June 2nd, 1978, 1500

I watched in fascination as the newborn Larvitar trundled around the cabin, curiously looking at everything it could get its hands on. Paws? He didn't have hands, but paws didn't fit either. Claws, I finally settled on. The saurian pokémon stood just over two feet tall but was much denser than expected. Although the egg and incubator weighed just over ten kilos, the pokémon must have weighed fifty kilograms or more of rock-hard scales. It was evident how heavy he was by the plodding sounds that were easily audible as he explored the cabin.

Pokémon regularly broke all known laws of physics, so I had been expecting this, but I didn't realize the baby Larvitar would be so absurdly heavy. I sincerely hoped he could keep up on his own since I didn't want to keep him in his pokeball or, Arceus forbid, carry him.

Eon tentatively padded up to Larvitar before pausing to see how he would react. When the baby pokémon only looked up at her expectantly, she seemed to take this as tacit approval. She moved forward to give his head a good grooming.

She cleared any remaining eggshells on his body before gently licking him dry. Larvitar seemed to enjoy it and gave a soft "Lar-lar, vi-vi" of contentment. After watching this for a few moments, Nana seemed unimpressed and plodded off outside in what I assumed was an effort to find some prey. Nana had always been formal and aloof, and I wasn't shocked at his lack of interest in the baby pokémon. I hoped he would warm up eventually.

I was, however, pleasantly surprised at Eon's display of maternal energy. I had been raising these two for years and had never seen them display anything much in the way of nurturing actions. They worked together, but it was clearly more like co-workers rather than anything more personal.

"Larvitar, that pokémon that just ran off is Nana, and this here is Eon. They're my other pokémon and will be working closely with you. I'm glad to see your first meeting is going well," I explained with a grin as I moved from my seated position on the bed to join them in the center of the cabin.

"You must be hungry?"

"LAR!" the pokémon bellowed enthusiastically, clearly understanding my meaning even though he had just joined the world. I consulted my guide, pulling it out of my pack.

"Larvitar's diet consists entirely of rocks. Due to its slow speed, it is believed to be an evolutionary development meant to promote growth in the absence of abundant prey. Researchers hypothesize that Larvitar may grow faster on a normal pokémon diet, but nothing has been clearly substantiated due to lack of samples."

"Okay, this sounds a bit weird, but I guess you eat rocks?" I muttered skeptically as I looked critically down at my smallest team member.

"Tar! Tar!" Larvitar confirmed with a curt nod as he dispelled any concerns I might have about him not understanding me.

"Okay, let's go find you some tasty rocks then. I still want to see what happens if you eat a normal carnivorous diet. Hopefully, Nana finds us something good to work with."

I decided that instead of looking for Nana, I would just wait for him to return when he saw fit. He was a grown pokémon and could take care of himself and deal with just about anything we might encounter in this area besides maybe an adult Kangaskhan.

I noticed Ellie's pokémon looking at us excitedly as their trainer continued dozing fitfully in the sweltering afternoon heat. Unfortunately, This cabin lacked air conditioning, and I was frankly at a loss as to how Ellie managed to sleep in this environment.

"River, Petal, keep an eye on Ellie for me, will you? I doubt anyone will enter our cabin, but if they do, wake up Ellie."

"Totodile," River said formally with a deep nod as he calmly accepted the burden I had placed on him. Petal looked on at him with condescension evident in her eyes. She clearly didn't trust the little water type much, and he wilted as recognition dawned in his eyes at her reaction.

"Bulba-bul," Petal said as if to confirm that she, and not River, would keep watch over Ellie. River looked on in indignation. Between the two of them, I was confident they would wake Ellie if anything went wrong.

Exiting the small cabin, I realized I had made the right call; it was hot. Far too hot to be traipsing around. The afternoon heat was absolutely stifling when paired with the natural humidity in the region. If we had continued traveling, we would have been dehydrated and exhausted in no time.

Our little troop set off, looking for any indications of a rock deposit. Most of the area in Route 14 was tropical, with lush greenery abounding. If there were going to be any rock deposits, we were likely going to have to walk closer to the coast.

