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A Winkle in Reality: Chapter 4.
🕑 Added 2025-04-07 16:47:10 +0000 UTCJust a boy and his vulpix, trying to make it in the big city.
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“Dat’s gonna run ye 500.”
“WHAT!? 500!? Fuck you mean 500!? That dinky piece of shit couldn’t cross a kiddy pool, much less the fucking ocean, and you want 500 Poké for 1 ticket!?”
The sailor didn’t seem impressed by my well reasoned retort and puffed up his chest to make himself look bigger.
Not that it helped much. The guy was hardly any taller than I was, and nearly larger horizontally than vertically. His belly comically stretched his cliché white and blue striped shirt, while the legs of his white shorts imitated a skirt with how big the waist had to be. I’d originally been a fan of his salt and pepper mutton chops, even if it was kinda weird with the bald head and chin, but they contrasted horribly with the deep purple color his face was turning.
Whoops. I hadn’t meant to slip out of my ‘Starving Child’ facade, but the outrageous price for a trip on his shitty ship had caught me off guard. Barely bigger than a fucking rowboat and he had the audacity to demand 500 for what was apparently a 1 week trip? I could buy a Greatball for that! If the prices were the same as in the games anyway.
Poké dollars were still a mystery, but that price felt excessive.
Fucker wouldn’t even go to Kanto to start, he would be making a stop on something called Knot Island, which was allegedly close to Kanto. I think I vaguely remember it being a part of the Sevii Islands, but that was it. Only afterwards would he head to Vermillion.
Maybe I could still salvage it, though. I widened my eyes and pitched up my voice. Held in my arms, clutched to my chest, Ra hit the captain with his own best efforts as well.
Which, given that he new the move Baby-Doll Eyes, his best was real fucking good.
“I’m sorry sir, I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just, my Mom and Dad are waiting for me in
Kanto. We got separated and-”
“Fuck off lad. Ye reckon ye be the first t' try a sob tale on me? Go on, get!” He lashed out with a lazy backhand that I easily avoided.
“Hold on you fucking scammer. Here take your damn money,” I grumbled as I handed over almost all the money I had in exchange for a damp, crumpled piece of paper with a signature. I had sold the scooter for 250 as soon as we arrived in the city, but I didn’t want to spend everything at once.
“Good. We set sail in 6 days.”
“WHAT! What do you mean 6 days!? Hello!? Don't ignore me!” I screamed at him as the sailor turned on his heel and stepped onto his ship.
“Well, at least we got the ticket, I guess”, I sighed as I made my way back into the city proper, letting the Vulpix jump down onto the ground.
Ra growled and turned his head away, snout in the air, as we strolled back up the main street. He really hated using Baby-Doll Eyes.
Prideful little bastard. He got very annoyed if I did anything other than praise him and was reluctant to appear as anything other than the epitome of badass. I'm also pretty sure he thinks he's the one in charge instead of me. Which wasn’t a problem as long as we got along. I had never intended our relationship to be anything other than a partnership.
On the other hand, he also kept petting and talking to the scooter like it was alive, so maybe he was just a little dumb.
Which was, again, fine. I'd take the little himbo fox. Just had to give him something to back up that ego. Something I had hoped to start addressing in Kanto, but sometimes you had to play the hand you were dealt.
When you couldn’t flip the table and pull a knife, anyway.
I sighed again as I looked at my companion.
“I guess we don’t have any choice. We need supplies, and a fair amount of them. I don’t know if our funds are going to stretch.”
I collapsed onto a bench by the side of the road. Well, bench might be stretching it. It was just two crates side-by-side, with a plank nailed to the top, but it was the best Gateon Port had to offer. Ra jumped up next to me and despite his disgruntlement over our unsuccessful little scheme, crawled into my lap for some pets while we watched the crowd moving.
Even the egg gave a wriggle as if in support. Though to be fair, it did that almost once an hour at this point.
I really hoped it would hatch soon. The anticipation was killing me.
“We, or me, I guess, could get a job to raise the cash. Help out with some stuff. It’s not like we need a lot of money, so theoretically, it’s doable, just… “ My eyes landed on an alleyway across the street, rickety, makeshift houses on either side, with two men in it. Both were dressed in rags, with long, unkempt hair and beards. One of them was curled up in a fetal position on the ground while the other one kicked him repeatedly in the side. As I watched, the kicker apparently decided that his victim had enough and ripped the shoes of the downed man’s feet, before grabbing a backpack from the ground and hauling ass down the corridor.
