A Winkle in Reality

[HankPankylol]

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

---

Hercule's chest rose and fell steadily as his small lungs drew in deep breaths of oxygen, funneling it to his recovering organs and muscles. I longed to run my fingers through his fur to soothe the last twitches and spasms, but the light pinkish energy surrounding the Elekid made me hold off. That would be a poor thank-you to the pair of Vaporeon who were putting in so much effort; their strange rubber-like skin wrinkled as they commanded the softly green glowing water to swirl around the affected areas, gradually fading the few remaining patches of discolored hair and skin.

Visibly, anyway. I tried to pay attention to the Aqua Ring the Water-types were demonstrating, but worry and exhaustion dulled my focus. I doubted Herc would be back on his feet easily, even with professional care, and I didn't even know if Siren could learn the healing move before she hopefully evolved one day.

So, I directed my efforts toward being there for my team while they were hurt, sitting in the middle of the semi-circle formed by them and their medical teams.

Suddenly, something hard and narrow smacked my shoulder, and I looked over to see the black-wrapped handle of my katana being offered to me. Glancing up the sword, past the golden rectangular guard and along the blade itself, I noticed Walter raising an expectant eyebrow. I nodded gratefully and took the weapon, laying it across my lap while carefully avoiding Siren's slumbering form as the veteran sat beside me, gazing at the Azumarill being tended to nearby.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Seems to be more Haunter than Muk, given that it hasn't dissolved, so it should come out with some effort." I idly picked at the purple splotches on the metal he was referring to before shrugging. It was still sharp, or would be after I had the chance to give it some care, and that was really all that mattered. "And yar 'mon? They good?"

I nodded, a little uncertain, stroking Betty as she leaned into me more, soft snoring rattling my whole body.

"Yeah, for the most part. Siren's exhausted more than anything, and Betty's a tank. Whatever damage she took should be gone within a couple of days, and the poison soon after. Sol's got a couple of broken ribs, and the Haunter hit him with a nasty Lick on his leg, but the only lasting thing should be to his ego. A few days soaking in the sun and he'll be ignoring me in no time. Herc's the worst off." I sighed.

"He practically bathed in that Muk. His lungs are messed up, most of his skin needs to be regrown, and both his left arm and right leg are broken, somehow…" I trailed off. "He'll survive and should make a full recovery, but… yeah, I don't know."

"They'll be fine, lad. Have faith." He slapped me lightly on the back, and I grunted in appreciation. It was surprising how combat eased previous animosities. Walter was still a sociopathic fuckhead for the whole 'threatening to kill me' thing, and I wasn't going to forget it, but at the moment, it felt petty to be upset about it. Very uncharacteristically, I was willing to set it aside. "Cerulean has some of the best healers, and I'll make them pull out the Full Restores if necessary. We'll have them back on their feet within a couple of days, ya just watch."

"They seem to know their stuff, I'll give you that." I conceded, watching as multiple Clefable guided a pouting Sol through his own healing process. Over a dozen healers spread out across the clearing, tending to the rescued Pokémon: my team, the Houndoom and Golbat, who were surprisingly still alive, plus Walter's own Azumarill. Apparently, the one who had helped against the thieves was one of its children and had fought pretty recklessly. "And thanks. I imagine this isn't quite what-OW! Fuck! Watch it, would you!?"

I scowled at the Chansey who poked me right on top of my own shattered rib, making it jab into my lung in a way that did not feel good. Predictably, all I received in response was another poke and a warbling scolding as the egg-shaped Pokémon began fixing me.

Walter laughed, only to yelp when another Chansey poked him in the side, lifting his shirt to reveal a bloody groove carved into his skin. He shrugged at my questioning look. "One of them had a pretty slick Rock Throw variant. I didn't expect anything that sophisticated, so it caught me off guard. Then again," he glanced around the clearing with a frown, surveying the dozen thieves slowly being pulled from the small mountain-sized iceberg the Waterflower produced, "plenty of shit doesn't line up. Such as, why were there so many of them? Four, five, maybe six, I can understand. But fifteen? Sure, ten Pokémon from the Eevee line would sell well, but not well enough to justify that many splits. Nay, this stinks."

"You don't think this was about the Pokémon?" I asked, narrowing my eyes when he shook his head. "Then what? Do you make a habit of running after criminals by yourself?" Because if that was the case, it could have been a trap for the Admiral.

Walter opened his mouth to speak, but another voice interrupted him. "That is an excellent question, Mr… Winkle, is it? Please, Mr. Waterflower," I didn't need to look up to know that the shadow blocking the sunlight was Officer Jenny, her blue hair held back by her cap. Only the popo misused my name like that. "Do answer the question. Do you make a habit of not calling the proper authorities when a crime has been committed? Don't answer that," Jenny interjected, despite neither Walter nor I being about to say anything. "I already know the answer. You Clan members are all the same."

"Hey now, lass, we haven't done anything. The lad and I were just out for a walk, ya know, when we were jumped by these scallywags!" I couldn't quite read Jenny's feelings about Walter, as her face had been stuck in a mask of disdain since she laid eyes on him. However, in my professional opinion, Walter nailed his response.

Apparently, though, Jenny was a master of deduction – an undercover Sherlock Holmes. "Uh-huh, sure you were." Her slow tone was slightly insulting. "It's a complete coincidence that there was a theft at one of your breeders, which you checked yourself, and then within ten minutes, you're in a full-scale battle with the 16 criminals responsible."

That was a tough one. I wondered how Walter would expertly navigate around it.

"Yep." The old sailor nodded sagely, refusing to elaborate even when pressed by Jenny's incredulous look.

Seeing that she wouldn't get anywhere with him – or perhaps having gone through this routine before – Jenny turned to what she perceived as easier prey.

Foolish of her.

"Mr. Winkle, do you have anything to say?"

I hummed and tapped my chin thoughtfully. "... Your hair looks nice today."

"That's true," Walter jumped in. "It has a nice shine. Did you do something new? I'm sure my nieces would want to know."

"Really?" Jenny beamed, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "Thank you! It's a new conditioner from Celadon. It's high-end stuff, and I wasn't sure if it was worth it, but I figured 'I'm only young once'-HEY! DON'T TRY AND DISTRACT ME!"

