"Yes, a female larvitar." Professor Oak said. "Slightly on the small size but with magnificent potential. Male and female tyranitars differ quite a bit. Males, for all their ability to obliterate a mountain in their battles to mate have a lot less defence compared to the females of the species. It is because they can not mate often males fight with all they have, and the females have to survive a mountain collapsing on them if need be." Stlix nodded transfixed by the little green creature that leaned into his hand, his left hand came up and stroked the spike on the top of her head.
"Now." Oak interrupted. "Part of the reason I heard you wanted to start in Kanto was you found out about my prototype be given out this year." He looked at Stlix who nodded. "And the league bureaucrats want someone not as bias as a family member to keep an eye on you with your powerful Pokémon." Stlix frowned at that he had heard Steven talk to people wanting to take Buddy and Floaty away from him enough people had managed to wrest a concession that as soon as he went on a journey, he would have a bit more oversight. "And here, your uncle said you wouldn't want a bright red one as it wouldn't suit you."
Upon saying that he brought out a slate grey device with a reinforced case and heavy rubber corners, poking out the case was a wide camera lens and a few other sensors He handed it to Stlix who stopped stoking Larvitar's spike to clip it to his belt. He smiled and pulled a small chip of stone to feed her, out of his pocket. She gobbled it down lapped at his hand with a raspy tongue. He stood up and recalled her, clipping her own ball next to Floaty's.
"Thank you, Professor, learning about Pokémon is a something I love to do. Not quite as sciency as you do but just working with them is brilliant." Oak smiled and started talking.
"Whilst I know your family is looking after any Pokémon not currently with you, if you can let me see them for a day or two occasionally, I would be thankful, I don't often get to work with steel types as powerful as your steelix or metagross." Stlix smiled and agreed before saying his goodbyes before leaving the research facility. However, before he could leave the front doors, he saw Gary Oak laughing at a spiky, black haired kid who was still rubbing sleep from his eyes, the black-haired boy pushed into the building with a muttered hello. Stlix raised his eyebrows at Gary.
"My rival." Gary explained. "He woke up late and is worried." Gary laughed. "Anyway, I was curious what the lost member of the Stone family got as a starter. Gramps wouldn't let me see, no matter how much I asked." He finished with an annoyed expression. Stlix's lips quirked at the irritated boy before he raised his newest pokeball and released the larvitar. Once the Pokémon could be seen, Stlix laughed at Gary's gobsmacked expression.
"A larvitar, how do you qualify for a larvitar as a starter?" He questioned. "No wait, don't tell me, its either classified." He rolled his eyes. "Or it has something to do with the other pokeballs on your belt." Stlix's belt had been a custom gift from Joseph Stone, made of the tough skin of krookodile and stitched with thread from a leavanny. A small pouch at the back held six shrunken heavy balls for easy reach to catch a Pokémon quickly
"You will have to work it out yourself." Stlix responded with a smirk and lifted the larvitar with a small grunt escaping his mouth as he put one hand underneath the feet of the Pokémon, who immediately cuddled into him. "But now I have a journey to get to so I will see you on the road, or I will if you have any ability to battle anyway." Gary smirked at him before waving.
"Off you go I gotta wait for Mr Early and so, when we meet again, I will challenge you to a battle. I recommend tissues to mop up tears." A savage smile pulled at Stlix's features before he moved off, both hands holding onto the larvitar.
"You need a name." He said the larvitar, who now rested on his back, feet in the robust backpack strapped to his shoulders. He had walked for about an hour along the route to the Viridian City. Not a single wild Pokémon had attacked him, wary of the larvitar resting on him, and he enjoyed being out in the wilder parts of the world. "I have a better idea on names now, while neither Buddy or Floaty complain, it does irritate them for other people to laugh at their names so I am thinking Beda, what do you think?" The newly named Beda let out a chirp and tumbled forward of his shoulder into his arms. "I can take that as ok then." He laughed.
He moved further along the route but as they day passed the sky darkened and Stlix moved of route a bit to set up a camp. He found a small clearing where a small brook trickled within the forest that bordered the road. He set the snoozing rock type down and pulled the other two pokeballs of his belt. He released both Buddy and Floaty before the curious eyes of Beda and smiled at the two Pokémon. The metagross floated next to him and the enormous steelix's head poked out of the woods, his entire body far too large too fit in the clearing.