No one said or did anything. Dozens of people walked by as it took place, and I know at least half glanced at them.
And yet.
Nothing. Like blatant assault in broad daylight was a common occurance or beneath their notice because it was homeless people doing it. Never mind that seemingly 1-in-5 of everyone I saw seemed to be homeless, or near enough.
“… Maybe not in this city.”
We sat for another moment before getting up and heading to the nearest store. Which was literally every 20 feet in Gateon.
I’d been really optimistic when we set off from Ra’s cave. Sure, it had been a rough start, but now I had a Pokémon and a plan. The week of travel had been filled with days on the scooter, hurling through the sand. Most of Orre seemed to be truly barren. It was only in the last 2 days the landscape had changed, and even then it was to rocky, mountainous terrain, with a couple of old-ass ruins scattered around. Though to be fair, grass grew there and we had finally spotted wild Pokémon, other than Wingulls passing overhead and what I swore was a Flygon in the middle of a sand tornado. I’d thought about stopping to battle some of the weaker ones, but getting Ra back into shape took priority.
When the sun had set and the small window of decent temperature arrived, we’d pull over for some light training and socializing. Nothing strenuous, Ra’s time in the desert had obviously not been any easier than mine had been for me. Mostly just calling out a series of moves for him to perform, mixed with a bit of cardio before he became exhausted.
Something I was both pleased and proud to notice took longer and longer by the day.
It was as much for me as for him. I’d obviously never directed a Pokémon battle outside the games before, so it helped getting used to calling out the commands and building in some short-hand orders for speed.
It had been a great journey. Everything I’d ever wanted as a kid playing on his GameBoy. Setting up camp under the starts, training with my Pokémon, coming up with strategies, and generally fooling around. Ra was a more serious type and wasn’t one for games, but he was easily placated with some petting and praise.
He really was a simple creature and I loved him.
But then…
Gateon Port.
What a fucking shithole.
I mean, it was fucking Orre, so I don’t know what I expected, but holy fuck. Being the only port that I knew of in the country, you’d think it would at least be more impressive than Outskirt Stand.
That fucking train might be the most impressive thing on the entire fucking land mass!
The center of Gateon Port was actually pretty nice, for what looked like an old naval base. A large square building sat facing the port with a large wall surrounding it, while just off the coast a large tower pierced through the waves, acting both lighthouse and additional defense. It was quite intimidating, if clearly somewhat haphazardly and quickly set up.
That part housed around 1.000 of the most wealthy in the city.
The rest of the city appeared to be mud and rocks stabbled in a rough house shape, or, and I couldn’t fucking believe it, MORE SHEDS! AND FUCKING TENTS!
It literally seemed like people walked up to the port, decided it was a nice place to live, and then just plopped down on their asses and built a mud iglo. Crooked three-story buildings were under constant threat from the lightest breeze, while the clown population had put a hundred tents under it. Sheds stood atop sheds in horrific abominations of architecture, forming blocks of monstrous apartment complexes, and there might still be more homeless people than owners of shelter.
Including tents.
It was a fucking nightmare of a slum, that reeked of sweat, shit, and rotting seaweed. I hated everything about it.
Which might be the only thing everyone there had in common. Wanting to get the fuck out.
Which also meant, I noted as I was about to step into a “Frank’s Discount PokéMart” and locked eyes with a boy a couple of years younger than me, that no one was going to help you.
The kid looked like a walking corpse. The skin on his face was so tight and thin that his head appeared closer to a purple skull than anything else, large dark circles under his slightly unfocused eyes. His makeshift tunic of three threadbare towels tied together hid his torso, yet the clearly defined skeletal structure of his exposed arms and legs told the entire story.
He averted his gaze when he noticed me looking back at him and disappeared into the crowd as I took the last step into the store, shaking my head lightly.
I really hated this city.
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Sighing was turning into a unfortunate habit, I noted as I stepped back out, sadly stuffing the last 100 Pokè back into my pocket. Frank, as it turned out, was as much of an asshole as everyone else in Gateon. Fucker had fleeced us. 150 Pokè for 2 gallons of water, 4 rations, and 1 sack of Pokéfood? Actually fucking criminal.
Not that I was all that surprised. Most of the items in there looked like they had been fished out of dumpsters and a lot of it was most likely stolen. Though there was some oddly high-end stuff as well. Multiple TMs, which nearly had me drooling, several rows of Pokéballs, including Greatballs and quite a few Potions and status heals.
It was Disneyland, Christmas, and a candy store all rolled into one.
