A Nascent Kaleidoscope.

Chapter 251: Pokémon Side Story Part 1

***

"Why?" I looked at Zelretch.

"Don\'t be obtuse, Wilhelm. You know why." Zelretch responded.

"No, I get the whole – " I waived my hand flippantly. " – The Reasoning, I suppose. But Why THIS specifically?"

"I thought you would enjoy it."

"I mean...I do? I\'m absolutely giddy at the idea. But I\'m still stuck in my previous mindset. So I reiterate, why?"

"Well, a Vacation would do you good."

"I got that part, yes. But you keep dancing around the elephant in the room." I gestured towards the yellow creature on his lap.

"Don\'t be jealous." He said smugly.

"I\'m...only 30% jealous. Still very curious where you\'re going with this whole nonsense."

"Pika pika" The yellow creature replied.

"And why do you have a Pikachu?"

"Why not?"

"That\'s....a fair response. But out of all Pokémon in existence – which there is apparently a universe you\'re familiar with and go to – why a Pikachu?"

He shrugged. "They\'re iconic."

The Pikachu just nodded.

I just grumbled, slumping in my chair. "I feel like I\'m being put in time out more than being sent on a vacation."

"Well, it\'s not like you have a choice." Zelretch replied. "You\'re going on a vacation, that much is certain. All my wonderful Granddaughters already agreed. And you can\'t use them as an excuse since they\'re all busy."

Of course they would coordinate with him and do their own \'girls\' time. They were a bit vague on the details, but they went to a spa and resort or something. Not that I would ever fault them for doing such a thing. I\'m happy they spend time together and get along, I\'m happy that they take the time to do things like this outside of me – to have their own desires and lives to live.

"Kunou" I raised an eyebrow.

"Sleep over with Rin and Ruby." Zelretch countered. "Then I\'m getting her for our own bonding. Lucretia and I are taking her out to have some fun."

Fuck that\'s cute.

Goddammit.

"You\'re really forcing this on me."

"Yup."

"Fine." I said with a scowl. "Send me to your smelly Pokémon world. I guess I\'ll be a Pokémon master or whatever."

"I thought you\'d be more excited."

"I am excited. I\'m also a bit annoyed that it\'s against my will. So, I will have fun under protest."

"Acceptable. So, where do you want to go?"

"Eh, fuck it. Send me to the beginning." I shrugged. "Not that it really matters."

"I figured. I too the liberty of signing you up for the beginners\' classes at the local Pokémon Center that you\'ll be arriving at."

"Dammit Gramps, really?"

"Hey, this is important. You might learn a thing or two."

"Now I\'m more annoyed." I groaned. "Fuck it, just...send me over. And I\'m bringing Sir Wiggles as my starter."

"Sure." He didn\'t argue with that.

"Bitchin." I took him out immediately. "Well, lets get started."

***

Admittedly, I probably did need a vacation. But I still hated being \'forced\' into this. Might just be my rebellious personality that hates doing things because if \'have to\'.

The air was.... pleasant. Immediately as I arrived in this world, everything felt so serene and wonderful.

Sir Wiggles bounced around, investigating everything in the immediate vicinity. Zelretch had the common sense to deposit us away from anyone, but I could still see the large Pokémon Center down the road.

Luckily, I was familiar with the universe as I had played the games when I was younger. This wasn\'t exactly an uncommon thing, for a universe to make its way into a type of media that we think pure fiction in another world. Hell, Zelretch told me a story how we were \'fiction\' somewhere else. I tried to pump him for that information, but he always changed the subject. Probably because I asked him about the porn....

Regardless.

Pokémon, and the Kanto region at that. Well, I said the beginning, and it basically all started here.

With Sir Wiggles on my head, I officially begun my journey....to the Pokémon Center. Because apparently my adult ass has to take a \'training course\' or some other shit.

I enjoyed the small walk into this quaint little town – or whatever you\'d call it. The land that made up this place was extensive, but it wasn\'t really...centered on any one location. The Pokémon Center, which should have been a hub of activity, wasn\'t seeing much traffic at all. Not to mention, there were very few buildings around it in the first place.

The automatic doors slid open; a burst of cool air greeted me as I stepped inside the Pokémon Center. I honestly didn\'t know why they called them this when they practically doubled as a hospital. Well, I suppose with the magical healing available, the Pokémon services were their primary resource available.

"Oh, a guest." I looked up to see a pink-haired woman at the counter. "We don\'t get many new faces around here. Are you perhaps that – Wilhelm I was told about?" She smiled brightly towards me.