"Hey, you two meet Beda." He gestured towards the larvitar, Floaty patted her head gently with one massive forelimb and Buddy puffed gently at her, prompting the small rock type to crash her head into the bottom of his jaw. "Buddy can you make me some shelter and Floaty can you find some firewood it be great." The steelix closed his eyes and concentrated as the earth shifted to his wishes. A small rock cave rose from the floor, deep enough for him to rest comfortably. As that happened several dry branches flew from the trees with a small purple outline, the branches stacked themselves neatly and a ring of stone formed on the ground. A few branches stacked themselves there, atop a pile of dried leaves." Stlix thanked them both and retrieved a lighter from his back to ignite the fire. He ate some trail rations and gave Beda a mix of mineral enriched stone and small chunks of meat. Neither Buddy nor Floaty had to eat often, only needing a large meal once every two weeks.
Stlix felt very happy that night, curled up in his sleeping bag, Beda rested next to him and he could see both Buddy and Floaty from at the entrance. He fell asleep watching the embers die down in the fire. The next day nothing really happened the next day only a small training session to see what Beda was capable of during lunch. The pokedex told him she was healthy and had no status afflictions. Her ability was Guts which helped her hit harder when a negative status affliction was present. She also knew the moves bite, crunch and surprisingly metal claw. When she fought the local rattata, pidgey, spearow and multitude of bug Pokémon they were unable to make a scratch on her armour. It took a pidgeotto using air cutter to cut the tough armour she grew. She was unable to hurt the bird and when it attacked with malicious intent, he released Floaty who frightened the bird so much it flew off without looking, tearing a few feathers on tree branches as it went.
On the third day he heard an explosion behind him and turned to see the boy who arrived late. He clasped a pikachu tight to his body and was running as fast as he could from a flock of spearow who were led by a fearow.
"Quickly run." The boy yelled.
"Keep running, the Pokémon centre is about half an hour away if you are fast enough and here." He tossed the boy a sprayable potion to help the injured Pokémon. The boy kept running with a barely understandable thanks. As the flock of birds focused on him, he pulled Floaty's pokeball out an released the large steel type. The fearow shrieked and launched forward with the move drill run. The numerous spearow letting out pecks and sand attacks. The massive metagross hummed and stopped the fearow in its tracks with a metal claw whilst simultaneously holding the fifty-bird strong flock of spearow in place with psychic. Fearow was knocked unconscious by the powerful metal claw and then metagross focused on the spearows, slamming them gently on the floor to knock them unconscious.
"Thank you Floaty" Stlix said. "And now I should call the rangers and professor Oak. I am pretty sure these spearow have caused trouble here for a while." He then called the ranger union to let them know what happened. They asked he stay there until the nearest ranger could reach him. He also let the professor now about the boy and the pikachu.
"That was Ash." He spoke. "I didn't have enough starters and the pikachu he received was not nearly as trained as the three. It is however an electric type which has a larger capacity for destruction than even fire types have. Thank you Stlix, I will talk to Ash once he gets pikachu seen too."
Not twenty minutes after that a large pidgeot drifted down with a ranger upon its back. The lady hopped off and looked at the fearow and spearow.
"How does a newbie trainer get a metagross?" The question came. Stlix sighed and prevented his ID. The ranger's eyebrows climbed until she nodded. "Thank you, these Pokémon have been destructive and elusive." She snorted. "I am sure they were surprised to meet a pseudo-legendary on a beginners track. Thank you, Mr Stone, do you wish to capture any?" At the shake of his head, she continued. "Then I will ball these and disperse the spearows in the surrounding forest. The fearow will be moved to a reserve with Pokémon of similar strength."
Shortly after the ranger left on the pidgeot all the unconscious birds gone and was about to continue until a red-haired girl ran towards him clutching a piece of crumpled metal vaguely resembling a bicycle.
"Have you seen a kid with a pikachu?" She asked quickly. He was currently alone on the path, both Beda and Floaty back on his belt. At his nod she spoke again. "Where did he go?"
"Towards Viridian, the pikachu was badly injured."
"I know." She ground out. "I met him after he hit a spearow flock with stone. Wait if you're here did the flock leave you alone?" When he shook his head, she looked at him confused.
"My Pokémon defeated the flock and a ranger retrieved them." He chuckled at her confused expression. "I have had a few of my Pokémon a lot longer. I am going to Viridian now if you wish to accompany me." At her nod he started walking. His offer to carry the metal refused and they started walking in silence.
Reaching Viridian city and going through the gates they quickly moved to the Pokémon centre. The girl, Misty, saw the boy and ran at him shouting whilst he moved to the Nurse Joy at the front desk.
"My Pokémon needs a check up please?" He asked politely. "And a report about her health needs to be sent to Professor Oak." The nurse nodded and took Beda's pokeball. He went and sat in the waiting area, noticing that Misty had stopped shouting at Ash. He sat and rested for a while until a explosion woke him from his rest.
A team of six figures walked through the destroyed front doors of the centre. All of them had a dark orange 'R' on their chests. Team Rocket.