Unfortunately the price tag matched all those things combined as well.
Even combined with our leftovers from the trip, it was unlikely that the supplies would last us more than 4 days, never mind 6 plus the 7 day trip across the ocean.
Still, we’d cross that bridge when we got to it. I tried my best to put it out of my mind as we made our way back to the outskirts of the city. Seemed to be the best place to put up camp. Hell, we’d fit right in. On the way, I couldn't help but swerve my head around. Even if we’d made the walk through once before, it was still incredible.
If the people and city of Gateon were some of the worst I’d seen, the Pokémon was definitely the best.
Wingulls cried out as they flew overhead, a couple landing on the shoulder of their trainers as they walked. Every alleyway was alive with Rattata and Meowth rummaging through bags and trash, fighting amongst each other for the occasional scrab, and I swore I saw a pair of eyes watching them from the shadow of an overhang.
Trained Pokémon were a rarer sight. Wingulls were the most common, with a singular enormous Pelipper lazily flapping over a large sailor. The bird was bigger than my entire torso, with most of it taken up by its huge yellow beak. It had a small head topped by a streak of light blue feathers and the disproportionately small wings that had barely changed from a Wingull's, had a similar hue on the three finger-like feathers the appendages ended in.
The Pelipper was nothing compared to the beast that stalked the streets, however.
Standing a little under four feet at the shoulder, a monstrous canine parted the crowd before it. Its black paws were huge, its claws nearly as long as my fingers and came to a needle point that looked like it could tear right through me. The main body was thick with corded muscle under the gray fur, a scraggly and wild black overcoat covering the back and leading to a swaying tail that was kept high. Two large ears framed a snout filled with sharp teeth that it bared at everyone that dared to look into its red eyes.
That, I was damn near certain, was a Mightyena, and it was fucking terrifying.
The trainer himself was almost as attention-grabbing as his companion. A pair of headphones was wrapped around the back of his bald head and a pair of small, black sunglasses hid his eye. A red, sleeveless vest covered a black tanktop that led to a matching pair of cargo pants. An oversized pair of gloves and boots finished his assembly.
The most noteworthy detail, however, was his posture. Almost everyone in Gateon walked with a slouch, either due to mood or trying to avoid attention, eyes on the ground before them.
Not him. The trainer walked with a swagger as he kept his head high and back straight. He looked like he was going on a stroll through the gardens rather than the hurried tempo of everyone around him.
I watched as the exact match for what I remembered Team Snagem Grunts looked like from the games passed right by me without as much as a glance and headed into Frank’s Discount PokéMart.
I narrowed my eyes.
Huh.
Gang affiliations might explain the expensive shit in there.
Not my problem, though, I decided as I kept walking. While the presence of what were essentially organized thugs was probably not helping Gateon escaping its shithole status, I couldn’t blame Frank for doing what he needed to do. A lot of people would jump at the chance to earn steady money and likely protection as well, I mused as I saw the same kid from earlier out of the corner of my eye.
He’d moved into one of the trash-filled side streets, and judging by the even more frantic way he looked away from me, and even scurried further into the alley, he might’ve been scrounging for food.
I stopped and sighed as he looked over his shoulder and visibly panicked when he saw me still there.
It wasn’t a smart choice, but how could I shit talk the inhabitants of the city if I behaved the same way? Abundance was not a thing in Orre. Everyone was struggling.
If I blamed them, then it was only fair that I put my money where my mouth was.
Literally.
“Hey kid, hold up.” I called out, moving towards him. To my surprise, he actually stopped and turned to look at me. He was shaking all over so it wasn't a sudden burst of confidence. Maybe experience? Running rarely made a beating better.
He hunched in on himself as I stopped before him and the shaking became so bad he nearly fell over as I swung my backpack around. His eyes stayed glued to the ground, not even glancing as I unzipped the bag and reached in.
“Here.”
Five solid seconds passed before he dared to look at the bag of rations I was holding out to him. He glanced desperately between my face and the bag, clearly wanting it, but obviously afraid of a trap.
Again, fuck Gateon. Up close, the kid couldn't be older than seven, maybe a starved eight at most.
His voice trembled as he shook his head.
“I-I don't wa-want any t-trouble, Mister. Pl-please, I'll leave, please-”
He automatically caught the food as I threw it at him.
“Just fucking take it. You clearly need it.”
He stayed in a defensive position, ready to bolt at the slightest sign of deceit. When none came, it was like the sun appearing from behind the clouds as his entire face lit up under the dirt. The shaking continued, yet it was from excitement instead of nervousness.
