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 3 chapters ahead.
This is primarily a transitional chapter to prepare for the next one, but there's a bit of training, and we get a better look at Misty.
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Inhaling deeply through my nose, I imagined the air swirling around in my chest, using the sensation to try and focus my Aura. Giving it a second as the warmth spread throughout my body, the evermore familiar wrath and focus following in its wake. I wanted to hurt, to harm, to conquer. Acknowledging the emotions and harnessing them, I exhaled sharply while sending my fist flying.
THUD!
The large willow tree vibrated from the impact, leaves and raindrops falling from the canopy. It had rained during the night, though it had settled into dew as the morning approached, and the scent of petrichor hung heavy in the breeze, the grass beneath my bare feet damp and slick. It was something new I was trying. I had no fucking idea if Aura worked like that, but less clothing and contact with the ground often helped anime characters develop super powers.
Looking at the cracks in the bark, I smirked. Something was definitely working, though it was much more likely that it was my experience in Mt. Moon. Having to perform under pressure had given a boost of some sort, a slight increase in instinctive usage. It wasn't anything impressive, yet, and I was tempted to just spam it as fast as I could to get quicker with it, but Grant's advice still rang in my ears. Focus and compression was the key. Since it also gave me time to get a handle on the emotional effects, it felt like the best way for now.
"BAAAAAARRRHHHHH!"
A screech of anger and delight flew past me along with a blue shape as Betty 'fought' with her new favorite playmate, the giant Onix looking somewhat exasperated with the Bagon. How a rock-snake could have noticeable facial expressions, I had no idea, but after being around it for years, I was getting more used to it.
Watching my Dragon-Type rush back to the Rock-Type, I glanced at Brock standing with crossed arms not far from me. I'd been surprised when the older teen had shown up at the clearing I'd found for some morning training, the sun still hidden by the horizon, but between a dozen siblings and an entire Gym, he was allegedly used to getting up before first light. He'd even joined me in some running and push-ups, easily able to keep up. It was a little annoying to be outshined, but the guy was four years older than me, and from an old-ass family. I wasn't sure if he knew about Aura, but I kind of doubted it based on everything I knew about him. Maybe he'd heard of it or something, but mostly, he just seemed really fit.
I didn't mind too much, though. I was far from a people person, but Brock was decent. The man knew his shit and had the patience to put up with my garbage. It also allowed me to put some more effort into my own training, having someone else to keep an eye on everything.
"How goes it?"
Brock shrugged, calling out a command to both Onix and Betty. Onix listened instantly, yet Betty required a tail slap to the dome before she followed along.
"Eh, about as well as expected. She's talented and in theory, it shouldn't take long for her to get the basics, but… well, you're her Trainer. You'd know. She reminds me of all the best and worst parts of my youngest, dialed to 11."
I nodded in agreement, watching as Onix slowly went through the motions for Rock Tomb again, Betty doing her best to match. She stomped one foot down with an adorable grunt, her weight making her sink down to her angle in the soft dirt, and focus. In a small circle around her, the ground started glowing a soft red, shaking and rumbling as it began to move. Betty's snout peeled back, sharp teeth exposed as she fought to keep the technique going, yet the Rock-Type energy faded despite her best efforts, leading her to screech again in anger, furiously stomping her foot over and over, quickly turning the ground into a mudhole. Onix tried to start over from the beginning, yet as had happened multiple times in the 40 minutes they'd been at it, Betty had had enough and charged the giant Pokémon as fast as she could, one puny arm raised and slowly glowing an unstable white, only to be sent soaring once more.
"Yeah, she still needs some work," I mumbled. At least she was getting some practice with Brick Break. "Thanks for doing this, though. It's loads faster with your help."
Brock shrugged again. He did that a lot, I noticed. Suppose raising a dozen kids when you're basically a child yourself made a person pretty easy-going in general. "It's all good. Onix enjoys teaching, and it never hurts to go over the basics again. Too many disregard 'simple' moves as they become stronger, but there are lots you can do with them if you think it over. It doesn't have to be all ore nothing. Your barrier idea, for example. Simple, yet useful no matter how strong you get."
I hummed in agreement, taking the words to heart, and ignoring what I thought was a pun based on the stupid smirk. Strong attacks were awesome, of course, like Blast Burn and shit, but a skilled and strong fighter was always better than just strong.