"We would never-"

"Come now, lass, that's unfair-"

"SILENCE!" Officer Jenny took a deep breath through her nose and visibly calmed herself. When she spoke again, annoyance and stress were clear in her voice. "Walter, work with me here! We don't have the time or wiggle room for your Clan nonsense, not with the League breathing down our necks already-"

"If the Blackthorn brat has anything to say," Walter interrupted, his tone turning cold and emotionless, as it had been when he almost cut my head off, "he can come say it himself. Until then, the Clan was robbed, and the Clan recovered said stolen items. End of story." I was surprised by his stubbornness. I'd have thought that the sisters' attitude toward doing Gym work and League matters would make them more amenable, but apparently not.

Jenny was about to continue, but Walter held up a hand to stop her. "I'll send you a debrief later."

Jenny hesitated for a moment before huffing. "You'd better, Walter; otherwise, you're going to explain the body yourself."

"Body?" I cut in. It was probably better to ask Walter later, but unless it was one of his, I had a good idea whose it might be.

"Yeah, a corpse," Jenny confirmed, narrowing her eyes at my interest. "Male, late twenties, hair that we think was shoulder-length and brown, wearing what was probably a lab coat. Ring any bells?"

Throwing Walter a quick glance, I decided to give the officer some information. "Hypothetically, in an alternate timeline that I definitely wasn't a part of, there is a chance that, maybe, perhaps-"

"Kid, just say it. I do not have time or patience for this." I huffed in disappointment; it would've been much funnier.

"Fine. The dumbass dumped his own Muk on top of himself and caved in the floor. OW!" I grunted as my ribs were judged serviceable and bandages tightened around them.

Jenny scribbled my words down on a notepad. "That would explain the melted lungs and third-degree toxicity burns over his whole body," she mumbled. Damn, rough way to go. I mean, it was 100% his own fault, but still. After finishing her notes, the officer looked down at me as my Chansey nurse worked on my palm, which was full of first-degree burns. "Thank you, Mr. Winkle. At least one of you was semi-cooperative. That being said, keep your nose clean. This is the second time in two weeks you've been involved in this sort of stuff." The bluenette pointed two fingers at her own eyes and then toward me. "We've got our eye on you."

With that, she walked away, leaving Walter and me alone, though the area was buzzing with people searching through the rubble for stray items. Pokéballs, even if all the Eevees had been recovered, or anything that would identify the thieves.

"Hope I didn't blow up your mysterious, ignorant vibe."

"Nah, ya're good. Better than ya getting blamed for it."

"Hmmm." I hummed. "Speaking of corpses, I kinda feel bad about that Muk. It never really got the chance to even form properly, much less attack."

"Huh? Oh, ya mean the freezing thing? Nah, it ain't dead." I was pretty shocked at that. I'd seen it get ripped into multiple ice cubes. The fuck did he mean it wasn't dead? "Muk and Grimer are semi-rare Pokémon for a reason, despite there being plenty of them. Grimer are bad enough, one wrong move and ya'll be needing a nurse, but Muk? Each one is a mini ecological disaster. Yar both lucky and not. Based on what ya told me, it was a youngin', recently evolved, most likely. A stronger one wouldn't have had so much trouble staying together, but then, a stronger one could've changed its pH value to something less acidic. This whole area," he gestured to the ruined cabin, "will need to be burned down and purified after we cart the pieces off to somewhere they won't bother anyone, or kill the land. They'll form into new Grimers much sooner than yar comfortable with, don't ya worry. As long as there's more than a handful of 'em left, they'll be back."

"Appreciate it, I think." I nodded, yet before I could continue, my pocket suddenly started vibrating furiously, a melodious ring tone filling the air. "Oh, hold on, that's me," I told Walter, getting a grunt in response as I whipped out my PokéDex, raising an eyebrow at the caller ID.

What fucking timing.

CLICK!

"Go for Peri."

A pair of hazel eyes glanced at me skittishly before focusing on the top right of the screen, a slight red hue creeping up the fair skin until it reached the spikey, unbearably trendy brown hair. An awkward pause began the conversation, and I waited for him to start. Gary looked like he was being forced to suck on a Citrus berry.

"... hey."

"Hey." If that's how he wanted to do it, then I was willing. I could guarantee that my threshold for painful and stilted conversation was higher than his.

"... been a bit."

"Yep." Despite supposedly not knowing the context, though I wasn't ever going to assume what the pirate cosplayer did or didn't know, Walter looked mightily amused.

Gary, on the other hand, had a developing tick under his eye.

"Really? This is how you want this shit to go?"

"How do I want what to go?" I'd almost forgotten how fucking easy pushing Gary's buttons was. A little bit of lighthearted, for me anyway, fun was exactly what I needed to cool down after the day I'd had.

"Fuck you, okay!" Like I said, so easy. Gary had zero chill. "Here I am, being the bigger man and shit, calling to fucking 'apologize' or whatever the fuck, and you're giving me fucking lip!"

"Apologize for what?" Come on, dude, say it.

The youngest Oak hesitated briefly; however, he took a deep breath and kept trucking. "Apologize for how the last time we saw each other went." Seeing my still blank face, he growled and messed up his hair in frustration. "I fucking tricked you, and it was a bitch move, okay!? I won't say sorry for training at the Lab, if anything, that only counteracted your Taurosshit advantage, but the rest… I'm sorry. Is that what you want to hear!? I'm sorry you agreed to an unfavorable match-up, I'm sorry I outsmarted you, and I'm sorry you're being such a pussy about it!"

I stared at the screen, Walter fully leaning over my shoulder to display his own disbelief. Through the microphone, I could hear skin slap against flesh and a quiet whisper say, "Gary, what the fuck?".

Looking more and more like a tomato as he backed himself into a verbal corner, Gary tried to salvage whatever the fuck our talk was supposed to be.

"That came out wrong. I'm… I'm not blaming you, even though it was your own fault, and I don't know why I have to take responsibility for not catering to your over-privileged ass… no, fuck!" His head vanished from the camera as he tilted it down and exhaled loudly. When he reappeared, I raised an eyebrow at the actual serious expression hidden under the embarrassment. "Peri, I'm sorry. I fucked you over, and I shouldn't have. I was angry, and I just wanted to get one over on you. It was a dick move. So… yeah, sorry."

I considered letting him stew; however, that was still better than I expected, which said a lot about how I saw Gary. I let a smirk curl my lip and shrugged. "It's fine, dude, I'm over it. I mean, you're right, it was a fucking bitch, dickhead, cowardly move, but whatever. I forgive you. I saw your sign to Cerulean, by the way."

