Wade was lying in bed, it was midnight, and he's yet to fall asleep. Sleeping beside him, was Houndour, who was completely oblivious to how his trainer was still awake. After discovering that his Pokedex was connected to official league forums, he figured he should take the time to see what else the Pokedex could do. So far, he was very impressed with what he was seeing.

The Pokedex could access the internet, came with social media accounts, passwords for those social media accounts included, and could access forums. With this said, it could be used to browse the internet and found that watching videos on it was perfectly serviceable. It also acted as his way of paying, with the ability to have money wired directly onto it. Apparently it came with a starting bonus, likely to help out new trainers, of 1,000UPD. It also came with a Pokedollar conversion tool.

Needless to say, the Pokedex was essentially a smartphone tailored for trainers. It had all the essential services, could tell you what moves a pokemon knew, could be used to call for help. It could even be used to call and video chat, though an Xtranceiver or Holocaster do the job far better. Wade knew he was going to accidentally drop the thing in a lake.

Wade figured he should use the Move Knower, the tool used for telling you what moves your pokemon had, on Houndour. The two of them were bound to get into battles, with what was to come when Team Plasma started becoming an actual threat, he should know what moves his partner had at his disposal. Wade wanted to build a strong team, not for the Gym Challenge, but because of the protection it provided.

Also being able to pet a literal dragon sounded enticing. Heck, he was hoping that he could find specific pokemon. One of those being a Porygon 2. Wade knew his knowledge in competitive battling was very limited, but he knew that a Porygon 2 could very easily help stall. That would be useful if he needed to buy time for one reason or another. That was very helpful, given that his job was to watch over three children. He pushed the list of dream pokemon aside and scanned his sleeping Houndour.

The Pokedex popped up a menu and began to read out basic information about Houndour. What Houndour was strong in. Houndour was a quick special attacker, but was physically strong enough to get close and personal as a last resort. His ability, which was Early Bird. There was also a respectable amount of bulk to Houndour which meant Houndour could take a hit pretty well.

Houndour's moves consisted of Flamethrower, Howl, Ember, Leer, Bite, Crunch, and Fire Fang. These were just the moves that Wade was expecting the dog to know. Houndour also knew Body Slam and Double Edge, which covered his Normal Types moves. Pursuit and Foul Play covered Houndour's Dark Type moves. That was the Same Type Attack Boost for Fire and Dark settled… if that was how it worked.

Wade was highly impressed and proud. Houndour already had a pretty decent arsenal. Detect was also a move that the canine knew, which would be useful for scouting attacks. What made him grin was what Houndour could learn. From Sludge Bomb to Water Hidden Power, Houndour could learn quite a bit. Iron Tail was a possibility and so was Shadowball… Super Fang was going to be brutal if Houndour learned that.

Then it said Houndour's age. Apparently, Houndour was on the verge of being an adult for his species. It would only be a half a year before Houndour was fully mature… his Houndour was a pup. Not only was that awesome, how could he hate having a puppy? It also made him grin. This dog was almost as mature as some teenage people he knew, which was great. His Houndour was smart, yet still naive… meaning more confused head tilts, which was good.

Houndour lifted his head and sleepily opened his eyes. He tilted his head and nudged Wade a couple times. "Why are you still awake? Staying up this late isn't a good thing, or you'll be woozy all day. I don't want to lose you because you couldn't tell you were standing in the middle of an intersection," Houndour scolded. He stood up and laid on top of Wade's chest.

"Yeah, you're right bud, I should hit the hay. This Pokedex is awesome… now I know what moves you can use, and what moves you can learn," Wade said quietly. He knew it was midnight, meaning any reasonable person should be asleep by now… Wade wasn't a reasonable person and was very easily distracted. Especially when given a new toy to play with, in this case, a shiny new piece of technology. "Who would've known that a pup would be telling me to go back to sleep?" He yawned.

Houndour licked his human on the chin before laying his head on his paws. He waited, listening to Wade's heartbeat, waiting for it to slow down a bit. Once he was sure that Wade was fast asleep, Houndour inched closer and laid his head beside Wade's and fell asleep. Just a few weeks of relaxation, some time to spend with his new trainer… Houndour was happy with that.

Wade lifted his head when he felt somebody knock on his room's door. He stretched his arms forward and turned his face towards Houndour, who had jumped up, likely for the same reason that Wade had woken up. "What is it?" Wade asked as he sat up. The door opened and Professor Juniper walked into the bedroom.

