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!

 

[IcurasFallen]

Pokémon Version Orange

Arc 3 - The Beginning


Chapter 28
​

---

Unlike Family Gatherings, where everyone was expected to show up on the appointed day and damn the consequences, birthdays were a bit more flexible. Namely, people arrived whenever they pleased.

Not that I was necessarily complaining.

I stood near the Grand's front entrance with Pikachu perched comfortably on my shoulder, watching another cluster of luggage disappear toward the elevators as staff prepared for the steady stream of relatives expected throughout the day. My birthday wasn't until tomorrow, but expecting everyone to magically arrange their schedules so they could arrive on the exact morning of the party would've been ridiculous.

Honestly, I was mildly surprised nobody had shown up a week early and called it close enough.

Still, I'd known they were coming early, so I had plenty of time to head down and meet them.

"Hello and welcome back, Aunt Jacki, Rayna!"

Aunt Jacki stepped inside, looking exactly as composed as always, and dressed for the islands without sacrificing the kind of polished elegance that made it seem like wrinkles were personally afraid of her.

Rayna had considerably less restraint.

"Traaaavis!"

Rayna launched herself at me.

I barely had time to brace before a pair of arms wrapped around my shoulders and squeezed hard enough to remind me that, despite having the build of an art student who probably survived primarily on caffeine and bad decisions, my cousin had absolutely no respect for personal space.

"Happy early birthday!" she declared, rocking me once before finally loosening her grip enough to look me over. "Look at you! You're practically ancient now."

I rolled my eyes. "Given my life lately, I'm expecting gray hairs by eleven."

"Pika," Pikachu contributed dryly from my shoulder.

Rayna's partner popped out from behind her with a snicker, both paws carefully holding what appeared to be a brightly decorated paper crown. I only got a second to "admire" the uneven little Pikachu faces painted around the sides before Smeargle stretched upward and attempted to place it on my head.

Pikachu leaned over and intercepted it. "Pika?"

"Smear!"

I snorted as the two entered some kind of silent territorial dispute over my head. "Glad to see you've both matured in these bare few weeks."

Rayna gasped. "How dare you. Smeargle is an artiste."

Smeargle barked proudly in agreement while Pikachu steadily pushed the crown farther away from my hair.

Aunt Jacki watched the entire exchange with the long-suffering expression of a woman who had accepted years ago that this was simply what her daughter was like. Still, there was a small smile on her face when she stepped forward.

"Happy birthday, Travis."

"Early birthday."

Her smile sharpened by a fraction. "Do you want me to take it back?"

"Nope. Thank you, Aunt Jacki."

She briefly rested a hand against my shoulder before glancing around the lobby, and upon seeing no one else obviously familiar present, her brow rose. "Are we the first ones here?"

"Surprisingly."

"That is surprising."

"Tell me about it." I shifted slightly as Pikachu finally succeeded in stealing the paper crown and placed it crookedly over his tail instead. "Uncle Manu and Kahili had to cancel. League business."

Jacki's expression immediately sobered. "Ah."

I nodded. "Apparently whatever's going on has gotten important enough that both of them are tied up with it."

Which wasn't particularly shocking. Uncle Manu had enough money, businesses, and political influence throughout Alola that the man could probably trip over a regional crisis while getting breakfast and somehow end up on the committee responsible for fixing it. Pair that with Kahili being one of the strongest Trainers in the islands, and unfortunately, it made perfect sense that neither of them could duck out for a birthday party.

"The Grand Lake contingent won't be here until tomorrow either," I continued. "Scheduling problems. Kylie apologized about six times."

"That sounds like Kylie," Rayna said, finally releasing me completely.

"And the Riches?"

I stared at her, not even trying to hide the exasperation in my voice. "Uncle Milo found something. Again."

Rayna groaned. "What did he dig up this time?"

"No idea. Apparently it was important enough that over half the Riches got dragged into helping him with it, so they're out."

Aunt Jacki released a quiet sigh. "I'm not even surprised."

Behind them, the rest of their usual support staff finished filtering through the doors, carrying enough luggage that I was beginning to suspect Rayna had packed an entire art studio again.

Some things really didn't change.

Rayna glanced back at them before turning to me again. "So who is coming?"

"A few people from around the Archipelago. The other Gym Leaders and that crowd." I started counting loosely on my fingers. "A bunch of people around my age too. Mostly people I met during Hell Camp."

Jacki gave me a look.

"Danny's summer training camp," I clarified.

"That sounds slightly less concerning."

"It shouldn't."

Rayna snorted.

"And then there are a couple of other relatives," I added. "Mostly the ones I don't mind spending extended periods of time around."

Both women made almost the exact same amused noise, once again proving that they were mother and child, no matter their differences.

Jacki allowed herself a small smile before looking toward the doors again. "Speaking of relatives, have you heard anything from my brother? Clay was supposed to be arriving around—"

"I'm here, dagnabbit!"

A deep, gravelly voice rolled through the entrance behind her.

Clay Cashion stood just inside the entrance, looking like a cowboy had been forcibly informed there was a dress code for tropical weather and decided to compromise out of spite.

The man was broad enough to block a respectable chunk of the doorway by himself, dressed in rough jeans and a brightly patterned shirt beneath a thin leather vest decorated with stylized Unovan Ground-types. Sunglasses covered his eyes, while a familiar pair of heavy leather boots completed an outfit that was otherwise making at least some effort to acknowledge the climate.

(The boots obviously weren't, but I knew my great-uncle well enough to understand that anyone suggesting he replace them with sandals would probably be told exactly where they could stick said sandals.)

The Excadrill beside him wasn't helping the image.

Somebody, and I had several guesses who, had managed to get the Pokémon into his own tropical button-up shirt and tiny pair of sunglasses. Excadrill stood there with his arms crossed and an expression so completely serious that the entire thing somehow looped around from ridiculous to impressive.

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

"Hrmph." Uncle Clay adjusted the strap of the bag over his shoulder. "Told ya I'd get here."

Aunt Jacki regarded him for several seconds. "Yes…I suppose better late than never."

His scowl deepened.

Before that particular sibling reunion could properly get underway, a flash of familiar pink appeared from behind Uncle Clay's side. A young girl peeked around him a second later, dressed in a much more tasteful tropical sundress with a small Drilbur tucked comfortably against her chest.

Rayna outright squealed in glee. "Oh my gosh, Lacey!"

I barely had time to register what was happening before Rayna launched herself forward for her second tackle-hug of the last five minutes.

Lacey took one look at the incoming Rayna, spotted me over her shoulder, and immediately ducked out of the way to skip towards me.

"Travis!"

I barely managed to open my arms before one of my favorite cousins rushed into them, both of us pointedly ignoring the muffled thump and offended yelp of a Rayna-shaped projectile hitting the carpet behind her.

I snickered. "Nice dodge."

"Thanks!"

Lacey pulled back with a bright smile, entirely unconcerned with the wounded noises coming from behind her. Her familiar pink hair had gotten a little longer since I'd last seen her, and the Drilbur in her arms watched me with open curiosity.

"Happy early birthday!"

Yeah, there was absolutely no defending against that smile. "Thanks, Lace. Good to see you."

"It's good to see you too!"

Pikachu leaned down from my shoulder, nose twitching as he studied the newcomer in her arms. "Pika?"

The little Drilbur blinked up at him before stretching his own nose forward. "Dril?"

Lacey looked about ready to squeal as she watched them, but apparently even her weakness for cute Pokémon wasn't enough to risk interrupting the sacred ritual of Pokémon introductions. Pikachu and Drilbur sniffed at each other, exchanged a few quiet noises, and eventually seemed to reach whatever mutual agreement Pokémon typically needed before deciding someone was acceptable.

