"The paperwork is finalized, Professor. I've logged him into the system as a 'displaced minor' under your guardianship for the time being. If a match pops up in the global database—unlikely as it seems—I'll give you a shout," Officer Jenny said, tucking her digital tablet into her belt. She offered me a crisp, professional nod. "Good luck, Julian. Try to stay away from Pinsir for a while, okay?"
"I'll do my best, Officer. From now on, I'm a dedicated fan of indoor activities," I joked, though my heart was still thumping.
As she walked away, I caught my reflection in the glass door of the lab. I froze. I hadn't really looked at myself since the "Great Dimensional Tumble." Back home, I was a twenty-something guy with a burgeoning coffee addiction and a slightly receding hairline from stress.
The person staring back at me was... well, he was a kid. A fourteen-year-old version of myself, with a full head of messy hair, clearer skin, and about six inches less height.
Dialga, I thought, a chill running down my spine. If that rift was caused by the Lord of Time, it didn't just move me across space. It literally rewound my internal clock. On the bright side, my knees didn't crack when I moved anymore. On the downside, I was officially a minor again. I'd have to ask permission to stay up late.
"Come along, Julian," Professor Rowan's voice broke my internal crisis. "Since you and your Flabébé are staying with us, we should get you acquainted with the research backyard. It's an expansive habitat designed for various species. I believe your partner will find the floral gardens particularly invigorating. Most Grass-types do."
I blinked, following him toward the back of the facility. "Wait... Grass-types?"
"Indeed," Rowan said, his boots clicking rhythmically on the linoleum. "While Flabébé is quite rare in this region, the data we have from Kalosian researchers—men like Professor Sycamore—classifies the species as a pure Grass-type. Its physiological connection to flowers and its ability to utilize moves like Vine Whip make it a textbook example of the flora-based genus."
I stopped walking. Flabébé hopped once on my head, letting out a curious "Pei?"
"Um, Professor?" I said, trying to sound respectful while also being a massive nerd. "Are you sure about that? I mean... she doesn't really feel like a Grass-type to me. At least, not just a Grass-type."
Rowan paused at the heavy reinforced doors leading to the gardens. He turned, his eyebrows knitting together into a formidable white line. "Feel? Pokémon research is built on observation and empirical data, Julian, not 'feelings.' The current Pokédex recognizes seventeen elemental types. Flabébé lacks the toxic spores of a Poison-type, the fragility of a Bug-type, and the aerial anatomy of a Flying-type. What else could it possibly be?"
I realized I was standing on the edge of a historical cliff. If my timing was right, Ash Ketchum hadn't even left Pallet Town yet. The world didn't know about Mega Evolution, they didn't know about Z-Moves, and they most certainly didn't know about the Fairy-type.
"I think it's something new," I said, my voice gaining strength. "Something the world hasn't categorized yet. I think there's an eighteenth type, Professor. And I think she's the key to it."
The silence in the hallway was so thick you could have sliced it with a Scyther's blade. Marcus, the assistant, looked like he was about to faint. Rowan, however, didn't laugh. His eyes narrowed, glowing with a sudden, sharp intensity.
"A new type?" Rowan whispered. To a researcher, those words were more provocative than a confession of love. "That is a bold claim, young man. A claim that could rewrite every textbook in the world. If you are wrong, you are wasting my time. If you are right..."
He shoved the doors open. "Prove it."
The Backyard Revelation
The research backyard was less of a yard and more of a private national park. A massive glass dome spanned overhead, housing a sparkling lake, rolling hills, and a flower meadow that put the one in Eterna Forest to shame.
"Show me," Rowan commanded, stopping near a sturdy-looking oak tree. "Show me this 'eighteenth type.'"
I looked at Flabébé. She looked back at me, her tiny eyes bright and trusting. I didn't know if she knew the move, but in the games, Flabébé was the poster child for a specific low-level Fairy attack.
"Okay, Flabébé. We're going to make history," I whispered. "I need you to focus. Don't use your vines. I want you to draw on that warm, sparkling energy inside you. Can you do that?"
She tilted her head, then nodded vigorously. She hovered in front of the oak tree, her tiny hands clutching her blue flower.
"Flabébé! Use Fairy Wind!"
The little Pokémon began to spin like a tiny white top. A soft, humming sound filled the air, and then, a gust of wind erupted from her flower. But it wasn't a normal wind. It was shimmering, iridescent, and distinctly pink. It carried a trail of glittering dust that smelled like ozone and wildflowers.
