Archie - Pokémon: 1 Deaths: 0
Blue - Pokémon: 4 Deaths: 0
{Monua 17th, 9:36AM}
{Lake Verity}
"Looks like he just rammed into a Pokémon," Pete reported, watching the figures in the lake. "An accident, judging from his face. He picked it out of the water and put it on his lap just now..."
Blue couldn't see everything in as much detail as Pete despite the morning light, but he could see the big, dark shape of what was likely Archie's Sharpedo swiftly making its way through the lake water and heading for the small island in the middle. Hiding in a cave in the center of a lake almost sounded like a good idea, but unfortunately for the Aqua Leader, Blue and Pete had already had their eyes on him since Canalave. By the time the blue coat had vanished through the cave entrance, Pete was already in the process of descending, and finally landed on the small patch of land just outside. Blue hopped off, thanked the Pidgeot, and made his way in.
"I know you're in here, Archie Irving," Blue declared, letting his voice echo against the damp, rocky walls. The ground was muddy, with puddles all over the place, and a single set of fresh footsteps that Blue followed. The cave wasn't very big, nor exactly filled with neat hiding spots, so it didn't take long for Blue to see the Aqua Leader crouched in the water and mud and trying to tend to a small, blue and white Pokémon with stubby wings and webbed feet.
"Didn't think you'd find me this fast," Archie growled, only offering Blue a quick glance before bringing his attention back to the little water-type. Archie had completely dropped the Juan act, but Blue was surprised to note that he could still faintly hear a Kanto accent in there. "You wanna go already?"
"I'll kick your ass either way, but for now I think I've just got a few questions," Blue said, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Like asking why you were on that ship."
"Isn't it obvious? I was trying to get the fuck out of Hoenn!"
"Yeah, but didn't you already do that a week ago?" Archie looked up and stared at him. "Also, I can still hear the Kanto accent, and you were obviously pushing for one as Juan. Sorry, you can't fool an actual Kanto person with that," Blue added when Archie narrowed his eyes, "but when your Juan act wasn't Kanto enough, your current accent doesn't sound Hoenn enough, and I don't know what to make of that."
"My family bailed out during the war. Was six when we did, so I don't remember a whole lot about it aside from a shitton of rubble and dead people," Archie replied stiffly. The Aqua Leader then proceeded to make a face and picked up the little Pokémon, cradling it in his arms. "This guy's gonna need a Pokémon Center. I don't have any of my stuff with me, so I can't actually do anything for him myself." Archie pulled out a Pokéball from his coat pocket and growled. "Step aside, or I'll make you!"
Blue unclipped Sam's Pokéball from his belt, ready to throw. Instead, Archie suddenly bristled. Blue frowned, pressing his lips. He could feel it too.
They were being watched.
"...Put that away," Blue ordered eventually, feeling a little more hesitant about battling in this place. "If you think the little guy's hurt enough that he needs a Pokémon Center, I'll let you take him there and pretend we're good buddies. If you don't show any resistance, then maybe I'll have an offer that you might like."
Archie narrowed his eyes. "I don't trust you to not just hand me over."
"Well, I don't trust the police enough to hand you over, so if you at least pretend to be a decent person maybe we can arrange something."
"You think the police in Sinnoh are corrupt, then?"
Blue didn't answer, simply continuing to watch the Aqua Leader. He wasn't exactly convinced that they were necessarily corrupt- not without talking to a few himself before he just took the ranger on the cruiser for her word- but there was definitely something goldeeny going on with how they handled Galactic-related cases. He couldn't just go and decide that they'd been bribed, or that maybe Galactic were abusing their connections on the inside of the force, or that Galactic were possibly underhanded enough to take some of their families hostage and pressuring the police into letting the company run loose. He didn't know, and he didn't want to risk handing over the Aqua Leader to a police force that could very well just pass him along to Galactic. They had taken a very big interest in myths and legends recently- enough to kill a researcher in Johto for it- and the only thing Blue was certain of right now was that risking Kyogre's avatar falling in their hands was A Very Bad Plan.
"Okay, look, here's the deal," Blue started bluntly. Archie pressed his lips and held the small, blue Pokémon closer to him, but he was listening. "That guy that tried to blow up the cruiser? Part of a company called Galactic Energy. When I said that you weren't my main priority, I was talking about them. To make things simple: you will stick with me, be sure to behave, and help me rip their whole group to shreds. In exchange, I'll help cover your identity while we're together."
"What happens after that?" Archie asked warily. Blue shrugged.
"I'm not gonna make promises I don't know I can keep. If I think you're shite, I'll hand you over. If you seem like a decent person and you get caught anyway, I'll probably at least try to testify positively, even if it won't change anything. If Saylee gets her hands on you, I'll just watch her kick your ass and stand back so she can't reach mine."
"Why would she want to kick yours?" Archie asked, confused.
"She's got plenty of reasons, and if she thinks she doesn't have enough she can always invent more. And if she decides to spare me when we see each other again, it'll only be a matter of time before it happens anyway."
