DISCLAIMER: All rights to Pokémon Special/Adventures belong to Hidenori Kusaka, Shōgakukan, The Pokémon Company and all those who've worked hard to bring us this awesome manga. When the hell is the next volume coming out?
RATING: T for language, mild crude humor and SHIPPING!
CHARACTER AGES: Red (29), Green (29), Blue (30), Yellow (27), Gold (26), Silver (26), Crystal (26), Ruby (25), Sapphire (24), Emerald (24), Diamond (22), Pearl (22), Platinum (22), Black (21), White (21).
TIME FRAME: January 8th, 10 years later.
A/N: The first chapter was a real pleasure to write, but with college scholarships, final exams, and basically having a teenage life, I don't have as much time to work on this as I'd like. Don't get me wrong; I'm definitely NOT going to give up on this story. I'm too big of a Pokémon fan to do that. Be sure to lend support by leaving reviews, telling your friends, and being the best PokéSpe fan you can be!
Chapter 2 - GOLD
(Pokémon Day Care, Route 34, Johto Region)
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"Gold! Get the door will you? I'm on the phone!"
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"Gold! The door!"
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"GOLD!"
"You rang?"
The answerer came rushing inside as fast as his skateboard would take him. The Day-Care Man took one look at the him and frowned. His assistant was covered head to toe in dirt, his clothes were tattered, and his hair was completely disheveled. The man looked as though he had just fought off an Ursaring, and that's probably what he would tell everybody. Despite his train wreak appearance, the man was grinning ear to ear, as if nothing had happened.
"Get the door, you nut!"
"Sure thing, old man." The Johto Man left the living room and made his way to the front entrance of the Day Care Center. He turned the knob and opened the door to find a pleasant sight standing before him. A young man no older than himself, along with a Raticate, was at the front door carrying a large knapsack. Gold instantly recognized him by the man's rather distasteful pair of shorts.
"Joey!" Gold exclaimed, wrapping his arm around man's neck. "What's up, bro?" Joey winced when the dirt on Gold's arm caused him to sneeze his way out the embrace. He dusted off his shorts and gave a forced smile at his so-called "friend".
"Hey, Gold" Joey greeted halfheartedly. "Do you know if the the Day-Care Lady is here right now?"
"She went out for her afternoon jog." he replied, not really listening to him. He was far more interested in the contents of Joey's bag. "Did my order come in yet?"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Joey said, rolling his eyes. He reached in his back and pulled out an envelope, as well as the latest issue of Oak Monthly: The Hottest News in Pokémon Physiology. "You seriously bought this magazine just for a one inch photo of DJ Mary?"
"Damn straight! I need a skin for my new C-gear!"
The errand boy sighed, then handed his mischievous friend his mail. "By the way, your invitation came in too. Whoever made it really went all out. They actually scented it with Roselia perfume""
"It was probably Senior Blue. She and Senior Green are pretty much doing all the arrangements."
Joey nodded, which was followed by a slight pause as he noticed the mess on the Dex Holder's clothes. "I probably shouldn't ask, but what the hell have you been doing?"
"Oh, well, you know." Gold began, flexing his bicep. "One of the Ursaring here was causing some trouble, so I decided to rough him up a bit." The Johto Man chuckled to himself, but the disbelieving look he was receiving told him Joey didn't buy it. "Okay, I was grinding by the mountain habitat when I skidded on a rock and landed in pile of manure."
"Aw man, that's nasty!" The shorts fanatic backed away slowly, holding his nose in disgust. "Next time, take a freakin' shower before you start answering doors!"
The Dex Holder laughed as Joey ran away, trying to get away from the putrid stench as fast as he could. Satisfied, Gold closed the door and threw his mail on the counter top. He grabbed his skateboard and ran towards the back entrance to finish his chores. Before he made it past the door though, he heard something behind him that caught his attention.
"So how long will it be before she's out of the hospital?"
Gold curiously peered his head into the living room, realizing that his boss was still talking on the phone. The Day-Care Man was listening intently to whoever was on the other line, and his face was plastered with a mix of annoyance and relief.
"Okay, that's fine...yes...uh-huh...Thank you, sir. Have a good one."
