“Wow Vicky. This pond IS clean.” Ivy mentioned as she followed me over to Feebas Pond. The pond was practically sparkling.
It actually hadn’t been this clean before I had talked my boy up. Afterwards he had made it his goal in life to clean up the whole pond. It was actually a little heartbreaking. My poor fish was so desperate for attention.
So I had brought Ivy over to get some.
“Yeah, Feebas worked really hard, you know?” I mention as I slip into the water giggling as Feebas swam up to brush against me. I gave him a hug and a kiss on his forehead. “Come on in the water is great.”
Ivy did just that, the girl already in her swim suit she hopped in and giggled as Feebas wandered over to say hello. I might have maybe kinda asked her to be very sensitive to Feebas’s feelings on her way over.
I was really glad I had though. She didn’t even look grossed out as she gave him a pat on the head and a heartfelt “Thank you Feebas.” My poor fish was so embarrassed at being thanked he had started swimming in circles really fast.
It was so funny that even Ivy let out an honest laugh as she chased after Feebas that became our first game, water tag with a fish was a little unfair. Feebas was the clear winner but we had plenty of splash fights and laughing fits as we played in the pond.
This was nice. I loved this world. It was so peaceful.
—--
“Growly! No!” I whined at the puppy Pokemon.
“Growl!”
“Nooo. It’s my birthday I wanna sleeeeep.” I continued to whine hiding under my blankets only to have puppy nose burrowing in. “Eee!” I squealed when cold wet nose touched my unprotected sides. “Okay! I’m up!”
“Good job Growly, C’mon birthday girl, time to get up, your mom has breakfast ready.”
“Evil!” I curse at him as I rise up, “Pffft.” I blow out my long blonde hair from my mouth. Running my hands through my strands I take a moment to grab my brush and brush it just enough it isn’t in a flurry before grabbing one of my hair bands and pushing it out of my eyes.
“Okay. I guess I’m up… For more sleep! Hehehehe!” I giggle as I jump back into my bed already hearing Growly come rushing back into the room to finish his duty, “No Growly I’m sleeeeeeping! You can’t st- EWW! GROWLY! DON’T LICK MY TOES!”
A few minutes later I am dragged into the dining room by Growly who was tugging me by the bottom of my pajama pants.
“Okay Growly. You did it. Vicky is here. Good job!” Papa called out instantly causing the puppy to rush over and stand at attention at Papa’s side. Growlithe was super well trained. Police dogs were like that.
“I got slobber on my pants.” I hint at my papa only earning a smile and a pat on my head as he pulls out my seat.
“Play games with Growly, you only earn one prize.” Mama says suddenly as she drops a plate of goodness in front of me.
“Slobber?”
“Slobber.” She affirms earning a whine from Growly, and a look pout from Papa.
“So Jenny let you off today? For the whole day?”
“The whole day Trouble. It’s my favorite daughter's Ninth birthday after all.”
“Only daughter!” I grumble at him as I begin to stuff my face. This was nice. Papa worked with the police and police work sometimes had odd hours so there had been birthdays he missed before. Not that I held that against him.
But it was nice he was here for this one.
“So we have a few things planned for you today. Which should we do first?” Papa teased to himself hemming and hawing.
“Presents!” I told him instantly. As if there was any other option.
“No!” He offered with a wide smile which earned a whine from me as I pouted at him,
“Finish up. We are going to meet your Grandma.” He informed me.
My smile grew then. Gram Gram and Papa did not get along. “Yeah laugh it up kid. You know how she is about birthdays.”
“Ugh. True. I’m gonna get my cheeks bruised.” I moan rubbing my face I can already imagine the pinches!
“Heh.” He chuckled as he patted my head consolingly.
“Oh. Let me go wish Feebas good morning before I get ready!” I stand up, grabbing a sausage from the plate along with a Chesto Berry which were always nice in the morning to help wake up.
“Hurry up! Your Grandmother is expecting us to be on our way soon!”
“Feebas is family too!” I call back as I rush out into the cool morning air. Hurrying over to the pond I call out “Feebas!” Which pretty quickly earns a reaction.
“Feeb!” As the fish splashes out of the water in a big jump before splashing back down.
