Dex Entry
Eccentric 'locker obsessed with Magikarp.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Author's Note: This post contains all content migrated from Tapatalk.
When all seems lost, a new light will devour the dark.
When all seems lost, a new light will devour the dark.
Hey, everyone! This is a project I've been working on behind the scenes while posting Girl and Karp. And to be honest, I haven't exactly sussed out specifics on the plot...But I like to live dangerously, y'know? Mature warning is on as there is:
Banner was done by MouseWithADinosaurTail - Thank you!
Big thanks to Cyndakip for beta-ing for this run!
That said, enjoy!
- Blood
- Gore (possibly)
- Violence
- Strong language
- dank memes
Banner was done by MouseWithADinosaurTail - Thank you!
Big thanks to Cyndakip for beta-ing for this run!
That said, enjoy!
- You can only catch the first encounter in any area.
- SHINY CLAUSE: Catch any shiny. No exceptions.
- DUPE: Duplicates can be skipped. You get one try after skipping a dupe.
- When a Pokémon faints, it is dead. Box it.
- LEVEL CAP: All active team members must match the Gym Leader’s ace level. In the Elite Four, this means matching Gray’s ace.
- PLAYING FAIR: You may not use more Pokémon than the current Gym Leader in a gym challenge.
- The Elite Four is the only exception and you are allowed to use a full party.
- GENEROSITY: Gift Pokémon and the Magikarp at Mt. Moon do not count as encounters for their respective areas.
- GAME OVER: Your run is over if you run out of usable Pokemon both in-party and in the Box.
- CALL FOR HELP: Capture all accessible legendaries. They don't count as usable Pokémon.
- WIN CONDITION: Capture Mewtwo.
ch.0 - "That Damned Demon": This post!
ch.1 - "Sunny Side Up"/"Second Helping": This post!
ch.2 - "Scrambled Eggs" here
ch.3 - "Mixed Berry" here
extra 1 - "Phone Order" here
ch.4-1 - "Midnight Snack?" here
ch.4-2 - "Rocky Road! VS. Pewter Gym" here
ch.5 - "Gruyere" here
ch.6 - "Maceration" here
ch.7-1 - "Blanching" here
ch.7-2 - "Boiling" here
extra 2 - "Mash" here
ch.8-1 - "Chop" here
ch.8-2 - "Concasse" here
ch.9 - "Bisque" here
extra 3 - "Ration" here
extra 4 - "Lilac" here
ch.10-1 - "M&M" here
ch.10-2 - "Microwave" here
ch.10-3 - "Jalapeno" here
ch.11 - "Rock Candy" here
ch.1 - "Sunny Side Up"/"Second Helping": This post!
ch.2 - "Scrambled Eggs" here
ch.3 - "Mixed Berry" here
extra 1 - "Phone Order" here
ch.4-1 - "Midnight Snack?" here
ch.4-2 - "Rocky Road! VS. Pewter Gym" here
ch.5 - "Gruyere" here
ch.6 - "Maceration" here
ch.7-1 - "Blanching" here
ch.7-2 - "Boiling" here
extra 2 - "Mash" here
ch.8-1 - "Chop" here
ch.8-2 - "Concasse" here
ch.9 - "Bisque" here
extra 3 - "Ration" here
extra 4 - "Lilac" here
ch.10-1 - "M&M" here
ch.10-2 - "Microwave" here
ch.10-3 - "Jalapeno" here
ch.11 - "Rock Candy" here
A sprawling city square, normally full of life, falls silent on a rainy night. The only sounds are the raindrops impacting the ground and the soft cries of feral Pokemon scurrying about. The businesses and homes all have their lights turned off, leaving a handful of barely-operational street lights flickering in the darkness. The occasional autonomous car passes by, its motors whining faintly as it ferries a couple to their destination. For most people, this would come off as a nice, peaceful night.
Not for me.
I can’t hear any of the ambiance over the sound of the blood rushing through my ears, and I’m focused on just one thing as my body moves on its own. Foot over foot, as fast as I can.
Run.
It hisses and gurgles over the ground, hellbent on catching me. It wants my blood, and there is nothing that can stop it. I run through a puddle that makes my ankle twinge with pain. I don’t care. It splashes through the puddle with enough force to fling boiling hot water at me, causing a surge of pain to tear up my back. It takes every bit of willpower I have to suppress the scream building in my throat.