The elderly man hung up the phone and plopped himself on the couch. He rubbed his temples and heaved a big sigh in frustration. He failed to notice that Gold had made himself visible, and was now walking up to him.
"Hey old man, what was that all about?" Gold asked, taking a seat on couch next to him.
"Hmm?" Day-Care Man mumbled, before looking back at him. "Oh Gold, I'm sorry. I just got a call from the Goldenrod Mercy Hospital. My wife's been in an accident."
"Say what?"
"Well, caused an accident." he corrected. "You see, this Roughneck lady creeped up on her during her jog and my wife kicked her in the, um...hoochie." Gold stared blankly at his employer, then after a slight pause, widened his eyes knowingly.
"Damn, I knew the old lady was a badass, but I didn't know she could 'bust someone to the ER," the Dex holder laughed.
"Well, it turns out the Roughneck only wanted to ask for the time," continued the Day-Care Man. "Now my wife's being held down at the station where I'll have to sign her out. Problem is, it'll take me a few hours to do so, and I don't have anybody else to manage the Day Care while I'm gone."
"I'll do it!" Gold proclaimed, springing up in excitement. The small, old man stared uneasily at the Johto Dex Holder's cheeky smile.
"Absolutely not." the Day-Care Man declared. "You have no experience whatsoever in running a Pokémon Day Care."
"Are are kidding?" The goggled-man pointed directly to himself. "Have you forgotten that I'm Gold?, AKA: "The Breeder", AKA: You won't find anyone better than me?"
"There's more to managing a Daycare than breeding Pokémon, Gold. You have to run daily health inspections, answer the door to trainers...clean up the manure." There was a clear emphasis in the man's voice on that last one.
"All minor details." Gold argued. "Trust me, sir. No one knows more about caring for Pokémon than I do. Just let me have this, please?"
The Day-Care man remained silent for a good long moment before he stood back up. "Very well, Gold." he sighed. "I really don't have any other options, and it'll only be for a couple of hours anyway."
"Sweet! I promise, I won't screw this up." Gold put a comforting hand on the old man's shoulder. "You just focus on getting the old lady out of the big house, and I'll take care of everything over here."
"Alrighty then," The Day-Care Man pulled out a small piece of paper out of his pocket. "Here's a copy of my work schedule for the day. It has all the things you need to take care of while I'm gone."
"Yeah, yeah," the Johto Man replied hastily. He grabbed the sheet of paper and started pushing his employer towards the door. "I can handle it."
"Make sure you feed the dragon-types' their afternoon snack. They tend to get fussy when hungry."
"Mh-hm."
"You also have to replace that old fence down by the ranch division."
"Gotcha."
"And don't forget to return Crystal's Megaree to her house by the time she gets back home from Unova tonight."
"Yuh-huh."
"Did you even hear a word I just said?" The irritated, elderly man was now standing outside of the building.
"Sure I did!" Gold said indignantly. "Give the dragon-types' their Unova fence by the time Crystal gets back from the ranch. I've got everything under control. Say 'Hi' to the old lady for me!"
The Day-Care Man opened his mouth again to reply only to have the door slammed in his face. After an awkward moment of silence, the little old man dropped his head in regret and nervously walked up the path on Route 34. He paused briefly and looked back at his beloved Day Care.
"Don't let me down, ol' boy." The Day-Care Man sighed and slowly trekked up for Goldenrod City.
"Alright gang, lets do this!"
Back outside, Gold's team of Pokémon cheered in approval, ready to get to work. The Breeder smiled confidently and pulled out his pool cue. He directed it towards his Ambipom and Sudowoodo, using it like a pointing stick.
"Polibo, Togebo, you guys go over to the pantry and give the dragon-type Pokémon their afternoon snack." The Frog and Jubilee Pokémon nodded happily and headed off towards the food storage.
"Aibo, Sudobo, get to work on fixing up that old fence down by the ranch." The Human-shaped Pokémon saluted their trainer and scurried away to get some supplies.
