Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Submission Date: September 24 2024 / 3:15 PM

Project Daydream

Chapter 1 - Daydreamer's Lament

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Professor Birch sighed as the last bit of paperwork was finished with the stroke of his pen. Double checking the last page from top to bottom, the pokemon professor nodded in satisfaction before slotting the set of documents into their appropriate envelope and set aside to be later filed to their appropriate destination.

It was a dull, if necessary part of the job. While the professor very much enjoyed the opportunities his profession offered him, paperwork was still paperwork. Yet even still, it was a boredom that helped keep his lab in this part of Hoenn running. From running requests for new supplies, filling details from the latest lab reports and experiments, to noting down the latest from his trainers and assistants in the field, Birch had to look through all of it personally.

Running a hand through his hair, an idle glance caught the other item of interest that Birch had parceled out time for the day.

“Well, almost all of it.” Birch thought, pulling a simple red notebook towards him and thumbing the name stenciled in black ink on the top left corner of the journal.

Willis Polanski

J a12o202 7 00 Nov21 o2-14

It was not a name Birch had ever heard being used in Hoenn, nor in any region bordering or abroad from that matter. And the unusual dating system left… Enough to be desired. But then again, that was not a surprise seeing that both he and Lee Henderson were not from here in the first place.

The professor’s fingers drummed along the spine, his thoughts reflecting between the two extradimensional individuals brought here those three months ago. Both hailed from the same country, a land made up of fifty states and a population that eclipsed Hoenn’s by the triple digits. Yet the same two individuals came from differing times, eight years apart. One unscarred, the other…

Birch shuddered, shaking his mind off of Lee’s origins and forcing his thoughts on the subject at hand as he turned the cover.

Date: May 4 2027 (Earth Origin) / March 13 2014 (Hoenn Calander)

It’s been… About three months since I got here. Since the event that brought me and… -the other guy and that special vulpix of his to this world to this place.

Professor Birch frowned. The area that was scratched out had been smudged well, but he could just barely make out what words they were supposed to say.

“We’ll need to find a better way for you to date these things, Willis. Not to mention, your obfuscation.”

Clicking his tongue, Birch marked the area with a highlighter and scrawled a note next to it before reading on.

You can say many things about Mr. Henderson, but idle is not one of them. Last I checked, he managed to score himself his first gym badge while fighting the Rustbro gym leader at her apex. Looks like all that time spent trawling those Y- videos and forums managed to pay off it seems. Even managed to get acquainted with a few other special mons. Same goes for his other companions, such as the professor’s son, and that dragon trainer.

I’ll say this much, they’ve done a lot in a short span of time. It seems this journey, from what little I have been able to glean from it anyway, has done Mr. Henderson good. His prior occupation handling animals has been a boon, even from the very start when he handled that situation with the Absol. Crazy to think someone would be stupid enough to take a n egg here and not expect the mother to be pissed about it. Especially seeing Pokemon are more… Well, more to put it bluntly.

Birch read and re-read the passage for a few moments, clicking the pen in his hand. There were certain tells, but nothing too overt.

Yet still, it was impossible to miss the contrast being set up from the get go. Considering the fact that Willis elected to stay behind whereas Lee when straight to venture out into the great unknown with little to no hesitation…

“Even if I were not a scientist, Will, you have said a lot about yourself already.” Birch shook his head, stretching his fingers with a pop as he settled in for a deeper read.

I mean, considering what damage a Pokemon could do, Lee was both very lucky, brave, and perceptive enough to make the situation work. Good on him, I say. And that isn’t even getting how fast he managed to progress with that vulpix of his. A ninetales in that short amount of time? From a potent firestone that makes the vixen one of the more potent ones in the world? Came in handy after-

2:36 PM

Resume 2:45PMish

Birch paused, noting the timestamp and abrupt stop. If anyone else was looking, they’d presume the writer had stopped to address one thing or another. Which, judging by the habits he had seen from the man’s reports dotted with half starts and the like, it indeed was the case. 2:30 was roughly around the time when Willis took his short breaks for the day before resuming his work. Yet that ten minute gap spoke volumes if his appraisal of Will’s mental state was correct.

Then there was the donphan in the room.

Birch frowned. It was not much of a mystery of what event the author was referring to after Lee’s encounter with Team Magma, and Maxie of all people with that monster of a Pokemon. Taking a deep breath, the professor shook his head before reading on.

Yeah… That event. But needless to say, it seems they’ve managed to recover, even if that other companion of Lee’s ditched right before they got there. Probably for the best, considering.

Vague. But if Lee had been forthcoming with Willis, then…

Beyond that, apparently they’ve managed to make some progress in some other region of Hoenn. Some secret spot or some other after catching the attention of steel type specialist.

A lie. But considering only he and a very scant few others knew the whereabouts of Lee’s adventure, was suitable enough.

All in all, Lee’s done very well for himself. I’d say I am jealous, but I don’t think I’ve missed too much that I cannot have seen via video or otherwise. Pictures are nice, as well as those entries Lee makes. It’s nicer this way.

Easier.

Safer.

Quieter.

Can’t be done otherwise. When one factors in Lee’s run ins with danger, I’ve made the right decision to hold the fort here.

The footsteps of Birch’s Medicham interrupted his reading. He paused, glancing over to see his faithful starter holding two cups of coffee in his hands.

“Thanks, I needed the pick me up.” he said, taking the cup and sipping it. Medicham nodded, letting an audible version of you’re welcome out before glancing down at the journal on the table. It took only a few moments of reading before the psychic glanced at Birch, raising an eye. The man nodded, shrugging his shoulders before shaking his head.

“No, can’t say I buy it either.” Birch took another swig of his coffee, embracing the comfort it gave him as the hot liquid sent a burst of heat down into his core. “-But, we’ll need to read the rest before committing to something.” he said, grimacing as the vertebrate in his spine popped. Medicham was on it, pressing into the right spot with a firm push of his thumb, another pop causing Birch to let out a sigh of relief.

“You’re really a lifesaver in my old age, Medi.” Birch grunting, shooting the mon a smile, who nodded in return before tapping the journal.

“Yeah, let’s get back to it.”

Considering how well I’ve done in the simulator, I… Well, it’s for the best I remain here. Did okay. Kinda like a souped up version of the video games I played. Speaking of, Birch has me scheduled for another go at it again. Don’t know why, seeing my mediocre res-

3:04 PM.

(Hold thought. Something came up. Need to take care of it real quick)

“Meeedi…”

Birch looked to see Medicham shaking his head, arms crossed.

“No, I don’t think Willis did too bad there. Not great, but I’ve seen worse. He’s competent, if his use of his bug types to pin and wear down his foes with string shot is sound.”

Resume 3:40 PM May 6 M15

Yeah, back to what I was saying. Tried another round of stuff, particularly against a version of Roxxane on the simulator to see how far I could go.

Birch looked up to Medicham, raising an eyebrow.

“Did… He made another run in the simulator? I don’t recall having any scheduled for-”

“Cham. Meedicham.” The mon held up a hand for the moment, moving to fetch his laptop from another table and a short file that Birch had somehow missed hidden amongst the other folders. Without preamble, he placed them both on the table and plugged in with power supply and ethernet cable alike. Medicham turned on the laptop and punched in the access code before moving towards the program in question.

“Medicham. Medi, Meecham.” he said, pointing to the file, the document, computer, then himself.

“So that’s why you were gone so long.” Birch muttered, thinking back on the day. He’d sent Willis out on an errand with Medicham, and the two were gone for an unusual length of time. Medicham texted him on the beeper there had been some technical difficulties at the time, so Birch didn’t question into it any further. But it seemed his mon had other plans.

“See you’ve taken the initiative without me, I see.” the man chuckled, patting Medicham on the shoulder. The fighting/psychic type nodded, closing his eyes with a bow.

“Medichaaaam.” he said, confirming with a nod. Birch looked at him for a moment before shrugging.

“If you managed to get him to take another stab at it on his own, who am I to get in the way of that?” Birch shook his head, plucking the file out and the disk that came with it. He leaned back in the chair for a moment, plugging in the disk to begin the loading process while he began reading the document.

### BATTLE SIMULATOR REPORT
### - PARTICIPANT - WILLIS POLANSKI w/MEDICHAM ON LOAN F/PROF.BIRCH
### DATE - MAY 6 2015

### APPRAISER – ACE CALVIN SPRUCE

### SIMULATOR SETUP ###

Medicham, on loan from Professor Birch, requested use of the Pokemon Center’s battle simulator for the duration of 1h30m for lab assistant Polanski. Request was granted at 1:45 PM, with ACE Trainer Spruce acting as Overseer for the duration of the run.

Battle setup consisted a series of battles, ranging from typical rookies status up towards Gym Leader level, with Overseer Spruce taking role as Gym Leader Roxanne and as co-opposition trainer alongside Medicham.

Details for battle are listed here and on disk recording as requested.

It was then the laptop let out a ping! Medicham wasted no time, typing in a timestamp, the video attachment shooting towards the simulated gym battle.

)*(

Willis grimaced, wiping the sweat off his brow as he stared down his opposite on the other side of the arena. His opponent, Spruce, looked none worse for wear as he came up on the opposite side with Pokeball in hand. The man’s grizzled features looked out at him, yet despite all wearing a smile that wore on the edges of Willis’s mind.

“I’ve seen better, Mr. Polanski. I’ve seen worse-” the ACE trainer said, tossing the pokeball in his and up and down before snatching it midair and taping the button with his index finger. “-but that’s why you’re here, to show us what you’re made of as a trainer.”

Willis swallowed, taking a deep breath before leaning forward.

“I’m no trainer. Just a wannabe.” Willis stated, trying to ignore the twitch in his left arm.

Spruce cocked his head, the flat of his knuckles set to his hips as he eyed the lonesome man with the rental in his hand.

“With that attitude? No, you’re not. But the fact that you’re here means you aim to change that.” he said, tossing the pokeball in his hands up and down. “Fact of the matter is, you can’t improve if you don’t try. And it’s about time I see you more out here instead of dawdling and rotting in that lab.”

