"So did you pack everything up?"
"Almost, Dad." Sheets are stripped from Evan and George's temporary bed, and tossed into a rumpled mound at the side. A plug is unscrewed and a whooshing sound begins.
"What about the notebook on the table? I know that's yours." The father picks up the stack of bound papers by the spiral, lingering on the hand-drawn cover proudly encased in a plastic sleeve. The words "Magikarp Analysis for the Future No. 1" stand out in bold, with a simple sketch of a Pokéball beneath.
"I'm leaving that till last. I'll get to it after I pack everything else up." Evan waves his hand down at the slowly deflating mattress in front of him. "I'm half expecting to find underwear under this."
"Is there a reason you're leaving it for last?" George places the object of his interest back on the centralized furniture, and turns to watch his busied son.
"Before we leave I want to make sure I got all my notes written down right. While the trip's still fresh, ya know?" Evan reaches across the blow-up furniture, grabbing the edge and pulling. The side flips up, and the flexible PVC bends lengthwise. He shuffles on fours to the end away from the valved hole, and rolls the hotdog up, squeezing air out every few feet. Task done, the suspicious child casts about with searching eyes. Spying a nargled sock, he scoops down, tossing it in a nearby bag. Nah. Definitely trolls. It's the left one.
A few minutes later finds the house tidied, and the guests equipped to leave whenever the fancy hits.
"Okay, soooo. I have a ton of notes from yesterday, is there anything I missed?" the kid asks, holding out the spiraled book for inspection.
The host walks over to check, somewhat subdued and significantly quieter in the uneasy peace. The first night had been hard, but the rest of the weekend had lightened substantially as Evan came to terms with the conjured near-tragedy.
"You're missing the hour we saw the Grimer. Jewel couldn't be out, she was so sick. But I didn't notice any of the other Magikarp so much as phased. I'd bet good money Jewel isn't resistant to pollution in the way the new generations are."
"Trubbish! She's tough as nails! So what if she was a little green around the gills….eh? Eh?" George laughs, tickled at his own joke as his son rolls amused eyes and jots the missing information down.
"Anything else?" The pen is held poised.
"Jewel seemed to do fine in salt water as well as fresh." Evan tosses a look screaming 'duh' at the adult.
"I know you already know that, but I didn't see it written down. It is important in science to state the obvious. Many years from now, it might not be so apparent. For instance, do you know what Trainers used to have to use instead of a Pokéball?"
"Uh….a wizard staff?" the chagrined answer.
"Apricorns! Most older adults know that, because they used to have to wind them up every time they wanted to catch, release or return a Pokémon." The man strokes his face, fingers miming a non-existent beard in good humor. "My friend Kurt in Johto still makes them." Mind returning to the task at hand, the speaker changes subjects.
"Oh. And—" At this he pauses, the time stretching a bit, as the guru's anxiety rises and the smile fades. At an expectant look, the guilt-ridden party reluctantly continues, "Something else for your notes. Jewel, when she sprang to attack the Pidgeotto," the room tenses somewhat, purely in reflex, "well, she jumped way over the seven foot capacity of a modern Magikarp. And even more impressively, she used Aqua Jet. The water around her indicated it was no simple Tackle."
"Really?!" Excitement trumps misgivings. An exuberant scribble bounds across the fresh page. Below, a childish depiction of a water-fortified bullet takes form.
"She really is quite the wonder. I absolutely adore your little Jewel. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help with your studies in the future. This whole concept has enchanted my imagination." The host moves to the corner, near his own fold-away bed and an armoire. The tall cabinet doors part beneath a hand, revealing angling, trawling and Trainer paraphernalia aplenty where clothes should house. The vested individual's upper half is obscured as items clank and clatter.
"I actually have something I'd like to try, if you would be okay with it. And also, a gift. I feel awful with how this weekend started, but I had planned to send you off with this anyways." Bumping the incognito fishing-shrine closed with a hip, the man returns to the middle table, an object in each hand. One barely covers a palm, the other dwarfs him in height but jeers a mocking contrast to his hefty build. "This here is an Old Rod I don't use anymore." The skinny tool is pushed toward the youth, tilting in the reach. "It really is only good for catching Magikarp nowadays. But isn't that just perfect? I think, using this, you could pull up quite a few for study. Whether you keep 'em or toss 'em back is up to you."