I'd decided to teach Betty the Rock Tomb TM, despite having reservations. She was still working on Brick Break. The Fighting-Type move was not quite there yet. Beyond that, she also had Dragonbreath drills to get more used to the Dragon-Type energy for the future, both her egg move Dragon Dance and stuff like Dragon Claw requiring it. Adding another thing to her to-do list was a risk, stretching her attention so far that there was a chance her progress on any of it would be slowed to a glacial pace, but the opportunity was too good to ignore.
I had no plans of traveling with the gang through the whole of Kanto, so taking advantage of the budding Rock-Type and Water-Type Masters while I had them was common sense.
It was the same reason Sol was stumbling around like he was drunk, legs shaky beneath him, and eyes spinning around. The spherical form of Geodude rolled up beside him and steadied him with a rocky palm, though keeping the Growlithe at an arm's length in case the dog Pokémon threw up again. Luckily, though, Sol swiftly shook it off and started panting happily. He crouched down and threw himself forward recklessly, doing his best to roll in a straight line and falling miserably, much to Geodude's vocal chastisement. I wouldn't say I really had a handle on Brock's Pokémon yet, but Geodude definitely wasn't as affable as Onix.
Despite that, who was better to teach Sol how to perform the physical part of Flame Wheel than a Pokémon that didn't have legs and whose main method of locomotion was rolling?
Though seeing his cheery disposition, he clearly wasn't giving his all, and was mostly just goofing around. After a moment and a look at the brightening sky, I shrugged and let him. It was the first time I'd seen him actually enjoy training, and I could hear the low murmurings of Ash and Misty waking up in the distance.
Seemed our training was at an end, something Brock agreed with as he recalled Onix, Betty swiftly following before she could throw a fit. I left Sol out and called out to Siren, who was by herself, throwing out Water Guns, Water Bullets, and Ice Beams like they were going out of style.
I was torn between being proud of her hard work and attitude, and worried she was going to burn herself out or even get injured. I hadn't really noticed it at the Reserve, by virtue of not having anything to compare her to, but she worked harder than Betty and Sol combined.
Well, Betty tried. She just wasn't that great at focusing.
I should probably have a talk with her at some point. I knew she still had confidence problems and thought herself weak, but hurting herself wasn't the solution.
For now, though, it was breakfast time. Then off to Cerulean, though I had a quick detour to make on the way.
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"Hey, there's a sign! Do you think it's for Cerulean!?"
"Probably, yeah." I shrugged in response. We were only a couple of hours away from the city, so I don't know why Ash felt the need to ask.
"Heck yeah! Second Badge, here I come!" The youngest member of our group fist pumped, Pikachu mimicking him with a squeak, before rushing down the path. The hard-packed dirt had turned to gravel not far back, the small stones crunching under our boots.
"Hey, Ash, hold up a second!" Misty called out, coming to a stop suddenly. I didn't know her that well, though I hoped that would change, but even I noticed that she seemed a little twitchy, bouncing on her toes and looking around like she expected someone to jump out of a bush.
"What!? Misty, come on! You can wash your hair or whatever when we get there!"
"THAT'S NOT THE REASON, YOU DWEEB!" I swore Misty's head grew three sizes when she screamed at Ash. Definitely an optical illusion, but her teeth seemed sharp and serrated like a shark's as well. "It's just, uhh…" she glanced back at me and Brock, a blush creeping up her cheeks as she fidgeted with her fingers. "Uh… Vermilion! Yes! We should go to Vermillion first!" She beamed at her own genius, unable to see the look Brock and I exchanged. I wasn't sure when the older teen figured out that I knew who Misty was, but we were equally skeptical of her sudden idea.
Fuck, even Ash seemed confused.
"Uh, why? We're literally right here?"
"Oh, well, I, uh, I just thought you wanted a challenge, I guess, hahahahaha!" She let out one of the fakest laughs I'd ever heard. "Cerulean Gym is Water-Type! Pikachu wouldn't have any trouble beating it, and the Gym Leaders are terrible! Like, really bad, totally suck, and really ugly as well, slutty bimbos, not even worth the effort, so we should just go past and head to Surge! Yeah, that's a great plan!" She appeared pleased with her performance under pressure.
Nobody bought it, though.
"No way! I'm gonna do it just like Champion Indigo, and that means Cerulean is next! I don't care if the Gym Leader is bad, I'll get the badge anywa-WHAT! GAAAAAARYYYYYYYYYY!" Finally, Ash took a closer look at the sign announcing the official beginning of Cerulean City territory, and noticed the additions our mutual acquaintance had written.
CERULEAN CITY
--->
GARY WAS HERE!
