Beyond the Adventure - A Pokémon Fanfiction

The morning sun beams warmly against my face as I gaze out at the ocean’s horizon. The Whirl Islands are barely visible from the Goldenrod City’s pier, shrouded in haze off in the distance. I have always found the view to be serene, and frequently come out here early in the morning, before the newly built Global Trade Terminal opens. The bustling noise of people mulling about never appealed to me and I feel this new building will only ruin the tranquility of the pier. I longed to escape the big city and head out on my own. I was offered a Pokémon by Professor Oak when I was twelve years old to challenge the Pokémon League. Unfortunately, ever since my father died, my mother has been struggling to find her own job, so she needs me here to help make ends meet. I denied the offer, explaining why, but Professor Oak insisted I take one anyway. I chose a Cyndaquil, but it has not seen much battle. I challenged Whitney once, but Cyndaquil and the HootHoot I had caught earlier got destroyed. Now we keep them simply as pets in the home. I currently work at the department store, helping the Machoke down there move boxes and unload trucks. It is rough work and does not pay much, but it is something.

I close my eyes against the sun’s rays when I am suddenly knocked over by something hard from behind. I look up and come face-to-face with… a Pokémon? All I see is a yellow face with big red eyes. I blink a couple times, then sit up. This creature before me is unlike any I had seen before. It has black arms and furry yellow legs. The oddest part of it is the huge black mouth hanging off the back of its head, lined with sharp teeth. The creature stares at me with a slight, almost mischievous grin. I have no idea what to make of it.

“Uh… hello, there,” I say to it.

The creature does not make a sound. Instead, it continues to stare at me with those big red eyes, silent. I run my fingers through my messily spiked silver hair. Its stare starts making me uncomfortable, so I reach into my pocket and procure a couple Oran berries. I offer them to the creature.

“Do you like berries?” I ask. Surely it must. I have yet to meet a Pokémon that refused berries.

The Pokémon looks at the berries, then back at me. I smile and nod, extending my hand further. Finally, the creature smiles, turns around, and chomps down hard on my hand with its giant gaping jaw.

“YOW!!!” I yell. I try to pull my hand away, but the creature does not let go.

A man, who had apparently heard my yelp, comes running from the Global Trade Terminal. He rushes up to me and manages to soothe the Pokémon. It lets go on my hand. I gently rub it.

“I’m terribly sorry about that,” the man says. “This little guy got away from me. It’s been quite the handful since its arrival.”

I rub my throbbing hand, and look at the man. “Arrival? From where?”

The man shrugs. “We had a malfunction this morning and this guy came through without a trade being initiated,” he explains. “We have barely opened and already we’re having problems. The computer’s data got corrupted, so we have no idea where it came from.”

I look down at the Pokémon. It looks back up at me. It is kind of cute, but if it came through the Global Trade Terminal, it must belong to someone, and since it came through without a trade being initiated, that someone did not get a Pokémon in return. Surely, the owner would want it back, right?

“Maybe I can help,” I say to the man. “Perhaps we can find its original owner and bring it back.”

The man shakes his head. “Good luck, kid,” he says. “This is the GLOBAL Trade Terminal. It connects trainers from around the world. It could have come from anywhere!” The man sighs. “You might as well keep it. It seems to like you anyway.”

I look down. The Pokémon is licking the hand it just bit. I chuckle. “I think it just likes the way I taste.” I stoop down. “Where are you from? I’ve never seen a Pokémon like you.”

The man smiles. “Well, that settles it, then. Enjoy your new home, little guy.” He walks back toward the building.

I pet the Pokémon’s head. It stares at me with those red eyes again, silent. I smile.

“My name is Crono,” I say. “It’s nice to meet you!”

The Pokémon smiles back, saying nothing. I think for a bit. “I don’t know what you are, but we have to call you something. Do you even make any noise? Most Pokémon make some noise.”

Silence.

A mute Pokémon, I think. “Well, how about I call you ‘Jaws’? Hmm?” It grins at me. “Ha, all right, it’s settled! ‘Jaws’ it is!”

