VIII.
The creature revolved around their heads, continuing to make its buzzing sound. Something about it made Theo laugh; although newborn and made of metal, the Pokemon was silly.
"But it's just a Magnemite," Mr. Pokemon said, chuckling as the Pokemon buzzed by his ear.
"You were right, Theo. It is from Sinnoh," Professor Oak said.
"How can you tell?" Lance asked.
"Its metal is shiny," Oak said. He grabbed the Pokemon from the air and held it. It didn't struggle, but continued making its boop boop boop sounds. "You can catch Magnemite here in Johto by Olivine City, and in Kanto, too, by the Power Plant. But in this part of the world, Magnemite are more matte in their coloring. See how shiny this one is? That's from Sinnoh."
"Are the ones from Sinnoh stronger?" Theo asked.
"I don't think so," Oak said. "I think they're quite the same in that regard."
Theo frowned. The Magnemite wiggled out of Oak's hands and floated over to Theo, its single eye staring straight into his two. His father had thought this would bring him a fortune?
"I remember talking to a contact from Sinnoh," Mr. Pokemon said. "There is something about them that's different over there. Something they can do. Maybe it was theoretical. If only I could remember." He shrugged. "Well, what are you going to do about it?"
"What can I do?" Theo asked.
Lance laughed. "Catch it. It was your egg. It clearly likes you." The Magnemite was now orbiting Theo. Cyndaquil sat at his feet and moved his head in a circle, watching it as if hypnotized.
"You can't leave it here, of course," Mr. Pokemon said. "It's just a baby, but it could destroy the house."
"All right," Theo said. There was nothing else to be done; he couldn't leave a problem he had brought with him. He looked at the Magnemite and pulled an empty ball from his bag. "You ready?"
The Pokemon tilted sideways, as if shrugging. Lance and the older men laughed. Theo tossed the ball gently. It clinked against the Magnemite's side and called the Pokemon in with a red beam of light.
It hit the floor. It shook once. It shook again. It was still.
"You've properly caught your first Pokemon," Lance said, putting a hand on Theo's shoulder. Theo felt a sudden flutter in his stomach.
My mom is going to kill me, he thought.
IX.
Theo could only think how oddly the morning had gone. The weight of two Pokeballs at his belt felt strange, and even stranger was the weight of the new egg in his bag, forced into his hands by Mr. Pokemon. The new egg was as heavy as the old one, but it felt different, like carrying a pound of marshmallow instead of a pound of metal.
"I don't expect it back after it hatches, of course," Mr. Pokemon said. "I just want to be kept informed. Please, take my phone number." He laughed. "You have a gift for hatching eggs, it seems. What if it hatches on your way home?"
Theo's stomach dropped at that. Coming home with three Pokemon? His mother would turn him inside out.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Theo," Oak said. He paused. "May I be so bold as to ask for your telephone number, as well? I have a good feeling about you. You seem to treat Pokemon with great kindness, and that's a trait that carries one far in this world." As Theo entered his information into the Professor's phone, he glanced up to see Lance watching, as if appraising him.
The two older men said goodbye to Lance and walked them to the gate. The assistant who had let them in opened the gate and let them through.
"Are you going home now?" Lance asked.
"I'll start heading in that direction," Theo said. "Though I'm tempted to spend the night in Cherrygrove again." He was dreading his return home - what his mother would say, and the decisions he had to make.
"Mind if I walk with you?" Lance asked.
"Not at all," Theo said. He felt his cheeks flush a little.
Lance had recalled his Charmander, but Cyndaquil bounded along beside them, darting through grass and flowers, scattering flocks of Pidgey.
"That Pokemon is something special," Lance said. "If I were you, I would do what I could to keep it."
"I'm going to try," Theo said. He had hardly admitted this to himself for fear of being disappointed, yet this confident stranger had broken him open. "I don't know if Professor Elm will let me, though."
"Can you buy him?" Lance said. His tone was casual, as if buying a starter Pokemon were an easy transaction.
"I don't think I can afford him," Theo said, looking straight ahead.
"Oh," Lance said softly. "Well, what's your plan? Do you want to pursue the Gym challenges?"
Theo hadn't thought of it. That had been his father's plan, but he had returned from Violet City and Goldenrod shame-faced, without a badge to his name. You could win money on victories, but his father hadn't made it happen.
