Vali's POV
I was exhausted when I laid on my bunk, becoming lost in my thoughts.
I was feeling upset, and I'm sure that Trinity knew.
She was beating me!
While I struggled to beat Misty with three Pokemon, she beat Misty with only two Pokemon. I think Trinity really was pulling ahead of me.
And I would have to surpass her once again.
Whenever we camped for the night, I would occasionally hear faint sounds of battling. Now I realize that it was probably just Trinity training with her Pokemon. I guess I just had to try harder. I had to work harder.
We were going to train our asses off—I was determined.
Then I remembered something: I was supposed to send those pictures that I took in Mount Moon and send them to Professor Oak, but I forgot.
"Trin," I called out.
"What?" she said from below me.
"I'm going to send the pictures to Professor Oak."
"What pictures?"
"Remember? The ones from Mount Moon."
"Oh yeah! I forgot about those."
"Me too, that's why I haven't done so."
"He'll probably call."
"Right, I'll do it now." I pulled out my Rotom Phone and sent the pictures of the strange engravings we saw in Mount Moon. I figured he would be able to put that to use, as he was already looking into the Ursaring incident.
I sent him the following message:
"Hey, Professor. I got some pictures of engravings that might be related to the abnormal Ursaring that attacked us. How's the research going?"
We waited. Trinity climbed up to the top bunk with Pikachu, wanting to hear the conversation.
Then Professor Oak called me. I answered, and his face showed up on my screen.
"Vali, my boy, so good to see you!" he said cheerfully. "How's everything?"
"We're doing good, Professor. We just got our second Gym Badge," I said.
"So you two defeated Misty, huh? A strong one, she is."
"Way too strong," I admitted.
"How's Trinity?"
"She's right here."
"Hey, Professor," Trinity said, smiling.
"Hello, dear. I hear that things are going great."
"Really great, Professor."
"How are Eevee and Pikachu?"
"Doing fine, too. Say hi, guys."
"Pika!"
"Vee, Vee!"
The two Pokemon said their greetings, making happy sounds as they recognized Professor Oak.
Professor Oak's face became serious. "Well, I reckon it's time to talk about the matter at hand. Where did you find this?"
Trinity and I took turns telling our story about our adventure in Mount Moon, how we found that engraving, how the back of our hands glowed, and how that Team Rocket girl Amina attacked us.
Professor Oak scratched his chin. "That's very worrisome," he admitted. "I'm afraid I can't identify what this could be."
"it has to be the work of some Pokemon," Trinity assured.
"I'm sure it is, but which? I've talked to some of my research friends—Professors from other regions who study energies such as Mega Evolution and such, and they also couldn't figure out what caused the Ursaring to be so abnormal."
"So we don't know anything?" I asked, grimacing.
"Precisely," Professor Oak said solemnly. "But I know someone who can help you."
"Who?"
"I know a researcher called Professor Cerise, he runs the Cerise Laboratory and studies the mysteries of the Pokemon World with his assistants. Ash and a boy named Goh used to work for him."
Once again it always comes back to Ass. I tried not to look angry at the mention of that name. Ash Ketchum was like my Lord Voldemort.
"So you want us to go to this guy and ask for his help?" Trinity asked.
"And somehow discover what the hell is causing all this bullshit?' I continued.
"That's the premise," Professor Oak said, flinching at my use of curses. "I'm sure he can help you."
"Eh, what the hell. Why not?" I shrugged. I didn't have any other ideas, and Trinity sure as hell didn't either.
"It's our only choice," Trinity reasoned.
"Very well then. I'll make sure that he expects you."
"Thanks, Professor," I said genuinely.
"You're very welcome. I hope we find out the cause of this."
"Me too."
We said our goodbyes and hung up, taking a deep breath.
"Why do I feel like a bunch of bullshit is about to happen?" I wondered out loud.
"Because bullshit always happens to us," Trinity pointed out.
"Good point."
***
We decided to take a nap before we headed out, so that we wouldn't be too tired and could make as much progress as possible. We decided that the quicker we made it to Vermillion, the better. Not only were we trying to get to Professor Cerise, but we also wanted to get our third Gym Badge.
