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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The arena seemed to hold its breath for a beat as Squirty the Wartortle and Siren stared at each other. The magic was swiftly broken, however, as Gary and I both called out at the same time.
"Scald!"
"Missile!"
I cursed as the steaming water washed off Squirty's hard shell, watching it retract its limbs and head into the protective shield. Every limb except for the tail, that was. The realisation struck at the same time as water surrounded the appendage and began swirling around.
"SIREN, MOVE!"
A quick Jet got her out of the way just in time as the Aqua Jet sent the Wartorlte hurling forwards in a spray of liquid so forceful the backwash created a wave behind it. Compared to Azumaril's, it was amateurish at best. Yet, it did the job of propelling the heavy turtle and slamming it into the barrier hard enough that it flashed into visibility for a brief moment. Shaking his head dazedly, Squirty emerged from his shell a little confused, but unhurt.
And more importantly, much closer than I was comfortable with.
"Got you now! Focus Punch!"
"Back, Siren, Back! Ice Beam!"
The Feebas tried, but neither Water-Type was built for speed on land. Siren's levitation allowed her to be faster over a longer distance, but Squirty's thick frame was filled with powerful muscles that could make it startingly quick.
The Ice-Type move washed over the Wartortle much like his Pidgeotto teammate in the match before. However, unlike the Flying-Type, Gary's starter barely flinched at the thin layer of hoar frost spreading over its front from the hasty attack, and I scowled as it failed even to slow it, much less stop the glowing front leg that slammed into Siren and sent her flying to the opposite side of the arena.
That set the pace for the rest of the battle. Gary and Squirty did their best to close the gap, while Siren tried to avoid them frantically and get in what shots she could. Aqua Jet proved to be the deciding factor, unrefined as it was. We simply had no way to get away fast enough, or even hurt it, and the Wartortle was proving to be an endurance beast. After a few repetitions, Squirty was growing both annoyed and arrogant, taking a little too long to charge up his rush attack.
"Scald!"
The very hot water sprayed the amphibian in the face right as it poked out of its shell, getting a grunt of pain and sending the larger Pokémon stumbling back a little. For a moment, I hoped we had created some sort of advantage, something we could use to chip him down slowly. Yet, the following Ice Beam was shrugged off with the same ease as before, and when he looked back, slightly wrinkly skin and a squinting of his eye was the only evidence he'd even been hurt.
Siren could compete in power, but she just didn't have the toolkit to hurt her opponent.
Squirty did.
"Yeah, that's it! Might as well surrender completely, right now!" Gary laughed loudly as my PokéBall saved Siren from another Focus Punch at the last minute. She could have continued for a while longer, yet as much as I loved her, it wouldn't amount to much more than maybe a couple more hits. Wartortle's hard carapace even protected it from the same tactics we used against Azumaril.
Maybe I'd gotten a little cocky after the embarrassing showing from the Pidgeotto. While I was still confident that my team was stronger, Gary had perhaps – just maybe – spent a little more time training his team's moves. He was proving to be a bigger challenge than the rest of the ship, at least.
Good.
Gary and I stared at each other across the arena as my fingers drummed between two PokéBalls. Not that it was much of a choice. I wasn't familiar enough with Eevee to be willing to risk it, and given that our opponent was a Water-Type – and a fairly strong one at that – Sol would be a wild choice. I briefly considered the face Gary would make if he had to face down Betty all of a sudden, yet the earlier Ice Beam made that inadvisable as well, even if I was going to crack and finally use her in public.
So yeah, it wasn't the biggest twist in the world when Hercules emerged from his ball on my side of the field, and given that neither Gary nor Squirty flinched, they had expected as much as well.
The announcer, on the other hand…
"WHAT'S THIS? THE LEFT TRAINER STILL REFUSES TO USE HIS GROWLITHE! IT SEEMS PERWINKLE IS ALL OUT OF RARE POKÉMON! HOW DOES HE EXPECT TO WIN WITHOUT HIS ACE!?"