I can feel it lapping at my heels. Shit. My eyes instinctively start darting back and forth, looking for an escape route. The raindrops keep landing in my eyes and blurring my vision.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I see an escape route. There’s a small gully I can jump across that’ll give me just enough room to get away from this monster. Without thinking, my feet turn me in that direction and my legs pump harder and harder in a desperate attempt to speed up. They're screaming in pain and the rest of my body is going numb, but I don’t care. I have to get away.
I get to the edge of the gully and jump with all the strength my legs can muster without stopping. That was a mistake. Everything goes into slow motion as I experience what is certainly the last few moments of my life.
I hear the monster screech and gurgle as it moves past me to the other side of the gully. A Muk. Its disgusting body oozes and pulses as it winds up the kill blow. A sharp blade made from its toxic slime erupts out of its body and pierces me through the heart. All I can do is yell in pain as as my life bleeds out of me and my body goes limp. The last thing I feel before my world fades away is the Muk grabbing my legs as it drags my body off to devour it.
And then all is black.
I wake up with a start, barely keeping myself from screaming. There’s a sharp pain in my chest and a weight on my body, and it takes me a second to realize that I’m in my bedroom. Now I know what happened. I look down to see the demon asleep on top of me, my bed-sheets ineffective at keeping her face from passing through my body like usual. I gently lift her head up so my chest stops hurting and rub my eyes, a lack of sleep gripping my body to the point where my arms are nearly useless. I sigh and carefully roll her off me so I can get out of bed.
I don’t know what she is, but she’s been living in this house with me for two years now. The best I can describe what she is is if you were to fuse an Eevee with a human, paint the whole thing a pale white and give it weird contact lenses. Oh, and add a few red and blue “jester” markings around her eyes. Whatever she is, she certainly comes off as really uncanny.
She’s also dumb as a brick.
The act of getting out of bed is enough to wake her up and she looks at me, tilting her head like she usually does. Her irises are diamond-shaped...I guess today will be mostly good. She seems to be able to read into the future a bit, and for some reason it changes the shape of her pupils. Like today, square irises turned at 45 degrees (like a four sided diamond) usually indicate a good day. A bad day gives her these fucking creepy “X” lines through her entire eye. Like a circle or oval with an X in it, its lines ending at the outline of the eye. How she can see with her eyes like that is beyond me.
And so begins my daily routine - go downstairs, eat breakfast, stop her from eating the wild Pidgey that lives in the treehouse outside my room, stop her from eating all of the meat in the fridge and fail. Make the bill payments, restock the fridge, go to trainer college classes (and get stuck with her following me around), go home and study. Throw a Pokeball at her to see if one will finally work, give up and go to bed.
Except I can’t get any sleep. Whenever she decides to “sleep” she steals all of mine. I don’t know how it works, but I’m surprised I haven’t died from sleep deprivation yet. Oh, and she stares at me non-stop. Without blinking. She’ll sit in the corner of my room and stare at me hard enough to bore holes in the back of my head, and I can sense it. It used to creep me out, but I suppose I’ve gotten used to it. It’s when she isn’t staring at me that I get on edge, because that means she’s hunting something or getting distracted by some unlucky bastard walking by.
Not counting her presence, I’ve been living by myself for a few years. It sucks that the only living thing I’ve been able to spend any time with is that damned demon. I can’t really go anywhere because she forcefully tags along. I even tried locking her in my room once so I could take a walk in the woods. She threw a Wepear Berry at me from my house - a solid half-mile away, no less - and hit me in the back of the head.
Then there’s the fact that I can’t keep any friends at college. Arceus, she literally hangs off my back and hisses at everyone who walks past me on campus grounds. Can’t get her to stop long enough to let someone get comfortable around me.
She squeaks a bit and sits at my feet as I make my breakfast. This is the first time I’ve heard her utter a noise like that, so I nearly jump out of my skin before looking at her. She’s staring at me intensely, like she’s trying to ask me something with her eyes. I throw her some of the eggs that I’ve just finished cooking, and she eats them in a single bite.
“You’re fuckin’ weird…” I mutter out loud as I put the rest of the eggs on my plate.