Theo sighed. "It seems like a lot."
"Is there a better alternative?" Lance asked.
"I mean, what I'm doing now," Theo said, but after a single day's journey, he knew how dead and gray such a future would feel.
"Living as a lab assistant the rest of your life, taking care of Pokemon that you're going to hand over to someone else, always wondering if you could have done it better?" Lance asked.
He's a mind-reader, I guess, Theo thought.
"Have you done it? Where would I start?" Theo asked.
"I know a thing or two about it." Lance frowned. "I did it in Kanto, but you can start in Johto, too. It's a little less respectable here. No one's ever gone all the way through Johto, but it's possible you could earn eight badges."
"How many did you get?"
"A handful," Lance said. "You can start in Violet City. They use Flying types. That Magnemite would be a good one to use there, if you train it a bit."
"My dad couldn't beat that gym," Theo said. Theo had been young, but he remembered his father's Sentret pummeled by a Spearow and his father, drenched in sweat, leaving an arena with his head down.
"Nothing against your dad," Lance said, bumping his shoulder against Theo's, "but you've already one-upped him this morning, hatching that egg. What makes you think you can't do it again?"
"I guess I could try it." Theo's stomach twisted, the twin feelings of excitement at the possibility and fear of failure roiling against each other.
"Gym matches are on television now, too," Lance said. "If you do well, you can earn enough to live. There's decent money in it, and opportunities, even if you only get three or four."
Three badges? Four? Where would that take him? How far could he go?
"What kind of opportunities?"
"You can teach at training schools," Lance said. "Work in a Gym, if you want to be a specialist. People will take private lessons." He shrugged. "All kinds of things. You get money just for winning the battle, too, and it's enough to get by for a bit, until the next one."
Theo had a hard time imagining anyone taking him seriously enough for anything like what Lance was describing.
"I don't know," Theo said.
"Look," Lance said. They stopped walking, and Lance put both hands on Theo's shoulders. He brought his face close. Theo was blushing again, and for a wild second he had the urge to pull his face even closer.
"Lesser folks than you have tried and gotten far enough to make it worth it," Lance said. "You know what's waiting at home. You don't know what's waiting out there."
"It could be bad," Theo said lamely.
"Parts of it will be," Lance said. "But not all of it. And maybe not the end of it."
"Why are you so eager to help me?" Theo asked, smiling despite himself. "You just met me."
Lance put his hands down and stepped back.
"I've never heard of anyone who could pick up an egg and hatch it on his first walk out with a Pokemon," Lance said. "That says something."
"That's just luck," Theo said. "I'm not anything special."
"Once before I saw a scrappy kid from a nowhere town step up," Lance said. "He didn't seem like anything special, either, and I didn't believe in him. He humbled me." Lance pursed his lips and paused. "I won't be humbled like that again." He turned and started walking. Cyndaquil leaped from the grass nearby, circled him, and then bounded ahead.
"Besides, I don't believe in luck," Lance said. "That Cyndaquil is going somewhere, with or without you."
X.
"Hi there!" the nurse called out, the first one with the black hair. They had entered the Pokemon Center in Cherrygrove City again. "How did your errand go?"
"Wonderfully," Theo said. He recalled Cyndaquil. "Could you take care of this one?"
"I see you caught another one since you left," she said, gesturing toward his belt. "Should I take that, too?"
"Oh, sure," he said, and he handed her Magnemite's ball. The Pokemon suddenly burst forth, buzzing in a circle around their heads. Lance laughed and put his hand up for it; Magnemite floated over and mashed one of his magnets into Lance's palm.
"Look, it can high-five," Lance said, laughing louder.
"Where on earth did you get that?" the nurse asked. "You can't find those anywhere around here."
"Long story," Theo said. "Come here, buddy." Magnemite floated to him, and Theo pulled the little metal body into a hug. "I know you haven't been out much, but why don't you rest a bit?" The creature buzzed into Theo's chest. He recalled it and handed the Pokeball over to the nurse.
"How fun. And you, sir?" she said, turning to Lance. "Did you want to rest any of your Pokemon?"
"Sure, take them," Lance said, pulling six balls from his belt. He recited his trainer number.