"Indeed I am." I straightened my tie. "And you must be Nurse joy." I walked over, leaning against the counter. "It\'s an absolute pleasure to meet you." I gave her my most charming smile.

Ill admit, Nurse Joy is a bit of a childhood crush for me...

And I guess Zelretch already prepared everything.

"Wonderful." She did a little clap. "I\'m the Nurse Joy of Chrome Town. And according to your...Grandfather?" She looked down at a clipboard she had. "You\'re here for some remedial lessons."

"Any chance I could skip the lessons?" I had to try.

"Hmm, not if you want to be a legal trainer. It\'s rare for someone your age to start this late, but we still have to make sure you know the basics before sending you off."

"Oh well." I sighed. "I suppose it won\'t be too bad to spend some time with such a lovely woman."

"Oh, you charmer." She playfully waived her hand at me. "Now, I have to ask...what\'s that Pokémon ontop your head?"

I looked up, completely forgetting my companion. I lifted him up for her to get a better look. "This is Sir Wiggles; he\'s been my companion for awhile."

"I\'ve never seen a Pokémon like this before.....what type is he?"

"...electric? He\'s a.... Jackalope." I blinked realizing I hadn\'t thought that far ahead. "And he comes from a ....far away region."

"Oh, how cute." Nurse Joy cooed. Points to her professionalism, she didn\'t immediately try to pet him. You never know if a Pokémon is dangerous or not. "Do you have a Poke ball for him yet?"

"I do not." I admitted.

"Oh, that isn\'t a big deal. Your Grandfather left several, among some other things, for when you complete your lessons."

Of course he did.

"Alright, so what do I have to do? Is it some type of seminar that takes multiple days? Do I have a written test I have to do, what\'s up?"

"Oh, none of that. We do that sort of thing for the younger ones who are barely into their teens. But for Adults, well.....we assume they can handle themselves already. This is just a brief overview of some important things you need to know when dealing with Pokémon."

I perked up a little bit. Maybe it wouldn\'t be so bad? I\'m here to relax, so I should probably just calm down. It doesn\'t do me any good to keep this stress with me when I\'m in a literal Pokémon world.

"Now, where did I put that –" She started shuffling around looking for something.

"Chansey!" An adorable voice echoed out as an automatic door slid open. The cutest Pokémon came waddling over, holding a poke ball in its hands. She was a bit round, stubby hands and feet, with an egg and pouch on her stomach.

"Oh, thank you, Chansey, I had forgotten where I put that."

"Is....that a Chansey?" I said quietly, eyeing the Pokémon.

Nurse Joy giggled. "Don\'t get any ideas." She wagged her finger. "Chansey are a protected Pokémon and illegally using one as a Trainer comes with some hefty penalties."

"No, no." I waived her off. "I just wanted...." I bit my lip, looking at the Chansey. "C-can I hug you?"

"Chansey?" It looked at me in surprise.

I could more or less guess what it was asking. "Why wouldn\'t I want to hug the cutest Fairy-type Pokémon? I\'ve seen pictures when I was a kid, and you are the most huggable Pokémon ever."

"Fairy Type?" Nurse Joy asked in confusion.

"Well, I guess she isn\'t technically a Fairy-Type, but she has a lot of Fairy-Type moves. Just something I used to think when I was a kid."I blinked for a moment before clicking my tongue. "Ah, I forgot that you lot haven\'t discovered Fairy-Types yet, ignore what I said." The Chansey seemed actually excited by my request.

Actually, I think Charizard wasn\'t a dragon in its early iterations too. Well, this isn\'t a fake card game or one of the many video games.

Still going to call her a Fairy, because she is an absolute delight.

10/10 most huggable Pokémon.

"Chansey, Chansey!" She held her tiny little arms out.

I quickly wrapped her up, the adorable pink ball of love hugged me tight.

"Can you please elaborate on what you said about Fairy Types?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Oh, well, you notice how Chansey have a few moves that are especially strong against Dragon-types?" I said, still holding the adorable Pokémon.

"Chan-Chansey." The Pokémon confirmed too.

"I have noticed that. It\'s why we always have a Chansey nearby when a Charizard needs healing." Nurse Joy nodded.

"Yeah, Fairy Types are pretty much immune to Dragon-types." I booped the Chansey on the nose.

"Chansey~" She returned the gesture.

Nurse Joy looked like she short circuited.

"What, something wrong?" I tilt my head.

