The blue scales of ambition

«P-pokéball g-g-go! » I stuttered as I threw the item without much conviction.

You know things are bad when you hope that the pokémon you're attempting to catch will break out.

My insides tightened when the red light went off and the pokéball stopped moving.

Well, crap… I was not going to become a champion after all…

Funny on how all your dreams can shatter even when you get what you initially wanted.

Martin walked to the pokéball without a word and picked it up. I wished he just suddenly decided to keep it. I had promised I would get only one water-type, my starter, and that I would win the league with that one pokémon. At this point, Martin keeping the magikarp was the only way I could keep my promise. Otherwise, either way, I'd become a liar. I didn't want to become one.

It's too bad that my friend couldn't read my mind, because he turned to me with the pokéball. Though with that sorry smile, he probably could guess…

«Well, you… you have your first water-type pokémon… » He said, seeing all too well how much I didn't want to have it.

I stayed silent.

«Aren't you going to take it? » He asked me.

This was it. I could either keep my promise and get a magikarp as my starter or pretend this never happened and be a liar, not to mention I would probably not get another water-type for a while, stupid letter and all.

I did not move.

Martin sighed.

«Look, I know that you probably hoped for something else, but I am out of bait and there aren't any fishing shop in New Bark Town. This is the only pokémon you can get for now. I understand that it's not ideal, but you did say you didn't mind a rough start if you could get a pokémon that way. »

«I… I know, it's just that everyone knows that magikarps… » I couldn't bear to say it.

I just couldn't say: «…are the weakest pokémon there are… »

«…Evolve into gyarados, I know, but… » Martin finished for me, not noticing that I had frozen again.

Wait… Magikarps do evolve into gyarados! They are the weakest, and then they become pokémon that strikes fear into others just by glaring! I imagined myself, standing next to one of those beasts and I was suddenly much happier.

Funny how dreams can suddenly patch themselves together after shattering.

«I'll take it! » I suddenly said, taking the pokéball from his open hand. Beneath the red and white, I could feel the potential waiting to explode into an unbeatable water-type pokémon. I barely stopped myself from exclaiming «My precious… ». I think Martin would have looked at me funny.

Never mind that, he was already frowning at me.

«I was about to say that even if they are dangerous, wild, difficult pokémon to train, I think you can manage, but now I'm wondering. »

«Oh, come on, Martin! I'm not complaining that we managed to fish a magikarp, shouldn't you be happy? » I said quickly, not liking one bit where he was heading. He only massaged his forehead with one head while sighing again. Was he going to make a habit out of that? The surprise headlocks were already a handful, thank you very much.

«I can't blame you for wanting a powerful pokémon, I guess. I'm just worried this magikarp is going to turn out to be more than you can handle. » He said quietly.

«Hey! »

«Alright, I'm just going to give you the update now and, after that, I will respect your decision. » He compromised. I nodded, this was good enough for me. «There are at least three things all trainers have to fear in their career. » He did not look goofy, mature but immature, or even all that nice anymore. To tell the truth, he looked a bit scary. «The first thing to watch out for is a losing streak. I don't mean losing once in a while, I mean losing all your battles for so long that you can't take it and quit. »

I gulped and I felt a small bead of sweat go down my spine. I did not want that to happen to me.

«The second is to be forced with choosing between training and your loved ones. One of my friends was a great trainer, but he had to quit when his father got sick. When he passed away, he had already lost all interest for pokémon training. He simply could not put his heart into it. It was a constant reminder of the night he got that call. » Martin continued and, at that point, I wanted him to stop. This was too… horrible… to think saw what it was doing to me, but he continued nonetheless and I couldn't help but think that Martin was a bit cruel.

«The last thing is to lose your pokémon. There are many ways it can happen, either by dying, by having to give it away or by losing its respect and seeing it leaves you behind. Any of those can break your heart and your faith in your capacities as a trainer. » My throat was dry at this point, I really didn't like that stuff. «With a magikarp, you risk a big losing streak while you start. With a gyarados, you risk to see it lose faith in you if you're not strong enough. That's two out of three and no guarantee against the other one either. Do you want to take that chance and make a big leap of faith? » Martin stared at me intensively.

