After a restful night of sleep, Clyde awakes to the slight hum of air conditioning. 'Ugh. Going to go broke keeping this running all the time. But also, it's comfortable.'

It was at this moment he realized that he was not in his bed at home. Instead, somewhere far, far away from home. The memories of yesterday's events come rushing back to him. He reaches into his pocket to verify the potential source of his way back was still there. A metallic warmth was reassuringly present, and he breathes a sigh of relief.

Looking around, he spots yesterday's companion still sleeping.

He quietly sneaks out of the room to the best of his ability. Proves to be surprisingly easy seeing as how he's still wearing yesterday's clothes and also has essentially no belongings to care about. 'Might as well poke around a bit before heading back.'

Heading into the hallway, there are several other doors presumably to other sleeping areas, as well as an escalator. Escalating said escalator, Clyde finds himself in the lobby; once bright daytime lighting now replaced with dimly lit fluorescent tubes. Just as one once was, Nurse Joy sits behind the reception desk, book in hand. As he reaches the peak of the escalator and steps off, she takes notice of him and gives a smile and small nod of greeting. Clyde returns with a small wave and moves to close the distance between himself and the reception desk.

Approaching, the pink haired nurse sets down the book and quietly asks, "Good morning, how may I be of service?"

Clyde thumbs towards the escalator he recently escalated, "Good morning to you as well! Two things. First, do you have a piece of paper and a pen? I'd like to leave a note for Lucas, let him know where I'll be."

Nurse Joy tilts her head quizzically. "Lucas?" She asks as she produces the requested pen and notepad.

Clyde nods. "Yeah, you know, guy I came in with? He's about yay high," he says, holding a hand up to the midpoint of his face, level with his nose, "black hair I think under a red cap he's basically always wearing, had a Turtwig who needed serious medical attention?"

The nurse's eyes go wide with recognition. "Oooh, you both must have spoken with my sister. We did get a Turtwig in last night, wasn't expecting to speak with the trainer or associate. Didn't double check his file in detail. Apologies for the confusion." She hands off the notepad and pen.

"Huh, never realized just how striking the resemblance was. Always thought it was just kind of surface level. Like the hair." He tries to recall the specifics behind the Nurse Joy he spoke to earlier. Nothing particularly stands out that differentiates her from this Nurse Joy. "My apologies, I'll have to be more careful in the future."

She shrugs. "I get it a lot, don't worry. Is there anything else?"

"Uh, yeah, how long will Turtwig be admitted for?" Clyde asks, mildly concerned about his compatriot's well-being at having his Pokémon locked away in a hospital. 'Feel bad, it's my fault after all.'

The nurse heaves a sigh. "If he's lucky, tomorrow at the earliest. We have the supplies needed to treat the injuries, just a matter of how long it takes for him to recover enough that he can leave."

The trainer nods, "Yeah, I'm surprised you're that optimistic on a timeframe. I'd expect a week at least, maybe a month. Haven't worked with turtles much. In any case, that's all from me. Thank you very much for your time and the pencil and paper."

As he begins to write a short note, the nurse silently smiles and returns to her book.

'Lucas, Oshawott and I are heading to the beach. Feel free to meet up with us, we'll be there a while. -Clyde'

'Might as well get a couple more pearls and make sure Oshawott eats well.' He finishes up the note, returns the pen to the nurse who is increasingly engrossed in their book, and turns away. 'I'll just toss this in the room and head out.'

De-escalating the escalator, he returns to their shared room and quietly cracks open the door. Sneaking in, he places the note on his bed and slips out. With nothing left to do, he departs, entering the dark world once more.


A clear morning, still engulfed in night. The moon sits ever present in the sky, illuminating the landscape. Clouds float lazily, occasionally obscuring the stars above. A peaceful night, surprising it may be. 'Guess we did sleep kind of early, but still.'

Taking in the city in the quiet of night, he orients himself and sets off towards where he believes the beach to be. An almost eerie silence takes hold as he can't hear so much as a single bug. Only the wind through the trees keeps him company as he walks. It's peaceful. No traffic, distant sounds of industry, emergency sirens. Just silence.

Eerie or not, it's a certainly pleasant change.