“Really!? You-you mean it, Mister? Thank you, thank you so much! A-are you new around here? I'm sorry, I-I just haven't seen you before…”
“It's fine,” I said, waving my hand dismissively and shaking my head, “I just got here, yeah, though I'm not staying. My boat doesn't leave for a couple of days, however, so I'm sticking around for a bit.”
“Th-then,” the kid licked his cracked lips as he glanced at my bag and Ra, “do you two need a place to camp? I know a great place, real out of the way, almost never any trouble there!”
I couldn't help but chuckle at his enthusiasm. He was nearly jumping with excitement.
It was cute.
“Yeah, that'd be good, thanks.”
“Then it's right this way, Mister! I'm sure you'll have a good time, especially with such a strong Pokémon! My name is Ralf, by the way, but everyone calls me Rat!”
My chuckle turned into an actual laugh as Ra stuck his nose almost vertically up and swaggered after Rat as he took off down the alley, damn near running as we followed. Kid might need new friends with a nickname like that, but beggars can't be choosers, I guess.
I immediately lost my bearing as Rat twisted and turned through narrow passages, head snapping back to make sure we kept up, yet I had a vague feeling that we were close to the shore. The intensifying scent of salt and seaweed as the stench of rotting trash faded confirmed that idea, but that was the best I could do. The outskirts of Gateon were a fucking maze of random shit, buildings, and tents, vendors screaming at people that couldn't give less of a fuck as they walked by. I lost sight of the kid multiple times as the crowds grew dense enough that I had to push and squeeze my way through. A fist fight nearly erupted as some dickhead tried to be sneaky and unzip my backpack, but he vanished into the horde before I could give him more than a swift kick.
“This way, Mister! We're almost there!”
Glancing left and right, I tried to see where Rat had disappeared to in what seemed to be a dead end. A hand stuck out from between two buildings I could have sworn were right next to each other. A closer look revealed the kid’s beaming face on the other side of an incredibly narrow passage as he started jumping up and down again.
“It's right around the corner, promise!”
Cursing under my breath, I swung my bag off my back. The egg shook insistently as I held it out beside me, sucked in my stomach and started shimmying my way through. Ra, the smug little fuck, strolled ahead of me, glancing over his shoulder arrogantly as I huffed and puffed. Finally I got through, only to once again find my guide missing.
“Kid? Where the fuck did you go?!”
"Over here, Mister! Take the left!"
Sure enough, there was a left turn at the end of the small lot I found myself in. And around that corner, I did see Rat waiting for me.
Standing behind two larger kids around my age.
A crunch of gravel made me peek over my shoulder as another two kids, slightly younger than the others but still older than Rat, cut off the way I came from as Ra started growling.
Ah. I'd been had.
I was a fucking idiot. I'd been doing the ‘starving, sad child’ routine literally nonstop since I woke up in the desert, and then I just followed some rando into the fucking backstreets of a crime-ridden shithole of a city because he was a kid?
I glared at Rat, who at least had the decency to avoid eye contact.
“You really fucking suck, kid.”
“Come on, don't be too ‘ard on him. When someone is handing out free food, of course you want to share it with your friends.”
The shortest of the two in front of me stepped forward as he spoke.
“Speaking off, since you're such a nice guy, you don't mind giving us some, do you? Sharing is caring, after all, and we're so hungry.”
He started laughing in a very cliché way that sounded like he was imitating a mustache twirling villain from a movie. His cronies seemed to like it, or at least had been trained enough to follow their apparent leader's lead as they chuckled along.
How the fuck did I end up in a toddler shakedown? What was life?
“Go fuck yourself Pinocchio. If you're that hungry, your nose is enough food for the entire fucking city.”
He flushed, his somewhat above average-nose turning red while his dark, near black eyes narrowed at me. It turned into an outright glare as the ones behind me “Ooohhh"-ed at my insult.
Kids they might be, but I was getting the feeling they weren't the brightest.
“You think you're funny, huh.” The leader sneered at me while walking forward a couple of steps so we both were in the middle of the encirclement. He puffed out his chest to try and intimidate me. To his credit, he was kinda broad-shouldered and stocky, a little more meat on his bones than his friends. His bald head added to the thug image as well.
If only he hadn't been the second shortest behind Rat, it might’ve worked.
He reached into his pocket, making me tense. If they all had knives, it could turn messy real quick, even with Ra on my side. I wasn’t sure if guns were a thing. They weren't in the games, but I think there were a couple in the anime.
