"The fuck?" I exclaimed incredulously; my gaze fixed in a stupor on the hologram before me. The hologram displayed a video of me swinging around using Kakuna.

"So, this is what they meant by viral..." I realized immediately. Upon returning to my dorm room, I promptly began searching for answers to the things that had been troubling me for a while. Coincidentally, this happened to be one of those things.

Cyndaquil, hanging on the bed beside me, chirped happily, “Kiu, kiu...!"

I sighed, waving the video away. Instead, I grabbed Cyndaquil and placed him on my lap.

"Come on, it's time to watch something important," I said.

I wanted to unlock more moves for Cyndaquil and train it further.

"Kiu?" Cyndaquil settled on my thigh and stared at the hologram.

I immediately searched for videos of Flamethrower and Flame Charge. Cyndaquil showed great interest as he looked at them, given that the same species as him was performing the moves.

As he busied himself into watching that stuff, I thought about my next move.

I needed a plan. A schedule. For Cyndaquil. So, I took off my watch and put it on the bed, letting Cyndaquil watch on the hologram that was coming from it.

I grabbed my notebook and decided to scribble down possible moves in the meantime.

It was very simple.

Use Ember with Tackle repetitively until Cyndaquil learns Flame Charge. Repeated Ember for Flamethrower. Leg strength for physical attacks like Tackle and Quick Attack.

Yep, that was it.

I sighed.

“Cynda?”

Smiling as I shook my head, I patted Cyndaquil’s head and then melted down into my bed. As soon as I hit the bed, I no longer remembered when I drifted off to sleep.

***

I felt a heavy sensation weighing down on my heart. It felt as if I was going to get squashed beneath a mountain. Half foot in dreamland, my eyes fluttered open to the sight of my Cyndaquil sleeping on my chest. Fuck, this dude wasn’t really heavy, but mind plus slight weight on the chest really set me up to some.

I sighed and tried to scoop it over to the bed so that I could wake up properly. Shower. Yes. Without that, I couldn’t wake up properly, so much so that I would doze off again and again if I didn’t. It sucked, but it was what it was.

Before that, though, I noticed that Cyndaquil was up. I grabbed him, much to his confusion, and started walking toward the bathroom.

“Kiu?”

Cyndaquil whined sleepily.

“Hm? Nothing, just gonna get you freshened up.”

“Kiu?!” Cyndaquil turned sober quicker than ever. “Kiu!” he tried to get away.

I chuckled at Cyndaquil's protest, finding his resistance to getting washed quite amusing. As I entered the bathroom, Cyndaquil's grip tightened on my arm, desperately trying to resist the inevitable.

"Come on, Cyndaquil, it's just a bath. You'll feel so much better afterward," I said with an amused smile, ignoring his protests.

I turned on the warm water in the bathtub, causing Cyndaquil to squirm even more in my grasp.

“Cynda! Cynda! Cynda!”

The sound of rushing water seemed to amplify his protests.

I couldn't help but chuckle at his futile attempts to grip the ground and escape my grasp when I tried to get him in there. Despite his small size, Cyndaquil put up quite a fight, his tiny feet skidding against the bathroom tiles as he struggled.

I just plopped him off the ground and brought him above the water as he let out a series of high-pitched "Kiuuuuuuuuuuu!" cries.

With a firm grip, I carefully lowered Cyndaquil into the warm water, his resistance reaching its peak as he splashed around, shooting small sparks in all directions. The sight was both adorable and comical, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, okay, calm down, buddy," I said, trying to soothe him. "Just relax and let the water do its magic."

Cyndaquil's fiery display gradually subsided as he realized that the warm water wasn't harming him.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Taking a gentle approach, I lathered a bit of Pokémon-friendly shampoo onto my hands and began to massage it into Cyndaquil. His initial resistance gave way to a contented expression as the warm water and soothing touch seemed to relax him.

"There, see? It's not so bad, is it?" I said, smiling at Cyndaquil's now-relaxed form.

He blinked his eyes, seemingly acknowledging the change in his demeanor. His protests turned into soft chirps as I continued to wash him, making sure to clean every nook and cranny.

Once I finished, I carefully lifted Cyndaquil out of the water, wrapping him in a soft towel. He nestled against me, his dampness sticking to my clothes.

"You did great, buddy," I praised him, rubbing him gently with the towel to dry him off. "Now you're all clean and fresh."

Cyndaquil let out a contented sigh, seeming to appreciate the post-bath pampering. As I carried him back to my room, he nuzzled against my chest.