I look over at the study papers boldly displaying my name - Trey Himura. Fuck this family name, honestly…
I’m supposed to start the journey as soon as I pass the exam at college this afternoon. I look at the clock, since I can’t really be thinking about anything else at the moment - Oh shit, I'm gonna be late!
Not for me.
I can’t hear any of the ambiance over the sound of the blood rushing through my ears, and I’m focused on just one thing as my body moves on its own. Foot over foot, as fast as I can.
Run.
It hisses and gurgles over the ground, hellbent on catching me. It wants my blood, and there is nothing that can stop it. I run through a puddle that makes my ankle twinge with pain. I don’t care. It splashes through the puddle with enough force to fling boiling hot water at me, causing a surge of pain to tear up my back. It takes every bit of willpower I have to suppress the scream building in my throat.
I can feel it lapping at my heels. Shit. My eyes instinctively start darting back and forth, looking for an escape route. The raindrops keep landing in my eyes and blurring my vision.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I see an escape route. There’s a small gully I can jump across that’ll give me just enough room to get away from this monster. Without thinking, my feet turn me in that direction and my legs pump harder and harder in a desperate attempt to speed up. They're screaming in pain and the rest of my body is going numb, but I don’t care. I have to get away.
I get to the edge of the gully and jump with all the strength my legs can muster without stopping. That was a mistake. Everything goes into slow motion as I experience what is certainly the last few moments of my life.
I hear the monster screech and gurgle as it moves past me to the other side of the gully. A Muk. Its disgusting body oozes and pulses as it winds up the kill blow. A sharp blade made from its toxic slime erupts out of its body and pierces me through the heart. All I can do is yell in pain as as my life bleeds out of me and my body goes limp. The last thing I feel before my world fades away is the Muk grabbing my legs as it drags my body off to devour it.
And then all is black.
I wake up with a start, barely keeping myself from screaming. There’s a sharp pain in my chest and a weight on my body, and it takes me a second to realize that I’m in my bedroom. Now I know what happened. I look down to see the demon asleep on top of me, my bed-sheets ineffective at keeping her face from passing through my body like usual. I gently lift her head up so my chest stops hurting and rub my eyes, a lack of sleep gripping my body to the point where my arms are nearly useless. I sigh and carefully roll her off me so I can get out of bed.
I don’t know what she is, but she’s been living in this house with me for two years now. The best I can describe what she is is if you were to fuse an Eevee with a human, paint the whole thing a pale white and give it weird contact lenses. Oh, and add a few red and blue “jester” markings around her eyes. Whatever she is, she certainly comes off as really uncanny.
She’s also dumb as a brick.
The act of getting out of bed is enough to wake her up and she looks at me, tilting her head like she usually does. Her irises are diamond-shaped...I guess today will be mostly good. She seems to be able to read into the future a bit, and for some reason it changes the shape of her pupils. Like today, square irises turned at 45 degrees (like a four sided diamond) usually indicate a good day. A bad day gives her these fucking creepy “X” lines through her entire eye. Like a circle or oval with an X in it, its lines ending at the outline of the eye. How she can see with her eyes like that is beyond me.
And so begins my daily routine - go downstairs, eat breakfast, stop her from eating the wild Pidgey that lives in the treehouse outside my room, stop her from eating all of the meat in the fridge and fail. Make the bill payments, restock the fridge, go to trainer college classes (and get stuck with her following me around), go home and study. Throw a Pokeball at her to see if one will finally work, give up and go to bed.
Except I can’t get any sleep. Whenever she decides to “sleep” she steals all of mine. I don’t know how it works, but I’m surprised I haven’t died from sleep deprivation yet. Oh, and she stares at me non-stop. Without blinking. She’ll sit in the corner of my room and stare at me hard enough to bore holes in the back of my head, and I can sense it. It used to creep me out, but I suppose I’ve gotten used to it. It’s when she isn’t staring at me that I get on edge, because that means she’s hunting something or getting distracted by some unlucky bastard walking by.
Not counting her presence, I’ve been living by myself for a few years. It sucks that the only living thing I’ve been able to spend any time with is that damned demon. I can’t really go anywhere because she forcefully tags along. I even tried locking her in my room once so I could take a walk in the woods. She threw a Wepear Berry at me from my house - a solid half-mile away, no less - and hit me in the back of the head.