“I wouldn’t be here if Medicham didn’t prod me into it.” Willis muttered, giving a side eye at the Medicham standing next to him. The mon for his part said nothing, only giving Willis an impassive stare that sent a shiver down his spine.

Spruce stared, his lips turning down with a growl before pointing straight at him.

“Then you should be thanking the legends that Birch’s starter sees something in you, kid! Either way, you’ll be coming out here as a man by the time I’m done with you.”

Willis felt his lips curl just shy of a snarl, just barely suppressing the urge to retort. He didn’t know who this man was, but he found him to be insufferable .

“I’m properly employed as Birch’s fucking assistant. Give me at least that much credit.”

Swallowing, Willis took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before releasing, trying to focus his thoughts on the task at hand.

“Just one more battle. Then I can get the hell out of here and relax in peace.” he whispered, looking down at the other mons beside him, a spinarak and a...

Willis could not help but feel his eye twitched, but managed to suppress his response at the sight of the sobble.

(Artist Credit to Arvalis on https://www.deviantart.com/arvalis/art/Sobble-Speedpaint-787612694)

The sobble looked… Okay in person. Different from the depictions he had seen in his own world. More… Grounded for the lack of a better term. Fleshed out in a way that the source material he grew to loathe was unable to match. Yet even still, the man’s mind drifted towards its evolutions. The grotesque lizard thing with its hideous proportions. That form, too human alongside its fire type kin, those mons from Galar that just drove the-

“Soii!”

The man jerked, feeling the sobble tug at his legs. It-… No, he stared at him. Eyes still wide as ever, the water type’s hands were clasped together, waiting a response. Willis stared for a moment, clenching his fists for but a moment before forcing his lips into a smile.

“Sorry. Just frustrated with my performance thus far.” he said, giving the sobble a nod.

“Not an untruth.” Willis thought, seeing the sobble seeming to pick up in mood.

The sobble blinked, before shooting him a hasty nod. The spinarak jumped up next, her body practically vibrating with eagerness as she loosed her own enthusiastic battle cry, giving the sobble an enthusiastic nuzzle.

“Spiiii!” she cried, doing a flip before landing with the utmost grace on the rear of her legs, forelegs crossed. The man chuckled, giving both of them a firm pat on the head. Glancing at the sobble, the man forced himself to take a breath and release it.

This sobble was not deserving of his contempt. Much as Willis loathed what the “official” source media may have gone in terms of its direction, and his fate being brought to this world, no mon here deserved his contempt for what could not be controlled. The sobble was in a certain way unlike what canon depicted it as at least. He could live with that for as long as the match demanded of him until it was done.

“Are ya done gawking, boy?” Willis jerked, flinching as the loud voice of Spruce filled the room. The man tapped at his watch, giving the man an impatient glare. “We’re burning daylight here!

“Yeah, yeah, hold your hor-horseas!” Willis shouted in return, giving the mons in front of him a quick analysis before giving himself a nod.

Two geodude stood in front, arms crossed with an impassive look on their faces. Both looked ready and willing to crush whatever opposition was in front of them. One noticed Willis staring at them and pointed at the human and the two mons, before smashing his fists together. The other seemed calmer about the situation, yet no less ready as the rock mon stared ahead impassively, waiting for the battle to begin. Spruce meanwhile remained inscrutable, tossing his pokeball up and down as he waiting for his opposite to begin. Besides the conversation the man had several minutes before the the start of their few “practice” bouts began, the man had not communicate with the two geodude at all beyond a subtle nod or wink here and there.

And yet even on the precipice of the proper match, the man only had but a scant conversation with the two rock types before stepping back.

It made Willis nervous. He knew the ACE trainers were among the best on offer anywhere you go according to what little research he had done of them. But to see the man’s utter confidence even with the two mons on loan from the Rustbro gym had Willis on edge.

Willis swallowed, the anticipation roiling within his heart.

“He wouldn’t be that damned confident unless he was either arrogant, cocky, or knew what the hell he was doing. Probably all three, considering…”

Shaking his head, Willis directed his gaze toward the team next to him.

“Okay guys, here’s the plan.” he said, Spinarak and Sobble both leaning in as he cupped his hands to whisper.

“We got a type disadvantage here with you, Spinarak. But you’re fast and agile, and if we can pin them down with your webbing, we can at least have Sobble do some damage.”

Willis glanced at Sobble, who looked at him with trepidation, yet ready nonetheless.

“Sobble, I’ll need you to be ready for any tricks the other guy pulls. They know what we have, know our tricks that we have to play. They’ll either focus on getting rid of Spin here first to negate any traps she lays, or they’ll clobber you in close quarters to eliminate you outright, meaning they’ll be free to get rid of Spinarak here at their leisure.”

Both spinarak and sobble nodded as one, glancing at each other before muttering in their pokespeech.

“So, we’ll need to hit them fast and hard one at a time. I need you guys be ready to adapt on the fly without my instructions if the need arises. Spruce has been playing it nice so far, but he’s gonna take off the gloves and come at us with everything he’s got. So Spinarak-” he nodded, the spider perking up in attention. “I need you to keep both of them off Sobble’s back while he deals damage with his water moves. I don’t need anything fancy. Lock them down, keep them on their toes, and if possible, interrupt any communication between them so they’ll have a harder time counterattacking.”

Sobble blinked, the chameleon like mon staring at him before comprehension dawned. His chest bellowed, puffing up as if he were ready to release a screech.

“That’s the idea, mate.” Willis said, nodding with approval in his voice. The sobble cheer, fist pumping into the sky, while the spinarak did another flip of hers, fistbumping her companion as they took to the field.

“These mons…. They really caught on faster than I expected them to right off the bat.”

Willis stood up, staring hard at Spruce before him.

“We’re ready.”

“Finally! Thought you were gonna peace out on us!” Spruce snatched the ball he was tossing and clipped it to his belt, teeth bared in a feral grin.

“Well now boy, since you seem mighty unsure of yourself, I’m gonna let you take the first three moves without me saying anything.” he said, pulling out his arms wide before closing his eyes.

“Heck, I’ll even play it blind for the first two minutes.”

Willis paused, heart thumping in his chest.

“Oh fucking hell…” he whispered, clenching his fists. “Either he’s demoralizing me, or he’s that confi-”

Willis shut his mouth, letting out a shuddering sigh. Feeling a tug at his legs, he saw both Sobble and Spinarak pulling at them, a confident look in their eyes.

“Spiiiii!” Spinarak cried, slamming her forelegs into the ground with a hard thump, Sobble doing likewise. One look was all that Willis needed before his resolve hardened.

He would not fail. Just this once, he would not fail.

“Right then.” Staring ahead, Will’s eyes focused on the two geodude now levitating off the ground, fists pumping hard as they began to march towards their position.

“Spinarak, Sobble?” The two mons took battle positions, ready for their orders.

“Engage. Take out the right one first.”

Spinarak blurred into action, spitting string shot and webbing on and around one of the two geodude, while Sobble blurred forth on a stream of water. For their part, the two geodude dodged as they were able, even while being peppered by their attacks. The rightmost was slammed into by Sobble, yet the rock type held its ground, grappling the Sobble and redirecting its straight into the charging fist of the other geodude.

Willis winced as Sobble cried out, almost slamming into Spinarak as he tumbled over and under. Spinarak cried out, spitting more webbing in a blindfire. Miraculously, she managed to snag the calm geodue on the left in her grasp.

For a moment, Willis thought he might have had it in the bag as the other geodude went to assist.

Whatever confidence he had in that thought perished as the geodude that was stuck gestured the other one over, muttering to it before the other nodded with a fist bump. The feisty geodude of the two ripped from the ground below and shaped the stuff into a long dart, curling into a ball while the other geodude plucked into the air. Eyes narrowing on Spinarak, both she and Willis only had the time for their eyes to widen in the span of a few seconds when the mon was hurled straight at them. Her form spun, trying to dodge to the side when the geodude coming towards her hurled its projectile.

“Spiiiiii! Spi-”

Willis could only watch in utter horror as the projectile impacted, sending the spinarak tumbling end over end. Yet before Willis could muster a response, the geodude rammed into the bug type and began to pound her with the flats of its fists. Worse still, the other geodude managed to free itself from its bondage, hurling itself to join the fray when a water gun slammed into it.

Willis blinked, seeing Sobble up, glaring at the geodude before turning his gaze towards the mon pounding at-

“ SPRRRIIIIIII!”

Willis stumbled, head and ears pounding as Sobble’s loud screech filled the room. Both geodude and humans alike stumbled, the one pounding Spinarak closing their ears to shield itself from the noise. Yet the spinarak beneath him seemed to have no such issues, her ear slits closed as she capitalized on the opportunity. Flipping herself over the rock type with impressive dexterity, Spinarak globbed the mon with her sticky silk, restraining it so both its arms were locked in. She looked at in the direction, and loosed out a cry.

“Spi, spinna!” she cried out to Sobble, locking all of her legs tight around the geodude to prevent it from escaping.

Willis eyes narrowed, glancing to see Sobble already moving to capitalize on the opportunity Spinarak had presented them.

“Sobble, hit em hard! Water gun and aqua jet!”

Sobble’s form was a blur almost the moment Willis finished speaking, shooting a water gun that soaked right into the geodude and spinarak. Yet the latter clung on tight, her fangs running over and over trying to find a weak spot even as Sobble charged in with glowing fists.

Willis loosed a sigh, gut tight yet eager to see this done. It looked like they were going to take out one of them after-

“Explosion.”

The geodude’s eyes lit up. Spinarak heard, eyes wide as she frantically tried to get away, shooting a string shot into ceiling as she attempt to bounce-

The moment was almost instantaneous, light and heat flashing over Willis as he brought his arms over himself on instinct to protect against the shockwave that came the next instant over. Only thanks to the shields present within the arena did either human and the medicham escape damage.

