New Text Document, 21:43
"So, day two, spicy day overall. Right, punctuation. Program still sucks at that. Whatever, this'll be short so I'll just fix it. Okay, uh. To start off, talked to the cops, Villy/Vulpix can both figuratively and literally talk, a Corsola shed an arm of coral for me, and I saw the end half of a proper Pokémon battle.
To start, talked to some Pokémon Rangers by Luna, they had some questions about it, probed a whole lot, thankful I kept that temp ID on me. Not sure how they found the car so fast, but future problems. Elm seemed genuinely concerned, but I doubt he'd tell me anything. Wanted to ask Lyra but waiting for a moment to bring it up is a challenge. If it's not one thing it's another.
Villy can apparently communicate thoughts. The extent to that so far has been calling me a nerd. I now await with bated breath the other colourful adjectives she discovers to describe me. Cursory flip through some books yielded nothing, and the internet, or at least their version of it, is a weird place. Or at least dated. Didn't find much relating to Vulpix but did learn that apparently each of their tails correlate to a separate skill or power. That'll be something to look at. More on that and the internet as a whole later, if I remember. I have my big points to cover.
Met Elm's Corsola by the pond today too, they were friendly if sharp. Just like hard corals. Can't for the life of me remember what type but such is the price of not memorizing textbooks. It's got the superficial features of hard corals but the movement capabilities of soft corals. I'm treating it as a hard coral for the moment, got some clear mineralized salt water. If that doesn't work, I'll swap to feeding it properly. Was expecting a week for the slightest bit of progress, but I swear it's growing by the minute. Might have to add some more calcium to it, just in case but if this works out, I'll have a Corsola! Always wanted a reef tank, this is the next best thing. Or arguably, better.
Finally, battle. Showed up late, but Ethan's Feraligator and Lyras Meganium duked it out. Wish I saw the whole thing, but those two are absolute powerhouses. For her name sake, or at least part of it, Feraligator definitely takes after a proper crocodile. It has the size, strength, and power of an American Crocodile, at least. Can't tell if they're indeterminate growers as well or not. Never worked with aquatic reptiles but seeing that lowkey makes me want to steal that Totodile in the pond. Great on paper, logistics of taking care of it when it's grown is much more challenging.
Who knows, maybe Ethan would let me foster it for a while before returning it. Is that a bad idea? Probably. But trial by fire is a thing and he has an adult form right there so it can't go too wrong. Worst case, I return them sooner rather than later.
Anyways, that's all from me. Could go on, but Villy's warmed the bed already and between todays activities and a hot shower, I want nothing more than to sleep. With that, Nick out."
A click to silence the laptop and a slow shuffle over to the bed.
Much less ceremoniously than the previous night, Nick flops. Vulpix still occupies the pillow which they now share. With a single hand on her fur, gently giving affection, he falls into the realm of a dreamless slumber.
The following day was more of the same. Dreamless night, restless Vulpix, a lazy morning followed by some light training. The coral certainly grew over night as it was now twice the size as it was when it was placed within the water. Ethan returned as well from Florando in the morning. 'Guess he did have to spend the night there. Hope Lucy is alright.'
Lyra perked up a bit. Her prior troubles hopefully having been dealt with and unreturning for the neat future.
The evening spent perusing books and the internet. 'Surprisingly Pokémon centric, and a bunch of disjointed blog like things. Gives me vague vibes of primitive social media. Couple bigger forums though, quite literally every topic except the ones I need answers to are there. Future resources and problem.'
Two books of interest particularly catch Nick's eye. Biology and Anatomy of Fire Type Pokémon 5th Edition and Biology and Anatomy of Water Type Pokémon 3rd Edition. He grabs the former first. A quick check of the appendix directed Nick to page 37, the section of Vulpix.
'5 tails, short stature, skilled with fire type moves, can also branch into psychic and ghost which is terrifying, 0.5-0.7 meters tall, healthy weight of 10 kilograms, usually female, calm and reserved demeanor… Huh. Lot of surface physical information and detailed notes on how to interact with it as a Pokémon, but it's lacking dietary stuff almost entirely. Are they omnivorous? What's their preferred food source? What are learnsets? Skilled with fire type moves, can also branch into psychic and ghost which is terrifying but whatever. Huh. They can apparently learn Disable and get that early. Maybe that was the problem with Quick Attack. Tangents. Future problems. Least I can do a checkup.'