If they were packing, I was super fucked.
The sneer directed my way twisted into a smirk. “Let's see how funny you are after I kick your ass and take all your stuff!” He said as he pulled his hand out of his pocket. Clutched between his fingers was a small ball, with a red top half and white bottom half, that expanded to five times its size as the kid pressed the button in the middle. He held it out towards me in the kind of stance that looked like he had practiced in front of the mirror.
My caution instantly turned to excitement as Ra walked out in front of me. The other children cheered.
“Kick his ass, Big S!”
“You got this, Boss!”
“Get him, Sharon!”
The so-called Sharon blushed again and yelled back at the tallest one that revealed his name.
“I've told you not to call me that, you idiot!”
I couldn’t help laughing, making Sharon spin around to me again.
“You think my name is funny!? What's your name, huh!? I bet it's dumb too!”
I really considered fucking with him some more, but I was in way too good of a mood all of a sudden.
“Periwinkle. Peri for short “
Sharon looked visibly taken aback as the rest of the gang mocked my name. He stared at me for a second, before giving me a nod of what felt like almost respect as he waved the others to be silent.
“You understand my pain, then. Brothers in suffering we may be, but I'm still gonna beat you up! Go, Meowth!”
My cheeks hurt from the size of my grin as the Pokéball arched through the air. Just before the ball hit the ground, it cracked open and a beam of crackling red energy burst out onto the dirt. As the energy writhed and wriggled closer and closer to a definitive shape, I absently noted the Pokeball bouncing back slightly off angle, making Sharon have to run to catch it.
So aim actually did matter. Good to know.
“Alright Ra, just like we practiced.” My words made him crouch down a little as the enemy solidified. Red electricity became tan fur with brown markings on the back paws and the curled tip of the tail. Large white eyes with a long slit pupil sat in an disproportionately large head, two whisker-like spikes extending from each cheek. Another two rose from in between a pair of black ears, framing a large golden medallion in the middle of the forehead.
The foot-tall creature rose into a bipedal stance and unleashed its war cry.
“Meooww!”
“Yeah! We don't care what you've practiced! Me and Meowth are gonna kick your butt! Get him Meowth! Scratch attack!”
I didn’t have more than a few seconds to take in the cat-like Pokémon, before it crouched back down onto all fours and launched itself at Ra very fast, faster than the Vulpix could move normally. It caught me off-guard as I’d expected a more formal start to the battle, which in hindsight was stupid.
It was a fight in a back alley, not a Gym battle.
Still, the week of practice had gotten me at least somewhat used to fast movements and the Meowth was still slower than Ra’s Quick Attack.
“Quick dodge left into Ember.”
Meowth was almost in his face when I gave the command. The feline reared back its paw, inch long claws flashing in the light as it brought them hurling down at Ra. It gave a hiss of satisfaction as it sliced through the air, nearing Ra’s head-
-only to stumble as a white aura surrounded the red fox and he shot to the side over twice as fast as the cat had moved. The Meowth frantically looked around trying to find its prey, locating him in time to be greeted with an open maw, flickering with flame. A torrent of tiny fireballs were unleashed in a cone-shaped flurry, smacking into Meowth with a sizzling sound as the Pokémon fell back onto its back with a cry of pain.
“Meowth! No!”
I smirked as the Ember cut off and Sharon's Pokémon rolled around on the ground. Quick dodge was one of the few commands we’d worked on during the trip. It was just a small burst of Quick Attack to the side in order to flank, before following up with another attack, but it appeared quite effective.
It definitely needed work, though. Ra had stumbled for almost as long as Meowth and if the cat had more experience, it would’ve dodged after realizing what was happening.
Thoughts for later though. Had to capitalize.
“Quick Attack!”
Meowth had barely managed to scramble onto all fours before Ra slammed shoulder first into it like a truck. Anything at that pace would hurt, but as Ra was twice the size of the feline, it was sent flying back into the wall. It bounced off with another scream, laying in a heap as it tried to recover.
“No, please, you ‘ave to get up! MEOWTH!”
“Yeah, come on Meowth, don't give up!”
“You can beat that stupid fox, we believe in you!”
The encouragement was honestly kinda cute. Even Rat had nutted up enough to participate. Still it was time to end it. I had loved my first taste of battle, yet I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. Yeah, it was a low level battle, against street rats, but it was so fucking easy.
Might have to wait until Kanto before finding anything that could actually challenge Ra and I. Though at our current pace, we’d be the Champions within the month.