Then there’s the fact that I can’t keep any friends at college. Arceus, she literally hangs off my back and hisses at everyone who walks past me on campus grounds. Can’t get her to stop long enough to let someone get comfortable around me.
She squeaks a bit and sits at my feet as I make my breakfast. This is the first time I’ve heard her utter a noise like that, so I nearly jump out of my skin before looking at her. She’s staring at me intensely, like she’s trying to ask me something with her eyes. I throw her some of the eggs that I’ve just finished cooking, and she eats them in a single bite.
“You’re fuckin’ weird…” I mutter out loud as I put the rest of the eggs on my plate.
I look over at the study papers boldly displaying my name - Trey Himura. Fuck this family name, honestly…
I’m supposed to start the journey as soon as I pass the exam at college this afternoon. I look at the clock, since I can’t really be thinking about anything else at the moment - Oh shit, I'm gonna be late!
That exam was annoying. Who thought it was a good idea to include the Ten Weeks War?! At any rate, it’s over. I head up and hand the paper to the TA -
“Hey, you. Stop hissing at him.”
I throw my arm over my shoulder and smack the demon on the nose. I...wasn’t trying to do that, but at least she shut up.
“Uh...Thank you for that. Let’s just...uh…”
The TA hesitates for a second, then quickly takes the exam paper from me, turning to an old, outdated Scantron machine and putting the test in it. Unsurprisingly, the machine gives up after a few seconds of chugging along and I hear the TA curse under his breath.
“Is this one of the ones from last century?” I ask, leaning forward to take a closer look at the machine.
“Yeah,” he mutters, tapping the side of it as he leans over to find the plug. “It’s from 2105.”
2105? That’s 95 years old, what the hell? “...Why are they using a 95 year old Scantron?”
“Because fuuuuck being up to date when you can save a few bucks, right?!” he yells, throwing his hands up and getting out of the chair to reach under something.
“Man, those accountants have to be really-”
“Trey, what is she doing?” the TA cuts me off, staring at…
Wait, why did the demon stop staring at me?
“Ow, what the fuck?! Who threw this Wepear Berry at me?!”
...Oh boy, here we go.
“Hey, you! Monster-boy!”
I turn to see an angry guy storming over to me, destroyed Wepear in hand and chunks of the berry in his orange hair. Looks like the demon got him right behind the ear...heh. Okay whoa- he gets right up to my face and grabs me.
“Wanna explain to me why your oversized rat just threw-”
Suddenly I'm pinning the demon to the ground, he's running away, and the demon's roaring viciously at him.
What the fuck just happened?!
"Hey! Calm down!"
She growls and tugs her arm to get loose. No dice.
"Calm. Down."
For once, it seems like she understands me. She licks her lips and stops growling, although she's still tugging at her arm.
"Leave it be. It's over."
It takes a few seconds, but she does stop. Thank Arce- GAH WHAT HOW DID SHE TURN HER HEAD THAT FAR AROUND-
crash!
...Agh, my head.
"D-dude, are you okay?"
"I...I'm fine."
"Uh...Your test results are...uh, done?"
I help myself up, holding onto the desk to stabilize myself as the - obviously terrified - TA holds the test paper and an envelope out to me.
"You passed. Congrats, Trey."
I take the papers and nod at the TA as I carefully walk myself out the door. The demon decides to walk behind me instead of climbing up my back. Huh. Oh, before I forget…I look over at the TA.
"Hey...Who was that asshole?"
"Oh, his name's Gray. He just transferred here, so no one really knows anything about him."
"Well, uh...Thanks, dude."
"No prob, Trey. Now get outta here and go see the nurse about the cut on your scalp."
So this is a trainer's license. This little chunk of plastic is what gives me the ability to go explore the world-
"Aaaaaagh."
"Oh, I'm sorry! I'll be a bit more careful."
...Anyways. I'm now a fully certified trainer and I'm sure that my parents would be proud of me...if they were still here. I also wonder how they'd feel about the demon and what it's been doing to me. Speaking of the devil, she's staring at me from the corner she's huddled herself into.
"Are you ever gonna stop that?"
"She's been doing that for two years, Trey. I don't think she'll stop any time soon."
"Yeah, but one can hope, right?"