The nurse entered the number, and her eyes widened.
"We don't see Pokemon like these very often," she said in a low voice.
"They'll all be fine," Lance said. "I have a new Charmander, too."
"Well, that one will be easy, at least," she said, and she laughed in a high, frantic voice.
What is going on? Theo thought.
"I'm sorry, but do you really have three Drag- " the nurse began.
"I do," Lance said, "and when they're out of battle, they're all very sweet. They shouldn't give you any trouble."
"All right," the nurse said. She looked ashen, like she had seen a ghost. "All these Pokemon will take a bit. If you two would like to go eat or take a walk, we should be done in a few hours." She swallowed theatrically. "And could you leave your phone number?"
"What for?" Lance said.
"We've never handled anything like those Pokemon here. If we have any questions about them."
Lance laughed, but he wrote out his phone number and handed it to the nurse.
"Come with me," Lance said to Theo, nodding at the door. "I want to bring you somewhere."
They exited the Pokemon Center.
"What was that all about?" Theo said.
"What?"
"Why did she get all weird when she took your Pokemon?"
Lance laughed. "I've traveled far and trained a lot. Some of my Pokemon are a little quirky for a city like this."
"What are they?"
Lance smirked and touched Theo's arm. "You and I might come to battle at some point. I'd hate to give away my secrets now."
"You already know two of my Pokemon," Theo said. On impulse, he touched Lance's back, between his shoulders. Lance did not flinch, but Theo could still feel the muscle there.
"Tell you what," Lance said, leaning in. "You saw my Charmander. I'll show you one more before we leave each other. Then we're even. Deal?"
"Deal."
"Down this way," Lance said. They rounded a corner and went to the end of a road. "I always swing by here when I'm in Cherrygrove."
It was a shoe store. The front window featured rows of hardy boots, athletic shoes, dress shoes. They were of a higher quality than any shoe that Theo had ever owned.
"I want to get you something," Lance said as they went inside. "I have a cousin who's a decent trainer. When I started out, she took me here and got me a pair of shoes that would last for a long journey. I'd like to do the same for you."
"That's really nice of you," Theo said, "but I haven't even decided that I'm going to do this yet."
Lance smiled and touched Theo's arm again. He held his hand there a fraction longer than the first time.
"Well, Theo," he said, "maybe a good pair of shoes will help you make the decision." He led Theo over to a pair of sneakers, red and white and gold.
"Here," Lance said. "What size are you? Something like this will last you a bit."
"But, wait," Theo said, looking at the price tag, "this is way too much."
"I'm good for it," Lance said.
"No, really, I couldn't - "
"Sir," Lance said, calling over a salesman. "Could we get these in a… Sorry, Theo, what size are you?"
Theo protested as the salesman brought the shoes over, as Lance forced him to try them on, as Lance took the box and paid for the most expensive piece of clothing Theo had ever owned.
"Seriously," Lance said, and this time he put an arm around Theo's shoulder. "I'll forgive you for being a small town guy, but one thing you have to learn: when you go off to travel with Pokemon, people are going to want to help you. It's best to take the help and thank them later, if you can."
"Did people do that for you?" Theo asked.
"Oh, big time," Lance said. "My first Pokemon was a gift. I've still got him."
"All right," Theo surrendered. "Could I at least buy you an ice cream or something?"
They ended up getting an early dinner together, followed by the promised ice cream. They weren't anything close to even, and Theo, like most people of little means, kept a tally of what he owed. Even if he could pay him back someday, Theo suspected this handsome stranger would refuse. Still, he liked Lance, and not just for the gift. He was assured in a way Theo envied, and easily confident in a way Theo never imagined he himself could become. He was different, but he was good company.
By the time they headed back to the Pokemon Center, it was nearly dark.
"You can't walk home now," Lance said.
"I'll spend the night here, I guess," Theo said. "I'll just let my mom and Professor Elm know." He took out his phone to text them. He had been thinking he would have to stall in Cherrygrove, but the day with Lance had been a pleasant distraction.
"I'm wondering if I should do the same," Lance said. "It's a bit cloudy to fly in the dark."
Fly? If he meant on a Pokemon, Lance must be strong. Only skilled trainers were allowed to Fly.