Willis gawked, pokeball falling out of his hand as he stared at the scene. Dread filled his heart as the smoke cleared, trying to find any sign of the spinar-

Spinarak slammed into the shield that projected in front of him, yet the blow was softened just before impact by the blue glow of medicham, his eyes glowing as the bug type settled to the floor.

“Spinarak!” Willis didn’t even think, rushing over and and cradling the bug type in his arms.

“S… Spiiii!” Spinarak let out, just barely audible to the human before slumping over. Willis tried to ignore the cold feeling in his gut as he sprayed her down with the potion he had at his hip, her form still hot to the touch. He glanced up, seeing that Sobble had not fared any better.

The geodude was out, their form blackened by the explosion. Yet Sobble was struggling to pick himself off the ground, snarling as he shot a glare at the mon responsible. The other geodude for his part stood at the ready, waiting for Sobble to make the next move.

“I trust I don’t need to tell where you went wrong, right?”

Willis didn’t even bother looking at the Spruce, shame coursing through his bones. Rentals or not, these mons looked up to him to give them victory. And yet, he led them straight into the jaws of defeat. The man hissed, palms bleeding as the nails penetrated the skin.

“No. No you do not.” Willis muttered, forcing himself to stand despite the churning in his stomach.

“Sobble, return. You two are done here. I forfeit.”

Sobble blinked, eyes wide as his head turned to stare at the human. The bug type in his arms, stirred, clutching at his shirt. Willis stared, seeing the desperate defiance hot within the spider’s eyes. He did not miss how her legs clenched, trying to force herself off him and back on the ground. Yet it served only to drive the point further into his heart.

“Spinarak, stop. You’re in no condition to fight. You two did well, but this match is ove-

“Like hell it is, boy!”

Willis jumped, feeling the glare boring down on him by the other man in the room.

“Are ya just gonna let em down, just like that? Are you gonna just throw in the towel when you still have that Sobble out there? How are you gonna be a trainer if you quit-”

“I am not a goddamn trainer, you fucking moron!” Willis snarled, kicking the bag that contained his stuff flat on its side. He did not bother to fetch it as he stormed up to Sobble and snatched him up, indifferent to the water type’s cries. The mon cried out, and to Willis’s shock, forced himself out and on to the ground, glaring at him.

“Sobble, stop. The match is over. We… No, I failed.”

The sobble blinked. Once. Twice. Shock, confusion, then utter rage bristling upon the water type’s features that stood in sharp contrast with the image Willis had of the water type. Sobble reared, taking two steps back. A second later, an angry blur shot forward aimed at the human. Willis stumbled back, eyes widening when Sobble slammed feet first into his chest. Spinarak hissed, dropping from the human’s shoulder flat on her feet. Willis slammed into the ground, yet the bug type was already upon him as she leapt on his chest.

“SPI!” Spinarak cried out, loosing a torrent of pokespeech point blank at his face. Willis blinked, unable to do anything but gawk as the bug type laid into him. He could not understand her words, but the sentiment was clear.

“I… You wish to fight on-” he mumbled, his eyes still wide. “-even after that?”

“You give up too easily, son.” Spurce said, walking over with the lone geodude in his arms. The other floated over, giving a curt nod at the Sobble, potion in hand as it began to spray him down. Willis, for his part, looked up to see the ACE Trainer giving him a hard stare.

“You had something good there. Not perfect, but you trusted in your mons judgment to do the job without you micromanaging them. Most rookies would have had each and every movement managed down to the smallest detail.”

“Fat load that did them,” Willis scoffed, his fist clenching. “All I did was lead them right into a self destruct.”

The ACE Trainer sighed, running a hand through his scalp as he shook his head.

“Boy, did you know that geodude, or at least the ones I have here in front of you could do that? And no, don’t give me that tauros shit about knowing better. Happens to the best of us.” he said, laying a firm hand on Willis’s shoulder.

“You got a good plan of action together. You had Sobble and Spinarak synergize to compliment each other’s strengths while covering their own weaknesses.” he said, the two mons perking up as he nodded at them. “The defeat is yours, but you were fighting mons that came straight from Roxxane. They’ve seen your tricks before, seen what you were gonna do. Even without orders, they’d know what to do regardless with your ilk. They’re from some of her best stock, after all.”

The geodude next Willis nodded, patting the human on the shoulder, then giving Spinarak a curt nod. She chirped, beaming with approval at the praise offered. Geodude nodded, turning towards Sobble and offering similar remarks, to which Sobble gave a curt nod in return.

“I… I still should have known better. Warned-

“Warned them of every little thing? That ain’t possible, boy. But you got your head in the right place, letting your mons think for themselves. You got something right in your head, even if you fucked up. That’s life. It’s what you do afterwards that counts.”

It was at that point Medicham came up with tray full of lemonade. The man smirked, shooting the fighting psychic a nod.

“Thank ya kindly, Medicham.” The man scooped up a can, draining it in one fell swoop. In turn, each of the other mons were offered their own can, which was taken with hearty abandon. Yet when it came to pass one on to Willis, he pushed it back as he brushed Spinarak off his chest.

“Thanks, but…” he shook his head, still numb from the defeat. “Those words are for someone who actually matters a da-”

Whatever he was going to say, Willis missed the glare coming from Spinarak. The only warning Willis got was the sensation of a glob of string shot shooting into his back, before he found himself yanked back on to the floor, slamming right on to his ass.

“Fucking hell, what-”

Again, silenced, this time by the head of a lemonade can shoved straight into his lips. Willis sputtered, choking as lemonade spilled past his lips and dripping onto his cheeks and shirt, all the while he heard Spruce gave a booming laugh.

“I in all my years have never seen rental mons do something like that. You must’ve done something right with em if they’re acting like that around you.”

Willis was unable to offer a rebuttal, can firmly pressed to his lips, Sobble daring him to try anything else as he was forced to drink the can’s contents. Spinarak meanwhile, nestled to the side of his neck and began to purr, nuzzling Willis’s cheek as he finally managed to finish the contents of the can.

Sobble pulled it the now empty can and tossed it up into the air where it found itself caught in a psychic glow, and hurled with pinpoint accuracy into a dustbin right across where the entryway was located. Sobble nodded his thanks to Medicham, before staring hard into Willis eyes. He pulled at the human’s hair, making sure the human would not move from his sight, Spinarak crowding with the water type and fixing the human with a stare in turn.

Willis would not lie, it was an intimidating sight. Yet the message was clear.

We want to fight. And we’ll drag you into it until we’re down in and truly out.

For a moment, Willis said nothing, staring back at the two mons.

Despite it all, the man could not help but feel an… Affection? Something of that note towards them. His best efforts to distance himself aside, something stirred within Willis at the sight of the two mons looking up at him expectantly, no, exclusively honed in on him. Rentals or not, discomforts or otherwise, a warmth bloomed despite the chill that throbbed within his veins him.

The thoughts of the two mons before him could not have been more transparent, despite their lack of being able to communicate through normal means. Sobble stood firm, eyes steady as he looked straight at Willis. Spinarak chirped, rubbing a foreleg against his neck.

“I… I appreciate your vote of confidence.” Willis said, slowly pushing himself off the floor and on to an awkward sitting position, arms splayed out behind him as the two mons clung to his chest. Both Sobble and Spinarak squeezed, digging into the human’s skin.

“You… You really want to continue fighting, even after that?”

They nodded, the tips of their forelimbs digging into harder to the point where it began to hurt.

“You did something right, Willis,” Spruce said, hauling the man off the floor and causing the two mons to nestle tight against the human’s shoulders. “And you give a damn about what happens to the mons in your care.”

“So? Don’t most trainers who come out of Littleroot?”

Spruce’s face darkened.

“Not enough of them.”

Willis blinked, feeling the mood changed as the man’s lips pulled into a grimace.

“Willis, I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. Not everyone is cut out to be a Pokemon trainer, coordinator, ranger, ACE, or whatever term suits your fancy. But there are people-” he spat, almost as if as a curse. “-out there, who should never have gotten anywhere close to Pokemon or other people alike in the first place.”

The man’s grip hardened, Willis unable to do anything but stare ahead with a lightness in his chest.

“I’ve seen a lot in my three decades as a trainer. Much of it good. But some…” Spruce shook his head, eyes listing off as his eyes seemed to gaze into the distant at some unseen memory. “Let’s just say there are things I’d rather forget and leave it at that.” he muttered, eyes returning to stare right into Willis’s soul.

“You, Willis, are not one of those people. You might be many things, and just as many you are not. In the latter, I can tell you with the utmost honesty, you are NOT one of those ugly folk.”

Willis stared, casting off a wistful sigh.

“So?”

Spruce’s eyes twitched, his face twisting in a moment of utter disbelief before leaning back towards his junior opponent.

“So? So!? So it means you got something there where it counts, boy!” the man said, jabbing a finger right into his heart. “You got something there, something that yearns to be unleashed. Something you can’t do by letting yourself rot at that lab doing nothing! I may not know much beyond what Birch has told me about you, and frankly, I don’t give a damn that you are not some magic savant like that Henderson character. What I do care about is your godsdamned idleness. You have all the world at your fingertips, fresh off some disaster in who knows where! Yet in all the times I have seen you passed here at Littleroot, you just spend time twiddling your thumbs, content to let it rot until you pass on with nothing to your name!”

Willis said nothing for a few moments, his emotions smoldering as he bit down the urge to slug the man right in the face. He opened his mouth, lips moving, yet nothing came of it to voice the conflict set forth that threatened to boil over. Catching on to this fact, Spruce tightened his grip just a bit more, his face pushing in until they were but a couple inches apart, the hard glare not softening in the slightest.

“You owe it to them,” Spruce growled, his voice almost a whisper as his head cock into the direction of two mons that set tight on the man’s body. “You owe them something more than just throwing a hissy fit and quitting in the middle of a battle. You owe them because you managed to earn their loyalty, despite only being some mere rentals that others would cast off without a second glance. Do you know how long these two in particular have waited for someone, anyone, to give a damn about them like you do?”