I placed him on the bed, where he curled up into a fluffy ball, ready to drift off to sleep once again. I couldn't help but smile.

Done with that, I showered and got ready for the day.

***

After classes, my watch buzzed.

[Make way to the Club office!]

A raspy voice, one I recognized, sounded from the watch alongside Castor's face.

[It's time for the club to announce our new members and introduce ourselves!]

What?

I blinked.

I scratched my chin and sighed.

"Well, Cyndaquil, we can't train today, it seems. Club calls."

"Kiu?"

I shrugged and picked up my bag as Cyndaquil hopped on my shoulder, making a beeline toward the Club.

The sky appeared clear today, the sun shining bright as it illuminated the campus. The walk was nice, since there were not a lot of students out at this hour.

I passed the Cafeteria, where students were busily chattering amongst each other.

It took us a few minutes to arrive at the Clubroom.

Walking inside, I was greeted by the same woman who I had met once beforehand. Her eyes immediately landed on Cyndaquil perched up on my shoulder. She smiled at me.

"Welcome, Ian," she exclaimed, walking toward me with a spring in her step. She immediately started petting Cyndaquil, who was taken aback at first but quickly warmed up to the attention.

"How are you today?" she asked me as she kept petting Cyndaquil.

"Uh, fine, I guess?"

What was up with the sudden attention?

I squinted my eyes and moved on.

***

Ash and Reto were here. I wondered when they joined. I knew that Reto would be joining, but I had no clue about Ash.

"Welcome to the new year students that have joined us. My name is Arc, and I am your Club Leader," Arc began, his voice filled with a mix of authority and indifference. He stood at the front of the room, his arms crossed over his chest.

Beside him, a tall and imposing guy stood indifferently. His cold gaze surveyed the room.

Well, Immediately, I knew these two held authority in the Club. I just wondered now, if my time here would be easy or difficult.

Arc continued, "Now, let's get down to business. This is Kiyan, one of the senior members, and he will be assisting everyone here in the journey here at the Club."

Kiyan's expression remained impassive as he nodded in acknowledgment. The newer members shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

Arc's demeanor softened slightly as he turned his attention back to the group. "As Club members, you'll have the opportunity to learn and develop your skills in various areas. We will provide training, guidance, and resources to help you excel whenever possible. But that is not the purpose of this Club. The purpose is to uncover mysteries."

His words were met with a mixture of excitement and apprehension from the members.

At that moment, Kiyan stepped forward, "But don't expect any hand-holding. We won't tolerate weakness or incompetence. If you can't pull your own weight, you'll be quickly weeded out."

Some members shifted uncomfortably, while others stared at Kiyan with a mix of respect and wariness.

I, on the other hand, blinked.

These guys were from 2nd or 3rd year at the very least. I wondered where Castor was.

Arc shot Kiyan a warning glance before addressing the group again. "While Kiyan may have a... direct way of speaking, he is here to help you. His methods may be unconventional, but they are effective."

Kiyan's expression softened for a brief moment as he glanced at Arc.

Arc turned back to the members, his tone returning to its usual indifference. "That being said, we expect dedication, hard work, and a willingness to push your limits. This Club is not-”

“Bah, shut up would ya?” A raspy voice sounded as Castor came out of a room. “Get on with this.”

“But, professor-”

“We both know there’s something more important than this, Arc,” Castor leveled him a stare, grinning.

Castor walked over, then cleared his throat.

"Greetings, new students. I'm Professor Castor, one of your instructors here at the school, as well as the mentor of this Club."

His tone was surprisingly different. Gone was the playfulness in his words that I had seen last time I met him.

He looked around the room, a fierce glint in his eyes. "It's time for me to explain why you were all brought here today."

He moved in front of the chalkboard, and began drawing some symbols on it.

A chalkboard? Why use a chalkboard? Weird.

"Here, this is what we're looking for," Castor said, pointing at the symbols on the board. It wasn't a symbol, but a Pokemon. One I was familiar with. Clefairy. "There have been rumors that a Clefairy was spotted going towards Mt. Moon. But, it's hard to say if this is true or not."

Castor continued, "And yet, this is the best opportunity for us to go outside to uncover this mystery. So, who’s in?” he grinned. “After all, going isn’t mandatory and depends on you. Whether you want to or not. Though I must say, it is a learnin’ experience for you.”

“I am supposed to say all that…” Arc whined on the side.

Castor ignored the shit out of him.