"Yes. One can hope, I guess…"
I stop talking and just stare back at her. She still has diamond irises. That's good, I guess. I don't think I've taken a good look at her in a while. I might as well, since I'm waiting on the nurse to stitch up the cut on my head.
She tilts her head at me. What's the deal with those markings around her eyes? She has two small red triangles on the inside, and two blue curves mirroring each other underneath.
Her arms and fingers are borderline uncanny in how long they are, as are her legs. Aside from that, it looks like her limbs move and function like a normal human's. Must be nice being able to reach further than I can.
I turn the license over in my hand and her eyes dart to it briefly. Wait, what? She goes right back to staring at me, like nothing happened. I think I'll try giving her the license later to see what happens.
"Hey, Trey?" the nurse says, gently nudging my shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"We just got a call. Professor Lichen wants to see you in his office as soon as we finish here."
I'm screwed, aren't I?
I watch as the Professor hurries around the office, looking for something. He turns to me and I realize what he's doing. He's trying to find my file...Again. I swear he'd lose his head if it wasn't attached to his neck.
"Second cabinet, fourth drawer. Somewhere in the middle of the H names."
"Ah, thank you."
He heads over to the cabinet and thumbs through the files, pulling out the one with my name scribbled across the top. He opens it and flips through the pages as he walks back to his desk and sits in the chair.
"So, congrats on clearing your license exam. How's it feel to be a trainer now?"
"I...guess I feel alright about it."
"You should be proud! I know your parents would-"
"You don't know my parents. They're dead."
I...crap. I just blurted that out. The professor looks startled.
"I'm...I'm sorry, Professor…"
"No, this was my fault. I'm sorry I brought that up."
All I can do is just sigh and clasp my hands to temper myself.
"Still, Trey. You should be proud of yourself. Getting a trainer's license on the first try is no small feat. Especially with your, ah…unusual circumstances."
He glances at the demon.
"That reminds me. Just a sec."
He pushes back from his desk and reaches over to grab something.
"I just got one of those, uh...Butcher boxes, I think? They sent me some meat I'm not gonna be able to eat, so I'll give it to her if you'll allow me to?"
"...Ok. I'd just throw it to her if I were you."
Lichen nods at me, producing the meat - still in its wrapper - and throws it at the demon. I don't look, but I can hear her unwrapping it quickly and choking down the meat.
"Fascinating…She has enough intelligence to identify and open containers."
"Professor, what did you call me in for?"
He pauses a bit, probably realizing he forgot something, then pulls his seat closer to his desk and leans over.
"Trey, I have a favor I'd like to ask of you."
He presses a button on his desk, and a panel opens in front of me. Out comes two small trays - one has three red-and-white Pokéballs and the other has a red device I've never- hold on, is that a Pokedex?!
"You are a special kind of trainer. Your excellent academic performance and your sharp intuition in the practice battles have qualified you to receive one of our special starter Pokémon."
I stare at the Pokéballs. This is...I was expecting the obligatory Mankey or Rattata, not this!
"In addition to one of the special starters, I am giving you a Pokédex to assist you on the journey. You will be able to see everything about your Pokémon - their strength, defenses, health and every single move they can learn."
I look at him.
"About my favor…I would like you to try and capture the elemental birds and any other unusual Pokémon you encounter on your journey. Should they actually exist, that is."
"Uh...That's a tall ask, Prof."
"I'm aware. It was worth a shot…"
"I didn't say I wouldn't try."
His face lights up.
"Wonderful. Now...Which starter will you choose?"
I don't even need to think about this - I already know which one will help.
"I choose Bulbasaur."
"Well, that's certainly a swift decision. Might I ask why?"
I smile as I gently lift my Bulbsaur's Pokéball from the tray.
"Bulbasaur's evolutionary line is balanced - they withstand attacks well and can dish out damage either directly or indirectly."
The Professor smiles a little.
"Fantastic answer, Trey. As of right now, your Pokémon journey has officially started. I wish you the best of luck. Make sure to come back and visit sometimes, okay?"
"Can do, Professor."
I grab the Pokédex and get up, looking over the glossy exterior of the machine. I turn and glance over at the demon, who is still trying to choke down the entire chunk of meat instead of taking a bite. Idiot.
"Hey, you." I say to her, getting her attention. "Let's go."