Gary perked up at my words, a grin spreading across his face. "Oh yeah? Figured you might get a kick outta that. I bet the loser was sooo fucking angry, Mew I wish I could've seen it! Speaking of Cerulean, though," frowning, Gary looked at the edge of the screen like he could see past it, "was that fucking Walter Waterflower, the Admiral of Indigo!?"

Hiding my confusion at the 'Indigo' part, as I thought Walter was the Admiral of Cerulean, I acted nonchalantly. "Oh, yeah, that was Walter. Nothing exciting, just hanging out with him." I ignored Walter's very unimpressed glance. Fuck him, he should be flattered to be used as a bragging tool.

"What!? Why!? Doesn't the old fuck have better things to do!? Though having met the so-called 'Gym Leaders' in Cerulean, I suppose it's on trend for that Clan to be lazy fuck ups. Also, what's that behind you?"

"Oh, that?" I quickly stood up and moved away before Walter acted on his offended expression and took my PokéDex to have some words with Gary himself. "That's Walter's Wailord. Huge fucker, ain't he?"

As if he could sense the conversation about him, Wailord's enormous, yet surprisingly small and beady eyes turned to look in my direction. The same foghorn sound I'd heard when the attack on the cabin had begun erupted from the blowhole atop the massive Pokémon, causing everyone who wasn't ready to cry out and cover their ears.

Undoubtedly the largest Pokémon I'd ever encountered, Wailord measured over 50 feet long, surpassing Walter's brother's Gyarados. However, the truly impressive aspect was its sheer girth. Wailord was a stout creature, approximately a third as wide as it was long, with a mouth that could easily swallow groups of humans and Pokémon whole. The gigantic whale was primarily a deep sea blue, which I imagined served as excellent camouflage, though I dreaded to think about what a creature of that size might need to hide from. Its throat and underbelly featured a tan cream color with ridge-like patterns. Three pairs of fins, each longer than I was tall, ran down the enormous Water-type's body, culminating in a horizontal tail that was as broad as the League cabin I had helped tear down.

Scars marred its blubbery flesh, each one deep enough to rip lesser Pokémon in half; yet, they were barely visible on Wailord's bulk. Honestly, if I hadn't known about the hits it had taken and where they were, I wouldn't have noticed the marks left by the thieves.

Gary appeared just as amazed as I was. "Wow, that's a lot of Pokémon! How would you even fight something like that? Or feed it? Where does it poop?"

"All excellent questions," I replied, "but I'm kind of in the middle of something, so did you need anything other than to admit you're a cheap bastard?"

"Yeah, actually, I do." A more familiar expression appeared on his face. "Given your company, I'm guessing you're still in Cerulean, you Slowpoke?"

"I am."

"Well, you need to get to Vermillion. Fast, too. I've got a birthday present for you, and the day of is kind of the last call, so haul ass, will you?"

"My birthday?" I blinked in disbelief. "Gary, that's in like ten days! I'd have to run the whole way to Vermillion! I haven't even gotten the Cascade Badge yet, and I'd wanted to skip Surge for now!"

"I don't care how you do it: skip, fly, teleport, perambulate, cartwheel, or call Gramps for a ride. I just need you in Vermillion within ten days! I'll drive you back to those useless idiots afterward if necessary. You don't even have to get the Badge, although I don't understand why you wouldn't. The earlier you challenge Surge, the easier it is. That guy is nothing to worry about at a third level. I swear he was about to fall asleep during our match."

I wanted to keep arguing, both about why I preferred to tackle the Electric Gym later and to get more information on what we'd be doing in Vermillion. However, Gary ended our conversation before I could respond.

"Listen, it was good to talk to you, and thanks for not holding a grudge, but I've got to go. Just make it to Vermillion as fast as you can. I promise, it'll be worth it! Smell ya later!"

CLICK!

I was left staring at the Pokédex as the screen went dark, hearing a snort from behind me.

"What an entitled little brat, huh?"

"You have no idea," I mumbled in response, returning to my previous seating position.

"Want some advice?" Since he was polite enough to ask, I nodded. "Forget about taking the Gym challenge in a specific order; all it'll do is give you a headache. Just collect the Badges, and if you have time left over, most Gym Leaders will happily accept an eight-Badge challenge even if you've already earned the Badge." I sighed deeply but agreed nonetheless.

Once I learned that the Gyms changed based on how many Badges you held, and that the sixth to eighth ones were far more challenging, I had carefully picked out the Gyms I wanted to tackle last: Vermillion, because Surge was notorious for being particularly brutal; Saffron, as it was the only main Gym not tied to one of the Old Eight Clans after Sabrina and her parents personally removed the previous Clan; and finally, Viridian, both because it was required and it had a certain thematic significance.

Whatever. That was far from the smallest change I'd made to my plans.

"Guess I'll have to come back here, though." Walter scoffed and got up after one of the healer Trainers gave him a nod, reaching down to pull me up with him.

"Nah. You said ten days?" I grunted as I nodded. I started to return my Pokémon to their Pokéballs. "That's plenty of time. We'll get your Pokémon on their feet and get you that Badge. Afterwards, I'll personally take you just outside Vermillion. I have some business there anyway. You'll have plenty of time. Now, let's grab on; Slowking will take us back so we can get your team some actual beds."

---

"So let us get this straight-"

"-despite saying he'd take care of you-"

"-not only did he send you off on your own when the battle actually started, with no backup or supervision-"

"-he also tried to kill you, thinking you were some kind of spy!?"

"Yep." I nodded solemnly as the three Waterflower sisters looked concerned for me and absolutely furious at their great-uncle. Hey, if the guy didn't want me to spill most of the beans, he shouldn't have left as soon as we arrived at the Waterflowers' personal medbay.

It wasn't anything particularly fancy. It reminded me of the room in the Sevii PokéCenter, except it was much bigger and light blue instead of clinical white. A dozen beds were lined up on either side of the long hall, each with its end tables and a large tower of beeping machines. Chansey, Vaporeon, and Clefable waddled around between the laid-out Pokémon, pink and blue hues shining as they applied their healing techniques.

I really needed to steal one of them, I decided. Potions were nice, but the Cerulean Pokémon seemed to be able to heal a little deeper, for lack of a better word, than all but the top-shelf stuff. While effective for wounds and more superficial injuries, portable medicine drained the body's already available energy stores, leaving the recipient exhausted and far from combat-ready. Healing moves, on the other hand, converted the user's energy into healing and also cured most forms of exhaustion.

Daisy growled, glaring at the door Walter had vanished through. "I can't believe him! No, actually, it sounds very much in line with his usual garbage, but I thought he'd behave!"

