Chapter Text
You're running down the hallway, hands behind your back, not caring about the eyes on you as you do so. You had an important question to ask the resident biology teacher about a little... situation of yours. It was the first day of summer classes, which you had enrolled in at basically the very last second in a desperate bid to solve your problem.
You make it to the door, classroom 1-A. You don't even bother knocking, striding right into your homeroom class 45 minutes early so you'd have a better chance at talking one-on-one.
"Mr. Jacq!"
The man chokes on his coffee, having been startled by your abrupt entrance.
"Eh-" he coughs, putting the coffee mug down and hitting his chest. You give him a moment, adrenaline flushing out your body as his reaction grounds you.
"...sorry..." you say rather meekly.
He makes a flapping gesture with his hand to dissuade you.
"Nono, not to worry, I-"
He clears his throat one last time.
"...just..." He coughs, getting the last bit of spluttering out of his system. "...wasn't expecting anyone yet..."
He sits up, looking at you.
"You are..." He squints and says the first name on his mind, and you nod, confirming it. He seems relieved to have remembered your name and face from orientation.
"So! How may I assist you this fine morning?"
You're suddenly nervous for some reason. You almost forgot why you came in with such a fiery passion, but then-
"Oh, right! I caught my first ever Pokémon two months ago. Problem is-- it's kind of a jerk."
He snorts.
"Oh really?"
"Yeah! Look at this thing!"
You pull your arm from behind your back before he could really respond, showing him a Capsakid silently staring out into space. At first, neither of you say a word, but after a few moments, Jacq gets curious.
"Wh-why is it like this? Did something happen?"
"No? It's just been like this lately. I don't know if this is better or worse than what it was like before, though."
He looks up at you.
"What was it like before?"
You grumble, remembering the start of your rivalry.
"Well, before, whenever I left the city to go towards Porto Marinada, it'd run up and attack me! Now, it doesn't really attack me anymore, it just doesn't listen..."
Jacq nods, looking the little bud directly in the eyes. Capsakid seemed to be staring right through him as if in deep thought, not making a peep. It takes him a moment, but he realizes something.
"Wait, you caught it near Cascarrafa, right? In the Asado Desert?"
"Yeah?"
"Aaand this is your very first Pokémon, right?"
"...yeah?"
He looks at you, unsure of how to say this.
"Well, uh..."
He looks up at you.
"...I... I don't think it respects you yet."
"WHAT!?" You reel back, Capsakid still in-hand.
He winces.
"I'm sorry. You need to get a bit more experienced first, maybe train up a weaker Pokémon or two so it can watch you get better? Pokémon in that area are fairly strong, they need the right kind of trainer to tame them. It'll be harder for beginners to get through to them."
He waits for your response. You haven't made a move yet, still holding Capsakid, who looks to be falling asleep. You grunt, shaking your head a bit before finally saying something.
"Ugh, fine.
He smiles. Meekly, but he still smiles.
"Great! I'm rooting for you, I hope to see you two getting along this semester..."
You nod, defeated, walking out of class, Capsakid still in-hand.
_\V/_
It was lunch time. You made your way outside, placing the Capsakid down in the grass, where it immediately started running around. You were sitting in the shade so it could refuel in the sunshine as you ate. You pull out an apple slice.
"Hey, Kid!"
The Capsakid continues to spin around, as if it didn't hear you. You know it did, however, as it quite obviously smirked when it noticed you. You grumble.
"Hey, your loss!"
It continues to bask in the sun as you angrily munch on your sandwich, glaring at it.
You don't notice the pair of eyes on you.
"Hello, hello, there!"
You turn to the man, who looked to feel bad about your predicament.
"Hm?"
He walks over to you, looking at Capsakid.
"Looks like it's enjoying itself..." he comments absent-mindedly.
You nod.
"I guess so..."
He looks down at you, then back up at Capsakid.
"Hey, if you want to feed it, do this."
He gets a Poké Block out of a little container in his pocket before holding it up.
"Hey, Capsakid!"
It stops, turning toward him.
"This is for you, eat it when you want to, Ok?"
He places it a little ways away from you on a napkin. Capsakid watches his every move before looking up at him... and then going right back to running around.
"See??"
"Nono, that was the point. It'll come to you when it's ready, and it will most likely keep its distance. Buuut, it'll still eat if it's hungry, and probably even appreciate you letting it have its space."