"You guys sound like you don't exactly like each other."
"Nah, it's just our way of getting along."
Archie looked down at the water-type in his arms. He was thinking.
"...What happens if I say no?" Archie asked eventually. "You said you didn't plan to hand me over because you don't trust the police."
"Yeah, in Sinnoh," Blue snorted. "Pretty sure all of Hoenn is frantically running around looking for you, though. I'm friends with at least two gym leaders here, so I'm not afraid of passing you along to them and having them escort you." Actually he didn't quite trust the police in Hoenn either, but he was going to conveniently leave out where he'd have had Archie escorted to and let the Aqua Leader draw his own conclusions.
"I still don't trust you," Archie growled, before glancing down at the Pokémon in his arms again. "...But I'm gonna agree to your terms because I can't be arsed to argue with you much longer. At least fighting terrorist organisations sounds productive."
"Guess that's settled, then." Blue couldn't really say that he was happy about it, but he still felt somewhat relieved that he'd be able to keep a close eye on the Aqua Leader. "Alright, first stop is Pokémon Center."
{Monua 17th, 1:29PM}
{Sandgem}
{Pokémon Center}
"You have our deepest gratitude," the little Pokémon started politely, waddling across the counter and facing the Aqua Leader. "Thank you for bringing us here."
"It's my fault you were hurt in the first place, and I'm sorry that it happened at all," Archie apologized with a nervous bow. "Please don't thank me, Your Highness."
"Highness?" Blue repeated in confusion.
The Pokémon gave the jewel around its neck a self-conscious pat. "There are not many humans who recognise our emblems," the small water-type said, leaning forward with genuine interest. "Have you met others of our family in the past?"
"No, this is the first time I've met one of your species, even more so one of the royal line," Archie confessed. "I like to think there isn't a single water-type in the Fairlands that I don't know about, though."
"Fascinating. I wonder how much you do know..."
"Well, we can test that by making him explain this stuff to me because I'm kinda lost," Blue said, crossing his arms.
"Nobility among Pokémon is a bit more of a thing here in Sinnoh," Archie started. "This is a Piplup, from the royal family. Piplup can generally evolve into Prinplup, and after that into Empoleon. The current Water Lord is his father, Edric. Those of the royal family are all made to carry a special brooch, so that their status is immediately recognised by other Pokémon." Archie gestured to the dark, blue stone the Piplup was wearing, firmly settled in the middle of a thick, golden necklace with intricate markings and that went all around the Pokémon's neck. "They used to live up near Snowpoint, around Lake Acuity, but that was hundreds of years ago, and nowadays they generally live in the swamp area around Pastoria... Speaking of which, what is a Piplup of the royal family doing all the way out here?" Archie asked, turning to the water-type. "Pastoria is on the other side of the mountain, and the ocean route from Pastoria to here is kinda..."
"We have left our home for training," the Piplup said sweetly. "As it happens, we were in search of a competent human to aid us in our goal."
"Well, this guy's a gym leader, and I'd like to hope that with a rank like that he's smarter than he looks at least," Archie offered, jerking a thumb over at Blue and visibly ignoring the glare.
"We are not familiar with the societal structures of humankind, as it was never of much concern to us," the Piplup brushed of. "If you do not mind, we would have preferred to demand your advising."
Archie stared.
"I'm not convinced you wanna team up with the guy that almost killed you," the Aqua Leader said finally.
"Or that almost destroyed the planet," Blue quipped.
"Please don't ask about that," Archie sighed when the Piplup gave him a questioning look. "Your Highness, I'm not- I mean, I'd be honored to train with you, I really would, but I don't think I'm the right guy."
"You have stated yourself that you have advanced knowledge of all water Pokémon of the Fairlands," the Piplup huffed. "Your presentation of our species was brief but accurate. We would be curious to see how much else you know of us, and we would accept no less than an expert such as yourself as our advisor. Our goal is to become stronger, and if you have experience with water Pokémon, then we have no doubt that you would have suitable advice to give in our training in order to make swift progress."
Archie ran his hand through his hair, brushing through the white strands before scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, even if I agreed, I don't have any empty Pokéballs on hand to carry you with me... We'd have to go to a shop first or something."
"Then it is settled!" the Piplup decided, sticking its chest out proudly. "We shall travel to a shop and obtain a Pokéball as our binding contract! Do you intend to travel far?"
"Well, yeah, but-"
"Marvelous! In case, let us go forth to the shop! And on the way, you shall provide me with your names and your travel plans. We are Prince, youngest son of Water Lord Edric, betrothed to Princess Caelin of Mt Coronet. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"So that makes you Prince Prince?" Blue asked, trying not to let his amused grin grow too wide.
"As 'Prince' is both our name and our title, only stating it once will suffice. Of course, 'Your Highness' is a perfectly acceptable appellation, as well." Without warning, the Piplup hopped off the counter and right at Archie's chest, the latter visibly panicking for a second and reaching forward to catch the water-type. "Solid arms and fantastic reflexes! We can confirm that we are extremely content with our choice."