"Thanks." Cheeks heating under the sincerity, Evan deflects, "What's the other thing you have? A CD?" The fishing pole is grabbed and angled around the boy's body to prop against the dining furniture. It turns, slipping a bit before the butt catches more firmly on the floor.
"This, my dear boy, is an HM. Oh-seven to be precise. It is a move I am fairly certain a Magikarp could learn were it capable of doing so by way of technical machine. I know Goldeen—" A hand is held at chest height, fingers springing up one at a time as he speaks, "Qwilfish, Carvanha, and Remoraid can learn it. And even more importantly Relicanth and Feebas can as well." The mention of the bass increases the number past the counting capabilities of a single hand, prompting a second to rise. The shiny disk stays clasped in the center of the new arrival as a sixth digit joins its brethren.
"Relicanth is practically a fossil in its own right, having not changed in the past 100 million years. And Feebas is probably the most closely related cousin to Magikarp, toting some of the greatest similarities in moveset, shape and even evolution parallels among all Pokémon."
"I also suspect it would be possible for Jewel to learn HM07 because of a tidbit I happened across a long time ago. A passing scientist once told me her kind used to swim upstream to breed, battling currents and scaling waterfalls." The room slips into a momentary silence after the rambling voice peters out. "So, would you humor me, young man? Would you let me see if your sweet carp can learn a move that modern Magikarp cannot?"
After a once-over to gauge the receptivity of the space, the benefactor holds the mechanical knowledge out in offering, the overhead light spawning a shimmer in the iridescent surface.
"What happens if it doesn't work?" and "Will it hurt her?" sound out simultaneously from both father and son. Wariness exudes from the vigilant blonde, while mild curiosity wafts from the elder.
Shuffling under the scrutiny, the host explains, "If it doesn't work, Jewel may experience mild side effects in mood or perhaps a slight headache. It differs between Pokémon. I imagine it is rather like someone who likes Jazz being forced to listen to Metal if they dislike the composition." At this, a helpless shrug.
"It is theorized to unlock genetic memories through auditory hypnosis. I listened to a Blizzard TM once that sounded just like my old computer trying to connect to the PokéWeb. That Silph dinosaur shared my telephone's landline connection and made the most dreadful noises." George glows at the nostalgic mention, and leaps to join a topic that is relevant to him.
"Oh man! Those were the days! I remember when your mother and I tried to play this new medieval-themed game that came out. It was a tactical puzzle one based in this place called Ransei. It ran on an ancient version of Ampharos Flash; and on a really bad day it would take ten minutes to submit a single turn."
George's mouth is covered by a hand, directing a stage-whisper out the side, "On those days we just didn't play. Nancy has never been a patient woman." The man's eyes glaze a bit, tangent memories bubbling to the surface. "You know something, Sport? She actually asked me out. She said, and I quote, 'I can't wait for you to piddle my life away, you unassertive noodle,' and then she kissed me. A bit too hard, actually. I never told her, but she made the inside of my lip bleed." A surprised belt of laughter from the biggest resident, quickly compounding with two additional guffaws.
Evan scratches down the quote in the margins of the notebook, more than willing to deface the reputation of his scientific work to preserve the memory.
"I guess it's okay. If it really is just a sound she listens to," the lad concedes, finally getting back on topic. He gestures to the disk the guru still holds upon receiving dual blank stares.
"...Oh! Excellent! Just know that without special help, she won't be able to forget this move. It will be too well ingrained in her instincts after." Bustling off to a drawer in the kitchen, the purveyor grabs out a circular machine, about an inch tall and four inches wide. Connected by a long auxiliary cord is a highly-adjustable set of headphones.
"That's fine. I'm just happy she knows any real moves at all. She knows Water Gun, Tackle, Aqua Jet, and I don't know what else. Probably Splash. It is hard to tell if she is just jumping to move, or actually using Splash," the boy admits sheepishly.
The discoid gadget and its human transit cross the room, the fisherman placing the CD player in front of the waiting audience.
"She is using Splash. Which I recommend getting rid of." Seeing a look of trepidation, the HM's owner quickly justifies, "Forgetting it in no way will impede her ability to move around. She will simply forget that flopping is an 'attack' at all, and continue doing it in her daily life." The child relaxes, melting a bit into the chair in relief.
"That's fine, then." Evan watches as the older male pulls a separate device from a vest pocket. Plugging a cord leading from the PokéGear to an inbound connection port on the player, the guru loads up an app and types "splash" into an inquiring text box. Particular frequency set, the cable is removed.