I knew that if I was half-hearted about this, he would not let me keep that magikarp. I looked at the pokéball in my hand and it felt like it was burning now. Losing, battles and/or pokémon… could I handle it?

Maybe, maybe not, but the point was that I would take that chance.

Slowly, I nodded. At first, there was a hesitation that made Martin cringe, but, as I told him my decision, my own resolve strengthened.

«I will. I am going to take this magikarp and win the league with it. » This time, Martin smiled warmly at me.

«Alright, you've got the guts of a champion, that's for sure. A magikarp as your starter? Man, even I was not that crazy when I was your age. » That made me blush, but I soon recovered.

«Oh shut up! I'm going to be the champion of Johto, just watch me! » I claimed loudly. By the look in Martin's eyes, I was in trouble.

«Well, since you are going to be such a celebrity, I can't just let you go and say I was there when you caught that monster that ripped through the league, right? » He smiled, again with that predator thing. Was Martin even human? Nah, only a ghost-type could be that weird and even then...

«I'd say that's plenty of bragging rights already. » I replied, not wanting to appear nervous.

«Would you, ô great champion in the making, honor me with your first battle? » It was like a stone falling in my stomach. It was heavy and it was enough to make my knees go weak.

If I looked at things logically, I was going to face someone that admitted being a trainer in the past with a magikarp that I had not yet named. In how many ways could this go wrong? I stopped counting after twenty. More than that was just being pessimistic…

Then again, Martin had been a really nice guy to me so far. He would probably go easy on me, give me some tactical advices and all in all, would be a much better opponent than a random trainer met on the road.

«…Okay… » I agreed, a bit hesitant in spite of my reasoning.

«Let's do this then, champ. » Martin grinned as he threw a pokéball in the air. Alright, my very first opponent in battle would be a…

«Ledian! » the ladybug pokémon said, hovering over Martin.

«A ledian? Isn't that a little… weak? » I remarked, not paying attention to the indignant cries of the bug-type.

«Do you really have much room to talk? »

«Touché. » I frowned.

«Besides, Linda is plenty strong and has lots of experience. Don't underestimate her. » He grinned knowingly. As a future champion, I just couldn't let it slide.

«Come on out, huh… » I called, realizing I still needed a name for it.

«Kaaarp. » My magikarp said loudly from the lake. Good thing he had appeared there…

My first thought was this magikarp was bigger than the ones I was used to. The second was that I had yet to see a magikarp with half opened eyes. It gave him a very bored expression and I don't think I liked that in a future water monster.

«Hum… Martin, can you give me a second to think of a name for it? » He nodded, not letting go of his confidence. Way to put pressure on a newbie, Martin!«…are you a boy or a girl? » I asked my pokémon, stupidly if I judged by the loud laugh that came from my left or the skeptical expression on my magikarp's face. I didn't even know they could do that!

«Kaaaaarp. »

«That's really helpful… » I muttered. This was not going well.

«It's a boy, champ. His barbels are tan, which means that it's a male. Females have white barbels. » Martin pointed out, helpfully, but also a bit smugly.

«Hum… okay… what name can I give you? » I sat down, crossing my legs and my arms. «It has to be something big, something impressive. »My magikarp tilted its whole body to the right to make his point. «Woaw… I get the feeling that you and I are going to have lots of fun together, aren't we? » I closed my eyes, just to erase the image of my skeptical magikarp and my smug friend.

A powerful sea-dragon with blue scales… roaring with such intensity that the earth would be shaking… moving tidal waves with a single swing of its body…

I have a vivid imagination, sue me… and I got the perfect name.

«I'm going to call you Leviathon! » I decided.

«Original. » Martin commented and I must say the irony affected me somehow.

«What? It's… it's a cool name! » I turned to him.