“I-… I don’t-” Willis stammered, yet found himself helpless as Spruce’s eyes seemed to drill into his very soul, hot with intent. “I don’t see the point in continuing, it’ll just end in defeat.” he gestured around him, his face flushed hot with the roiling emotions within. Willis swallowed, pushing back against Spruce’s grip on him and shook his head.

“I didn’t even do anything after the fact. You saw what happened out there, right? Things happened so fast, too fast for me to figure out a plan-” Willis mumbled, stumbling over his words. Spruce’s face softened, yet the man said nothing as Willis continued.

“I don’t know what you see in me. What point there is in continuing this battle. It’s a foregone conclusion. It’ll just end in defeat. There’s no point in proving what we already know. I’m not good at this, plain and simple. And besides, anything good that happened was more due to Sobble and Spinarak’s initiative than anything else. I just pointed them at the enemy and let them loos-”

Willis yelped as two distinct limbs smacked him on the back of the head. The two mons on his shoulders wasted no time in affecting their argument, Sobble pulling at the sides of his shirt to lean in front, while Spinarak likewise spun silk from her abdomen so she likewise crowded Willis’s field of vision with the water type. Willis blinked, staring at them with his jaw agape, something that the sobble on his left shoulder took advantage of, snatching his lips and holding them shut while Spinarak waved off the human behind them. Seeming bemused, Spruce chuckled and took a step back, arms crossed together, giving the two a nod.

“Spi.” she returned, before turning to face Willis and stare all several of her eyes right at his own.

Before he could retort, the man froze as an overwhelming sense of… Aura enveloped him. The room around him dimmed, darkening in his field of vision, leaving only Spinarak and Sobble to glare him down. Willis stared back, spellbound, the man unable to even lift a finger an overwhelming sense of focus speared down on his being. Spinarak’s eyes sharpened, eyes glowing with an almost malevolent glint as she screeched into his face point blank. Her forelimbs jabbed hard into his cheek, each punctuated with hisses, screeches, screams, and all other matter of vocalizations that Willis’s didn’t even know the young arachnoid was capable of, yet further driving the point home as her face contorted into a series of emotions she articulated with a headbutt to his face.

In that very moment through means Willis could not even begin to describe, he could understand her perfectly. Almost by magic, her words came through to him.

“You absolute, blistering, Giratina damned moron!”

Willis was unable to question the sudden shift in understanding, too stunned to wonder if that smack to the head did something to his brain as Spinarak’s surprisingly regal voice ripped into him.

“Out of all the humans who chose US to bond with, out of all the humans who had deigned to grace us the mere chance to even battle with when so many have discarded our beings for being too weak and worthless, I have never seen one so skittish and cowardly like one such as you!”

“W-what?

The spinarak looked to continue with her tirade when the twin fingers holding Willis’s lips shut drew back and pressed on the arachnoid’s abdomen. The spinarak shot the water type a look, but Sobble shook his head. The spider’s want to protest was silenced by a shake of his head. Seeming to sense his intention, the spinarak relented, pulling back from the human’s face. Nodding in appreciation, the sobble looked the human square in the eyes.

“We-” he pointed, first to himself and Spinarak,

“-fight.” -then the two geodude.

Willis blinked. Once.

Twice.

Then thrice, looking between the two as that intense pressure that bored down on him faded.

“Sob. Sois’obble.”

It lasted for but a moment. Willis ran a hand down his head, the pressure departed from his mind. Willis’s breathed, letting the air fill his lungs before releasing it.

Whether it was his imagination or not, it didn't matter. Willis eyes tightened in concentration, nodding in affirmation.

“Fine. We fight.”

The spinarak on his shoulder blinked, glancing between them and the sobble next to her. The water type shrugged, nodding. His grip released, plopping next to the geodude down below, giving him a look. The two exchanged a few words, before the two gripped arms and shook and proceeded off to opposite directions. Willis found himself following in the water type’s wake on instinct, glancing behind him to see Spruce’s lips turned into an upward grin, the geodude in his arms rocking just the slightest bit as if seeming to nod in agreement.

“Don’t disappoint. Fight to the end.”

With that, Spruce joined his end of the ring and deposited the geodude next to his side. The other, remained on the battlefield, taking position with arms ready. Sobble likewise took his in turn, his body tense with anticipation. Willis reached his end of the field, mumbling to himself.

“Did I imagine all of that, or…” he shook his head. “No, it doesn’t matter. Just this one fight, and it’s over. Just this one fight, and I can get the hell out of here.” he said, allowing some conviction to bleed into his voice. The spinarak on his shoulder seemed to ease, giving a reassuring pat on the spot that the two hit him on.

“Sppiiiiiii. Spinaaa. Ra’spinrak.” she spoke, curling the bottom end of her abdomen around the back of the human’s neck, while she gripped his right shoulder with her frontal half. Despite himself, Willis could not stop the flutter that rose from his stomach at the touch. Sighing to himself, Willis stared ahead to the battlefield in front, Sobble staring ahead, ready for action.

“Sobble. Same as before, but keep your distance. If you can get close, you know what to do.” he said, Sobble tensing in anticipation. The geodude on the other side likewise took position, ready to move on the orders of Spruce.

The ACE trainer stood stalwart, eyeing the field with a glint in his eyes. Glancing at the water and bug type, the man nodded at them before shifting his focus back to his own.

“Make that water type work up a sweat, Geodude. Dust em up and make them cry.”

“Geo’geodude.”

Silence stood, the tension so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

“Sandstorm.”

Geodude’s arms raised, fists glowing with latent energy. A percussive blast rang out in the arena as sand blasted from the spot where it hit.

Then another.

And another.

Willis shielded his eyes, stopping the sand just as it blasted into him. His clothes flurried, caught in the wind as Willis blindly scrambled for his bag, pulling out the case that contained his sunglasses. Without wasting a second, Willis pocked the glasses he was wearing, quickly securing the sunglasses to his face. The sunglasses, unlike many others, had an enclosed design to, molding around the wearer’s eyes to shield them from most debris, with only a few vent holes to allow for breathing. The sand still spun, yet Willis managed to shield from most of it even as sobble and geodude disappeared from view. Spinarak was less fortunate, electing to pull the hoodie that Willis wore over her head to try and fend off the sand from blasting her sensitive eyes. The man ignored her, focusing on the field as he tried to suss out the location of both mons.

“So he wants to beat me at my own game, right? So be it.” he snarled, pulling the earplugs carried in his pockets and plugging them in. Cupping his hands together, Willis bellowed from his lungs.

“Sobble, make some noise out there! Don’t let them get close, keep moving!” he shouted, before pulling tugging the hoodie that held Spinarak close and plugging her earholes with his fingers.

“Don’t let that sobble get away! Hit em-”

What came next was not just heard, but felt within Willis’s bones as a blood curdling scream filled the air. Willis did not see anything, but he could hear the scampering of feet as the water type moved about the arena. Blasts of stone and water were heard as the two unseen mons dueled it out in the thick sand blasted arena. Yet the more they fought, the more the sandstorm cleared up, revealing the geodude was on the offensive, hurling stone after stone and forcing Sobble on to the defensive.

Yet Sobble did not seem perturbed, laser focused on keeping his target from doing the same to him. He leaped, rolled, ducked, and weaved, dancing with the rock type in a ballet of violence. To Willis, it seemed they were evenly matched. Yet the man knew that was not the case. A mon of this geodude’s caliber was only trying to tire Sobble out before moving in for the kill. Either the geodude would nail a lucky hit and close in to clobber Sobble with superior strength, or he’d rush in and kamikaze the water type and ending it right there.

“Damnit… How do I stop the bas-…”

Just at that moment, it hit him. It was risky, but if Spruce was still deafened by that scream...

Willis swallowed, clenching his fist even as he felt a shudder roll through him.

“Sobble, blind him with mud and spray him at point blank range! Shield after!”

Sobble obeyed, spraying the ground in front of the geodude and causing a mixture of water and dirt to cling to the rock types form. The geodude grimaced, blinded by the spray of water and mud when Sobble charged. Geodude growled, fist glowing as they attempted to swat the gnat out of the air, missing by the barest of margins when a water gun slammed it into the ground.

Yet as expected, the geodude began to glow a familiar light.

“Get back! Shield yourself an-”

It was at that very moment when a stone shot out from the ground beneath and slammed into the back of the water type’s head. Willis’s gut fell from under him as he watched the water type slam face first into the floor. The geodude grimaced, arms shooting out to grab at the sobble and pulling him close.

Yet as that was happening, an iron tail lashed out and slammed the offending appendages away. Willis blinked, seeing Sobble’s tail glinting in the light as he sent the geodude spinning away, glow fading. Spruce seemed similarly befuddled, his jaw going slack as he pointed.

“What in the blazes!? Where’d that even come from?” Spruce shook his head, eyes narrowing. “Geodude, stay back and let that sobble come to you.”

“Don’t let him get away, keep hitting him!” Willis yelled, blood rushing. “Keep hitting that rockfaced bastard, make them pay for what they did to Spinarak!”

Sobble complied, loosing a war cry as they sped on a jet of war towards his target, tail whirrling as it slammed into the geodude with a loud clang. A distinct crack was heard, the geodude stumbling back in surprise, landing on its back as they slammed into the ground and bounced into the shielded walls of the arena. Grunting to himself, the geodude struggled and forced himself back into the air, form flanking stones.

Yet if that was any comfort to Willis, that soon changed as a malevolent glint glowed from the rock types eyes. That glow grew brighter and brighter, pieces of the environment drawing to itself as pieces of the wall ripped into and compacted into the geodude’s form, along with other debris and pieces of the arena. Willis could only stare, the words stuck in his throat as the geodude grew bigger and bigger as more pieces of the arena shed itself to meld with the geodude’s form.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me. The first time I see an evolution, and…” Willis petered off as another pair of arms grew into the growing boulder that the man knew to be a graveler. Spinarak keened, tightening her form around Willis’s neck as Sobble stared, expression stoic as the glow from the graveler faded.