'Parks back home never fully escape the sounds of the city. And I can't really afford a vacation.' He wonders how long he can stay here without jeopardizing his employment. As he does so, he spots through a parting of trees in the distance the reflection of the moon visible off the dark quartz of the ocean. Continuing his walk, he breaches the tree line and takes in the sandy shores before him, crisp, mildly salty air overtaking him.

Despite the darkness, the moon clearly illuminates the area. White sand shining in the night, water reflecting the image of the distant celestial body, and stars offering their brief glimpses into the inky abyss that is the sky.

Walking deeper into the sand, he produces his newly acquired Pokéball and with a click, releases Oshawott. A brief flash momentarily blinds the trainer as they cover their eyes reflectively. It dissipates as quickly as it appears, but not without consequences. Clyde's vision would take time to readjust to its previous levels of night vision. Luckily, he now has a companion.

The shadow-obscured creature that is Oshawott moved around, presumably taking in their surroundings. They look up towards their newly appointed trainer, eyes glowing in the moonlight. While most of their form is hidden, their eyes shine like glowing orbs.

Approaching the water, Clyde takes a seat in the sand, fishing in his pocket for the pearls Oshawott had previously gifted him. The sea otter sits by his side as he finds and extracts them. They almost radiate a white light as the moon shines upon them. "Wonder if I could trade these for food. Or money. Sell it for money? Whatever." Breaking his gaze from the pearls, he looks out to the water, quiet sounds of water lapping against the shore breaking the silence.

"Well Oshawott, feel free to go for a swim if you'd like. I'll just be here, enjoying the late night. Maybe watch the sunrise if it's favourable." The ottermon looks up once more. "And hey, if you find anything nifty, maybe I can buy you a fish or something with it. A Magikarp? Is that even ethical? Like, do they have intelligence?" Clyde sighs. "I mean, cuttlefish are smart and we eat those, so. Octopus. Squid with calamari. Yeah it's fine. Maybe there's a fisherman I can find or something."

With a determined nod, Oshawott begins her hopping prance towards the water. A few splashes later, they swim into the murky depths. 'I'm glad she likes the water. Maybe I could be a good pet owner. Though she's definitely worth more than being called a pet. Wonder if they're content with fresh water as well. Pretty sure a lot of Pokémon go between fresh and salt.' The water, despite being broken by the swimming of the Pokémon, is still peaceful as ever.

Time slowly flies by as the darkness of the sky gradually fades and the new-morning sun rises. Unfortunately, the sun does not rise over the horizon. Though sad at that discovery, dawn approaches, granting a new light over the world. Down the beach, a pier makes itself visible being previously hidden under the cover of darkness. A lone individual stands holding a fishing rod, casting the line into the ocean.

Swimming deeper and deeper into the ocean, Oshawott finds herself explore more of the uncharted depths that was the Sinnoh coastline. More than once, Clyde lost sight of her for upwards of several minutes. Trying to supress his concern and failing, he stands and keeps a sharp eye out for the little otter. Each time they're lost, they breach the surface holding something new. Most often food, but occasionally something else.

Periodically, Oshawott returns with a gift. While snacking on mollusks, she finds two more pearls and passes them onto her trainer. Small, yet no-less beautiful. She also found a lost watch deeper in the water. 'Wonder if people lose cellphones while swimming as well. If it's waterproof, new phone! I could use an upgrade. Finders keepers is a thing here, right?'

With light inspection, the waterlogged watch resembles a Pokétch similar to what he saw earlier at the Pokémart. Aside from having been resident to the waves for an indeterminate amount of time, it still largely held its form appearing undamaged from the elements. "Maybe if I dry it off and get it charged, it'll work. I washed a phone once and that held up. Though if it's not waterproof, who knows?"

Setting that aside, careful to try and not let it collect sand, he returns his focus to the pearls as he looks out to the waves, scanning the horizon.

His eyes linger on the pier in the distance, still manned by a single fisher. 'Wonder if I could barter a fish for a pearl.' With a shrug, he stands and grabs the Pokétch. "Might as well find out. No harm in asking." Searching for Oshawott, who still swims happily, he waves towards them and gives a quiet shout while pointing. "I'm heading over to the pier, just meet me over there."

Oshawott gives an affirmative chortle in response and guides their swimming in roughly the direction indicated. They fiddle with a shell as they swim, one taken from their breakfast. 'Least she found a replacement for the one that got broken.'