Why did I feel like going to Cerise Laboratory was going to end up becoming a plot device that would speed up the plot and give me an excuse to encounter shit I wouldn't have been able to encounter before?
Wait, what the hell am I talking about?
Anyway, my dream was as terrifying as the last.
The shadows clung to every corner of my dream, the mystical darkness bringing forth a sense of dread that made me shiver despite myself. Not only was this unnerving, but it was the coldest place I'd ever been in. It felt as if I got hit by a Blizzard.
Suddenly, two flashing red lights that resembled eyes shone in front of me, making me jump.
"It's you!" I tried to say, but my mouth refused to move.
The shadows parted slightly, revealing a glimpse of the shadowy Pokemon that saved me. With the crown on its head and the rings all over its body, it resembled some sort of demonic, eldritch ruler. I knew it was Pokemon, but I didn't know which one it was.
For some reason, I didn't feel any fear. The Pokemon's presence was comforting and familiar—the feeling of dread didn't feel so bad.
But the real question was how I knew the Pokemon...
I suspected it has something to do with my mother, but I refused to go to her.
Suddenly, a voice boomed.
"Be wary of the blight of shadows and madness."
I wanted to retort and say, "You're pretty shadowy yourself," but I was still unable to speak.
"I am not your enemy. The other one is."
"Which other one? What even are you?"
"I don't have sufficient time to speak. But you must find the fragments. You are the only one who can. Merge them to create the ultimate plate and return it to the Original One. Use the gift I gave you."
"Fragments of what? Who is the Original one? What the fuck do you mean gift?"
"You are the key—you and the girl both. The two of you have gifts that will purify the blighted. Now, I must go. I wish you luck, Cynthia's son."
Before I could think anymore, the shadows began to spread, swallowing me in its wake. Before I knew it, everything went dark, and every feeling ceased to exist.
***
My eyes shot open and I woke with a start, breathing heavily as cold sweat trickled from my neck. I contemplated the dream I had, wondering what it meant.
"Why is it back?" I wondered. "What is it and what does it want from me?"
Fragments... Ultimate plate... Original One... Gifts... What was it talking about?
Was I going insane?
Eevee woke up, probably feeling me stir. She looked at me worriedly. "Vee?" she asked.
"Nothing," I lied.
"...Vee," she said, giving me a look that told me she wasn't convinced.
"Bad dream," I said, acquiescing under her intense gaze. "Something's reaching out to me."
"Evori?" she asked curiously.
I shook my head. "I don't know. I'll ask Trinity."
"Ask me what?"
I flinched, "You're awake?"
"Couldn't sleep," Trinity admitted. "So what is this bad dream about?"
I filled her in on my dream. Trinity became silent, probably thinking about what my dream meant. Then she sighed and said, "Blight of shadows and madness? What the hell does that mean?"
"I suspect it has something to do with the weird glow we have."
"I've been thinking about that," Trinity said. "Why do we have it?"
"I don't know either."
"The only way to find out is by going to this Cerise guy," Trinity concluded.
"I guess so."
"And you got to find the fragments, whatever they are."
"I wish I knew what they were."
Trinity stood up, looking as worried as me. "Anyway, are you ready to go? There's nothing left for us in Cerulean."
"Yeah, let's get out of here. Weird shit has happened to us here."
***
We packed our stuff and bought supplies from the Poke Mart. I also needed to buy pretzels because Eevee kept pestering me to buy them.
After we were done with preparations, we checked out of the Pokemon Center and made our way to the gate that lead us to Route 24.
As expected Misty was waiting for us. We'd exchanged numbers and told Misty when we were heading out.
When she spotted us, she smiled brightly. "There you guys are. It really sucks that you have to leave so soon."
"Sorry Misty," Trinity said apologetically. "But we really got to get a move on. We need to get to Vermillion to meet Professor Cerise."
"The researcher there? Why?"
I answered her. "There's a problem we have that Professor Cerise can supposedly help us solve."
"Oh, I see," Misty said, slightly bummed out. "I wish I could have hanged out with you guys more... I could have taught you how to fish or how to take care of Water-type Pokemon..."