I smiled and looked Lacey over again. "Well, would you look at you? You've gotten so big since I last saw you."

Lacey's cheeks puffed out, and I struggled not to grin.

"Treeeeey. I'm not a baby!"

"I didn't say you were."

"You're acting like I'm five!"

Chuckling, I placed one hand on top of her head, causing Lacey's cheeks to puff out even farther.

"I'm not even a year younger than you!"

"Still counts~"

She made an indignant little noise while I started lightly patting her head. Her outrage would've been considerably more convincing if she hadn't immediately leaned into the head pats.

Behind her, Rayna finally pushed herself up from the carpet, her increasingly offended whining eventually getting loud enough to make both of us look over.

She sniffed dramatically. "Betrayed by my own little sister!"

Lacey cocked her head in adorable confusion. "But we're cousins, Rayna."

"Details! I emotionally adopted you years ago!"

"I don't get it."

"And that just makes it more tragic!"

Uncle Clay let out a long-suffering grunt from behind them while Excadrill adjusted his sunglasses enough to shoot us all an unimpressed look.

Apparently, that was also Aunt Jacki's cue to finally turn her full attention back toward her brother.

The two siblings stared at each other for a moment.

"How have you been?" Jacki finally asked.

Uncle Clay scratched at the side of his head, somehow managing to scowl even while considering the question. "Decent."

Jacki's expression flattened. "Decent."

"That's what I said."

She let out a quiet huff through her nose. "I suppose expecting a detailed answer from you would've been optimistic."

Uncle Clay grunted, but whatever retort he might've had died when Jacki stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened immediately, and for half a second, he looked like someone had just hit him with a Thunder Wave before his shoulders slowly relaxed and one heavy arm settled around his sister's back.

It only lasted a few seconds before Jacki pulled away, but not before reaching up and giving one of his bangs a sharp tug.

Jacki looked him over critically. "You look more like Father every time I see you."

Grunkle Clay's face twisted in immediate offense. "That ain't a nice thing to say."

Jacki's lips curled faintly. "No, it wasn't."

I bit back another laugh.

Still, with the sibling reunion out of the way, Jacki's expression softened considerably as she turned toward Lacey. "Come here, sweetheart. Let me have a proper look at you."

Lacey brightened immediately and hurried over, Drilbur still tucked securely in her arms. Rayna recovered from her earlier tragedy quickly enough to join them, hovering at Jacki's shoulder while her mother adjusted Lacey's hair and looked her over with obvious approval.

"My goodness, you've grown," Jacki said warmly. "That dress looks lovely on you, and your hair is getting so long! Oh, you look adorable."

Lacey practically glowed with happiness. "Thanks, Aunt Jacki!"

Rayna leaned in with a compliment of her own, and I couldn't help smiling at the sight. Aunt Jacki was probably the closest thing Lacey had to a real maternal influence in her life. Uncle Clay adored his daughter; that much was obvious to anyone with functioning eyes, but there were certain things even the world's most stubborn Ground-type Gym Leader wasn't exactly built for.

Speaking of said cowboy, Clay finally turned his attention toward me.

"Boy."

I raised a brow. "Grunkle."

He snorted at the nickname Rayna had saddled him with years ago, though he'd long since stopped actually protesting it, before stepping forward and holding out a hand. I took it, and his grip immediately tightened around mine with enough force that it was very obviously intentional.

I tightened mine right back.

Uncle Clay's brow rose slightly behind his sunglasses before the corner of his mouth twitched upward. "Hrmph. Good. Was half expectin' all this resort livin' to leave ya with soft hands and a limp grip."

I snorted. "Mom would probably throw me into the Wilds herself before she let that happen."

That earned another grunt. "Good woman."

He released my hand and finally turned his attention toward Pikachu. Excadrill did much the same beside him, lowering his sunglasses slightly as he gave my partner a slow once-over.

Pikachu stared right back, not intimidated in the slightest. Whether that was because of his experience living with Pokémon of a similar caliber, or maybe our match against Kahili having left him with a stronger spine, was up for debate.

Seeing this, Uncle Clay rubbed at his chin. "Suppose he ain't a bad pick. Still would've liked to see ya start with somethin' a little more grounded."

I shared an amused glance with Pikachu before shrugging. "Good thing I was the one choosing, then. I wouldn't trade him for anything."

His mouth twitched into the faintest smirk. "Hrmph. Least ya got enough backbone to stand by your pick. I'll give ya that."

Pikachu puffed himself up proudly, apparently deciding Clay's grudging approval counted as a personal victory.

Uncle Clay snorted at my little egomaniac's antics. "Happy birthday, kid. Good to see you're doin' alright."

I smiled back. "Thanks, Uncle Clay."

"Sorry, sorry! I got held up!"

Mom's voice carried through the foyer a second before she appeared from the hall, moving quickly enough that even Momo had to jog to keep up.

Her face lit up the instant she saw everyone. "Jacki! Clay!"

Uncle Clay folded his arms. "Took ya long enough."

Mom ignored the grumbling completely and went straight for Aunt Jacki first, pulling her into a warm hug before turning and doing the same to Clay. He stiffened again before sighing and returning the hug, looking thoroughly put-upon about the entire thing.

Mom smiled against his shoulder before finally stepping back, only for her attention to immediately snap toward Lacey.

"Oh my goodness, is that little Lacey I see!? You've grown so much!"

Lacey brightened all over again.

Mom crouched slightly so she could get a better look at her, smiling as she glanced between Lacey and the Drilbur in her arms. "Oh, just look at you! Clay, why have you been hiding this adorable girl from us?!"

Uncle Clay scoffed. "Ain't hidin' anybody."

"Mm-hmm."

He crossed his arms with a grunt. "We've been busy."

"That's what you always say."

Lacey giggled while Clay grumbled something under his breath, though the faint smile on his face ruined whatever argument he was trying to make.

"Come on then! Your rooms are all set, and I had the staff make sure everything was taken care of before you arrived." She started toward the elevators before glancing back. "Oh, and Clay? I made sure to reserve that cabana you liked so much last time~"

Uncle Clay tried to keep scowling, but the small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth betrayed him. Mom's answering grin said she'd noticed too.

She started guiding everyone toward the elevators while the support staff followed behind with their mountain of luggage. Lacey quickly fell into step beside me, still holding Drilbur as she glanced up at Pikachu with obvious curiosity.

"So how'd you get him?"

I looked down at her. "Pikachu?"

She nodded quickly. "Nobody tells me anything! Last time I saw you, you didn't even have a Starter, and now you've got a Pikachu!"

I laughed. "Alright, fair, but you've gotta tell me where Drilbur came from too."

Lacey hugged the little Pokémon closer and grinned. "Deal!"

---

I woke up suspicious.

That probably wasn't the normal reaction someone was supposed to have on their birthday, but in my defense, I had a hyperactive mother who usually got more excited about the occasion than I did and a whole crew of enablers more than willing to help her set up a Rube Goldberg machine if necessary.

I lay there for several seconds beneath the blankets, staring blearily at the ceiling while my brain slowly booted itself back into working order. Morning sunlight was already creeping around the curtains, my room was quiet, and absolutely nothing had exploded, started singing, fallen from the ceiling, or otherwise announced that today was apparently the day I reached double digits.

Which was weird, because Mom had spent every birthday I could remember finding increasingly elaborate ways to wake me up. None of them were ever actually mean, but they were always designed around one very simple goal: making absolutely certain I was awake by the time she was finished.

And yet...nothing.

I slowly pushed myself upright and glanced toward the door. "What are you planning?"

No answer came, which somehow made it worse.