ASH IS A LOSER!
PERI'S OKAY.
I snorted, reading the text while Ash started ranting about beating Gary. That might be the closest Gary was going to get to an apology. It wasn't enough for me to reach out, but I did appreciate it.
If he called me, I decided, I wouldn't give him too much of a hard time. Just a little bit.
"Actually, Ash, hold up!" I called out as he was about to run off. He turned around, nearly vibrating with righteous fury. "While I don't agree with going to Vermillion, sorry, beautiful," I said to Misty, making her sputter and blush, both angry and flattered, "there is something I wanna do before I head in. Brock said that there's a group of Elekid not far from here. Figured I'd see if one of them wanted to join my team."
"Awwww, but I already got an Electric-Type and I don't wanna wait!" He whined pathetically.
"Then fucking don't, it's only gonna take like a day at most. Go get your free Badge like a bitch. Brock, could you show me where they are on the map?" The former Gym Leader was about to agree when my arm was suddenly grabbed, and I found myself pulled off the road and into the wilderness.
"I'll show you the way, that's a great idea, an Electric-Type will help with the Gym, and I know just the place, yes sir, I know exactly where they are, we'll see you guys later, don't wait up, good luck with your battle!" Misty spat out all in one breath while half running into the trees. Dragging behind her, my heels digging two grooves in the soil, I waved confusedly back at Brock and Ash, getting an equally stupefied response.
I wasn't going to complain about spending some private time with Misty, but a little more warning wouldn't have been a bad thing.
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"Are you gonna let me get up anytime soon?"
Leaves and twigs poked out of my hair from being yanked through multiple bushes, dirt and still damp mud clinging to my pants. I hadn't been hauled between the trees and shrubbery like a murder victim about to be disposed of for that long, but as far as I could tell, we'd covered an admirable amount of ground. Anime strength wasn't a joke, and those lean muscles Misty had were for more than just show.
Even if it was a great show, I noted, looking upwards and back, watching the firm cheeks shift around in the criminally tight denim shorts. There was a reason it took me a bit to protest my treatment.
Misty let go of me with a sigh, letting me get up and start removing detritus, brushing as much of the dirt off as possible. I'd just washed the set before I left Pewter.
"Sorry. I just-uh… I wanted to get a Pokémon myself?" It would've been more convincing if her eyes weren't darting around like hummingbirds, or if it didn't come out as a question. I, of course, knew the actual reason she was avoiding Cerulean, but I held off for now, wanting to see if I couldn't ease her into it a little more. Presumably, we still had a decent bit of distance to cover as we continued onwards.
"Hey, there are worse things than a beautiful woman being that eager to be alone with me. You won't hear me complaining." Her blush was lovely, and the quickened pace cute. I kept up fairly easily, though she obviously wasn't actually trying to lose me. "But another Pokémon, that's cool. Anything specific you have your eye on?" I wasn't the most knowledgeable about the wild Water Pokémon around Cerulean, but I didn't remember there being anything particularly impressive, unless you wanted a Magikarp for a Gyarados, which I knew Misty didn't.
"Oh, there's some great Pokémon out here!" She instantly lit up now that the topic had switched to her favorite, Water-Type Pokémon. "There's Goldeen and Staryu, of course, and some Tentacool, and… Magikarp." Her face twitched at the last one, but she soldiered on quickly enough that I wouldn't have noticed without metaknowledge. "I know that there's some Horsea as well, which would be a great catch, and a foreign school of Corsola has been spotted as well, and Remoraid. And that's not even mentioning released or out-of-place Pokémon! Daisy, my-uh… one of the Gym Leaders of Cerulean, who I've never met, hahahahaha!" She laughed like a lunatic, trying to cover up her slip. Making sure she couldn't see me, I rolled my eyes. She was really shit at keeping a secret. "B-but yeah, she found a Feebas, like yours, out here once!"
"Ain't no Feebas like Siren." I felt compelled to point out. No way some random scrub could measure up to my Princess. "But you sure know a lot about Cerulean. You didnt even ask Brock where the Elekid are. Did you grow up here?" Come on, just give it up.
"Huh!? Y-yeah, I guess I did. Just a small family, you wouldn't know them, oh hey, look! A lake!" She pointed dramatically forwards towards the expansive body of water, little islands of land poking up in shallower parts. Flowers surrounded the edges, wild Pokémon rummaging around unconcerned, lending the whole image a picturesque vibe. A group of decent-sized yellow duck-like Pokémon sat in a circle on one of the larger outcroppings, and even from well over 500 feet away, I could hear confused quacking. How quacking could sound confused I didn't know, but somehow the Psyducks managed it.