With a pencil and paper, he notes down rough expected healthy physical ranges for a Vulpix.
"Well, with that done, let's take a looksie at that water book because I am fascinated at the notion of intelligent fish… I mean, cephalopods are already intelligent but. Whatever. Book."
'Appendix… C… Corsola, page 222. Flip, 220, damn almost got it first try. 222. Size, weight… Where's reproduction. Biology? Branch-like growths… Warm shallow waters… Huh, it can regrow its growths in a night. Guess that explains my corals growth… Nothing on how they reproduce. Galarian Corsola become ghosts? Terrifying. Wonder if that's regional or if ones up here can. They consume life force. Not what I want but interesting regardless. Nothing. I hate it. Not even so much as a morsel on how they get their energy.'
He stares blankly. "How is this an academic textbook. There is hardly anything of substance here. Hardly any value. Am I seriously going to have to write a detailed article on this because so help me god I will."
He skims the rest of the entry.
"There's more information on move sets alone than the entire physical description combined!" He looks towards his previously sleeping Vulpix. "I had to learn the entire reproductive cycle of a sea urchin. A goddamn sea urchin, and these people have access to some of the most fascinating creatures I've ever had the pleasure of seeing and they're focusing more on moves?! No. No this cannot stand."
Before closing the book, he checks the appendix once more. 'T… Totodile, 158. Flip. Height, weight-' He looks up once more. "How is the biology section even shorter? Why are people not fascinated by things that become giant lizards?! Don't get me wrong coral is way cooler but for the average person giant crocodiles!"
He closes the book.
"That settles it. If nothing else, I'll spend my time here doing what I've spent years learning. Wonder if I can get an Oshawott. Though I vaguely remember the evolved form looking nothing like an otter. Future problems." He recalls his previous thoughts. "Future me is going to hate me with the amount of problems I shove off to him." Tossing aside the book, he stands up and makes his way to find Ethan. "Hopefully he'll let me work with Totodile a couple hours a day, just to get started."
It didn't take long to locate him, once again watching a cooking show.
"Hey Ethan, couldn't help but notice the textbook entry on Totodile was pretty sparse. Was wondering if you'd be cool with me working with him a bit every day to-"
"Yes." Ethan responds, interrupting the middle of the other trainer's sentence.
Nick blinks twice. "W-wait I wasn't done explain-"
Before he is once again cut off. "Yes. Absolutely. I don't have enough time to give him the attention he needs to properly develop, so if you wanted to work with him, by all means. Can hang onto him until the next budding trainer shows up and wants to go on an adventure or something. I dunno that's more Elms department. I just take care of them."
The silence lingers, broken only by the demonstration of peeling potatoes.
"Huh. Alrighty, so I can just work with him tomorrow, then?" He shifts from one foot to another while speaking.
"Yeah absolutely." Ethan replies. "Can get you his Pokéball in the morning, go over the details. Mostly just going to try and get his water type moves up. Should get better with Water Gun soon, but I haven't had the time to really spend on him." He changes the channel. "Plus, it'll give you some more practice in working with younger Pokémon. Start small and all, eh?"
"Y-yeah, sure. Okay. Alright. I'll just uh, go mentally prepare myself for that." Nick takes a couple shuffles backwards.
The sofa-bound trainer waves him off. "Nah, don't think too much into it. It's easier than it looks. Just go with the flow."
"The flow, yeah. Well, the flow pulls me this way, until the morning eh?" Nick departs and is met with a farewell wave.
'Just go with the flow and raise a baby crocodile. Easy.'
As he moves towards his room, he sees Vulpix standing in the doorway watching him. "Well Villy, good news, you'll have a new friend. Jury's out on whether or not I have made a poor life choice in agreeing to this day three. But also, it is a great way for me to avoid my problems."
Vulpix rolls their eyes as they turn back to their room.
"Just go with the flow. How hard could it really be?
"Incredibly difficult." He answers the question he asked himself the night prior while tending to a second bite wound on his hand. Vulpix, for all her zealous protection, snoozes a short distance away from Nick and the Totodile. "Okay, how about this." With a quick refresher of the book, he grabs a nearby branch and gestures towards the small lizard using it as a proxy. The branch itself already has numerous teeth marks.