Pikachu was still curled up in his little bed nearby, completely dead to the world in a Staryu position. I slipped out from under the blankets, padded over, and carefully scooped him up. He made a sleepy noise as I settled him against my chest, one blue eye cracking open when I whispered, "Shh. I think something's wrong."

"Pika?"

I shook my head. "I don't know yet."

That got the other eye open.

We crept out of my room together, though crept might've been giving us too much credit. I was still half asleep, and Pikachu was barely conscious enough to cling to me, but we managed to make it toward the living room quietly enough.

The scene waiting beyond the hallway did absolutely nothing to clear up my confusion. Mom and several members of her team were spread throughout the kitchen, moving with almost suspicious efficiency.

Bliss was working near the stove, Momo had apparently been entrusted with enough bacon to supply a small restaurant, and Mom herself stood over a griddle covered in pancakes.

Not normal pancakes either. No, these were my pancakes. The fluffy kind with vanilla worked into the batter and just enough fancy chocolate chips to make the whole kitchen smell unfairly good.

My eyes narrowed.

This was a trap.

"It is not a trap."

I jerked slightly as Al's familiar voice entered my head and finally noticed the Alakazam standing near the counter. A measuring cup rested in one hand while several utensils floated around him, and someone had managed to force him into a flour-dusted apron bearing the words: I ALREADY KNOW WHAT YOU WANT FOR BREAKFAST, SO DON'T ASK.

"Then what exactly is all this?"

The question slipped out before I could stop myself, and Mom immediately spun around from the griddle. The instant she spotted me standing there with Pikachu in my arms, her entire face lit up.

"Morning, birthday boy!"

I looked between her, the Pokémon, and the mountain of food. "What is all this?"

Mom blinked before giggling. "Your birthday breakfast, of course!"

I slowly moved further in. Pikachu finally wriggled out of my arms and climbed onto my shoulder, apparently deciding now that food was involved, consciousness was worth maintaining. "Uh, yeah, I gathered that part."

Mom's smile softened as she gave the spatula, and thus pancake-flipping duty, to Marowak. "Well, we were trying to figure out what we could do for you this morning. You've already got the party later, everyone brought presents, and turning ten is kind of a big deal."

"The big one-oh," I murmured.

"Exactly." Her smile turned a little sheepish. "And after everything lately…I don't know. We figured maybe the best way to start your birthday wasn't with something crazy."

That alone was enough to make me suspicious again, and Mom laughed when she caught my expression.

"Yes, yes, I know. Shocking."

"Extremely."

She wiped her hands and walked over to me, reaching up to smooth a few strands of hair that were probably sticking in every direction. "So we thought we'd give you something quiet instead. Your favorite breakfast, your Pokémon, your family, and absolutely nothing you have to do until everyone else starts bothering you later."

I stared at her for a moment before looking past her toward the rest of the kitchen.

Bliss smiled warmly from beside the stove. Momo gave me an enthusiastic thumbs-up with two hands while continuing to manage the bacon with the others, and Al very deliberately focused on the spoon floating beside him as if the apron wasn't destroying whatever dignity he was trying to preserve.

Something warm tightened in my chest.

"I love you."

Mom blinked.

Apparently that hadn't been the response she'd expected, because for a full second she just stared at me before absolutely beaming.

"Oh, baby." She crossed the remaining distance and pulled me into a soft hug, arms wrapping around my shoulders as Pikachu shifted out of the way with an amused little chirp. "I love you too."

I hugged her back and let myself stay there for a few seconds before leaning enough to glance toward the rest of the kitchen. "Love you guys too."

Bliss gave me a pleased little wave, Momo gave me a soft smile, and Al looked away to hide the flush no doubt growing across his face. (I would forever deny it, but my weakness for wholesomeness came from him.)

"Just eat your pancakes."

"Not quite yet," Mom cut in before I could move toward the table.

I paused. "There's more?"

Her smile immediately became suspicious again. "Just one little thing~"

Al sighed through the link as a small envelope lifted from the counter and floated toward her waiting hand.

Mom caught it and turned back to me. "It took a little finagling to get this ready for today, but once I mentioned why I wanted it done so quickly, the League boys weren't about to let their youngest Acting Gym Leader turn ten without doing something special."

I took the envelope with a confused look. "Okay..." There wasn't much weight to it, so I slid one finger beneath the flap and pulled out a small card.

I froze.

My own face stared back at me beneath the Orange League crest, and for several seconds I could only stare before the words printed across the top finally registered.

TRAINER LICENSE

A grin spread across my face so quickly it almost hurt. "No way."

I turned it over, then back again, just to make sure my still-half-asleep brain wasn't making things up. My name, birthday, Trainer identification number, League registration. Everything was there.

I was officially ten years old, and officially a Trainer.

"Okay, this is pretty awesome." I looked back toward Mom, still grinning like an idiot. "Seriously, tell them I said thank you."

"I will." Her smile softened, though a hint of hesitation crept into her expression. "But...there's one more thing." She glanced toward the balcony before reaching into her pocket. "I've been doing a lot of thinking since we talked the other evening."

That sobered me up quickly. Our "talk" had been a rather emotional hurricane for both of us, after all, and while Mom had been willing to share a few stories of her parents since, I hadn't wanted to push.

Still, I didn't resist as she took my free hand, turned it palm-up, and gently pressed something into it.

A Poké Ball.

My breath caught as her fingers closed mine around it.

"I meant what I said," Mom continued quietly. "I'm still worried. I probably will be for a long time, but I'm not going to let that stop me from supporting you. If this is what you want, then I'm going to be behind you all the way." Mom's smile returned as she pointedly glanced at the balcony again. "And besides, a birthday wouldn't feel right if one of your best friends wasn't here to celebrate it with you, would it?"

My brain caught up all at once, and I stared at her, then at the Poké Ball, then toward the balcony as excitement surged through me.

"You're the best!"

Mom barely managed to start laughing before I bolted past her. Pikachu chirped excitedly as he clung to my shoulder, but I was already throwing open the balcony door.

A shallow kiddie pool had been set up near the railing, filled almost to the brim with water.

And inside it was a very familiar orange fish.

"Nemo!"

"MAGI!"

The Magikarp immediately began splashing hard enough to send water over the side of the pool, tail slapping against the surface as his entire body practically shook with excitement. I dropped down beside him, laughing as Pikachu hopped from my shoulder to crouch near the edge.

"Hey, buddy!"

"Carp! Magi Magi Carp!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm happy to see you too, and guess what?!" I held up the license.

Nemo's splashing immediately stopped.

His eyes locked onto the card as I grinned at him. "I turned ten today, buddy, and according to the Orange League, that means I'm officially a Trainer now."

Nemo stared for a second before he started vibrating. His fins trembled against the water while his eyes seemed to get wider by the second, and Pikachu immediately started laughing beside me.

I set the license safely beside me before looking back at Nemo. Months ago, I'd asked him if he wanted to travel with me, and he'd answered then. Still, this felt different. This made it official.

I held the Poké Ball out toward him. "So, Nemo…one more time. Wanna take on the world with me?"

For exactly one second, nothing happened.

Then Nemo launched himself out of the pool hard enough to shoot past the balcony railing and briefly rise above the penthouse roofline.

"MAGI KARP!"

I burst out laughing as he sailed through the air, fins flailing wildly and absolutely no concern whatsoever for how he intended to land.

I raised the Poké Ball. "Welcome to the family, buddy!"

Nemo came sailing back down and smacked directly into it.

Red light swallowed him in an instant, and the ball dropped neatly into my waiting hands. I cupped it carefully, and the ball didn't shake once.

I stared down at the Poké Ball in my hands for a second before looking toward Pikachu. He was already bouncing in place, ears high and paws waving excitedly in the air.