"You're going to miss breakfast if you keep sleeping. Now c'mon, get dressed, and get ready for the day. White told me that she wants to spend the day with you, but didn't want to wake you up. Cheren and Bianca also want to come along for the day, so you'll be hanging out with them," Professor Juniper closed the door to give Wade some privacy, even if Wade was still dressed in the same T-shirt(even though it's been washed) and black pants.

Wade quickly brushed his teeth, brushed Houndour, who tried to eat the brush, and stepped out of his room. Professor Juniper was standing outside, arms crossed. Instead of a lab coat, Professor Juniper was dressed with a blue tank top and a black, knee-length skirt. Instead of the bun her hair was usually kept in, it was loose. It turned out that her hair was waist length… she was pretty.

Houndour let out a whistle and grinned. "Shut up, Houndour," Wade muttered under his breath. Houndour pretended to look offended, before raising a paw to snicker into it. He was going to endlessly tease Wade about his very apparent attraction to the Professor. Houndour approved too, Juniper was a pretty lady, and seemed like a decent person. Houndour yelped when Wade picked him up by the scruff.

On instinct, Houndour went limp, but began to throw a very verbal tantrum the entire time he was carried through the halls. "So, what were you talking to Houndour about?" Professor Juniper asked.

"Whaddya mean?" Wade asked.

"Houndour whistled when you both saw me. Then you whispered to Houndour about something, and now you're holding him by the scruff. So clearly punishing him for something you think he said," Juniper said. "I'm a scientist, Wade. I can be pretty observant. I can pick up on this stuff pretty quickly," she added. Wade shrugged.

"I knew Houndour was having… odd thoughts. Why does your mind go there anyways, bud? I know you're pretty much a year and a half old." Houndour's response was a whine and a series of sounds that made Wade think his pokemon was part husky.

"I think I know what he's thinking, Wade. In fact, he seems to actually know something, and I think I know what it is," Professor Juniper started to look a bit mischievous. They had stopped in the lab's lobby. The room wasn't anything special, it was just where you walked in and promptly pointed in the right direction. As such, there were just a few chairs and a desk with a computer on it.

"You think I'm pretty, don't you?" Professor Juniper asked. Wade's eyes widened and she giggled. "I figured as much. Houndour really did sell you out on that one!" Houndour side eyed his trainer as a smug grin came onto his muzzle. "So you've got a crush on me, right Wade?" She asked.

"Well… I can't really hide it can I? Thanks to a very awesome dog, it's pretty blatant. Feel free to turn me down… you're definitely way outta my league," Wade mentally prepared himself to be turned down. It's happened before many times with his crushes. He'd confess and they'd toss him aside… that was Wade's experience in High School.

"I never said I'd say 'no.' I'm mostly flattered. Many wouldn't see past the fact that I have quite a bit of influence. In fact, most of the guys who asked me out really only wanted to date me because they knew I have money, and because of my status. You pretty much had zero knowledge about the fact that I'm pretty wealthy, weren't you?" Juniper asked.

"No. It never crossed my mind. I… uh," he settled Houndour on the ground and scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry, this is the first time a girl wasn't repulsed when I opened my jaw," Wade nervously laughed. "Heck, I'm not used to people actually speaking to me like I'm a person," he slumped.

"Well, how about this? Tomorrow, we'll go dine somewhere. Just you and me. If you don't want to leave Houndour behind, he can come. I was thinking of taking us to a pokemon cafe, where pokemon lounge around the dining room, so Houndour could hang around the table if he wants. And yes, I am asking you out, Wade. So, how about it?"

Wade felt a small smile pulling at the edge of his mouth. "I'd be honored, really. That sounds pretty fun," Wade felt Houndour rub up against his leg. He thought Houndour was telling him to be more confident. "Guess I should be thanking ya, huh Houndour? Also, fuck you for making… My crush for Professor Juniper so hard to cover up. But thank you."

Professor Juniper giggled. "I would've found out eventually. Houndour, we have our work cut out with this one. We gotta instill some nice, old confidence in your trainer…" Juniper knelt down and petted Houndour, who actually seemed happy about it. The woman gave his trainer a chance, so he was willing to be friends with Juniper. After all, Houndour could guess that the two were going to be mates… more packmates for him to play with!

Professor Juniper and Wade decided it was best to put their plans for tomorrow away for now. The two walked into the dining room, Houndour opted to remain in Juniper's arms(it was really comfy in her arms). Cheren looked up from his plate and waved at the two. Bianca tried to say "Hey Wade! Hey Professor!" With her mouth full. White quickly swallowed her food and nearly choked.

"H-hey Professor. Good morning Wade!" White wheezed as she regained her breath. Her voice was a bit raspy from almost being choked by an orange slice. Wade chuckled before greeting the three of them.