With little else to do, Clyde sets out and begins his trek. The light of dawn giving enough to walk without worry, he strides towards the pier with a hopeful enthusiasm. 'Would be nice to get Oshy a fish. More than just eating oysters and clams and the like.' Shaking his head, 'I need a better nickname than Oshy. Lilly? Milly? I'll think on it.'

The walk takes him away from the water as wet sand takes over, the result of a lowering tide. Not willing to get his shoes covered in wet sand, he opts to keep his distance. Oshawott keeps pace with him, always as reasonably close as one can be while still able to swim. Despite the goal, they continue to search the shallow sea floor for treasures. Much less is found so close to shore. A scarce fish bones which they gnaw upon, a lost shoe which is briefly worn like a helmet, and on more than one occasion, broken Pokéball halves.

"Shame. Hope the Pokémon who used to inhabit those are okay." He says, wondering if its possible to repair a Pokéball. "Could be a fun project to fix them. Maybe catch a fish Pokémon or two. Wonder how long that would take."

Most of the short journey is spent in relative silence, simply enjoying the rising light of day and the calm sounds of the ocean at his side broken only by the occasional splashing of a happy otter.

As the pair approach the pier, the brief sound of a line being cast radiates.

Clyde's approach is not without notice as the fisher watches them walk and swim, man and Pokémon respectively.

Shoes walking on creaking wood, the trainer approaches the edge of the old pier. Oshawott swims below the weather-worn planks.

"Good morning, doing some early fishing?" Clyde asks, voice high with hope and enthusiasm.

"Yep." The man replies, eyes focused on the point his line meets the water.

Clyde shuffles, "Get many good catches?" He asks, looking towards the cooler at the man's side.

"Couple." They respond, paying no more attention to the trainer.

Clyde waves towards Oshawott and motions them up. With a silent nod, they swim towards the coastline.

"Only a couple? Shame, I was wondering if you would be interested in a trade. My Oshawott found a few pearls, hoping I could maybe offer one for a fish for them? They're not quite up to hunting as it stands. Still young and all." Oshawott makes their way to the sand and begins their sort of gallop up the shore and around to the edge of the pier.

The fisher sighs. "That's why the fish are skittish this morning. Saw something, figured it was a Mantine." He rolls his shoulders as he reels in the fishing line. "Still, got enough for today. Y'said pearls?"

Clyde produces one of the pearls, only half a centimeter in size and shows it off to the individual before him.

"Well I'll be damned. What do you want for it?" He asks, his voice rough as his gaze lingers upon the shining mineral.

The otter begins their gallop across the pier, slight flops echoing. "Fish for the otter, if that's alright. Sorry about ruining the catch for this morning."

He looks between the pearl and the cooler. "Y'alright. Got six today, I'll grab two and the box and you can have the rest."

Clyde blinks. "Oh, uh. Thank you, honestly, but I really only need the one. Oshawott is still small and my skills at filleting fish is non-existent."

The fisher shrugs. "Pearls worth a bit, sure you don't want nothing?"

Thinking over his brief time here thus far, he thinks of one thing.

"You catch any other fish in these waters? I'd love something other than a Karp. A Mantine would be incredible, they'd keep Oshawott good company." Oshawott approaches the pair and stands up straight, eyes flicking between their trainer and the fisher.

The man looks between the trainer and their Pokémon. "Trainer eh? Makes sense." He looks towards the ocean. "We do get some Mantyke and Mantine swimming up around here sometimes. Never caught one, don't want to. Otherwise, Remoraids swim up sometimes. Wailord out in the distance. Tentacools beach sometime soon, as they do. Krabby, Shelder, Kingler. Quite a few options. Oh, Finneon are a common sight too. Goldeen. Plenty of fish out here, anything catch your ear?" He asks, turning back to the trainer.

Clyde nods at the borderline encyclopedic knowledge of the local catches, mildly overwhelming. "Remoraid, that's familiar for some reason. Can't remember why." He rests his head on one of his hands, shifting his weight to one side. "Anyways, yeah a Mantine or Mantyke!" He nearly shouts, a rising excitement taking over. "Always wanted a ray. How hard do you think it'd be to catch one? I'd love to see a second Pokémon before leaving."