"W-wrong? No....nothing is wrong." She just stared off into space, muttering something about a Champion and a dragon trainer.

I don\'t know, I wasn\'t really paying attention.

I was mostly focused on this adorable ball of energy!

The greedy part in me really wanted one of my own. I wonder if Kunou would like a Chansey? I\'m sure I could use that as an excuse to.....acquire one without any of my girls getting upset.

"Ahem." Nurse Joy cleared her throat. "We should get started...I have an easy lesson to start off with should you follow me." She gestured out the door.

***

"Wilhelm, meet Geodude. Geodude, Wilhelm." She gestured back and forth.

"Geo" The hovering rock Pokémon raised its hand

"Sup." I waived.

"Now, Wilhelm." Nurse Joy raised her hand up, revealing the Poke Ball from earlier. "You\'re going to practice catching Geodude here. Don\'t worry, he\'s done this plenty of times and he\'s a good sport about it."

"I have to practice throwing a Poke ball at a Pokémon?"

Nurse Joy just shrugged. "Honestly, this is mostly used for kids.....but it\'s still legally required."

"Fair enough." I sighed as she handed me the poke ball. I rolled my eyes, pressing the button and lazily throwing it towards him.

"Geo, Geodude" The Rock Pokémon floated out of the way.

I looked at him dryly as he appeared almost smug about it.

"Oh, I forgot to mention." Nurse Joy let out a little giggle. "Geodude here is a bit competitive, so you\'ll have to be on your game to \'catch him\'."

"Really?" I deadpanned, looking at the Geodude. "You couldn\'t just let this go?" Gods this was both embarrassing and stupid.

"There\'s no point if it\'s that easy" Nurse Joy giggled.

But behind her back, the Geodude lifted its hand and extended its middle finger.

I paused, not even knowing if I was seeing this correctly. "He\'s flipping me off!"

Nurse Joy turned around, furrowing her eyebrow. "Nonsense. Geodude is a kind Pokémon. He even helps with the children that sometimes come around. You must have seen wrong, he\'d never do something so naughty." She dismissed it.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Geo" He made the \'bring it\' motion.

"So that\'s how it\'s going to be, huh?" I walked over, picking up the Poke Ball again.

"Well, it looks like you two are friends already!" Nurse Joy happily clapped. "I\'ll let you get some practice in and check back in a few minutes." Her expression shifted slightly. "I...have to go make a call." She again muttered something about Fairies, but I was too preoccupied with the Geodude

We both watched Nurse Joy leave, though Sir Wiggles was happily sleeping on my head like he often does.

Without looking, I tossed it at him, only to scowl when he dodged with a mocking gesture to follow.

I twitched a little when he started laughing.

I took a deep breath, walking over and picking up the poke ball again.

"I\'m trying to be nice." I tossed it up into the air before catching it again. "Come on, help a guy out and I\'ll get some snacks as thanks later?" I offered.

"Geo." The Rock Pokémon perked up and I took that as confirmation.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." I smiled, tossing the Poke ball with a bit more flair to it. IF I was going to \'catch\' my first Pokémon, I guess I should have a little fun with it.

"Geodude." The Pokémon replied, smacking the ball out of the air.

I stared at it.

It stared back at me.

"Geo, Geo Geo!" It started laughing, pointing and mocking me.

I took another deep breath. "Okay." I said calmly, walking over to pick it up again, ignoring its taunts and jeers.

Pursing my lips, I walked a few meters back to where I was standing before. I took to face the Geodude again who was floating back and forth with a smug look.

"Okay." I repeated. "Let\'s play." My Magical Energy flared up around me, as did my Aura. I Reinforced the Poke Ball as I wound back for a throw.

"G-geodude!?\' The Pokémon exclaimed in shock.

I guess it could sense the shift and the pressure I was now emitting.

"By all means. Dodge this one." Like a pitcher, I threw the ball as hard as I could. A shockwave exploded out, as the Geodude was carried off into the forest behind the building due to the impact. I could hear the trees falling over in the distance and the cry of a Pokémon before a red light enveloped the shaded forest.

"Dick."

***

"Geo, Geo, Geodude!!!" The Rock Pokémon started pointing at me, shouting angrily.

"Geodude, come now." Nurse Joy held him back. "You can\'t get upset just because you lost a little game."

I flipped him off behind her back.

"GEODUDE!" It roared.

"Chansey." The adorable Fairy walked in, and narrowed her eyes, causing the Rock Type to almost cower in her presence.