Another lovely day outside, sun not too hot, water as serene as ever with Quagsire once again centered in the pond, and an overly bite happy lizard.
"We'll use this stick. Now, no scratching or biting. Again. I want you to try and breathe water. Like, exhale really hard in such a way you're shooting water out of your maw. Okay? Posture is apparently important, so just-" He pokes Totodile in several places, adjusting his stance as best as one can while fending off the attempts to bite the stick. "Stand like that. And then…" He double checks the book. "So you're supposed to feel like, an energy source of water deep within you. Pull from that and try to use Water Gun. Okay? Just like an actual water gun, you want to shoot water."
Totodile looks towards the trainer with an open maw, serrated teeth lining it. "Yep, you want to do that, and shoot water."
With a little verbal charge up, the small crocodilian gives a loud-for-his-size shout.
Nothing happens.
Giving a sigh, "Okay, I don't want to say you want to vomit water, but I really can't think of any other way to describe it besides breathing fire, but I don't think that analogy makes sense to you so. I guess I could say you could spit water, but."
He ponders what little he's read so far.
"New plan." He stands up and approaches the pond. "Something about type energies exist, still not sure about that, never played the card game, but let's put you in the water and have you try that way. Maybe immersing you in the element would help. Ambient energy or whatever bullshit I don't know I'm not a physicist."
From the distance, Vulpix snorts.
"What?!" He asks, focusing on Totodile to ensure he doesn't sneak up and bite his leg. "I'm not wrong, while they studied the atom, I got to play with otters. We all know who won that exchange."
Waving over the small blue creature, he kneels. "Alright, I want you to try again, exactly like we've practiced, only in the water. Can you do that for me?"
Totodile gives a reptilian smile, which really just looks like he's showing off his teeth, and scampers into the water.
Hardly a moment passes before he begins splashing around.
"No, no you-" A heavy sigh, followed by a ginger poking with stick. "Come on now, as soon as we're done, we can play in the water. I want to at least make some progress on this."
Totodile reluctantly stops and stands at a rough description of attention. 'Is it ethical to poke animals you're training with sticks?' Looking at his hand. 'I'll make an exception to this one.'
"Perfect." He says, taking a step back. "Now, just like we did before, use Water Gun."
With another verbal charge up matching an inhalation, some whisps of blue energy coalesce in the mouth of the baby Feraligator. A few seconds later, with a quiet shout, he launches a stream of water a couple meters forward.
"Hey!" The trainer shouts. "You did it! And that looked perfect based on the book, perfect stance, charge up, and release!" Nick closes the distance and gently scratches the lizard's head. They dance happily before trying to pull his hand into their mouth. "Okay no, you did very well but no biting. I've had enough of that for one day."
With a self-satisfied sigh, he sinks into the grass. 'Only took what, like, three hours all told? Least I know to bring literature with me. And first aid equipment.'
Looking over the happy, dancing, splashy Totodile, he can't help be feel a bit happy. "Okay, you did it once, but can you do it again, hmm? Think you can shoot a Water Gun at Quagsire?"
Without hesitation, Totodile takes up stance once more and repeats.
Sure enough, as it did before, so does it again and he launches a thin stream of water forward.
"Closer! We'll work on it, but you did very well today! I think overall, this is enough for one day. We can work on power, distance, and speed the rest of the week. Want to go play with Psyduck, I imagine?" With a shake, Totodile hops into deeper water and disappears under the surface.
It isn't long until the small form breaks the water's surface.
Only instead of visiting the Psyduck, he is attempting to climb on top of Quagsire.
'Why do I have the feeling you're going to be an agent of chaos?'
With minimal resistance from the floating blue behemoth, Totodile eventually makes it on top. Throwing his arms out, he gives a happy roar.
'Least he's cute. Hopefully I keep my fingers, though.'
Vaguely keeping an eye on the little runt, he grabs his notebook and pencil and begins documenting.
'Wear chainmail gloves when working with Totodile, as risk of bite and scratch are significant. If they have difficulty accessing water-based move set, place in water to facilitate the calling upon type energy. Verify bite force to determine how big of risk a bite is. "Crush anything" is insufficient.'
