Private/Closed THE ETERNAL POKEMON

[Rex]

Long did we live in this cave.
All thanks to the powerful Pokemon living beside us.
Yet… We sealed that Pokemon away.
Alone in the dark.
We feared it.
…
If you have the courage.
If you still hold to hope.
Open the door, for beyond it…
The Eternal Pokemon awaits…​

---

It was another day in the Hoenn region. The sun rose on Littleroot Town, as it always did. The machinations of Teams Aqua and Magma were a distant memory. Groudon and Kyogre had been put back to sleep. Rayquaza had returned to its home high in the ozone layer. Life went on, as it always had. The people tied up in that bizarre series of events had all moved on. Or at least, that was how it seemed. Unfortunately, the past never does just die. Its repercussions echoed throughout the future. But, for now, the present was peaceful.

Littleroot was one of those little towns, almost every region had one. It was the town the regional Pokemon Professor, Birch, called home. Though the Professor, who specialized in Pokemon habitats and distribution, was rarely in his lab, preferring field work to the stuffy confines of his office, Littleroot was still his base of operations. It was from here that the Hoenn region’s Starter Pokemon program was run, and Pokedexes were handed out and upgraded. So the otherwise sleepy halmet was very used to Trainers of all stripes showing up, from greenhorns looking to grab their first Pokemon to well traveled Trainers visiting Hoenn for the first time, and everyone in between.

When Samuel Vekkner arrived in Littleroot Town, he wasn’t really anything to write home about. A young man of 17, approaching five foot ten and lanky, pale, somewhat disheveled, and very clearly traveling for the first time. He wore a pair of ill fitting black boots, baggy gray pants, and a sleeveless shirt of the same color. The red belt around his waist was the one dash of color on the boy’s entire ensemble, even his eyes were a dull slate gray. He did, however, have a duffel bag – a bulky thing in black canvas, which – after checking to make sure no one was watching him – he dropped on the ground beside him and opened up.

From inside the bag, he withdrew a Pokeball. New Trainer Sam might be, but he wasn’t completely hopeless. He gave the ball a light underhand toss, releasing the Pokemon inside. Said Pokemon stood out a little, the way any Pokemon would if it wasn’t local. Orange and cream furred, with blue fins on its arms and a yellow inflatable collar around its neck, and a long tail that split in two halfway down its length. A Buizel, a Sinnoh Pokemon. The two cream ovals on the Pokemon’s back identified it as a male of the species.

The Pokemon seemed a bit distressed, turning this way and that while his Pokeball returned to Sam’s hand, his fur raised. Then the Pokemon turned to look at his Trainer, his expression a mix of betrayal and relief. Sam flinched a little under that gaze.

“Sorry Seth, you know I can’t let them see you,” the Trainer apologized.

Seth had been against the Pokeball from the day Sam had gotten him. He was one of those Pokemon, Sam had heard of the type. Some others might say that you needed to discipline such a Pokemon, they needed to get used to their balls eventually, but Sam preferred a lighter touch. Besides, he liked having the Pokemon’s company, Seth seemed to really get him. Still, recently Sam had fallen in with some people. People that he respected, and had done good by him, but they had a kind of a thing against Water Type Pokemon. Sam disagreed with them over that, but he didn’t want to rock the boat too bad, so to speak. So, when he was going to talk with those people, he had to put Seth away. But that shouldn’t be a problem now.

Seth shot him a little glare, and Sam responded with a sheepish grin. Always better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Eventually the Pokemon huffed, his fur lowered back into place, and the Buizel padded to his side. All was forgiven, for now. But Sam would have to treat him to something extra tasty tonight. The Buizel always loved his cooking, it would cheer him right up.

But anyway, Sam was in Littleroot Town for a reason. Those people that had taken him in wanted him to do some field work of his own. He was supposed to scour the Hoenn region, looking for information on a group of Legendary Pokemon known as the Titans. Now, Sam was far from the only person that had been assigned this task, it was much too big for one person to do! In fact, he was one of many people assigned to this beat, so to speak. So, it probably wouldn’t be too bad if he couldn’t find anything.

Still, he wanted to try his best to pull his weight. So, he figured the best place to start was with the Pokemon Professor! Granted, Legendary Pokemon weren’t exactly Birch’s area of study, so this wasn’t likely to turn up anything in particular, but a Pokedex was a handy tool to have, so, you know, it wouldn’t be a total loss. Having one would make him a more legitimate Trainer, Sam felt. All the same, the newbie Trainer felt like he was in way over his head.