“Finish it with a Tackle, buddy. Let's wrap it up and stop bullying the children.”
With his customary swagger, Ra approached the downed opponent, slowly picking up speed. I’d have preferred finishing it quickly, but I couldn’t begrudge him his celebration. For once, he’d earned that confidence. I also knew he was more tired than he let on.
He was almost there anyway, at a decent jog. Meowth had started stirring, struggling to push itself into a seated position as it watched Ra charging towards it.
“Fake Out!”
My eyes widened.
“Sto-”
It was too late. As Ra lowered his head and prepared for impact, the Meowth twitched with its left paw. The movement drew Ra’s attention enough that he hesitated in his attack while looking, only to get clobbered by a smack from the right that sent him skidding to the side, hitting the wall himself.
“RA!”
“YEAH!” Sharon screamed over me, thrusting one hand in the air triumphantly. “THEY FELL FOR IT! NOW MEOWTH, END THEM WITH PAYDAY!”
“DODGE!”
Unfortunately, Ra was still shaking off the impact as the cat reached up to its forehead and ripped the gold medallion off and hurled it at him. Fortunately, Meowth had taken even more damage and its aim had the medal smack against Ra’s shoulder rather than his head. He let out a pained yip regardless, but he wasn't out.
“QUICK! EMBER!”
“DODGE MEOWTH! WE GOT ‘EM!”
The world slowed down as both Pokémon started executing their orders. The speed advantage I’d noticed earlier, combined with exhaustion and the difference in difficulty of the two commands, reared its ugly head again. By the time Ra had built up the necessary energy, Meowth was already on its feet and ready to react. Luckily, there was one thing they had overlooked.
There was only one way to go with a wall blocking one side.
“He’s going left! Adjust!”
“No! STOP, MEOWTH!”
It was too late. The feline had already lept the only way it could, and a little backwards as well. All it took was a minor twist of Ra’s head and the fire once again started scorching the tan fur. Meowth was sent sprawling one more time and came to rest in front of Sharon. Ra panted as we waited to see if it would get back up.
But no. Despite Sharon’s, and the gang’s, cries, Meowth’s eyes remained closed and it refused to move. It wasn’t long before the red light of its Pokéball hit it and sucked it inside.
I let out a huge sigh of relief. That had been a little too close at the end. But we'd done it.
A grin overtook my face as I started laughing, running to go pick up Ra and hold him aloft, spinning around in circles.
“WE DID IT! WE WON! Ahahahahahahaha, you were fucking amazing, buddy! That Quick dodge was superb!” I praised as I rubbed our cheeks together. Normally Ra would be batting at my face by that point, but he seemed as high on victory as I was and gave as good as he got.
I couldn’t believe it. We’d won our first battle! Sure, it was against a scrub-tier fighter, but it was still a huge deal!
Speaking of scrubs.
“Where the fuck do you think you're going?”
Sharon, Rat, and a third tall, reedy kid froze from where they’d been trying to sneak off while I was distracted. Sudden scurrying from behind told me that the other two had seen their chance as well. A thumb announced that one of them had fallen over, but I didn’t care about them.
Sharon hid behind the tall one I decided to call Reed, while holding his hands out to ward me off.
“Hey, Hey, it's cool, man. We're gonna go and we'll never bother you again, I promise. It was real nice to meet you, though, we should do this again-”
“Fat fucking chance. Empty your pockets, bitch. Come on, you know how this works.”
Sharon hesitated as I placed Ra back down on the ground. The vulpix began growling again, eyeballs locked on their prey as he started slowly prowling forward.
Which was all it took.
“You suck,” Sharon grumbled as he started rummaging around in his pants. A couple of bills and what looked like a protein bar hit the ground.
I gave a smile in response.
“Litteral skill issue. You started this, motherfucker, don't be mad at me for being better. Now, the rest.” He shook his head in denial, but I wasn’t having it. “Don't fucking try me, I’ll take it myself if I have to.”
He glared at me as he pulled an old, rusty pocket knife out from his oversized, dirt covered vest and threw it at my feet. I kept smiling as I turned to the one that truly started it all.
“You too, Rat. Cough it up.”
“I-I don't ha-have any-”
“Right, you were hanging out by Mainstreet all day with nothing to show for it. Give it. Now.”
The kid was shaking and staring at the ground as he pulled three wallets out and tried to toss it next to Sharon's pile. His trembles made him miss and the bag of rations made it barely half the distance the other stuff did, but that was fine.