As he replays the events, a question manifests itself. "If they're able to produce water from essentially nothing, then that water is added to the world. Multiply by a lot of Pokémon over years, that's a lot of additional water being introduced to an otherwise closed system. Where's it all going?" Pondering the implications, he shakes his head. "No, no they're pulling it from somewhere, and it's going somewhere."
He sighs as he looks back towards Vulpix. "Honestly, I was hoping I wouldn't have to brush up on the Law of Conservation of Matter. I will be very upset if Newtonian physics fails to hold up here. Not that I'd be surprised." Recalling the Ember he saw Villy use prior. "Fire breathing fox is wild enough. At least the addition of actual energy can be remedied. Water isn't going anywhere. Whatever. That's a beast I'm not taking on. Let's just start with actually detailing crocodilian anatomy. Maybe coral. Honestly coral would be easier. Should have started with that."
He reviews his previous notes. As he does, Vulpix makes their way over and climbs into his lap only to once again lay down.
"Not sure how I'm a more comfortable bed, but I appreciate the company." He gives her affection while re-reading the initial observations of Totodile.
'52 sharpened teeth, 13 in each quadrant roughly a centimeter in length. Pronounced spines traveling the length of body, estimate has 12 that reduce in size until the tail where they cease before a 13th, larger spine is found on the dorsal side of the tail. Gap could be caused by damage, though is consistent with Feraligator. Reason behind red colouring of spines unknown, blue colouring may allow for greater camouflage in clear water. Thick tail allows for facilitated movement in water, though is a disadvantage when navigating on land. Subject suited for aquatic interactions.
Five several centimeter long claws on fore paws with three several centimeter long caws on hind paws. Subject does not appear to posses scales, keeping inline with expectations. Ability to maneuver upright suggests advantage in doing so, as well as shifting of central body mass backwards and extension of range of motion of both 'arms' and legs.'
He reviews for any spelling mistakes, finding none. "Not bad for a first day. If I can get more information on their preferred habitat, I might have a solid article. And more on their physical prowess, I mean." His gaze returns to the happy lizard, still dancing atop the Quagsire who seems surprisingly welcoming to the events. "In any case, not bad. If I can work out details on the Corsola coral, I'd say I'm doing pretty well. Though that's going to take longer. Wonder if they even have a pH kit. Or if those exist."
The trainer's mind wander. 'Wonder what the pH of blood is. Can't remember. Actually, that makes a good point. Do all Pokémon have the same blood? Or do crustaceans and cephalopods have hemocyanin? Actually, how does that work for evolution? Doesn't Remoraid evolve into Octillery? A fish into a cephalopod, do their blood evolve as well? How does evolution even work?'
He let's out a groan of frustration. "Hopefully half of this is documented. I don't want to have to make up for decades of research that for some reason wasn't done."
Looking to the sky once more. "Worst things could have happened, I suppose. Wouldn't be so bad spending the next few years working on Pokémon." A pang pierces his hear. "Nope. Not contemplating philosophy on why I'm here or what I lost. I'm focusing on the present. And the present is a pink rock. C'mon, Villy. I need to stay busy and some coral will do just that."
Grabbing the book and tucking it under one arm, finagling the notes and pencil into a pocket, and gently cradling Vulpix as one would a baby, he stands up. Holding her close to his chest and ensuring she is fully supported, he surveys the sight before him.
'Nothing is immediately going wrong, everyone seems happy, no one got injured aside from me, think I'm good and covered.' He looks to the sleeping fox in his arms. "C'mon, you. Let's get you more comfortable inside."
The pair return to the lab, leaving a happy lizard behind them as they depart.
Armed with a fishbowl, some salt, a scale, and baby's first chemistry set, Nick set to work on attempting to quantify the conditions in which Corsola and their respective coral thrives.
Much the same way Totodile seemed to create water from nothing, the coral seems to create mass from nothing.
'If it is essentially spontaneous generation, then I can probably weigh the differences in different conditions. Repeat as needed numerous times, and bing bang boom I have my data.'
Setting to work, he meticulously examines all the parameters he can given his toolset.