It was a very pretty lake, but nothing we hadn't seen on our way there.
"Small family, huh? Any siblings?" I kept at it as we took a wide path around the large pond, staying clear to not disturb the locals. Various heads of all shapes and sizes poked out to keep an eye on us even as we headed further out into the open plains that stretched between the lagoons. I had no clue where we were, but I trusted Misty's sense of direction and knowledge of the area.
"Siblings!? No, no siblings! W-well, I have a sister… or two, but nothing special, hahaha!"
Fuck it. I wasn't a patient man and I gave her a chance.
"Are we really going to do this the whole trip?" I asked, speeding up so I was alongside her and trying to catch her eye.
"Do what?" Sweat ran like bullets down her face. I really didn't understand how PokéHumans could make some of the expressions they did.
"The whole, pretending you're not the fourth Waterflower sister?"
She tripped, cartwheeling her arms around to keep her balance. Recovering, she stared at me with an expression of terror, like I'd put a gun in her face. "WHAT!? I-I, I don't, uhhh-"
"Misty, come on." I was really growing tired of the charades. "Your picture is literally on the front page of Cerulean Gyms PokéNet site." It was true, too. I'd checked.
She froze, completely bamboozled, her mouth opening and closing in a way that reminded me of a younger Siren. Finally, she deflated, like literally, her body crumpling into itself and slumping.
"I thought they took that down…"
"Nope. Right there, front and center, all four of you standing together. It's only Ash having actual brain damage and thinking his PokéDex is a fancy flashlight that kept it a secret." Seriously, how the fuck did Ash not know. Brock sure as fuck did, but Ash did no research before challenging a Gym? You could see what Pokémon the Leader typically used for all levels, and see live footage of their matches. How could someone not use that!?
Although, the brat hadn't even known you could check move sets on the machine. Maybe he didn't know?
I needed to have a long talk with that kid. Sure, he bumbled through it in canon, somehow, but now that I was living here, I didn't fancy leaving the fate of the entire planet in a mental toddler's hands, without at least trying to give him some advise. He could still do the actual saving bit, because fuck that, but maybe I could better his odds.
But back to the beautiful, insecure girl standing in front of me, looking like her whole world collapsed.
"Is it really that big of a deal? Its pretty fucking cool, actually, that you're that strong and competent. Only makes you more atractive." Never relent. I'd grind her down over time.
In a non-creepy way.
It was a testament to how seriously she took it that she barely blushed at my compliment. "It's not-I mean… it's not like that." She mumbled defeatedly, leading the way to our destination at a slower pace.
Seeing her expression, I worried that I'd pushed too hard. It wasn't like I didn't have secrets of my own. "If you don't wanna talk about it, we don't have to. It's none of my business."
"I-" She looked back at me conflicted, emotions passing over her face too fast for me to make out, before finally settling on a small smile. "No, it's fine. You already know anyway. Thanks for asking, though."
"Sure, sure." I nodded easily. Despite her words, we walked for another 5-10 minutes while she mulled over her words before she spoke. In the meantime, I released my team so they could enjoy wide open plains and lakes, Betty immediately starting to chase Sol around while the Growlithe kept her distracted from the wild Pokémon.
Such a good boy.
Siren slipped into the lake and followed along our trek by the shore, glaring suspiciously at anything that looked out of place.
Betty was always a risk when she was more than a few feet from me, but I refused to keep her locked up forever. The only way she could improve was by exposure and practice.
"It's not that… I'm not, like, ashamed or anything. The Waterflower's have a rich history. We've been in charge of Cerulean for over 600 years, nearly uninterrupted. And that's awesome and all, I'm proud of them, just…" She sighed and looked upwards wistfully. "It was nice, you know. Being around someone that didn't know. All my life, people have been all 'Oh, you're a Waterflower', 'Your sisters are so cool', 'Oh, you don't look like them', and similar crap. People have expectations for members of the Old Eight Clans, especially if you're from the main line, and my sisters are quite… 'popular'," Even from behind I could hear the sneer in her voice, "by themselves… yeah. It was just nice, being out and about without having to worry about any of that. It's part of the reason I left in the first place."
I could see that. I'd never been famous or anything, but I was a big fan of being left alone by random assholes. "That makes sense. Sorry for ruining it for you. If you want, we can keep it a secret. Send the others a message, circle around the city, and meet them on the other side. Ash would never figure it out himself."