Still, there was no backing out now! He shouldered his bag, and marched his way towards the Pokemon lab, Seth following along at a steady pace behind him. The Professor’s lab was relatively easy to spot, being a large collection of buildings clustered relatively close together. It was presently early morning, and while it was clear that the lab was open for business, there weren’t yet any Trainers paying the place a visit. This was awkward, to say the least. Sam was hit by a sudden bout of self consciousness. He didn’t really want to be the first, or only, Trainer to head in.

“Let’s, uh, wait and see if anyone else shows up, huh?” Sam said to his Pokemon, “I’m not really sure about the protocol of this whole thing. Don’t know if we should just barge in or not.”

The little orange Pokemon could only shrug in response.

 

[Mr.RMA]

Cyril knew he was going to have a restless night, having been so excited for the next day to arrive... and he should've known that a nightmare was going to come along and spoil the whole evening entirely. They always seemed to come around whenever he was so eager...

He'd seen himself, though years younger, standing a ways off from his home, staring off at the horizon in a sort of wonderstruck terror, unable to move... His father's screams were being drowned out as vicious storms were constantly interrupted by blazing heatwaves, drying up the rainstorms just as they seemed ready to flood the land entirely. Loud crashes of thunder and winds that seemed to whistle with the pitch of a boiling kettle were audibly colliding with the sound of sizzling water as it evaporated before falling right back down as rainwater again. Cyril could feel the blaring sun burning his skin as the downpour of water drenched him, simmering as the intense heat beat down. He simply didn’t know how to react beyond looking up at the sky, at this mockery of nature itself plaguing the region, and perhaps even beyond. A bolt of lightning struck just a couple blocks away, the bright flash blinding him, causing him to stumble backwards. Tumbling to the ground, he was caught on his way down by a soft patch of fur. His father’s Stoutland had been swift to act, carrying him back inside, the door struggling to shut behind them.

Orville hadn't scolded his son, much less even reprimand him in any sense of the word. Not only had it simply not been the time for such discipline, but Cyril knew it was because his father understood what had given him pause in the first place. More than a decade of living in this region and they’d never experienced the likes of this… Worse yet… if it had persisted, it would have been the last time they experienced much of anything. Cyril remembered the fear, the uncertainty... The desperate hope that the rest of the family had all found shelter in time... and then… after the faint sounds of distant roars echoing from a great distance, everything suddenly went calm… and Cyril's eyes opened, back in his room, his skin uncooked, his clothes perfectly dry... minus some drops of sweat.

Morning already... He had half a mind to just sleep in... but no! No he couldn't do that, not today! He'd been waiting for this day for years, he couldn't just sleep through it now! Awkwardly he tumbled over to his closet and clumsily threw on his usual clothes, half of his jacket still dangling off the side of him as he shambled downstairs. As usual his mother was already gone, having quite the early start and a rather far commute all the way over to Rustboro. His father, however, was home, and struggling mightily to craft a hearty breakfast for the two of them, Stoutland eagerly pacing behind him to try and snag any potential scraps he'd drop on the floor.

"I swear your stomach is an all-consuming black hole..." Orville had muttered before noticing Cyril walk by. "Oh, 'Morning son! Big day today, yeah? You excited?"

Cyril gave a weak mumble in the affirmative.

"What's up? Didn't sleep so well?" Rather stating the obvious there, Cyril thought, but nonetheless he just gave a light nod. He held his tongue when it came to explaining the dream. Last thing his father needed was a reminder of the very catastrophe that had kept Cyril waiting an extra three years to start training.

"Well, ah... I'd say a nice breakfast would help perk you up but I'm afraid I've got... nothing much..." Orville muttered with a sigh, walking over to the fridge and grabbing something from it, tossing it over to Cyril. "At least have something to drink before you go, okay?" Cyril caught the single-serving bottle with the label of a smiling Miltank on the front and the words "Moo Moo Milk" plastered just on top.

Cyril took a swig of the beverage before finally getting around to putting on the rest of his jacket, going over to give his father a hug and Stoutland a friendly pet goodbye before heading out the door. They'd already had a good talk the night before about him setting off on his own, made it easier to get all the lingering anxieties out of the way beforehand. He'd still see him off once he got his Pokemon from the lab, but it was Walton tradition to start one's journey quick, not delaying things for ceremony, hitting the ground running, and all that business.