«You can say that. It's also not exactly uncommon for big sea-serpents like gyarados.» Martin pointed out and my smile faltered a little bit more.

«…well, that's his name now and, while he's a magikarp, I'm going to call him Levys. See? That's original. » I pouted. At the barely restrained laugh from Martin's part, I just realized what I had been doing.

So much for looking like a cool champion in the making.

Subtle, cool… wow, the qualities I could have as a champion were flying away fast… I had better be more careful with that. If things continued like that, I would end up being the most fashion knowing champion.

«Why did you just shiver? » Martin asked me with a frown.

«Some things are best left untold. » I answered with all the aura of mystery I could muster.

«Karp? » Levys asked.

«Huh… yeah, anyway, your name is now Levys, got it? » I declared.

«Karp. » I decided that meant «yes». Really, who would refuse such a cool name? I mean, except Martin.

«And we're going to battle Martin's ledian, ready? » I asked, trying to look authoritative and failing spectacularly if I believed Linda's snickering.

«Karp! » Levys jumped a little, his expression getting the closest to a smile that a fish could do. That made me warm up inside and I was not sure why.

«Alright, Levys, this is our first battle as a team. » I claimed, fired up.

«Ready, champ? » Martin asked and I put on my most confident grin.

«Go, Levys! Tackle! » I ordered while pointing at the flying bug. Levys just turned to me and looked at me, clearly confused.

Oh crap…

«Champ, magikarps don't learn tackle until level fifteen. Most wild ones are around the level five in this part of Johto. »

To say I was disappointed was an understatement. Martin had said that it would be harder to start my journey without the traditional starters, not that I would have to fight nails and tooth to teach my pokémon Tackle!

«Huh… what can he do then? » I asked, not wanting to know at all.

«Splash. » Martin said with a sympathetic, sorry smile.

«Err… Levys, use Splash. » I said, without enthusiast.

My dear first pokémon span on himself once before hitting the surface with his tail and sent a small quantity of water toward the ledian. Linda just shook her head off, not affected in the least.

I could see the title of champion slipping away already. How was I supposed to win any battle with Levys? He couldn't even attack! Giving up right here, right now, seemed appropriate for the most hopeless pokémon training journey ever.

«Hey, champ, everyone starts somewhere, you just have to start a little lower than usual. Think of all the people that get eggs for their first pokémon. They have to teach them everything too. And don't worry; I've seen some trainers raise really powerful pokémon like that. » Martin said.

I'll admit that it did give me a little bit of hope. It was true that training a baby pokémon meant practically the same thing as training a magikarp from scratches. The fact that this course of action was not recommended for newbies went over my head. I had chosen Levys and I would win with him. It just meant lots of training.

And I'd get a really powerful gyarados in the long run. It was worth it.

«Kaaaaarp. » He said, looking at me happily. Right, he had followed my order and he was happy. Hey, at least he was not being difficult. I smiled at my starter.

«Alright, Levys, I know we can do this together! » I cheered, raising my fist high in the air.

«Glad to see you're already completing your first challenge as a trainer. » Martin smiled and mentally, I corrected him. That was already the fifth one.

«You have seen nothing, Martin. » I bragged, too confident in the power of my bond with Levys.

«Okay, let's test it then. Linda, Comet punch. » He called, his pokémon flying straight toward my magikarp.

«Dodge it! » I said, hoping that at least this would not be wasted on him.

Under both Martin's and my eyes, Levys dived faster than we could blink and disappeared under water. Martin's ledian stopped in midair, trying to spot Levys under the surface. I grinned from ear to ear with that stunt he had pulled. Levys was not a pushover when it came to escaping… wait…

«Not bad, champ. I'd say Levys is naturally on the strong side of the balance when it comes to speed. » He declared with an appreciative smile. Put that way, it did not sound as bad.

«Levys! Attack Linda! » Perhaps if I did not say «Tackle», he would do something.

Linda was the first to spot him. Water splashed upward as Levys jump toward his opponent.

«Yes! » I first said.

