Pokémon Version Orange

[Agnam]

...... So what are the odds she picks a fight with the birds.

Click to shrink...

Probably the entire reason she volunteered. She did enough research respond correctly, which means she might have figured out what the legend is based around.

Click to shrink...

I have the unfortunate feeling Rita knows more about the islands then the usual guest and might be about to stir the pot

Click to shrink...

She's literally us, for real, for real. She's in the post-game, and hunting down Legendaries to stuff into balls.

 

[IcurasFallen]

Pokémon Version Orange

Arc 3 - The Beginning


Chapter 27
​

---

"And when Rina finally got back, her hair looked like she'd stuck a fork in an electrical outlet."

Ash and Serena burst into giggles. Or snickers, because apparently "guys don't giggle, Travis," as Ash had repeatedly informed me whenever I used the word around him. Goh wasn't far behind them, while Chloe at least tried to hide hers behind her hand.

Honestly, I couldn't blame them. The sight of Rina striding back into the Festival House with most of her hair standing on end would've been funny enough by itself, but the truly ridiculous part was how absolutely thrilled she'd been about it.

I scratched beneath Pikachu's chin as he lounged across my lap. "She didn't even care," I continued through a chuckle of my own. "Turns out she found an Elekid while she was out there, and from what I gathered, the little guy was responsible for the new hairstyle."

Goh immediately perked up. "She caught an Elekid?"

"Yep."

His expression somehow managed to become both envious and excited. "That's so cool!"

Chloe gave him a sideways look. "Getting electrocuted is cool?"

"If that's what was required to catch an Elekid!? Yes!"

The resulting facepalm was loud enough to echo through the speakers.

I snorted and leaned back a little, taking in the slightly unusual arrangement on my screen.

I'd originally called Chloe's house to kick off the not-so-little weekend ritual we'd fallen into, only for her parents to forward the call to Professor Cerise's Lab after explaining that she and Goh were spending the afternoon there. That had conveniently put both of them on one side of the call.

The other half had been more surprising.

Serena and Grace were apparently visiting Pallet Town for the weekend, and Serena had ended up at Ash's place at almost exactly the same time I called. So instead of the usual chaotic collection of separate face screens, I only had two to keep track of for once, with Goh and Chloe sharing one and Serena and Ash sharing the other.

Ash finally managed to stop laughing long enough to complain. "Still, it just doesn't seem fair! You get festivals, Gym Battles, people flying around on cool Pokemon, and all kinds of other cool stuff while we're just stuck here!"

"Yeah," Goh muttered in agreement. "I would've wanted to see the islands too."

I stared at both of them for a moment before snorting. "You do realize nobody is sentencing you to your hometowns for life, right? You'll both be Trainers soon enough. Then you can travel wherever you want and go looking for all the ridiculous nonsense your little hearts desire."

"That's still, like, forever away," Ash whined, slumping dramatically into his seat while Serena gave him a hesitant pat on the shoulder.

Chloe rolled her eyes before suddenly perking up. "Well, at least we'll get to get out there soon."

Ash blinked. "Huh?"

"She means Travis's birthday," Serena said, catching on a second later as she smiled at him.

Chloe nodded. "Right! We don't even have to wait until we're Trainers to travel somewhere. We're going to the Orange Islands in a few weeks anyway!"

Serena's smile faded slightly as she glanced toward me. "Are you sure it's really okay for you to pay for everyone to travel there, though? Mom said you were covering the flights and everything."

I rolled my eyes. "Serena, it's fine."

She bit her lip. "But it's still a lot of money, right?"

"Well, yeah, but it's my birthday, and I want you guys there." Pikachu shifted across my lap, so I adjusted him before running the brush through the fur along his back again. "Besides, Mom would've made paying for the travel a condition of the invitation if your parents tried refusing."

Serena blinked. "Really?"

"Absolutely."

Mom was annoyingly wholesome like that.

She'd already insisted that inviting people from outside the Orange Islands meant making sure they could actually get here without their families worrying about the cost. Trying to convince her otherwise would've accomplished nothing except making the conversation longer.

Serena smiled again. "Well...tell her thanks again for us."

"Oh yeah, us too."

"Same!"

I chuckled at the sudden chorus. "Don't worry, I will."

"And my mom already said she's going to thank her herself," Ash added, apparently deciding this was important information. "A lot."

I snorted. "I'm sure Mom will appreciate it."

Pikachu let out a pleased little rumble when the brush passed over a spot between his shoulders, practically melting farther across my legs. Spoiled rat.

"Anyway, I hope you guys actually enjoy yourselves once you get here," I continued. "I got lucky with my birthday falling on a weekend this year, so everybody should have a little more time instead of showing up for one day and immediately having to leave again."

That applied to family too, which I was admittedly a little more conflicted about. There were absolutely relatives I considered much more tolerable in carefully measured doses, but thankfully, none of those relatives were coming.