I couldn't help it. There were just certain traditions that simply had to be upheld, and I'd be damned if I didn't follow through!

I shot to my feet, raised the Poké Ball overhead, and gave the ancient Trainer tradition the respect it deserved.

"I caught a Magikarp!"

Pikachu threw both paws into the air. "PIKA!"

Just like that, on the morning of my tenth birthday, our not-so-little family grew.

---

Author's Note

Yaaa! Nemo is officially part of the team! Best fish friend is here to stay!

Lol, more seriously, I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. I've been building up a lot of reveals and introductions in these coming chapters, so look forward to that!

Still, hope y'all continue to enjoy my stories because I sure as hell enjoy writing them! 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 Patreon

 

[¿Ninja_of_Fries?]

Nemo has been obtained.

Time to take over the world Travis!

 

[SpaceWhale]

Bro is a poser just like Ash. Must run in the family

 

[manuelhwang99]

Hell yeah Lacey. also W chapter. bookmarked.

 

[Lillie Jones]

Something never change brother is a poser like Ash Ketchum. Runs in the family.
The Journey continues
Cheers!

 

[deadlyaaron77]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Yachii]

"I'm not even a year younger than you!"

Click to shrink...

Does this mean we're taking a small stop mid journey to visit Unova for Lacey's tenth birthday?

 

[Vadelent]

Hmmmm… speaking of relatives and birthday parties I wonder if Ash is Family enough by being Travis's half-brother to get one as well. Before he arrives later nobody in the family will have known him but that's gonna change real soon.

 

[IcurasFallen]

Does this mean we're taking a small stop mid journey to visit Unova for Lacey's tenth birthday?

Click to shrink...

Believe it or not, among all the various sites I post to and even my Patreon, you are the very first person to make this connection! Here's an internet cookie! It's not a real cookie, but now that you're thinking about it, you no doubt now what a real cookie, lol.

 

[Yachii]

Believe it or not, among all the various sites I post to and even my Patreon, you are the very first person to make this connection! Here's an internet cookie! It's not a real cookie, but now that you're thinking about it, you no doubt now what a real cookie, lol.

Click to shrink...

Mhmm yummy cookie.

 

[IcurasFallen]

Pokémon Version Orange

Arc 3 - The Beginning


Chapter 29
​

---

"Welcome to Kumquat Island!"

I spread my arms in an appropriately welcoming gesture as the newest group of arrivals made their way through the terminal.

Yes, it was my birthday, and yes, I technically had every excuse in the world to leave the actual work to somebody else for once. That didn't mean I was going to be a terrible host, though, and considering how many people had come out of their way for me, meeting at least some of them when they arrived felt like the bare minimum.

Not everyone, obviously. Even I had limits.

Mom was currently somewhere on the other side of the airport welcoming Uncle Leo, Aunt Rebecca, Kylie, and Roman, while members of the Grand's staff had been assigned to intercept the other guests and relatives as they arrived. That left me free to greet a particular group I had several very good reasons to meet personally.

The biggest of those reasons spotted me almost immediately, his entire face lighting up.

"TRAVIS!"

I barely had enough time to brace before he launched himself at me with absolutely no concern for physics, personal space, or the fact that I currently had several gallons of water strapped to my back.

"Ash, wai-OOF!"

He hit me hard enough to send me stumbling backward, arms wrapping around my shoulders as I desperately tried to keep both of us upright. I would've failed spectacularly if a familiar bone club hadn't pressed against my back as Marowak planted himself behind me and caught most of our combined weight with an annoyed grunt.

I sucked in a breath. "Thanks, buddy."

"Mar Marowak." His expression made it very clear that he considered this an entirely predictable outcome.

Ash, meanwhile, seemed completely unaware he'd nearly flattened us both. He pulled back just enough to grin directly into my face. "It's so good to see you!"

Despite myself, I laughed and returned the hug. "Good to see you too, ya lunatic. Maybe warn me before attempting a Flying-type move next time."

"I wasn't attacking you!"

"Could've fooled me."

"Travis!"

Serena's voice thankfully gave Ash enough reason to release me before my spine started filing complaints. She hurried over with a bright smile and wrapped her arms around me in a considerably less dangerous hug.

"Happy birthday, Travis!"

I felt my cold heart melt a little inside. "Thanks, Serena."

Chloe arrived only a step behind her and gave me a quick hug of her own. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks." I glanced past her shoulder toward the last member of their little group. "Goh?"

He awkwardly waved at me from over her shoulder. "Uh...happy birthday."

I snorted. "Good enough, nerd."

That made him bristle in typical Goh fashion. "Hey!"

Balance was restored.

Chloe rolled her eyes without releasing me, but her arms moved up instead of back to retreat, which was probably why she was the first one to notice something was off. Her brow furrowed as she shifted slightly and looked past my shoulder.

"Wait. What's that?"

I immediately knew what she meant. "This," I said, pulling away and carefully turning enough to give everyone a better look, "is the reason Ash nearly gave me a heart attack when he tackled me."

Strapped securely across my shoulders and torso was a reinforced harness supporting what was essentially a large portable fish tank. Calling it elegant would've been generous, but it worked. The clear container rested against my back with enough water to keep its occupant comfortable, while the open top gave him plenty of room to look around.

And right on cue, a familiar orange head rose above the rim.

"Magikarp!"

Ash's eyes went huge. "Is that Nemo?!"

The Magikarp perked up immediately at his name, fins slapping excitedly against the water as he beamed at the group.

I couldn't help grinning. "The one and only."

"Whoa!" Ash abandoned me without hesitation and moved around to get a better look. Nemo leaned farther over the edge of his container to meet Ash's enthusiasm with equal measure. "Hi, Nemo! I'm Ash!"

Serena and Chloe quickly crowded in beside him, both greeting Nemo while Goh leaned closer with the focused expression he tended to get whenever a Pokémon he hadn't personally met was placed within examining distance.

"So he's the one you've been training?" Goh asked.

"For a full year now, yeah."

Nemo puffed himself up as much as a Magikarp physically could, clearly pleased to hear himself being discussed. "Carp!"

Chloe smiled. "He's cuter than I expected."

"Pika."

I gave Pikachu a side eye from where he climbed up to my shoulder. He had been smart enough to know hugs were likely and had taken precautions.

Still, it was almost comical the way he crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks as he watched the others fuss over Nemo.

I bit back a smile. "Feeling a little jealous there, buddy~?"

He gave me a stink eye. "Piiiii."

Thankfully, Serena noticed his plight before the injustice could become unbearable. "Aww, Pikachu, we love you too!"

His ears immediately perked as she reached over and started giving him his due in scratches, the pout disappearing so quickly that I couldn't help rolling my eyes.

By then, the adults had finally caught up with the miniature stampede they'd unleashed ahead of them. Delia was at the front, smiling brightly as she approached, with the other parents following close behind and offering greetings of their own.

"Happy birthday, Travis!" Delia said before pulling me into a quick hug, thankfully showing considerably more restraint than her son.

I huffed and returned it as best I could without crushing Pikachu or sloshing Nemo all over my back. "Thanks, Delia. And welcome to Kumquat."

The others offered similar birthday wishes. Goh and Chloe's parents thankfully kept things simple, while Serena's mom, Grace, was only prevented from knocking me over with a back pat because Nemo's tank was in the way. By the time everyone had finished, I was accepting the congratulations with increasingly practiced gratitude as I straightened and readjusted the straps across my shoulders.

Four gallons of water didn't sound like much until you were the idiot carrying it.

Nemo, naturally, seemed perfectly comfortable with this arrangement.