"That's our mistake; we should've known better," Violet added, frowning.

"Though this is the second time you've suffered because we weren't thinking. We're so, so sorry, Peri." Lily, on the other hand, seemed more concerned about my well-being, fussing over my ribs and bandaged hand.

"Hey, it's my own fault. I insisted on going, knowing full well that I might get a little banged up. That's the price we pay for fighting the good fight, and all that…" I tried for something uplifting and protagonist-esque, but judging by their facial expressions, I didn't quite hit the mark.

"Cringe, bro-"

"-like, super cringe-"

"-yeah, not sure how you managed it, but that was even worse than your usual meathead attitude."

"Oh, I'm so sorry; I didn't know I was in such distinguished company." I mocked. "Probably because I didn't recognize you with shirts on."

"You spend more time shirtless than we do!" Daisy protested while Violet stuck her tongue out and Lily rolled her eyes at our antics. "At least we spend most of the day in the water; what's your excuse?"

"I'm sorry, have you seen all this?" I waved my good hand up and down my body. "Why would I need an excuse?"

"Lugia, your ego is so inflated-"

"-don't know how you expect to get a girlfriend like that."

I shrugged, enjoying the back and forth. Betty started to get impatient in her bed, half-heartedly snapping at a Chansey that got too close. The resulting tap to her snout stopped her long enough for me to get my fingers to the back of her neck and start massaging. Her exhaustion and light injuries weren't enough to make her sit still for long. "Your sister likes it."

"Somehow."

"Don't know what happened to her taste-"

"-but then again, it's not the first time we've been confused by Misty's priorities."

I frowned, taking the chance to bring up something I'd wanted to discuss with them since before we even met; now that I felt we had a good enough rapport, I hoped I would be taken seriously. "Speaking of, can you guys ease up on her?"

All three of them looked confused. "Uh, what do you mean?"

"Ease up on Misty, I mean." I continued. I was hesitant about sticking my nose into their family business, but whatever. "I know you guys have your dynamic, but it gets a little much sometimes."

Now they seemed offended. "Look, Peri, we appreciate you helping out-"

"-and we are genuinely sorry about the Gyarados thing-"

"-plus, you know, not battling you-"

"-but there are some things you need to stay out of-"

"-how Misty and we interact included. We understand that you're coming from a place of concern for her, so we'll let it go-"

"-but for real, dude, chill out."

I nodded in agreement to all their words. They made fair points, and they were completely justified in expressing them. However, it wouldn't make me stop.

"Like I said, I understand. But no, I'm not going to stop. I get that you're used to it," I quickened my speech, seeing them prepare to interrupt me. "I'm sure it doesn't seem that bad from your perspective. However, I've spent some time with Misty – not a ton, but enough to know that it honestly bothers her."

"Right, not like it bothers us when she hurls insults at us! Or runs around telling everybody that we're useless, cowardly sluts who just laze around all day!" Violet shot back, making another fair point.

Still, I felt I had a counter to help them understand just how much Misty had a problem with them and with Cerulean as a whole.

"Did you know that she didn't want us to know she was a Waterflower?" I asked, catching them off guard with the sudden change in topic. "In fact, she didn't even want us to come to Cerulean in the first place. Part of that was because she thought we'd treat her differently if we knew she was a former Gym Leader, but a lot of it was because of you guys and the clan in general."

I sighed, trying to decide how much to reveal. I didn't know everything, and some of what I did know came from observing their lives from a different dimension. I also didn't want to share anything that Misty wouldn't want me to. "I'll leave it at that and not say anything more, I promise. I just… having gotten to know you guys a bit better, I don't think you realize how alienated Misty feels. Maybe… it could be nice if you called her."

Silence fell over the healing area, interrupted only by a low, contented growl from Betty. Siren, apparently tired of not being appreciated, levitated over to us, briefly dipping in the air as she moved between the beds. Herc was still out, but I could see Sol making puppy eyes at us, stuck in his bed and unable to join the cuddling. Daisy seemed angry, her arms and slender legs crossed as she glared at the wall, while Violet imitated her, though she appeared more introspective. Lily was biting her lip and tapping her foot, actually considering the information I had presented.

Thankfully, before it could get any more awkward, the door swung open, and Walter swaggered back in. He stopped abruptly, confusion evident on his face as he saw the tense situation. When he'd left, we'd all been united in blaming him, and the sisters had been fussing over me.

"Uuuhhh," he mumbled, the most unsure I'd ever seen the veteran as he approached my bed slowly. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, we're good," I spoke for the group. I wasn't going to explain, and I somehow doubted the girls wanted their uncle to also get on their case. "Did you get whatever you needed?"

Walter grunted in confirmation, reaching into his pocket and tossing me something flat that spun through the air like a frisbee. Catching the item, my eyebrows shot up as I examined the plastic case containing a small, sea-blue disk. "A TM?"

"Usually, ya'd get that after ya won the Badge," the senior Trainer explained, plopping down on Sol's bed despite the low growl from the Fire-Type. "But let's be honest, there's not much doubt ya'll win a second Badge challenge. So I figured I'd just give it to ya now. Oh, and I also picked a different one than the usual boring option."

Now he had my full attention. "A different one?"

"At a second Badge, we'd usually give you something like Water Pulse or Rain Dance if you're lucky," Lily said, glancing at her uncle skeptically. "Decent power, and a good starting point for most medium to easier advanced Water moves."

"Like I said, boring," Walter repeated, ignoring the glares he received in response. "That, though, will do yar Feebas a lot of good. Think of it as the first reward for helping me out back there." He glanced at his nieces and rolled his eyes at their glares. "And an apology, I suppose, if you have to be a bitch about it." The last part he mumbled under his breath before quickly continuing so nobody could call him out on it. "It's Scald. Good move, strong. Not as powerful as Hydro Pump, but not far behind. I figured the temperature trick was up yar alley. I saw ya trying to make yar water colder. Well, this will do the opposite."

Siren instantly woke up from her drifting, suddenly focused on the small disk in front of her, perhaps recognizing it as similar to the one that granted her the Ice Beam. Scratching her chin, I gave a grateful nod to Walter, images of boiling waves that would leave our opponents flailing and screaming flashing through my mind.

"Thank you, Walter. I mean it. And you too, of course," I smiled at the sisters, who returned my smile as the leftover tension from our previous conversation dissipated. "I… I understand that I'm not always the easiest person to be around, and we kind of got off to a rough start, but seriously, thank you."