You look at Jacq, before looking over at Capsakid, who doesn't look to be done quite yet. You decide to trust his word, though.
"...okay..."
He grins.
"There ya go, patience is key here. I know you'll do great."
You can't help but doubt him, but you take what he says to heart.
_\V/_
Classes were over, and you were at the library. Capsakid was watching you read a book on Pokémon obedience. Sighing, you look over to it, and it looks at you... and smirks. You grumble.
"Yeah, I don't think this book will work for you, you're a strange one for sure..."
It just giggles at you. It was melodic, even vaguely familiar, but you were too preoccupied by its audacity to think about it. You snap the book closed, causing it to jump a little.
"A'ight! I think it's about time we head to our dorms."
You get up, making your way over to the shelf you got the book from. Capsakid watches you again as you struggle to push the row of books back to slide it in. You grunt, but you manage, sighing and turning to the juvenile (and you do mean juvenile) spicy pepper.
"Ya ready?"
It blinks, not giving an answer. You simply walk over and grab him, but not before thinking of something.
"...y'know, the school store might have something that can help us."
Capsakid tilts its head as you commit to this little change of course.
_\V/_
"MR. JAAAAACQ!!"
You run into the biology room, catching him off-guard as he was studying the terrarium he kept at the back of the classroom.
"Wha-"
"It's doing it again!"
You hold Capsakid out to him, who was staring out into space like that first morning before classes started. Jacq looks at it.
"...uh-huh... what did you do right before this started?"
"I-I dunno! We were watching a movie in my dorm, and it wasn't paying attention because it was eating a snack! I thou-"
"A snack," he mumbles to himself. You pause your explanation, looking at him. He continues, turning to you.
"What was it?"
"A Poké Bean?"
His eyes light up.
"OHHHHH! That explains it."
"Huh?" You don't know what he means.
"You gave it a bean, those usually endear people to Pokémon because they start to associate you with the good feelings they get while eating them. But with you, it feels conflicted, since it still doesn't respect you..."
You take in his answer... and it makes sense.
"Oh. So he just feels neutral instead of actually liking me more."
"Correct."
He looks at your defeated expression and solemnly smiles.
"I take it Capsakid ate a bean before you came in on the first day, too?"
You nod once. He huffs a little. Capsakid is just lazily relaxing in your hands, so he decides to do a little test.
"Hold it up to your face?"
"Eh? Okay..."
You do as you're told, holding Capsakid up and turning it around to look at your face. Jacq walks behind you to see it staring directly into your eyes, neutrality evident.
"Ah, yeah, see? It needs consistency. It wants to listen, it knows you're trying, but you don't have a commanding enough presence yet. It can tell you're unsure of yourself, but it still sees you, see?"
"It... sees me?" You move it to the side a little. It turns its head to keep staring at you, eyes widening a little. You aren't sure what this means.
"What do you mean?"
"Heh, it's easier to notice as you get to know it, but it sees who you are, and it wants to trust you enough to let you command it, but it needs to see that you know what you're dealing with."
You nod. You think you get it. Just get strong and keep being nice. You can do this, even though you've never trained a Pokémon before. You didn't even really help in training your mom's Dachsbun when you were growing up, but you'll still try.
You nod.
"Okay, I'll do my best."
He beams at you.
"Nice! I'm glad you're sticking by its side, even if it's a little f-frustrating..."
You nod at this, idly staring at the Pokémon in your hands. Guess this is it, no turning back now, lest you end up enrolled for absolutely no reason.
_\V/_
It's the end of Jacq's class. He had asked you to stay behind for a little bit, so here you were, poking Capsakid with the eraser side of your pencil to keep it from tearing your notes out. Jacq comes over, pulling a stool up on the other side of the table to study it.
"So, how have things been going?"
"Bad." Is all you say, keeping your eye on your little troublemaker.
He hums in response, looking at it too. He shoots it a stern yet gentle glare, so it plops down on the table, looking out at the posters near the door to seem occupied.
"Well, it's obvious it still causes mischief, but perhaps it's just in its nature," he adds while getting a good look at it. Getting a better, calm look is making him notice things about Capsakid he didn't before, but he can't be sure without a more thorough analysis.