Everyone invited so far was someone I genuinely liked, or at minimum someone whose presence wouldn't make me start considering emergency exit routes from my own birthday party. So having them hang around Kumquat for an extra day or two wasn't exactly a hardship.

Ash leaned closer to the screen again, his earlier sulking apparently forgotten. "I can't wait to see everybody again. It's been forever since camp!"

"It hasn't been that long," Chloe pointed out.

He pouted. "It feels like it."

Goh nodded along seriously. "He's right."

Chloe actually turned to stare at him. "You're agreeing with Ash now?"

Goh crossed his arms with a scoff. "On this, sure."

Serena laughed while Ash looked far too pleased to have gained an ally. "It'll be fun," she said. "And Chloe's right anyway. It's only a few more weeks."

I chuckled as Pikachu rolled slightly beneath the brush, then smiled to myself.

After all, a lot could happen in a few weeks.

---

Welp. A few weeks had passed, and not much had happened.

With my birthday only a few days away now, I was taking advantage of what little alone time I had left before relatives and friends started descending on Kumquat in force. More specifically, I was finally trying to lock down something I'd been drilling into Pikachu for months, going all the way back to when he was still a Pichu.

Standing on the board.

"Steady…steady…"

Pikachu's ears twitched at the sound of my voice, but otherwise he stayed where he was.

The wave rose beneath us.

I shifted my weight and angled the board along its face, feeling the familiar pull as we picked up speed. Pikachu stayed planted near the front, knees bent slightly, and tail lifted behind him for balance as the board tilted beneath his paws.

"Thaaaat's it. Keep with it."

"Piiiiiii…"

The board bounced once as the shape of the wave shifted beneath us, and Pikachu's paws moved instinctively to compensate. He wobbled, recovered, then leaned the other way as I adjusted our line.

Normally, this was where he'd reach back and grab onto my leg, but not this time. We cut cleanly across the last stretch of the wave before slipping out into calmer water, the board leveling beneath us as our momentum faded, and not once had Pikachu needed my help!

I beamed down at my favorite little gremlin. "Yes! You did it, bud! That was all you!"

Pikachu raised his paws in a cheer. "Pika Pi!"

Once we'd settled into the calmer water, he dropped onto his backside near the front of the board, panting hard but wearing a grin so wide it almost split his face. I laughed and lowered myself into a seated position behind him before reaching forward to scratch between his ears.

"You nailed it, bud. All that hard work is finally paying off!"

"Pika Pi! Pika Chu!"

A dark shape surfaced beside us a moment later, and Nemo's head broke through the water with the tow handle still clenched between his teeth. "Carp! Magi Ma Carp!"

Pikachu leaned over the side and slapped one paw against Nemo's raised fin.

"Pika!"

"Magikarp!"

I chuckled at their little celebration before looking back toward Pikachu. "Alright, important question. Were you actually feeling it this time?"

Pikachu's ears tilted, and I clarified, "The water. Not just the board moving. Could you feel the energy in the water as the wave carried us?"

Pikachu hesitated, then raised one paw and rocked it uncertainly from side to side.

"So-so?"

"Pika."

I laughed and gave him another scratch behind the ears. "I'll take it. That's still better than nothing."

Pikachu straightened proudly at that, exhaustion apparently forgotten now that praise was involved.

I couldn't stop smiling.

Months of work, and he'd finally ridden an entire wave standing on his own. Step one in my quest to teach an electric rat how to use Surf was officially complete.

"Think you've got another one in you?"

Pikachu's ears perked up despite his heavy breathing, and he immediately pumped one paw into the air. "Pika!"

"That's what I like to hear!" Turning toward the water beside us, I held out my hand. "Alright, Nemo. Give me the line."

"Carp!"

Nemo spat the tow handle into my waiting hand before swimming ahead, the line connected to his harness quickly pulling taut. I shifted farther back on the board and braced myself as Pikachu settled in front of me, and a moment later Nemo surged forward.

The whole setup worked on more or less the same principle as tow-in surfing, just adapted for Pokémon. Instead of needing to paddle all the way back into deeper water after every ride, Nemo could simply tow us out again before circling around for the next wave.

It got tiring after enough repetitions, mostly for Nemo, but it was also a massive time-saver. What would've normally meant long stretches of paddling and repositioning instead became a quick tow back out before we could try again.

Considering Pikachu needed all the practice he could get, that made a difference.

"Pika!" he called over the rush of water.

"I see it!" Another wave was beginning to rise ahead of us.

I released the handle, and Nemo glanced back once before diving beneath the approaching swell. Pikachu and I shifted back into position as I turned the board away from the coming wave.

"Alright, buddy. Let's do this!"

Pikachu lowered his stance near the front, eyes fixed ahead as the water began lifting beneath us.

"Pika!"

---

"Okay, but you have to admit we absolutely nailed that last barrel."

"Pika pi. Chu Pika!"

"The wipeout at the end was part of the experience! You don't pull off a tube like that and then finish normally. Where's the fun in that?"