Whoever the fuck that guy was, he better hope I never found out, or I'd kick his teeth in. Even Gary was annoyed, and he loved it when people insulted his opponent.
"Begin!"
""Get in close!""
My frown changed to a grin as Gary's eyes widened in surprise.
He didn't watch my match with Surge and expected a normal Elekid.
Sucks to suck.
"Thunder Fist!"
"Protect!"
I clicked my tongue at the swift reaction time, the sparking hand bouncing off the barrier of interconnected green hexagons that flickered into life at the last moment. It was a little hazy and only covered a third of the Water-Type, but it held up under the force. Squirty's move pool was actually crazy.
However, Protect wasn't just a very energy-intensive move.
It was also a stationary one.
"Keep hammering it!"
BAM-BAM-BA-BAM!
Half a dozen blows smashed into the shield like pistons, bright light flashing with every hit. I went to call out, yet held my tongue when I saw Herc shift slightly to the right.
He got it.
SMACK!
With a sudden shift, Hercules stepped right and threw a hook that curved around the subpar Protect and walloped the Wartortle right in the cheek. The bipedal turtle stumbled back, grunting in pain as more electricity was conducted through his body, another punch hitting him in the softer underbelly, and then another. He swung his arms around in an attempt to throw Herc off, yet he clearly wasn't as good at throwing hands.
"Fuck! Squirty, Withdraw and Missile out of there!"
Squirty wasn't fast enough to escape without another Thunder Fist, but stayed conscious as he retreated into the safety of his natural armour. The following Aqua Jet sent him almost as much upwards as it did to the other end of the battlefield in his hurry to get away. The Wartortle skipped off the Psychic barrier twice, tumbling chaotically through the air before bouncing on the ground. Shaking his head as he emerged, Squirty had all of two seconds to enjoy his pain-free existence before a yellow fist smashed into the back of his head so hard he recoiled off the ground upon impact and came back up. The Quick Attack faded from Hercule's compact frame as he got right back to business as the Water-Type once more sought the protection of its shell.
"Rapid Spin, you idiot! Get it off you!"
"Back." As instructed, my Elekid retreated, allowing Squirty to begin spinning around on the stone tiles, dust blowing back as it picked up speed, blurring like a top.
However, I hadn't just been sulking while in Vermillion.
"Shockwave!"
Thanks for the TM, Surge, you dickhead.
Blue electricity sparked between the dual prongs atop Herc's head as he focused, windmilling his arms furiously to build up the charge. Gary yelled to his Pokémon to move, but the Rapid Spin made any attempts useless as it would take too long to stop. Before long, a blinding lance of lightning leapt from the Elekid as he whirred loudly, noticeably stronger than he used to be capable of.
Not anything impressive yet – or even average, to be honest – but solid progress. We'd get there.
We were denied the chance to see the physical consequences of that progress, however, as the light from Gary's PokéBall recalled him before the electricity could strike.
"OH, AND THE YOUNG OAK-"
It appeared that I'd made Gary a tad upset as he didn't wait for the announcer – or the referee, even – to finish speaking before hurling his next pick out onto the field. I grimaced as the same Graveler that took down Pikachu materialised, looking basically fully refreshed. Gary must have pumped several potions into it between rounds. Even having expected it, it still sucked. Especially since the dual type showed up on the complete opposite side of the battlefield, far enough away that it would probably get an attack in before Herc could close the distance.
"Magnitude! Wrap this shit up!"
"Leap! Hammer Arm!"
Jumping into the air, The Rock Pokémon smiled nastily as it folded its limbs in close, truly resembling its title as it dropped back onto the arena floor. The heavy tiles shook and clattered as a seismic wave radiated outward from the Graveler, cracks splintering the shaped stone. Hercules was faster and had managed to get a Quick Attack up, the aura blazing around his body as he pushed off the ground right before the wave hit him. Soaring through the air, the coat of energy condensed around his arm as he came hurling down with a cocked-back fist.