"You be sure to visit your Mom once you get to Rustboro! She made me promise her you wouldn't forget, so... don't forget!"

"No prob, I'll remember!" Cyril called back before shutting the door behind him. He took a breath of the Littleroot fresh air, taking in the all-too-familiar setting one last time, ready to set off on an adventure, much further than he'd ever traveled before. Even with the uncomfortable lingering memories that dream revived, he was more than a little delighted to get out there and actually see what Hoenn looked like outside of the books he'd read.

It didn't take a master of directions to find Professor Birch's lab, considering it was the only massive research complex in the area. His father had supposedly called ahead and set up some sort of appointment for Cyril to collect his first Pokemon and get officially registered, so it all just came down to going through that front door... but boy did it suddenly become a lot more daunting as the buildings got larger and larger the closer he got to them.

"...Right, don't chicken out, Cyril..." he muttered to himself, clenching his hands into fists. He'd been told to get here early, before any potential rush of aspiring trainers could hinder things. Made it easier to get his pick of a starter as well... but it really did make the whole thing all the more intimidating in a way, having almost no one else around... Almost being the key word. Some older-looking teenager was standing there with what appeared to be his Pokemon, though not one that Cyril had seen very often before around these parts. Perhaps he'd gotten it from another region... but then, if he was already a trainer from out of town, what was he doing at the lab here? If he wasn't still rather tired he'd probably have been more inclined to actually ponder that some more, but, he didn't have the energy. Still... it did beg the question just why he was hanging around at the entrance...

"Uh... beg your pardon. Are you ah... waiting to get inside?" He worked up the nerve to ask the older fellow, figuring if this was where a waiting line began he didn't want to be rude and just cut ahead.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

A turn of the key, and the door locked behind her with a click. A simple, familiar action - yet this time it was different, accompanied by a sense of finality. After all, if all went as it was expected to, the door would remain locked for a while, and the next time she would unlock it, it would be as a very different person.

That's how it was supposed to go, wasn't it? Virtually every book and piece of media she encountered presented the concept of the trainer journey as this nigh-spiritual, life-changing rite of passage - a fantastic adventure that sweeps a person to see new places, experience new things and acquire new skills, all the while learning all about their true potential and their true self. At the age of twenty-two, by all metrics, Elizabeth Kendrick was long overdue for some life-changing epiphanies on the road, and her insistence on pursuing a pointedly unchanged life close to home instead baffled many of her old friends - old acquaintances now, she supposed, as she had little in common with any of them anymore - who went through the whole song-and-dance in their early-to-mid-teens.

But she liked it. It was predictable and not awfully exciting, but it was comfortable and peaceful, and the whole mystique around the idea of a trainer journey always felt kind of disingenuous to her. In retrospect, it just made her think about all those buzzword-filled missives and online training courses that her workplace of several years was inundated with since an international corporation based in Unova acquired it in a bid to "Enhance its Footprint in the Hoenn Region" as part of its corporate mission of "Creating and Delivering High-Quality Products that Improve the Lives of Our Valued Customers and the Diverse Communities We Serve"... and after several months of reinventing the wheel to promote a "Workplace Culture Revolving around the Power of We" and "Fostering Our Talent" to "Improve Productivity in Meaningful Ways", the "Leadership" made "Difficult Decisions" to "Streamline and Restructure" her "Business Unit" which resulted in her position - in which she was valued and appreciated after years of doing everything right - being "Made Redundant".

She had a few choice words for them about that, but she never said them - both because she wasn't stupid, and because she had an inkling that they would not understand any words she may have said if they weren't laundered and sterilized in just the right way to make them entirely devoid of meaning while looking good on some marketing consultant's résumé.

Maybe she should have. Just to make them ever-so-slightly uncomfortable. Shake their smug corporate bubble at least a little bit... But no. It would make no real difference and would only serve to jeopardize future career opportunities. Which, to be perfectly honest, she really should have started looking for shortly afterwards.

Then why wasn't she? Why was she, instead, making her way down Route 101 to the neighboring Littleroot Town instead?