"Pika!" Pikachu threw both paws outward as if that somehow strengthened his argument, and I snorted as we made our way into the penthouse. We were both still a little damp despite toweling off downstairs, my hair refusing to behave while Pikachu's fur stuck up in uneven spikes along his body.

The smell of dinner hit us almost as soon as we stepped inside, and whatever argument Pikachu had been preparing died immediately.

"Welcome back!" Mom called from the kitchen. "Dinner's almost ready!"

I snorted at the way Pikachu immediately perked up, looking about two seconds away from drooling. "Thank Arceus, I'm starving."

Bliss poked her head around the corner and waved with a wooden spoon still clutched in one hand. Mom laughed somewhere behind her. "I'm guessing that means surfing went well?"

I brightened. "Pikachu finally did it! He managed almost a dozen waves standing completely on his own."

"Really?" Mom poked her head out behind Blissey with an equally delighted smile. "That's wonderful!"

"Blissey!"

Pikachu puffed his chest out so far that I was mildly concerned he might fall backward off my shoulder.

From the living room, Al lowered the book he'd been reading from the oversized recliner and regarded Pikachu over the top of it. "Congratulations."

Pikachu perked up.

"Nice to hear that the rat has finally learned how to avoid splashing face-first into the ocean."

Pikachu's expression flattened.

I choked on a laugh as he raised one tiny fist toward Al and shook it threateningly. "Pika!"

Al calmly returned his attention to his book. I knew him well enough to spot that he was hiding a chuckle.

"Don't listen to him, bud." I patted Pikachu's side while still fighting a laugh of my own. "He's just jealous of your natural athleticism."

"Sure, let's go with that."

Mom shook her head at us and returned to whatever she'd been preparing. "Did you two spend the entire day practicing?"

"Pretty much. Some normal surfing, then we did a bunch of towing once Pikachu started getting the hang of it," I said, moving over to the breakfast bar and peering into the kitchen. "Saved me from having to paddle back out every time, so we managed a lot more runs than usual."

"Sounds exhausting."

"A little, but we took plenty of breaks."

Mom made an absent noise of satisfaction as she checked one of the pans. "Did the Terrible Twosome behave themselves?"

I blinked. "Huh?"

"Huntail and Gorebyss." She glanced over her shoulder. "Whichever one you used for the towing."

"Oh. Neither of them. Nemo did it."

I was already halfway onto one of the bar stools before the silence registered enough to make me look back.

Mom was still standing beside the stove, but the easy smile she'd been wearing had faded. Bliss had noticed too, judging by the slight tilt of her head as she looked between us.

"Nemo?" Mom repeated.

"Yeah," I said slowly. "He's actually gotten pretty good at it. Took a while before he stopped accelerating too hard and yanking me clean off the board, but once he figured out how much force to use, it worked great."

"Oh."

Something about the response made me frown.

Another few seconds passed before she released a quiet breath and faced me again.

"Sweetie, can I ask you something?"

I leaned back at the almost…desperate look on her face. "Sure, Mom. What's up?"

She rubbed her hands together, suddenly looking far less comfortable than she had a minute ago. "I'm…I'm not trying to be pushy. I know we've talked about this before, and I know you've put a lot of thought into it, but..."

Her eyes dropped briefly before coming back to mine.

"Are you completely sure you want a Gyarados on your team?"

I paused.

Apparently whatever crossed my face was enough for Mom to immediately start waving her hands.

"I—I'm not trying to change your mind!" she hurriedly assured me. "Really, sweetie, I'm not. I just, well, Cissy mentioned the other day that Kingdra found himself a missus recently." Mom gave me a hesitant smile. "So there's a decent chance she'll have some Horsea looking for Trainers eventually. They'll be wonderfully bred, obviously, and if you wanted one, I'm sure Cissy would be thrilled. I'd even help you track down a Dragon Scale when the time came!"

For several seconds, I wasn't entirely sure what to say.

It wasn't even a bad offer.

If Cissy eventually found herself looking for homes for a bunch of baby Horsea, I might genuinely consider taking one. Sharing a type with another member of my team didn't make two Pokémon redundant. Marowak and Sandy were both Ground-types, and they certainly hadn't been trained the same way.

But that wasn't really the point.

"I appreciate the offer, Mom." I kept my voice deliberately even. "If Cissy eventually needs people she trusts to take some of the little guppies, I'd be happy to talk to her about it."

Mom brightened slightly.

"But I already have Nemo."

The brightness disappeared.

Her teeth caught her lower lip as she looked away for a second. "Right. Of course. I know that. I just thought…"

I could feel my brow furrow as I stared at her. Something about how she was acting…

"Well, if Horsea isn't really your thing…" She hesitated again before looking back at me. "I'm still on good terms with the Rangers who oversee the Lapras migrations. If any of the younger ones decide they want to travel with a Trainer this season, I'm sure I could ask whether they'd be interested in meeting you."