"Awwww!" the sisters echoed in unison, with Lily reaching over to give me a brief squeeze around the shoulders. I allowed it for a moment but shook her off fairly quickly. I was getting better, but physical touch still wasn't my favorite thing in the world.

Turning back to Walter, I asked about something he'd mentioned.

"You said the first reward?" It may not have been the most polite question to ask right after thanking them, but my curiosity got the better of me.

"Right, that!" He leaned forward, looking me straight in the eye. "Well, for the other thing, ya'll have to wait until we get to a place outside of Vermillion. That Eevee farm is part-owned, ya see, and I need to speak with the other owner, so ya'll have to hold off on that. However, I know ya've been waiting for a Gym Battle for a while. Now, I don't want to take yar jobs," he assured Daisy, Violet, and Lily, who seemed ready to speak up, "but I know ya don't want to fight, and me and the lad are the same in that regard. It'll be a brutal slugging match, and it'll be great."

The Sensational Sisters looked at each other for a long moment, seemingly communicating telepathically, their faces revealing brief expressions. After a bit, they turned back to us and made their judgment.

"If that's what Peri wants, I guess it's fine. But no cameras. That would be humiliating."

Taking that as permission, Walter finished his pitch. "I can't promise I can keep it at a second Badge level. It's been decades since I've had to think about that kind of thing. But I can promise you it'll be a good, hard fight. There's no shame in saying no, either. Your team is injured. Smart money is on taking the easy way."

He was right. Even the healthiest of my Pokémon would need several days to recover before doing anything other than lying down, and even if they did recover in time, they'd likely end up injured all over again.

As such, there was really only one thing to say.

"You're on. Get ready to have your ass kicked, old man."

Any other time, Walter's grin would have been terrifying. Now, it just made my heart race and my blood boil.

"Hope ya can back that up."

---

Gary's back, ain't that fun. And Peri is gonna be fighting Walter instead of the sisters.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

 

[HankPankylol]

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.
A chapter of a little bonding and then the start of the battle against Walter.

---

"I see your fours and raise you… three fives! HA! What do you say about that!?"

…

"Sol?"

The loud snoring was the only response I received, with Sol smacking his jaws as he drooled all over the cards he had been using as a pillow. As I suspected, any lingering injuries that the healers couldn't treat had quickly faded after a couple of days of sunbathing. It would take some time before I considered Morning Sun a mastered move, but it was clear that the Growlithe had learned it. Now we just needed to ensure it was fast enough for combat. The ability to heal anything short of near-lethal damage with nothing but solar power was both cool and valuable; however, there was so much more we could achieve with it.

Interestingly, his regeneration had allowed the Fire-Type to outpace Betty's own healing, despite her having lesser wounds and greater constitution. This, predictably, annoyed the Dragon-Type, but she was easily placated in our current environment. Glancing to the side of the small circle formed by Sol, Herc, and me, I caught sight of the Titan Bagon scampering up the felled tree trunk leaning against one of the more secluded boulder targets behind Cerulean Gym. Her tongue stuck out in concentration as she used the timber like a balance beam.

Reaching the top, she posed for a moment, feeling a sense of rightful supremacy as she let out a roar that lightly shook some nearby leaves and went unnoticed by the Pokémon around the field. Huffing at the disrespect, Betty quickly shook it off and crouched down, wiggling her bottom in anticipation. Then, with a mighty leap, she soared into the sky, eyes closed in contentment…

…and crashed back to earth with a muffled thump!

It had been quite some time since I worried about her doing that, and once again, I was proven correct as she popped back up and ran back to her tree for another attempt.

Noticing that one of the players was kicking one of his legs while lost in dreamland, I decided to skip his turn. He hadn't shown much interest in the game to begin with. No one but Hercules had. It was incredible how quickly a five-person game had turned into a one-on-one.

"Alright, Herc, what do you have?"

The Electric-Type didn't spare me a glance, glaring at his cards with a focus I had come to expect from him during training, though it seemed a bit silly to see it while playing games. Still, at least he was directing that energy elsewhere while he was recovering. Bandages wrapped around his torso and right arm concealed tender bones and hairless patches as they regrew, even though the Elekid insisted he was fine.

I didn't believe the little maniac for a second, especially after I caught him shadow boxing in the middle of the night while wincing with each movement.

It didn't stop him from playing cards, though, I thought, frowning down at the four twos he had somehow been hiding. Conceding the round, I gathered the cards and reshuffled, wiping Sol's off in the grass to remove the saliva while the lazy beast continued to doze.

As I threw down a new hand, I paused when I noticed Herc staring off into the distance, looking down toward the lake where faint splashing could be heard. Rubbing his shoulder affectionately, I tried to console him, though I found his mood rather tedious.

"Calm down, bro. You'll get your bandages tomorrow, and we'll start easing back into it." He sulked in response, so I reminded him of our agreement. "Or you can be reckless and run off again. Your choice. Just remember, you won't get to fight in the Gym battle."

My threat seemed to work; our agreement meant a lot to him. I had struggled with whom to bring to the gym battle, especially since I wasn't sure how many Pokémon we'd be using. Siren was a given. She was the least injured and probably my strongest Pokémon, especially with her new move. Hercules would usually have been a shoo-in as well, but given that he was in the worst shape and had weak electricity, I hesitated. I still wasn't convinced that the deal we made after I caught him sneakily working out was a good idea. However, if he could refrain from training for five whole days and focus on resting and recuperating, I'd let him fight on the sixth.

It had clearly been rough for him, yet here we were on day four, and he had been good so far.

Herc's body deflated with a monstrous sigh as he reluctantly turned away from the nearby training session. I took a glance myself.

I arrived just in time to see Siren watching Walter's Seaking drill a hole through the large stone pillar they were practicing with, smoke wafting from the edges of the three-finger-thick hole. My Feebas concentrated, eyes closed, while her cheeks slowly filled up. It took a while, even though she learned it from a TM, but she managed it. A thick stream of water erupted from her mouth, twisting slightly as it shot through the air. A cloak of steam billowed behind the attack, the hot water evaporating the cooler droplets in its path. The Scald struck the stone tower with a solid thwack! and managed to create a decent dent, although it was nothing compared to Seaking's power.

I wasn't worried. The temperature aspect came the easiest to Siren, probably due to our efforts to cool down her Water Gun. Scald was essentially the same move, just reversed. The tricky part was generating enough power. Based on what I remembered from the games, Scald had about an 80-90 power level, while Water Gun was only about 30 or maybe 40. Building up that much water, propelling it, and then heating it was the most complex move we had attempted by far. I imagined it would take quite a while before Scald was anything close to mastered.