I don\'t know what was funnier, the Rock Type cowering before the pudgy Fairy, or the massive bump he was sporting on its head.

"Well, it looks like tensions are a bit high." Nurse Joy sighed. "How about we switch the lessons up? We can do the mock battle a little earlier. Get a bit of energy out of our systems, hmm?"

"Geodude!" The Rock Type looked ecstatic, like his eyes were suddenly alight with fire.

"Meh, sure." I shrugged. "Can I use my Pokémon?" I pointed towards Sir Wiggles atop my head.

"Of course." Nurse Joy clapped. "It\'s good to get some training in for the future. However, you do know about \'types\', right? Geodude is very resistant to Electric types...."

"Geo, Geodude. Geo." The Rock Pokémon laughed, mockingly at Sir Wiggles.

The images Sir Wiggles sent through our link.....I suddenly felt sorry for this Geodude.

"Sir Wiggles relishes in the challenge." I held back my laugh. "Do you have a specific area...?"

"Of course." Nurse Joy hummed. "We have an area out back for Pokémon to....stretch their legs, so to speak. We can use that."

"Chansey?" The Fairy Pokémon pointed to itself.

"Of course you can watch, you adorable muffin." I couldn\'t help but hug her again.

"Chan, Chansey!" It happily exclaimed.

The cutest.

"Follow me, please. We\'ll go over right now." Nurse Joy turned around as I followed behind

The Goedude never dropped that smug look on its face as it kept looking back. I think the fact that I didn\'t react just made it more annoyed than if I responded to its provocations.

Walking through the corridors, I was actually a little curious about this place. I wonder if she\'d be willing to do a tour at some point? This small town, it didn\'t appear that she had many tasks on the day to day basis, so who knows.

"Here we are." Nurse Joy stated, as we walked out back towards an open field. It was a bit torn apart, but I suppose that\'s expected when Pokémon thrown around moves out here.

"So, since we both know which Pokémon we\'re using, how do you wanna do this?" I took a spot opposite of her, Sir Wiggles bounced off my head and landed on the ground.

"Well, I guess we can have Chansey be a referee?\' She offered.

"Chansey!" The Fairy Pokémon exclaimed.

"Sounds good to me."

"The etiquette is to introduce ourselves to our opponent before the fight, yeah?"

"That\'s true. It\'s good that you\'re keeping track of those things. It\'s important for new Trainers to make friends along the way." Nurse Joy beamed, patting Geodude on the back of the head. "We\'ll do it just as the rules says. I\'m Nurse Joy, and I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

Okay, I was a little humored by this whole thing.

"I\'m Wilhelm Schweinorg, and I accept."

She nodded. "This will be a one on one battle. Defeat will be when either side surrenders, recalls their Pokémon, or their Pokémon is unable to continue battle. Chansey will be our official referee. And for future reference, she is a certified referee."

"Chansey, Chansey!" The Fairy Pokémon waived happily.

"Well then, on a count of three, Chansey?" I looked towards her.

The bubbly Pokémon turned a bit serious and nodded. She raised her adorably pudgy hand up. "Chansey." She said once.

"Chansey...." She looked around.

"Chansey!" She dropped her hand to signal the start of the battle.

"Geodude, use Rock Throw!" Nurse Joy shouted out.

"Geo!" The Rock Pokémon roared, heaving up a massive bolder, and tossed it towards Sir Wiggles.

"Sir Wiggles.....Dab on him."

Sir Wiggles stood up on its hind legs, not moving as the massive boulder came crashing down. The mocking laughter of Geodude echoed out it smashed against my Familiar.

"G-geo?" The Pokémon looked confused as the Boulder shattered upon the magnificence that was Sir Wiggles.

Or rather, his Aura flared up and it splashed harmlessly against it.

"Our turn then?" I quirked a smile. "Sir Wiggles. Use Thor\'s Hammer."

Then the Sky went dark.

***

"Well....I believe Geodude will make a full recovery.....eventually...." Nurse Joy muttered as she looked over the machines that were healing the Rock Type Pokémon

"So, uh.....what else is on the agenda...?" I asked.

"Oh um....sorry. I didn\'t expect Geodude to well....." She looked pale, remembering what Sir Wiggles did. "I\'m sorry but I\'ll need to watch over him for a few hours. Um....why don\'t you take a look around? We have a few Pokémon that have been left with us over the years, maybe you might be able to convince one to come with you?" She offered.