My grip tightened slightly against the edge of the breakfast bar.

"Mom."

"You've always liked Lapras, a-and they're wonderful for traveling between islands! They're intelligent, dependable, naturally good around people, and I'm sure one would fit perfectly with your team—"

"Mom!"

She stopped.

I took a slow breath through my nose. "I'm good. Really, I'm…I like the team I'm building so far. I have Pikachu and Nemo—"

Mom's timid uncertainty cracked, frustration suddenly flashing through her voice. "But why?!"

I leaned back in shock.

"Why does it have to be a Gyarados?" she continued, something strained and almost pleading crossing her face. "Out of every Water-type you could possibly raise, why are you so determined to have a Gyarados?!"

Something hot twisted in my chest.

"Why are you so determined that I don't?!"

Mom physically recoiled.

The room went still.

Some distant part of me registered that I'd raised my voice at her. I could probably count the number of times I'd done that in my entire life on one hand.

It should've made me stop.

Instead, months of little comments, hesitant questions, and increasingly obvious attempts to steer me toward anything other than Nemo's evolution came rushing up all at once.

"I know Gyarados are dangerous, Mom!" I snapped before she could respond. "I know what happens when somebody raises one badly. I know an improperly trained Gyarados can be dangerous to its Trainer, dangerous to everyone around it, and that once they've been raised around humans, you can't just dump them into the ocean when you realize you screwed up!"

Her lips parted, but I kept going.

"A Gyarados that doesn't know how to control itself can destroy an entire local ecosystem or go into a rampage the second something sets it off! Some of them have to be put down because their Trainers spent years teaching a Magikarp absolutely nothing and then acted surprised when they suddenly had over twenty feet of rage and muscle on their hands!"

I ignored how Pikachu had gone completely still on my shoulder. I ignored how Bliss and Al were both tense as they watched.

And I most certainly ignored the increasingly pained expression on Mom's face.

"But I haven't done that!" My voice rose even higher. "I've trained Nemo since the day I got him! I've worked on his obedience, his temper, his strength, how he reacts when he's scared or frustrated, everything I could think of!"

"I've read every damn thing I could find about raising Gyarados. I've talked to Rangers all across the Orange Islands who actually use them. Hell, I asked Uncle Walton for advice because he's raised one himself! And you know how much I hate asking him for anything! He spent a whole year calling me 'Little Splash' afterward!"

That got the faintest twitch from her, but there wasn't anything funny about it right now.

My hands had curled into fists against the counter without me realizing it.

"So what else am I supposed to do?!"

"T-Travis, I…"

"No, seriously!" I pushed away from the breakfast bar and stood fully. "What am I missing?! Because I've done everything you're supposed to do! I've researched it, I've talked to people who know more than me, I've trained Nemo specifically with his evolution in mind, and I've never treated Gyarados like some giant cool sea monster I could just pick up without knowing what I was getting into!"

My breathing was getting harder now, anger feeding on itself faster than I could pull it back.

"And out of everything I've ever done, this is what you don't trust me with?! You let me become a Gym Leader for fuck's sake!"

Her eyes widened at the curse, but by then I was too wound up to stop.

"You didn't argue when I registered. You didn't question whether I could handle Matches, challengers, League responsibilities, or any of the other crap that comes with doing this at nine years old. You trusted me with all of that! So why not this?!"

"Why, out of every ridiculous thing I've ever wanted to do, is this the one thing where you keep trying to make me give up?!"

"Why…" I stopped and slowly unclenched my fists as I stared at her, anger and hurt twisting together in my gut. "Why don't you trust me with this one thing?"

The silence that followed felt enormous.

My chest rose and fell beneath heavy breaths as the last of my words seemed to hang in the room. Bliss had gone completely still near the stove, spoon forgotten in her hand, while Al's book now rested closed across his lap.

Even Pikachu wasn't moving.

I could feel him against my shoulder, but I could barely even tell if he was breathing.

And Mom…

The anger drained out of me almost as quickly as it had come, guilt rushing in to replace it.

Mom had lowered herself into the nearest chair as if her legs had simply stopped wanting to hold her up. She didn't look angry. She wasn't glaring at me, wasn't preparing to shout back, wasn't even wearing the disappointed look I'd half expected after speaking to her like that.

She looked devastated. Grief had settled across her face so completely that I had to fight not to look away, mixed with a remorse that made my stomach twist.

"I do trust you."

Mom's voice cracked.

I froze.

"I do, Travis. I swear I do. I just…" She swallowed and looked down at her hands for several seconds before taking a shaky breath. "I've never really told you about your grandparents, have I?"

The sudden change in subject threw me enough that I could only stare at her.

"What?"

"My parents." She rubbed at her eyes before looking back up. "Your grandparents."

I frowned, still trying to follow the turn the conversation had taken, but eventually gave a small grunt. "Not really, no."