Capsakid grunts, or at least, you think it does, as Jacq gently puts a finger on its head to see how it reacts. It's still able to move, so it turns its head to get a look at him, a surprised expression on its face. It intimidates you, seeing Jacq so effortlessly calm it down just by being there. Perhaps Capsakid can sense his strength? His ability to tame?
You hum, deep in thought, looking down at the table. You needed a game-plan, because it's quite obvious it won't trust your abilities more in any way but to show it how commanding you can be.
After a bit of silence (which you thankfully don't notice), you sit up.
"Jacq?"
You notice him quickly looking down when you bring your attention back to him, Capsakid looking at him curiously.
"Yes?"
"I think... I'm gonna go out for a few days, catch a weak Pokémon and start from the beginning. Have it watch me, even."
He nods, keeping his eyes trained on the tiny pepper.
"Sounds like a plan. Maybe this is the thing it needs to trust you."
You huff a little and simply say "Hopefully..."
_\V/_
"CAPSAKID, USE HEADBUTT!"
The little green baby, bless its heart, actually listened... until it decided to run away from the Pawmi about halfway there.
"WHAT THE-"
Capsakid runs before unceremoniously falling on its face. You stare for a second, not sure if you should go over and help when it sits its head up.
"...you good?"
It stands up on its own before running toward you. You don't move, watching it to see what it does. It just looks up at you.
"...um..."
The Pawmi isn't quite sure what to make of the situation, looking over at the little group of Pawmi she was once apart of before quickly turning back towards you two, still on-edge.
You grunt.
"Ok, use Headbutt!"
The Capsakid aims for Pawmi... before using Bullet Seed, the same attack it used on you whenever you entered the desert back home. Pawmi actually takes quite a thrashing, but it holds it together, shaking off the move and avoiding the next onslaught the best is can despite being fairly inexperienced. You take this moment of weakness as your chance to catch it, throwing the Pokéball at the creature and watching it shake... shake... shake... until...
She escapes?
"Oh no!"
Pawmi lets out a mighty cry before running over, using Thunder Shock on your partner. Capsakid tanks the hit with ease despite being quite a bit smaller than it... actually, why is it so small? They're usually about the same height...
You make a mental note to ask Jacq about that later.
"Capsakid, use..."
You get an idea.
"...Zen Headbutt?"
Capsakid perks up in recognition before simply swaying a little, closing its eyes and yawning.
Right, it seems to know Zen Headbutt. You had read somewhere that the Capsakid that live around the area you met may know that one.
You grunt, readying a Pokéball.
"Capsakid, use... um..."
Your hesitation makes Capsakid emit that same melodic little giggle. A villain in the making, really. You growl, trembling, looking up to yell out into the sky before turning your attention to Capsakid. Your shadow looms over the creature, words forceful and eyes showing a fury it hadn't seen before.
"CAPSAKID, USE BULLET SEED!"
It flinches instead, which causes you loosen your stance as the Pawmi uses this opportunity to Scratch it, quite badly, actually. You jump back, yelping in surprise and worry, but it shakes it off and throws a quick yet intense Bullet Seed her way, which seems to do the trick. You throw the Pokéball, and finally, you catch your second Pokémon.
"All right! Now we're moving!"
Capsakid turns around, staring up at you.
"Hey, you did great, Kid! C'mon, let's go back. It's getting dark, and you need a recharge."
You recall it before running to a Poké Center to heal your team members.
_\V/_
You run back to the academy, excited to settle in and start your new life tomorrow, a life with a new friend, and a life where Capsakid might actually listen to you.
You knock on Jacq's door, where you know he'll be lingering, probably with a coffee and a stack of papers. And you're right! He answers, a puzzled look on his face when he realizes you look like you just ran a marathon.
"Eh? You all right, there?"
"I went-" *Huff* "-to the place-" *Huff* "-down there, w-with th-" *Huff* "-the people-!"
He furrows an eyebrow, unsure of what you're trying to convey there as you continue to steady your breathing.
"I... see?"
You take a deep breath before perking up, breathing still a little haggard.
"Yeah! Here's my new Pokémon, Mimi!"
You let Pawmi out of its Pokéball, emitting a squeal as she materializes. She then looks around, eyes full of awe and wonder as she studies her surroundings. Jacq can't help but smile.
"Oh, great job! How'd catching it go?"
"Well, I uh... eventually Cap... kinda listened?"