Alright, I can take a hint. I\'ll go take a hike for a bit. "Sure, I\'ll check it out." I waived her off, walking for the back exit again.

Well, I\'m going to need a few more Pokémon just for logistical issues. I\'m pretty sure some challenges require multiple Pokémon.

I looked around and there were a few Pokémon I recognized

But what caught my attention the most, was the absolute unit of a MagiKarp that was sitting atop the pond out back. It was a bit scared, absolutely massive, and had some strange blue pigment throughout its body.

Huh.

All the other Pokémon were staying clear of it and every so often, it would spit a stream of water out at anything that got close.

"Oh, Wilhelm!" I turned back to see Nurse Joy running towards. "Phew, I\'m glad I caught up. I almost forgot to warn you about – " She gestured towards said Magikarp. "He\'s a bit aggressive, so I didn\'t want you to get hurt."

"What\'s wrong with him?" I asked.

"It\'s.....a sad story." Nurse Joy sighed. "His previous trainer forced it to eat an Everstone right as it was in the midst of evolving."

"An everstone? The thing that\'s supposed to stop evolutions, right?" It has been a few years since I\'ve played the games.

"Correct." She smiled wryly. "It had an....adverse effect. All the energy that should have got to its Evolution was dispersed, only a small portion making it grow a bit larger. The Stones are tools to help Pokémon grow into their full potential before taking the next leap forward. What happened her was a tragedy of abuse. Now, this poor Magikarp can never evolve, and it\'s always so angry. We\'re helpless to do anything about its situation." She sighed.

"I see....." I said quietly. "Thanks for the warning."

"You\'re welcome. I\'ll get back to Geodude so we can finish up before the days over." She gave a gentle smile before running back inside.

[You\'re going to take it, aren\'t you?]

"Yup."

[I can\'t wait to see how this turns out.]

Ddraig always enjoys watching what I get up to. Usually not speaking up unless something concerns him or there\'s an issue. Well, he did call himself an observer at some point, so it isn\'t that strange.

The Magikarp stared at me with hate in its eyes as I approached. Without warning, it fired off a stream of water, enough to knock a normal human off their feet and possibly harm them. I didn\'t blink an eye as my aura flared around me, blocking it easily.

It paused, staring at me with a mix of confusion and growing anger.

"I heard you\'re an angry little thing." I snorted, watching it try to scowl at me.

It responded by doubling its efforts, a torrent of water bursting out towards me. I merely raised my hand, blocking it with ease.

"Are you content to lash out at the world for the bad hand you\'ve been dealt?" I asked. I think it heard my words, because the stream of water began to simmer out.

It didn\'t attack again, but stared at me now that I had its attention.

"Nobody uses Magikarps. All everyone wants are Gyarados, right? For Magikarp, they\'re either content to live their lives as their base form, or evolve and become a tyrannical dragon. You had both choices taken from you."

IF it could roar, I think it would have just done that in a fury.

"Here you are, quite literally a big fish in a small pond. Any dreams of yours are dashed." I waived my hands around. "So, bully all the smaller Pokémon to past the time, right? Is that all you want in life now? To just fester in this hate and anger for the rest of your days or until they get tired of trying to help you?"

The water in the pond began to swirl around the Pokémon. A telling sign that even though it\'s a Magikarp it still should have been a Gyarados – a dragon. So I have an offer for you." I raised my hand to calm the angry fish.

It paused again, looking at me in confusion. "Magi, Magikarp?"

"I don\'t have an answer to \'heal\' you, but then again, you aren\'t broken. So what if you can\'t jump the dragon gate, you can\'t become a \'dragon\'. Instead, I\'ll make you this offer." I raised my hand up into the sky, and gathered my lightning discharging it in a massive blast that tore through the clouds.

I squat down, getting eye level with it. "I\'ll make you the strongest fucking Magikarp in the world, and I\'ll make you a champion."

Tears began to fall down from its eyes. I didn\'t know this species even had tear ducks to be honest. "Karp, Karp, Magikarp!" He shouted with a firm nod.

"Wonderful, welcome to my team ,Magikarp." I reached out, touching its head. "Now\'s the most important part."

"Magikarp?" It questioned me.

"We gotta get you the clothes to match your new status" I flicked my collar and gestured to the vest Sir Wiggles was wearing.

The aquatic Pokémon\'s eyes flashed brilliantly. "Magikarp." He looked absolutely elated.

***

Just a fun thing I was doing on the side, hence, a side story. Don\'t take it too seriously as it doesn\'t really tie in with the main story.