I stood there, completely still. Ten minutes, maybe more. I hadn't moved a muscle, hadn't even shifted my weight. I just… thought.
I thought about what had just happened.
I had seen one of my favorite characters from the entire main Pokémon series. Gold. The cocky legend himself. And instead of saying something, instead of walking up to him and shaking his damn hand, I had just stood there like an idiot and let him leave.
The realization hit like a sucker punch.
With a sharp exhale, I crouched down, burying my face in my hands, taking slow, measured breaths. What the hell was I doing?
Miss Suzie watched me for a few moments before deciding I wasn't worth the concern. She turned her attention back to the egg, rolling it gently between her hands as if she hadn't just witnessed a full-blown existential crisis unfold in front of her.
Eventually, I forced myself to move, standing up and stepping closer. If I dwelled on it any longer, I'd probably start screaming.
I eyed the egg in her hands, then carefully took it from her. "So, Miss Suzie… do you have any idea what's inside this thing?"
She shook her head. "Not really. He said he found it near the Power Plant, but he didn't have the time to train or raise another Pokémon, so he gave it to me."
The Power Plant? That place was crawling with Electric-types. So this could be… an Elekid? A Magnemite? Maybe even a Pichu?
I turned the egg slightly, inspecting the faint markings on its surface. It was warm to the touch, pulsing with a slow, steady rhythm.
Before I could speculate further, Miss Suzie suddenly snapped her fingers.
"Hey! Why don't you take care of this little guy?"
I looked up, blinking. "What?"
"You heard me!" She clapped her hands together, looking entirely too pleased with herself.
I stared at her, then at the egg. Then back at her. Then back at the egg.
No. Absolutely not.
"No!" I said, shaking my head immediately. "I can barely keep up with Oddy and Aria! That's exactly why I haven't caught a third or fourth Pokémon yet!"
I tried to hand the egg back, but just as I was about to place it in her hands—she pulled away.
"Alex," she said, her voice taking on that frustratingly wise tone that adults love to use, "didn't you say you were going to be a Champion?"
"If you're serious about that," she continued, crossing her arms, "you'll need to build a full team. And what's better than getting a Pokémon from one of the greatest breeders alive or Gold could be one of the greatest that ever born?"
She had a smug grin, and worse, she knew she had a point.
I tried again to return the egg but she dodged by pulling her hands to her shoulders.
I sighed, shifting my grip on it.
An egg doesn't eat. It doesn't need training. It doesn't....well it doesn't shit.
A thought struck me, and I froze.
What if… this hatches into a Kangaskhan?
If that happened, I'd be stuck raising not just one Pokémon, but two. Twice the food. Twice the effort. Twice the headache.
Or… what if it was a Dratini?
That would actually be incredible. A Dragonite could carry me through all sixteen Gyms if trained right.
It was a gamble. A coin flip.
After a long moment of internal debate, I exhaled through my nose and tightened my grip on the egg.
"Fine," I muttered. Then, more firmly, "Fine! I'll do it!"
Miss Suzie beamed.
"But," I continued, pointing at her, "only if you swear you won't make me clean up any more Pokémon shit!"
Her grin widened. "Deal!"
I relaxed—for all of two seconds. Then her expression shifted.
"But instead," she added, voice turning oddly serious, "you'll be the one taking care of Larry."
I blinked. "Larry?"
"Larry"
There was something about the way she said it. Something ominous.
Slowly, she lifted a hand and pointed.
I followed her gaze—
And locked eyes with a Cubone.
He stood a few feet away, clutching his bone club tightly. His red glowing eyes stared straight into mine, unblinking. Unmoving.
A strange chill ran down my spine.
I wasn't sure why—but I suddenly had the feeling I had just made a terrible mistake......
By the time I stumbled back into the Day-Care, the sun was already dipping below the horizon, painting the sky in deep shades of orange and purple.
Aria and Oddy dragged their feet beside me, their usually bright eyes clouded with exhaustion. My entire body ached, scratches lined my arms, and a thin cut on my finger was still bleeding sluggishly. I didn't even bother wiping it off.