"Rollout!"
I grit my teeth as the Rock-Type stayed curled up and rolled away right as the Hammer Arm swished through the air behind it and embedded in the ground. A wave of dust and air chased the Graveler as Herc pulled his hand out of the floor where it had been embedded up to the mid-forarm in a small crater.
"After him!"
With a whir of confirmation, Quick Attack swiftly roared back to life, boosting the Electric-Type's agility again – though I noticed the delay and extra time it took. Herc's stamina was impressive, but I was demanding a lot of moves from him, one after the other, rapidly.
Unfortunately, it was necessary. Most Ground-Type moves were area of effect and required a second of concentration, a second we couldn't afford to give him.
To start, the Elekid had no issue catching up to the spherical Rock/Ground-Type, his knuckles brushing against the grainy carapace, Graveler barely swerving out of the way as Hercules switched from Quick Attack to Hammer Arm. The slight delay in changing – or condensing and refining, as Grant claimed – energy type was just enough to keep Gary in the game.
However, the special quality of Rollout soon became apparent.
Slowly, the ever-shrinking gap between the two Pokémon grew a little. The flashes and sprints of Quick Attack became a little longer and more sustained. The Hammer Arms had to be abandoned before they really took shape as Graveler picked up speed, matching, and then surpassing, Hercules' normal pace. The desperate figure-eight patterns turned into smoother and smoother circles. He was still ahead, thanks to Quick Attack, yet I didn't know if there was a limit to Rollout's escalation, but pounding on it with nothing but the Normal-Type energy wasn't going to accomplish much.
"Herc, stop!"
The Electric-Type skidded to a halt in the middle of the ring, much to the confusion of the audience.
"What is the boy doing?"
"Has he given up? Understandable."
"Booooooo, lame!"
Gary himself appeared surprised, though a pleased smirk soon replaced it. "Ha! I'll admit, you kinda had me nervous on behalf of your Pokémon for a second, but it seems you've finally understood the pecking order! Good! Graveler, finish them off quickly to spare whatever they can salvage of their egos!"
Watching as Graveler circled my still Pokémon faster and faster, my eyes lagging behind a little and almost seeing an aftertrail, I lowered my voice and muted my microphone for a second. Thankfully, the pretentious douchebags of the S.S. Anne still allowed some strategising.
"When it gets close, Hammer Arm."
Paying attention to Gary's face out of the corner of my eye, I saw his smirk widen for a moment before returning to normal as Hercules hunched over himself in a way that covered his right hand.
Gary was by no means stupid, as much as I hated to say it. Not as smart as me – obviously – but not dumb. And I knew he thought the exact same way about me.
Which meant he would at least expect me to have a basic plan, and he'd be thinking two steps ahead.
"It's going to be a feint. Pretend to fall for it."
So I had to be three steps ahead.
Unable to turn around fast enough to keep eyes on his opponent, Hercules was left with focusing on his other senses to know when the attack came.
Not that it was hard to tell.
"Get him, Graveler!" Gary shouted, jabbing his finger towards my Pokémon dramatically and sticking his nose in the air. At his command, the circling Rock-Type shot inwards, rolling towards Herc's back like a cannonball. The Elekid spun around at the sound of Graveler's rough hide scraping against the stone and threw his glowing fist forward, supposedly putting his all into the Hammer Arm.
My heart surged when Gary grinned victoriously and clenched his outstretched hand into a fist as the two attacks neared collision.
"Now! Swerve!"
At the very last moment, Graveler spun left, the edge of Herc's glowing forearm just barely brushing against it before it rolled off. Appearing like he put way too much force behind the attack, the Electric-Type stumbled forwards uncontrollably, making sure to give the sentient boulder plenty of time to redirect in a large bow around and launch towards the Elekid's back once more, Gary guffawing loudly.