It starts running circles around me. I watch it run for a bit as I think. “Perhaps Professor Oak will know. After all, he’s the Pokémon Professor! Let’s go, Jaws!”

Jaws and I approach the Radio Tower, where Professor Oak hosts his radio talk show. Upon entering, we are greeted by the receptionist. She asks for the purpose of our visit. I politely request to see Professor Oak.

“Ah, you must be Crono,” she says with a smile. “His show begins soon, but if you hurry, you may be able to catch him before it starts.”

I am confused how she knows me by name, but I thank her and we head upstairs. As we walk towards the stairs, I feel her staring in our direction. I glance back at her. She has a weird, almost confused, look on her face as she looks at Jaws. Heh, trust me lady, I’m just as confused as you, I think.

The Radio Tower is filled with many people, all busy preparing for and performing various forms of radio entertainment. I pass by a poster for the Jigglypuff Lullaby show. It claims to have one of the highest ratings in radio. I joke to myself that it must be because people fall asleep while they are flipping through the stations and it gets stuck on this show.

We walk up another flight of stairs and find Professor Oak in his studio with…

“Mother?!” I gasp.

Both Professor Oak and my mother look at me. Professor Oak smiles warmly. “Ah, you must be Crono.” He extends his hand. “Mary has told me all about you.”

My mother smiles at me. “Professor Oak hired me as his co-host!” she exclaims happily.

Professor Oak nods. “Yes, your mother surely has a golden voice,” he says. “She’ll make a fine addition to the show!”

I proceed to collect my jaw from the floor. “Uh, well… that’s… awesome?” I am at a loss for words. “How did this happen?”

Mother smiles. “We met at the Department Store,” she explains. “I was going to purchase some Oran berries for Cyndaquil, but it was a tad too expensive. Samuel was behind me and offered to help pay. We started talking and the next thing I know, he asked me to co-host his show.”

Professor Oak glances over at her. “Today will be her first show, so we’ll see how well she does. I’m certain she’ll be great!”

“Well, that’s awesome,” I say, still a little shocked. Still, I am happy Mother found a job, and it is with the Pokémon Professor! Which reminds me, I need to…

“AIEEEEEE!!!!” A shriek comes from outside the studio. We rush out to find Jaws had clamped down on a young lady’s long hair. “Get it off of me!”

“Jaws!” I shout, running towards the lady. “Let go!”

Jaws nibbles on the hair, refusing to let go. I think back to what the man did when Jaws has chomped down on my hand, then proceed to stroke its head. “Come on, Jaws,” I say soothingly. “Let go of the nice lady’s hair.”

Jaws looks up at me, then releases the lady’s hair. The lady turns around angrily. “What the heck is that thing?! Control your pet!”

“I’m terribly sorry, ma’am,” I apologize. “I think it’s just hungry.”

The lady stomps her foot, turns around, and storms away. I continue to pet Jaws and it nuzzles my hand. I reach into my pocket, but come up empty. No more berries.

“Sorry, bud,” I say. “I’m all out. Let’s see if we can find you something.”

Professor Oak stares down at the Pokémon. “Hmmm, what an unusual Pokémon,” he remarks.

“Do you know what it is, Professor?” I ask.

Professor Oak strokes his chin as he thinks. “I can honestly say I’ve never seen such a creature,” he says. “But, do not worry. I have a couple young lads working for me in my research.” He reaches into his coat pocket and reveals a red device. “This is what I call a Pokédex. It’s an electronic encyclopedia of all the Pokémon in the world. It’s not finished yet, but my researchers are out there, searching far and wide for every single Pokémon.” He opens the device and it chimes as it powers on. “I’ve been getting regular updates from my grandson and his friend through the Pokémon Storage System, but with the assistance of Bill and Professor Elm, I now can receive real-time updates from them the moment an entry has been added to their Pokédex.”

The device finishes booting up and Professor Oak taps away. “Let’s see if they’ve encountered anything like this.”