"We'll visit," I assured her. "I have respect for you and Brock," I said, surprising even myself.
Misty's expression lit up. "You said something nice!" she said, smirking.
"No I didn't," I said simply. "I was only giving respect when respect was due."
"Don't try to hide it."
"I'm not."
Misty giggled. "Well, we'll still be friends, right?"
I scowled. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm not into making friends."
"Val!" Trinity snapped, giving me a chastising look.
I glared at her. "Correction: I only have one friend."
Misty didn't look discouraged. She just shook her head with a small smirk. "You'll break out of your shell soon enough."
"There is no shell to break out of," I assured.
"Sure, sure."
Misty was so annoying sometimes.
"Well, I guess it's time for goodbyes," Misty said with a sad smile. "I'll have to say it was fun having you here."
"We had fun, too, Misty," Trinity smiled, elbowing me.
"Yeah, yeah," I said with a deadpan. "So much fun."
They ignored me. Misty hugged Trinity, who gladly hugged her back. Looks like they became fast friends.
"You know," Misty began to say, "you remind me of another trainer who was also called Trinity. She even had red hair."
"Really?"
I stopped paying attention to the conversation and stared off into space, impatient. Then they finally said goodbye.
"Take care, alright?" Misty said to Trinity.
"I will if you will," Trinity said. "Keep in touch?"
"Of course," Misty said, grinning. "And if you need any tips on Water-type Pokemon, just call me."
"You'll be the first person I call."
They shared one last friendly grin. Misty turned to me and, without warning, hugged me too.
"And you," she smirked, "don't be so edgy."
"Get off me," I growled and pushed her off. Not roughly, though, but enough to get her off me. "Don't touch me."
Misty shook her head with a smug smirk. "Take care of yourself, alright? You're cute, but you'll never get a girlfriend with an attitude like that."
"But on the bright side I won't get a girlfriend like you."
"If you say so," Misty winked. "See you! Visit me, alright?"
"I don't want to anymore."
"But you already said you will."
I grimaced. "Fine, I won't go back on my word." I turned around, but before I began walking, I said, "See you around, Misty. Thanks for everything."
From my shoulder, Eevee said goodbye to her. "Eevee!"
Leaving Misty stunned, I walked off and left Trinity to say her final farewell to Misty.
***
"Val, that was kind of rude, don't you think?" Trinity said as we walked through the Route 24.
"She was being annoying."
"No she wasn't, you were just being an asshole," Trinity shot back.
"Listen, I have nothing against her," I assured, "far from it. She was just being annoying."
She sighed. "You're impossible sometimes."
"Thanks."
Eevee and Pikachu looked at each other, annoyed by us. They were already used to our constant bickering.
Route 24 was both rocky and slightly forested, the blend of terrain giving it a wild-like feel. We saw many Pokemon like Sudowoodo and Bonsly, who ran away after we found out that they weren't really trees. Seriously, who gets fooled by them? We all know trees don't look like that.
On the way, I stopped at some random rock. It was literally just some random rock; it was no different from the rock next to it. But for some reason this rock wasn't just some rock. This rock was a special rock.
What the hell am I talking about?
Trinity noticed that I stopped and walked back toward me. "What? Why did you stop?"
"I feel like a Charmander was on this rock at some point," I said suddenly.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Trinity and Pikachu looked at me like I was crazy.
"Eevee..." Eevee sighed.
***
Nothing interesting happened on Route 24—which was a surprise since something interesting usually happen on every route. But the peace and quiet was definitely welcomed. Almost makes me forget how everything in my life goes wrong.
Then I saw the Sylveon and I knew that the peace and quiet wasn't going to last.
We were getting close to a beach on Route 25, rejoicing at finally getting out of Route 24. It took us almost a week to get out of there. The peace was nice, but looking at the same terrain got tiring pretty quickly.
The good thing of the peace and quiet was that I had a lot of time to train with my Pokemon. Since Hatenna was the newest member of my team, I trained with her the most so that she could catch up with the other members.
Besides training, Trinity taught me how to not only make Pokemon food, but to also cook human food. She was a great teacher and an even greater chef.