As we walked toward the edge of the camp, I observed Larvitar carefully. The guidebook had been correct; this line of pokémon was slow. I was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt since he had just hatched after all, but compared to my other pokémon, this would take some getting used to. Eon and I had to slow our pace and sometimes wait outright for the baby pokémon to catch up.

We had nearly made it to the edge of the large clearing, and I was preparing to head down towards the coast when a familiar voice called out behind me, "Where do you think you're going? It's not safe to just waltz into the forest like that."

I turned around and caught the gaze of the trainer I had beaten earlier that day, Dani. She had walked out from behind one of the other cabins on the edge of the encampment and was headed my way.

"I have my pokémon here; it's not a big deal," I countered. "Besides, I'm familiar with this area and have traveled this route before. I appreciate the concern, though," I said politely.

"You sure are confident," Dani noted as she approached us. "Do you mind if I join you then? I've never been here before and didn't feel comfortable exploring alone. Also, pardon my rudeness, but what is that," Dani asked as she gestured towards Larvitar.

"Tar! La," Larvitar proudly explained, gesturing to himself as if that covered it. I was quietly relieved that I didn't have a timid pokémon on my hands. That type of personality would be ill-suited for what was required of him.

I pondered momentarily, weighing the pros and cons before deciding there was no reason to say no. "I don't see a problem with it. Do you have a third? I assume your Venonat and Beedrill are still recovering from earlier."

I gestured at Larvitar as he curiously examined the nearby cabin. "As for this guy, I haven't come up with a name for him yet, as he just hatched a few minutes ago. He's a Larvitar, but it's not a species native to Kanto. He just hatched from his egg, and we're trying to find him some dinner. He eats rocks," I added helpfully as I stepped into the forest.

Dani followed suit behind us, easily keeping up with our admittedly slow pace. "I have two more, but I'd rather not use them if I can help it. I inherited a Rapidash from my dad, but he's not that obedient yet, and I don't want anyone to get hurt because I can't manage my pokémon. Scyther, my final pokémon is a bit… aggressive?"

I felt my respect for her grow; it was probably difficult to resist the urge to use a stronger pokémon in battle, even if you didn't have complete control.

"That makes a lot of sense. Scythers are notoriously dangerous, and Rapidash can be very difficult to manage. My father also has a Rapidash, incidentally. Did you inherit him for the Gym Challenge?" I asked as we continued wading through the jungle.

"Something like that," Dani responded evasively. "But enough about me, can you tell me more about Larvitar? I've never even heard of that species before."

"Ha, nice try. I just met you, and you think I'll just tell you something like that? Can you at least tell me a bit about yourself first? I find it slightly suspicious that you managed to catch me right before I left camp. I ask you one question about yourself, and you're already saying, 'Enough about me.' That's not how it works. Who are you?" I pressed. I stopped and caught her gaze directly to catch her off guard and get the truth.

"Okay, you're right. I'll admit I came on a bit too strong. My name is Daniella Fiore, but you can call me Dani! I'm from Fuchsia City, and this is my second year attempting the gym challenge. It's a pleasure to meet you," she declared with a slight inclination of her head.

I was caught entirely off guard by her earnest response and could feel my face reddening. I tried to ignore it in the hopes that she wouldn't notice.

"I'm Mare Seiichi. That was a lot more formal than I was expecting. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," I managed to stammer out awkwardly. I inwardly cursed; I had never been this frazzled before.

"Seiichi? As in the Seiichi clan?" Dani asked with her eyebrows raised before her face relaxed into a genuine smile.

I only nodded in response, preferring not to say anything more than was necessary to preserve my dignity before I made a fool of myself.

"That honestly makes me feel a lot better. After you beat me so handily, I figured there was more to the story, so I kept an eye out for your party. But I promise I'm not a stalker! I just wanted to talk," she attested, flapping her hands frantically in front of her.

The discrepancy between her previously cold demeanor was striking, and I couldn't help but feel endeared towards her. She reminded me of myself, if I was being honest.