“Oh! Nice height! Very pretty!” I compliment my fish as I bend down to give him a pet on his head. “I’m gonna be gone most of the day to see Gram Gram Feeby, you’ll hold down the house right?”
“Feeb!”
“That's my guy! Here, I brought you some of my special breakfast.”
“Feeeeebas!”
I giggled as he wiggled in the water at the idea of special breakfast. Passing the sausages and Berry over I smiled down at him. “I’ll come hang out once I get back okay Feeby? We will make it a special birthday swim. Maybe we will head down to river instead of staying in the pond. We can practice your current swimming some more.”
“Feeb!”
Smiling I stood. Nothing could tear down this good mood!
—--
“Owww!” I wince my cheeks practically bruised as the old hag I called Gram Gram pulled away her steel trap fingers.
“Hehe, it's a birthday little Trouble. Gotta bruise those cheeks!” She cackled like some witch! As she pulled away. “What’s this? My worthless son returns? Feh!”
“Mom. Not on Vickys birthday.”
“Pfeh! I’m not talking to you! Dog lover!”
“Mom!”
“Now where is my beautiful daughter heh?”
“I’m here Mother.” Mama said as she walked in to get a hug from Gram Gram.
“Good good! How my worthless son got a beauty like you I will never know! Must be something I did. Your Meowth is well?”
“Meowth is as prideful as always and healthy as a Tauros.”
“Good! Hah! Bet he keeps that pup in his place too.”
“Mom. Growly and Meowth get along just fine…”
“Pfeh! Probably the cat taught that dog a lesson then huh!” With that Whirlwind Gram pulled them into the old house. The Ferrous family had apparently been Meowth and other cat pokemon breeders a few generations back. Every member of the family had taken a Cat like Pokemon. Until Papa had found Growly as a pup and that was that.
Gram Gram never forgave him for that. Although I got it. The Ferrous family hadn’t done much breeding in years. It was a long story, but lets say that Pokemon acclimate to their surroundings after a few generations.
“And you? When are you going to get a nice Meowth? Or a Skitty?” Gram Gram asked turning to look at me with an eager smile.
“I got Feebas as my first Partner Gram Gram!” I chirp happily. Well he would be a Milotic eventually.
The look of disgust on her face was absolutely hysterical. I couldn’t help but burst into a quiet laugh. Even if I wasn’t going to use Feebas as my starter I would have said it just for that look!
“A fish! My Granddaughter! A fish trainer!” She fake sobbed as she led us all inside. Grandma hated any pokemon that wasn’t a cat.
“Luxray are cute!”
“Lions! Those are barely cats! Betrayal!” I giggled as I settled next to her earning a pat on my head for my troubles.
The next few hours were fun family stuff. I talked about training Feebas, and how school was going. Papa and Mama spoke with Gram Gram a bunch too. As we spoke Gram Grams Persian a cat that looked as deadly as a knife but was actually a total baby came to demand attention from me.
I knew all the best spots to scratch. The old cat was Grams ‘prized’ breeder so he basically spent his whole life as a pampered baby.
“I heard a little pidgey tell me you wanted something special for your birthday.” Gram Gram finally mentioned as the conversation wound down.
“Mom! No presents until after dinner!” Papa tried but failed to hold back Gram Gram.
“Pfeh!” She offered as she held out a small box for me. “My granddaughter finally shows interest in beauty and not mud and fish and you expect me to wait! Some son you are!” She teased as she handed me the small wrapped box.
“Thanks Gram Gram, I love you too.” I offer giving her a kiss on the cheek and a strong hug before pulling away and peeling the small box open. The thing was hand sized, probably the tiniest present I had ever been given.
But my gasp was loud enough to echo. My jaw dropped.
“Is this!”
“A Prism Scale Necklace! Your Mother mentioned you even went down to Ruthberts to ask if they had one.” I was shook. There in my hand was the key to my Feebas’s future. “Go on, put it on.”
I shook my head instantly. Gently reaching into the necklace and pulling the silver necklace apart letting the scale drop into my hands.
“W-what Vicky!”
“Sorry Gram Gram! Sorry Mama. I needed this scale. Gram Gram I love you sooo much you are the best of all time!” I tell her horrified face as I once more give her a kiss on the cheek.
“Dad! Get the car!”