The fisher looks towards the ocean once again. "Depends on the day, weather, how far out you go, and how lucky you are. If you had a Vaporeon, I'd say it's simple. They get along with everything. Oshawott, though?" He strokes his chin, dark stubble marring his skin. "Can't say I'm too familiar with them. Wouldn't know. Suppose you'd just have to go out and try. Or you can always sit by the pier and wait. They swim up every so often. Them and their algae. Though you'll have to stick around, at that."

The trainer nods. "I'll have to keep an eye out, then. Though knowing my luck, I won't find one in time. Which is fine. I'm happy enough with Oshy here. In any case, thank you again for the fish. Here's your pearl." With a flourish, he hands over the shining pearl. The fisher accepts it and grabs a Karp, handing it over in the process.

"Here's your Karp. With that, I'll be off. Gotta gift this pearl to the missus." He passes off the Karp, closes up the cooler, and heaves it up. "Good luck with your Mantyke hunt." Without missing a beat, the fisher leaves. Each step gives a heavy thud against the wood.

Clyde looks down to Oshawott. "Well? Got you some fish. Something a bit better and different than oysters. Clams? Whatever." Moving to the edge of the pier, he sits and sets the fish to his side. "Feel free to take it into the water if you want. I won't be offended." Not even waiting for their trainer to finish, they grab the fish and drag it into the water below. Falling first, it pulls it down and both fish and otter land with a splash.

"Didn't waste any time, I see. I hope that it's tasty and worth it. Though I suppose you did work for it." Floating with the waves, Oshawott chows down on their veritable feast of a breakfast.

Clyde looks out towards the water, idly dreaming about the possibilities. 'What all would I do if I did stay here? With all the Pokémon, I could stock a full aquarium. Crabs, multiple fish, a ray even. Think there's sharks but no friendly ones.' His eyes linger upon Oshawott and her Magikarp. 'Wonder how hard it'd be to keep a Gyarodos.'

He chuckles. "As if. I can keep an otter as a pet, there's no way I could sneak a Gyarodos. Plus feeding one seems like a Sisyphean task. No thank you." Looking at Oshawott happily swimming. "Suppose it's good Oshawott can basically feed themselves." Watching them eat and swim, it's still remarkable how similar to real sea otters they are. "Wonder if they have zoos here. Could check out the Oshawott exhibit if they did. There's a thing I could do. Work with animals here. Pokémon? Pokémon. Though I guess I've already been conscripted into being a trainer. Wonder just how well it actually pays, Lucas never did say."

With a sigh, his eyes drift back towards the horizon. "Can't pay any worse than the aquarium does. Maybe I can afford a home here. Or a retirement." He places a hand over his pocket, feeling the bell within. "I don't have to decide yet. I gave myself the day."

Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he instead returns to thinking about the Pokémon the fisherman listed before. 'Said a Vaporeon would help. Wonder how hard it'd be to find one. Or an Eevee. Or any of the Eeveelutions. They're not the best but flexible. And adorable as all hell.' He remembers his Eevee plushie fondly. 'Very cute. Probably make great companions, too. Give an Eevee to a kid and without knowing, the kid chooses the best Eeveelution for them. Spend time near water, Vaporeon. Cold climate, Glaceon.' The idea of being given a Pokémon at a young age, growing, exploring the world together.

"Suppose kids here are lucky. Can't hold onto my resentment." He mutters as conflicted emotions battle, ones of hope and prosperity clashing against the despair of the past.

As he stares vacantly ahead, a large distant splash erupts from the water as a Wailmer breaches. His eyes focus and he becomes transfixed by the display. 'Better than whale watching. This is Wailmer watching. Whole different League. Sinnoh League.'

The Wailmer crashes against the water, sinking into its depths. Minutes pass as he watches, hoping to see another yet the only thing he spots are silent waves.

With nothing pressing, he continues his watch. Ever vigilant for more local fauna and ensuring Oshawott isn't getting into trouble.

Time slips by as his gaze lingers.

Water recedes and returns, waves batter the pier, and Oshawott has a grand time exploring.

It isn't until footsteps appear behind him that he focuses on something that's not the ocean before him. Turning his gaze to his rear, he spots a familiar figure. "Hey Lucas." Clyde speaks for the first time in a while. "How's your morning?" He asks.