Levys went straight for her… only to stop a few inches away from her face. He lost his momentum and start falling downward again. That was pretty much the way my lips moved too.

And Levys slapped Linda with his tail, hard.

My jaw dropped at that point. It was hard not to, when I went from excitement to disappointment every five seconds. Unfortunately, Linda was not knocked out, far from it.

«Wait! Linda, don't! » Martin screamed at her.

Too late, the ladybug pokémon punched Levys and a flash of light blinded me. I heard Levys fall loudly in the lake, unconscious. He had been taken out by a Thunderpunch.

«Linda, return. » Martin pointed his pokéball at her, looking sad.

I kneed on the borders of the lake, trying to reach Levys.

«Sorry. I wanted to make this a better fight. I did not want her to use that move. » He told me, uselessly because I had seen what happened. «I guess she was a bit angry at you for calling her weak. »

My magikarp was floating on his side and I was trying to reach him; that was all that mattered right now.

«Levys? » I called. Seeing my starter float helplessly on the side like that hurt a lot...

«Levys… » I repeated, even though I knew that it would be useless.

Or not. At the call, my magikarp blinked and swam toward me. Martin was the one whose jaw dropped this time. «But… wha...? » I heard him say.

Alright, I had the most awesome magikarp ever. He did not know Tackle, but so what? He could take a Thunderpunch and be fine not long after, plus he was kind of fast. He was going to turn out into a really great gyarados, I just knew it.

«Levys, you're the best! »

«Karp. » He replied.

«It's true, he did well for a first battle, even if he did not win. » Martin approved.

The realization hit me.

I had lost.

Seeing my pokémon faint and then wake up had distracted me from that fact; in the end, I had lost. I had lost my first battle. The world wasn't so bright anymore. I had been prepared mentally. I knew that logically, facing a more experienced opponent, with a pokémon I had just caught, my chances were slim. Still, there was this small part of me that hoped. I guess that was just like people in the pokémon casino. Even though the most probable ending was that they would lose most of their money, they still bet because there's this part of them that wants to win so badly.

I was moody when I returned Levys to his pokéball. Martin saw that.

Three guesses as to what he did next.

«Surprise headlock! » He screamed, grabbing my head and inflicting me a world of pain. «What's with that face, you little champ, huh? You lose once and it's the end of the world? Save that for when you are champion! » He jumped into the lake.

I repeat: he jumped into the lake. With me under his arm, if anyone had any doubt.


When we got back to town, we were soaked, I was tired and I felt like murdering Martin… or maiming him, if the former proved to be too much trouble.

«I hate you so much… » I grunted.

«Oh, come on, you can't stay mad for one little surprise bath. You didn't even have one today. » Martin grinned at me. He grinned at me! That was the last straw. Forget maiming, he was going straight to hell, where he belonged, along with that creepy bus driver.

«You're lucky I had left my bag against that tree! All my money was in there! » I said with a low threatening tone.

«And you're backpack WAS against that tree, so, where is the problem? » He was not really impressed; why would a young adult like Martin with a couple of pokémon be afraid of a kid with only a magikarp? Hum… he was underestimating me, which meant I had a shot at him. I tried not to laugh evilly, but it was hard.

«Oh, but there is no problem, none, at all. » I like to think of my voice then as a silky, smooth and dark melody. Unfortunately, it only made Martin laugh louder.

Dark voice of the evil overlord: not my thing apparently.

«Alright, darth, let's get Levys healed up. I think he got hit badly and you need to register him anyway. » He all but pushed me toward Elm's lab. Scratch that, he did push me, because I refused to go there after the stunt that had been pulled against me by one stupid letter.

Why, yes, I am bitter about it.

Tried as I may, Martin managed to get me to that place and forced me into the actual lab. At that point, it was too late to fight so I went with it, moodily.

«Oh, hello Martin, did you have something else for me? » The scientist started, before he saw me, looking angry. His expression immediately turned sad. «As drastic as it may seem to you, that order was for your security as a young trainer. Many have gone missing already; it is not safe right now. » Those were sounds arguments. I just didn't want to hear them.