He has a face that betrays the fact that he's a bit skeptical, but he's a professional, and he's there to listen and figure out what happened.
"Tell me, what do you mean by, uh, 'kinda'?"
You start to remember the fight, how it almost listened when you commanded it to use Headbutt, which it seems to have stopped using in favor of perfecting its slightly stronger alternative. How it didn't use the move you called out until...
...until...
Your eyes widen momentarily as you get a sinking feeling of guilt in your stomach. You were aggressive. It flinched. You didn't want it to be trained or raised fearing you, no matter how bad it can be. You just wanted to get along and grow closer.
Jacq notices the pained look on your face as it drastically falls. He puts a hand on your shoulder.
"It's okay, tell me what happened, I'll understand."
Your voice trembles a little.
"I-I-" you take a deep breath in through your nose, tears forming in the corners of your eyes. Jacq goes from worried to mildly panicked, leaning in a little more.
"...I yelled... at it, I-"
You take in a few rapid breaths, guilt clawing at you with no end in sight. Jacq clears his throat a little before guiding you towards a chair in front of Pawmi, who was now sitting on a desk, looking rather excited for its new life amongst these weird lights.
Jacq kneels in front of you as you continue to try and hold back your tears, one arm hovering in front of your face.
"Okay, okay, it happens, even experienced trainers slip up sometimes, don't feel too bad..."
But it's too late. You shudder as the tears fall, a pitiful noise escaping your lips as you curl in on yourself a little.
"Bu-but, it's just a- a little guy-y-"
Jacq gently places a finger under your chin, lifting your head up as you sniffle and babble to yourself, staring off to the side and recalling how Capsakid flinched under you, which elicits a whimper. He's lost in the moment, not thinking about how bad this would look, even if you are an adult student. He just stares, your eyes now squeezed shut as you get sucked into your sorrow. It takes him a few moments for him to even remember where you two are, and when he does, the rest of the situation comes crashing back down on him. His eyes go wide and he reverts back to instructor mode.
"Okay, stay here."
He stands up and walks over to his desk, which is when you take the opportunity to turn and sob into the one in front of you. This catches Pawmi off-guard, who worriedly pats you on the head and squeaks, bending down to try and catch a glimpse of your face. He returns with what you assume are tissues. He pulls your arm a little so your body is facing his again, before kneeling like before, taking your hands in his and placing some on top of your hands.
"Remember this moment..." he begins, eyes closed and thumbs gently rubbing your hands over the tissues. "Remember, that you're trying, and sometimes you make mistakes. That the road is winding, and confusing, and sometimes, a path that brings you closer to the finish line might end up being a dead-end..."
You sniffle, finally cracking your eyes open and looking at the bunch of tissues.
"...but you're still trying, and improving despite it all, because for whatever reason deep in your heart, this is all worth the effort, the effort of even trying. What happens next is not the goal, this step right here is..."
And then it hits you. Why... are you trying? It's not like you HAD to keep Capsakid, you didn't need to dedicate your life to a troublemaker that got some sick joy out of tormenting you, watching you hesitate to leave the city and cackling with glee. You could've given it away, let it loose far away from you, kept it under your bed, even registered yourself a storage box using a PC and put it there until the end of time...
But for some reason, this made your stomach churn and left a bitter taste in your mouth. You even winced at this realization, face twisting into one of mild discomfort for even thinking it.
Capsakid, for whatever reason, didn't fight back when you caught it. You didn't even HAVE to fight it. You borrowed a Larvesta from a local rental service to accompany you to the pier, but you didn't need to use it, awkwardly hesitating to call out a move before deciding not to fight it at all, throwing the Pokéball and tempting fate.
And it worked. You assumed the wide-eyes it had as you threw it were of surprise, but now, your mind is saying something else was there as well. It almost immediately took to destroying your place, causing mayhem for you, and overall being a little menace.
But it stayed, for whatever reason. And you wanted to understand it, for yet another unknown reason.
Jacq notices the scowl on your face and grows worried. He leaves the tissues in your hands before gently, but firmly rubbing his hands up and down your arms.
"Please... please don't give up on this little guy..."
Your eyes shoot open before looking puzzled, almost shocked he'd even ask that before realizing he doesn't know what you just went through internally. You shake your head.
"I won't."
He smiles, rather uncontrollably at that.
"Good."