"I don't know, you do seem like the stalker type," I said seriously as I eyed her skeptically, trying to play it up to see how she reacted.

"No, I swear! I'm just sick of traveling with the group I'm with! I thought it would be good practice, but they're all first-years, and none are very good! I'm basically a glorified teacher slash babysitter, and it's been awful. It's only been a day, and I already can't handle it!"

I chuckled, happy she didn't catch my sarcasm. My jokes never worked at home, so this was a pleasant change. "I'm just joking with you! I wouldn't know what a stalker type is anyway. I haven't spent much time with people my age," I admitted sheepishly.

"Are they really that bad? The first years, not the stalkers," I clarified quickly as I saw her confused look.

She shrugged. "They're not that bad for first years. I just had my hopes up high that I could train and learn something from them," she elaborated as we continued our journey to the shore. "Why haven't you spent much time with people your age? You seem to get along just fine with your companion."

"Are they amenable to matches frequently, at least?" I asked quizzically. I felt a plan forming, but I needed some more details. "Ellie and I just met yesterday, anyway. We're something of forced family friends."

"Uh, I guess so? That's a weird way to ask that. I've done a few matches with them since yesterday, so they're open to battles, even though they've only lost. They seem motivated, to say the least. There are six of them, and they've been friends for years, as far as I can tell. They found me on the way out of town and begged me to let them join. This area is hazardous for most travelers, and it made more sense to go in a group than alone."

"That's a smart plan. If I wasn't familiar with this area, I would have searched for a group as well. What do you want Dani? Are you asking to join Ellie and I?" I asked her directly.

"Wow, you really don't beat around the bush, do you?" Dani said as she eyed me speculatively.

"No, I don't. I've never thought much about it because I'm usually just at home with family or our staff. Is that a yes?"

We had just reached the edge of the bluffs overlooking the deep blue water. It was probably around two or three in the afternoon, but you could immediately feel the temperature difference closer to the ocean. A cool mist rose up as the waves lapped gently at the shore. There wasn't much wind, so the ocean appeared relatively calm, but we could still almost taste the salt in the air. We both sighed audibly in relief at the welcome change.

I looked at Dani to observe her joyfully taking in the scenery. Her dark hair hung limply over her shoulders, damp with sweat. Her braid had come partially undone since our battle earlier, but if anything, that only added to her charm.

"It's so beautiful! Even though I'm from Fuchsia, I never tire of seeing the ocean! It's much better after a long hike than just going to the beach anyway."

Dani turned back towards me to answer my question, "And yes, I was planning on asking you to travel with us for a while, and then if it went well, I was going to ask you and your companion if I could join you. That's doubly true now that I know you're from the Seiichi."

A smile broke onto my face as I answered her, "I think that might work perfectly. Larvitar needs weaker pokémon to battle against until he grows stronger. I plan for him to take down Kuon's entire team in Vermilion since his ground and rock typing nullifies anything he can throw at us. Your friends might do the trick if what you've said is true. Ellie doesn't seem well suited for battle, so I'm not sure I can rely on her for the training I'm planning," I confided ruefully before turning to her directly.

"How serious are you about this whole thing? If this is your second year, how far did you make it last year? Why do you even want to be a trainer?"

Before she could answer, Larvitar tugged on my leg urgently, "Tar! Tar!" he cooed while gesturing at the ocean with wide eyes.

"Wait, let's get down these cliffs, and then you can answer my questions. We could cool off in the water while Larvitar finds some rocks for dinner."

Dani looked perplexed at my comment but decided to let it go for now. "Sounds good to me! Lead on," Dani said as she stepped aside with the classic 'ladies first' gesture.

I ignored her confused expression and started searching for some handholds to begin our descent down the rocky face. True to his Rock typing, Larvitar was much less clumsy on the cliffs, and I noticed him casually snacking on some loose shale. His strong teeth easily crunched through the brittle material.

I wondered if it mattered what kind of rock he ate or if it would affect his growth whatsoever. Were rocks like carbohydrates for him, or protein? I vowed to carry on the research that was still wanting from the guidebook I had on his species.