“Vicky what?”
“No time to answer! We need to go home really fast. But then we have to come back! Gram Gram deserves to see this too! Please hurry! This is the best birthday present EVER!”
Looking horrified at my casual destruction of the gift, they at least seemed interested in my urgency.
“Okay. I’ll play along.” Papa shrugged, willing to put up with me. Which is why he was my favorite. “We will be right back.”
“Yep! Super fast trip!”
“Victoria Ferrous!”
“Sorry Mama!”
Papa followed me back to the car as he started up driving us back across town to home.
“Vicky? You know you destroyed your grandmother's gift.” He offered after a minute of driving.
“I know. She’ll understand why…. I probably should have waited though. It was a pretty necklace.”
“Heh.” His chuckle told me he found the whole thing funny. But he was a guy so jewelry was a whatever thing for him anyways.
As we pulled up into the drive way I was already off, rushing to the pond. “Feebas!”
“Feeb?”
“Come on buddy. We have to go, I have a surprise for you!” I tell him as I hold out the bucket I carried him around in.
With a sigh and a stern. “Grandma won’t be happy.” From him he drove us back, with Feebas happily enjoying the ride.
He had never been in a car before after all.
Pulling back up to Gram Grams house I waddled my way to the backyard after calling out for everyone to come. Grandma had a very traditional house, including a koi pond.
Although it was full of Goldeen and things rather than Koi. It should have Magikarp, but Gram Gram was one of those Magickarp haters. Just because they sometimes evolved into Gyrados and trashed places…
Well okay, I get not keeping them in your house…
I was totally gonna keep them in my house someday!
“Daughter of mine. I hope you have a good reason for all this?” Mama asked as she came up to me and watched as I released Feebas into the pond. Mama did not look happy.
“Kehehehehe!” I cackled Feebas swimming back around to look at me wondering what was going on.
“Pfeh!”
“Gram gram! Come here, sit here.” I pull her over to the bench that was lining the pond. “Front row seats.” I whisper to her with a wink as I hurry back to the confused Feebas.
“Feeby… Today is my birthday. It's a special day that humans celebrate, they get gifts today. To say we are glad you were born. But Feeby. Today I got a gift for you. One that we can share forever and ever. I think you are beautiful inside Feeby. You are my bestest friend. So I want to let your beauty shine through.”
I pulled out the Prism Scale. Letting it shine in the light to catch his eyes.
“FEEEEBAS!” He roared as he practically had a heart attack on seeing it.
“So Feeby, will you… Will you share your evolution day with me?” I asked holding out the scale.
“Fe-FEEBAS!” He cried. Literally cried. Fishy tears… It was kinda cute. Good thing I wasn’t a sadist otherwise I would bully 100%.
“Evolution?” Mama asked behind me, but Gram Gram suddenly shushed her, eyes sharp. As I pushed the prism scale into Feebas’s head. Slipping it between his scales.
And suddenly light.
My eyes lost sight, it was bright, but a moment later. I didn’t need vision.
“MIIIIII!” Milotic cried out in its evolution the massive serpent, cried out to the heavens weeping at finally achieving its destiny.
“Yeah, see. I always told you. You are the most beautiful one of all.”
“Arceus.” I heard gasps from behind me.
“No! Milotic!” I teased turning, as I wiped my tears from my eyes. Milotic was already wrapping around me, crying his little soul out as he finally felt as beautiful as I kept telling him he was.
“That’s why I wanted the Prism scale! Thanks Gram Gram!”
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“Well I’ll be.” She muttered looking as shocked as Mama and Papa.
“Vicky! How?”
“Daughter of mine… We need to get a pokeball… Now.” Papa said suddenly going white. “We have an uncaught Milotic in front of us.”
That caused a stir among the adults as they swiftly pushed Papa out the door. To go to the store and buy one.
“Hmph. It’s not a cat. But I’ll allow it.” Gram Gram grumbled after a time earning a snort from Mama and a honest laugh out of me.
“Want to pet him?”
“Damn right.”
—--
So there was a problem with having a crying Milotic.
“Miiiiilo. Heavy.” I grumble as the serpent had wrapped me up tight, refusing to let go after his evolution. But he didn’t care. He was practically purring against me. I eventually gave up trying simply stroking his head, where he was thankfully no longer crying.