Professor Oak furrows his brow as he browses his Pokédex. My mother and I peer over his shoulder and he flips through page after page of various Pokémon. Jaws starts climbing up my back and clings to my shoulder. Wow, it’s kind of heavy! I think. I let it stay, though. I figure if it is on my back, it will not be trying to eat other people’s hair.

Finally, Professor Oak speaks. “Well, it would appear my researchers have encountered this Pokémon before, but have not yet caught one.” He taps a few buttons and the entry for it pops up. “It’s called Mawile and it’s from the Hoenn region, but because neither of them have caught one yet, there’s not much else information on it.” Professor Oak snaps his Pokédex closed. “So, how is it you have one?”

For a moment, I did not answer. From the Hoenn region. I ponder this. How am I to find the original owner of this Mawile if it is from a completely different region?

“Crono?” my mother’s speaks softly. “How did you get it?”

I snap back to the present. “Oh, um…” I scratch the back of my head. “Well, I was out on the pier by the Global Trade Terminal this morning. That’s where I met it. A guy from there said it came through the trade system during a malfunction.”

“Oh dear,” Professor Oak looks serious. “Someone must have put it up for trade then. Well, if it was up for trade, certainly, the owner won’t miss it. A pity. Good thing it found you. It seems to like you.”

I look down. Jaws was licking my hand again. I smile, then quickly shake my head. “Wait, no!” I shout. “The guy said that the original owner never got a Pokémon in return when the system malfunctioned. Certainly, the owner would want it back!”

“Hmm…” Professor Oak appears to be thinking. My mother looks at him, seemingly knowing what he is thinking. He looks at her, and she nods. “Well, why do you not go looking for the owner?”

“Whaaa?!” I step back. “No no, I can’t leave here. Mother needs me. My job may not pay much, but it’s our only income.”

“Don’t worry, dear,” Mother says calmly. “My job here pays well enough. I’ll be all right on my own. Besides, you’re seventeen. It was only a matter of time before you went out on your own.” She smiles. “Go have an adventure!”

I look at her sadly. I really do want to leave, but I do not want to leave her alone. “Are you sure you’ll be okay, Mother?”

Professor Oak smiles. “I’ll personally ensure she is well taken care of,” he says.

“I won’t be alone, either,” Mother says. “I’ll have Cyndaquil and HootHoot with me.”

My heart races. My very own adventure. Leaving the noise of the big city. I clench my fists and grin. “All right!” I shout. “I’ll do it!”

Jaws and I step outside back into the morning sunlight. My heart is pounding against my ribcage. I finally get to go out on my own! I look down at Jaws. It was staring off into the distance. I wonder if its thinking about its owner, I think. Speaking of which, I wonder what its sex is. Certainly, I can’t keep referring to Jaws as ‘it’. How does one even find that out?? I ponder for a bit. Eh… I guess I could always look? I kneel down and look around it. I do not see anything that would suggest anything. Jaws has large tufts of fur around its legs. Maybe I can tell under there? I reach down and pick Jaws up, then hold it over my head to look. Yep, there it is. Jaws glares at me over its shoulder. “Uh… hehe… so you are male...”

Jaws chomps down on my head. “Ack! I’m sorry!” I run around, trying to shake him off. Jaws finally releases me and drops to the ground. He turns his back to me and crosses his arms. I rub my face. “I’m sorry, buddy,” I apologize. “Are you ready to go?” Jaws looks at me from over his shoulder, then turns around and nods. I pat his head. “Let’s go home and pack!”

As we walk down the road, people bustle around us, preparing for the day and mulling about their business. Many of the people give Jaws funny looks as they walk by. Makes sense, I think. He is from a totally different region. I almost feel proud of having an exotic Pokémon, but then I remind myself that he is not mine, just simply in my care. I let out a sigh. I tell myself not to get too attached. Still, I cannot help but wish he was my own. He was pretty unique and unusual. I wonder how well it can battle, I ponder.