«Look, I don't care. I caught my own pokémon and I just want you to heal it. Can you do that for me? » I said, rudely, if the frowns I got from Martin and Professor Elm were anything to go by. Why should I care though? I didn't want to be here; Martin had been warned. Elm had it coming.

«Yes, of course. That is something I am still allowed to do. » The message was clear; he did not choose that, he was just following a direct order from the training government. In my defense, I did blush and feel bad about it. I handed him Levys' pokéball with a pinch in my chest. I knew it was stupid, but I felt that by letting him go now, I was going to lose him. «What pokémon did you catch? » He asked us.

«A magikarp. » Martin answered for me.

By the look of surprise on his face, it really was as unusual as Martin had said. I'll hand it to Elm though. He was professional enough not to make any comment and went to his healing machine.

How in the world had someone managed to create a machine that healed any injury with a simple click of a button, in less than one minute?

Even when it did nothing against illness, it was one convenient invention.

When that was done, he took out a water tank and release Levys in it.

«Hum… » He examined my pokémon closely. «This magikarp is not a young one. » «Huh? » I could only say. «He is already four-years old, by a magikarp standards, this is old. Usually, they are killed by predators or they evolve before that. This one didn't… Impressive. » Phew, that just meant Levys was awesome. What else was new?

«Other than that… Hum… I see no signs of illness, the fins and barbels look healthy… » He took out a measurement tape and a small flashlight. Illuminating both my pokémon's mouth and his eyes, he took a few notes on a sheet of paper I couldn't see and went ahead to measure the length of my starter. «I was right. He is big enough to be at least five. At the very least, I can say your magikarp has potential. »

The scientist was escalading my respect ladder fast. Considering how long he had fallen, this was probably a good thing.

«Alright, I will register him and give you your license number. Unfortunately, I am also forbidden from handing out pokédexes anymore, since they were part of the contract that should have given you your starter. » Elm continued talking, to himself at this point. I had stopped listening.

Instead, I was focused on the package that Martin had delivered here. It had been opened already. Using to my advantage that Martin was more interested by that electronic process than I was, I crept closer to the box. «Curiosity killed the meowth», they say? I'm not a meowth and I don't own one, so this shouldn't be a problem, right?

I peeked in the box, subtle enough not to catch either of the older men's attention. The fact that Levys did should not have been a problem.

Emphasis on that «should».

«Karp! » my dear starter called, seeing me move around.

As a reflex, they turned around, with me still hovering over the box.

«Hey! » he exclaimed, startling me, causing the next event. That's right; it was Martin's fault, not mine.

I tripped over the box and it fell on the ground, spilling its content everywhere. That portion of the previously neat floor was now covered with a variety of colored, spherical stones, which I had no ideas what they were supposed to be. To complete my humiliation, because clearly that was not enough, Martin thought it would be smart to clap ironically.

It was not. For the record.

«Sorry. » I apologized begrudgingly. I was fine before he called me like that and made me stagger over it.

Surprisingly, Professor Elm did not scold me. He only sighed and started picking up the stones. One of them just shone when the light hit it and I was struck by the answer.

«Are those evolutionary stones? » I asked, excited. They were supposed to be rare and valuable. Allan had not seen one yet. Take that!

«They are. I lost the ones I already had in the woods some time ago and I haven't been able to find them ever since. They are important for my research, so I had ordered some new ones from Martin. » I would have said something, if not for the sudden noise Elm's computer did.

He turned around and looked at the screen, before giving me the card it had printed. On it was the picture I had sent with the rest of the subscription and an identification number.

«Technically, I should not print these anymore either, but they were not included in the new directives. I guess they assumed that without the traditional starters and the pokédex, no one would really care about this part of the procedure. » He explained to me, again, more to himself than to me. Just then, he returned Levys into his pokéball and handed him to me. «Well, you are now officially a pokémon trainer. Congratulation. » He smiled to me. Yeah, I was darn proud too.