She makes like she's going to climb up my back, so I stop her by backing away.
"Not while you're eating."
I turn to go out the door-
She climbs up my back anyways. Why do I bother trying? Now I've gotta walk home with this thing weighing me down and choking right next to my ear the whole way. Great.
"Take care, Trey." the Professor calls out.
"Take care, Professor." I call back, heading out and closing the door. Time to go pack up and get started.
“Hey, you. Stop hissing at him.”
I throw my arm over my shoulder and smack the demon on the nose. I...wasn’t trying to do that, but at least she shut up.
“Uh...Thank you for that. Let’s just...uh…”
The TA hesitates for a second, then quickly takes the exam paper from me, turning to an old, outdated Scantron machine and putting the test in it. Unsurprisingly, the machine gives up after a few seconds of chugging along and I hear the TA curse under his breath.
“Is this one of the ones from last century?” I ask, leaning forward to take a closer look at the machine.
“Yeah,” he mutters, tapping the side of it as he leans over to find the plug. “It’s from 2105.”
2105? That’s 95 years old, what the hell? “...Why are they using a 95 year old Scantron?”
“Because fuuuuck being up to date when you can save a few bucks, right?!” he yells, throwing his hands up and getting out of the chair to reach under something.
“Man, those accountants have to be really-”
“Trey, what is she doing?” the TA cuts me off, staring at…
Wait, why did the demon stop staring at me?
“Ow, what the fuck?! Who threw this Wepear Berry at me?!”
...Oh boy, here we go.
“Hey, you! Monster-boy!”
I turn to see an angry guy storming over to me, destroyed Wepear in hand and chunks of the berry in his orange hair. Looks like the demon got him right behind the ear...heh. Okay whoa- he gets right up to my face and grabs me.
“Wanna explain to me why your oversized rat just threw-”
Suddenly I'm pinning the demon to the ground, he's running away, and the demon's roaring viciously at him.
What the fuck just happened?!
"Hey! Calm down!"
She growls and tugs her arm to get loose. No dice.
"Calm. Down."
For once, it seems like she understands me. She licks her lips and stops growling, although she's still tugging at her arm.
"Leave it be. It's over."
It takes a few seconds, but she does stop. Thank Arce- GAH WHAT HOW DID SHE TURN HER HEAD THAT FAR AROUND-
crash!
...Agh, my head.
"D-dude, are you okay?"
"I...I'm fine."
"Uh...Your test results are...uh, done?"
I help myself up, holding onto the desk to stabilize myself as the - obviously terrified - TA holds the test paper and an envelope out to me.
"You passed. Congrats, Trey."
I take the papers and nod at the TA as I carefully walk myself out the door. The demon decides to walk behind me instead of climbing up my back. Huh. Oh, before I forget…I look over at the TA.
"Hey...Who was that asshole?"
"Oh, his name's Gray. He just transferred here, so no one really knows anything about him."
"Well, uh...Thanks, dude."
"No prob, Trey. Now get outta here and go see the nurse about the cut on your scalp."
So this is a trainer's license. This little chunk of plastic is what gives me the ability to go explore the world-
"Aaaaaagh."
"Oh, I'm sorry! I'll be a bit more careful."
...Anyways. I'm now a fully certified trainer and I'm sure that my parents would be proud of me...if they were still here. I also wonder how they'd feel about the demon and what it's been doing to me. Speaking of the devil, she's staring at me from the corner she's huddled herself into.
"Are you ever gonna stop that?"
"She's been doing that for two years, Trey. I don't think she'll stop any time soon."
"Yeah, but one can hope, right?"
"Yes. One can hope, I guess…"
I stop talking and just stare back at her. She still has diamond irises. That's good, I guess. I don't think I've taken a good look at her in a while. I might as well, since I'm waiting on the nurse to stitch up the cut on my head.
She tilts her head at me. What's the deal with those markings around her eyes? She has two small red triangles on the inside, and two blue curves mirroring each other underneath.
Her arms and fingers are borderline uncanny in how long they are, as are her legs. Aside from that, it looks like her limbs move and function like a normal human's. Must be nice being able to reach further than I can.
I turn the license over in my hand and her eyes dart to it briefly. Wait, what? She goes right back to staring at me, like nothing happened. I think I'll try giving her the license later to see what happens.