One time the food was so good I sarcastically said, "Holy shit, Trin, marry me."
This caused her to get mad at me.
In retrospect, we really bickered a lot.
We saw a Sylveon, which was a pink and white Pokemon with strange ribbon-like tentacles that seemed to move on their own, next to the beach. It randomly ran up to us, looking curious about something.
I knew what it wanted when Eevee's ears suddenly perked up excitedly. She jumped off and greeted the Pokemon.
"Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokémon. A Fairy-type. Sylveon's ribbon-like feelers send out waves that have a calming effect and can put a stop to conflicts. If it places its feelers on its Trainer, Sylveon can understand their emotions," Rotom said as I manually scanned Sylveon with it, not in the mood to deal with its bullshit.
"Its Sylveon, Eevee's Fairy-type evolution," I explained to Trinity, who looked slightly confused.
"Oh right! I forgot, Eevee has seven evolutions," Trinity said, looking fascinated.
Pikachu looked at Eevee and Sylveon curiously as they spoke.
"Sylve," Sylveon said happily, caressing Eevee's head with her feelers like an older sibling.
"Vee!" Eevee said joyfully, looking at Sylveon with glistening eyes full of admiration. She was really happy to see one of her evolutions.
"Is the Sylveon wild?" Trinity wondered.
"I don't think so. Sylveon are rare and don't normally walk up to Trainers. It—" I glanced Sylveon's Pokedex entry and noticed that this particular Sylveon was female "—she straight up just walked up to us. I'm pretty sure she just got curious about Eevee and wandered off. Her Trainer is probably around here somewhere."
"Should we go and look for them?"
"I'm sure they'll turn up eventually."
Sylveon turned to us and waved at us with her feelers. "Sylveon!"
I smiled slightly. "Hey there. Curious about Eevee, huh?"
"Veon!" she smiled, confirming it. Eevee continued staring at her with admiration.
I was about to speak, when a familiar voice spoke. "Sylvie, what did you find?"
Even Trinity recoiled at the voice. Damn it... why was she here?
I looked in the direction of the sound and saw a girl with long, pure white hair and blue eyes. She wore black short shorts and an icy blue sweater that matched her eyes. She was quite beautiful, but she had a haughty expression.
Glaring, Trinity said," What are you doing here, Pofary?"
Pofary looked at her and smirked condescendingly. "Oh, Trinity! It's so nice to see you again. How's the school's second most beautiful girl? Do you still have less admirers than me?" she giggled mockingly.
"Maybe, but she's not a bitch like you," I growled. As you can probably tell, I hated her, just like I hated most people in my school.
Pofary was the school idol and some sort of popstar. She and her Sylveon pretty much were the Queen Bees of the school. Some say that she's the younger sister of some Gym Leader in Unova. The name Pofary sounded Galarian to me for some reason, even though she wasn't Galarian.
And she called her Sylveon "Sylvie." Who the fuck nicknames their Pokemon? Most nicknames that people put on their Pokemon are shit. Like, if you name your female Charmander Charlotte, then that's understandable. But Sylvie, really?
Pofary turned to me with a look of interest and suddenly smiled sweetly. "Hi Vali! I was very surprised when I heard that you became a Pokemon Trainer." She leaned into me. "What made you do it?"
"Get the fuck away from me," I said darkly. Pofary flinched when she saw my expression, instinctively backing off.
She mustered her courage again and batted her eyelashes. "Aww, you don't have to be so mean to me. I'm happy for you!" she said with a fake cutesy smile.
"Yeah, sure," I rolled my eyes.
Pofary stared at me with confusion. "That's weird," she muttered, "every guy is supposed to fall in love with me. Why aren't you swooning for me?"
"Yeah, but unlike other guys he actually has standards," Trinity scoffed. The two of them have been at each other's throats for years.
I hated her too. She was the one who nicknamed me Poke-Hater and "bullied" me. I put quotes on the word bullied because I beat the shit out of her group of whores and almost beat the shit out of her, but was stopped when the teachers caught wind of this and suspended me.
I wish I decked her first.
"But every guy is supposed to love me!" Pofary whined. "The only person who ever rejected me was Gabriel!"