«A what? » I asked, not sure if I had heard correctly.

«You will need a fish tank to carry with you. I know I told you water-types could live on dry land, but fish-like ones like Levys will only be able to hop hopelessly. You don't want that to happen to your starter every time you start a battle, right? » Martin explained.

That… I admit was not something I had considered when choosing Levys as my starter. My first battle had shielded me from the fact, but he could not fight outside of water. What was I supposed to do in forests or in caves? I knew the circuit went through some…

«I think it's possible to find one in here, but otherwise, you will have to find another way, at least for the time being. » He continued, ignoring the sinking feeling in my stomach that had returned.

Sixth challenge as a new trainer: not looking good so far.

Thankfully, it was way past four in the afternoon, so the scary hellish creatures that had drove us to New Bark Town was long gone. That way, I knew it couldn't get much worse…

In one of her letters, Anna had said something about «tempting fate». I learned to fear that dreaded power.

The good news was that there was a store that sold aquarium for fish pokémon like Levys that came with its own colored patterns. The bad news was that it was heavy and I had to build it myself. The worse news was that it was expensive. A third of the money I had received from my mom had been spent on the first day on my journey. I was not an expert in statistics, but this was bad.

Want to know how bad? Martin shot me a pained look.

That is all. Oh wait, I forgot the worst news. Since the bus driver was gone and that Martin was done with his business here, it meant that we would travel together until Violet City.

Yeah, I cried too when I heard that one.


«Well, I didn't think it was possible to mess up eating fast-food. » Martin declared, clearly impressed with my performance.

«Oh shut up… » I said, feeling weak in the knees.

«Seriously, ordering Fish and chips? » He pressed the issue further, having way too much fun to stop. Sometimes, I wonder if I was not wrong to say he did not enjoy watching me suffer.

«I did not know, okay? » I muttered under my breath.

«Where did you think they came from? It's not like it rains Fish and chips from the sky every week. » I had never paid attention to what I ate before. This came back to haunt me approximately five minutes ago, when Martin shot me a weird look after I ordered. I did not quite get it at first, until he told me exactly what kind of fish they used for those. Levys would kill me if he ever knew.

Long story short, I was invited by Martin for a snack, I messed up and now I'm kneeing in front of a toilet bowl.

Oh Arceus, I think it will happen again.

Anna had once declared that I had a bad karma. She has to become a fortune teller. She would make millions…


After that little stunt I pulled, Martin declared that it would be best to stay in a hotel tonight. I would not argue against this one, especially since he had decided to pay for the room. In the back of my mind, I was taking notes of all the stuff he had given me so far: running shoes, a fishing rod, my starter, a meal and a hotel room. In one day.

I was soooo indebted to him. I wondered if he planned to make me feel that way, just so I can't say anything when he wants me to do something. That bastard. That generous bastard.

Our room was… let's say… smallish. There were too beds (thank Mew for that! ), but there was not much space for anything else, just one drawer in the corner of the room. While he chose to let himself fall on his bed, the most that was the most comfortable, he said, I went to the drawer. I had an aquarium and I wanted to use it correctly. Now was the time to make mistakes, though hopefully I would not make any. Martin soon came to admire the end result.

«Well, I didn't know you had hidden talents. » He said, eyes a little wide.

Yes, it was perfect. I mentally applauded myself. For all the things that happened today, I could at least say that I was good when it came to assembling aquariums. Filling it became more of a problem though. Martin was the one that got the solution, taking out a sloppy, flexible bag out of his backpack.

«What's that? »

«A water bag. It can only be used to carry liquid. You fill it with water and it takes the shape of a backpack. Useful, no? »

«First my shoes, then a fishing rod and pokéballs, then this? What do you not have in that backpack of yours? » I asked, incredulous.

«Not much. » And he shrugged… He shrugged! That was no explanation! I wanted a clear answer.«I suggest you go fill it, to find out how much water you actually need to fill that tank. » He said, effectively changing the subject.