"Alright, let's see what we got here. Testing the pH yielded a value of 8.2, which is normal for ocean water. Specific gravity is similarly normal at 1.022, temperature is 21 degrees Celsius which is a bit low for a tropical coral, should get a heater. And I don't have any mineral tests so that'll be something to look into later." With a nod, he turns to his sleeping companion. "Pretty good eh? Ah you're sleeping. That's fine." He pats himself on the back. "Good job, Nick. You're putting your degree to work."
Adjusting the scale, he fishes out the coral from the bowl. "Should get some nitrile gloves. Bleh." Looking over the coral, it has noticeably grown. Though rather than extending upwards, it seems to have thickened at the base. "Weird. Wonder if it actually will become a new Corsola." Weighing it gave a value of 19g. "Seems low. But eh, data's data."
Returning it, he additionally weighs the fishbowl itself both with and without the coral. "Better than nothing."
Putting away his instrumentation, he looks over the small setup. "Should probably check to see if I can break this or if it would like, be inadvertently causing pain. Wonder if Corsola has a brain of it's a hive mind network of zooxanthellae. So many things to look into." The pink coral almost glows. "And it all starts with you, little buddy."
Sitting back in his chair, his gaze shifts to the fox on his bed. 'What am I going to do with you, I wonder.' Emotions of remorse, sadness, and love build up. 'Always got too attached to the seals I worked with. Guess this is no different. I can't have her battle.' The thought of the small creature getting hurt is too much to handle. "Can't do it."
'You'll just give up your chance then?' His conscience speaks up. That little voice of doubt making itself known once more.
"No, I just can't have her do it." The feelings of care for her are too great.
'Then what will you do?' It asks, knowing full well what the answer will be.
"I'll figure it out. Totodile, this probable Corsola here. Hell I can go out and catch a couple Sentrets." A flurry of Pokémon he's seen come to mind, any of them before her.
'You know they won't be enough.' It responds.
"Then I'll lose. I can't put her through that. But I think you doubt me."
'Of course I doubt you, who else would? And you're making a lot of decisions for her, aren't you?' It gives a somewhat menacing laugh.
"Don't you have anything productive to add? Like anything at all?" His gaze lingers on the still sleeping Vulpix, despite his conversation with himself.
'Just ask Corsola if they feel pain. They can respond non-verbally. You'll know then how ethical your little experiment is.' The mocking tone is palpable.
"Not a bad idea. We should do this more often. Without the patronizing." He turns back to the fish bowl.
'Next time, we'll talk about how Elm is leading you on and you're playing right into his hands! You are but a pawn in the Chessboard of life~' The voice becomes sing-song like.
"Yeah, no. Future problems. Let's go find that Corsola." With a push, he stands up and quietly exits the room. Or at least tries to. As he leaves, he spots Vulpix staring at him. "Just going to find Corsola, okay? I'll be right back. Promise." Waiting a few seconds, she slowly closes her eyes once more.
'Now, if I were a block of sentient coral, where would I be. That's silly, water. I'd rather not have to go to the pond. Let's check Elm's office first.' He steps a few doors down, and gently yet firmly knocks on the door.
A muffled "Come in!"
Twist the knob, push in, enter office.
Same cluttered mess, now with added Professor! And also a Corsola in a small aerated tank.
"Ah, Nick! What can I do for you? Settling in alright?" He sets down the papers he was reading and faces the trainer.
Nick gives a little wave. "Just wanted to see your Corsola! Have some of its coral, wanted to ask a question. I'd like to split the piece I have but I'm not sure if they reproduce via budding and I'm inadvertently causing pain. The few books I've seen have nothing on the topic, so I figured I'd see a firsthand source."
The Professor gives a nod. "I see, can't say I know the answer to that one, my research into Corsola's specifically was primarily on inter-special breeding. Less so asexual reproduction. Feel free to inquire." He'll wave towards the coral tank.
Taking two steps, Nick bends over slightly to get to eye level. "Hey lil buddy, we meet again." Corsola smiles. "Can you hear me okay?" They'll give a little wiggle nod. "Perfect, so, remember that piece of coral you gave me earlier? It's growing now, which I'm happy about, but I wanted to know if I split it in two, does that cause pain?"
The little coral Pokémon rotates its body slightly and narrows its beady eyes. 'Was that too complex a concept?'
After several seconds of silence with only the blurble of the fish tank as noise, Corsola shakes it's body.