I cleared my throat and made another attempt at looking vaguely host-like. "Welcome to Kumquat Island, everyone. I hope you enjoy yourselves while you're here, and if you need anything, just let me or someone from the Grand know."

With everyone accounted for, I started leading the group through the terminal and toward the airport's pickup area. Their luggage had already been collected by Grand staff, which left us with considerably less to manage as we stepped outside into the island heat.

Two open-air resort shuttles were waiting near the curb.

The kids reacted exactly as expected.

"Shotgun!" Ash yelled, immediately racing toward the first one.

"You can't call shotgun when there are three rows!" Goh shouted after him.

"That sounds like quitter talk!"

Serena giggled before hurrying after them, while Chloe sighed and followed at a considerably more reasonable pace.

Behind us, however, I heard one of the adults hesitate.

"These are for us?"

I looked back. "Yep."

Delia glanced between the two polished shuttles and the uniformed Grand employees waiting beside them. "Travis, you didn't have to arrange something special just for us."

I blinked before realizing what she meant. "Oh. No, these aren't rentals." I pointed toward the small Grand crest worked into the side of the nearest vehicle. "They're ours. The Grand keeps a whole fleet of them for moving guests around the island if necessary."

There was a short silence as they all took that in. Judging by their expressions, I had the distinct feeling none of them had actually bothered looking up the Grand before coming.

I had to fight a grin.

The parents claimed the second shuttle while I climbed into what had rapidly become the designated kiddy car. Marowak took the seat nearest the back, mostly so I could carefully settle the portable tank against the support rail and take some of Nemo's weight off my shoulders for the ride.

Ash immediately leaned over the back of his chair. "So what've you been doing since we talked?"

I stared at him. "You mean when we talked five days ago?"

"Yep!"

Goh shifted in the seat beside Chloe. "He's got a point. A lot can happen in a few days."

"You don't get to agree with him."

"Why not?!"

"Because you spent half the last call arguing about whether Caterpie silk could replace synthetic climbing rope."

"It could!"

Chloe groaned. "Please don't start this again."

Serena covered a laugh while I settled back into my seat, Pikachu making himself comfortable against my side. Our weekly video calls meant there wasn't actually much catching up to do, but that didn't stop the conversation from bouncing all over the place as the shuttle pulled away from the airport.

Eventually, Serena leaned forward from the seat behind me. "So what are we actually doing today?"

That got everyone's attention.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Well, first we're heading to the Grand so everyone can drop off their stuff and get settled into their rooms."

"And then?" Ash asked eagerly.

I chuckled at his enthusiasm. "I didn't really want anything super formal for my birthday. We've got the party this evening and everything, obviously, but I figured it'd be more fun if everyone just spent the day at the beach. Swimming, games, barbecue, that kind of thing."

Serena brightened. "That sounds amazing!"

Ash threw both hands into the air. "YES!"

Chloe winced. "Aaaash, can you not? We're sitting two feet away from you."

"Sorry!" He was not sorry.

I chuckled and turned toward the side of the shuttle as we continued through Kumquat City. "Mom still went a little overboard with it, obviously."

That was about when I noticed Goh had stopped paying attention to the conversation.

His head slowly turned toward the passing buildings, his brow furrowing as he looked from one side of the street to the other. Ash and Serena eventually followed his gaze, and even Chloe seemed to notice the change as we rounded another corner.

The Kumquat Grand had started becoming visible ahead of us.

Conversation gradually died as the shuttle carried us closer, the main resort rising above the surrounding buildings while more of the property came into view around it. I didn't really notice until I realized nobody had said anything for several seconds.

That was concerning enough to make me look over.

Ash and Serena were openly staring, and even Goh had gone completely silent, which might've been the most impressive accomplishment of the day.

Chloe at least managed to retain enough dignity to turn toward me and ask. "That's the Kumquat Grand?!"

I shrugged. "Technically."

They all turned to stare. "What do you mean technically?"

"Well..." I glanced back toward the road we'd just traveled. "You know a decent chunk of the buildings we've passed since leaving the airport?"

"Yeah?"

"A lot of them are affiliated with the Grand too."

Their jaws dropped, and I could practically see all four of them mentally replaying the drive and reevaluating every building we'd passed.

I couldn't help laughing as we passed through the Grand's entrance and pulled toward the main building.

The adults didn't fare much better once we disembarked. More than one stopped outright to take everything in, and judging by the expressions aimed my way, I suspected the phrase nice resort had given them a considerably smaller mental image.

I adjusted Nemo's harness back into place and started toward the entrance. "Come on! We can get everyone checked in, drop your stuff off, and then head out to the beach."

The doors slid open, and I took three steps inside.

Then I stopped and stared at the two neat lines of Grand employees standing on either side of the entrance.

Oh no.

As one, they bowed.

"Welcome home, Master Travis. Happy birthday!"

I covered my face with both hands. Behind me, I could hear somebody making a choking noise.

"Seriously, guys," I whined, my ears burning as Pikachu started trembling on my shoulder with the obvious effort of not laughing.

The staff remained outwardly composed, but I'd known most of them long enough to spot the smiles starting to slip through.

I dropped my hands and flailed at them. "Go! Shoo! You have actual jobs!"

That finally broke them. Several employees turned away to hide laughter while the rest scattered with varying degrees of professionalism, leaving me standing in the middle of the lobby wishing the floor would develop a sudden appetite.

I sighed and turned back toward everyone. "Ignore them. They've apparently decided today is an acceptable excuse to become terrible people."

Nobody answered. The adults seemed too busy taking in the lobby, while the kids were suddenly very interested in hiding shaking shoulders and smothered giggles.

I pointedly ignored the latter.

"Traaaavis!"

I barely had time to turn before a familiar pink blur wrapped itself around my side. At least Lacey wasn't heavy enough to send me sprawling.

"Hey, Lace." I laughed and shifted enough to put an arm around her as she settled comfortably against my side.

She smiled up at me before her attention moved toward the group behind me. Then her eyes widened when they landed on Ash.

I looked between them. While I had tried to explain the whole situation, there were some things descriptions simply couldn't prepare a person for.

Ash waved cheerfully. "Hi!"

Lacey stared.

I nudged her lightly. "You can say hello."

That seemed to restart her brain. "Oh! Hi."

I looked back toward the others. "Everyone, this is my cousin Lacey. Lacey, you've heard me talk about Ash, Serena, Chloe, and Goh."

"Good things, right?" Chloe asked.

"Mostly~" I teased.

"Hey!" Goh and Ash complained together.

Serena giggled while Lacey finally relaxed enough to smile.

Naturally, Goh's attention went straight to the small Pokémon tucked securely in her arms. "Is that a Drilbur?"

Lacey immediately perked up. "Uh-huh! He's my Starter."

"Really?" Goh moved closer, although thankfully he remembered enough basic manners not to crowd her. "How long have you had him?"

"Not very long. Dad gave him to me recently."

"That's so cool!"

Drilbur gave a pleased little chitter at the attention, and some of Lacey's earlier hesitation disappeared as she started explaining where he'd come from.

Then Ash frowned.

He pointed between himself and Lacey. "If Travis is your cousin...and he's my brother...does that make me your cousin too?"

Lacey paused mid-sentence.

"…Yes?"

Ash looked equally uncertain.

I rubbed my forehead. Clearly, I would need to get ahead of this. "Okay, before either of you hurts yourself thinking about this, no one is making you suddenly act like lifelong cousins. You've literally just met. Start with trying to be friends. We can figure out whatever ridiculous family terminology applies later."

"Okay!" Ash agreed immediately.

Lacey nodded much more carefully. "Okay."

Honestly, that was probably for the best anyway. If anyone thought I had trouble making friends my own age, Lacey somehow managed to be worse. If nothing else, throwing her into Ash's orbit would probably solve that problem through sheer force of personality and that ridiculous protagonist talent Ash had for collecting friends wherever he went.