Mom worried at her lower lip before motioning toward one of the chairs in the living room. "Could you sit down, sweetie? Please?"

Whatever anger I'd had left was thoroughly smothered by that point. I followed her into the living room and sat across from her, Pikachu remaining unusually quiet on my shoulder while Al silently settled beside Mom.

Giving her Starter a strained smile, she took a breath before looking at me. "I know I've already told you a little about Pops," she began. "His name was Henry Cashion. He was Kumquat's Gym Leader before me, and he was the one who raised me to eventually take over. He was a good man and a wonderful father…" She seemed to struggle a moment with even saying that.

"Okay," I said carefully. "You've told me about Grandpa Henry before, so…"

A tired little chuckle escaped her. "Right, but I haven't told you much about your grandmother."

I slowly nodded.

Mom looked down again, and for the first time since the conversation had started, something almost resembling amusement flickered through the grief.

"Your grandmother was a pirate."

I stared.

"A…pirate?"

Mom huffed a bit at my face. "Oh yes, and a very successful one at that."

That really didn't help.

Pirates sounded like something that should've belonged alongside parrots, peg legs, and people yelling about buried treasure. Unfortunately, Pokémon had long since disabused me of any idea that any aspect of criminal activity was inherently funny.

Modern poachers were bad enough. Pirates were worse.

They didn't just hunt rare Pokémon or steal eggs to sell on some black market. Real pirates raided ships, coastal settlements, Trainers, merchants, and anyone else unfortunate enough to cross their paths. Pokémon were taken. People were taken. Cargo disappeared, vessels were sunk, and entire communities had been terrorized over the centuries.

Calling them the scourge of the seas wasn't dramatic wording. It was basically a historical description, and the Orange League had been dealing with them since before there even was an Orange League.

And apparently my grandmother had been one of them.

Mom watched the realization settle in before continuing. "Her name was Captain Kalligrew, Pirate Captain and terror of the Orange seas. She came from what you could probably call pirate royalty, and she inherited both a ship and a crew young enough that everyone expected her to die before she was twenty."

"She wasn't a good woman, Travis. Not back then." Mom's thin smile faded into something more complicated. "I loved her. I still love her. But I'm not going to sit here and pretend she was some misunderstood sweetheart who happened to fly the wrong flag. She robbed people. She hurt people. She did things she regretted for the rest of her life."

She paused before adding, "But she wasn't the worst of them either. She had lines she wouldn't cross, and that put her at odds with some of the nastier crews almost as often as it put her against the League."

I leaned forward slightly despite myself. This was shaping up to be the kind of story you heard about in storybooks.

"Pops was already Gym Leader by then, and one of Kumquat's biggest responsibilities was helping protect the surrounding routes. So naturally, he and Mom kept running into each other." A faint smile tugged at her mouth. "They fought across half the Archipelago over the course of several years. Pops stopped raids, Mom escaped arrests, one of them ruined the other's plans, and then they'd do it all over again somewhere else."

Okay, I think I know where this was going. Two bitter enemies, years of fighting, mutual respect gradually forming beneath all that hostility until eventually…

"So this is where the whole enemies-to-lovers thing starts?"

Mom barked out a laugh. "Oh, not hardly! If anything, it was more of a damsel-in-distress story, except Pops was apparently the damsel. She captured him!"

She did what now?

Mom's lips twitched despite herself. "Pops lost one of their fights, Mom took him aboard her ship, and she kept him prisoner for almost a year as a bargaining chip against the League."

My jaw dropped. The mere idea that a pirate crew had that kind of leverage over the League was honestly horrifying.

"The League thought he might be dead by the third month. Some thought she was torturing him for information." Mom's shoulders shook as another tired laugh escaped her. "Then one morning, the infamous Captain Kalligrew sailed straight into the harbor outside the old League Headquarters, marched up to the High Leader while visibly pregnant, dragging Pops by the collar like a misbehaving Growlithe, and announced that she was carrying, and I quote, 'that bastard Henry's sprog, so we're going to discuss my Lugia-damned retirement package!'"

"She then informed the High Leader that she was retiring from piracy," Mom continued fondly. "Her terms were that her criminal record would be expunged, her crew would be granted amnesty and allowed to settle peacefully on Kumquat Island, and nobody would interfere while she and 'that idiot' raised their kid."

For several seconds, my brain simply refused to decide which part of the story it wanted to process first.

Whatever was happening on my face finally broke whatever restraint the others had left. Mom burst out laughing, Bliss quickly joined her, and even Al leaned back in his seat with a hand covering his mouth as his shoulders shook.

"You're serious?" I finally managed.

"Completely!" Mom wiped beneath one eye. "Somehow, Pops even convinced her to marry him before I was born. Apparently the wedding wasn't even the craziest part, either. The first Family Gathering afterward had all the relatives, half of Mom's old crew, several League officials, and at least three people who technically still had warrants out for their arrest sitting at the same tables. Hell, Uncle Manu tried to challenge a pirate to a duel over dessert!"