"Huh, okay then. Hopefully that's all I need. Thank you very much, little friend." He gives them a little wave. They wiggle in response.
"Well, that's all I really needed from them. Thank you very much as well, Professor." Giving them a nod of their head.
"Not a problem at all! Need anything else?" Elm gives a small smile.
"Actually…" Nick pauses a moment. "Why were the rangers in town, anyways? Told me not to worry, but it is mildly concerning."
Elm lets out a sigh. "There's some shenanigans afoot. I'm not privy to much of it, and frankly, the less I know, the better. But from what I do know, they're investigating to try and determine the cause behind how and or why you end up here and either stopping or reversing that."
The trainer rubs his forehead. "Fantastic." He says, mulling over the new information. 'Could he be lying? Maybe, but also can I actually do anything about it?'
"And do you trust those rangers and whoever they work for?" He asks, maintaining eye contact with the Professor and observing him closely.
The prof's eyes lose focus as he gazes at the wall behind the blonde boy. "They have good intentions, even if they have… questionable methods. The less you interact, the better in my opinion."
'Delightful.' Nick gives a sigh. "Well, thank you for the insight. Any chance you'll reveal your source of information?"
Professor Elm regains some semblance of happiness. "Heh, sadly, no. Not yet at least. In due time. Just keep on with your activities, which speaking of, have anything to report? Any new fascinating revelations you've made?"
Nick shrugs. "Just that literature is woefully underdeveloped and that is a pet peeve of mine I am going to address. Also, Totodiles have sharp teeth. Which I'm documenting for what it's worth."
With a nod, "A good starting point! Plan on publishing your detailed findings?"
"That's the plan at least. Though I feel like it'll be fairly benign. A nice, proper, dry paper of information." The trainer recalls his years in academia. "But hey, that's my forté."
"All progress is good progress, don't forget that. And keep your head up, eh? What you learn from Corsola will likely apply to most Pokémon you work with. Given your history and all. Though, I'm not sure how much of it will apply to your Vulpix." He places a finger over his mouth. "Truly a fascinating turn of events. A proper dichotomy, a man of the ocean paired with a creature of fire. Ironic, is it not?"
The man of the ocean rolls his head back. "Yeah, real ironic. Wish I could tell you how or why, but alas. I know as much as a gold fish."
With a hearty laugh, "Hah! At least you know what you don't know. That's an important step forward in growing as a person."
"Alright well this conversation raised more questions than answers. Suppose I should go look into that coral project. Maybe pet Villy. Contemplate the nature of life, the universe, everything." Nick steps towards the door.
"Don't dwell on it too much, it'll consume you. You may never know the answers to any of these questions, only thing you can do is enjoy the now. To dwell on the why distracts from the present." The Professors face falls into a slight sadness.
"I'll try, Professor. It's hard, but I'll try. Thanks again, for basically everything." With a twist, the door opens once more.
"'Tis not a problem, good luck on the studies, and do try not to lose any fingers to Totodile." Professor Elm returns to his papers.
With a step and a creak, the door closes once more.
He begins his walk back to his room.
'One step forward, two steps back. Least I can move forward with the Corsola project.' A slow turn of his door, even slower opening as to ideally not disturb Vulpix, and a muted step into the room.
'She's still sleeping, that's good at least. Not sure if I should work and risk waking her. Though I'm sure she wouldn't mind.' With a moment of indecision, he approaches the bed. 'It can wait a bit.'
Carefully climbing onto it taking care to avoid disturbing the fox, he snuggles gently into the warmth and comfort therein.
End of Chapter 7.
Another brief excursion from writing by me, The Relic. After video review, the puck did not cross the line, no goal.
I've decided to give this a fresh start. I'd already written this chapter, figured I'd post it for the heck of it. I shan't ramble and instead will just improve upon the flaws. Went better than I anticipated, all things considered. If you want some more genuine and proper Marine Researcher shenanigans featuring the best of water, feel free to check out the next thing I post here! If you're wanting more cute wholesome Villy times, worry not, I'll swing around to my planned slice of life story soon.
Thank y'all for reading up this far, it means a lot to me how many people read, favourited, and reviewed. Hopefully you'll come back but if not, thanks for spending the time you did here with me. c: