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Martin stood behind the counter, feeling very grown up.
His mother had been unable to get out of bed today, despite her chansey’s best efforts. It wasn’t uncommon, but for the first time she had told him that he was old enough to open up and run the daycare himself. Martin had nodded solemnly before running down the stairs, wanting to flip the sign to open before she could change her mind. He had then gone about the morning routine: feeding the pokemon they were taking care of and checking on them, preparing tea (Oolong, the tea he liked the least, ugh) and a bland breakfast for his mother before making a bowl of cereal and warm breakfast tea for himself. Instead of eating in the kitchen like usual he dragged a stool out to the front so he could be there if anyone came.
They didn’t get a lot of traffic, but there were usually a few trainers a day who would be checking in their pokémon or picking them up. He slid off his chair and stood at the counter as he saw a customer approaching the door, and smiled brightly as he welcomed them.
“Hey there short stuff.” It was a trainer he recognized, Agnes, and he brought up their account on the computer. “Here to drop off my Guardie for a couple days.” She rolled over the pokéball and Martin took it. He liked looking after her growlithe, he was a sweetie. “Take care of him, okay?”
“Will do!” Martin promised, holding the pokéball protectively. He waved as she left before logging the pokémon in and then heading out to the yard, releasing the pokémon and smiling as the growlithe immediately ran off to play with some of the pokémon there already.
Returning to the front, Martin sat on the stool and waited. He only left when it was time to start the stew he was making for lunch (he even managed to move the heavy pot without dropping it this time). When he returned to the front desk it was to an unfamiliar man standing there. “Oh! Sorry! Can I help you?”
The guy looked down at Martin and then shrugged a little. “Yeah, I want to leave my bisharp here.”
“Alright! We’ll be happy to watch them for you! Let me just see some ID and I can get you set up!”
Pulling out his wallet, the man slid over his trainer card. Martin pulled up the account and then let out a surprised sound. “Oh! Well while we can watch your bisharp you currently have a pokémon with us. Your zubat has been here for almost a year now!”
“Oh, fuck, I forgot about that thing. Yeah . . . how much is that going to be?”
Martin checked and then smiled. “It’s ₽7700.”
“That much?! Jeeze, I’m not paying so much for such a useless pokémon!”
“What—you can’t just call your pokémon useless!” Martin had gotten fond of the zubat. The little bat liked to sleep under the awning but would fly down to land on his head when he brought out treats. It was a sweetheart!
“Well, fuck you I did!” The guy grabbed back his ID. “I’m not paying and you can ban my account or whatever, not like you’re the only daycare here.”
“But your zubat!”
“Throw its damn ball in the trash for all I care!” Turning, he stomped out and Martin sat there, frozen a moment before flagging the file. His mother had explained that if a pokémon was abandoned there they had to file a report on it, but Martin didn’t know how to do that. It would be fine to be left for the next day anyways.
The rest of the day was uneventful—the stew proved to be satisfactory and when he told her about the issue she promised she would send off the report the next day, since she was starting to feel stronger. She also told Martin he had done ‘good enough’ and that he might be fit to take over full time in the next month or two after she taught him some more. Martin couldn’t help how proud he was at that—he would be running this place before he was even a teenager!
But he was still bothered by the trainer from earlier. Walking out back once the sun had set he saw Guardie curled up besides a rockruff under the shelter, snoozing away, and a nincada half buried in the dirt also asleep. In the sky was zubat, flying around happily, letting out a welcoming cry and flying to Martin as soon as he noticed he was there. Martin laughed as the zubat landed on his head, snuggling into his hair. Reaching up, he stroked the pokémon, letting himself indulge in the zubat cuddles a moment.
But he had to tell him.
Reaching up, he carefully pulled zubat off his head and held it in his arms. “Hey. I have something I need to talk to you about. Your uh, your trainer was here and he . . . he . . . ” Martin felt the tears welling up. “He said he doesn’t want to keep you. I’m sorry, I, I think it’s my fault. He wasn’t expecting the price to be so much and, and I got so mad at him.” Martin felt the zubat’s wings move and for a second thought it was trying to fly away but no, it was wrapping wings around him. “Sorry.” Martin whispered. “But look on the bright side! You’ll be able to go wherever you want after tomorrow, you can have adventures!” Zubat didn’t seem excited about that and Martin didn’t blame him; he’d never wanted to have adventures either. So he also added: “but you can stay around here if you want.”
Zubat let out a pleased little sound and Martin hugged him a moment longer before loosening his arms. Zubat took off, but only to land on his head again. “I’m glad you’ll stay around. I would miss you if you were gone.”
The report wasn’t actually that intimidating when his mother walked him through it: Client information, Pokémon Information, Reason for Report. “The owner will get a penalty he’ll have to pay to the league for this,” Martin’s mother explained. “If he wants to compete in any official events he’ll have to get it cleared. And we’ll be compensated by the league for his fees so it works out.”
Martin sent off the form and then helped his mother to the kitchen where he started on tea. “So what do we do with the zubat?”
“Release him. He’s not our problem anymore.”
“But . . . ” Martin hesitated, staring pointedly at the kettle. “What if he wanted to stay here?”
His mother scoffed from where she was sitting at the kitchen table, a scowl appearing on her face. “I doubt it. And we can’t just let any freeloading pokémon stay. That thing can get a trainer and be out of our hair.”
Martin frowned, but he was already looking for loopholes. “What if I became his trainer?” He chanced a glance at his mother and saw her scowl deepen.
“What, you want to be a trainer like your father?! Leave me here to take care of everything?!”
“No! No, that’s not it at all!” Martin cringed a little. “I just thought, like you have your chansey that helps you out? It would be nice to have a pokémon friend.”
Her harsh look softened a little. “Fine, as long as you’re not planning on running off and becoming a trainer. You can take some money from the tip jar and get a pokéball, but if it attacks you when you try, don’t come crying to me.”
Martin smiled as he finished making the Oolong tea for them both, almost not minding the taste this time.
He didn’t run out immediately. Instead he waited till Agnes came back for Guardie. “Miss Agnes? Can I ask you something?”
“Of course,” she answered as she swiped her card, paying for her pokémon’s care. “What is it Martin?”
“I wanted to catch a pokémon, and I wanted to know what was best!”
Tapping a finger on her chin, she considered. “It depends on a lot. Some pokéballs are most effective in caves, and others on pokémon you fish up.”
“I meant more, what was the pokémon’s favorite type. Like if they’re going to be inside it sometimes, it seems only right to get what would be most comfortable.”
Agnes smiled and then reached into her bag, pulling out a black pokéball. “This is a luxury ball. It’s supposed to be really cozy for the pokémon that are inside it.”
“Oh wow. That’s the kind I’m going to get!” He was determined, if zubat was going to be his pokémon friend, he wanted the best ball.
“Well, then let me give you one of mine. I have a lot of pokéballs anyways.”
“Are you sure?”
“Consider this my tip.” Agnes held out the ball and Martin took it, grinning widely.
“Thank you!” He bounced on his toes, barely waiting till Agnes left before running outside. “Zubat!” he called, grinning when the bat pokémon woke up and flew to him. “I got a pokéball for you! If you want to stay and be my pokémon, you can now!”
Martin held it out and a second later zubat flew down, booping the ball and being taken inside it in a flash of red. It shook for just a second before clicking, signifying that zubat was caught. Martin wasted no time in throwing it, releasing zubat. “Now I get to give you a nickname, like how Agnes calls her growlithe Guardie!”
Zubat flew around him as Maritn began to head back to the daycare. “Something cool. Maybe Karma? Mom says that people who do bad things get bad karma, and people who do good get good karma, and I’ve been trying really hard to be good, and I have you now. So you’re my Karma.”
Karma squeaked, flying into the building as Martin opened the door before roosting in his hair, seemingly content.