The nervous look that Archie gave in Blue's direction led the gym leader to believe that Archie was a little less excited about the new and unexpected partnership.
{Monua 17th, 1:53PM}
{Sandgem}
Once they'd left Sandgem's Pokémon Center and distanced themselves a little from potentially prying ears, Archie had explained to Prince as clearly as possible what his situation was and why he'd been so reluctant about accepting the Piplup's request. He may have very well been an expert with water-type Pokémon, but he was also a criminal on the run and literally only still walking around because Blue hadn't decided to toss him into a jail cell yet. The two humans were now 'collaborating' (it was the best term they could think of to describe what they were doing) on taking down a group of not-quite-confirmed terrorists. For the sake of both Archie and Prince, Blue had given them a rundown on everything he already knew about Galactic and the things they'd done outside of Sinnoh, as well as a summary of the investigations- or lack thereof- that came with each incident. Blue privately noted how sick and pale Archie looked after being told about the very graphic murder of Professor Hawkshaw and how they were responsible for several deaths in Lavender- including four of Saylee's Pokémon. He also privately noted how surprisingly well Archie seemed to remember said Pokémon.
"Her Azumarill and Linoone've been around since pretty much the beginning, I think," Archie recalled quietly. "First time I saw the Azumarill was in Meteor Falls, and her Linoone up on Mt Chimney, when we were battling it out with Magma. Don't know a whole lot about Linoone, but I know a well-trained Azumarill when I see one and hers was pretty damn powerful for its age and size. Pretty sure I saw them again on Mt Pyre next, along with that Sandslash...and then all three again back in that cave, right before Kyogre awakened. Saw the Bellossom, too. It was small and quick and Shanks couldn't shake it off his head while it was using Giga Drain on him." Archie's lips twitched up into a smirk for a second. "Frankly, hadn't I known better, I'd have thought Key and Saylee were sisters. I don't think I've ever seen them apart since the whole thing started, and the one time I did Key was a mess... I mean, half of their teams were pairs of some kind. Pair of Mightyena, pair of Linoone, pair of Azumarill, pair of evolved Wurmple...not that I ever got the chance to meet Saylee's Dustox."
"Maybe if one of your goons hadn't killed it," Blue said.
Archie had nothing to say to that.
"So there you have it," the Aqua Leader said eventually, looking down at the Piplup in his arms. "I don't think you should ruin your reputation by running across the region with a criminal and his detention guard."
"We are fully capable of deciding for ourselves," Prince huffed. "And as such, our decision is that we shall judge for ourselves of your reliability over the course of our travels. So far, you have been nothing less than honest and transparent both in your past and future actions, you have shown no ill-will and only desires of making reparations, and you have laid out your plans of bringing justice to a group of fiends who, unlike you, seemingly have no qualms when it comes to taking lives. As of now, we fully intend to retain you as our advisor." Prince looked up. "You help us become stronger, and we will help you in your quest of terminating Galactic. How many Pokémon do you have with you?"
"I, uh, only got Shanks with me," Archie admitted. So he's only got his Sharpedo on him? Blue thought, a little surprised. "I didn't have the time to get any of the others onto the ship."
"Brilliant! As we go forward, we shall recruit others and form an appropriate retinue. What sort of Pokémon is this companion of yours? Introductions are necessary! Please release your partner so we can greet him."
"Maybe when it's dark and we find a big body of water somewhere," Archie said hesitantly. "Although I'm not sure you'll like him as much as I do..."
"We are certain that your companion is a trustworthy one. Everything will be fine," Prince said lightly, smirking and crossing his wings and he settled a little more comfortably in Archie's arms.
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Did you know Corphish are technically Kalos-native Pokémon? If you look at the Pokédex entries, it says even as far back as Ruby that they're foreign Pokémon that were originally imported as pets, and then says so again in Omega Ruby while XY don't show any such thing. Eevee is likely Kalos-native as well since it's the first region where you can find it in the actual wild instead of having it gifted to you by Bill or Bebe or finding them in the Trophy Garden or some hidden park in Castelia where Eevee are imported to. Houndour are potentially Kanto-native, because despite being introduced in Gold/Silver/Crystal you can't actually catch a Houndour in Johto, only in Kanto on Route 7.
There's a whole bunch of other Pokémon that are probably not native to the gen region they were introduced in, but those are the only three I could remember off the top of my head. Maybe one day I'll look through the full Pokédex and compile a list of Pokémon who were born in a region that isn't the one from the gen they were introduced in, I think it's interesting.
ARCHIE
Shanks the Sharpedo, Prince the Piplup
Name: Prince. Species: Piplup. Nature: Gentle. Ability: Torrent. Location: Sandgem Town. Level: 5
BLUE
Sam the Blastoise, Pete the Pidgeot, Adam the Alakazam, Gary the Arcanine