“Okay. That’s a good boy. Just take the time you need. Partner.” I whisper to him, earning a trill of happiness as his body tightens just a tad.
“Back. Alright let’s get this done quickly.” Papa said as he came in carrying a new Pokeball. He walked over to me and handed it over. “Your pokeball… Your pokemon. This is a big responsibility Vicky. I don’t know… I’ll leave that for later. Once you capture Milotic, you will need to be registered as a trainer. It’s a little early for it. No you can’t go on your journey until you are ten.”
I blinked at all the information he had just dumped on me as I took the Pokeball. “You ready Milotic? Only for a bit, then you will be right out. I promise.” I tell him holding out the Pokeball but I didn’t even get a chance to do anything. His nose instantly pressed against the ball. And suddenly I was a lot lighter with twenty feet worth of sea serpent no longer in my lap.
“Whew.” I groan as I fall back holding the Pokeball that contained my friend. “Milotic! I Choose you!” I called out, tossing the ball, and a moment later Milotic was sitting in the pond.
“Milotic!” He cried out before rushing back over and beginning to wrap me up again.
“Victoria.” Gram Gram finally spoke. “I didn’t know Feebas could evolve, much less into a Milotic.” She spoke simply a question in a statement.
“Yeah they do? It’s like Magikarp? You know how they are weak and they turn into a Gyrados. Same thing with Feebas and Milotic. Although Feebas don’t evolve through strength like Magikarp.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah! They evolve with a Prism Scale. Which you know Milotic drop in the first place.”
“I did know that. I just didn’t know they had anything to do with Feebas.”
“Yep! It’s because of how Feebas evolve see, they only evolve… when they feel beautiful!”
That earned a round of blinks.
“Really?”
“Yep!” I laughed at Gram Grams confusion. “Anyway the Prism Scale is like… Concentrated beauty to Feebas, so if you give them one, they feel beautiful, so they evolve! Isn’t that right Milotic? Didn’t I tell you! You were always beautiful!”
“Milo-Milotic!”
I giggled as he immediately began rubbing his cheek with mine. How cute!
“Vicky. You aren’t to tell anyone what you just told us.” Gram Gram spoke simply, earning a confused look from me.
“What, why? People are going to ask about Feebas.”
“Tell them he ran away or something. Vicky. Milotic Prism scales are very very expensive. Knowledge on how to evolve a Feebas into one would… There are people that would do almost anything to get that knowledge.” Papa explained seriously as he bent down and put a hand on my shoulders. “Promise me. You won’t tell anyone.”
“Oookay? I won’t tell anyone.”
“Good.” Papa offered sighing as he settled in beside me. “We will have to call the whole family let them know.”
“Pfeh! Those cheapskates! Tell them nothing.” Gram Gram hissed.
“You know we can’t do that mother. A Milotic! I don’t think there is a single Milotic in all of Kanto other than this one. If nothing else the Pokemon Association will want us to begin selling scales.”
“Why would the Pokemon Association want that?” I asked curious. “Don’t they just run the gyms and League?” I couldn’t help but ask only to watch as all the adults shared a look.
“The Pokemon Association doesn’t just handle the League Vicky. They also do conservation, and pokemon growth in a region. Millotic are very rare Vicky. I don’t think there is another one in all of Kanto. So the Association will definitely want to get involved with the sale of Prism Scales. Being able to buy them within the region will save Kanto huge amounts of money on taxes.”
“Oooh. It’s a money thing.” I nodded that made sense.
Papa chuckled. “Not just that, but the Association also tries to keep pokemon numbers up. Since Milotic is unheard of in Kanto, they will want to try and find out where it was found, and if there are more.”
“Well I mean… I could do that.” I offer. Earning a sudden widening of Papa’s eyes.
“That’s right. The Milotic scales let you evolve Feebas into Milotic… How often does a Milotic shed a scale?”
“No idea!” I offer simply shrugging. Listen they never go over this sort of stuff in the games, or anime.
“Okay that is something we can find out as we go. Mother, do we wait and try to get a flock of Milotic first, or tell the Association? You know them better than we do.” Papa asked, and I was left blinking.
A flock of Milotic!? Why would we need so many pretty Eels?
