Ever since Alex met Calina, he realized he was nothing special. As a matter of fact, he was behind the curve when it came to his rank and age in relation to the top of the world. It stood to reason that, despite his accomplishments, he was still, as always, at the bottom of the barrel.
The world was vast and filled with many crevices, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that there were ecosystems out there catering to the 1% of the 1%.
Hence, as any loving father would, he wanted his children to have that same privilege, even if it meant dulling their desperation when it came to their aspirations. Those things came with wisdom, and so long as they were Elite or Champion ranked, they would have the time to eventually get there. Even if they didn't, as long as he was alive, it was fine for them to slack off as well.
It was the privilege of the powerful and wealthy to guarantee their children had all their paths open in life, even if it meant they became nothing more than a literal waste of space. It even excited him a little to imagine himself as the ancestor who always appears whenever a young master is offended, just like in those cultivation novels.
He quelled his brief excitement at being on the other end of the cliché before returning to the meeting at hand.
"Details?" he asked Nyx.
"There are plenty of Mareep eggs for you to choose from, and they are all from Champion ranked parents, so you can bet the quality is top-notch. The pricing is also at the lower end unless you go for those pink ones."
"No shiny!" Alex almost shouted.
Shinies existed in the Pokémon world, but their rarity was taken to the extreme. Not only were they rare to be born, but they were also ostracized by their own nests. Oftentimes, they never made it to adulthood, as they were either killed outright or tossed out to fend for themselves.
Those that managed to survive are immediately captured and sold to hardcore collectors, the kind of people who have more money than sense. This guarantees that demand for them is always extremely high, which drives the prices far beyond even Alex's budget.
"Got it… no shiny," Nyx replied, raising a brow before continuing. "Honedge is roughly the same, and you even have a few options. The cheapest of them is buying an egg for you to raise and train yourself. Then there's a pre-trained Doublade with a focus on protection from the shadows."
"An egg is preferable. I don't want Alvera's bodyguard to have any psychic imprints, obvious tells, or bad habits. No one else should have control over them except for her."
"Got it," Nyx replied before typing that down. "Unfortunately, I couldn't find a Ditto. Not only can they not be forcefully bred, but they are also immediately collected. Their abilities allow them to instantly multiply firepower, so whenever one pops up, it's always instantly snatched. Basically, I failed to find one for you."
"That's fine," Alex replied. "Ditto was a stretch to begin with. I just thought it would've been nice to have that added layer of protection. Then again, just an Aegislash is fine. Make the orders."
"Sure. It shouldn't take long. They're not exactly rare Pokémon."
In the days that followed, Alex received the Mareep and Honedge eggs before handing them over to Alvera in incubators filled with energy crystals. He made sure to do so in the presence of Mabosstiff. He was just as much of a parent to Alvera as Alex and Vera, after all. It was fortunate that he didn't mind young Pokémon around his charge.
"Are you sure about this, Alex?" Vera asked as she and Alex watched Alvera stare intently at the eggs, as if waiting for them to hatch that very second. "Isn't she a bit too young?"
"The younger they start bonding, the stronger their bonds, allowing them to have more Pokémon by the time they reach Elite rank. She isn't like me, who had a strong sense of self from a very young age."
"I just hope she doesn't demand to leave by the time she's a teenager. They tend to be quite rebellious at that age, and the prospect of a journey with her powerful Pokémon would be very tempting."
"Don't worry. She would need to get past me before I let her go off on her journey. That, or she reaches 16 years old."
"I still don't like it."
Since then, Alvera had been carrying the incubators on her back, never letting them out of her sight. She would sleep with them, bathe with them in the room, and carry them around wherever she went.
Once Jenny found out Alex had already given Alvera her first Pokémon, she immediately decided to visit that very day. She brought along another incubator with a white and yellow egg inside.
Alvera screamed with delight at her grandmother's gift. She now had three whole eggs to watch over and protect until they hatched and could play with her.