"And Exbo and Sunbo, the two of you are in charge of keeping Crys's Megaree safe and comfortable. He's been pretty down since Super Serious Gal left, plus he's never been in a Day Care before. Crys would be all over my ass if I took returned him looking all mopey." Exbo grunted understandingly and dashed off to find its friend, with Sunbo following close behind.
With the troops dispersed, Gold headed back into the Daycare, as he had more important matters to tend to. The Johto Man jumped over the countertop and grabbed his mail, along with a pair of scissors. He laid himself on top of the living room sofa and starting flipping through his new magazine.
"There you are!" he chuckled, finding the page he was looking for. "Looking smokin' hot as always."
The googled-man was just about to snip away at DJ Mary's photo when a loud ringing interrupted him. Gold groaned out loud and reluctantly trudged over to the main lobby.
"Excuse me?" asked a slim, petite woman with incredibly long blonde hair, ringing the desk bell. "Is anybody here?"
"Yeah, yeah, whadda 'ya wa-" Gold's eyes widened at sight of the lady at the front desk. He straightened himself out and strutted over to the young woman, laying his arm coolly on the desktop.
"Hey, babe. What can I do you for?" The Dex Holder arched his eyebrow seductively, which only served to make the young lady feel uncomfortable.
"Uh...yes. I'm here to pick up the Pokémon I left here two days ago. A Skitty and a Wailord for a Caitlin."
"Never fear, m'lady, for I, Gold, shall return shortly with your Pokémon and will ease your distress!" He took her by the hand and gave it a light kiss. Caitlin immediately recoiled her hand, repulsed by his lewd behavior and narrowed her lazy eyes at him.
"I suggest that you do not do that again." As she spoke, the young woman's eyes glowed a dark pink, and her hair began to rise into he air. Gold became unnerved by the sudden change in the woman's appearance, and slowly backed away from her.
"Y-yes ma'am. B-Be back in a jiff!" The Breeder ran as fast as he could to the backyard, trying not to look back at the strange woman. Once outside, he stopped in the middle of an open field and looked around frantically.
"Okay, okay," Gold told himself. "Skitty typically stay in the fields while Wailord usually reside by the ocean. If I can just find way to-"
"Toge, Toge!"
Gold turned to the direction of the chirping, and was surprised to see his Togekiss flying above him, spinning in circles. It only took him a couple a seconds to understand that the Jubilee Pokémon wanted him to follow it. The Dex Holder hopped on his Flying-type and they jetted across the Day Care. Once they arrived at the dragons' habitat, Gold landed on the ground and nearly keeled over at what he saw.
"What in the name of Arceus is going on here?"
The entire area was totally massacred. The grounded dragon-types, such as Bagons and Gibles were slamming into each other in distress, tearing up the ground beneath them. Overhead, the Dragonairs, Altarias, and a Salamence were aimlessly releasing their Hyper Beams, instantly destroying anything in its path. In the landfill, Polibo was trying desperately to stop the Vibrava from creating another Sandstorm.
"Togebo, what did you guys do?" Gold asked fearfully. At the sound of its trainer's voice, Polibo bounced out of the landfill and handed its trainer an empty brown bag that was laying nearby.
"Oh crap!" The Johto Man stared wide-eyed at the symbol printed on bag. "You two fed them the food meant for Ice-types!"
Togebo and Polibo lowered their heads, ashamed of their mistake. Gold went in close to comfort them, but a loud explosion had caught all three of their attention. An enraged Dragonite was bellowing in air, a tree tumbling straight down right behind it. The goggled-man instinctively whipped out his pool cue and got into a battle stance.
"Time for action!" Gold proclaimed. "Togebo, use Double-Edge on that Dragonite!"
Togebo charged for the roaring dragon, gaining speed and fiercely slamming its body against the Dragonite. The orange Pokémon cried out in pain, but quickly recovered from the impact. While Togebo was staggering from the recoil damage, Dragonite clenched its claw until it was glowing blue, and delusionally threw a wild Dragon Claw at Togebo's face, knocking it straight into the ground.
"You okay, Togebo?" The Flying-type got up and grinned wildly at its trainer, signaling it was just fine. "Let's go for broke! Use Metronome!"