Ice Beam was as intense as or even stronger than Scald, but it was a more straightforward move – if Ice-type and therefore harder in that regard. Yet it still took over three years for us to make it serviceable.

Dragon Pulse would have to take a back seat again. I kept telling myself we would start training for it, but then something else always came up.

Not that I was complaining; it was my own choice, and it just meant we had better uses for our time.

If nothing else, Siren's Water Gun and Water Bullet had seen a noticeable increase in power. Nothing revolutionary, but Water Gun, Scald, and even moves like Hydro Pump were essentially just water at different speeds, with a few extra effects thrown in.

She also had the opportunity to scout Walter's team a bit in preparation for our battle. I didn't expect much since he would hopefully use something much weaker than the casually building-wrecking fish, and Siren couldn't make Seaking do anything it didn't want to do, but it was worth a shot. I wasn't quite sure how to prepare for Walter, so observing some Water-types seemed like the best course of action.

I'd trust her judgment on where to focus her efforts for now, and I planned to have Sol and Betty get involved alongside Hercules the following day. The plan to load Sol up with as many moves as possible before he evolved – just in case it worked like in the games – would continue. He was still learning Agility, and I hadn't decided whether his next move would be Fire Fang or if we should jump straight to Flamethrower.

Flamethrower might be the last one, as Betty could benefit from it as well. Thinking it over, I realized that it might be wise to put Dragon Claw aside for now, focusing on Siren's Dragon Pulse. It was a powerful move that Betty could use effectively—as a Bagon. While I didn't believe she was close to evolving, I did notice during one of our daily neck massages that her bone crest was slightly elongating. According to PokéNet, that was one of the early signs indicating her species was getting ready for the next stage.

Once she became a Shelgon, melee moves wouldn't see nearly as much use as they did when she was a Bagon. Normal Shelgon had trouble moving, never mind whateverfucking monstrosity Betty would turn into.

So, emphasizing ranged attacks for now seemed like a smart strategy, even if they wouldn't be as helpful to her fighting style until she evolved.

Herc was the simplest of the group. We started with general warm-ups, and once he was fully ready to go, I considered the Hammer Arm he had pulled off against the Houndoom.

That move was impressive.

The cabin fight had been rough, but we made it through stronger and tougher. Hopefully, we could take what we learned and apply it moving forward. A nudge from Hercules snapped me back to our game.

I looked down to see four Aces laid out neatly, making me throw my own cards in disgust.

"FUCK! You're cheating, I know it! You're lucky you're a mummy right now, or I'd kick your ass!"

He responded with an outstretched tongue, and I mumbled insults under my breath while shuffling.

"New game! This one is Texas Hold 'em Poker. You're going down this time."

I would forever deny that it was me who ripped up the cards when the little guy got a Royal Flush on his first hand.

"Alright, forget it – no more games!" I sulked while Herc posed in victory. Standing up, I put my fingers in my mouth and made a loud whistling sound, waving Betty and Siren over when they looked. I couldn't help but snort at the contrast between Siren's eager pace and Betty's despondent lumbering. I also took the chance to poke Sol in the ribs repeatedly until the Growlithe stopped pretending he didn't notice me.

"Alright," I began once they were all gathered in front of me. "I was going to leave this for later, but I might as well get it over with." Taking a seat again, I waited for them to do the same, letting out an 'ooph' that quickly turned into a wheeze when both Sol and Betty decided that sitting on me was the best choice. With Siren's not-so-gentle help, I herded them off, ignoring my now-soaked clothes, and continued.

"Right, well, thanks for that. Here I was about to praise you guys, and this is the gratitude I get. I see how it is." I crossed my arms dramatically, turning my head with a huff. I watched out of the corner of my eye for any of them to react to my words, but I was disappointed. Betty was poking Sol, who was slowly shuffling closer to me, Herc was picking at his bandages, and Siren was technically looking my way, although her glazed-over gaze suggested she was contemplating things beyond my mere human understanding.

Giving up, I decided to just get it over with quickly. They clearly weren't in the mood for long talks, and I wasn't going to force them. Four years of being around Pokémon and learning from Professor Oak had taught me that you have to work with them, even if it meant not doing something if they didn't want to.

"I'll keep it short, then. You all did well against the thieves in the cabin, despite how messy it got. Sol, you performed better against that Houndoom than I expected." I nodded to the Fire-type and rubbed his belly with one hand, allowing him to flop over onto my lap as he panted happily, while my other hand pulled Betty down beside me. "It was definitely stronger than you, but the lack of space allowed you to use your bulk to force it into a physical fight. Great job! The Haunter was a little trickier, but that's why you have me as your Trainer to guide you. You'd probably have handled it better with more range. All in all, fantastic work, buddy!"

After giving him some extra rubs and slipping him a couple of treats, I finally acknowledged Betty's increasingly insistent nudges for her own attention.

"Yeah, yeah, you too." She melted under my fingers with a content sigh, forcing me to push my weight against her as I tried to support hundreds of pounds of reptile. "Okay! Yes, you did well, too. You mostly followed orders and stayed close by. Honestly, you barely used lethal force, even though the situation was pretty dire. I was very, very impressed. You're growing up so fast it won't be long before you're ready for official battles." I wasn't sure if she was listening, but she certainly enjoyed the pampering.

"Herc, I don't have a lot to say to you." The Electric-type looked away with shame written across his face, but turned back to me when I kept poking him with my toes, since it was the only body part I could move. "This was your first serious fight with us, and you did fantastic." His eyes widened in disbelief as he pointed to himself, much like he did when I told him I wanted to catch him.

"Yeah, you. Is that so hard to believe? Sure, maybe you weren't the most effective against the Haunter, but that thing was immune to your punches. We'll ask around after the Gym battle for some tips on training your electricity, or we can stop in Vermilion if nothing else. Beyond that, you got hurt badly yet still got back up, learned a new move, and helped save the day. Absolutely awesome, bro."

Hercules seemed stunned by my words, but I noticed how his spine straightened just a little.

Good. The guy was a strange mix of confidence and insecurity. Anything I could do to tip the scales in favor of confidence was worth it, especially since it was simply true.