Actually dumb question. Continue.
“For now say nothing. Girl. Favorite Granddaughter of mine. Milotic is a secret for now. Tell no one, and show no one. Keep him here if you want, or keep him in a pokeball.”
“Aww.” I groaned, but I nodded without arguing. Everyone had been really tense since Papa left to get the pokeball.
“I’ll go talk to Agatha. That old hag. She can ask some questions without causing a big stir.” Gram Gram said with a chuckle.
“Thank you Mother.”
“Bah! Don’t you thank me! This is for my Granddaughter, who is going to make us rich! Rich beyond our wildest dreams!” Gram Gram breaking out into full cackles was pretty funny.
—-
The rest of the night was pretty quiet. I slept over, Milotic not wanting to let me go so I slept nice and warm curled up with my beauty snake.
The next week I had off from school, Papa and Mama basically had me staying over with Gram Gram and not letting me out, but that was fine Milotic and I were getting used to his new body.
But in the background stuff was happening. Gram Gram was on the phone with ‘old friends’ all the time. Papa was double nervous and even had Growly staying to guard the compound.
But finally a week after everything started. Gram Gram had a guest.
The old lady walked in, a large cane preceding her for a bit. I only noticed because Growly had looked up noticing something off.
“Well, that is certainly a Milotic.” The old woman said as she stepped onto the walkway that surrounded the Koi pond.
“Yep! Milotic is a Milotic.” I answer back before focusing him back on the game I was playing with him. Milotic was still new to his body so I was helping him learn small controls. We were currently playing a game where he was trying to stack rocks atop each other with his tail.
It was going okay.
“Vicky. Brat, come up here. Say hello to an old friend of mine. Agatha. My Granddaughter Victoria.”
“Hiya. Nice to meet you.” I offered, doing the little bow that was pretty common here in Kanto. It was basically Pokemon Japan after all.
“Hoh? So you are the girl that wrangled a Milotic. She is smaller than I thought.” Agatha offered looking me over.
“She is only nine Agatha, She is normal sized.” Gram Gram offered.
“Hah! I just expect a girl that can catch a Milotic must be a good swimmer. I didn’t think there were many good swimming places here in Viridian.”
“I’m a terrible swimmer actually.” I answer honestly. I mean I wouldn’t drown, but I hated going underwater with my eyes open, so it made it hard.
Agatha blinked. “If you aren’t a good swimmer how did you catch a Milotic?”
I opened my mouth to answer truthfully, but Gram Gram was giving me the look to remind me to lie.
“I seduced him with Cheri Berries mostly.” I answer instead. Still the truth.
“Pfft!” The old woman broke into a cackle at that. “I suppose that’s one way to skin the meowth!”
“Agatha!” Gram Gram hissed. Earning a further chuckle. Gram Grams defense of cats coming into play.
“It’s an expression, Melany. An Expression!”
“Pfeh! Not under my roof it’s not.”
Chuckling, the old woman turned back to me. “Well it’s a hell of a catch girl. You are going to make your family quite wealthy with that one.”
“I guess?”
“I don’t suppose you would tell this old woman where you caught him? Let others share in a prize catch?”
“Agatha! Stop trying to get my Granddaughter to tell you family secrets.”
“Oh? It’s a family secret now? Didn’t she just catch him?”
“It is now.” Gram Gram offered her smile turning feral.
“Pfft! Hahaha, just like you Mel just like you. Alright you convinced me, let’s go sit and talk about what I can do to help keep the association from busting down your door.”
“They wouldn’t actually do that right?” I asked suddenly, really hoping my image of men in black suits busting the door down to kidnap Pokemon wasn’t real.
“Hardly. But they are likely to list your friend as a conserved species, which means they might try to say that you have to take it to a refuge. Of course they would require you to pay for the housing, and maintenance, which would probably just cover the value of its scales.”
“Evil!”
“Hah! It can be. But let’s see what we can do to make that not happen.” Agatha informed me as they walked further into the house.
—--
“Okay Vicky. Sign here.” Papa informed me after taking me to the Pokemon Center a few days after Agatha showed up. There had been a meeting after that with a guy in a suit that was apparently the family lawyer, and a guy from the Pokemon Association that had been very… He had tried to be nice, but I could only feel greed from him as he looked at Milotic.