Which stopped when Hercules stopped pretending and suddenly found his footing, pirouetting much faster than either Graveler or its Trainer had expected.
Good news, I called the feint.
Bad news, for all that Herc was awesome, I kind of forgot that he was also a tiny maniac, and when I said 'pretend to fall for the feint', he took it very literally.
The back of his Fighting-Type enhanced fist smashed into the Rock/Ground-Type with a loud crack! as a small crater with spiderweb-like faultlines extending from it formed from the blow. But the small humanoid had waited too long to secure the hit, and not even the stone-shattering force was enough to stop the Rollout, not after that much buildup. Both Graveler and Hercules cried out in pain as the injured, four-armed Pokémon thundered into Herc's side, diverted just enough that it clipped his hip and shoulder, yet still struck hard enough to send him tumbling through the air. At the same time, Graveler shot uncontrollably into the barrier surrounding the arena, making it waver for a moment.
"HERC! GET UP!"
"GRAVELER, YOU MORON! UP! YOU'RE NOT LOSING TO A FUCKING ELECTRIC-TYPE!"
Both Pokémon struggled to rise. Graveler's lower left arm hung limply by its side while Herc's leg failed to support him twice and sent him back to the ground before he managed to stay up.
At a glance, it didn't seem like he'd broken anything – which was, of course, the most essential part – but given how gingerly he was stepping and the way he was working his arm, he was going to have one hell of a bruise later.
More importantly, given the current situation, the leg would make closing the distance difficult. The Hammer Arm was definitely going to make another Rollout rough, but that still left us in a ranged competition against an opponent immune to Electric-Type moves.
A losing gambit.
"OOOOH, AND YET ANOTHER EARLY RECALL!" The announcer screamed as Hercules vanished into his PokéBall. "THE PALLET TRAINERS SEEM RELUCTANT TO COMMIT UNTIL ONE SIDE FALLS, BUT IT IS NOW 2-2! THIS WILL BE THE DECIDING BATTLE!"
"BOOO!"
"PUSSY!
"GROWLITHE, GROWLITHE, GROWLITHE!"
Doing my best to tune the audience out, to limited effect, I took a moment to think, despite not really having options. There was little doubt in my mind that Hercules could've – and wanted to – keep going, but there was a reason I was so quick to recall my Pokémon, even if I might've been able to pull off a win by then. No matter how much I told myself that it was okay, or how many assurances I got, the thought of being on the ship with any of my team out of commission made me nauseous just thinking about it, especially after learning there were Pebbles running around.
No, I needed them ready to go, even if it put me in a worse spot – or cost me the match.
Usually, I was able to handle Type weakness to a degree, but so far, it had been hard counter after counter. If not for Gary's fuck up with Pidgeotto, I might've been the one behind.
I again felt the urge to use my Dragon-Type, but even though I was reasonably sure Graveler would survive enough Brick Breaks to be recalled, there was another problem.
I hadn't registered Betty. Despite Gary having signed us up beforehand, the S.S. Anne still required that any Pokémon the Trainers intended to use in the tournament be looked over and recorded. It was both a safety measure – making sure you didn't just pull a Gyarados out of your ass – and I was sure they got whatever data they could as well. Brock informing me that there were Pebble Clan members around had made me reluctant to reveal my only trump card before I could cram it down Team Rocket's throat: even if I was kind of getting to a point where I trusted Betty against fairly strong or durable, in Graveler's case, Pokémon.
No, I fucked around too much, my anxiety and paranoia making me play it too safe, and now we were working at a disadvantage.
Still, we'd dealt with worse.
Sol panted cheerfully as he appeared to thunderous applause.
"Man, that's unfair!"
"Such a handsome Pokémon!"
"Where does a plebeian like this child get a Pokémon like that? Surely it can't be by legal means."
"Come now, Charles, the child is sponsored by Professor Oak. You know as well as I that it's all about who you know."
"I'm not leaving this ship without that Growlithe, even if I have to give up my entire farm for it!"