Lucas grumbles as he approaches. "Turtwig should be hopefully released tomorrow. But he'll still need some medical care, to be careful, and cannot battle. At all. They couldn't stress that enough."

Clyde gives a solemn nod. "I'm sorry to hear that. Had I known that was a possibility, I'd have held back."

With an aggressive shake of his head, "Absolutely not!" Lucas shouts. "It's only by pushing the limits can we grow as trainers! If you held back, I wouldn't have learned about some of the flaws Turtwig has and we couldn't adapt! Now we know and are better for it!"

Giving a shrug, Clyde returns his gaze to the ocean as Lucas takes a seat by his side.

"Plus," Lucas adds, "you learned more about Oshawott! You know that their shell can be used to crack things but is also at risk of breaking. A gamble, but in the heat of the moment, that gamble can win!"

Clyde nods at his compatriots' words. "You're not wrong. Still, I'm sorry that Turtwig needs this much treatment. Which is still a lot less than I was expecting given the injuries but hey, not looking a gift horse in the mouth."

Tilting his head, Lucas inquires. "Why do you think it'd take longer?"

"A cracked shell is not joke for a turtle. The shell is part of their skeleton. It is for sea turtles, at least. Probably the same for tortoises. A break in that is… terrifying. To say the least." Clyde shivers at the thought. "For bones and cartilage to heal, that should take weeks or months under very healthy conditions to not have anything worse develop.

Lucas looks down. "Oh." Is all he can say as he looks down towards his dangling feet.

"But." Clyde continues, trying to think of a way to salvage this. "Pokémon are resilient, they can bounce back from almost anything. Turtwig will be good as new before you know it. Especially with the Joys' help."

This time Lucas nods. "Anyways, how's Oshawott been? Good day so far?"

"Absolutely, got them a Karp from a fisher, traded a pearl and learned a bit about some of the Pokémon out here. Saw a Wailmer, want to see a Mantyke or Mantine. I'd love to catch one but I lack the luck and Pokéballs needed. Oshawotts' been having a blast though, happy as a clam." He ponders the saying. "Actually she had a couple, can't imagine they're that happy at being otter food. But still happy none-the-less."

Lucas turns to his friend, eyes wide. "We should get you another Pokémon before we set out on our adventure as trainers! Especially if you already know what you want! I'm still thinking about it. It's so hard to choose! Especially since we're kind of limited out here. Unless you want a water type, at least!"

A small smile shines from Clyde. "Your enthusiasm is contagious. Adventure though, you say? I'm not sure if I'm up for an adventure. But I do kind of want to get a Mantyke. Though I don't know when I'm leaving, so."

"Nonsense! Why leave when you just got here? And just became a certified trainer! Card and all! It's like it was fated! You coming to Sinnoh and immediately getting signed up for trainer by this regions Professor?!" Lucas slaps the shoulder of his friend. "You gotta stick this out! We can make it to the Elite Four together! Always working with each other to get stronger! And when Barry comes back, we can all hang out! You, me, him Dawn, just like the good ol' days! Except also with you!"

"Alright, alright, I'll think about it." He ponders. 'Would it be so bad?' Oshawott splashes towards the pair. "Maybe. Say, do you know how one would go about getting a Vaporeon? They're apparently great for navigating the fauna of the ocean."

Lucas scrunches his face in thought. "Unless you get an Eevee and evolve him either with a stone or just naturally by water, you'd have to probably buy one! They're like, super rare. For so many reasons. But it's not impossible to find one out in nature. Who knows, maybe if you get enough water types, you'll attract the attention of one?" He shrugs. "No idea! I've never really cared for the Eeveelutions myself."

"That's fair." Clyde mulls over his associates' words. "In any case, anything you'd like to do today? I've just been here, probably will be for a while longer. I'll have to eat eventually, too but."

"Well!" Lucas chirps. "We're going to see about getting you another Pokémon! I can't really do much without Turtwig so we might as well focus on you!"

Clyde blinks in mild disbelief. "O-Okay. I guess? Don't we need Pokéballs? I don't have any, and I can't afford any."

Lucas shakes his head and stands. "We shall speak to the professor! No doubt he can lend us a few balls each! Then we can go out hunting for Pokémon! Maybe I'll find a Garchomp! Or a Luxray!"