Anyway it was all taken care of. There had been a contract signed between the Ferrous Family and the Association about Milotic. It was pretty simple.
We couldn’t sell his scales to anyone but the Association, in exchange the Association would pay current market rate for them. We couldn’t move to a new region with Milotic. As he was a conserved species here in Kanto. And we had to try and ‘breed’ Milotic to produce more.
Not that it would work. Cause Feebas.
Thankfully as a Breeder family already, Gram Gram had been able to tell the Association to very kindly fuck off, when they had offered their help with that.
That was it. Milotic was known and now accepted by the Kanto Pokemon Association, and today in the Pokemon Center I was filling out the paperwork to register him as my Pokemon.
“Done.” I answer my name spelled out on the papers.
“Excellent! Ms. Ferrous your Milotic’s checkup is completed as well. He is perfectly healthy and wonderfully taken care of. Excellent work.” Nurse Joy tells me with a happy smile which I returned. We had been forced to request a private meeting with nurse Joy which she had accepted, but finding a Milotic had not been something she expected, she had been through the roof after meeting him.
Milotic had that total chad energy. All the girls fell in love with him. I would have to be careful to keep him from becoming a playboy.
“Your Pokemon.” Nurse Joy informed me, handing back the Pokeball which I grinned as I received. “As a registered trainer, you are permitted full access to the Pokemon Center at any time. If your Pokemon are ever hurt, or need healing please come see me.”
“I will! Don’t worry! Milotics health is very important!”
Walking out of the Pokemon center hand in hand with Papa I couldn’t help but think that this was a great day. Everything was working out, and Milotic was now registered as my partner, which required me to finish registering as an actual trainer. Luckily the tests were meant for ten year olds. And not even smart ten year olds. I took me an hour to finish the whole thing, and I had my license not long after.
“This means I can actually show him to people now right?”
“Yes Vicky. You don’t have to keep him hidden anymore. But just know that when you do, you are going to get a lot of attention. People are going to want to see him, or they will want to take him. Some might try to trick you into trading him, Which you ar-”
“Are never going to do. Don’t worry Papa. Milotic is my partner! I wouldn’t trade him, not even for a Legendary bird.” I offer, which earns a snort from my Papa.
“Well if that is the offer. Say yes.” He offers poking me a little earning a giggle.
“No way! Milotic is my partner!”
“Alright let’s stop yelling the name of your new Pokemon and head home okay? Your mom has been cooking a special welcome home dinner.”
“Awww Yissss! Let’s go!”
—---
While I had brought Feebas up to my room a few times like I told him I would, now that he was a Milotic he could actually travel under his own power. For some reason they actually floated a bit once out of the water. So I would often wake up to an Eel having slithered into my bed as I slept.
Milotic was a bit of a snuggle bug.
Unfortunately it led to situations like this.
“No Growly! I give I give! I’m up! Milotic plea-please move! He is LICKING MY TOES!” I begged breathless as I couldn’t help my giggles as Growly was taking his duty to make sure I was up seriously. Unfortunately I was pinned under almost four hundred pounds of Eel. So I couldn’t actually get out of bed, which is the act Growly required from me, for him to stop.
“Growly, let her off, I don’t want to have to wash her sheets.” Mama called out which did pause my torture as I whined breathless.
“T-Thank you. Almost peed!” I gasped as without the constant torture attack I was able to wiggle Milotic off my legs. My dumb fish was passed out uncaring about the horrible torture his favorite person in the whole world was subjected too.
Grumbling, I got up to get ready for the day, leaving my lazy Eel in bed. A quick shower and a brush of my hair let me put on my hair band and I was ready for the day. Milotic joined me in his pokeball. And I was good to go. Back to school.
Ugh.
I had been given permission to show Milotic to people. The knowledge of his existence was already spreading around town thanks to the Pokemon Association having sent out ‘hunters’ to see if they could track down more of them.
Poor bastards. They were going to be stuck wet and cold and not getting anywhere.
“Vicky!” A voice called out as soon as I entered the classroom.
“Hey Ivy.” I wave as the green haired girl runs up the fact she wasn’t slowing down meant I braced myself as she slammed into me.