I glanced at my Pokémon. They looked… traumatized.
These two had fought against opponents couple times bigger than their size before and won. I had gone up against grown men, some nearly twice my age, and walked away without so much as a scratch.
Yet now?
Now, we were cold-sweating wrecks, all because of Larry.
The moment we stepped inside, I spotted Miss Suzie sitting at the table, sipping tea and watching TV. She didn't even look at us. Didn't need to.
Because floating in front of her, screen glowing faintly in the dim room, was the one thing I both missed and didn't miss at all.
Rotomdex.
The second it noticed me, its screen flashed to life.
[ALEX CARTER! I MISSED YOU A LOT!!!]
Before I could react, it threw itself at me, nearly knocking me over. I let out a long, deep sigh, trying to muster the energy to deal with it.
"R-Rotom?" I mumbled, placing a hand on its metallic frame. "When did you even get here?"
[Ah! I've been here for a few hours!] it chirped. [I even got to watch all three of you get destroyed by a tiny Cubone…]
I froze. Aria and Oddy stiffened beside me.
Slowly, I turned my head to look at them.
They had the same calm smile on their faces. The kind of forced, empty smile that masked nothing but pure rage.
Without hesitation, I grabbed Rotomdex and hurled outside to garten—straight at Larry.
It let out a distorted, electronic scream as it collided with the Cubone. I made sure to savor that sound before walking away, leaving it to its fate.
Miss Suzie, who had watched the entire thing like it was the best episode of a soap opera, finally turned to me.
I slumped into the chair across from her, resting my elbows on the table. My gaze flickered to the Poké Ball sitting there—the one holding the egg that Gold had left behind.
On the TV, two massive Gyarados clashed in the water, sending waves crashing over the edge of the battlefield.
Miss Suzie finally broke the silence.
"So," she said, voice laced with amusement. "How was Larry?"
I didn't even look at her. "He's good," I muttered. "A little too good."
She chuckled, finishing the last of her tea. "Cut him some slack. His trainer left him here two years ago and never came back. It's no wonder he's got a bit of an attitude."
I hummed in response, but my attention was still fixed on the TV. The battle was reaching its climax.
The larger Gyarados lunged forward, its fangs glowing with energy before clamping down on its opponent's neck. A final thrash, a final surge of power—
And then, the smaller Gyarados collapsed.
The referee raised a hand.
[LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! MISTY HAS ONCE AGAIN BEEN DEFEATED BY THIS YOUNG TRAINER! CAN WE GET A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR MR. SAMMY MASAKI!!!] (I will use the Japanase name of the bill as the last name of their family. So Masaki)
My head snapped up at the name.
The camera zoomed in on the trainer standing tall on the battlefield, raising a fist to the sky with a triumphant smirk.
His brown hair was damp, sticking messily to his forehead from the water. His long hoodie and jeans were drenched, clinging to his frame. Yet, despite that, he looked completely at ease, as if he had known all along that he would win.
Sammy Masaki.
That Bastard
"He's getting pretty close," I muttered, standing up and stretching. Aria and Oddy perked up beside me, eyes shining with renewed determination after watching the battle.
Miss Suzie raised a brow as I adjusted my red coat and hat, shaking off the exhaustion from earlier.
"Miss Suzie," I said, flashing her a small grin. "Thanks for letting us stay here. But I think it's time we head to our next stop."
She smiled back and, without a word, tossed the Poké Ball from the table toward me.
I caught it effortlessly.
"Its name is Dash," she said.
At that moment, the front door creaked open, and a very defeated-looking Rotomdex floated inside, its screen flickering weakly.
"Okay then, Nice to meet you Dash! " I murmured, staring down at the Poké Ball in my hand—the one containing the egg. I felt it twitch slightly, as if responding to me.
Almost like it was saying: Nice to meet you too.
A small smirk tugged at my lips.
With a final deep breath, I pushed open the door, stepping outside. The wind brushed against my face, ruffling the strands of hair peeking out from under my hat.
I turned my gaze toward Saffron City's gates, standing tall in the distance.
I'm back on the track!