I could only sigh tiredly. "Of course he did."

Mom laughed again, and despite everything that had led us here, I couldn't help joining her.

Honestly, the whole thing wasn't even that Farfetch'd. (And no, I wasn't talking about the annoying birb.)

I'd been living in this world long enough to know better than to question anything purely on the grounds that it sounded like something out of an anime. Discovering that my grandfather had managed to net himself a Pirate Queen for a wife didn't even crack the upper limits of absurdity anymore.

Eventually, though, Mom's laughter softened before fading altogether, the melancholy slowly returning to her expression.

"Pops raised me right," she said after a moment of silence, her smile lingering faintly as she looked down at her hands. "Mom taught me how to fight. Most of what I know about battling started with her. She spent her life fighting on ships, on islands, anywhere she had to, and she made sure I understood that battles rarely go exactly the way you plan them."

Her eyes flicked briefly toward the balcony. "The Terrible Twosome came from her too, actually. Their parents were part of Mom's original team."

Huh, I'd known Huntail and Gorebyss for as long as I could remember. Learning their family had once sailed around the Archipelago alongside an infamous pirate captain actually made so much sense in hindsight.

"I had a good life, Travis," Mom continued, her voice falling into a soft murmur. "A really good one. Pops ran the Gym, Mom settled into married life, and when I was old enough, they let me go out and see the world for myself. I traveled, battled, made mistakes, won a few fights I probably shouldn't have, lost plenty more, and eventually came home when I was ready to start taking over more of the Grand."

A softer smile crossed her face. "They were happy. More than anything else, they were just happy I'd come home. And for a while, everything was good."

Her smile disappeared. "Until Mom's past finally came back to bite us."

I almost flinched at the sudden edge in her voice.

"You have to understand, my mother didn't just stop being a pirate." Mom's expression darkened as she leaned back slightly. "She didn't hand over her ship, walk away, and leave everyone else alone. She turned on them."

"Routes. Safe harbors. Codes. Supply caches. Smuggling channels. Which islands were willing to hide pirate crews, which merchants were paying protection, how they avoided Ranger patrols." She shook her head slowly. "If Mom knew about it, the League learned about it."

"It led to one of the worst blows piracy in the Orange Archipelago had ever suffered. Ships were seized. Crews were dismantled. Captains who'd spent years slipping through the League's fingers suddenly found Rangers waiting for them in places they thought were safe." Mom looked down at her hands again. "Some of the methods the League and Rangers still use against pirates today came from information she gave them. Hell, it's why Piracy is at an all-time low in the Archipelago!"

I could already see where this was going.

"A lot of people were grateful." Her fingers tightened together. "A lot more wanted her dead."

The warmth had completely disappeared from her voice now.

"There were threats for years. Attacks too. People died in the fallout from what she'd done, and there were more than a few attempts on her life while I was growing up. Pops became a target just for being her husband, and sometimes I was one simply because I was their daughter."

Something in my chest tightened at that. The idea of Mom growing up with people actively trying to kill her was almost enough to make me sick.

"But the years passed. The worst of the old crews disappeared, the attempts became less frequent, and eventually we started thinking maybe it was finally over."

"We were wrong."

The room seemed colder somehow as she stared past me. "One ghost from Mom's past had waited longer than the others."

"To this day, I still don't know who it was," she continued softly. "Nobody does. We investigated for years. The League looked into it, the Rangers looked into it, some of Mom's old crew went hunting on their own…nothing. We found rumors, people with motives, people who might've known something, but never a name."

Her fingers tightened together. "Eventually, I had to accept that I was probably never going to get one."

I stayed silent.

"Pops and Mom still traveled sometimes once I started taking over more of the Gym. Not often, just little trips here and there where they could get away from everything for a while." A weak smile briefly touched her lips. "Pops liked to joke that after raising me, they'd earned a few vacations where nobody was calling either of them 'Gym Leader,' 'Captain,' or 'Mom and Dad.'"

The smile disappeared.

"They were on one of those trips when someone attacked them. Normally, that wouldn't have worried me much," Mom admitted. "Pops was an experienced Gym Leader, and Mom had spent years fighting that same Gym Leader well enough to escape him more often than not. Whoever went after the two of them would've needed to be either very strong or very stupid."

Her gaze dropped.

"The problem wasn't that they were attacked. It was where they were attacked." She swallowed. "Off the coast of Rind Island."

My breath caught.

Rind Island.

For half a second, all I could think about was Nemo.

Rind Island was home to one of the very few known natural evolution trials for the Magikarp line in the world. Every year, it drew Magikarp back to the place they were born and pushed the strongest among them toward evolution.

The same place I'd always planned to take Nemo when he was finally ready to evolve.

Mom saw the realization hit me and slowly nodded.

"It was July," she whispered. "The migration was just getting underway. Magikarp from across the surrounding seas were returning to the island, and thousands of them were making their way inland."