“Are you okay!? Hurt? Sick!?”
“Fine. My birthday was a crazy day. So I had some family stuff I had to stick around for. I mostly just spent time hanging out with Gram Gram.”
“Are your cheeks okay?”
“They are fine!” I grumbled… They still hurt evil old hag.
“So what took you out of class for so long! You were gone for a week.”
I sighed. Pulling out the Pokeball. “This is why.”
“What does your parents' Pokemon have to do with it?”
“It’s not my parents' Pokemon. He is mine.”
The gasp in my ear as Ivy sucked in air and didn’t stop meant I had just long enough to put my hands to my ears.
“EEEEEeeeeee! You have a Pokemon! Your own Pokemon!?!”
“What? Vicky caught a Pokemon?” “What kind?” “Is it a Magikarp? I bet its a Magikarp.” The torrent of voices of our classmates all called out from around the room. And I mean. Kiba was sorta on point, even if he was wrong.
“Thanks Ivy. Really helping me here.” I grumble, earning a contrite look from the girl. “Yes I caught a new Pokemon. I’ll show you later.”
“Aww. But Vicky!”
“Sorry I have to talk to Ms. Kurosawa about it. If she gives permission I will show everyone during our class.”
“C’mon! Let’s go find Ms. Kurosawa!”
“Ugh Ivy! Stop pulling!”
—--
“Okay Class. We have a special treat today. Vicky was allowed to register as a trainer for her birthday, and she captured her first Pokemon. Since so many of you have wanted her to show you what she caught, we are going to spend a little time letting Vicky talk about her new partner. Go ahead Vicky.”
Ms. Kurosawa offers, although the fact that a moment later she was grabbing a camera ready for Milotics release told me she was still in awe of my partner.
I had been forced to release him in her office after Ivy had dragged me over there, and well…
Ms. Kurosawa was more than happy to let me talk about Milotic.
“Okay. Let’s do this.” I sigh, as I stand in front of the class. Pulling out my pokeball.
“Come on out Milotic!”
The gasps as Milotic fully formed and trilled out a quiet greeting to the room was my only warning before all the kids starting speaking, squealing, or clamerbing from their desks to try and come closer.
Ms. Kurosawa was on top of it, after snapping a few pictures, she blocked the kids that were hurrying forward and regaining the classes discipline.
“Alright everyone back to your seats! Vicky is going to talk to us about her Pokemon today!”
I waited for everyone to calm down, although Milotic was loving the new attention, it was completely different for him from how it had been the last time he had been in front of the the class.
Once everyone quieted I began.
“So this is Milotic. The Tender Pokemon. He is a Water type, and people call them the most Beautiful Pokemon in the world.” As I say that Milotic trills and curls around himself letting his scales shimmer in the classroom light.
The kids were oohing at the display.
“Milotic is a pretty unique Pokemon. Their scales called Prism Scales are super valuable because of their looks, and because of how rare a Milotic is. You might have noticed the Pokemon Association Hunters in town this last week? That is because of Milotic. They are trying to find if there are any other Milotic in the area.”
“Where did you find him! I want one!”
“Sorry Cami, that’s a secret… Literally a family secret, I was told not to reveal anything about where Milotic came from. Family stuff. But my family used to be Pokemon Breeders. It is likely we will actually be doing that again with Milotic, trying to create a population of them here in Kanto. According to the Kanto Pokemon Association. There is only one other Milotic in all of Kanto, but that one is a foreign trainers Pokemon. So he is not a native and will be leaving once the league is over.”
“Wait! Vicky! Does that mean I can get an Egg? Please, please! I want my partner to be a Milotic! It’s so beautiful!” Kina called out waving her hand.
“Gram Gram said, that market price for a Milotic right now is over a million dollars.” I inform the girl earning a dropped jaw at the reveal of that knowledge. “So I have to be super careful not to let Milotic get stolen.”
The look of despair on Kina’s face had me smiling. I had been horrified at the price too. The fact was Milotic were in the super rare class of Pokemon.
I mean I understood it. How many people are going to look at a Feebas, and train it, and then even more importantly, train it so that the Pokemon feels beautiful? Who would even think that was the way to do it? It was such an odd training method.