Eyes opening, the graveler let out a booming laugh, patting himself all over as they wrung the loose detritus that gotten itself stuck to his form. The rock type, now towering over Sobble with several inches to spare, nodded at the Sobble, who likewise returned it with his own.

“Well… I’ll be damned! That little guy hit geodude hard enough to make him to evolve!” Spruce laughed, rubbing the back of his head. “Roxanne is gonna be in one hell of a surprise when this gets back to her, ain’t that right Geodude?” he said, nodding towards the rock type next to him.

“Geo, geo’geodude.” the rock type agreed, floating over to eye his kin up and down. The two mons bumped fists, nodding at each other before turning to the sobble and conversing.

“Grooooooogh.” the graveler pointed, finger aimed towards Willis, then Sobble. The water type thought it over for a moment, before shrugging. Spinarak piped up, and before Willis could even begin to try and translate, she leapt off, web shooting to the ceiling and swinging herself over to land next to Sobble. The two gave each other a nod, then turned to face the graveler with a cry.

“So you two still want to fight, even facing…” Willis paused, then shook his head. “Fine. We’ll see how it goes.”

Eyeing his opponent, the man his opposite shrugged his shoulders.

“If those two want to fight together, why not? This fight ain’t over till it’s over.”

“Fine. Goddamnit.” Willis cursed, sucking in a breath and rolling his shoulders. “Sobble, Spinarak!”

The two mons perked up, eyes shooting over at Willis.

“Defeat is inevitable. But if you want to fight this out, then I’ll stick by until the very end.” Spinarak and Sobble alike jump, fist pumping into the air with a battle cry.

“But-”

And in that moment, promptly fell as Willis raised a finger.

“I am not about to watch you get squashed just for a petty attempt at victory. Graveler might be wounded, but he’ll crush you just given the slightest opportunity. If I even so much as remotely think it ends with you seriously wounded, I’m calling the match off.”

“Grrrrorugh.”

Willis stopped, the heavyweight in question taking steps that he could feel vibrate the ground beneath him. Before he knew it, the rock type was face to face with him, or at least as much as a towering mon such as Graveler could be. A firm hand found its way to his shoulder, Graveler giving him a surprisingly soft squeeze that defied his appearance.

“Grough.” he said, voice a soft rumbling storm.

“You…” Willis gulped, attempting to tame his breathe. “You won’t go too hard on them, right?”

Graveler shook his head.

“Then-”

Silenced by a raised finger, the graveler pointed to the damaged still sustained on its form, then nodded at the two mons that had come up behind him. Willis sucked in a breath, staring hard at the graveler for a few moments before nodding.

“Fine. If you think they have a chance to win this, so be it.”

“Grouuuugh.” Graveler said, nodding at the two mons next to him before lumbering his way to the other side of the arena. Willis stared, before turning to couch next to Spinarak and Sobble.

“If you want to continue fighting, then we’ll keep fighting. But you are going to need to hit the bastard hard. You won’t last in a slugging match. New as he may be to his body, it’ll take only one or two hits to take you out.” Willis paused, turning his gaze to focus on Spinarak. “You’re still hot off that explosion, especially you Spinarak.” Willis said, rubbing a hand down the spinarak’s carapace. “So… Just be careful.”

Spinarak cooed, grasping his hand and stared hard at him.

“Spin’rk. Sprak!” she shouted, slamming one of her dagger limbs into the ground. Her decision made, she pulled Sobble back with her to the center of the field. Despite the lump in his chest, Willis could not suppress that feeling that rose within his chest. That lightness, that floaty cloud that seemed to boost him up despite his attempts to quiet the emotion. Pulling in a shuddering sigh, Willis turned once more to face the battle ahead.

Spinarak and Sobble had positioned themselves around the graveler, the two quietly conversing with the graveler, who gave paused for a moment scratching his chin, before shrugging with a nod. Pounding his fists, he signaled to Spruce in the back as to his intentions. The man shrugged, giving a cocksure smile.

“Well, if you want to fight like that, who am I to stop ya? Even with the handicap, I’m sure you’ll fight just fine.” he said, then glancing over to Willis. “Graveler here won’t do anything that’ll hurt the two too hard on your account. But he’ll still make sure you work for that victory, boy.” he said, cocking his head to Graveler, the mon pounding his fists in anticipation. “He’s not gonna be pulling any explosions or any other dirty tricks of that nature. Just sheer, brute force.”

“Yeah… I can see that.” Willis muttered, unable to stop the shudder in his voice. “Je-Jeez, this is going to be rough.”

“Ain’t no other way. Now less talking, and more fighting! Graveler, rollout!”

The rock type wasted no time, running into a roll before curling out and shooting straight for Sobble.

“Just dodge! Spinarak, try and control his movements with your string shot! If that doesn’t work, just keep yourself and Sobble out of range while he does the bulk of the damage!”

The two acted as one, jumping out of the way seconds before they were splattered by Graveler. Spinarak spun herself into the air, shooting string after string into the ceilings rafters to swing on, all the while she shot a silk shot that Sobble caught, likewise using them to swing around and over the monster of a mon. Yet that did not seem to deter the rock type, rolling out of his spin and ripping stones from the ground. But instead of throwing them, the rock type seemed to mold the stone in his very hand into a flat disc shape. The molded stone glowed, and before either mon could react, Graveler flung his projectile out like a frisbee.

Spinarak yelped, cutting her string just as the projectile cut past, slicing the webbing that she had taken such time to create. Spinarak fell, eyes wide in utter panic as she fell straight into the path of graveler, the mon charging at her with fists primed. Yet just as she was about to hit the ground, a blur of blue caught the spinarak in midair, swinging on what webbing had not been cut. Yet right behind them, the glowing frisbee rolling, maneuvering to close in on them.

“Fucking hell!” Willis snarled, “Shoot that damn thing down and keep moving! Spinarak, swing Sobble as a weapon and smash that monster!”

Sobble complied. Yet instead of loosing a water gun or the like, Sobble waited until the projectile was almost in front of him, before shattering it with a swing of an iron tail. Bits and pieces of the now broken frisbee pelted the two of them, but the two mons bore it with gritted teeth and mandibles, flipping into the air as Spinarak grabbed Sobble by the arms and twisted into the Graveler’s path. Tail glowing, Sobble and Spinarak alike slammed hard into the Graveler’s face, causing the behemoth to stumble back with a roar.

If Willis thought the move would have pissed the thing off, he was very much mistaken as Graveler let out a booming laugh. The rock type ripped out pieces of himself and molded them into more projectiles. Spikes of stone flew out, flung just as the two tried to make another pass at them. Sobble loosed a cry of shock, pulling his tail up on instinct just before the shards impacted. His tail glowed, bits of stone plinking off, while others embedded themselves deep within the skin and carapace of the two mons. Blood splattered on the ground, yet the two mons gritted their jaws and moved for another pass.

Sobble loosed a water gun, stopping the graveler from throwing more pieces of his own body at the two acrobats and allowing for another swing at the top of graveler’s form. This time, something red and viscous splattered from the graveler’s form, causing Willis to grimace as he took in the damages. The graveler stumbled back, pain hot on his face as they cupped the wound. Blood, actual blood seeped from what seemed to be soft flesh that had been protected by the stone underneath. Yet if the Graveler was concerned, he seemed to shrug it off as his attention turned back to the two mons. Shielding his face from the next water gun shot at him, graveler used the time to mold new pieces of mud and spikes from its broken body, glee hot within his eyes as he bellowed a great war cry that shook the room.

Spruce joined him, bellowing his own laugh as he clapped his hands.

“Outstanding! Just what I like to see! Working together to nullify Graveler’s strengths, while magnifying your own! Textbook double battling right there!”

Willis’s eyes narrowed, heart pounding as the man’s gaze turned feral.

“But I think this has gone on long enough. Graveler, I think it’s time we wrap this up! Target those wirelines and bring em down to Earth!”

“Shit!” Willis’s eyes widened. “Don’t let him! Finish him off here-”

It was too late, multiple frisbees spun out of Graveler’s arms, cutting straight through the lines that hung from above, including the line Spinarak and Sobble were swinging on. Before the young spider could do anything, she was nailed by a frisbee that sent her tumbling. Her grip on Sobble loosened, sending the two crashing to the ground.

Then, Graveler was upon them as the rock type whirred up a glowing fist. Willis slumped, seeing the Graveler closing the distance. Biting his lips, Willis shook his head.

“That’s enough!”

Graveler stumbled, fist missing by inches as they crashed next to Spinarak. Yet Spinarak was unperturbed by it, instead turning swiftly to face Willis with a screech. Sobble likewise shot up at Willis’s voice, turning to stare daggers at the man. Graveler paused, likewise facing the man for a moment before shaking his head.

“Spinarak, Sobble, I’ve seen enough. You’ve done well, but-”

Willis jolted as a spike was sent shooting in his direction, yet missing by a fair margin. Spinarak shot up, completely ignoring the Graveler behind her as her fangs bared open in a threat display.

“Grough. Graaaal’grough.” he murmured, hand moving to Spinarak when she darted forward. Spinarak let out a cry of absolute rage, swinging up upon the ceiling and straight towards Willis. The man blinked, and only just began to move when the spider crashed right into his chest. The man had no time to react as Spinarak began to slam the flat of her limbs right on to his face, wailing on the man as he tried to shield himself from her efforts.

“G-get off! The match is over, Spinarak! Graveler had you dead to right-”

Whatever Willis was about to say was cut off when the sharp of her forelimb scraped across his face. Spinarak jolted as Willis let out a scream, blinded by the pain as blood seeped into his eyes. The man grabbed as Spinarak, slamming her on to the ground. Too shocked to respond, Willis capitalized on the opportunity, ignoring the blood both of his own and Spinarak smeared on his clothes, pinning her beneath his knees and snarled right back at her.

“The match. Is over.” he gritted, tightening his grip on her forelegs. “If I had let the match go on, you would’ve been smashed into a goddamn pulp, you stupid spider.”

“Willis, that’s enough!”