Her voice became quieter with every word.

"I don't know exactly what happened during the fight. Nobody ever managed to piece all of it together. But I remember when the emergency calls started coming in all at once." Her hands began to shake. Her eyes closed. "Rangers were asking for every available Trainer they could reach. Nobody seemed to know exactly what had happened yet, only that Gyarados were appearing all around Rind and attacking anything that came near them."

"I left as soon as I heard." Her voice cracked, and Al took her hand while Bliss took the other. "I didn't even know Pops and Mom were there yet. I just knew the Rangers were being overwhelmed, and I was the only Gym Leader they had."

She opened her eyes, but they weren't really looking at me anymore. Her gaze had gone somewhere miles away as tears silently slipped down her cheeks.

"I remember the sea was red. I still remember the sounds." Her voice had fallen almost to a whisper. "The Screaming. The Rage thick enough you could practically breathe it in. Gyarados tearing into anything around them, tearing into each other, some so far gone they didn't seem to know what they were doing anymore. They just kept fighting and raging and…"

I was out of my chair before I realized I'd moved.

Mom gasped softly as I wrapped my arms around her head and pulled her against my chest.

"Mom, that's…that's enough." I shut my eyes and tightened my arms around her. "That's enough."

For several seconds she held herself rigid.

Then the first sob broke loose.

Her shoulders shook against me. My own eyes burned, and I felt a few tears slip free, but I ignored them and held her tighter.

Pikachu climbed down from my shoulder and pressed himself against Mom's neck, wrapping both little paws around her as tightly as he could. Bliss wrapped her arms around Mom from the side while Al rose without a word and rested one hand against her shoulder while his other settled gently against the back of my head.

Then came the flashes.

Momo appeared first, followed by Sandy, Farfetch'd, and Marowak as their Poké Balls opened one after another. None of them needed an explanation. One look at Mom was enough.

Marowak leaned in beside her, and Farfetch'd awkwardly perched himself on the back of the chair. Momo's arms wrapped around whoever she could reach while Sandy pressed into the few gaps left between us. It would've been ridiculous under almost any other circumstance.

Right then, it was just family holding onto one of our own.

I don't know how long we stayed that way, but eventually Mom's sobbing softened into uneven gasps, and the pile around us gradually loosened as everyone gave her room to breathe. She still didn't let go of me.

Instead, she tugged me down until I ended up sitting sideways across her lap, one arm locked around my waist while she buried her face against my hair.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

I immediately shook my head. "Mom—"

"No." Her hold tightened. "I'm sorry. You were right about one thing. I've been trying to steer you away from Nemo without ever telling you why. I made you think I didn't trust you."

My throat tightened.

"I shouldn't have yelled."

She sniffled weakly. "You were hurt."

"I still shouldn't have yelled at you." I leaned into her and closed my eyes. "And I'm sorry I made you relive...that."

Mom didn't respond. She just held me tighter.

After another few seconds, she sniffled and pulled back enough to look at me.

The expression on her face made something in my chest ache all over again. There was still grief there, still exhaustion, but underneath it was so much open affection that I could feel heat crawling up my face despite everything as she smiled.

"After they died, I was a mess for a while," she admitted softly. "Weeks, really. I barely ate. Barely slept. I threw myself into the Grand because if I kept moving, kept working, kept fixing everyone else's problems, then I didn't have to think too hard about mine."

Her thumb brushed beneath one of my eyes, wiping away a tear I hadn't even noticed was still there.

"Then one morning, I got so sick I couldn't leave the bathroom for nearly two hours."

My eyes widened in realization.

Mom's smile widened. "And that was the day I found out I was pregnant."

"I'd spent weeks thinking about everything I'd lost," she said, looking down at me with nothing but love in her eyes. "Pops. Mom. All the time I thought I should've had with them." Her eyes softened. "Then suddenly there you were, and I realized losing people I loved didn't mean there was nothing left for me to love."

My throat tightened. There was absolutely no way I was surviving that sentence with my dignity intact, so I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around her again.

Mom hugged me back immediately, pressing a kiss against the top of my head while Pikachu squeezed himself between us as if offended anyone might forget he was part of this too.

Eventually Mom released a long breath and loosened her hold enough to look down at me again.

"And for the record," she said, voice still rough but steadier now, "I'm not going to stop you from raising Nemo. From evolving him."

"Really?"

Mom's smile turned tired but sincere. "Of course. What happened to my parents is my issue to deal with. It isn't fair for me to make it yours too, and it definitely isn't fair to Nemo."

"Mom…"

"I still don't like it," she admitted with a tiny huff. "I probably won't ever stop worrying about it either. But you've done your research. You've trained him seriously, and you've gone out of your way to make sure you're doing this the best way you can." Her hand settled against my cheek. "My parents trusted me to make my own choices, even when they were afraid for me, so I'll be damned if I don't do the same for you."

I stared at her for a moment before smiling. "Thanks, Mom."