Unlike me, my Fire-Type lapped up the attention joyously, his head swirling around as his tongue wavered in the sea breeze. Unable to get enough, he stood up on his hind legs to show off, barking happily to set off another round of praise.
"SOL!"
My own bark was a lot harsher, getting a whine from the Alpha, but I needed him to lock in if we wanted a chance to win.
"I need you to be serious, boy. Unless you want to lose to Gary again."
A lie, as the last time we'd drawn against Squirty, yet it was enough to make him focus on Graveler, even if his eyes still darted towards the spectators, tail thumbing furiously against the stone tiles. Walter's brother's Dewgong – back in Cerulean – and Siren had beaten a respect for Water-Types into the lazy, arrogant dog Pokémon. However, his attitude was definitely still a work in progress.
"AND THERE IT IS, FOLKS, THE SHINY, ALPHA GROWLITHE! EVEN BY S.S. ANNE STANDARDS, IT IS A RARE SIGHT! WILL HIS NATURAL SUPERIORITY PREVAIL OVER GRAVELER'S TYPE ADVANTAGE!?"
"Are both Trainers ready?"
We nodded.
"Then, for the last time… begin!"
"Sol, get close and beat its ass!"
"Magnitude, Graveler, crush that mutt!"
I openly smirked as Gary's Pokémon jumped into the air again and folded its three working arms close to its body. Sol hadn't made it halfway across the arena by then, slower than Hercules even without Quick Attack, but there was a reason I didn't have him use Agility or any other moves.
For all that Gary's move poll was expansive, he'd mainly stuck to the same attacks. Whether that was due to an unconscious habit or inexperience with the others, I wasn't sure, but if he wanted to repeat moves, so be it.
"Roar, Sol, interrupt it!"
The big dog Pokémon inhaled deeply while running forwards, Gary's eyes widening as, with a loud bellow, a visible shockwave rushed through the air and hit Graveler right as it was about to start its descent. The Rock Pokémon flinched and uncurled as a deep, primordial fear struck its heart. It wasn't as effective as it had been against Squirty, back then a Squirtle, or on the other, more mammalian Pokémon we'd used it against before – on account of Gravelers rarely having to worry about being eaten by anything canine sounding – but it was still enough that when it hit the ground, it was with little more than a tremor, rather than the stone-cracking force of earlier.
It still managed to shake it off before he got there, but it sure helped.
"ROCK THROW, KEEP IT AWAY! MUD-SLAP!"
The stone flooring cracked at the Rock-Type's touch, letting it gouge large chunks out of it effortlessly. The hunks of smooth granite flew through the air with precision, and there was very little I could do other than have faith as Sol lowered his head and trucked through, a suppressed whimper making it through his gritted teeth as one of them hit him in the ribs hard enough that it shattered upon impact. Thankfully, Herc's earlier efforts were paying off, and Graveler was forced to bend awkwardly to reach the ground with its upper left arm.
Beyond that, Gary had also made a mistake calling out the next move so early. It gave me the chance to counter.
"Flame Wheel into Brick Break!"
Fire spewed from Sol's mouth and poured back to coat his body, smaller embers leaking from his fur to aid the process as he threw himself forward into a roll, a large doughnut of flames hurling towards Graveler. Just in time, too, as the floor melted under its three-fingered hand, the precisely carved stone turning liquid under its geokinesis. Dragging its arm upwards with a grunt, a wave of mud erupted, rushing towards the incoming fire wheel that was Sol.
Steam exploded upon contact as the moisture in the mixture evaporated, leaving hardened, clay-like structures to fall to the ground and crumble into dust. The Mud-Slap did a lot to douse the Flame Wheel, Sol's yellow fur easily visible through the remaining, flickering fire; however, it had done its job as he let the last embers fade and jumped atop the sizeable, yet still smaller than Sol's beefy four feet, Pokémon.