By then, members of the Grand staff had started organizing everyone into smaller groups for the trip upstairs. Goh and Chloe's parents called them over first, followed by Grace calling for Serena.

Delia started to move with them, but I raised a hand. "Actually, you and Ash are with us."

She paused. "We are?"

"Yep. You two are staying in the penthouse with Mom and me."

While Ash was too busy beaming at the idea, Delia hesitated. "Oh, Travis, that's really not necessary. We don't want to impose."

"You won't." I shook my head before she could argue. "Besides, it was my idea."

That seemed to catch her off guard.

I suddenly found Pikachu's fur very interesting and scratched lightly beneath his chin. "I just figured...after this, I don't really know when Ash and I are going to get another chance to spend this much time together in person. So we might as well make the most of it."

For a moment, Delia simply looked at me before her entire expression softened. "Oh, sweetie."

I immediately regretted everything.

Ash, thankfully, saved me before she could turn it into something unbearably emotional.

"Awesome!" He pumped a fist into the air. "We're having a sleepover!"

I snorted and finally looked back. "Yeah. Something like that."

Delia's smile hadn't gone anywhere. "Then we'd love to."

"Good." I scratched Pikachu beneath the chin one more time before lowering my hand, only to notice the distinctly unhappy face peering up at me from my other side.

Lacey was still tucked against me, but the smile she'd been wearing earlier had transformed into a small pout.

I raised a brow. "What's that face for?"

"What face?"

"That one."

"I don't have a face."

I snorted and poked one of her chubby cheeks Squishy. "Pretty sure you do, Lace."

Her pout only grew, yet I noticed her eyes flick toward Ash.

Ah. That explained it.

I bit back a laugh and reached up to pat her head. "Don't worry, Lace. I'm not going to forget you exist just because Ash is staying upstairs with us."

Her cheeks immediately puffed out more. "I wasn't worried about that!"

"Of course not."

"Treeeeey."

The fact that she leaned farther against my side while complaining did absolutely nothing to support her case. I continued the head pats anyway, earning another grumble while Ash watched the exchange with obvious confusion.

Thankfully, before he could ask a question that would undoubtedly make things worse, a familiar voice called across the lobby.

"Well, there he is."

I looked toward the entrance and immediately smiled. "Uncle Leo!"

Mom came in alongside the Grand Lake contingent. Uncle Leo walked near the front with Aunt Rebecca beside him, while Kylie and Roman followed close behind. Aunt Rebecca's Salamence padded along with them, drawing more than a few glances from the other guests in the lobby.

"Happy birthday, Travis," Uncle Leo said as they approached, his usual steady expression easing into a smile. "Ten years old at last."

My smile grew. "Thanks. I'm glad you guys made it."

"So are we," Kylie said brightly as she stepped forward, arms already open for a hug. Then she noticed who was attached to my side, and her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, Lacey!"

Lacey barely had time to squeak before Kylie swept both of us into the same hug.

"There she is!" Kylie squeezed while Lacey disappeared somewhere between us. "Why didn't anybody tell me you were already here?!"

"I don't know! But I need to breathe!" came Lacey's muffled complaint.

I gave a dry laugh against Kylia's arm. "Welcome to my morning."

Kylie finally released us enough for Lacey to resurface, though she kept one arm around the younger girl as if concerned she might escape.

Uncle Leo chuckled at the sight before glancing around the lobby. "I must admit, I was half convinced Clay wouldn't actually come."

Mom made an amused noise. "You weren't the only one. I was starting to get worried myself."

Aunt Rebecca raised a brow. "He did make it, I assume?"

"He did." Mom's grin widened. "Although Jacki informed me that if he didn't, she was going to fly to Unova herself and drag him here by the ear."

Uncle Leo's lips twitched. "I would've paid to see that."

"You and me both."

Kylie giggled. "Some things truly never change."

"Unfortunately for Clay," Aunt Rebecca added dryly.

That earned another round of laughter before the conversation dissolved into proper greetings. Uncle Leo gave me a firm pat on the shoulder and repeated his birthday wishes, Roman offered his own with a warm handshake, and Aunt Rebecca pulled me into a brief but genuine hug.

Kylie, meanwhile, had apparently decided I had received enough attention and redirected herself entirely toward Lacey.

"Oh, look at you!" she gushed, taking both of Lacey's hands and looking her over. "You've gotten even cuter since the last time I saw you!"

Lacey immediately turned pink. "I have not."

"You absolutely have."

Aunt Rebecca joined them a moment later, one hand settling gently on Lacey's head. "She's right. It's good to see you again, sweetheart."

Any remaining resistance disappeared. Lacey's embarrassed pout melted into a pleased little smile as the women continued fussing over her, and I couldn't help snickering at the sight.

There was no escape. Lacey Cashion had been sentenced to affection.

While she suffered beneath that terrible burden, Uncle Leo's attention shifted toward the newcomers still hovering nearby.

"And you must be Ash and Delia Ketchum," he said, offering them both a welcoming smile. "Luana told us about Travis's newly discovered brother, but where are my manners?" Uncle Leo gave a small, formal bow before straightening with perhaps the most grandfatherly smile I'd ever seen from him. "Leonardo Cashion, Owner of the Grand Lake Estate in Sinnoh. This is my wife, Rebecca, our daughter Kylie, and her fiancé, Roman Célestin."

Delia seemed momentarily caught off guard by Uncle Leo's formality. Ash, naturally, suffered from no such hesitation.

"Hi! It's nice to meet you! I'm Ash," he said, stepping forward with a bounce in his step. "We're from Pallet Town! Travis and I met at Professor Oak's camp, except we didn't know we were brothers then, and now we're here for his birthday!"

Delia shook her head while I smothered a laugh.

Uncle Leo merely blinked before his lips twitched upward. "Yes. I believe that covers most of the important details."

"Efficiently, even," Roman added with good cheer.

Ash beamed, clearly taking that as praise.

"Whatever the case, it's really good to see you all again," I said before Ash could find anything else to ramble about, "but we should probably get moving if we're going to make the most of…the…"

My voice trailed off as Salamence slowly stalked toward me.

The Dragon-type moved with an unnerving grace for something her size, every step measured and deliberate as she kept her eyes fixed on me. She stopped directly in front of us, forcing me to tilt my head back to meet her stare. Pikachu went rigid against my shoulder, his ears standing straight as neither of us moved.

For several long seconds, we simply stared at each other.

Then water sloshed against my back.

"Magikarp!"

Nemo's cheerful greeting shattered whatever intimidating moment Salamence had apparently been trying to create.

The Dragon-type snorted in response before she looked back at me, lowered her head, and blew a warm breath directly into my face.

I barely had time to squint before a massive tongue dragged from my chin to my forehead.

"BLEGH!"

Salamence pulled away with what I could only interpret as satisfaction before calmly turning around and stalking back toward Aunt Rebecca.

I wiped a hand down my face. "What the hell was that for?!"

Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Leo exchanged a look, and both of them looked irritatingly satisfied.

"She was settling a debate for us," Aunt Rebecca said, which helpfully explained absolutely nothing.

I stared at her. "A debate that required Salamence to almost drown me in slobber?"

Salamence huffed from beside her Trainer, apparently offended by my entirely accurate description of events.

Uncle Leo chuckled. "For what it's worth, Rebecca appears to have won."

"Yeeeah, nope. Doesn't make me feel better."

Mom clapped her hands before I could demand further explanation. "Alright! We can investigate mysterious dragon-based family arguments later. Everybody upstairs! You've got rooms to settle into, swimsuits to change into, and a beach waiting for us!"