It took us fifteen minutes to make it down to the shore. I was impressed; even after the strenuous trek downwards, Dani breathed evenly. I could tell she worked out frequently. Fit or not, we were both drenched with sweat at this point. Although it was technically downhill, it required enough dexterity that it was much more challenging than simply romping through the forest as we had been thus far. Eon and Nana, with their animal grace, had easily beaten us and were waiting down on the beach.

Eon was calmly grooming herself, and I could easily hear her contented purrs even from where I stood near the cliffs. Nana proudly displayed the results of his successful hunt; a semi-charred Rattata corpse lay at his feet. His tail wagged as he waited expectantly for my reaction.

"Good boy! It doesn't even look too burnt. Nice work on your control," I congratulated as I knelt down to start slicing out a portion for Larvitar with the knife I kept at my waist. True to my word, the small rat pokémon was charred but not completely carbonized. Nana, as a fire pokémon, naturally liked more burnt meat, and I had been working on training him to make it more palatable for other pokémon.

Dani looked at me with abject horror as I completed my grisly task with a detached sense of professionalism. "What are you doing? Why did your Growlithe kill that poor Rattata?" she shouted, her face contorting into a grimace of disgust.

Unbothered, I picked up the cuts of meat I had selected and brought them over to Larvitar, who was peacefully gnawing away at the cliff face, utterly oblivious to everything around him.

As I set the meal down next to him, he looked up at me and cocked his head with confusion, "Lar? Vitar?"

"I'm thrilled that you have found an easy and free meal source, but I want you to try this as well. Given your teeth and build, I suspect your species was once fully carnivorous and adapted to eat rock during famines. This is pokémon meat, and carnivores will never grow optimally if they are only fed on store-bought pokémon food," I informed the hungry pokémon, who didn't appear to be absorbing what I was saying, distracted as he was with the meal.

I turned to Dani and attempted to explain. "Sorry for the unpleasant surprise. Nana must have been hungry when I encountered you. Considering you have completely herbivorous pokémon, it only makes sense that this is a shock. What do pokémon eat in the wild?" I asked in a tone a teacher might take with an unruly student.

"Plants?" she offered hopefully.

"Sometimes," I agreed. "But the full answer is that they eat whatever makes sense for their place in the ecosystem. Plant pokémon subsist on sunlight and water. Bug pokémon eat plants, and small mammalian pokémon forage for berries and insects. Bird pokémon eat berries, small pokémon, and occasionally plants if they're starving. And larger carnivores, like Larvitar's eventual evolution, eat everything else."

"In the wild, Growlithe have a diet made up almost entirely of Rattata or Pidgey if they're lucky. Due to our constant proximity to pokémon, many people feel uncomfortable thinking about what pokémon are like in the wild, and they choose to look away from the brutality of it. Pokémon may be many things, such as friends, partners, or even family, but they are still wild at their core, and there is inevitable savagery as a result."

As I explained the Seiichi outlook on pokémon to Dani, we watched as Larvitar happily tore into the semi-charred flesh, squealing with pleasure at the treat. His reaction answered my question; rocks could do the trick, but the Larvitar line was certainly no stranger to meat.

Dani resignedly shook her head, sitting away from me on another rock. She absently watched as my trio of hungry pokémon enjoyed their dinner.

"Okay. I'll admit I reacted a bit strongly to the poor Rattata. Everything you said made sense, but I never considered it like that. If I travel with you, will that happen daily?" she asked reluctantly.

I nodded in confirmation. "Most likely. Eon doesn't always eat meat, sometimes preferring Seiichi blend Eevee food, but the other two will probably eat a pokémon or two a day if they can catch them. I can order them to do it away from camp, though, if you like," I offered as a compromise.

"I would appreciate that," Dani said as she stood up. "Now, as much as I appreciate the stark lesson on pokémon brutality in the wild, I believe you had asked me several questions before we started down that exhausting cliff. I don't know about you, but I feel disgusting and sweaty and would like to go for a swim to wash off. I'll happily answer your questions if you'll join me?"

"You stink," she added as she started stripping down.