She snorted, yet nodded in appreciation. "Thanks, but no. It was never going to last forever, and that's a little too close to lying for my taste. I've been very careful to subtly misdirect and obfuscate, to great success, but I've not lied. Doubt it'll change anything either way, Ash will probably have forgotten by tomorrow anyway." Her being unable to see me very much worked in my favor, the incredulous face I was making remaining hidden.
The fuck did she mean 'subtle'!?
I swiftly wiped the look off as she turned around, walking backwards with her hands behind her back and a huge smile on her face.
"Thank you, for listening and not pushing me to do anything. I really appreciate it. When we first met in the cave, I thought you were just another horndog that maybe knew who I was, but you're a surprisingly nice guy."
In a turn of the tables, I felt heat rise in my own cheeks at the earnestness in her voice. I was supposed to be a suave edgelord, Arceus damnit! She couldn't just flip the script like that!
"Uh, t-thanks. You're p-pretty cool too…"
FUCK! Pull yourself together! If I'd been alone, I'd have slapped myself.
Almost like she was reading my mind and decided to help me out, a hand suddenly grabbed me by the collar and hauled me in close, nearly nose to nose with the very red Misty who narrowed her eyes in a glare and shook her other clenched fist near my face.
"And if you tell anyone about this conversation, I'll beat your ass so hard Ash will end up looking like a genius next to your brain damage! Got it!?"
Swallowing thickly, I nodded quickly. Usually I'd take more offense to someone grabbing me like that, but not only did I start it, I was also getting emotional whiplash from her sudden case of bi-polarity. Even with that, I couldn't help myself from reaching up to grab her wrist, though she swiftly let go and pushed me a step back, spinning back again.
"Good! Now, let's get going! We're still a couple hours away!"
I stood stunned for a moment before hurrying to catch up.
Fucking anime characters and their instability. My penis was so confused.
Our journey continued in a lighter vein, the topics of conversation more superficial and light-hearted. We mostly traded childhood stories about Pokémon, or Ash and Gary's shenanigans on my part. I learned about Misty receiving her Starmie's egg from her parents as a child, in exchange for the story of Siren's hatching. The mention of her parents reignited my curiosity, but I held myself back.
Baby steps.
The words flowed back and forth quite easily, so much so that I found myself surprised. I'd mainly been hung up on her looks, but she was actually pretty fun to talk to, and definitely knew her shit when it came to Pokémon, Water-Types in particular. Hell, she even recommended a certain type of oil for Siren's scales that helped prevent dryness from spending too much time above ground, and contained minerals usually found in the water that promoted general health and healing. I'd spent a lot of time researching Feebas, but nothing had ever mentioned some of the things Misty casually threw out.
Perks of being the descendent of the premier Water-Type Clan, I guess.
For helping Siren alone, the orange-haired girl had my eternal loyalty. Well, not actually. Misty and her sisters were some of the few I was 99% sure had fuck-all to do with the Rockets, but if I turned out to be wrong, I'd whoop her ass in an entirely non-sexy way, hot or not.
I'd feel bad about it, but I'd do it. Gender in combat mattered a whole lot less when everyone was armed with killer animals and had super strength.
The terrain shifted during our trip, small groves of trees coming and going, flowers and shrubbery in every color of the rainbow lending the whole thing a fantastical feel, lakes small as a puddle and wider than the eye could see shining like planes of glass covered in crystals. The air was warm and sweet with pollen, plants and Grass-Type Pokémon alike frolicking about, Bellsprout and Sunflora poking out of flower patches before ducking again.
I had to yell and recall both Betty and Sol a couple of times when they couldn't contain themselves from causing trouble and eventually, I had to help Siren get from pond to pond as her energy and levitation waned, but overall it was quite a nice trip. There was only really one noteworthy event.
"SHIRP SHIRP SHIRP!"
"SHIRP!"
"SHIRP!"
"Yeah yeah, we get it! It's your territory, shut the fuck up!" Yelling at half-a-dozen Spearow had rarely been very effective at calming the situation, but I couldn't help myself. The little fuckers had been chasing us for several minutes, just because we happened to wander a little too close to their nest. We were on the fucking ground while they were at the top of a tree, why were they so fucking pissed!? And oh my fucking lord, they were so unbelievably loud!
"Peri, I don't think they're going to stop!" Despite the speed, volume, and emphasis of her words, Misty didn't seem all that worried, which was fair.