Just I think this, the Goldenrod City Gym comes into view. I stop in front of it and look up at the sign. “Goldenrod City Gym. Gym Leader: Whitney, master of Normal-type!” the sign reads. The building is pastel pink and blue, with large windows and two giant spotlights in the lawn. The sight is imposing as I remember my last time trying my hand at the Pokémon League challenge. Poor Cyndaquil and HootHoot got stomped hard by Whitney’s Miltank. She was ruthless and I never stood a chance.

Jaws pulls me out of Memory Lane. He tugs on my shirt, looking up at me. I look down and smile. “What’s up, buddy?” I ask.

Jaws points to the gym. I look at the large glass doors. “Huh?” I am confused. “You want to go inside?” Jaws nods.

“Well, all right,” I say. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to take a look.”

We walk up to the doors and I pull them open. Upon stepping inside, the sight was grandiose. “Wow…” I gasp. The gym changed a lot since I was here five years ago. “Business must have been good,” I quip.

The interior is one massive glass dome lined with pink trim and a pink tile floor. Various pastel blue walls are scattered around the room, creating a maze-like atmosphere. The sounds of various trainers having heated battles echo through the corridors. The place smells vaguely like bubblegum. “Well, Jaws, what do you think?” I ask.

Jaws’ eyes light up as he looks at the big glass dome. His mouth is wide open with awe as he takes in the sight. I have never seen such look of wonder on a Pokémon before. It is pretty amusing. “Want to walk around?” I ask. Jaws smiles and does a little hop. “Haha, okay!”

We walk through the corridors. The walls are lined with various portraits of trainers with Normal-type Pokémon; Clefairy, Jigglypuff, Furret, even a trainer with three Tauros. I wonder if they are winners or just people who trained here. We round a corner and encounter a battle underway. The two trainers are faced off, a male trainer with a Parasect, and a female trainer with a Persian. We watch for a while.

“Persian, use Slash!” the girl shouts. Persian leaps at Parasect, claws out.

“Spore attack, Parasect!” Parasect leans forward and a cloud of spores explode from the giant mushroom on its back. The Persian gets a face full of the stuff and falls to the floor, fast asleep. “All right, now use Leech Life!” Parasect crawls toward the sleeping Persian, grabs the feline in its claws, and sinks its teeth into the Persian’s neck.

“No, Persian, wake up!” Persian’s trainer yells. Persian does not move. Parasect continues to drain the Persian of its energy.

“Now finish it with Slash!” Parasect lets go of the Persian. Persian slowly wakes, but struggles to get to its feet. Parasect pulls a claw back and swipes it hard at the feline. Persian takes the full force of the attack to its face and flies several feet. Persian lays on the floor, not moving.

“Persian, no! Come back!” Persian's trainer pulls out a Pokéball and pulls it inside.

“Yes!” The boy pats Parasect on the head. “Great job! You were awesome!”

The female trainer sigh. “That was a good fight,” she says. “You may have bested me, but you will never defeat Whitney!” She then turns around and stomps away.

The guy pulls his Parasect back into its Pokéball. He sees me and waves. “Hey there!” he says. “Did you see that fight?”

I nod. “I sure did,” I say. “Good job!”

The guy beams. “Yeah, I’m pretty awesome!” he gloats. “This gym is cake. It’s just a bunch of girls!”

I grimace. “You know, it wasn’t all you,” I say.

The guy’s face gets stern. “What did you say?”

I repeat myself. “It wasn’t all you. Your Pokémon is the one doing most of the work. You just sit back and bark orders.” The guy growls, gripping his ball tightly. “Also, your remark about girls was uncalled for. She put up a good fight too. And isn’t the Gym Leader here a girl too?”

The guy grips his ball even tighter. “Oh yeah?” he growls. “If you think you’re so tough, how about we have a battle?”

I wave him off. “No thanks,” I say. “I don’t battle.” I turn my back to him and start walking away. “Come on, Jaws.”

The guy fumes. “Hey!” he yells angrily. “You can’t refuse a Pokémon battle!”

