1 week after leaving Viridian City

Somewhere near the end of Sea Route 21 onboard the I.L Carmine.

The frigid touch of the sea breeze nibbled at my face as I stood, hunched over the cruise ferry's side railing, gazing at the moon's reflection on the water's surface. Two Tentacool floated on the water, their tentacles entwined as they bathed in the moonlight. It had been a week since we left Viridian City, making the journey back after completing our preparations. We stayed in Pallet City for a while until the ferry arrived to take us on board.

Meredith and I had been in a week-long argument about our destination. Every time I suggested anything related to going to Cerulean City, she outright refused, ignoring me until I changed the subject. Eventually, she firmly asserted her position, turning the tables on me.

She managed to convince me that the most logical and convenient path for us was to reverse the original pilgrimage route. Starting with Seafoam Gym and leaving Pewter Gym for last. I tried arguing that Kenneth was renowned for having the toughest gym, especially for beginners, but she countered that if we could beat him, the rest of the circuit would be a cakewalk.

No matter how hard I tried to present my case, she wouldn't budge. Eventually, I had to give in to her incessant demand, and here we were. I let out a heavy sigh, running my hand through my hair. The dim ferry lights illuminated the paired Tentacool as they began to move in a lazy circle together. They looked like a pair of dancers practicing water gymnastics, with one set of tentacles staying connected while the other pair moved in strange, intricate, and methodical patterns.

We had spent the week cramming information about the gym and the gym leader while picking up supplies and training. I closed my eyes, trying to recollect everything we learned.

Seafoam Gym replaced Cinnabar Gym shortly after Blaine retired. The Kanto Chairman of the United Pokémon Association had appointed Kenneth Halloway to take over at the age of eighteen. Born in Unova, his family later moved to Kanto for unspecified reasons. At the age of twelve, he did his first Kanto circuit, making it to the Indigo conference. Afterward, he had gone on to complete four gym circuits in Kanto, with his last one netting him entrance to the Elite Four challenge. He reached Lance before being defeated. His fifth year took him to Hoenn, and his final year to Unova before he was recalled back to become the new gym leader.

After being put in power, his drastic changes and reforms pushed Cinnabar Island to expand, including a tourist resort, a natural Pokémon and nature preserve, and a major fossil research center. He then used the funds to expand and grow Seafoam Island into a major floating city and the new gym hub. He accomplished all of this in the span of three years. It was only recently that he gained approval to add the dual typing of Ice to his gym. Other than that information, most of his personal details are shrouded in mystery.

His social media presence was non-existent, aside from the occasional photo op forced by the Association or ones that he took with fans. He was an extremely private man, leaving little for us to parse out regarding his personality or mentality, except for how brutal his fighting strategies were. He enjoyed starting his zero-badge matches with either a Bergmite or a Charcadet to get a feel for the challenger, and then he would choose from a roster of four more consisting of Litleo, Sizzlipede, Vanillite, and Frigibax.

Charcadet fought using martial arts along with status effect moves, while Bergmite was a wall type that he would utilize to whittle down his challengers before switching over to a harder hitter. His battles were always two on two with no switches. Each of his Pokémon were built like absolute monsters in their own right. Litleo was a speedster like Beca, Sizzlipede wore down its opponents before trapping them in its clutches, Vanillite would freeze the arena, and lastly, his Frigibax was his fire-type counter.

I had to think long and hard about how to handle this situation, and honestly, I was at a loss. Beca would be decimated either by his fire types or his ice types, and Champ would have defeated them if he hadn't lost his arm.

But now?

My hands gripped the railing until my knuckles turned white. How was I supposed to beat him now?

You could always buy yourself what you need. Isn't that what you used to do for your ops? You've got enough hidden away. That's right, you know where to go to get enough. Like that stash you have hidden away in Seafoam Motel.

The thought intruded yet again as the familiar icy cold chill washed over me, causing my skin to burst out with goosebumps. It was a logically sound plan. Buy the Pokémon that I need from breeders, a daycare, or Battle Trainers, use them, and then sell them to some other trainer in need.

No. I can't do that now; it's not a sound strategy, and it would be a PR nightmare if I ended up becoming famous down the road. I can't go back to the motel either considering it's one of the Rocket ops locations. They'll track me down and use the layout to trap me. I'm sure I'm part of their number one hit list.

I slammed my fist down on the railing, letting loose a load of expletives as I hurt my hand against the metal pole. Grumbling, I calmed down and tried to recollect myself. There isn't a need for me to lose my cool. I can still make this work. Just have to train with Beca and Champ.

Champ… I still haven't spoken to him; he's probably going to kill me. A knot forms in the pit of my stomach as I watch a third Tentacool join the previous two dancing ones. They form a haphazard circle around the reflection of the moon on the water's surface. It's so serene and strange how they float in tandem alongside the ferry while maintaining their circle around the moon's reflection, as if it was caught in their center.

How pathetic are you? You can't even speak to your precious Pokémon after he sacrificed an arm for you. You're a coward. A self-righteous, idiotic, cowardly ingrate that doesn't deserve the Pokémon you have. You call yourself a trainer? You make me laugh. Go home. Back to the shadows of your crappy apartment. Better yet, why don't you crawl back into your dead mother's -

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

I slap my hands against my cheeks and force out the voice inside my head. The chill of the sea breeze is amplified by the sudden drop of my internal temperature, and I find myself breathing out frost. I won't listen, but it did have a point about me not seeing Champ. I'll do that now since I can't sleep. Before I left, I watched as the third Tentacool that joined the other two let out a thick black ooze that encompasses the two Tentacool and blots out the moon's reflection. The two of them suddenly started to thrash before falling still and floating on the water's surface. The third one suddenly became translucent as a myriad of tentacles pierced from beneath the water’s surface to wrap around the Tentacools and drag them under.

Dumbfounded, I watched as the inky blackness that the impostor had let out got swallowed back inside of it. Acting on reflex, I grabbed one of my newly acquired Great Balls and chucked it straight at it. The ball throw struck true, causing its gelatinous head to ripple before it was sucked in. I grabbed another great ball off my belt to be ready just in case. The ball didn't even shake as it flew back up and into my free hand, the official capturing ding sounded off as Rotom came up into view.

“Congratulations! You have caught a Mimictide!

Pokédex Entry:

Mimictide

Category: Deception Pokémon

Height: 1.8 meters

Weight: 45 kilograms

Description:

Mimictide, the Deception Pokémon, is a master of mimicry and camouflage. Possessing a translucent body with intricate patterns, it skillfully imitates the appearance and movements of Tentacool to seamlessly blend into their schools. Mimictide's deceptive abilities are further enhanced by its specialized lure tentacle, which it uses to attract unsuspecting prey.

Abilities:

Mimictide's toxic venom, delivered through its tentacles, is particularly potent against other Poison-type Pokémon. Its adaptability and strategic hunting tactics make it a formidable presence in the oceanic ecosystems. Trainers should exercise caution when encountering Mimictide, as its alluring appearance masks its predatory nature.

Habitat:

Mimictide is commonly found in coral reefs and open ocean waters. It strategically positions itself within schools of Tentacool, utilizing its mimicry to approach prey undetected.

Behavior:

Known for its patience and cunning, Mimictide carefully observes the behaviors of Tentacool before seamlessly integrating into their groups. It employs its lure tentacle to attract prey, revealing its true nature when the moment is right.”

She was around the same strength as my Pokémon according to the rest of her stats, and she has a similar move pool as Tentacool, save for a couple of new ones like Mimicry Dance and Lure Strike.

You refuse to get yourself a high-quality pick of any litter and yet settle on some low-quality piece of literal trash bag found in the ocean? Have you no dignity? No pride? It's laughable how pathetic -

I pushed the “voice” out of my head through sheer will. This was a momentous occasion. No one, not even myself or whatever voice is inside my head, is going to decide what I do. That little gelatinous cutie called to me, and I will keep it.

The voice dissipates, and I am left with silence as I watch the full moon shine in the clear night sky as stars twinkle in and out of existence. The whole view is a marvel of a beautiful thing.

But now is not the time for that. I have to go speak with Champ. I circled the side of the ferry as I made my way towards the front, so I can gain access to the observation deck. As I walked through the ferry, I noticed that aside from a few of the sailors and staff, I was the only one walking around. Thankfully, the path to the observation deck wasn't difficult, and they had a bunch of signage pointing the right way.

I made it to the deck eventually; it had a park with several obstacle courses, a few playgrounds set up for Pokémon and children alike, and a row of standard trainer battlefields. There were also several rows of benches on the edge of the deck overlooking the park and the side of the ferry. There were a few trainers using one of the fields to practice what looked like coordinator moves.

I lost interest rather quickly and sat down at one of the closest benches away from everyone. I grabbed Champ's ball off my belt and stared at it. Anxiety started to creep up on me, darkening the edges of my vision as I fought the urge to put Champ's ball away and run back to the room.

That's right. Run. Run away like the scared little child that you are. You caused him to lose his arm - an arm that he will never get back. He must hate you. Resent you for your weakness, you talentless excuse for a trainer. That's why you joined Rocket, wasn't it? Because you knew you could never -

I slapped myself across the face. The stinging of the blow intermingled with the chill bite of the ocean night, but it was enough to knock me out of my stupor. Champ wouldn't hate me, and even if he does, I can always let him retire once I find one of my stashes. Send him to Prof. Oak’s lab with the spare money to set him up for a long time.

At the thought of Champ not traveling with me, it felt like a stone dropped into the chasm of my stomach, acid churned up, and the urge to vomit was caught in my throat. I have to do this. It'll be like ripping off a bandaid. Got to do it quickly.

I pressed the priming button on the ball, hesitating for a moment, before releasing him in a flash of white light.

I couldn't stop myself from gasping at the sight of him. He wasn't wearing his black training uniform; I'm guessing it was damaged or the nurses took it off and disposed of it. His left arm was completely gone, and the outer edges of the left side of his torso were tinged a dark purple and riddled with surgical scars. He blinked the daze out of his eyes as he looked around before his gaze fell on me.

I saw the features of his face twist into apprehensive anger as he looked me in the eyes, searching, waiting for an answer. Any kind of answer. I responded in kind with silence as tears streamed down my face. I stood up and then collapsed to my knees in front of him.

“I'm sorry, Champ. I'm so, so sorry.”

Tears streamed down his normally stoic face as he rushed to hug me, and I embraced him. His garbled Poké speak sounded like an apology and an acceptance of my own at the same time.

We stayed like that for some time. This was enough for now, we can speak about everything else later.

But this?

We both needed this. I gripped him in my hug more tightly.

Yeah, everything else can wait for a bit.