"For once, I'm on Gabriel's side," I scoffed. At least Gabriel wasn't such a cuck that he took Pofary's "advances" seriously.
"At least my brother has the decency to reject her," Trinity muttered.
Pofary looked at me with an intent-filled look.
"What?' I asked, annoyed.
Then she kissed me.
Trinity gasped in surprise. Eevee and Sylveon looked at each other nervously.
My eyes widened and I forgot to push her off as I froze in surprise. Did she really...
Anger flared up inside of me.
"What the hell?!" I snapped, pushing her away, glaring at her furiously. "You bitch!"
Pofary's triumphant smirk was replaced with fear. "W-what, how are you still not..."
"Still full of yourself, huh?" I said in a dark undertone. "Like I wanted your filthy STD-infested saliva."
Pofary gaped at me, but she still looked determined despite her fear. "How can you resist my kiss?"
"I'm going to beat the shit out of you if you don't fuck off," I said threateningly.
"Val! Don't!"
I didn't listen to her. She grabbed my arm and began to pull me back. I easily overpowered her. But Pofary, who was still in her own twisted version of reality, glared at me. "Fine, I'll leave. But I won't give up until you fall in love with me!"
"I'll make sure nobody falls in love with you anymore once I beat the shit out of you!" I said, pushing Trinity off.
"I am the most beautiful girl around," Pofary said defiantly. "You wouldn't hurt me."
"I would hurt anyone."
"I'll see you again," she promised, "and you will fall in love with me. I won't let someone like you reject me!"
"He will still reject you," Trinity assured, looking just about tired of Pofary.
"But what I really want to know—" she pointed at Trinity "—is why you're traveling with him? Is it true that he's blackmailing you? Or are you really dating him?"
"None of the above," Trinity rolled her eyes. "Can anyone tell that we're just normal people?"
"Well, to most people, I'm not so normal," I reminded her.
"Shut up," Trinity glared at me.
Pofary glared at me too. "I won't give up. I deserve all the attention. You won't escape from my charms."
"Okay buddy, whatever you say," I scowled, just about ready to beat the shit out her. But I knew if I did I was fucked for life. I can imagine it now, "Cynthia's son assaulted innocent popstar."
"Goodbye, Vali," she said, "I'll be back for you!"
"You don't have to inconvenience yourself," I said.
I hated her—she was so full of herself.
"Come on, Sylvie," Pofary called as she walked away, fuming.
Sylveon and Eevee exchanged a sad farewell, the latter bummed out that she wouldn't get to talk to her evolution anymore.
"Vee..." she said sadly as Sylveon walked away, jumping on my shoulder.
"We're better off without them," I said, rage once again suffusing through me. "We'll find other eeveelutions."
"Eevee?" she looked at me, her eyes lighting up.
I managed a small smile. "Yeah, we'll find them. You won't know what you want to evolve into if you don't."
"Evori!" she said excitedly, smiling brightly. I knew that Eevee wanted to meet other eeveelutions so that she could choose what to evolve into. This was the most important decision an Eevee could make, after all.
"I can't with her!" meanwhile, Trinity groaned in frustration.
"Pika, Pika," Pikachu shook his head, holding his head as if he was a Psyduck with a migraine.
"Me neither," I said angrily. "I have a feeling we'll see her again.
***
The road to Vermillion City was pretty straightforward after that. The trees seemed to blur past us as we vehemently walked closer to our destination, only stopping when we had to eat or sleep. We made frustratingly little progress. Almost two weeks went by.
I was getting tired of walking. We really needed a Pokemon that could fly. Imagine how easier it would be?
But of course we couldn't find a single one. It was as if every Pokemon that could fly disappeared when we really needed it.
I wish I'd caught one of those Pidgey back in Route 1.
It was a chilly night, the cool breeze wafted through our camping spot as dusk engulfed us in its embrace. Trinity was asleep, but Eevee, Ralts, and I were training. And for some reason, Trinity's Ralts came out of his Poke Ball and trained with us.
But he still hasn't warmed up to me.
Every time he came out he would hit me with a Zen Headbutt and then we would argue. He would always be super overprotective toward his sister as if I wasn't her Trainer. It was super annoying.