That was thankfully the magic word to get everyone up and moving.

Ash's head snapped toward her. "BEACH TIME!" He took off toward the elevators.

I stared after him for a second before cupping my hands around my mouth.

"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THE WAY!"

He didn't slow in the slightest. I sighed as I watched him disappear farther into the lobby.

This was going to be a long day.

---

Mom had apparently taken the phrase Birthday Beach Party as a personal challenge.

Rather than reserve a decent stretch of beach near the Grand like a normal person, she'd gone ahead and blocked off the entire Kumquat Grand beachfront for the day. Considering just how much of Kumquat Island's coastline technically belonged to or was maintained by the resort, that translated to what had to be well over half the island's usable beach.

Ordinarily, I would've had several things to say about that.

On the other hand, it was my birthday.

Enough said.

By the time everyone had changed, unpacked, and made their way down, the whole place had turned into exactly the sort of organized chaos my family seemed to thrive on. Dozens of relatives and guests from around the Archipelago were spread across the sand, some relaxing beneath umbrellas with drinks in hand while their children ran around causing problems for everyone else.

Most of the older crowd had apparently decided that doing absolutely nothing was the best possible use of their time, which I couldn't really blame them for. A few had stretched out to sunbathe in perfectly reasonable swimwear. Others had made considerably more questionable decisions.

Thankfully, Al had become something of an unofficial enforcement system. Anyone who pushed the definition of family-friendly beachwear a little too far had a bad habit of abruptly disappearing in a flash of Psychic energy, only to reappear later wearing something that covered significantly more skin.

There were children present, dammit.

(Well, not that the children were entirely innocent either. Melody had somehow arrived in a swimsuit that made me seriously question what Carol had been doing while she packed. Thankfully, she'd spotted Ash and me standing together and spent several seconds mentally rebooting at the sight, giving Al plenty of time to teleport her back to the Grand alongside an utterly mortified Carol before she could put up a fight.)

Those incapable of sitting still had scattered toward the water or the various games set up along the shore. Volleyball matches had broken out in several places, a few people were surfing farther out, and more than one relative had attempted to insert themselves into the cooking operation.

Thankfully for the staff, Roman was overseeing most of that particular battlefield while Momo had appointed herself his personal barbecue security, and the Machamp took grilling very seriously.

Anyone who got within twenty feet of the grills without either a staff badge or Roman's direct approval found four muscular arms blocking the way and a deeply judgmental stare waiting for them. Considering several members of my family regarded cooking as a competitive sport, she'd already prevented at least three incidents.

The younger crowd had created entirely different disasters.

Rayna had somehow recruited Serena, Chloe, Mahri, and Lacey into what had originally been described as 'building a sandcastle'. That description had stopped being accurate roughly twenty minutes in when Sandy joined them.

There were sandcastles. Then there was a Palossand being actively encouraged by an artist with poor impulse control to make sandcastles.

When I'd last passed them, they'd constructed something closer to a small fortified village, complete with towers, walls, bridges, and enough tiny decorative details that I was beginning to suspect Rayna intended to get yet another degree in architecture.

Goh had ended up on the opposite end of the beach with Senta, several of the Hell Camp kids, and a collection of younger relatives engaged in what could only generously be called a water-balloon fight.

He hadn't joined willingly. Chloe had apparently gotten tired of listening to him complain about getting sand in awkward places and politely asked Sandy to throw him directly into the middle of the battle.

Sandy had obliged.

Faced with the choice between drowning from dignity or water, Goh had chosen violence.

Judging by the grin plastered across his face the last time I'd seen him launch a balloon at somebody's head, even his usual sourpuss tendencies couldn't overcome one of childhood's most sacred traditions.

Throwing water at people was fun.

And then there was Ash.

Somehow, through means I could neither understand nor explain, Ash had convinced Grunkle Clay to let him and a small group of our younger relatives borrow his Seismitoad to act as a floaty.

The last time I'd looked toward the water, Seismitoad had been drifting around with several children hanging off him while Ash sat proudly atop his back like some tiny aquatic warlord.

I had absolutely no idea how he'd convinced Clay to allow that, but I desperately wanted to find out.

As for me, I'd spent most of the afternoon bouncing between everything I could. A little swimming here, a game there, a few conversations with relatives I hadn't seen lately, and enough trips past the snack tables that Pikachu had started treating it like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

More importantly, Nemo finally got to be part of it all.

For once, I didn't have to leave him behind in a pool or limit him to whatever activities happened near the water. His portable tank had become a serious pain in my shoulders after several hours, sure, but seeing him enthusiastically greeting people, splashing anyone who got too close, and generally enjoying himself made the weight worth it.

Eventually, however, after spending most of the party being dragged from one thing to another, I found myself near the edge of the festivities, greeting one of the few groups who had managed to arrive late.

"Professor Ivy! You made it!"

The woman in question smiled as she approached, Charity, Hope, and Faith following close behind with beach bags and enough other supplies to suggest they'd come prepared to stay a while.

"Barely," Professor Ivy admitted with a tired smile. "Happy birthday, Travis. Sorry we're so late."

The triplets quickly echoed both sentiments, their apologies overlapping enough that I had to wave them off before all three could really get going.

"Don't worry about it. Considering how many Pokémon you four take care of every day, I'm impressed you managed to escape Valencia at all."

That earned three remarkably similar sheepish smiles.

Professor Ivy herself looked considerably less guilty, though admittedly, I had a harder time focusing on that than I probably should have.

She'd dressed for the beach in a dark bikini with a light sarong wrapped around her waist, her long plum-colored hair pulled back to keep it out of her face. Nothing outrageous, nothing particularly revealing by beach standards, and still more than enough for the adult portion of my brain to take one look and calmly inform me that Professor Philena Ivy was an extremely attractive woman.

My ten-year-old body responded with absolutely nothing, which was just…ugh.

I shoved that particular bout of existential dissonance back where it belonged and focused on the conversation.

"We've actually been talking about expanding the lab," Professor Ivy continued, glancing toward her assistants. "Especially now that I've officially accepted the position as—"

"Professor Ivy!"

She stopped as another voice cut across the beach, and I turned just in time to see Professor Cerise approaching with an almost alarming amount of enthusiasm.

"Professor Cerise?" Ivy asked in genuine surprise.

"It really is you!" He stopped in front of us and offered his hand. "I've been hoping to meet you ever since I heard the announcement. Congratulations on becoming recognized as the Orange Archipelago's Regional Professor!"

Professor Ivy accepted the handshake with a smile. "Thank you. And it is Professor Cerise, correct? I've read some of your work."

Professor Cerise smile grew delighted. "You have?"

She tilted her head in an almost lazy manner. "You were part of the Galar expedition into the Crown Tundra several years ago, weren't you? The ecological survey involving several of the newly documented species in the region was a fascinating read."

His entire face lit up. "You've read that?"

"Of course."

Professor Cerise somehow managed to look both delighted and embarrassed. "Well, I can't take too much credit. I was mostly along to assist the primary research team."

Professor Ivy gave a low, warm chuckle that something in the older part of my brain appreciated considerably more than was helpful. "That's usually how these things begin."

"Besides," Ivy continued, "I'm hardly in a position to pretend I reached my own new position entirely through independent work." Her eyes slid toward me.

I suddenly didn't like where this was going.

Professor Cerise followed her gaze toward me, realization dawning across his face. "Oh! So that was true! I'd read that a young member of the Cashion family had contributed to the Everstone study, but I thought that detail might've been exaggerated." His glasses glinted white. "You're the one who pointed Professor Ivy toward the connection between Everstones and the inheritance of non-native regional forms?"

