two weeks since, it couldn't have been more than a couple of hours. The guy looked like a raccoon, with bags under his eyes so dark and heavy they resembled makeup, the wrinkling surrounding them deeper and more numerous than ever. His usual lab coat was missing, and a stained t-shirt was all that covered the older man.
Surprisingly, though, the nearby area looked cleaner than I'd expected, and the man himself seemed to have showered fairly recently. Almost certainly due to Delia, the horrifically sweet woman that she was.
Looking at him, I searched for any signs of the fighting machine Agatha had claimed him to be, but all I saw was a man driving himself mad with worry.
"Peri. It's been a while."
I grimaced at the extremely even tone, but didn't actually feel that bad. Sure, it sucked for the Professor, but Gary really took precedence at the time.
"Hey, Professor-"
"How's Gary?" I didn't mind the interruption.
"He's… good, I guess. Considering the circumstances."
"What does that mean, 'good'? Is he withdrawn, quiet, angry, vengeful? What do you mean, good!?" The calm quickly vanished, the man's extreme concern leaking through.
"I mean that he's focused on training and getting stronger. We've just arrived in Celadon and got matches for our fourth Badges tomorrow."
"None of that explains his emotional state! How's he coping with the loss, how was Lavender? If it wasn't for Fuji calling me, I'd have Teleported down there myself! What about the Black Fog!? It's been active again recently and-"
"Hey, hey, hey," I held up a hand to interrupt him. "I get that you're worried, I really do, but I'm not the guy for this. I'll try talking him into calling you, which I've already done, mind you, but if he needs more time, then he needs time. He-" I hesitated for a second before going on. I didn't want to betray Gary's confidence – he would talk to his grandpa when he was ready – but I did feel I owed it to the Professor to throw him a bone. "I think he feels that you treat him like a child, but equally… Samuel Oak's left some big shoes, you know? Even if some people don't like the… footprints, or however this metaphor works. I think he's… embarrassed is not the word, but you know."
Oak buried his head in his hands and dragged them down his face, staring through the screen with hollow eyes.
"In other news," I changed the topic uncomfortably. "Gary's evolved Growly, and I wanted to check in with you that it was safe to do the same, or if I should wait a bit. We got a second opinion that said it was fine," leaving Bill's name out of it seemed wise, "and she appears to be fine, but figured I should ask."
"Already? That is fast, I agree with you," he hammered some keys on his computer and read something on a different monitor, some of his usual energy returning as he got some work to distract him. "I would have liked to be there, and if you intend on following suit, I insist on Teleporting over, but it shouldn't harm them, no. Normally, I would give you a longer explanation on the intricacies of Evolution Stones, but I'm afraid much of it would be lost over the phone. Put simply, unlike normal evolutions – where the Pokémon needs both physical maturity and enough stored up energy to be able to complete the semi-instantaneous, partial metamorphosis – the Stone provides the necessary power and, as such, can be done earlier than most others. Within reason, of course."
"That's not to say that there are no potential downsides." He went on. "Pokémon evolved with Stones tend to have more… rigid, internal energy than others. Some find it a little harder to learn new moves after evolution, as the power comes with a certain solidity not unlike the fossilised nature of the Stones themselves, but it's by no means a hard rule. So, while I would ordinarily advise waiting a little longer, get some more experience manipulating Fire-Type energy, I can't deny that the thought of you two having some more firepower would let me sleep easier at night."
"Right." I tried to parse the information. So Arcanine not learning any new moves after evolving in the games was kind of right, but not really. "Thanks, Prof. I'll try to pop by for a visit before long, let you get some real data on Vulpix and Honedge. 'Till then, you'll have to make do with what the PokéDex can tell you."
"Luckily, that's still more than most scientists could figure out with a full lab." I snorted at the casual arrogance. He didn't even seem to notice it himself, like it was self-evident. "But… please don't wait too long on that visit. I understand that I can be… difficult, or hard to approach when it comes to personal matters, but Gary and his sister are all I have left, other than my team, and I haven't heard from Daisy in-nevermind. Just… for an old man's sake."
"We won't. Bye for now."
"Goodbye, Peri. Try to stay out of trouble. Please."
The screen turned black, reflecting my face back at me, and I felt sick.
It felt shitty lying to the man, especially when he was vulnerable for one of the first times I'd seen, but how the fuck was I supposed to tell him that his grandson and I were about to raid a whole-ass base full of terrorists and said grandson planned to be pretty bloody about it?
Felt like a 'better to ask for forgiveness than permission' type of thing.
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Green reappears, more confident than the last time we saw her. I like her as a pseudo-counter to Peri and Gary, who haven't been having the greatest of times. Being a Trainer and outside of Pallet has been good for her.
So far, at least. Let's see how long I can refrain from traumatising a character.
Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.