_\V/_
You're yawning, barely holding it together as you stumble your way towards homeroom with a coffee from the Seabreeze Café. Capsakid strides ahead of you, a deadpan look on its face, although it seems to be smiling a little. Pawmi is sitting on your shoulder, holding on tight and looking around. Jacq walks out carrying a small stack of papers before spotting you, face lighting up and grinning.
"Ah, hello, hello, how are you today?"
You groan, eyes closed, leaning forward as if you're about to fall over. Mimi squeaks in surprise, eyes shooting open and tensing up before collecting herself.
"I think Cap has Insomnia. Like, actual insomnia," you start. "I wanted to spend time with it last night, but..."
You yawn as Cap simply gives up and walks into the classroom without you.
"I... I thought that meant it was only resistant to moves that put it to sleep, but... I guess it leaks out into day-to-day life, too?"
Jacq nods.
"That happens. In fact, it's perfectly normal, being the case more often than you'd think."
You nod, eyes still closed. You manage to force them open after squeezing them shut for a moment. When you do, Jacq has a fond smile on his face, trying to hold back a laugh. You flinch, not expecting to see him like this. He chuckles a bit.
"Ah, you should go inside. I'll be back after I make copies of this assignment, sooo, sit tight, all right?"
You yawn again, nodding before walking to your usual spot. Putting your head down, you felt sleep quickly overtake you, so you allow yourself to take a little nap.
_\V/_
A little while later, you hear Jacq's voice calling your name.
"Heyyyy... hello?"
You snort and sit up, drool on your face and eyes closed. As you wipe it away, you hear snickering. It's really close, so you open one eye a tad to see him looking down at you.
"-eh?"
He's sitting backwards in a chair, arms resting on the back of it and laying his head down, staring at you with an amused expression, a strange twinkle in his crinkled eyes. Or, maybe it's there because your vision is blurry...?
"Yoo-oou mumble in your sleeeep~" he said in a sing-songy voice.
You make a weird whimpering noise before sitting up some more.
"Yeah...?" you say, squeezing your eyes shut before shaking your head, blinking a few times to see better. It was as you were doing this that you realized--
"-CRAP!" You panic, looking around the room. This catches Jacq off-guard, but he quickly realized what was wrong when you looked under your desk.
"Oh, your Pokémon! They're both OK, we just had lunch."
You sigh with relief.
"Oh, thank gooooooooooo--"
You squint, processing the previous statement.
"...did I... sleep through like, half my classes...?"
He nods, leaning in again, bottom half of his face covered by his arm as he looks off to the side. His voice is muffled slightly, but you understand him.
"Mm-hmm, you just wouldn't wake up. But even if you were able to get up, I couldn't send you to class like that, so I let you stay in here..."
You grumble, sitting up.
"I... see..."
You stretch, face contorting a little as your eyebrows furrowed. Letting out a little yawn, you hunch over, eyes closed.
"Ok, now what? I gotta... get myself together, hold on-"
Jacq gives you a moment to figure out a game-game-plan as he pulls out his Rotom Phone.
You didn't know why missing class felt so bad. You were only here to learn how to raise Cap, and you guess Mimi now. Plus, your schedule was flexible to the point of it being comedic. Your heart really wasn't in your studies, but that wasn't the school's fault.
As you sit there, thinking to yourself, a man walks into the room. You don't think to open your eyes or look at whoever entered, but when you hear the familiar cries of your Pokémon, you turn to see Mr. Saguaro pointing in your direction. Mimi runs along his arm with a few happy little squeaks, hopping from table-to-table with Kid on her back, who jumps off at the desk directly next to yours as Mimi comes to nuzzle you.
"These little ones were certainly a handful, but I enjoyed making food small enough to accommodate them. It was..."
He looks off to the side, a thoughtful expression on his face before nodding with a smile.
"...adorable."
You nod, saying "I can imagine!" before thanking him for taking care of them, looking at your duo as he leaves. Mimi was rubbing on your arm, obviously happy despite how the day started, while Capsakid... is looking at you, mouth slightly tilted to the side as if realizing something.
"Eh?"
Jacq notices, too. Turning in the chair so he's facing Capsakid, he makes an observation.
"Hm, seems like it's thinking hard about something."
You turn to him.
"Huh? Like what? It just got here..."
He nods.
"True. It may be something already on its mind that's just starting to make sense."