"Hey, Trey?" the nurse says, gently nudging my shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"We just got a call. Professor Lichen wants to see you in his office as soon as we finish here."
I'm screwed, aren't I?
I watch as the Professor hurries around the office, looking for something. He turns to me and I realize what he's doing. He's trying to find my file...Again. I swear he'd lose his head if it wasn't attached to his neck.
"Second cabinet, fourth drawer. Somewhere in the middle of the H names."
"Ah, thank you."
He heads over to the cabinet and thumbs through the files, pulling out the one with my name scribbled across the top. He opens it and flips through the pages as he walks back to his desk and sits in the chair.
"So, congrats on clearing your license exam. How's it feel to be a trainer now?"
"I...guess I feel alright about it."
"You should be proud! I know your parents would-"
"You don't know my parents. They're dead."
I...crap. I just blurted that out. The professor looks startled.
"I'm...I'm sorry, Professor…"
"No, this was my fault. I'm sorry I brought that up."
All I can do is just sigh and clasp my hands to temper myself.
"Still, Trey. You should be proud of yourself. Getting a trainer's license on the first try is no small feat. Especially with your, ah…unusual circumstances."
He glances at the demon.
"That reminds me. Just a sec."
He pushes back from his desk and reaches over to grab something.
"I just got one of those, uh...Butcher boxes, I think? They sent me some meat I'm not gonna be able to eat, so I'll give it to her if you'll allow me to?"
"...Ok. I'd just throw it to her if I were you."
Lichen nods at me, producing the meat - still in its wrapper - and throws it at the demon. I don't look, but I can hear her unwrapping it quickly and choking down the meat.
"Fascinating…She has enough intelligence to identify and open containers."
"Professor, what did you call me in for?"
He pauses a bit, probably realizing he forgot something, then pulls his seat closer to his desk and leans over.
"Trey, I have a favor I'd like to ask of you."
He presses a button on his desk, and a panel opens in front of me. Out comes two small trays - one has three red-and-white Pokéballs and the other has a red device I've never- hold on, is that a Pokedex?!
"You are a special kind of trainer. Your excellent academic performance and your sharp intuition in the practice battles have qualified you to receive one of our special starter Pokémon."
I stare at the Pokéballs. This is...I was expecting the obligatory Mankey or Rattata, not this!
"In addition to one of the special starters, I am giving you a Pokédex to assist you on the journey. You will be able to see everything about your Pokémon - their strength, defenses, health and every single move they can learn."
I look at him.
"About my favor…I would like you to try and capture the elemental birds and any other unusual Pokémon you encounter on your journey. Should they actually exist, that is."
"Uh...That's a tall ask, Prof."
"I'm aware. It was worth a shot…"
"I didn't say I wouldn't try."
His face lights up.
"Wonderful. Now...Which starter will you choose?"
I don't even need to think about this - I already know which one will help.
"I choose Bulbasaur."
"Well, that's certainly a swift decision. Might I ask why?"
I smile as I gently lift my Bulbsaur's Pokéball from the tray.
"Bulbasaur's evolutionary line is balanced - they withstand attacks well and can dish out damage either directly or indirectly."
The Professor smiles a little.
"Fantastic answer, Trey. As of right now, your Pokémon journey has officially started. I wish you the best of luck. Make sure to come back and visit sometimes, okay?"
"Can do, Professor."
I grab the Pokédex and get up, looking over the glossy exterior of the machine. I turn and glance over at the demon, who is still trying to choke down the entire chunk of meat instead of taking a bite. Idiot.
"Hey, you." I say to her, getting her attention. "Let's go."
She makes like she's going to climb up my back, so I stop her by backing away.
"Not while you're eating."
I turn to go out the door-
She climbs up my back anyways. Why do I bother trying? Now I've gotta walk home with this thing weighing me down and choking right next to my ear the whole way. Great.
"Take care, Trey." the Professor calls out.
"Take care, Professor." I call back, heading out and closing the door. Time to go pack up and get started.
Professor Lichen sighs and rubs his forehead. "Why'd I have to bring up his parents like that?" he mutters to himself. "There's a time and place for everything, Lichen…"
Someone knocks on the door. A faint and familiar voice leaks through the gaps.
"Professor, are you available for a moment? It's me."
"I'm available! Come in, Colress."