Willis ignored the voice, tightening his grip as much as he could on the spider, his wound dripping a steady stream of blood on the spider. Spinarak looked at him, and for the first time since Willis met her, looked at him with utter fear and horror.

“Do you know what it’s like, seeing you bodied about like that? Seeing you getting ragdolled into a wall? For someone I am personally responsible for the well being for?” he growled, pressing into the bug with a knee. A massive hand pulled at his shoulder, yet Willis swatted it away as he spat on the Spinarak as Spruce sprinted up to the man.

“Willis, you-”

Whatever words the man had to say died in his throat as Willis turned to face him, his face turning ashen as he saw the sight of Willis’s face. Willis could not even begin to guess what he looked like, but it had enough of an effect as Geodude, Sobble, and Graveler recoiled likewise.

“What!? You wanted me to keep the match going just to see Spinarak and Sobble here smashed into goddamn paste? Smeared into the ground like they were so much bloodied mush!!?”

“Willis, I-”

“Don’t you fucking start!” Willis lashed out, pointing a finger at the man. “The only reason I signed on to this stupid fucking thing was just to get Birch off my goddamn back.” he turned his glare towards Sobble and Spinarak, who flinched under his gaze.

“I don’t know why you Pokemon are throwing such goddamn hissy fits over this, but I am trying to stop you from getting killed grievously wounded or killed out here! Your freakish resilience aside, you can still be hurt or killed if something goes wrong! I…” Willis petered off, blood soaking into his vision. Sucking in a breath, Willis brush the blood off with a sleeve before toning his voice down.

“Spinarak, Sobble. I appreciate you trying to stick by in all of this. I really do. But there was no point in continuing that… That curbstomp. Graveler was only going easy because I am unable to help you match him, blow for blow. As the acting trainer for you guys, rentals or not, I am responsible for your wellbeing.”

Willis leaned down, cupping Spinarak by the chin as he looked down at her.

“You both were awesome. Working together on your own like that beyond what I’ve told you. Why nobody else has taken you up, I’ll never know. But I am not right for you guys.” he muttered, brushing underneath her chitin.

Spinarak let out a mournful coo, brushing against the side of his face that had not been scratched. Yet a gentle brush of Willis’s arms put a stop to that as he gave a hollow chuckle.

“No, don’t blame yourself for this. I… I know you wanted to fight to the end. But…” Willis shook his head, pulling himself up with a sigh.

“I ain’t cut out for this shit. You guys deserve someone better to lead you.”

“So’b. Sobble!”

Willis looked as he felt the water type tug at his pant legs. Before Willis knew it, Sobble clambered up his body armed with the towel he had fetched from his bag. Taking a moment to wet it, Sobble delicately brushed off across Willis’s face, ignoring his own wounds while he tended to the wounded human.

Out of the corner of his eye, Willis saw Medicham staring impassively, jotting notes down into his pad while gesturing to Spruce, the man looking on just as Medicham as Willis said his piece. Willis closed his eyes, shying away from their gaze as Sobble brushed away the worst excesses leaking out, only stopping when Graveler came up with the medical bag and handed over antiseptics, which Sobble promptly applied with gauze and oran soaked bandages in tow. Taking a seat, Willis allowed Sobble to work his medicraft, giving Spinarak the opportunity likewise to clamber on and assist with the bandages, using her own silk to apply the bandages in place, all the while let out very distressed and mournful coos. All the while Willis stewed, numbness stewing hot in his heart as he played the events of the battle back in his head.

“I didn’t do anything, you know.” he muttered, taking a moment to pet at Spinarak’s and Sobble’s bodies. “All the hard work, that was on you guys. Getting clobbered, exploded, I didn’t-”

“Spppiiiiiiiiiiiii!”

Willis stopped, Spinarak pulling him into a hug as she nuzzled at the wound site she made. The arachness had tears running down her face, clinging to the man as she made a series of hisses, coos, warbles, and other sounds that would have not been out of place from an avian back on Willis’s home planet. She gestured to the Graveler, Medicham, and the others, before pulling herself close tight against the human’s chest, refusing to let go even as she bled.

It was then Willis had the sense of mind to notice her wounds, resisting the urge to slap himself on the face for fear of hitting Spinarak. Sighing, Willis gestured for the medibag from Graveler, who himself was already in the process of being bandaged by Geodude. Giving a knowing nod, the Graveler handed it without question, allowing Willis to return the favor as he pulled Spinarak to his side, and began plucking pieces of stone and other debris out from her form. Spinarak winced, yet showed no other signs of pain as Willis went to work, focused solely on providing what aid he could when Spruce came over.

“Spruce, I just… I know I fucked up here. Either during the battle, or just… Well, stopping the battle from happening,” he said, giving a helpless gesture before returning to the task at hand. I just didn’t want to see them hurt like that, you know?”

The ACE trainer stared at him for several seconds, his face impassive before throwing his arms up with a sigh.

“You are one troubled man, Willis.” Spruce said, eyeing the man up and down as he crossed his arms. “I’ve seen kid rookies that had more confidence than you.”

Willis scoffed.

“Don’t you mean boy?”

Spruce huffed, shrugging his shoulders.

“You gotta learn that Pokemon get hurt in battle, Willis,” he gestured to Sobble and Spinarak, the two perking up at their mention. “That’s just the way things are, how they grow, at least most of them. If they didn’t want to fight by us, don’t you think they’d allow themselves to get hurt like this?”

“What about the likes of Team Rocket? Or those of Team Magma and Aqua?”

“That’s-” Spruce paused, pinching the bridge of his nose. “That’s a complicated subject. One I can’t rightly say my piece on easily.

“What subject isn’t?” Willis murmured, taking a moment to pluck out the last piece of a stubborn shrapenal, causing Spinarak to loose a cry that cut at the man’s heart.

“Shh, shh, shh, give me a sec. It’ll be out soon.” he said, giving Spinarak a reassuring pat on the abdomen. Spinarak mewled, adjusting so Willis had a better angle. This time, Willis was able to tug the offending piece out without incident. Putting away the tweezers, Willis fetched the gauze and bandages, and began applying them where needed.

“You care too much, Willis.”

Willis froze, his spine going rigid as his eyes shot back up to meet Spruce’s own.

“Would you care to repeat that? Because I am sure-”

“I meant what I said,” Spruce cut in, staring hard down Willis’s neck. “Don’t misconstrue what I am saying here, but you’ve given me a feel for you during all this.” the man said, flinging his arm around in a wide berth.

“So it is, then.”

“Willis, I…” A frustrated sigh escaped from Spruce’s mouth. “Look, if battling ain’t your thing, then that’s that. But I’m figuring you never knew how to adapt to failure in the first place. Learning to accept and learn from it.”

Willis paused, patting Spinarak in the abdomen before gesturing to Sobble to come over, who presented his torso to the man. Again, Willis repeated the process, thankful that it seemed Sobble’s iron shield protected him from the worst effects of the projectiles.

“You aren’t wrong. I’m a sore loser. Never been in a Pokemon battle like this or any other. Never been a Pokemon trainer. Never went on anything like a Pokemon journey or stuff of that nature.”

“And that in itself is just a travesty. Your folks never let you out of their sight to grow a little on your own, locking you up-”

“It’s not like that!!” Willis cut in, his tone sharper than intended. He looked up, staring up at the ACE Trainer.

“We… There was never the opportunity back home. Had other stuff to deal with. Folks wanted me safe, right? They weren’t perfect, but… They cared in their own way. Had their own reasons for doing things. They wanted me to at least stay on top of my academics before… Well, heading out. Make sure I was ready.” Wills muttered, his face turning morso as his memories drifting to those now out of his reach.

“I failed. If I couldn’t make it in an academic setting, what use would I be out in the world? Might as well hold in and live with family. Might not be exciting, but you’re safe at least, helping your folks whenever and doing what needs to be done.” Willis shrugged, wrapping the final bandage around Sobble’s form before letting his arms fall to his side.

“Could be worse, you know. My parents cared in their own flawed way. Just not everyone is cut out to be something. Sometimes, you just gotta deal with the card you’re dealt. Just the way it is.”

Spruce stared, his facial features set in a thoughtful gaze as he rubbed at the bottom of his chin. He turned to Medicham, muttering something that Willis could not quite hear, the Medicham looking at him for a moment before jostling a quick sentence down on the notepad. Giving the document a quick once over, the man gave a firm nod.

“Right… I think we’ll allow things to be done for the day.”

Willis nodded, getting up from the ground and fetching his bag.

“But-”

Stopping, Willis turned as Spruce crossed the distance and set a hand on his shoulder.

“I want you to take Sobble and Spinarak with you.”

Willis blinked, staring at him for a few moments before he processed the sentence.

“With me?”

“With you, yes.”

Willis turned, seeing the two mons perk up, attention fully focused on the two humans. Spruce gestured them to come closer, patting Willis on the shoulder he fetched the two Pokeballs that hung at Willis’s side and pressed them into his hands. Taking that as their cue, the two scrambled up on either side of Willis’s form and set themselves snuggly on his body.

“It is in my professional and personal opinion as an ACE Trainer that you have overall been a good experience for your mons, despite the hiccups.” Seeing Willis eyes widened and about to protest, the man silenced Willis with a tightening of his grip.

“And just as importantly, good for you. In my capacity as a League official, I am hereby allotting custody of Spinarak and Sobble to your care, effective immediately.”

Willis stared, his mouth moving, yet unable to think of what to say in response.

“I… You… Is that legal? What about the paperwork, the legality-”

“Professor Birch and I will work it out for you to process,” Spruce cut in, the grip on Willis’s shoulder so tight that it began to hurt. “Consider this battle and the last few you had in the simulator as an official interview as to your capabilities and conduct as a League sanctioned trainer.”

“B-but why? What’s there to gain from all this? What’s your angle here? I’m too old to be doing-”

“You’re only too old if you allow yourself to be too old.” Spruce interrupted, gesturing to Medicham to come over with a few document that the fighting psychic managed to produce without Willis spotting in. Signing a few forms, Spruce parceled them out and tucked them in the accompanying binder, before handing them off to Willis.