You squint, leaning back.
"Wha-"
You look at Capsakid again, who's eyes seem to widen when you do. The little tilted frown on its face deepens, eyes now slightly furrowed, prompting you to frown as well, a little worried. Jacq turns toward you.
"I wouldn't worry about it, it doesn't seem to be stressed about anything, just pondering something. But if anything changes, be sure to take note of it, okay?"
You nod, still facing Capsakid, observing how it watches your response.
"Will do."
_\V/_
You grumble a little trying to come up with a route. Capsakid is sitting on your desk and looking up at you as you study your map. You then turn to Pawmi.
She was resting under your window, taking in the sunlight like Capsakid would usually do. You look at the clock. It's almost time for you to head out and start your week-long training session.
Grabbing your bag and your empty belt, you give them a little warning.
"Ok, you two! 12 more minutes and we're out of here!"
Mimi seems to take what you said and decides to use this time to mentally prepare herself, nodding with a determined face. Capsakid, however, just keeps on munching, no change in energy or even a sign that it heard you. You aren't worried, but you feel a bit bummed starting off like this. You decide not to let this change anything, simply going to the man that's helped you the most so far.
You leave your Pokémon in the room, going to the biology room, where he's currently in-between classes. Giving the door a few good taps is what it takes to get his attention. You feel the smile in his voice, as if he expected and even knew it was you.
"Ah, hello, hello! Come on in!"
You do so, walking into the classroom.
"Hi..." You shyly wave at him.
"Yooou ready for today?"
You nod.
"Yup! Super ready, ready to get it done at least."
He... nods, hesitantly.
"Ah, I see."
You realize what you said.
"Uhp- kidding! Kidding. No, really, I'm kidding! It's just... I dunno."
"Hey, no, I get it. New chapter, very overwhelming stuff." He flashes a toothy smile.
You feel uneasy, looking at his smile, but you ignore the feeling.
"S-sorry, just dropping by 'cause... well, I-I don't know why."
You fiddle with your belt a little.
"Hey, it's all right, you don't need a reason to come see me."
"Oh! Okay, then uh..."
You awkwardly point finger guns at him.
"...see ya next week...?"
He grins just as awkwardly.
"Yeah? Of course."
You nod before waddling out without another word towards to your dorm room. 'Why are things weird now?' You can't help but ponder this as you slam your door shut.
"Ookaay, you ready?"
Mimi chirps affirmatively, but Kid ignores you entirely, laying on its side and pretending to be asleep. You wait a few seconds before groaning, the realization that it's doing this on purpose hitting you. You simply recall it back into its Pokéball and call for Mimi.
"C'mon, Mii! We're off!"
You walk out your dorm room, making sure to lock it. Pawmi on your shoulder, you begin your march toward the entrance hall. This was the first time you really left the school for an extended period of time, so you were a little nervous. But at this point, you'd do anything to get Capsakid to respect you.
During your talk the other day, Jacq had reassured you that Capsakid actually does seem to like you, but that was hard to believe since it doesn't see you as worthy of being its trainer. He said it's normal for this to happen, that both can be true at once, but it still felt bewildering, so you didn't get your hopes up.
Sighing, you step into the great hall, looking around one last time... as you heard footsteps approaching, along with your own name. Turning around, you saw Jacq, face red as he caught up with you.
"Ah, thank goodness you're still here-!"
He stops for a moment, hands on his knees as he bent over to catch his breath, mumbling "I really should've remembered- while you were still in my class-" to himself. You stand there, unsure of what to do. Mimi makes a little cooing noise as she stares at him, also uncertain. He finally sits back up, pulling something out of his pocket. It was a phone you've seen a lot of your peers using.
"I can't help but notice you have an older model of Rotom Phone," he starts, causing you to jump slightly at how embarrassingly blunt his comment was for a second. He continues, saying "-it's no problem in day-to-day life, but, you might want a newer one while out exploring. It could very well save your life!"
You think about this, not quite sure what he means. He can see your confusion, so he explains.
"Ah, this model has the ability to do many things! It can even power other items in the Rotom line. And if you ever fall, it will sense your velocity and slow your descent, no matter where you are."
He looks away, sheepish.
"I-it also has the latest edition of the Pokédex app. Fun fact! I, uh, developed it myself, back before I was in education..."