I kept my eyes on Gary, watching his face redden as our Pokémon tumbled across the arena, growls and gravelly complaints ringing out as the battle turned into more of a wrestling match. Graveller had the advantage of not just having arms, which was better for punching, but also having four of them – even if it could only currently use three of them. Sol's claws scratched uselessly against the rocky carapace, unable to get through to hurt the soft insides, and his limbs quickly got grabbed by Graveler as the Rock Pokémon punched its remaining free hand into the opposite ribs it had injured with its Rock Throw.
Yet, Sol once more proved that he was simply a fucking beast without equal. Snarling with flames flickering between his teeth, he ripped his paws free from Graveler's grasp and raised them upwards, a shiny light swiftly covering them. A Rock Throw was used as an improvised bludgeon, breaking on Sol's fur as a half-formed Mud-Slap sprayed up and tried to blind him, to no avail, as it dried and crumbled within moments, Sol slamming the dual Brick Break down into his downed foe. Even I had to wince as the move lived up to its name, a huge crack splitting the rocky exterior open with little effort. Flashes of pinkish-red peeked through the cavity as the Rock/Ground-Type wheezed in a truly horrible manner, its fleshy interior exposed to the air in a way it was never meant to.
"YOU USELESS-DUMB-AHHHHH!"
Yet, Gary still made no move to recall Graveler. His hands were clenched into fists, his eyes were bloodshot, and I was starting to worry he was going to pass out as his face got more and more purple, yet he didn't give in. It didn't surprise me, but it still sucked. I probably wouldn't be any better in the same situation, given my track record, but whatever.
It was what it was.
"Knock him out, Sol, quick."
That finally got my frenemy's attention; his furious eyes shot up to meet mine. There was a storm of emotions behind his brown irises, way too much going on for me to process. Yet, something seemed to have happened as I watched a wall slam down to cover up his feelings as a lightly trembling hand raised a PokéBall and recalled his final Pokémon, surrendering the fight.
I'd won.
"AND THE WINNER OF OUR SECOND TOURNAMENT, NARROWLY BEATING HIS CHILDHOOD FRIEND, IS THE ASTOUNDING GROWLITHE AND HIS TRAINER! I IMAGINE THAT QUITE A FEW OFFERS WILL BE HEADING THEIR WAY!" It rankled somewhat to validate the commentating dickhead by winning with Sol, but I wasn't going to let it get me too far down.
Though if anyone thought I'd be selling him, they had a verbal shit storm unlike any they'd experienced coming their way.
"IF OUR SEMI-FINALISTS WOULD JOIN US ON STAGE, WE WILL COMMENCE WITH THE REWARD CEREMONY SO WE CAN ALL GET SOME WELL-DESERVED DINNER!"
It didn't take long for the four of us to be lined up in ascending order while the crowd laughed at the small joke, the sun all but having disappeared beneath the horizon and darkness taking its place. The middle-aged woman whose Shiny Beautifly I beat had ended up in fourth place and was not happy about it, based on the ugly expression she was making beneath her enormous Beautifly hat. Unfortunately for her, Ash had gone 2-3 with Gary, while she lost 3-0.
"Congratulations, son." The man – I wasn't sure if he was one I'd seen before or not, as they all wore the same clothes and had basically the same haircut – placed the medal around Ash's shoulders and shook his hand while handing him a case similar to the one he gave to the lady I beat in the semi-finale. I'd heard her name several times, and yet, I didn't care enough to remember it.
"FOR THIRD PLACE, WE GIVE 10.000 POKÉ, AND A VOUCHER TO OUR SELECTION OF EXCLUSIVE TMS, ONLY FOUND ON THE S.S. ANNE!"
I joined the crowd in clapping as Ash accepted his price with surprising grace for someone who'd been screaming about being better than Gary and me for years, only to end up lower ranked than us both.
Good to see him not taking it too hard, though, and based on the uncharacteristically firm expression he gave me when he caught me looking, he might start taking being a Trainer a little more seriously from now on.