“Son, I want you to think on all of this very carefully. You don’t need to be a Pokemon battler, but you have other routes open to you. Despite not hollering orders out on the field, you gave your Pokemon a clear sense of direction on how to engage during the battle, even if you need work on figuring out how to fit in orders when needed right in the midst of it. As I have stated before and will say once again, most rookie or even seasoned trainers don’t do that. Current schooling and and regulations don’t allow them to even start with the possibility, but you got something good going there. You trusted in Sobble and Spinarak to get the job done, and they largely did despite a few hiccups.” he said, the two aforementioned mons perking up with a glint in their eyes.

“What you need to work on is refining that. Plan further out ahead, make em work together more to account for your opponents big and small, until you and your mons work together seamlessly. And most importantly-” the man pressed, poking Willis in the chest. "Is having some Arceus damned faith in both you and your mons."

“I… I don’t know. This all seems a bit much to handle.” Willis said, gesturing out all around him as he rubbed at the unmarred side of his face. “Also, what do I tell the people at the front about… Well, this?” he pointed to the bandages on his face.

“That…” Spruce grimaced, directing his gaze towards Spinarak, who shrunk in on herself. “I’m not gonna lie to you, Willis. A pokemon attacking a human, provoked or otherwise, is gonna warrant an investigation of some kind. As a League official, I can mediate and head off some of that at the pass. But they’re gonna be keep a close eye on you and your mons. Depending on what is found out during the investigation, Spinarak might be released into a reserve or some area where she’ll have minimal contact with humans. And you might personally be held responsible for antagonizing and hurting them in some capacity. You did retaliate in return, and what you did could very easily be taken out of context.”

Spinarak jolted, letting out a warbling coo and clinging tight to Willis’s shoulder, who pulled her close on instinct. Sobble gestured, pulling Spinarak close and giving her a reassuring nod. Willis’s eyes glazed over for a moment, a shudder running through his form.

“That… Sounds like a hassle.” Willis muttered, trying to ignore the growing coldness within his gut.

“It is, if we allow it to come to that. As far as the recording and everything else is concerned, the League does allow for a little bit of leeway in terms of how things are handled.” he said, gesturing them to come to exit. Willis and the rest began walking, plucking stuff off the ground as Spruce continued.

“As the appointed official for this, and being a close friend of Birch, we’ll figure something out. But for now, I believe we’ll have you remain at the lab while we hash things out.

“I… I see.”

Spruce grunted, arriving at the exit. Turning to Willis, he paused, setting out an arm.

“Willis, remember what you said during the bout?”

“… Defeat is not final, failure something to learn from?”

Spruce chuckled, waving him in.

“Close enough. What you do with all of this, I don’t know. But I am asking you to think and learn from it. There’ll be other opportunities to grow, other times to become better than you are right now. As it is, you got something right. You just need to tap into it. Okay?”

“I…I”ll try.”

Spruce’s lips sharpened into a smile, smacking in firm on the back.

“That’s the spirit, boy. Now run along now and get wash up in the showers. I’ll let Birch on what happened here.”

(*)

“-recommended that Polanski, Willis be vectored into psychiatric treatment based on observation by Medicham and League official ACE Trainer Spruce.”

Professor Birch looked back on screen, paused at the moment where Wills and the two Pokemon were tending to each other, then back at the series of notes and paperwork written and filed.

“Goodness me,” Birch muttered, running a hand along the back of his hair. “Well, at least that explains a couple of things.”

It was a headache to process the incident that occurred, but his connections with the League managed to smooth things over without too much incident. But even still, having that incident happen in the first place would be something that hung over their heads for a little while.

Birch glanced back at the notes, those focused on Sobble and Spinarak.

“Also note down unusual early hostility with Sobble. While managing it throughout, there was a noticeable discontent upon first observation of Sobble. This behavior was also noticed with mentions of mons from the origin region, as well as Paldea and Aloha. Incident with Spinarak notable, but otherwise seems smoothed over with no apparent issues onward.” Birch muttered, shaking his head as he sipped at his coffee.

“Willis, we’ll need to have a little talk about this once we get the time scheduled in. I don’t know where your hostility comes from, but it’ll need discussing.” he said, jostling a few more notes down when he felt Medicham pat on on the shoulder. Glancing at his starter, Medicham pointed at a section of the journal.

I got crushed. Hard. Even if a poor simulator, it told me enough that being a trainer is not in my future. Or anything with Pokemon for that matter. Too much to keep track of, too much to worry about, too much too…

Well, it is what it is. I am no Chosen One, great hero, ace trainer, or anything of that matter. I took Birch’s impromptu tests in regards to being one, and while not horrible, it’s… Well, demoralizing. It’s like bombing college all over again. I do decent, even great at the soft stuff. But hard numbers wise, the hard stuff? It’s the same story over, and over again.

Failure after failure.

Defeat after defeat.

At some point, you gotta know when to throw in the towel and settle in for something lesser. Easier. Something that does not result in you ramming your head into the wall one too many times. For every winner, there’s a thousand losers.

I am one of of those thousands.

Birch did not even need to look at Medicham to know what they were thinking.

“You need help, Wills. You need help.” Birch muttered, shaking his head before resuming.

It’s a bitter pill to swallow. But I’m just not cut out for this shit. Not this place, or anywhere. Birch and his family have been generous, letting me room in while I figure my shit out. But that isn’t going to last forever. All I’ve been doing is filing papers, sorting stuff, and just being a regular menial. Which… Isn’t terrible. I can do it, even if the works repetitive. But it’s too much to ask of Birch to remain like this much longer. Something’s gotta give. And when that happens, I’ll be shit out of luck.

I’ve been trying to figure out my options, something that won't be too hard on the professor’s budget to relocate. God knows he and his family has been generous, and the staff are nice too. And… The Pokemon are okay I suppose.

But… I don’t fit here. I don’t fit in a number of places. Not many that would allow me to remain ignorant and safe from the world in peace. Considering what’s going on in Hoenn, and what will probably happen in the other regions in the times to come, I’ve narrowed down a couple of places that might suit me.

Orre is a good start to tha-

Birch almost choked on the coffee he was drinking. He hacked, coughed, Medicham giving several firm pats on his back before the offending liquid drained down the proper way. Wiping his lips, Birch looked at the offending sentence a few times over.

“Orre? Of all the places to go, he thinks Orre is a good place to be?” Birch muttered, disbelief filling his voice.

- that should be relatively isolated. Despite the conflicts that occur in certain areas of that region, as well as the rumors of the criminal syndicate which may or may not be true, Orre’s already been through hell as far as my research has been concerned. Highly desolate of people and pokemon alike, save for pockets of life and civilization. Not to mention, a few animal reverses that somehow miraculously managed to survive there as well. A piece of home in other words. An anchor to what has been in my life.

Again, while not ideal, Orre is fairly isolated from world events. Bog standard boring, economy is shit, but there’s a few spots where someone like myself might be able to eek out a living with a certain level of education and competency. If nothing else, it seems there’s always need of truckers, travelers, or other delivery stuff. Nothing fancy, but it seems it can pay okay. As an added bonus, who’d look for me in Orre? Seeing as most of the world perceives it to be a shithole where not much happens ever since those events, it’s a good place to lay low and just be for a while.

Birch had to suppress a scoff.

“If this is your best option so far, I’m afraid to say you have another thing coming, Willis.” the man muttered, jostling down a few quick notes for later.

If there was one thing Birch was certain of, Willis would not be going to that hell that was little more than a glorified wasteland. Not if he had anything to say about it.

Other regions that might be of interest to lay low in are the Almia and Fiorre regions. Both appear to have a somewhat different relationship with Pokemon, with somewhat small population sizes relative to the so called “main” regions out there. Far as I can tell, Fioree in particular has some… Italianesque influences that might make it nice to see for a bit. And the mons from there are mostly from Hoenn and prior, so that’ll be a nice plus. At least, lining up with my preconception of what ought to be.

Birch jostled down a few more notes, running his highlighter down a few lines before settling in.

“Fiorre. Quite far all things considered. Quiet, but if that’s what you want…” the professor trailed off, seeing a few more paragraphs down the line.

Alima, while closer to some place like Sinnoh, shares similar characteristics as far as I have been able to unveil. Mostly a lack of anything that would be considered interesting in the chi- sense of the word. Nice, quiet, and possibly a place to lay low from the outside world. Not sure if either of these places would be open to an outsider like me, but perhaps the professor might be open for something. I dunno, maybe some citizen scientist or some nonsense like that.

Other regions look nice, have better economics, but they run into similar issues I have had with them in the past. Too damned noisy. Too busy. Not to mention filled with things that I had a grand dislike for.

So… With all that in mind, I think my plan of action is made.

4:02 PM.

5:00 PM

I know you are reading this professor. Or at least, I assume you will, given you have explicitly asked me to write my thoughts down. Not sure how well I have conveyed my thoughts here. Been doing my best to keep on the down low and not be much of a burden. (Your family’s a godsend, regardless. If nothing else, thank you, your wife, and other members of the family that have been so cordial and accommodating for me.)

But if you have gotten to this point, then my point is clear. You know what’s probably going to happen in the coming months, and I for one have no plans to stick around. Considering the mon-makney wrench that Lee has thrown into things, it’s only going to get worse from here until… Well, something happens.

I’ll say this, seeing as it’s easier to write it out than tell you in person. You and your family have been wonderful. Even despite my efforts to remain rootless, your kindness has not gone unnoticed. Letting me remain, even giving me a salary, small as it is, all under the table, managing to get a few connections to forge something here, I appreciate it.

But it’s the little things that sour things. Nothing that has either to do with you, your family, or Hoenn. Just… A me thing, you know? I know you’ve been pushing me to get to ground more, and it’s nice here in Littleroot Town. Yet even still, seeing what is out there, what could have been, hurts more than I expected to, especially seeing the place I am from is… No longer an option.