"I'm afraid I only have one room left tonight," the nurse on duty said when Theo and Lance retrieved their Pokemon. "This almost never happens, but there's a conference in town. Something about new evolution stones from Sinnoh." She clicked through the menu on the computer. "It does have two beds, though."
"That'll do," Lance said. They went to the room, which was sparse: just two twin beds, an end table, and a large watercolor of a blue and purple Pokemon, which was painted like a blur.
"What's that?" Theo said, staring at the painting.
"Not sure," Lance said. He was tugging off his shoes. "Some legendary thing." Lance casually pulled off his shirt and pants. Theo looked away demurely after catching a glimpse of a lean, muscled frame. Keeping his back to Lance, he pulled off his own shirt and changed into shorts and a clean t-shirt.
"Let your Magnemite out," Lance said. He was reclining on the bed in a pair of sweatpants, his shirt still off, tapping rapidly at the screen of his phone. He was apparently doing something important.
Theo clicked his Pokeball, and the Magnemite flew out, making a booping sound. It hovered in the middle of the room, then turned its great eye on Theo and launched at him. It nuzzled its silver head against Theo, who laughed.
"Come here, buddy," Lance said, and the Pokemon floated to Lance, nuzzling him in the same way. Lance kept typing into his phone with his thumb while he caressed the newborn.
"You never see Steel types this affectionate," Lance said, pulling Magnemite into a hug. "This one's a goof."
"Do you think it's strong?" Theo said. "My dad was convinced that egg was the way to make something of himself."
Lance shrugged. "Stranger things have happened. One of the strongest Pokemon I've ever seen wasn't much bigger than this one." He knocked his knuckles on Magnemite's head, which made a bang like a metal drum. Lance tossed his phone to the floor. "I don't know what your dad was thinking, but with the right trainer, almost anything can be strong."
Magnemite floated back to Theo and landed heavily on the bed beside him. In the back of the Pokemon's body, Theo could see his own reflection, distorted like it was in the egg, longer and more impressive than it was in life.
"I guess we'll find out," Theo said. "Good night, Magnemite." He recalled the Pokemon and reached for the lightswitch.
"You'll have to give them names soon," Lance said. Theo heard him turn over in the dark. "If they're really going to be yours."
Theo mulled this over as he drifted into sleep. What would he call his Magnemite? And Cyndaquil, if he could keep him? After a while, he heard Lance breathing lightly in the bed beside him. Theo focused only on that sound and felt his body go calm, until he, too, fell asleep.
They ate breakfast together the next morning and departed from the Pokemon Center.
"It's been really nice to meet you," Theo said, holding out his hand. Lance shook his head and brushed the hand aside, pulling Theo into a hug.
"Give me your number," Lance said. "I want to hear about how your travels go. And if we're ever in the same area, we can meet up again."
Theo entered his information into Lance's phone, while Lance did the same into his.
"Definitely tell me when that other egg hatches," Lance said. "It gave me shivers to touch it. I can't wait to hear what's inside."
Almost on command, the egg in Theo's bag skipped. It didn't feel like Magnemite's lurching; it felt more gentle, like the movement of a happy child.
"Maybe that'll be soon," Theo said.
Lance smiled at him. "With you, Hatchmaster Theo, I would not be shocked." He looked to the sky. "Clear today. Good flying weather." He smiled back at Theo again. "Don't be a stranger."
He took a few strides away from Theo, clicked a Pokeball from his belt, and pressed the button. From the Pokeball emerged a giant creature, winged and golden and scaled. It bellowed when Lance released it. Several people walking by screamed or gasped. Theo barely held back his own yelp. The giant creature turned its great head toward Theo.
"This is my Dragonite, Titan," Lance said. He looked up at the huge creature. "Titan, say hi to my new friend, Theo." The Dragon extended its giant claw toward Theo, who took it, wide-eyed. It shook his hand. It had manners.
"We're off," Lance said, climbing onto the dragon's back. "Best of luck, Theo! I'll hear from you soon, I hope."
Theo waved weakly and stared as Lance and his Pokemon took flight, leaving the ground on great swooping wings. Theo watched until they grew smaller and smaller. They became a dot on the horizon and finally disappeared.
Theo had felt himself growing that weekend. Now he felt very small again.