“Watch me,” I call back as we turn a corner. As we walk away, I hear the angry stomps of the trainer we just blew off.

We keep walking and I suddenly feel like we are lost. How do we get out of here? I look down at Jaws, but he seems to be enjoying himself. Oh well, I think. If he’s enjoying himself, I guess we can stick around a bit longer. We enter an open area, where four trainers are having a two-on-two battle. Two female trainers, who are wearing matching Whitney hats, are squared off against a male-female team that appear to be a couple. The hat wearers, whom I assume are gym trainers, are using a Lickitung and a Jigglypuff. The couple are using a pair of Charmanders. I chuckle as the thought of this couple having a pair of Charmanders that are also a couple. We pass them by, turn another corner, and go under this large flowery arch. On the other side of the arch, in a wide open arena, stood Whitney.

Whitney is smiling as she points her finger out. She is in a fierce battle with another trainer. The other trainer is the trainer from before! He made it here before us and is battling Whitney using his Parasect. Whitney’s Clefairy stands before the Parasect with a lax and adorable look on its face. “Clefairy, use Metronome!” Clefairy raises its arms and points its fingers in the air. It rocks back and forth as its fingers begin to glow.

The rude trainer shouts. “Parasect, put it to sleep! Spore!” Parasect leans forward, pointing its giant mushroom in Clefairy’s direction. A giant cloud of spores fill the air, surrounding Clefairy. Clefairy stands there, then as the cloud settles, the Clefairy slowly fades away. “What?!”

Whitney grins. “It used Double-Team!” she chimes happily. “Clefairy, use Double-Slap!” Clefairy jumps in front of Parasect and begins slapping it across its face. Parasect flinches from the merciless blows and falls back.

The trainer growls. “Grrr, use Leech Life!” Parasect scurries to Clefairy and sinks its teeth into Clefairy. Clefairy squeals in pain.

Whitney puts her hands on her cheeks. “Oh no,” she gasps dramatically. “Whatever will we do?” She giggles. “Clefairy, use Mimic!” Clefairy’s eyes get wide and it pushes Parasect away, then pounces on Parasect’s mushroom and bites into it hard. Parasect becomes drained of its energy, fainting.

“Augh! No way!” the trainer shouts angrily. He slams a Pokéball on the floor and the unconscious Parasect gets pulled in. He turns around and storms toward me. As he passes me, I cannot help but smirk.

“Cake, huh?” I quip arrogantly. The trainer glares at me, then stomps away, grumbling under his breath.

Whitney pulls her Clefairy back into its Pokéball. She eyes me at the archway and smiles. “Are you my next challenger?” she asks.

“Oh, no,” I say. “I’m just a spectator.”

Whitney walks over to us. She looks down at Jaws and gasps. “Oh my, what is this Pokémon?”

I look down at Jaws as well. “This is Jaws,” I say. “He’s lost. I’m trying to help him find his way home.”

Whitney kneels down and pets his head. “Wow, I’ve never seen such a Pokémon before,” she says. “It’s so unusual.”

Jaws looks carefully at Whitney, then nuzzles her hand. Whitney giggles. “So cute!”

I smile. “Professor Oak says he is a ‘Mawile’ from the Hoenn region,” I inform.

Whitney stands up. “Hoenn, huh?” She looks back at Mawile. “You’re far from home. I’d love to battle you and your Mawile, if you’re up for it.”

I begin to speak, but Jaws pulls on my shirt. I look down to see Jaws pointing at Whitney and kind of hopping up and down. I am confused at first, then figure he must be referring to her battle offer. “You want to battle her?” I ask. Jaws nods.

“So it’s settled!” Whitney chirps. She skips to her side of the arena. “Let’s do this!”

“Whoa, wait, I…” I stammer, but Jaws was already dashing to the arena. I scratch my head. “Uh… okay, that just happened…”

Whitney grabs a Pokéball off her belt and holds it in the air. “Here I come!” She throws it and Clefairy pops out.