Well, the official answer for that was "To see a scientist at the local research facility about a Pokédex", of course. Several online articles she looked into over the past few days - ever since she made her little spur-of-the-moment decision to re-evaluate her life choices so far and maybe try something out of what little was left of her comfort zone - suggested that this was a good first step one should take when starting a journey, no matter when and where one chose to start it. It was the one piece of advice that seemed sensible amidst a mountain of drivel about how it's Never Too Late to Begin and how Pokémon are the Great Equalizer - more sales pitches, she felt, designed to convince would-be-trainers that would be put off by overthinking how late they are to the so-called party. Well, she wasn't going to overthink any of this. She was going to just do it, and the rest would attend to itself. New journey, new me! Adventure, right? Caution to the wind, let's try something new! I have no idea what I'm doing! It's so liberating, right?

Right?

Why doesn't it feel this way?

... Steady now, Elizabeth. You've got your Pokémon with you, you're on the road, that's already a good start.

And that she did. Lazily surveying its surroundings from its perch atop the wide-brimmed straw hat the young woman was wearing was a small, blue, long-legged roundish insectoid creature - a female Surskit, which the young woman had named Bluebell. They weren't particularly new surroundings - all the routes around Oldale were fairly similar to each other, after all - but the little Water/Bug-type liked to stay alert at least to some extent when out and about. One could never tell when a passing Taillow would decide to get uppity, after all. And there was another - a small near-humanoid creature, pure white in colour save for a green helm-like structure adorned with triangular red horns atop its head - that followed the young woman with ungainly footsteps, occasionally appearing to blink out of existence only to reappear several steps ahead, to better keep up without exerting itself. Snowdrop (for that is what she named the Ralts when she caught him) was definitely the more active of her two companions - and it certainly wouldn't feel right to keep him in his ball at a time like this.

Yeah. She wasn't alone on an uncertain path. She had her companions by her side, she had a destination to begin with, it was all going to be okay.

~*~

It wasn't a very long walk, really - and Littleroot town was small enough and easy enough to get around for Elizabeth to find the laboratory complex without much difficulty. She certainly expected more people around, though - maybe it was a quiet day or just too early, but the two teenagers and the singular Buizel she saw in the general vicinity of the entrance were a far cry from the constant hustle and bustle of new trainers she expected. The Buizel was somewhat of a surprise - she had seen them before in nature documentaries about the Sinnoh region, but never in person - and she could only assume it belonged to the older of the two teenagers. Perhaps he was also here for a Pokédex?

And why were these two hanging out outside, anyway? If the facility's website at the time she set up an appointment was any indication, the laboratory should have been open to visitors at the time - and from what she could see through the large glass door of the building, the lobby area certainly seemed to have some researchers in it, and what looked like the reception desk was manned. Maybe something happened that necessitated the laboratory to open later than usual and the door was actually locked, or it was the kind of door that needed to be opened by a staff member from the inside even when the facility was open? Or maybe those two individuals were just nervous about walking in? She honestly couldn't blame them - a bit of her was fairly self-conscious about clearly being the oldest visitor to the laboratory at the time... no, screw that, there was nothing to be self-conscious about. She had an appointment, which meant that she had every right to be there - at the very least she could ask one of the staff if there was any procedure that needed followed - worst thing that could happen was that she'd have to wait a bit more.

Steeling herself, Elizabeth Kendrick made her way to the laboratory door - and found the doors sliding open with a hiss as she approached. Automatic doors, then - but evidently, not one of those places where you had to ring a fancy doorbell to enter the public-facing side of the facility. She slightly awkwardly waved at the receptionist, and the receptionist waved back, signalling her to come in. That settled it then - but if these two teenagers were also would-be visitors to the laboratory, she figured she should probably let them know.

"Are you two here for the lab too?" she called out, instinctively moving to stand in just the right place for the sensor to pick her presence up and keep the door open, but to also not block the way. On top of her hat, Bluebell dipped her body down slightly in what almost seemed like a curtsy, while Snowdrop instantly blinked to hide behind his trainer's leg like a nervous child as he attempted to get at least some kind of a read on all these new people that the young woman insisted on drawing the attention of for some reason or another. She regarded the creature with a reassuring look and a small smile - Ralts were skittish creatures by nature, and Snowdrop was no different - as she waited for a reply. She preferred not to have to stand in the door for too long, after all.