I waved both hands immediately. "Okay, involved is doing some extremely heavy lifting there. It was an accident at best."

Unfortunately, the truth was considerably more embarrassing.

I'd met Professor Ivy at a League meeting over a year ago, gotten into a conversation about her research, and made what I'd thought was a completely harmless comment about Everstones preserving regional forms through breeding.

Because, you know, they did that.

The offspring of a regional Pokémon would normally take the form native to wherever it was being bred, but give the appropriate parent an Everstone and suddenly that non-native form could be passed down instead. It had been a useful little mechanic in the later games, at least to someone who'd once lived in a world where Pokémon came with strategy guides.

Professor Ivy, whose entire field revolved around regional differences in Pokémon physiology, had stared at me like I'd casually announced that gravity was optional.

In my defense, how was I supposed to know nobody had figured it out yet?!

Professor Cerise looked fascinated. "And that eventually led to the breeding trials?"

"After several months of controlled testing," Professor Ivy confirmed. "Repeated across multiple species and regional populations."

I slowly began edging away. Neither professor noticed.

Perfect.

Professor Cerise was already asking another question; Professor Ivy had turned toward him with that unmistakable look researchers get when somebody gave them permission to discuss their work, and the triplets were beginning to join in stereo.

This was becoming dangerously academic.

Then salvation arrived from the direction of the grills.

"FOOD'S READY!" Roman's voice carried across the beach.

Thank Arceus.

I turned and fled toward the barbecue.

There were few things in life more dangerous than putting two stupidly intelligent Pokémon Professors in the same place and giving them a research topic.

Thankfully, there were also very few problems that couldn't be temporarily solved by barbecue.

---

Author's Note:

We're finally here! The Birthday has arrived, and we can finally get truly moving towards his Journey!

Because yes, he will be starting his Journey after his birthday is over...Although I will admit that his "birthday" might take a chapter or three to wrap up. I have some surprises in store that I greatly hope y'all will enjoy~

Till next time, fellow trainers! Cheers!

Also, BIG NEWS! I've currently got a VERY important Poll going on the Patreon that will have serious repercussions for the story going forward! So if you aren't already a member, now may be a good time to check it out, lol. No pressure, but if you want your voice heard, now's as good a time as any!

So, as I said above, I've got a Patreon up and running! If you want to read 5 chapters ahead, be heard in our oh-so-important Poll, or just support me in general, feel free to visit my Patreon!

 

[deadlyaaron77]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[manuelhwang99]

i wonder if shellos forms are passed down too lol

also can you imagine if ash ends up meeting iris he unintentionally becomes a decent excadrill mentor? lmao

tyftc, looking forward to the rest of the party

 

[AnInnocentBystander]

Fun chapter, I'm enjoying the slice of life, though really looking forward to the journey.

Wonder if we will ever find out what Travis being stalked by the Salamance was about. Hoping it leads to him getting a baby dragon.

 

[Abhijithvc]

So what are your plans for Nemo? It's been more than a year since Travis started training him, so he should have evolved into Gyarados by now. Magikarp usually evolve fast, at least in the games. Are you going to evolve him sooner, or are you going to wait?

 

[Vadelent]

or the fact that I currently had several gallons of water strapped to my back.

Click to shrink...

I can hear the Magikarp salesman now espousing the wonders of the Magikarp carrying case.

Calling it elegant would've been generous, but it worked. The clear container rested against my back with enough water to keep its occupant comfortable, while the open top gave him plenty of room to look around.

Click to shrink...

That it also doubles as a training weight just means it's serving double duty because humans in the pokemon world are built different.

Then I stopped and stared at the two neat lines of Grand employees standing on either side of the entrance.

Oh no.

As one, they bowed.

"Welcome home, Master Travis. Happy birthday!"

I covered my face with both hands. Behind me, I could hear somebody making a choking noise.

"Seriously, guys," I whined, my ears burning as Pikachu started trembling on my shoulder with the obvious effort of not laughing.

Click to shrink...

Well paid and happy servants/staff that aren't afraid of losing their jobs are wonderful.

Then Ash frowned.

He pointed between himself and Lacey. "If Travis is your cousin...and he's my brother...does that make me your cousin too?"

Lacey paused mid-sentence.

"…Yes?"

Ash looked equally uncertain.

I rubbed my forehead. Clearly, I would need to get ahead of this. "Okay, before either of you hurts yourself thinking about this, no one is making you suddenly act like lifelong cousins. You've literally just met. Start with trying to be friends. We can figure out whatever ridiculous family terminology applies later."

"Okay!" Ash agreed immediately.

Lacey nodded much more carefully. "Okay."

Click to shrink...

Technically the answer is no because his sperm donor is in no way shape or form related to the rest of the family. … That we're aware of. That said, close enough for horse shoes and hand grenades.

I wiped a hand down my face. "What the hell was that for?!"

Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Leo exchanged a look, and both of them looked irritatingly satisfied.

"She was settling a debate for us," Aunt Rebecca said, which helpfully explained absolutely nothing.

I stared at her. "A debate that required Salamence to almost drown me in slobber?"

Click to shrink...

And I'm betting the debate would be whether or not Salamance would permit him to have one of her eggs.

 

[AstertheAshara]

So what are your plans for Nemo? It's been more than a year since Travis started training him, so he should have evolved into Gyarados by now. Magikarp usually evolve fast, at least in the games. Are you going to evolve him sooner, or are you going to wait?

Click to shrink...

Pretty sure it's already been stated that he can evolve, his best just has an everstone on it at the moment. It was mentioned during the chapter with the kahili battle. My guess is they are going to do it at the island that's been mentioned a few times.

 

[MarcusDeGabriel]

Four gallons of water didn't sound like much until you were the idiot carrying it.

Click to shrink...

I mean… it's maybe heavy for a normal civilian/human but humans in Pokemon are very different and Trainers have shown a lot of ridiculous feats.

 

[Lillie Jones]

Absolute Cinema
The Journey continues
10/10

 

[Agnam]

There was no escape. Lacey Cashion had been sentenced to affection.

Click to shrink...

Of course everyone finds the future Fairy-Type Specialist adorable. Except the Dragons.

Anyone who pushed the definition of family-friendly beachwear a little too far had a bad habit of abruptly disappearing in a flash of Psychic energy, only to reappear later wearing something that covered significantly more skin.

There were children present, dammit.

(Well, not that the children were entirely innocent either. Melody had somehow arrived in a swimsuit that made me seriously question what Carol had been doing while she packed. Thankfully, she'd spotted Ash and me standing together and spent several seconds mentally rebooting at the sight, giving Al plenty of time to teleport her back to the Grand alongside an utterly mortified Carol before she could put up a fight.)

Click to shrink...

I think Melody might be having a few thoughts that anyone her age really shouldn't be having…

I'd met Professor Ivy at a League meeting over a year ago, gotten into a conversation about her research, and made what I'd thought was a completely harmless comment about Everstones preserving regional forms through breeding.

Because, you know, they did that.

The offspring of a regional Pokémon would normally take the form native to wherever it was being bred, but give the appropriate parent an Everstone and suddenly that non-native form could be passed down instead. It had been a useful little mechanic in the later games, at least to someone who'd once lived in a world where Pokémon came with strategy guides.

Professor Ivy, whose entire field revolved around regional differences in Pokémon physiology, had stared at me like I'd casually announced that gravity was optional.

In my defense, how was I supposed to know nobody had figured it out yet?!

Click to shrink...

Was this ever pointed out explicitly, or was it one of those things Game Freak silently slipped in that we assumed to be a glitch at first, like the Sheer Force + Life Orb combo? This is honestly the first time I'm hearing of this mechanic involving Everstones, does it only come up when you transfer Pokémon between Regions?