Well, I knew for a fact that I wasn’t the only one that knew that Feebas evolved into Milotic. There were other Milotic trainers out there, and someone had to try and breed them at least once or twice, but at the same time. How many of those trainers would know exactly what caused the evolution? Most of them were probably natural evolutions without a Prism Scale. Maybe Feebas fans that took good care of their Feebas end up with a Milotic.
And end up capturing more Feebas to try and evolve them, only for it not to work. After all. Feebas have to feel beautiful to evolve. That is a really really difficult requirement.
This also wasn’t the Pokemon world I was familiar with where the Pokedex shared all the information with anyone that wanted it.
Secret Pokemon Knowledge was a real thing. Families that discovered something secret often kept it that way. Like the Blackthorns and their dragons.
I had even learned more about where my family and their breeding focus came from. We were immigrants from Galar.
The Meowth of the Galar region was a steel type. So when we came here to Kanto we bred and sold special Galar Meowths in the area and made a ton of money… Until the Meowths stopped being Galar variants, and we simply focused on cats in general.
Which was interesting. That was why we were the Ferrous Family.
Live and learn.
Anyway, I did go on to explain a lot about Milotic, how to take care of Scaled pokemon, nutrition, everything I had learned so far. Since class was completely disrupted at this point Ms. Kurosawa released us to the field to let everyone interact with Milotic for a while.
He loved it. The attention whore.
Funnily enough Kiba got a face full of Water after trying to pet Milotic.
Vengeance was sweet for Milotic that day.
—--
Things got more peaceful after that. Sure I sometimes had people stop me to ask me questions about Milotic, but thankfully I knew most of them, and could leave them with a teasing smile. The ones I didn’t recognize, especially the ones that offered me food, or treats were quickly run away from, straight towards the nearest police officer.
Considering Papa worked for the police, it meant they were pretty protective of me.
Otherwise most days were spent like this.
“C’mon Milotic, don’t give me that look. I am like at least forty percent sure this will work. I saw it in a cartoon once.” I tell him as I finish tying the rocks to his tail.
“Miii!”
“I know it’s heavy. It’s a rock. Just trust me.” I tell him the big old rock was tied to his tail as I finished, settling onto the ground beside him. “Okay Milotic! I know you have it in you. Now lift that tail! Think Iron thoughts!” I call out as I settle in and begin doing push ups beside him.
Well I did like four before having to stop but Milotic was stronger than me. “That’s it! Keep it up. Remember your tail is iron!”
“Vicky what are you doing?” Gram Gram asked as she walked up to the two of us training by the Koi pond.
“Training! Milotic needs to learn Iron Tail.”
“Iron Tail. Can they even learn that move?”
“Sure! Okay Milotic. Keep it up! Remember your tail is Iron!”
“Vicky, I can’t say I have ever seen a trainer try and teach Iron Tail to a Pokemon in this way. But you are the trainer. Just don’t injure Milotic.”
“I won’t! We will visit Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Center after!” I tell Gram Gram while urging Milotic on. Power!
—--
“MIII!” Milotic cried out as his tail glowed white and smashed down into the rock I had brought over for him to practice with. The fact the stone shattered under the power of his Iron Tail had me cheering as I pounced onto Milotics neck.
“You did it! Also I’m not crazy, that actually worked!”
“Milo Miii!”
“Yeah it was super cool. Great job buddy!”
“Miiii!”
“Impressive Trouble.”
“Papa!” I called out, turning from my tight hug with Milotic to see him standing on the deck. From the way he was standing he had definitely been watching for a while.
“Mom told me you were training Milotic in Iron Tail. Doing some weird stuff like tying rocks to him. But I’ll be. Looks like it worked.”
“I took the idea from a cartoon. I was only like forty percent sure it would work!” I said proudly.
Chuckling he stepped forward patting Milotic on the head as he then threw me into a big hug. “Well You will be a great trainer my dear. Look at you already teaching your Pokemon new moves.”
“Yeah Iron Tail is super important for our eventual domination of all of our enemies!” I cackled and Milotic sang alongside me.
“Scary!” Papa offered messing my hair before he turned. “C’mon Trouble dinner is ready. Time to tell your Grandmother that you actually succeeded.”
“Yeah! Gram Gram watched for a bit lets go tell her!”