'Luxray is a Shinx evolution, right? And Garchomp is… Well, Cynthia uses one. Can't imagine either of those are easy to find. Shinx might be, but not Luxray.' Clyde lets a slow sigh spill from him. "You never know what you might find, though I'd temper expectations a bit. I'm fully expecting to find a Magikarp at best. Least I might get a Gyarodos out of it long term, not that I can handle having one."

"I'm confident I'll find the best Pokémon! Now come on! We gotta talk to the Prof!" Lucas begins a confident stride back up the pier.

With an aggressive wave towards Oshawott, Clyde calls out. "Come on back, Oshy!" Reluctantly, Oshawott begins swimming back to shore as Clyde stands and makes his up the pier, following in Lucas' footsteps. Oshawott quickly surpasses him as he walks.

The trio reunite where the wood meets sand. With little prodding, Oshawott requests uppies. Clyde happily obliges, picking up the salty wet otter and carrying them as they walk back towards town. 'Wet sand? Bad. Wet Otter? Good.'

Minutes stretch as the morning sun beats down upon them. The pair walk, eager to reach the shade provided by the tree line and re-enter town.


Returning to town, the trio, one carried, deftly navigate the streets that are now much more lively compared to the pre-morning darkness.

Approaching the lab, it seems as quiet as ever. Lucas wastes little time as he climbs the steps and knocks firmly on the door. A faint voice from within calls "Come in!"

Lucas opens the door and presses inward. Clyde and Oshawott follow behind closely.

The previous days chaos is largely cleared. Where there was once disorder there is now organization. Where anarchy reigned, structure rules.

In the center, Dawn stands flipping through a series of books. To her side, a couple small red devices sit. "Perfect timing, we just found these and have been waiting to hand them out. Already got mine setup so if you need help, I'll be more than happy to!" She produces a device from her pocket and presents it. "Fresh from Kanto!"

Lucas' looks on in awe. "Wait… Is that. A. Pokédex? I thought only friends of Professor Oak got those! They're like, the most useful thing a trainer can have!" He rushes over and picks up one of the two on the table. "And this is for us?!" His enthusiasm radiates. "This can't be real. I'm dreaming. There's no way."

The girl smiles. "It's real, we three are tasked with cataloguing all the Pokémon in Sinnoh, seeing what all we can find and getting conclusive, hard evidence, details, and information. A true task before us!"

With a few clicks, the device comes to life in Lucas' hands. "Yesss!" He squeals.

Clyde walks towards the table and sets Oshawott down upon it.

Dawn gives a quiet "Awweeee, so cute. I want one." Clyde raises an eyebrow but says nothing. Oshawott investigates the other Pokédex for a few moments before passing it to their trainer who accepts it graciously.

"This is the supposed Pokédex, eh? Neat." He turns it on and is met with a loading screen. Looking to the other apprentice. "Well, while this loads and Lucas is infatuated with it, he wanted to know of the Professor would loan a couple Pokéballs. We were going to maybe look for a second Pokémon for me. His insistence, not mine."

Giving a smile and nod, Dawn stands, approaches a cabinet, and cracks it open. She grabs a small box of Pokéballs and places it on the table. "Ten Pokéballs, five for each. Courtesy of the lab."

Opening the box, he finds several red and white spheres. 'Those are Pokéballs, all right.'

"Just take five, then?" Clyde asks, grabbing one.

Dawn gives an affirmative nod. As she does, the Pokédex beeps and requests a trainer ID. 'Lucky I have one.'

With a short registration, the Pokédex blinks to life, ever waiting to be used.

"Alright!" Lucas shouts. "We got a Pokédex! Let's go find some Pokémon! C'mon, Clyde!" Without so much as waiting for a reply, he sprints out of the building.

Clyde sighs. "This is going to be a hassle; I can feel it. Anyways, Dawn, would you mind if I took you up on your offer of showing me how this works before I go out and try to find Lucas finding me a new Pokémon?"

A warm smile and a happy nod. "Gladly, here, we'll practice with Oshawott. I'm sure she'll volunteer to be your first Pokédex entry."

Oshawott lets forth a 'Mya!' of approval.

The two look over the device, analyzing Oshawott and gathering data uon them. A small moment shared, but a moment enjoyed.