“Ack, hold up!” I am clueless at what I am doing. I do not even know what moves Jaws knows. How am I supposed to battle without knowing his moves?

“Clefairy, use Metronome!” Whitney shouts, pointing her finger. Clefairy raises its fingers and they begin to glow.

“Uh… Jaws, use… uh… Bite?” I stammer. I really am clueless.

Jaws looks over at me, then pulls out a small ball of rice out of… its butt? Where did it get that from? Jaws tosses it up and its massive jaws chomps down on it. I groan. “I meant bite the Clefairy…”

Whitney giggles. “Wow, not very obedient, is it? This should be over soon.” Her Clefairy finishes its move and fires a stream of water from its mouth. “Hey, she used Water Gun!”

Jaws finishes eating his rice ball and begins to glow slightly just before the water hit. Jaws steps back from the pressure, but holds his ground.

Did it just glow? I wonder. How unusual…

Whitney looks equally confused. “What was that move?” she asks. I just shrug. “Huh, you don’t even know your own Pokémon’s moves? What kind of trainer are you?? Oh well, Clefairy, use Double-Slap!”

Clefairy leaps toward Jaws and unleashes a barrage of vicious slaps. Jaws quickly turns his massive jaw toward Clefairy and uses it to absorb the blows. Then he pulls out a cheeseburger and tosses it into his gaping mouth. He glows a little brighter.

“Wow, what kind of Pokémon is this?” Whitney asks, befuddled. “There’s not a scratch on him! And why is he glowing??”

“You see it too?” I mutter to myself. “I thought I was imagining it.”

“Hmm… whatever that move is, I want it too!” Whitney furiously jabs her finger at Jaws. “Clefairy, use Mimic and take that move!” Clefairy does a little dance, then a victory pose. She then smiles happily.

Uh… that was interesting, I think. “Go, Jaws, do something awesome!” Jaws eats a candy bar, glowing even brighter. “Yeah… that was… awesome.”

Whitney giggles. “Hungry little guy, isn’t it?” Whitney jumps up and down. “That move doesn’t seem very useful, so Clefairy, use Metronome again!” Clefairy does her finger dance, then a cloud of leaves swirl through the air. The leaves fly at Jaws, surrounding him. The leaves slice into Jaws’ hide. Jaws shakes himself furiously and the leaves drop to the floor.

“Jaws, are you okay?!” I call out. Jaws hops a little and takes a ready stance, staring down Clefairy.

“Razor Leaf didn’t do much either!” Whitney shouts. “What is this guy made of, steel??”

“All right, Jaws” I say. “I don’t know what you have planned, but let’s finish this!”

Jaws runs towards Clefairy, then spins around and opens his massive jaw right in front of Clefairy’s face. He shudders violently and suddenly pukes on Clefairy. Both Whitney’s and my jaw collectively hit the floor.

“That… is… DISGUSTING!” Whitney cries. “Gross gross GROSS!”

Clefairy is stunned, then falls over, unconscious. Jaws leaps back and takes a ready stance.

“What?!” Whitney pulls Clefairy back into her Pokéball. “That was a cheap shot! Now you’re in for it. Go, Miltank!”

Whitney throws a second Pokéball and Miltank pops out. I immediately have a flashback to when this thing rolled over my Cyndaquil and crushed it. I shake the memory away and return back to the battle. “Jaws, don’t let your guard down. This Pokémon is tough!”

Whitney points her finger. “Let’s end this, Miltank! Rollout!” Miltank curls into a ball and furiously speeds towards Jaws. Jaws turns his maw toward Miltank and hunkers down, creating a ramp. Miltank rolls up Jaws’ giant mouth, and catches air. Jaws then turns around and plants his feet onto the floor. Miltank hits the floor, drifts around, and rolls back toward Jaws. Jaws pulls his arms back and slams hard into Miltank with both fists and its jaw. Miltank plows into the floor and stops rolling.

“Miltank!” Whitney cries. “No way!”