"And last but not least, come here, Princess." I waited for Siren to slowly float over to Sol and land gently on the lightly snoozing canine's chest. He didn't stir an inch under the added weight. "I know I don't have to say it anymore; we've been through this a few times now, but you did great, too. You're the best ranged fighter of us, so you stayed back and sniped. You were good at spotting openings and taking advantage of them. Really, all we need to do is get you faster and stronger so they stay down when you hit them." It was hard to tell, but I was pretty sure the slight upturn of her eyes was a sign of pleasure. "The only criticism is that you were a little slow to leave when I told you to, but I get that. We all have our issues to work through."

"Also, hitting people in the face with you is as effective as always." Knowing her for years allowed me to pick up on the embarrassment on her fishy face, much to my delight. She could be so disinterested that it was always a joy to make her crack a smile.

"But yeah, great job, everyone. The only one really worth complaining about is myself, but what else is new?" I appreciated the chorus of disagreement, yet I knew I was right. I did better than in Mt. Moon, at least. Unlike then, we actually completed the job, but I still had a lot of room for improvement.

My team deserved nothing less. I refused to work less hard for them than they did for me.

"Whatever, enough serious talk. I know I already mentioned this earlier, but take the rest of the day off to do what you want." None of them moved. Actually, that wasn't true; Hercules scooted over to my unoccupied side. He didn't lean against me like Betty did, but our arms brushing against each other seemed to be enough for the recent addition to our little group.

Siren's eyes briefly glided over to the Seaking that was watching us from the lake, then slid closed afterwards as my determined Feebas took a rare break and just relaxed with the rest of us.

---

It was funny. I was so keyed up for my fight against Brock that I could barely sit still. Now, standing outside the doors of Cerulean Gym, with a huge, goofy Dewgong smiling down at me, I felt much calmer. There was the anticipation before what I hoped would be one of my most intense battles in a legitimate setting, along with the increasingly familiar urges for violence that I'd started to associate with my Aura flaring up. There were only so many times this could happen before the pattern became obvious. But the distress and panic were absent.

It's hard to believe that it was just two weeks ago. It felt very different.

Probably because I knew the Gym was going to be empty, other than the Waterflowers. Daisy had insisted on that, claiming it was embarrassing for others to see their 'uncle' doing their jobs for them.

So, even though it was for a Badge, it didn't really feel like it as I walked through the automated doors and took in the empty foyer. Even the receptionist was gone, having been given the day off or something. It was a little eerie, passing through the barely lit underwater corridors with nothing but the sound of my footsteps. I could've let one of my teammates out, yet it felt more ceremonial to do it myself.

Besides, I wasn't a fucking pussy. I could handle it.

A red octopus with a cartoonishly puckered mouth, half-lidded eyes like it was high, and yellow spots on its head and tentacles swam out of a small cave in the rocky terrain at the bottom of the aquarium. It peered at me curiously. I tapped the transparent wall as I walked, smiling when the Octillery tapped back in the same rhythm, leading to a small game where I tried to throw the intelligent cephalopod off. I didn't have much success, yet it barely took any effort from the Pokémon to make me lose. Competing against eight arms was utterly unfair.

Waving goodbye to my momentary playmate, I left that hallway behind and stepped into the blinding light of the Gym arena. I mumbled curses under my breath at whoever decided it was cool to blind competitors before their match. I scanned the large hall for the people I was supposed to meet. Not spotting Walter, which was surprising since I had deliberately arrived a little late, I made my way down to where the sisters were sitting on the left side of the pool, idly kicking at the water and making small splashes.

"Hey," I greeted, receiving a choir of responses in return. Glancing around again, I still couldn't see the old man who was supposed to match me claw-to-claw. "Where's the old man?"

They groaned in unison. "He's being dramatic-"

"-you really lit a fire under his ass-"

"-which sucks. He's been unbearable for the last couple of days-"

"-so honestly, good luck bro, but win or lose, I just want you to get this over with."

I nodded a couple of times, amused by the idea of Walter acting like a kid over our match. I hadn't seen the guy since I accepted his challenge, so it was good to know that he was looking forward to it just as much as I was.

"Okay, but I was kind of trying to be dramatic myself with a cool walk down and everything, so should I go back outside until you call me?"

"Please don't," Lily begged. "We've got a show later today and need to fix whatever damage you meatheads do. So, we need you two to wrap this dick-measuring contest up, please. Just go take your place at the podium." She pointed over to the far end of the elongated basin.

I definitely didn't pout, and there were no cameras to say otherwise.

"But-"

"Peri, please."

"Fine." I slumped, dragging my feet over to the podium she mentioned. I was in a good mood, which I blamed for my childishness. Herc was more or less rested up, if still a little tender; the others were good. I was finally going to get the Cascade Badge and get out of Cerulean— no offense to the Waterflower Clan.

I don't know, I just felt like a silly guy that morning. Sue me.

Leaning against the front of the podium, I flicked the microphone a couple of times out of boredom; however, someone had enough foresight not to turn it on yet. Tapping the blue-painted wood rhythmically, the tiled walls soon echoed with my terrible drumming as I tried to amuse myself. Lily and Violet sat with their heads together, looking at the same type of device Walter had, while Daisy lay flat on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

It had only been a couple of minutes, yet I was losing my mind. I had come in all amped up, and the guy had no-showed me!? What a jerk. He was probably busy posing for the front cover of a trashy romance novel, cosplaying as a pirate or something-

Was the water boiling, or was it just me?

It wasn't just me. The calm, mirror-clear surface of the pool was being marred by rising bubbles. Turbulence disturbed the reflective top as an indistinct shape I hadn't noticed before wavered and flickered in and out of visibility while crawling upward. A black dot emerged, followed by the rest of a triangular pirate hat that was hiding Walter's long hair, his wet braids intertwining with his beard. His eyes were closed, and his arms were crossed over his bare chest; his only garment other than his hat was those ridiculous shorts.

I had to admit, he was ripped for an older guy. He could make most bodybuilders jealous.

As the bottom of his feet appeared, the Pokémon carrying him came into view. It was an immense light blue creature with a clear body, a bulbous upper half, two large red orbs on either side, and a smaller orb in the center. Huge eyes peered out from beneath the hat-like growth, black and opaque in a way that made me uncomfortable. Extending from its lower body were two blue, beak-like appendages, and all around the Tentacruel were countless grey tentacles, each as long as an Onix, hiding just beneath the surface to ensnare any unsuspecting prey.

The two thoughts running through my head upon seeing the Water/Poison-Type were:

1. That was way too much jellyfish in one place, and I didn't like it.

2. If it weren't for Walter standing on its back and the Tentacruel emerging from the water, I would have never known it was there. I vaguely remembered something about camouflage, but I didn't expect the damn thing to literally vanish at the waterline.