Ra kept his eyes locked on them as I crouched down and inspected my loot. The wallets had a total of 300 Poké Dollars, which was pretty good. The knife was shit, but having a weapon wasn't a bad thing by any means. I stood back up and looked at them as I grabbed the protein bar and started stuffing the rest into my pockets.
Scared, shaking, and starving, it really hit home how young they were as they cowered in front of Ra. Their antics may have been at my expense, but I couldn’t blame children for trying to stay alive. I couldn’t say what they would’ve done if they’d beaten me, yet they had a knife. They could’ve shanked me as I turned the corner. Instead, they gave me a Fighting chance.
I sighed for the millionth time that day. I was way too nice of a person.
“Ra, enough. Here.” I said as I tossed 100 Poké Dollars on the ground. ”You can keep the rations too. Is there a different way outta here than the one I came from?”
Stunned silence was my only response as they stared at me incredulously. They kept gapping until Ra gave a loud yip, which funnily enough spurred the least brave member into action.
“Th-There is a l-ladder over there,” Rat stuttered as he pointed at one of the buildings. Ladder was a strong word. It was more like half broken rebar hammered into the wall at irregular intervals.
I gave them one last nod as I patted the top of my backpack towards Ra. He ran at me and with one big leap, grabbed onto the bag. I felt the egg wriggle wildy for longer than usual but it settled back down as I started climbing up the 40 foot wall.
I’d just made it to the top when a shout reached me from down below.
“DON'T THINK THIS IS OVER, YOU HEAR!? FROM TODAY ON, YOU AND I ARE RIVALS! I'LL WIN NEXT TIME, PERI!. ME AND MEOWTH ARE GONNA TRAIN AND BEAT YOU UP, YOU'LL SEE!”
It was such a fucking anime moment that I started laughing again.
“TRY ME PIPSQUEAK!”
“PIPSQUEAK!? YOU GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE, YOU SON OF A BITCH, I'LL RIP YOU APART! I'M GONNA-”
His screams faded as I turned and walked away, taking stock of my surroundings. I found myself on top of one of the highest buildings in the immediate neighborhood, almost at the edge of Gateon. The ocean was very close, as I thought, no more than a couple of streets. A lower roof led downwards in that direction, to another roof, and then another, before an actual staircase led down to the ground.
Ra hopped down as we took in the sight. From this high, Gateon was almost pretty. The different architecture, broken up by colorful camps of tents, blended together in a pleasing way, when you couldn’t see the people or smell them. In the horizon, sand bordered the endless stretch of water that glittered in the sunlight.
“What do you say? You want to go to the beach? You did a great job in that fight, you deserve to take the rest of the day off.”
Ra peered at the sea curiously and took off without a word, leaping down to the next building as I rushed to keep up.
As we made the landing for the third time, the egg shook again. I didn’t pay it much mind. It had started doing it more and more, but nothing had come from it yet.
But then it kept shaking.
And shaking.
And shaking.
To the point where there was no way to ignore it anymore.
“Wait, wait, hold up buddy. Something might be happening!”
I quickly dug the egg out of my bag and placed it on the tile as Ra trodded over. He sniffed it in curiosity, jumping back as it rolled around, vibrating almost violently. We stared at it in anticipation. Was it finally time?
It stopped.
The complaint was on the tip of my tongue when it gave its most extreme jerk yet.
CRACK!
A large crack split the shell from the top down half way.
“EEEEEEEEEEE!.”
I’d forever deny the high pitched squeal that left me. No matter how judgingly Ra looked at me. The whole last week, every night I dreamt of what was inside. Fantasies of mighty Dragonites soaring through the sky or ferocious Kingdra commanding the sea had filled my imagination.
And now it was finally time.
The cracking continued and soon it looked like a spider had spun a web across the entire thing. With one last mighty shake, pieces were sent flying as my new baby Pokémon fought its way free from its confinement and emerged into the world, falling to the ground, ready to take on all comers and stand by my side atop the world.
My purple eyes locked with its own white ones.
“Feeeeeeeeehhh.”
The large light brown fish, maybe a little over a foot in length, flopped around as it looked at me. Its thick pink lips gaped open and closed while its blue fins and tail waggled uselessly as it tried to find purchase. Darker brown spots littered its body and a large hollow triangle fin sat atop its head.
“Feeeeeeeehhh.”
I didn't even blink as I picked up the Feebas, a wheezing sound emitting from it like the air escaping a balloon. As I touched it, its flailing ceased as we stared at each other, its eyes blank and mouth hanging open in a very derpy expression.