"You should have told me sooner," Jenny complained. "I almost sold this one on the market."
"I think you'd do better running a daycare than being a police officer," Alex replied.
"I can't. I'd get bored if I did anything other than police work. You should know how that feels, Alex."
"I'm just saying. It's another path you could take. It's much more relaxing and rewarding than running around and being insulted by the public. You're also getting up there in—"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence, young man!" Jenny interjected. "I'm an Elite ranked trainer! I'm practically a teenager, thank you very much."
"Sure thing, Mom," Alex said with an amused smile. "How's Joe doing?"
"He's still at the gym. Progress toward Champion rank is slow, but he's getting there."
"You know, I'm surprised you two haven't married yet."
"I think he wants to reach Champion rank first. You know how men get when they fixate on a goal like that."
"I wouldn't know. I married Vera immediately, after all."
"After she already gave birth."
"Without my knowledge."
"Touché."
They shared a laugh before turning their attention to Alvera, who was now hugging three incubators. Alex and Vera made sure to sit her down and explain the responsibilities properly. She was quite bright for her age and quickly understood what it meant to be a trainer and to care for her new friends.
A few weeks later, they finally hatched, within only a few days of each other. There was Mareep, the eldest and fluffiest; Honedge, the calmest and most observant; and finally, Yamper, a bundle of energy that never stopped running or biting.
They were too much for Alvera to handle by herself. Fortunately, Mabosstiff was there to make sure their excess energy didn't hurt Alvera or themselves. He was finally starting to relax with the addition of new babies to watch over.
Alvera's favorite among them was undoubtedly Mareep. She was simply too fluffy for any child to reasonably resist. Plus, Vera made sure to groom her personally so she wouldn't collect dirt in her thick wool. This had the side effect of making her wool silky smooth and cloud-like to the touch, a pillow more than a Pokémon at this point.
Alvera's biggest responsibility was Yamper, who was always hyperactive and getting into trouble. It was adorable watching Alvera scramble to catch the mischievous little Pokémon. It showed she took her responsibility seriously despite being a child, which made Alex and Vera proud.
Finally, there was Honedge, whom Alex had taken a few days after bonding with Alvera. He was immediately sent to train with Aegislash, who taught him everything he needed to know about being a shadow guard.
He wasn't the most affectionate of Alvera's Pokémon, so she hardly missed the solemn Honedge. Still, she would ask how Honedge was doing every once in a while, and Alex would take her to watch him training with his Aegislash.
Alex noted how Honedge trained harder whenever Alvera was present to watch. This proved their bond was strong despite the time they spent separated.
"Daddy, why does Honedge have to train while Mareep and Yamper don't?" Alvera asked, staring up at Alex with a concerned expression.
"Because, sweetheart, you will be the one to train your Pokémon when you grow up. That way, you'll know how to lead them in battle and guide them when they need to fight. Honedge is different. He won't fight alongside your other Pokémon, and you don't need to train him. His only job is to make sure you stay safe. No matter what happens in a battle, even if all your other Pokémon are defeated, Honedge will always be there to protect you."
"I don't get it," she said innocently. "Shouldn't all my Pokémon be doing that?"
"Only when you order them. Honedge, however, will act even when you don't give an order. This is what his training is for."
"Wouldn't it be better if all my Pokémon did that?"
"They won't be able to, because they stay in their Poké Balls. Honedge gets to stay in your shadow."
"Then I won't use Poké Balls! That way, they can protect me like Honedge."
"Then everyone will get to touch Mareep's coat."
"That's fine. Mareep doesn't mind and I don't mind sharing."
Alex's heart melted, so he picked her up and cuddled her close.
"You're such a good girl, Alvera."
She giggled before responding confidently, "I know."
Suddenly, Alex's phone buzzed as a call came in from Nyx.
"Alex, go to the base, quick! There are some trainers causing trouble!"
"What's happening?" he asked as he put Alvera down.
"Our new neighbors have come to pick a fight."
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