"Toge..Toge...Toge..Toge.." The mischievous Pokémon flew back into the air and began waving its wings back in forth. After a couple of seconds, its wingtips flashed a bright light, and out of the blue, a controlled whirling fire was now engulfing the Dragonite, preventing it from moving.
"Yes, Fire Spin!" Gold pointed with his pool cue and turned to his Politoed. "Quick, Polibo, while we got the chance, jump onto Togebo and use Hypnosis!"
The Frog Pokémon launched itself high into the air and landed on top of Togebo's back. The two then advanced towards the raging Dragon-type until they were close enough to attack. Polibo focused the psychic power emanating from its body, and directed the hypnotic waves against the Dragonite. The rampaging Pokémon was unable to stay airborne, and in seconds, was laying on the ground completely unconscious.
"Awesome job, guys!" The Dex Holder patted his Pokémon appreciatively. "Now let's take care of those other dragons! Polibo, Whirlpool!"
"Poli...toed!" Polibo bounced into the center of the terrain and raised its arms in the air. The air surrounding it started to condense, and a spiraling wave of water was soon submerging the entire field. The grounded Dragon-types were immediately caught in the vortex, followed by the aerial dragons that couldn't fly away fast enough to escape.
"Quick, Togebo! Now use your Air Sla-"
Gold's command was cut off when seemingly out of nowhere, a herd of Tauros, Miltank and a Bouffalant came charging into the area. The stampede of Pokémon ran straight into Polibo, knocking it away and ending the Whirlpool attack. The Dragon-types, now soaking wet, were angrier than ever, and furiously launched their attacks against the herd.
"Where the hell did those guys come from?" asked Gold, dumbfounded. He got his answer when from his right, Aibo and Sudobo were rushing over to him in a panic. "Let me guess...you guys screwed up the repair?"
The two guilty Pokémon smiled sheepishly, and their hot-headed trainer surprised them by smiling back. "Don't sweat it guys. It's my fault for being such a half-ass trainer. I left you guys to do all the work that I should have done myself. Some breeder, huh?"
"Ambi!" The Long Tail Pokémon crossed its arms disapprovingly, and Gold instantly got the message.
"You're right," Gold chuckled. "Sentimentality doesn't suit my image. C'mon! I've got a plan!"
The four Pokémon raced across the Day Care, with Gold riding on Togebo's back. The stampede hadn't gotten far, so they easily managed to keep up behind them. Unfortunately, the herd of Pokémon were much faster, making it impossible for Gold's team to reach them.
"We've got to find a way to get ahead of them!" Gold exclaimed. "Aibo, use your Agility to get closer!"
The bi-tailed Pokémon eased forward and increased its speed, allowing it come up to the stampede from the side.
"Now, use Baton Pass to switch in Sudobo!" Aibo leaped backward and tagged Sudobo with its tails, passing on its stat changes. The Imitation Pokémon moved in at triple the speed it was going, and easily overtook the stampede.
"Okay, Sudobo. Sweet Scent!" The Rock-type gracefully shook its hands, releasing a fragrant aroma that flowed throughout the whole area. The Normal-types and Dragon-types were overwhelmed by the attack, and any animosity among them was lost in the need to indulge in the soothing scent.
"Hehe," Gold laughed, jumping off of Togebo. "It's a good thing I had Sweet Scent Mimicked from one of the Grass-type Pokémon here."
The Johto Man's team grunted in approval and gathered around their trainer, who was walking up to the herd. "Alright boys," Gold instructed. "We've got work to do."
The next couple of hours were absolutely brutal for The Breeder. Sudobo led the captivated Tauros, Miltank, and Bouffalant back to the ranch, where it and Gold worked to repair the fence that had gotten totally destroyed. Polibo used its Hypnosis to put the escaped Dragon-types to sleep, and Aibo and Togebo carried them back to their habitat. To make sure that another rampage wouldn't arise, Gold brought out their (late) afternoon snack, which the dragons could eat when they woke up. Once they were finished, the Johto Dex Holder ran desperately around the Day Care, having forgotten that Caitlin was still waiting for her Pokémon. He found her Skitty and Wailord playing by the waterside, and brought them back to the front desk, where Caitlin surprisingly hadn't left.