She pulled me into one more squeeze. "You're welcome, sweetie."

I let myself enjoy it for another few seconds before leaning back.

"And, uh...for what it's worth, I'm kinda proud."

That clearly wasn't what she'd expected. "Proud?"

I nodded, unable to stop the grin spreading across my face. "Yeah. It's just nice knowing both my grandparents were absolute badasses."

There was a beat of silence.

Mom broke.

She doubled over laughing, one hand flying to her mouth while the other tightened around my waist to keep me from sliding off her lap. Bliss and Momo quickly joined her, Al failed spectacularly at hiding his amusement, and several of the others started chiming in with their own laughter and approving cries.

Pikachu threw both paws into the air.

"Pika!"

"See? He agrees!"

That only made Mom laugh harder, and while a few more tears slipped down her cheeks, this time I knew they weren't only sad ones.

---

Author's Note:

You ever just start writing something, work for a couple hours, and by the time you pull back to look at what you've written, you're left wondering how you got here? Yeah, that was me for this chapter.

I hope it turned out alright in the end. I know this was definitely one of the more emotional chapters, and I hope it helps show just why Luana is a bit…overbearing at times. And believe me, the issue isn't fully resolved. While she's not going to fight him over everyone's favorite fish anymore, that doesn't mean there aren't going to be teething issues as he prepares to leave for his journey, so look forward to that I guess, lol.

Whatever the case, hope you all enjoy, and I'll see y'all next time. Cheers!

Hope it's not too presumptuous, but I've got a Patreon up and running! If you want to read 5 chapters ahead or just support me in general, feel free to visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / IcurasFallen

 

[manuelhwang99]

Next stop, revenge ghost from the past and pop pop team to the rescue (jk)

its funny i was like "wait but if she was busy working then how did- oh she did get pregnant during then lol"

 

[SpaceWhale]

Grandpa bagged himself a Pirate Princess respect

 

[BismuthBorealis]

Oh huh, I half expected something to happen with the festival.

"And my mom already said she's going to thank her herself," Ash added, apparently deciding this was important information. "A lot."

I snorted. "I'm sure Mom will appreciate it."

Click to shrink...

Yessssss, more food for the Delia/Luana agenda!

Hmm, wonder what caused the Rage. Was it an enemy's foul play somehow? A horrible coincidence? Something else?

 

[NovusPeregrine]

Honestly, that chapter was more than alright. I think it's the best chapter of the story so far.

 

[deadlyaaron77]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Lillie Jones]

Yeah that tracks with Mom issues concerning Gyarados and a grand father bagging a pirate princesses l
The Journey continues
Cheers!

 

[Vadelent]

Are you completely sure you want a Gyarados on your team?"

I paused.

Apparently whatever crossed my face was enough for Mom to immediately start waving her hands.

"I—I'm not trying to change your mind!" she hurriedly assured me. "Really, sweetie, I'm not. I just, well, Cissy mentioned the other day that Kingdra found himself a missus recently." Mom gave me a hesitant smile. "So there's a decent chance she'll have some Horsea looking for Trainers eventually. They'll be wonderfully bred, obviously, and if you wanted one, I'm sure Cissy would be thrilled. I'd even help you track down a Dragon Scale when the time came!"

Click to shrink...

"Why does it have to be a Gyarados?" she continued, something strained and almost pleading crossing her face. "Out of every Water-type you could possibly raise, why are you so determined to have a Gyarados?!"

Something hot twisted in my chest.

"Why are you so determined that I don't?!"

Click to shrink...

Whatever the reason, at this point turning Nemo away for another pokemon would make her fears into a self fulfilling prophecy. All that time, effort, training and affection? Just to be tossed aside at the last minute before their journey was set to start? The line between love and hate is always rather thin and this level of betrayal and sacrificing of Nemo's future and dreams would likely cause a catastrophe far worse than she imagines. Maybe not to the level of what happened to her parents but Nemo is a *very* strong Magikarp. I believe Travis said Nemo was roughly three times stronger than a Magikarp would normally need to be to evolve? In game terms that would make him at least a level 60 Magikarp. Which would make him a very upset level 60 Gyarados. I don't think more needs to be said on why this course of action is a terrible idea.

"And for the record," she said, voice still rough but steadier now, "I'm not going to stop you from raising Nemo. From evolving him."

"Really?"

Mom's smile turned tired but sincere. "Of course. What happened to my parents is my issue to deal with. It isn't fair for me to make it yours too, and it definitely isn't fair to Nemo."

Click to shrink...

Okay, that's good. I wasn't especially worried that she would but I did want to point out why her wanting to separate them like that would have been the worst possible option they could take.

 

[Darkatlas]

No worries man this was awesome! While the outburst by the MC did seem a little sudden it makes sense considering that the mom has kind of always been on him to reconsider having a Gyarados. But then you did a good job having both characters be emotionally mature. Awesome chapter!