Cocking my head to the side, less impressed than I had been when Brock pulled off a similar trick, I decided to speak up before Walter could.

"How long were you down there? Also, Brock did it better."

Ignoring both my question and my criticism, Walter suddenly opened his eyes, swung his arm up to dramatically point at me, and stomped one foot forward. His mouth opened to start speaking, but he hesitated for a moment before stomping down on Tentacruel again with a slight frown. Slowly, a dozen grey tentacles pulled themselves out of the water unenthusiastically and waved limply around. Tentacruel continued to stare at me with a lifeless, shark-like gaze. Walter's eye twitched; however, he recovered and powered on.

"Challenger! Ya stand in the Cerulean Gym, before the Waterflower Clan, and think ya have what it takes to earn the Cascade Badge?! Impudence!"

"I thought you were trying to be all stoic and cool; what the fuck is this?" I asked, genuinely confused by the boisterous introduction. At my question, Walter lost his pose and shrugged, allowing his Water/Poison-type Pokémon to wrap him in its long appendages and lift him to his podium.

"Eh, ya gotta take your fun where ya can get it, lad. Life's serious enough as is; no need to add to it. Not that a moody brat like ya would understand that." He petted the tendrils before recalling Tentacruel into its Pokéball. I hid a sigh of relief. I hadn't seen the jellyfish Pokémon in action, but I hoped Walter would go a little easier than that. He had said it would be a hard fight, but there was a difference between challenging and impossible.

"Now," my opponent continued, clapping his hands and rubbing them together, "I thought long and hard about how to conduct this battle. There aren't a lot of ways to be fair about it, especially since ya're a weak little kiddie." He paused for a second, clearly expecting me to react, but I refused to play his game any longer. His casual attitude was a great counter to my prickly nature.

When I didn't crack, he shrugged again and continued as if it didn't matter.

Fucking bastard.

"First, I thought, 'maybe we'll do four of yars against one of mine at the same time,' but that sounded a little too far from normal Gym rules, and it would be over in a blink, so I scrapped that idea. Then I considered, 'Three-on-one could work if I used something weak so ya would have a chance.' In the end, I modified it a bit, so here are the actual rules!" I nodded in response to his expectant look, which made him tip his head back.

"This'll be a four-on-two battle! Four of yars against two of mine, no substitutions! That might not sound very fair, so I'll give ya a couple of goodies!" Reaching down to one of his belts, Walter grabbed a Pokéball and enlarged it with a click. Looking it over, I raised an eyebrow at the shiny exterior of the ball, which was uncharacteristic of the rest of his set.

The capture device cracked open against the tiles, and a round shape emerged from the resulting energy, revealing a Pokémon with stubby limbs and a long, jagged tail. As the red light dissipated, the blue and white color scheme of the Azumaril came into view. Waving a short arm at me, the future Fairy-Type began rapidly punching the air to warm up, its fingerless hands blurring with speed.

"Recognize him?" Walter asked. Taking a closer look, I realized I did indeed recognize the particular pattern of white bubble markings on the Pokémon's torso as belonging to the same Azumaril I had fought alongside against the thieves. "Figured ya might. The little guy felt grateful and a bit embarrassed about his performance. That Haunter did a number on him, and he wanted to show ya what he's actually got. He's stronger than yar team, but it should be doable, so I thought, 'what the Distortion' and let him do the honors. I'll be taking a backseat mostly and leaving the bulk of the fighting to him. So, that's the first thing I'll give ya."

I nodded again, mainly to keep my clenched teeth hidden. This was bad. Walter didn't know it, but that was about the worst possible pick he could have made for this match, apart from his own personal Azumaril, who had defeated that Muk.

The Water/Fairy-Type countered my entire team.

Betty was practically useless; even though it didn't officially have the undiscovered typing at the moment, Azumaril was supposedly immune to Dragon-Type energy. It might not work precisely like that; it would be hard to go for centuries without realizing that Fairy was a type when they shrugged off attacks like that. Still, it was a huge disadvantage, especially considering Azumaril almost certainly had an Ice move.

Sol was in trouble due to the Water typing; Siren would be competing with a stronger Pokémon at their own game. Hercules was my only potential contender, yet he was nearly a Fighting-Type through his lineage, and Fairy-type was super effective against Fighting-Type Pokémon. Plus, he was still in the worst shape health-wise.

Hard and brutal fight was right. I'd almost lost before we had even begun, and Walter still had a second Pokémon!

"The second thing I'll give ya," the standing Gym Leader interrupted my spiraling thoughts to clarify that very point, "is that my second Pokémon isn't actually mine. Well, neither is Azumaril, but he's at least the son of my own Azu. The last Pokémon wasn't going to be part of this, but she insisted when she heard. At best, she's as strong as one of yars, so you don't need to worry too much about holding back."

Okay, that was something. My mind raced through the possibilities, my eyes on Azumaril. Perhaps the other Pokémon was from the cabin fight.

The small Eevee, perhaps?

"Are the conditions acceptable to ya?"

Taking a deep breath, I pushed those thoughts from my mind and focused on the upcoming fight, letting the rhythm of my heartbeat and the warmth of my spreading aura fuel me. I would worry about everything else when the time came. As I felt everything come together, I nodded one last time, excitement rising within me. It had been a while since we had engaged in an official battle that promised to be interesting.

"They are."

"Then, when you're ready, send out yar first Pokémon. The girls will act as referees, once they get their feetsies out of the water!" The last part was almost yelled at the sisters, who complied as slowly as possible, with Daisy sticking her tongue out at her grand-uncle.

"Yeah, yeah. If you're both ready…" It was almost impressive how disinterested she sounded, but I noticed the focus in her eyes, especially since all five pairs of eyes in the room were suddenly directed at me. I also noticed Lily releasing a Starmie beside her, probably to prevent any rogue attacks.

Right. It was go time.

It felt awkward to throw the Poké Ball, causing it to hit one of the platforms and bounce back while simultaneously releasing the Pokémon into the water, but I managed. Siren materialized mid-air before dropping down into the pool with a splash!

If I wanted there to be any chance of the others doing something to Azumarill, I had to weaken him first, even if it meant my best choice would be my first Pokémon.

Still feigning boredom, Daisy lifted a hand into the air. After pausing for any last-minute interventions, she brought it down in a chopping motion.

"Then begin!"

---

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.