 

[Psycho Monkey]

“The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control, and not the other way around. Let them fight.” were the words spoken by an old man standing near where Dewey Fenwick had been gathering data during the unrelenting hell the history books now called the Sootopolis Event. Such a bland, simple name that hardly did the near world ending calamity justice. Ask someone in Unova or Galar to describe the Sootopolis Event and they’d probably give some vague response about how the weather in Hoenn got crazy for a couple of days. Ask a native Hoennian about it and they’ll tell you about the awe inspiring terror of how one moment they’re experiencing a searing heatwave that would give you sunburns in a few minutes then in an instant the weather immediately switches to torrential downpours that could that could turn a paved city street into a raging river. Then the intense sun came out again long enough to dry up the flood waters before once more dumping it all back to earth as heavy rain. But when you ask someone who was in Sootopolis City what they experienced at ground zero and they’ll tell you they’re just glad they survived.

Dewey had been right there in the thick of it. He had been a researcher for Team Aqua which made him culpable in the disaster at worst or guilty by association at best. It had been Team Aqua’s goal to summon the Legendary Pokémon Kyogre so that they could use its power to summon rain in order to raise sea levels and create more habitats for Pokémon. Conversely, Aqua’s rival organization, Team Magma, had been seeking the Legendary Pokémon Groudon in order to exploit its power to intensify sunlight to evaporate the seas and expand the land for human development. As fate would have it, both organizations managed to successfully awaken both Super-Ancient Pokémon within hours of each other resulting in Kyogre and Groudon clashing with one another for dominance.

The epicenter of their cataclysmic battle had been Sootopolis City, a settlement built in the caldera of an extinct volcano. As for why this location of all places in Hoenn was chosen, Dewey theorized it was because of the planet’s natural energy that still emanated from the Cave of Origin located deep within the caldera. Whatever the reason, Dewey watched the two Super-Ancient Pokémon fight over the course of several days collecting as much climate data as he could. The periods of fluctuations between Kyogre’s storms and Groudon’s heat were an average ten minutes apart during which time ambient temperatures fluctuated between 20-40℃ and sea levels rose as high as 15m inside the caldera destroying many of the houses and buildings on the lower levels before falling 2m below normal levels.

Then the miracle happened. The sky split open and an emerald serpentine dragon descended. The citizens of Sootopolis and the Team Aqua and Magma members stood in awe as the third Super-Ancient Pokémon Rayquaza joined the fray. Many, including Dewey, expected this to turn into a three-way battle but instead the fighting ended when a mighty roar from Rayquaza cleared the weather and sent Kyogre and Groudon retreating out of the city. Then, just as quickly and suddenly as Rayquaza appeared, it flew back into the sky out of sight. The three Pokémon presumably returned to where they came from as there have been no reports or sightings of them since.

By the end of it all, Dewey was exhausted. He had eaten very little and had gotten almost no sleep through the whole ordeal. By the time he had recovered his strength, Dewey wondered if it would even be worth compiling all of his data as he doubted Team Aqua would even be around for much longer. Surely if Archie, Shelly, Matt, and everyone else involved weren’t outright arrested for public endangerment and destruction of property, they’d be forced to disband in order to avoid getting lynched by an angry mob. Maybe he could publish his paper as a freelancer who just happened to be in Sootopolis at the time with the right equipment. He’d have to start looking for a new job anyway now that Team Aqua was defunct.

Or so he thought. As it happened, both Archie and Team Magma’s leader Maxie turned themselves in to authorities looking for a plea deal. The two leaders agreed to take full responsibility for their respective teams’ actions and would willingly accept the maximum punishment so long as their subordinates could go free. The courts however had other ideas. In exchange for avoiding prison time for their crimes, the two teams would be sentenced to community service. Aqua and Magma would be disbanded but reorganized and joined forces as Team Eco, a new organization devoted to the preservation of the environment. Their first order of business was to clean-up the mess they made of Hoenn.