All I want is a small, quiet place. Somewhere that I can persist for a little while till my clock ticks down. No more, no less. If I need something more, there’s always means to find out about the world at my own pace. Even if I can’t be a part of it, at least I can be in a place where I don’t make a mess of things.

I-

“Professor?”

Birch blinked. Twisting his chair to face the speaker, he saw Willis standing in front of him. Tucked underneath his arms, a parcel. Upon his shoulders stood a Spinarak and Sobble, who promptly hopped off and landed on the table next to him. Willis glanced at them for a couple seconds before he placed the package on the desk.

“Got the package as requested,” Willis nodded. “All the proper documents and what not have been signed and filed.”

“That’s good to hear, Willis.” Birch said, giving the man a nod. “Was your journey to Petalburg decent?”

“Eh,” Wills mumbled, scratching his head. “Could be worse. Had to wait for a bit while something was being sorted at the post office. But nothing else remarkable, really.”

“I see...”

It was then Willis’s eyes drifted over to the table. He paused for a moment, eyes widening for just a moment as his lips tightened. His gaze remained fixated for a few precious seconds before he blew out a breath and gave Birch a cocksure grin.

“Riveting prose, ain’t it?” the man chuckled, gesturing to the journal. “With my wordsmithing, I might just get into the local gossip rag. Or even my very own word journal.”

“Willis.”

“And don’t forget that little battle there. Quite the sight, ain’t-

“Willis.”

The smile faded from the man’s face, setting to something more neutral.

“Right… So, what did you want to talk about then?”

Birch sighed, gesturing for him to take a seat. Willis obliged, sitting across from the professor and Medicham.

“Your meanderings aside, I am questioning your judgment on… Of all the places you’d think would be a perfectly safe place to go, what made you think Orre was in any way adequate? I can understand wanting to get away from the world for a little while, even I would advise otherwise. But that place… You’d be jumping from one potential hotspot to one where trouble will find you.”

Willis shrugged.

“Maybe. Maybe not. Last I checked, there were a few decent spots in Orre that are decent.” he said, settling into the chair, crossing his legs.

Birch sighed, shaking his head.

“Just barely. And even then, trouble is happening on spot or another. I know you and Lee come from a world where in some fiction, there is some place in that Arceus forsaken region has some place where you could settle.”

In that moment, Birch leaned forward and fixed Willis with a stare.

“But to be frank, I think you’re going about all of this the wrong way.”

“Oh? In what regard?”

“Your obsession with isolating yourself from the world, for one. Even if…” he gestured, waving his hand in the air. “-all to your expectations, like it or not, you’re here now. Burying your head in the sand won’t change the fact that you are here now.”

Spinarak mewled an agreement, nodding along in with the professor while Sobble fixed his gaze on the screen.

“And what’s stopping me from just going off on my own, anyway?” Willis gruffed, hands behind his head as he returned the stare. “Far as I see it, all I need to do is find some place nice and remote, fix myself in place, and volia! I’m golden.”

Birch shook his head, suppressing the urge to let out a sigh.

“Be that as it may, you’d be wasting what potential you have rotting in the middle of now-

“Potential?” Wills shot up, teeth bared in a snarl. “What goddamn potential? I-”

Willis took a step back, breathing in for a moment before releasing it and slumping back into the chair.

“Professor Birch, I don’t know what makes you think I have any potential here. Especially when compared to Lee. He’s my junior by about seven years, and yet he’s already done far more in the span of three months than I have done in that same age gap.”

Willis sighed, running a hand through his hair as he stared in nowhere in particular.

“Seeing as you read the journal entry, not to mention what little I’ve shown and told you… We both know what my capabilities are, or lack thereof. I know you’ve made the suggestion from time to time I should go on my own adventure, trainer or not, but-”

Willis paused, clenching his fist as he looked at a scattering of reports made by Lee’s encounter with Team Magma.

“I’m not ready for that. I was not, nor ever will be ready. I’m too old to be going out like Lee is. I just…”

It was subtle, but Birch could see the the roiling of emotions jostling upon Willis’s features.

Fear.

Anguish.

Anxiety.

Hope.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he felt Medicham gave a mental prod, nodding. Without further ado, Birch returned it and pulled the box over while pulling out a pocket knife from his pocket.

“Willis, I cannot claim to have gone through what you and Lee went through. I am not you, so I don’t know the entirety of what’s going on inside your head. But if there’s one thing I do know, you’re never too old to go on a Pokemon journey.” he said, cutting through the tape that held the box shut tight.

Willis paused, eyeing the box with curiosity for a moment, before they lit up with understanding. Sobble and Spinarak caught on to his emotions. They glanced over, their own eyes widening as they saw its contents. Spinarak chirped, form more excited than before.

Willis features screwed up, exasperation pulling at his lips.

“You didn’t-”

Whatever protests faded from the man’s lips as one by one, the box’s contents were deposited on the desk.

First, a Pokenav.

A map.

Pokeballs of various sorts.

Then finally, a Pokedex.

Willis stared, holding in place for several moments before his eyes turned toward Birch’s.

“How long were you planning this?”

“Long enough.”

The box was promptly discarded, floating in air on a psychic wind towards the trashcan. Birch fixed his hands together, plucking the Pokedex from the table.

“Willis, whatever it is you want to do, know that I won’t force you to do anything if you don’t want to do so. But the world is wide open for you to explore. What you have here is a fresh chance to start anew. Regardless of your skills, or whatever your justifications to the contrary, you have got something very few people have in this world.” Birch gave the Pokedex a shake, nodding at Willis.

“Better people than I deserve-

“It’s not about deserving, Willis!” Birch interrupted, slamming his fist on the table. Willis jumped back, eyes wide with his full attention on the professor.

“I can see it in your eyes, that want for something more. Hell, I know it from what Medicham and I felt when we probed into your head. So what if you dislike some mons more than others? So what if certain things about this world causes your ire? There’s more to this planet than those regions and things alone.”

Before Willis could react, the professor’s hand shot forward and grabbed at his arm. Too dumbfounded to react, Birch’s hand closed the Pokedex into the man’s hand, then settled back with a sigh.

“Look at what you have in your hand. Can you tell me what that is?”

“Umm…. A Pokedex?”

“Yes. But what else do you see?”

Willis eyed the device for a moment. For several seconds he said nothing, flipping the device over and under while running his hands over the device. He flipped it open, the device activating with a chime as the dex lit up as he flip the device over, running his hand over it. Wheels were turned, buttons were pressed, switches were flicked.

“Spina spin!”

Birch glanced down, seeing the spinarak tapping the table with a foreleg. Willis’s gaze fell down upon her, prompting the bug type to strike a pose as she gestured to the pokedex, and then herself.

“Spin.” she said, glancing to the water type next to her.

“Sob.” Sobble said, nodding in agreement as he gestured to the both of them. “-Obb. Ob’ble.”

Needing no further prompting, the man directed the camera’s eyes upon Spinarak first.

“Spinarak, the Web String Pokemon. Famed for the tensile strength of its webbing, spinarak uses their silk to trap prey larger than themselves. They have been known to work together in colonies of up to dozens or hundreds of individuals, sometimes led by an ariados superior. While uncommon, some colonies of spinarak have been known to work with humans in providing silk and other materials, in trade for protection and comfort.”

“Would you like to know more?”

The pokedex flashed, a series further articles popping up for further reading. Willis paused, glancing at the screen for a moment before swiping them away. Sobble stepped forward, presenting himself with a nod.

“Sob.”

Willis shrugged, pointing the dex at Sobble.

“Error. Pokemon unknown. Please document the Pokemon in question or update device database.”

Sobble frowned, giving Birch a side eye but saying nothing more with his gaze swiftly returning to his trainer. He walked over, tugging at the sides of Willis’s pants and nodding. The man glanced down at the water type, his expression shifting into a quiet acceptance before falling back on Birch.

“...Opportunity.”

Birch beamed as he gave him a firm nod.

“Exactly.”

Willis’s eyes rested on the red device, saying nothing for a few moment before he began to laugh. He pressed the palm of his hand into his forehead, leaning against the table while Sobble and Spinarak both pressed in to comfort him.

“… Fucking Christ, Birch. You know how to drive your point home.” he said, shuddering for a moment. “My old man made me a similar offer when college didn’t turn out so hot.”

It was hard for Birch to miss the crack in the young man’s voice, his heart aching with sympathy. Without prompting, the professor laid a hand on Willis’s shoulder.

“Listen, Willis. As I have said, you don’t have do to this or anything else if you don’t want to. But whether you believe it or not, I think such a journey can help you. It does not need to be some grand thing, going out catching all the Pokemon in the world, beating the Pokemon League and becoming champion, or even just going out beating trainers-” the man said, pushing the rest of the contents deposited towards the man.

“I want you to go out and get a feel for things. Be my research assistant out in the field. You don’t require anything fancy or complications of that nature. All I want and need is for you go out into the world a little. Your place, your choosing.”

“My choosing, huh?” Willis muttered, his eyes turning distant as he gazed out the window.

“Well, it is an opportunity.”

Pulling back from Birch, Willis flipped plopped the Pokedex on the table, fetching a plain Pokeball into his grasp. He eyed it, the shiny surface reflecting his gaze, before turning towards Birch and Medicham and giving a hesitant nod.

“I’ll… I’ll think on it.” he mumbled, hands idly drifting towards Sobble and Spinarak, the two mons pressing into Willis reassuringly.

“That’s all I ask for. If you do not feel up for it, then by all means, stay. Regardless of what you may say, you’re always welcome here in Littleroot.

“Appreciate the hospitality, professor.” the man murmured, placing the Pokeball back on the table.

“If you don’t mind me, I’m going to get a bit of walking done. Stretch my legs a little, think on it for a bit.”

“That’d be for the best.” Birch smiled, standing up from the table along with Medicham. “Don’t worry about filling out the usual paperwork. I made sure to clear the next few days to give you a little time.”

“Always one step ahead, huh?” Willis chuckled. “Well, I best get going then. See you around profess-

Without warning, the door to the lab exploded.