My Ralts was teaching Hatenna how to better utilize her psychic abilities. They sparred and practiced against each other. They seemed to be making good progress. Hatenna learned Mystical Fire in the process, which surprised me. But I finally had a counter for Steel-types.
Male Ralts seemed to have taken a liking to her, also resorting to training with her. Him and his sister really wanted her to catch up with them.
Eevee, on the other hand, was practicing her Quick Attack, Swift, and Attract. While Mega Quick Attack was shaping up to be extremely powerful, Swift was like her Thunderbolt—it was becoming her signature. Her star-like lights were becoming bigger and stronger, sometimes even destroying the trees in the process.
She practiced Attract on wild Pokemon, and I wasn't surprised when a random Poochyena came and tried to flirt with her in their language, his eyes turning into hearts.
She knocked it out with a single Swift.
I was very proud of her.
And no, I wasn't just letting my Pokemon train while I stood around—I trained alongside them. It would be weird if I just sat down on my ass and gave them words of encouragement like "You can do it!" or "You're doing great!" while lazing around.
Nah, I was working out every opportunity I could get. I took off my shirt, revealing my lean but somewhat muscular frame. I'd been much more muscular before but, due to slacking off, I lost some of that muscle mass.
I decided that it was finally time to start working out again.
"Two hundred fifty-two... Two hundred fifty-three..." I counted, aiming for my goal of five hundred pushups. The burn felt good, but I realized that I was getting tired easier.
My logic was that my Pokemon would be more motivated to train if I trained with them. Sometimes I gave them commands and other times I let them battle on their own, in case we were one day forced to separate for whatever reason and they had to battle alone. I taught them how to incorporate tactics into their battling styles.
I felt like we had a solid training routine. After we realized how little training we did compared to Trinity, we decided that it was time to go hard on training.
"Five hundred..." I panted and allowed myself to drop down, sweating bullets. "Phew, that was a good workout."
I did five hundred pushups and sit ups, which seems like a lot, sure, but if your breathing is good and if you know how to not get tired so quickly, it's possible. While my stamina wasn't as good as before, I still enjoyed the challenge.
"It feels good," I laid down on my back and watched the stars. Eevee, Ralts, and Hatenna laid down next to me, panting with exhaustion.
"You know, crazy things have happened lately. And I have a feeling that it's going to be crazier."
My Pokemon made sounds of agreement.
I smiled at them. "But we're going to face them all without fear, alright? We'll show those bastards, won't we?"
All of them lit up with smiles, giving me cries of determination. What really surprised me were the looks of affection that the three gave me. I felt a kinship with them—rejected, scorned, and called weak, the four of us shared the same animosity towards people. We had things left to prove, and we'll be damned if we don't prove them.
"How about we take a walk before we go to sleep?" I asked.
They all nodded and stood up with me.
We walked through the quiet forest, listening to the fragile sound of silence as the lushness of the forest surrounded us like a blanket.
Wow, it was so peaceful. There was a charm to being with your Pokemon that no human could replicate. It reminded me why I hated people...
A girl with light steel blue hair looked at me with angry tears as she called me a...
I shook myself out of my thoughts. No, I refused to remember my past. It didn't matter, not anymore.
They didn't matter.
The thing was, I didn't tell Trinity everything. There were things that I wanted to forget, memories that I locked deep within myself, refusing to acknowledge them. It was the reason why I became the way I am.
Because deep down, I couldn't accept that part of myself.
My Pokemon suddenly perked up, looking at me with concern.
"I'm not going to say it's nothing, because you three can feel it," I admitted. "But I'm fine, just thinking."
"Ralts..." Ralts looked at me sadly. I patted her absentmindedly.
"It's all fine."
"Tenna..."
"Don't worry about it."
"Vee..."
I shook my head. "Ralts and Eevee, you know part of it, tell Hatenna," I said.
They nodded slowly and told Hatenna about my experience. Despite me feeling so down, I noticed that Ralts had her hand on my leg, Eevee had her tail brush my leg, and Hatenna surreptitiously used Disarming Voice, disguising it as a standard cry. It made me feel slightly better.