"So, would you do the honors?"
"Oh, right." Evan reaches at his belt, releasing the whiskered wonder onto the table. "Hey Jewel, I want to try something. It shouldn't hurt you at all, and might teach you something. Will you trust me?" The boy gently clasps the headphones, pulling them in the direction of the curious fish, but stops shy of her head. The auxiliary tether straightens from its snarled bundle at the movement.
Indistinct noises come at the carp from her precious child. The sound he calls her and 'try' stand out. Then, a memory surfaces as the final syllables tumble together.
"Will you trust me?" The sounds mean nothing, but the hopeful tone and outstretched not-fin resonate in this sudden, terrifying world of sharp edges and fake-sun. The horror lifts slightly as the five-ended tentacle(?) strokes gently on her smell-spot.
Sensitive barbells twitch, sensing the identical caring aura as from the before-now. The uptilt at the end she now recognizes as a question, despite not knowing of what. But how could it be bad, with this warmth and tender way?
The fire-opal sweetheart nuzzles the foam cover of the headset, before looking pointedly at her Trainer. A beaming smile shines back before the band is slipped over a skinny head and fitted. The Pokémon seems a little startled, but quickly settles as nothing further happens.
The host gestures to a button, which Evan quickly presses, the top half of the player popping up. Centering the disk over the middle, the boy clicks the HM down into place and closes the lid. Flicking the 'on' switch, the screen lights. A sideways triangle is pressed, and a set of tones plays for only Jewel to hear.
The notes, while reminiscent of a Water-Beetle scritch-scratching across a rock, also hold a dual essence of a Leatherback-Elder singing the tides. Changing, the sound morphs from the push of the deep into the light gurgle of shallows over the earth. Then, a roaring crash of pure force, droning in the above-blue. One that must be conquered. Overcome. Mastered. The silence is deafening, but the feeling remains.
Chapter Notes:
-"Magikarp Analysis for the Future No. 1" is a reference to My Hero Academia. Midoriya's notebooks detailing heroes and their quirks is titled "Hero Analysis for the Future No. _". Izuku has like 13 volumes though.
-Nargles are Luna Lovegood's made up magical creature. It causes mischief including but not limited to stealing socks and no one sees it.
-The sock is identified as the left one, making a troll from How To Train Your Dragon more likely, as Gobber makes a point of saying "Trolls are real! They steal yer socks!...but only the left ones. What's up with tha'?"
-Current day Magikarp are exceptionally evolved for surviving in pollution, so says the Pokédex. Probably because of their large breeding rate. I have decided, Jewel, having been maaaaany generations back, from a time of no pollution, would not share this benefit.
-Trubbish is a trash Pokémon. It is literally a bag of garbage.
-Green around the gills is an idiom that means feeling sick/seasickness.
-The wizard staff comment is a nod to Lucario being sealed in Aaron's staff, in the movie Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.
-Apricorns had to be wound up in the movie with Celebi. Honestly, a lot of this lore for me is half forgotten memories I googled.
-Kurt really is the guy in Johto that will turn your apricorns into Pokéballs.
-Aqua Jet is the move Buizel is always using.
-Whaaaat, the Fishing Guru in Vermillion is giving out an Old Rod? Unheard of.
-A Hidden Machine (HM) is a technical machine that can't be forgotten without the aid of the Move Deleter, and is often used to help you unlock new areas on the map, by doing things like breaking rocks, cutting trees, or ferrying across water.
-HM07 is Waterfall.
-I kind of had to make up how a TM is administered. But it is a CD. I would imagine it to be musical in nature. Not like you can just plug it into the Pokémon. In the games it was just like the freaking "Head On" ointment commercials.
-Yes, the old computer connecting the internet made Dial-Up sounds. XD
-Flash is a move Ampharos learns. So it makes sense Adobe Flash would be Ampharos Flash.
-The tactical game mentioned is an ode to Pokémon Conquest.
-The device is just a normal CD player. But he can imput what move is to be forgotten beforehand by connecting his PokéGear. The move to be forgotten that is chosen just alters the opening sounds a bit.
-Jewel's memory is of having just awoken from being revived.
-The water-beetle is Kabuto. The Leatherback-Elder is Carracosta
-The sounds are supposed to mimic the ancestral memory of traveling upstream to scale waterfalls during mating season