I wasn't either.
Not only did we have enough pokemon between us to match their numbers, they were also fucking Spearow.
As if listening to my thoughts and taking offense, a small brown shape dropped from the sky like a dart, hurling towards me swiftly. Narrow, dark brown eyes glinted triumphantly as its hooked beak opened to screech in victory, short, pinkish-red wings pressed close to its body for extra speed. Three toed, light pink talons stretched wide as it came for my head, the bird of prey inches from its quarry-
"Water Gun!"
-Only for a pressurized jet of water over two feet wide to blast it from the side. The Spearow's sharp eyes widened bulbously, threatening to pop out of its head as it went careening to the side and upwards even faster than it flew, disappearing into the canopy with a pathetic chirp.
"Nice!" I complemented Misty, making her flick her hair and cross her arms with a smirk, form halfway hidden by her three-foot tall Pokémon. The Water-Type looked like two violet starfish with faceted skin and five appendages, attached onto each other. The front starfish had a golden formation in the center, acting as casing to its red jewel core that strongly reminded me of Slowking's.
"This is nothing! Starmie can take them all by itself! In fact, maybe we will if you're just gonna watch." At her words, another ball of water energy formed in front of the Water/Psychic-Type for a split second, before erupting and sniping another Flying-Type from the air.
"Wait, that's cheating! Siren, Ice Beam!"
By the time the last of the Spearow fled, abandoning their downed comrades, Misty preened while skipping along. I followed behind while grumbling at the 4-2 score. It was bullshit. Not only was Starmie clearly way stronger than Siren, having been trained by Water-Type Masters or adjacent its whole life, but it also had a head start.
Siren could totally have beaten the dumb shuriken if they'd started at the same time.
Finally, in an open area between a medium sized body of water and a long, thin stretch of forest, with some rare rocky outcropping dotting the landscape, Misty came to a halt.
"Alright, finally! We're here."
I looked around confused. Off in the distance, a pair of Roselia bounced around with a group of spherical, purple bodied Pokémon without arms and a pair of stumpy feet, a bushel of long, green leaves poking out their heads. The Oddish smiled as they enjoyed life and the sun with the other Grass-Types. Pidgey and Pidgeotto darted by overhead, and the lake was alive with bubbles and movement, flashes of life appearing and submerging while others chilled on the bank. It was an idyllic scene.
What I didn't see, was anything resembling an Electric-Type. Fuck, I couldn't even see yellow anywhere.
"Uh, are you sure? 'Cause I don't see them."
"Of course you don't see them! Did you think we kept them in a cage!? They're somewhere in this area, that's all I know. The rest is manual searching."
That was fair, I thought as I nodded.
"Fair, fair. All right, you stay here. I'll be back." With that, I stepped towards the woods. Seemed like as good a place as any to start. Before they had time to see me, I also recalled Betty and Sol. No need to listen to their whining. They could come back out for the return trip.
"Wait, what!? You wanna go alone!?" Misty appeared flabbergasted at the suggestion.
"Yeah." I confirmed. "It's gonna be my team member, and Elekid are baby Pokémon with at least their mom hanging around. No need to stress them out any more than necessary." Not the greatest of reasons, but it was true. It felt like something I should do alone, or at most with the rest of my team.
Misty looked hesitant, shifting from foot to foot, before finally crossing her arms and sticking her nose in the air, marching over to the lake. "Humph! See if I care! I'll just stay here and catch something that's way better than an Elekid!"
I snorted in amusement at the return of her tsundere ways. "You do that. I'll leave Siren here to keep you company." My Feebas did not like that suggestion, gurgling in protest, but a little affection made her settle down. Seeing that Misty was busy getting her fishing gear ready, I pulled out my PokéDex and quickly showed Siren a couple of pictures.
"See if you can't find one of these for her, will you Princess?" She grumbled a little, but still took a long time to look at the photos, doing her best to memorize them. Pressing a swift kiss to her forehead, I stood up from my crouch and went to leave. "I'll be back soon, okay girl? Keep her safe for me."
With affirmative bubbling as exit music, I walked away. It was my first time actually having to look for a Pokémon I wanted, instead of it just happening to be near me. It was exciting. Battles and Gyms were a major part of being a Trainer, but so was this. Trekking through the trees, on the hunt for your target.
It was going to be great.
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I'll never not find it amusing to have Peri jinx himself. Next chapter, I promise you that we'll get not just one, but TWO pokémon.
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 3 chapters ahead.