If he could combine that protagonist optimism and inability to stay down with actual skills, he'd be a fucking menace much earlier than in canon.
Speaking of being a sore loser, however…
"AND FOR OUR RUNNER UP, WHO PUT UP A FIERCE AND CLOSE MATCH THAT SADDLY WASN'T ENOUGH IN THE FACE OF OVERWHELMING POWER," I tried to catch Gary's eye as he lowered his head so the man could place the large silver medallion on a blue ribbon around his neck, yet the brown-haired boy kept his gaze locked on the presenters shirt buttons, jaw clenched so tight that I could see the muscle twitching.
Shaking my head, I sighed.
Whatever.
"WE HAVE 15.000 POKÉ, TWO VOUCHERS FOR TMS, AND FINALLY, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, 50% OFF ON A POKÉMON OF HIS CHOICE FROM OUR WORLD WIDE COLLECTION, UNMATCHED BY ANY SINGLE ORGANIZATION IN THE WHOLE KNOWN WORLD! EVERYONE, GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR GARY OAK!"
At least he looked pretty pleased with his prizes, which he should be. I hadn't seen anything like a Pseudo-Legendary in our quick perusal of the Pokémon on offer, but I had seen shit like Torchic or even a couple more mundane Alphas. He would be able to get something very cool.
Not as cool as what I'd get, of course, but hopefully it would stop him from bitching too much. I accepted the briefcase I was handed, which I suppose contained our money in cash, for some fucking reason.
But much more interesting was the PokéBall I was handed next.
"AND FOR OUR VICTOR, A TRULY SPECIAL PRICE! A WHOLE 25.000 POKÈ, OF COURSE, BUT THAT IS THE LEAST OF IT! YESTERDAY, YOUNG DEVAN WON A TRULY UNIQUE POKÉMON, A COMPLETELY UNDISCOVERED VERSION OF AN EXEGGCUTE, FROM A TROPICAL WONDERLAND FAR FROM KANTO, AND OUR FIRST PLACE PRICE TODAY IS NOT ANY LESSER!"
I rolled the PokéBall around for a minute, completely unsurprised that it was a Luxury Ball. It was entirely on brand for S.S. Anne.
Nor was the mention of the Alolan Exeggcute a shock. I'd been there for the finals the day before and saw the prize Pokémon for the 1-2 Badges tournament. I'd also seen that it was indeed Pikipek that they were selling down in the shop. My heart sped up in excitement at the thought of what I'd gotten as I pressed the button. It still wasn't my favourite way of acquiring a Pokémon for the team, and I was going to make it the same offer I did Eevee, even if getting whatever it was back home was going to be a whole lot more fucking problematic.
But for all that, it was a rare, mystery Pokémon. Who wouldn't be excited-
-the red light took the shape of a Pokémon, and the world stopped.
A small, quadrupedal Pokémon. Its pelt was short and white, the colour of fresh snow. Ice-blue eyes peered out beneath a tuft of wispy fur lying between its triangular ears. It had pale blue paws and dark blue inside its ears. Its snout was pronounced and pointed, with a cute little nose that twitched as it looked up at me. Behind it, what looked like a single large billowing tail swayed more than it should in the light breeze, yet I knew that beneath the ethereal fur lay six individual appendages.
"RECENTLY ACQUIRED FROM A SPECIAL BREEDER, ON AN ISLAND FAR BEYOND EVEN HOENN CALLED ALOLA, IT IS A NEW SPECIES OF VULPIX! NOT ONLY IS THIS POKÉMON VISUALLY DIFFERENT, BUT EVEN ITS TYPE HAS CHANGED! THIS IS SIMPLY ONE OF THE MANY EXCLUSIVE THINGS THE S.S. ANNE HAVE TO OFFER-"
The words blended together and faded, becoming a buzzing in my ears as the Vulpix and I stared at each other, the ship gently swaying beneath us.
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Dun dun duuuuuun!
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.