The door opens and Colress enters the office, his computer-suit faintly beeping.
"I noticed that Mr. Himura just left the office. How did he respond to your request? I recall that you were quite worried about that."
"Oh, he accepted it! He did say it was a bit of a tall ask, but he's going ahead with it."
"It is indeed a bit of a tall ask, but I am glad that it worked out. If he succeeds, it will be a monumental day in the University's history!"
Colress gleefully claps his hands together and looks at the intricate mural behind the Professor's desk. It depicts the three legendary birds engaged in battle with a shadowy foe. The Professor gets a big grin on his face.
"Of course! If he pulls it off, not only will we prove that those mythical Pokémon exist, but we'll have the actual things in the flesh!"
Colress nods and rubs his hands together.
"Plenty of research opportunities abound if we succeed here. At any rate, I merely wanted to check in. I must get back to my research."
The Professor nods slowly.
"Of course, Colress. Please, don't forget to send me that report on Rattata migration patterns. The intern forgot to do that yesterday and I need to approve it before the week's up."
"That I can do," Colress answers, turning back to the door. "Have a fantastic afternoon, Professor."
"You too, Colress."
Colress leaves the office and closes the door behind him.
"I pity you, Trey." he says to himself, pulling up a memo on his computer.
Someone knocks on the door. A faint and familiar voice leaks through the gaps.
"Professor, are you available for a moment? It's me."
"I'm available! Come in, Colress."
The door opens and Colress enters the office, his computer-suit faintly beeping.
"I noticed that Mr. Himura just left the office. How did he respond to your request? I recall that you were quite worried about that."
"Oh, he accepted it! He did say it was a bit of a tall ask, but he's going ahead with it."
"It is indeed a bit of a tall ask, but I am glad that it worked out. If he succeeds, it will be a monumental day in the University's history!"
Colress gleefully claps his hands together and looks at the intricate mural behind the Professor's desk. It depicts the three legendary birds engaged in battle with a shadowy foe. The Professor gets a big grin on his face.
"Of course! If he pulls it off, not only will we prove that those mythical Pokémon exist, but we'll have the actual things in the flesh!"
Colress nods and rubs his hands together.
"Plenty of research opportunities abound if we succeed here. At any rate, I merely wanted to check in. I must get back to my research."
The Professor nods slowly.
"Of course, Colress. Please, don't forget to send me that report on Rattata migration patterns. The intern forgot to do that yesterday and I need to approve it before the week's up."
"That I can do," Colress answers, turning back to the door. "Have a fantastic afternoon, Professor."
"You too, Colress."
Colress leaves the office and closes the door behind him.
"I pity you, Trey." he says to himself, pulling up a memo on his computer.
Ch.0:
So we begin a new adventure! I had to cut a lot out of this chapter so I could make it punchy, and a good bit of the cut content is going to be pulled back into the story over the next few updates - it was some world-building that clashed with the narrative style.
I know I said in the foreword that I haven't sussed out all the plot details yet - that's mostly issues with how I want to take the main antagonist and what I'm gonna need to do with the gym leaders/Rocket/etc.
Look forward to another update soon!
Ch.1:
So I had some trouble with the prose in this update and with transitioning in between the different scenes. I've figured that skipping the walking transitions is a better use of the space on my document, since it will also let me put more emphasis on an unusual circumstance in between key events.
Edit: Thanks to cyndakip for beta-ing!
Also, wonder what all of this stuff is about, hm? Sounds like there's more to this Kanto than it seems.
So we begin a new adventure! I had to cut a lot out of this chapter so I could make it punchy, and a good bit of the cut content is going to be pulled back into the story over the next few updates - it was some world-building that clashed with the narrative style.
I know I said in the foreword that I haven't sussed out all the plot details yet - that's mostly issues with how I want to take the main antagonist and what I'm gonna need to do with the gym leaders/Rocket/etc.
Look forward to another update soon!
Ch.1:
So I had some trouble with the prose in this update and with transitioning in between the different scenes. I've figured that skipping the walking transitions is a better use of the space on my document, since it will also let me put more emphasis on an unusual circumstance in between key events.
Edit: Thanks to cyndakip for beta-ing!
Also, wonder what all of this stuff is about, hm? Sounds like there's more to this Kanto than it seems.
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