The pink gale slammed into the oak tree, rustling the leaves with a strange, musical chiming sound.
Marcus gasped. "That... that wasn't a Gust move. And it certainly wasn't a Grass move. Look at the energy signature!"
Rowan stepped forward, his eyes wide. He reached out a hand, catching some of the lingering pink sparkles before they dissipated. "It's not Psychic... there's no mental weight to it. It's not Normal... it has a distinct elemental 'flavor.' Julian, what did you call that?"
"Fairy Wind," I said, my heart hammering against my ribs. "I call it the Fairy-type."
"Fairy..." Rowan tasted the word. "Elegant. Misleadingly soft. But we need more than a light breeze to confirm a new branch of the elemental tree. We need to test its interactions."
The Professor turned toward the sparkling pond. "Dragonair! If you would be so kind!"
A majestic, serpentine Pokémon rose from the water, its blue scales shimmering like sapphires. It glided through the air with effortless grace, landing beside Rowan.
"Dragon-types," Rowan explained, his voice trembling with academic excitement. "They are the pinnacle of elemental power. Resistant to Fire, Water, Electric, and Grass. Only Ice and their own kind can truly hurt them. If this 'Fairy' type is a true addition to the world, it must have a unique relationship with the Dragon-type."
I grinned. "Actually, Professor, it's better than that. Try to hit her with a Dragon move. Any of them."
Rowan looked at me as if I'd suggested jumping off a cliff. "Julian, Dragonair is a powerful Pokémon. Even a light attack could—"
"Trust me," I interrupted. "She'll be fine. Trust her."
Rowan hesitated, then looked at his Dragonair. "Very well. Dragonair, use a contained Dragon Rage. Just enough to test the affinity."
The Dragonair looked at the tiny Flabébé with a clear expression of 'Are you sure?' But seeing the Professor's nod, it opened its mouth. A sphere of swirling, blue-and-purple draconic energy gathered, crackling with raw power. It fired, the beam of draconic fury engulfing the tiny Flabébé completely.
The explosion of blue light was blinding. I felt a surge of panic—What if I'm wrong? What if this reality follows different rules?—but I forced myself to stand my ground.
The light faded.
Flabébé was still there. She wasn't just "okay." She was yawning. She had stayed right in the path of the beam, and not a single petal of her blue flower was scorched. She looked like she had just been sprayed with a light mist of water.
"Immune..." Marcus whispered, his clipboard clattering to the grass. "She's completely immune to Dragon energy."
Rowan was speechless. He walked over to the Flabébé, who was now happily inspecting a ladybug on a leaf. He poked the air where the Dragon Rage had passed through.
"Incredible," Rowan breathed. "Among the seventeen known types, only Steel can resist the might of a Dragon. But even Steel takes damage. To be immune... to completely negate the most powerful energy in the natural world..."
He turned to me, and for the first time, he didn't look like a stern Professor. He looked like a man who had just seen the face of God.
"Julian... do you realize what you've done?" He grabbed my shoulders, his grip like iron. "You haven't just found a new Pokémon. You've discovered a hidden pillar of our world! A type that balances the scales of the Dragons! This... this changes everything!"
I winced as his fingers dug into my shoulders. "Professor... the shoulders... still healing..."
"Oh! My apologies!" He let go, but his face was flushed with a fanatic glow. "We must begin testing immediately! We need to check its effectiveness against Dark-types, its resistance to Fighting-types, its weakness to Poison and Steel! Julian, you stay right here! Marcus, get the scanners! Get the high-speed cameras! I need to call Professor Oak! I need to call the League!"
He began pacing back and forth, muttering about "The Fairy Theorem" and "Taxonomical Revolution."
I leaned back against the oak tree, watching him go. I looked up at Flabébé, who drifted down and landed on my knee, looking very proud of herself.
"Well, girl," I whispered, stroking her tiny head. "I think we just became the most famous pair in Sinnoh. How do you feel about being a scientific pioneer?"
"Pei-Pei!" she chirped, her eyes sparkling.
I looked out over the research garden. This was no longer just a "fanfic" world I was visiting. This was my life now. And with the knowledge of the future in my head and a Fairy on my shoulder, I had a feeling the Pokémon League wasn't going to know what hit them.
"First step: Science," I said, a grin spreading across my face. "Next step: Becoming the best Trainer this world has ever seen. No big deal, right?"
Flabébé just nodded, her blue flower glowing softly in the afternoon sun.