As it turns out, full capacity was enough for one and a half aquarium. I gave up trying to calculate how much it meant for just one. Bad at math, remember?

I released Levys in it. He appeared quite happy with his new habitat, saying «karp» a couple of times with a tone that I could only qualify as satisfied. I hope that was not just wishful thinking; I had done enough of that already. I took out the plastic box labeled «Pokéfood; watery deliciousness» and examined the warnings.

«Hey, do you know if I can give those to Levys or are they toxic to him? » I asked out loud, not really caring if he was going to answer me or not.

«I dunno, read the label. They're the ones that can tell you. » Marting shrugged, having taken out a book and being in the middle of a passionate reading.

I blinked. It was the first time he had not known the answer to something about pokémon since I started talking to him. It felt… weird.

Unless he was just taking the easy way out to read in peace…

«Alright… they say that it is perfect for any pokémon in dire need of moist food. It's highly hydrating properties are the ideal choice for water-types of all kinds. I guess that includes you too Levys. » I finished reading and glanced at him.

«Karp. » He agreed.

«You know, we will have to work on communication here. Can't you say anything other than «Karp»? » I asked, half-way serious.

Levys eye's narrowed and he splashed me. Thank Mew I had not gotten another shirt for the night. At least, that was not one more piece of clothing to wash later. «I like that magikarp of yours, champ. » Martin said, from behind his book.

I growled in his direction while Levys made a sound that I associated with laugher.

Great, even my pokémon was laughing at me. I needed that champion title and fast! I was getting annoyed with all this mockery.

«Shut up, Martin. I bet Linda spent her time smacking you! »

«Nope, she was a little angel and a total sweet-heart. She was less trouble than you are. »

That was it, time for plan S! Sulking.

Begrudgingly, I opened the pack and dropped three sticky balls of pokémon food in Levys' aquarium, just like the box recommended for an unevolved pokémon or one smaller than a quagsire. I figured Levys was under that limit and if I was wrong, he'd ask for more. After all, he had survived four years all by himself, that couldn't have been dumb luck all the time.

Though if you counted for how long my luck had been bad…

Observing my first pokémon eat his first meal with me brightened my mood considerably. Every time I thought of Levys as my own pokémon, my eyes lightened up and I had this really powerful urge to hug him. «Karp. » He made that fish smile at me and I found myself laughing lightly. The world felt wonderful.


Levys ended up finished two of the three balls I had dropped in his aquarium, letting the third one float inconspicuously.

«You're not hungry? » I asked.

«Karp.» Levys replied, swinging his head slightly from left to right.

«Alright then. » I grabbed a small net and took out the leftovers.

«It is starting to get late, you should go to sleep. » Martin commented, his book closed, a chimecho-shaped bookmark barely sticking out of it.

«Late? But it's not even 8 o'clock! » I protested. There was no way I was going to bed so early if mom was not behind me to push me!

«You're a pokémon trainer, aren't you? This means that you go to sleep with the sun and wake up with the sun. Do you expect to see much at 9 o'clock in the middle of nowhere? Don't worry, you'll get used to it. »The delivery man smiled at me knowingly.

This was just like the time he jumped in the lake and dragged me into it. It was as if a wave of icy water had just splashed into my face and whipped my heart. I hated, no, loathed, waking up early.

This seventh challenge was going to prove more than what I could handle. Was an average of five out of seven enough for a future champion?

That night, I did fall asleep late, learning that Martin snores and that Levys sometimes swings his tail around in his sleep, causing splashes once in a while. I do not know if they dreamed of anything tonight. As for me, I could only see images of my countless victories, Levys crushing all the competition with his monstrous power. No one dared faced the fury of my gyarados. His body, as blue as the sea before the strongest storms, was a mass of muscle that could move faster than the swiftest water-types, his fangs were so sharp they could crush Steel-types with a single bite and his roars would sent all but Legendaries cowering in fear.

I dreamed of glory and power, as my magikarp slept peacefully in his fish tank.