"So Professor, how'd you get Houndour to let you hold him?" Cheren asked. "Well, I found out that a certain somebody had a crush on me. After me and that certain somebody decided to have dinner tomorrow, Houndour immediately warmed up to me," Juniper grinned at the pun she made while the children groaned.

"So, who is that certain somebody?" Bianca asked. Cheren and White, despite knowing the answer already, looked interested. The trio all kind of saw Juniper as an aunt, so they wanted to hear from her who she was going to be dating.

"Well, it was Wade. Poor guy thought I'd reject him immediately," she pecked Wade on the cheek and the young man immediately froze in place. "But I gave him a chance. I can tell he's not a bad guy, though I think he could do with having a bit more confidence…" Juniper waved a hand in front of the young man.

"Houndour, can you fix him for me?" The Professor asked. The canine was more than willing to oblige with Juniper's request. He nipped Wade's ankle and the young man jumped. "So, you three wanted to spend the day with Wade?" She asked. This was answered when the children nodded. "Well, eat up and give Wade some time to eat too. He did just wake up."

"Nah, you don't gotta worry about me being hungry. I'm used to skipping breakfast… with my old job, I had no time to sit down and eat breakfast. Heck, I'm used to only eating either lunch or dinner depending on the day… my body's used to one meal a day," Wade waved his hand dismissively. "I'll be fine without breakfast."

"Wade, eat breakfast. One meal a day isn't healthy for you," Professor Juniper put her hands on her hips. "Either you eat your breakfast, or I'm going to make you eat it. And trust me, you don't want me to start feeding you, or you will be babied," Juniper giggled when Wade immediately sat down and began to eat. At first he quickly scarfed down a piece of bacon before his eyes visibly widened. He began to actually take him time with eating.

"So, where are we heading after breakfast?" Wade asked. "Well, we all plan on heading down towards the market. Professor Juniper gave us each 3,000UPD, and told us to get ourselves something nice," Cheren said. "Plus I heard they sell pokemon, so it would be cool to see if they got any foreign pokemon. They usually do, and they're pretty cheap! I'd buy one if my parents hadn't told me I should wait until I get my starter."

"So, by foreign pokemon, what does that mean? I'm not from Unova, so I don't know what registers as foreign," Wade asked.

"Well, one time I saw a snow white Vulpix from Alola for 1,000UPD… apparently that's pretty common in Alola, hence why it was so cheap. It was so cute! If I could've, I would've bought it," Bianca squealed at the memory.

"Well, that sounds… interesting," his Pokedex rung. 'You've been wired 3,000UPD from Aurea Juniper.' The notification said.

"Make sure you actually buy something you'll want. Don't worry about paying me back," Professor Juniper said. She hid a pocket computer behind her back, and Wade could probably guess what shejust did.

"Alright, Aurea. I'll make sure to get you something nice too," Wade chuckled.

Professor Juniper's pocket computer beeped. "Huh. Apparently one of the trainers I sent out, who's named 'Failure' for some reason, is verbally abusing a Pansear," she swiped at the computer screen. "Let's call it Misery," a voice clip played. It sounded a lot like an Irish Youtuber Wade used to watch.

"Alright, let's go!" White hopped out of her seat. The three children had finished their food, so Wade quickly scarfed down the last of his eggs before standing up. "Hurry up, Wade," Cheren said. Before Wade could even respond, they were out the door. Meanwhile, it sounded like Juniper watching what this Failure was doing with mild concern.

"I'll go after those kids," Wade annlunced before running after them. Houndour waa running beside him, despite knowing he could easily run past his trainer. They were equals, so they were supposed to stand side by side according to Wade. The duo stopped when they entered the mobby where White, Bianca, and Cheren were waiting.

"Now that the old man's caught up, let's go!" White, her friends, and Wade and his Houndour all began to walk at a leisurely pace out the door.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'old man?'" Wade asked. White giggled as Wade began to mumble about being only 20 years-old.

Houndour made sure to nip White for that comment.

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A/N:

Alright so, I came up with an idea for a really dumb gag. It involves the 'Failure' character that was briefly mentioned. It's in reference to a playthrough of Pokemon Black during a nuzlocke by RTgame. I won't explain what the gag will be, but I hope it'll be kinda funny.

Also took a moment to go back and edit a few of the previous chapters. Nothing major, just fixing up some grammar(via reading each chapter a couple times and fixing whatever mistakes i catch). So in the future, if for some reason, you read this dumpster fire again, the there should(hopefully) no grammar issues.