"Here you go, miss." Gold handed her two Pokéballs, then turned his nose up haughtily. "I told 'ya it I'd be back in a jiff."
"Liar." Caitlin mumbled. She paid the Dex Holder the labor fee and without another word, walked out the front door. The moment she was gone, the goggled-man heaved a tired sigh and plopped himself back on the living room couch. He only got thirty seconds of rest when the door suddenly opened up again.
"Gold, we're back." answered the Day-Care Man, walking inside with his wife.
"Huh? Oh, hey guys." Gold responded, slowly getting back up. "How'd it go back at the station, old lady?"
"Aw, it was nuthin'!" the Day-Care Woman boasted. 'I just gave the cops a peek at my "Love Balls", and I was out of there in no time!"
"You were placed on community service for a week and got blacklisted for sexual harassment." her husband groaned.
"All minor details," she retorted. "So Gold, how was it running the Daycare Center all by yourself?"
"There was nothing to it," the Johto Man replied casually. "I had everything under control, just like I said."
"Well, I for one am glad to here that," said the Day-Care Man. "Anyway, I think its time you went home and got some rest."
"I here ya."
"Just don't forget to drop off Crystal's Megaree on the way."
The Breeder froze, and chuckled nervously. He did an one-hundred and eighty degree turn and bolted for the backyard.
Back on the Day Care grounds, Gold cupped his hands over his mouth and called out for his Pokémon. "Hey Aibo, Exbo, Sudobo, Togebo, Sunbo, Polibo! We gotta go! You too Megaree!"
One by one, Gold's Pokémon came rushing back to their trainer, and the Johto Man did a quick mental count before stopping at his Typhlosion.
"Yo, Exbo. Where's Sunbo and Megaree?" The Volcano Pokémon grunted and pointed towards a small hill right behind it. Just coming up said hill was Gold's Sunflora and Crystal's Meganium, who were proceeding towards the gang at an almost cautiously pace.
Where have you guys been?" Gold asked, running up to them with his Pokémon in tow. "We've got to get Megaree back to Super Serious-IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?"
Sunbo happily nodded and opened up its arms, revealing a light yellow egg patterned with green leaves. Gold's team stared at the egg in awe and cried out excitedly to the two Grass-types. The Johto Man instead let his jaw drop as he stared disbelieving at the Pokémon egg. He quickly recovered from the shock and gave his Sunflora a caring smile.
"Damn, Sunbo. I didn't know you had it in you, girl." Sunbo blushed and turned her face away, embarrassed. Megaree nuzzled the Sunflower Pokémon's face affectionately, and Gold gave a wholehearted laugh. "You know what, Megaree? I never would of thought one of Crys' Pokémon would have the guts to-"
"Aw crap!" Gold looked back and forth between the two Pokémon, sweat dripping off of his forehead. "How the hell am I gonna explain this to Crys?"
The seven Pokémon watched helplessly as the Johto Dex Holder was running through several ideas in his head. After shooting down each one, he gave up and took out his Pokéballs. "Aw, forget it!" he assured himself. "I'll just go with the usual plan."
Trusting that its trainer would take care of its child, Sunbo handed Gold its unhatched egg. Gold then returned all of them back to their Pokéballs, and ran back into the Daycare as fast as he could (without dropping the egg, of course). He swerved past the living room to retrieve his skateboard, and rode past the Day-Care Man as he headed out the front door.
"Later, old man. I gotta prepare myself when Crystal shows up and I show her the Pokémon egg that Sunbo and Megaree produced!"
"Wha?"
Gold didn't answer back, as he was already riding down Route 34 by the time the Day-Care Man realized he was gone. Every minute that went by just made Gold more determined to reach Violet City. Normally Gold would've flown on Togebo to get there, but he didn't want to risk dropping the egg if he went airborne. Thus, he took the challenge of getting to Crystal's house on his skateboard.
"Don't worry, Eggy Two," he said, caressing the egg. "Gold's not gonna let Super Serious Gal get her hands on you."
To Be Continued...
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NEXT TIME: She leaned in forward and squinted her eyes, her nose almost touching the Frontier Champion's face.
"Um, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing, its just...you have freakishly long eyelashes."