“Yeah, go Jaws!” I cheer. Jaws steps back, preparing for another strike.

Miltank rises from the floor, battered, but not beaten. She jumps back and takes a defensive stance. “Miltank, use Milk Drink!” Whitney shouts. Miltank reveals out an empty bottle. She pulls on one of her utters, filling the bottle with milk. Finally, she drinks the milk, looking refreshed.

“Now THAT is gross,” I say.

“Where did you think milk came from in the first place?” Whitney asks. Good point.

“All right, Jaws,” I shout. “Do that strong move again and finish it!”

“That move was Brick Break and it is learned from a Technical Machine,” Whitney calls to me. “How do you not know this?? Anyway, that move is dangerous, Miltank. Let’s keep that from happening and use Attract!”

Miltank takes on a seductive pose and waves at Jaws. Jaws moves out of his stance and cocks his head. Miltank starts shaking her tail at Jaws. Jaws’ eyes get wide and he starts looking smitten. “Oh, God…” I groan. “That’s just cheating.”

“Perfectly legit move!” Whitney cheers. “Now Rollout!” Miltank curls into a ball and rolls at Jaws.

“Jaws, use that move… er… Brick Break!” I shout. Jaws just stands there, lovestruck. Miltank slams into him, sending him flying. He hits the floor, then slowly rises to his feet. Miltank turns around and rolls toward Jaws again, this time at a faster speed.

“Come on, Jaws, use Brick Break!” I shout louder. Jaws just stands there, hearts in his eyes. Miltank slams into him again. He slides across the ground, then slowly picks himself up again. He looks battered.

Whitney giggles. “Looks like he’s too in love to fight back. Miltank, finish him off! Let’s break his heart!”

Miltank rolls towards Jaws at high speeds. I grimace. I do not want to see Jaws take another blow. “Jaws, please!” I beg. “Get out of the way!”

Jaws stands there, staring at Miltank rolling closer and closer. Finally, Jaws closes his eyes and shakes his head. When he opens his eyes, they are filled with vigor and determination. He plants his feet onto the floor, pulls his arms back, and just before Miltank rolls into him, he slams both fists and his jaw into her with all his might. Miltank face-plants into the floor and stops moving, unconscious.

I jump into the air and cheer. “All right! Good job, Jaws!” I run into the arena and pick him up. He genuinely looks pleased with himself. I chuckle.

Whitney stares at her Miltank. “No…” she whimpers. “No… NO!!! THAT’S NOT FAIR!” Whitney crumbles to the floor and breaks down into tears. “Not fair not fair not fair!!! How dare you! Whaaaaaa!”

“Uh… Whitney?” I say.

A female voice speaks from behind me and I turn around. “She always does this when she loses,” a gym trainer says. “Don’t worry, she’ll calm down soon.” She points at Whitney. “See, she’s already stopping. Go talk to her now.”

I walk over and put my hand on her shoulder. Whitney stops crying and looks up. “Oh, ahem.” She wipes her eyes and stands up. “I’m sorry, that’s unbecoming of a Gym Leader. Per the rules of the Pokémon League, you have earned the right to wear this badge. Here, take the Plain Badge.”

She holds her hand out and I take the badge. I look at it in wonder. A badge. I actually have one. I clench my fist around it and close my eyes. The memories of the battle are still vivid and fresh in my mind. The memories of my first fight with her are there too, and as I remember them, I make my decision.

“No.”

“Huh? Whitney looks at me wide-eyed.

I open my eyes. “No,” I say again. “I do not deserve this badge.” I look down at Jaws. “I’m no trainer. I was clueless in that fight. Jaws here did all the work. He even appeared to know what he was doing and took the fight in his own hands. If anyone deserves this badge, it’s Jaws.”

Whitney smiles. “You have quite a special Pokémon there,” she says. Then she looks at Jaws. “And you have quite a special friend. I wish you both luck in all your endeavors!”

I smile warmly. Jaws looks up at me and beams. “Thanks, Whitney. Let’s go find your home, Jaws.”