I managed a ghost of a smile. "Thanks guys. We should start heading back soon—" I froze when I noticed something.
Hidden in a bush, just barely peeking out enough for me to see, was an oval-shaped object...
It was milky white and was strewn with blue and red shapes...
It was an egg!
But it looked rather familiar...
Don't tell me...
Looking around me suspiciously, I tentatively picked up the egg, inspecting it closely. It was completely still, meaning that it either was just laid, or it wasn't close to hatching.
I really hoped it wasn't what I thought it was...
Because if it was then it would mean what I think it meant.
Someone had to have put it there. The parents were nowhere to be found, and it was placed there as if the person knew I was coming.
Oh, god, please don't let it be what I think it is.
Plot, please don't fuck me over again.
"Guys, look what I found," I showed my Pokemon the egg.
"Vee?" Eevee sniffed it curiously, before smiling. "Eevee!"
"Looks like we're going to have a new partner... now I just need to figure out how to take care of it."
Ralts and Hatenna looked at it, both staring with expressions of shock and wonder.
"Ralts..." Ralts placed a hand on the egg and closed her eyes. Then she smiled. "Ralts!"
"That'll be the fourth one. We almost got a full team," I muttered. "But the question is: will I only catch Pokemon until I have a full team? Or will I continue catching and then switch out my team every once in a while?"
I would have to think about it...
(And by think about it, I mean I want you guys to give suggestions about the matter lmao.)
"Eh, we'll have time to think about it later," I shrugged and turned around. "Let's head back, guys."
They nodded with excited smiles. Eevee hopped on her usual spot on my shoulder, Ralts teleported to my other shoulder, and Hatenna jumped on my head. I rubbed them all on the heads and walked back to our camping spot, ready to fall asleep.
***
Nearby...
Five Team Rocket grunts were speed walking through the forest, looking for something. Drones floated above them, scanning their surroundings.
"We seem to be picking up a signal—its nearby," one, who was probably the leader, said with a grin.
He turned to the grunt next to him, saying, "Did you take care of the mother and the Trainer?"
"They won't be bothering us," she assured.
"Good. We can't mess this up... we're nothing but grunts so if we fail—" he made a neck-slicing gesture with his hand "—we're fucking dead. Remember, our boss wants every Pokemon with an affinity."
"What does that even mean?" one of the other grunts said.
The leader shook his head. "Can't tell you. We grunts don't get shit. But if we were to succeed..."
"...Then we'll be at a higher standing and the boss will make us one of his elites!" a fourth grunt said.
"Exactly!" the leader said. "Ah, would you look at that. There it is."
Breathing heavily, a Pokemon was hidden between two large trees, shivering in fear. It knew it was being pursued, but it couldn't escape.
The leader grinned, spotting it. "Well, I guess it's our lucky day."
The Pokemon in question they were looking for was a blue Ralts...
It was shiny.
There was something special about it...
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Uh oh, Team Rocket poachers are trying to capture a shiny Ralts. I wonder what Vali will do?
Pofary's name comes from the words "pop" and "fairy," just like a certain Gym Leader from Unova who's based on a type and a genre of music...
What's up with so many Pokemon fanfictions allowing Pokemon to use more than four moves? I mean, I know it's fanfiction, but at least keep the rules of Pokemon in place. EDIT: Yeah, nevermind, I understand now.
Man I have so many arcs planned. The arc that we're on, the "Badge Collecting Arc," is just one massive amalgamation of arcs. So there are going to be mini arcs here and there. But uh, let's just say things are going to be pretty crazy.
Anyway, how do you all feel about there being a squad? Like with some canon characters and stuff like that, not any of the ocs, though. I feel like some characters could really compliment Vali's attitude. If you guys like the idea, what sort of characters would you like to see in a squad?
And as always, make sure to suggest any locations, Pokemon, or characters you would like to see in the story. I am all for community interaction, and I feel like this could help me better connect with the readers.
And to any silent readers out there, don't be shy, I appreciate you, just like everyone else who takes their time to read my story. I know how much effort it takes to dedicate yourself to reading a long story.
Thank you guys for reading, and I'll see you all later.