“You know,” I started slowly, “you’re not what I expected. However,” a smile overtook my face as I hugged my new Pokémon close to my chest, “you are perfect nevertheless.”
Feebas sighed into me and wriggled a little in response.
Then a thought struck.
“Wait a second. Do you need water!?”
We locked eyes again. There were no difference in its expression, but it was almost completely limp in my grasp.
“OH MY FUCKING GOD! RA COME ON! HURRY!”, I screamed as I took off for the ocean. I swore I heard Ra sigh as he ran to catch up.
Still. Winning our first battle and getting a new Pokémon.
Not a bad day.
—---------------------------------
The driftwood sputtered and cracked as the flames licked it, thick smoke pouring off it. It had taken multiple Embers from Ra to set the damp material alight and it was still struggling.
Not that I’d let it get me down.
We'd found an empty spot down by the beach to set up the tent, not far from where I'd frantically thrown Feebas into the sea, terrified that she would suffocate in my arms.
Turns out, not a problem.
Feebas sat in the sand, staring into the fire with blank, dull eyes. Intermittently, she would slowly blink and return to look at the flames.
Everything she did was kinda slow. Even when I'd splashed water over her form, it took several seconds before she seemed to notice.
She also didn't appear to really care. Air or water, she was equally unbothered.
I'd also decided that she was a girl. I had nothing to base that assumption on but she'd eventually evolve into a Milotic and that was a feminine Pokémon. Not impeccable logic, but I'd stick to it until corrected.
Ra was curled up by the fire, happily snoozing away. I’d been worried about their first meeting, yet it was incredibly anticlimactic. Ra had sniffed at Feebas, Feebas had stared and that was kind of it. No instant bond between teammates or hostility from a predator to what could easily be a part of his diet.
So, not great or terrible. I'd take it though.
“There you are.”
I flinched at the sudden voice, Ra jumping to his feet as well. A shape emerged from the darkness of the night, holding up its hands as it slowly approached. The flickering light of the campfire slowly crept up the short, stout body and revealed the face of the leader of the child gang I'd encountered earlier in the day.
“Fucking shit! The fuck you doing, creeping up like that!? You back for round two!?”
Sharon lowered his hands and shook his head, though that didn't stop him from firing back.
“Please, you think you're worth the effort? I was going easy on you earlier. If I was serious, I'd crush you.”
“Oh yeah? How about you put your money where your mouth is, bitch.”
He shook his head with faux disappointment. “Such a thug. ‘ere I came all this way to make sure you're good and this is the welcome I get?”
“What? Why?” He'd attacked me and I took his shit just a few hours ago. What part of that indicated a positive relationship.
Hands stuffed into his pockets, Sharon spoke while avoiding my eyes.
“Rough part of the world, this. Rat would feel bad if you got shived in an alley, even if you're a weakling.”
Before I could point out the incredible irony of that statement, he quickly switched the topic, pointing towards Feebas with his chin.
“New Pokémon?”
“Yeeeah.” I said slowly, put off by the sudden change in demeanor from our first meeting. I hadn't expected this. “My egg hatched right after I left your broke ass behind.”
He scowled, yet let it go.
“Feebas, huh? Tough luck. At least Magicarp evolves.”
I kept my face neutral while my mind started whirring.
Did people not know that Feebas evolved into Milotic? Or was that just Sharon's Orre street-rat upbringing.
Probably a decent bet that it was just Sharon.
“Not that I giv’ a damn about your dumb fish. It won't save you in our next battle!”
I'd have responded with a stupendously witty retort, but Feebas got there first. For the first time since she hatched I saw an emotion other than uninterest on her face. I thought so anyway. It would take some time before I was confident in my ability to judge fish facial expressions. Her eyes slowly narrowed as she looked up at Sharon, cheeks puffing out even slower. The other boy backed up at the clear sign of aggression and I leaned forward to try and stop her, recognizing the signs of a Water Gun.
Too late.
SPLASH!
Water dripped from her lips, falling limply to the sand a couple of inches from her mouth.
We both stared for a moment before Sharon started laughing.
“Just hatched, right. ‘ad me sweating a bit, I’ll admit. But like I said, that ain't gonna help you. Later dipshit.”
I didn't respond as he retreated into the shadows, merely picking Feebas up and holding her in front of my face. I couldn't be sure, but I'd swear there was a hint of shame in her eyes.
“We have a lot of work to do.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nobody sees the Feebas inquisition coming. I love Feebas, though. Derpy ass fish.