He seemed so timid stating his accomplishment, but you're honestly more curious now.
"Okay, how do I upgrade my phone, and where should I get one?"
Jacq smiled, holding the empty shell out.
"Just let your rotom possess this! All your data should transfer over, but it'll take a little while for it to adjust to the new one, it'll have to sync up with all its capabilities..."
"Wha- aren't those expensive?"
His face stays the same for a moment before morphing into one of sheer panic.
"Oh! Don't worry about it, really! You're starting your journey from the very beginning, i-it'd be easier if I aided you along the way... I have a few spares, the lab can be a mess at times, and uh... y-y'know..."
He closes his eyes as he finishes, grinning nervously. It seems like he didn't even think about it, so you hesitantly nod, holding your phone up. Jacq does the same, holding up the new one. It's the same color as your current one, so the transition shouldn't be too hard.
Your Rotom emerged from your old phone, leaving it a husk before entering the new one. The screen lit up in an instant, successfully making the move.
"Oh! Now what?"
He hands it to you.
"You just wait for it to boot back up to your lock screen..."
It's actually fairly quick, and soon enough, you see a familiar sight: a weird doodle of Pawmi blepping.
Jacq raises an amused eyebrow at this. You nervously chuckle, but remain silent otherwise.
"Ah, there you go! Now, you may have to wait for certain apps to update, but they'll all be available soon... any questions?"
You shake your head no, but you do offer something.
"I-is it weird to... exchange numbers?"
He tenses up, but he shakes his head.
"Well, I suppose not. I mean..."
You looks away.
"...of course... we can, I mean."
You nod before allowing your phones to exchange contacts, sending each other your default greeting messages.
"Thanks, might need a bit of advice while out on the field," you say, pointing to and holding your phone up, shaking it a little. He nods, grunting a little.
After this, curiousity gets the better of you. You check to see if the Pokédex app had updated, and it did, so you check it out on the spot. Jacq, upon hearing the little jingle, grew panicked, holding his hands up.
"W-wait, right here??"
You look at him, confused as the app loaded up.
"Oh, I wanted to test it out... maybe I can register Pawmi?"
He doesn't respond verbally, but after a few seconds, he gives a single nod.
You look at Pawmi, who nods as well before jumping off your shoulder, politely sitting down on the ground in front of you two with a little smile. She seems to know what the Pokédex is already, as if she's seen other Pokémon be, or even been scanned by it herself. You huff in amusement.
"Huh, even wild Pokémon seem to know about this. Great job, Jacq!"
You playfully rub his side with your elbow, eliciting a little chuckle as he turns away, limply holding the side of his left hand up to his mouth while rubbing his head with the right, flustered.
You hold your phone up, scanning the mon, heart pounding as you register your first Pokémon in quite a while, as well as the first time registering a teammate, something you were quite content not having before, but now couldn't wait to get to know more-
"Pawmi, the Mouse Pokémon. It has underdeveloped electric sacs on its cheeks, as well as electricity-discharging organs on the pads of its paws. The sacs on its cheeks will only produce electricity when furiously rubbed using its paw pads, while its stance is unsteady when firing electricity from said forepaws."
Pawmi sits up with pride, while your eyes sparkle with a newfound ardor.
"Whoooooah, this is so coool! No wonder people are always running around filling these things up!"
Sure, you had used the old app to identify Pokémon before, but to learn about your new friend sparked something in you.
"It's so convenient, too! You kinda blessed the world here-"
You turn to him, but now his entire upper half is facing away from you, head rubs now furious in intensity. You immediately go silent upon this revelation. His voice cracks a little when he responds.
"O-oh ye-ah?"
He then clears his throat, fist flying up to cover it.
"Thank y-you."
He turns away entirely. You tilt your head, but Pawmi has a glint in her eyes, paws flying up to suppress a giggle. You idly wonder what she saw when he coughs.
"Well then, b-be sure to have fun out there! I have to go, class starts soon, but uh, you have my number! Goodbye."
He then power walks off, head down.
You stand there confused as to why he was so apprehensive about you using the app in front of him before shrugging. Developers know best after all. Maybe he was in the process of fixing something, the previous edition doesn't get updated much. Pawmi seems to be staring at you with a devious smile, as if she knows.
"Paws, you may need to be my eyes sometimes."
She closes her eyes and chirps, seemingly happy with that idea.