Dewey spent the next few years compiling his data and publishing a paper titled The Effect Kyogre and Groudon Have on Climate in the scientific journal Climate. In a way, Dewey was kind of proud of himself. All his life he had just been passively studying and researching for his own personal curiosity. Now he actually had his name in the literature. It was kind of surreal. But with his first step in academia came expectations. Reports had been trickling in since the Sootopolis Event of Pokémon not native to Hoenn showing up in the wild. At first Rangers assumed these were Pokémon that Trainers had carelessly released, however, when these sightings started happening all over the region, it became clear this was not just an isolated incident. Further investigation showed that Kyogre and Groudon’s clash, while brief, had very slightly altered Hoenn’s climate allowing for new species of Pokémon to migrate to the region. It would appear Team Aqua’s goal of creating new habitats for Pokémon had been a success after all, just not the way they had envisioned. Dewey’s next assignment was clear. Travel to Littleroot Town to pickup a Pokédex from Prof. Birch and document all of the exotic species not listed in the Regional Dex and where they were found.
-------------------

“We have arrived in Littleroot Town. Please make sure you have all of your things as you depart the bus.” droned an automatic voice as the bus doors opened at a small station in the north part of the quiet hamlet.

“Finally.” Dewey sighed as he got up and walked outside. His legs felt like jelly after sitting for the better part of three hours so his first few steps felt heavy and forced. It also didn’t help matters that he had been up long before sunrise to even catch the bus. Sure he had been able to catch a few more winks during the ride, but the accommodations weren’t exactly five-star comfort. The fatigued look in his brown eyes were testament to that. Dewey was already less than thrilled with his new assignment and the tedious trip wasn’t making it any better. He had seriously considered taking the first ship out of Hoenn the moment he was approached with the task yet here he was. Documenting exotic species sounded at least somewhat interesting and was enough of an incentive to get Dewey to at least try.

Preferring not to draw unwanted attention to himself, Dewey opted out of wearing his Team Aqua uniform on this venture and went with something more casual. A plain white shirt, brown pants, and black leather boots would do the trick. Instead of looking like a romanticized pirate, he only looked like a historical one now. Adding to the look was a dark brown vest that hid a holster for Dewey’s two knives. One never knew when such tools would be needed so it was best to keep them close and concealed, especially if one of those needs was self-defense. But that need probably wouldn’t arise here given how calm the small town was.

Littleroot Town appeared to be mostly a wide field of lush green grass with a few houses and possibly nonresidential buildings in the distance from the bus station. An early morning breeze swept through Dewey’s wavy brown hair bring with it a clean, earthy smell. A far cry from the salty sea air the scientist was accustomed to. With another deep sigh, Dewey drooped into a slouch as he headed south to where the lab should be. As he approached what could easily be considered the largest building in the town, Dewey couldn’t help but notice a group of three standing right in front of the doorway. Right where he needed to go.

“It’s too early in the morning to deal with this.” he grumbled to himself. “Oi. If you aren’t going inside, would you be so kind to not block the door?” he said gruffly as he approached the group.

 

[Keleri]

The four trainer-hopefuls at the lab doorway had introduced themselves to one another and wandered through to its interior by the time a fifth individual showed up, sullen and slouching in all black, a baggy hooded sweatshirt and oversized black jeans obscuring their silhouette as much as possible. They paused for a moment, looking up at the lab and exposing a face that hadn't seen much sun in a while, before dropping their gaze again and heading through the doors, a bulging shoulder bag not helping, but probably not the only reason for their poor posture.

=====

In the Littleroot Laboratory starter enclosures, there was a buzz of excitement as the young pokemon squawked and trilled to one another. Today was the day! They'd be matched with a young human trainer and have a grand adventure, evolving and growing strong, and from there... who knew! You'd be powerful, and powerful pokemon could do whatever they wanted, and best of all, you'd have a wonderful human friend to share it with.

Treecko were leaping up and down vines or sunning themselves under heat lamps in the grass-type enclosure; Mudkip playfully sprayed one another if they could manage the beginner's version of the Water Gun, darting back and forth in the terraced ponds; and Torchic ran and tumbled in the hot, sandy fire-type zone, screeching at one another when tempers flared.

Torbie the Torchic had hopped up the stack of red rocks interspersed with sticks whose bark inquisitive beaks had long since nibbled away; its apex faced the laboratory, where the humans worked, and she hoped to catch a glimpse of the human trainers coming in first. Her fire crop felt full to bursting with excitement; she was going to be matched with the very best human, a human that was tall! And red! With big white hair! An amazing human who'd make her strong and powerful, who'd give her an amazing name to replace her chick name, and they'd travel the world together. They'd throw out her pokeball, and she'd appear as a Blaziken and kick her opponents to pieces and burn them with white-hot fire like the sun!

It was the best day ever!