xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rarest Level Ranch, 4:52 p.m. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As Marie and Adam looked on, the Pokémon Egg that was abandoned at the daycare glowed to signify it was finally hatching. While Marie and Adam shielded themselves from the intense brightness, they finally caught eyes with the Pokémon that was inside the red egg.

'"Huh?"' Marie and Adam thought simultaneously as they looked at the small creature standing on the counter.

On the front desk was a small red and black humanoid creature with a large head in the shape of a knight's helm. On top of its head was a slightly small flame as it locked its burning eyes in the direction of the two caretakers, both of whom who were unfamiliar with the Pokémon.

"Charca!" The burning Pokémon said as it raised its arms in the air.

"What's that?" Adam said, confused. "When I saw the egg, I thought it was going to hatch into a Slugma or a Magby..." He thought.

"Whatever it is, it's definitely not native to Johto." Marie said as she walked over to her nearby computer and proceeded to take the webcam and snapped a photo of the mysterious burning Pokémon.

"Look up its PokéDex entry." Adam said as Marie proceeded to open up her browser and used the photo to track down information.

"Charca-charchar!" The burning Pokémon said as it looked around at the interior of the ranch house before looking at Adam.

"Well... Hi?" Adam said as he got closer to the small humanoid.

"Char!" The burning Pokémon exclaimed as it proceeded to make a confrontational expression, glaring at Adam.

"Uh..." Adam muttered in surprise. "What was that?" He thought as he noticed the small burning Pokémon was continuing to lock eyes with him.

"Got it! It's called a "Charcadet."' Marie said as she looked over at Adam, catching her husband's attention. '"Charcadet, the Fire Child Pokémon, a Fire type. Possessing a fiery spirit, Charcadet will battle even tough opponents. It likes berries that are rich in fat, and it has been said that this Pokémon was once a piece of burnt charcoal brought to life."' She said as she read off the information on Charcadet.

"Chaaarr!" Charcadet shouted to catch Adam's attention, causing him to flinch slightly.

"I've never heard of this Pokémon." Adam said as he shifted his eyes towards Charcadet, still glaring at him.

"Online sources say that it's native to the Paldea region." Marie said as she closed the windows of information and walked over to her husband and the small burning Pokémon. "I've never been there so this is new territory for me too." She said as Charcadet proceeded to shift its attention towards her.

"Chhhaaarrr!" Charcadet muttered, glaring at Marie now. "Why are you looking at me now?" She thought with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you wanna do?" Adam questioned towards his wife.

"Normally when we get a Pokémon Egg that someone leaves behind, all we have to do is release it back into the wild somewhere." Marie said as she rubbed the back of her neck as Charcadet proceeded to shift its attention back and forth, glaring at both of the caretakers.

"Yeah, but this isn't a Pokémon native to the Johto region. And it just hatched from an egg too." Adam said. "I've seen my fair share of Seels I've had to send back into the ocean or Sandshrews back near the mountains... But where would this thing be safe to be release?" He thought.

"Which means it's probably not going to be able to handle itself out there." Marie said as she looked at her husband.

"Any ideas?" Adam said as he looked at Marie, the pair both no longer looking at Charcadet.

"Char! Char! Char!" Charcadet exclaimed as it began to stomp both of its tiny feet on the table at the fact it was being ignored until it faced away. "Chaaar..." It said further.

"You know anyone out in Paldea right now?" Marie asked towards Adam.

"Not really..." Adam replied.

"Maybe we could- huh?" Marie said until she shifted her eyes forward and noticed Charcadet was doing something.

"Caaadeet!" Charcadet exclaimed as it suddenly turned around, its burning eyes glowing with a red tint as Marie and Adam were suddenly covered in a red aura.

"Gah!" Marie screamed as she felt a chill down her spine.

"Pfftfah!" Adam grunted as him and his wife toppled to the floor.

"Frugh!" Marie muttered as she landed on her back.

"That was- urgh! "Astonish..."' Adam said as Charcadet jumped off the front desk and proceeded to run towards the living room.

"Charca!" Charcadet said as it stopped in front of the couch, tilted its head forward and proceeded to cause the fabric of the couch to catch fire.

"What the heck?!" Adam exclaimed as he and Marie looked over and noticed Charcadet was beginning to burn their sofa.

"Water! Water!" Marie shouted as she and Adam rushed back to their feet and proceeded to try and put out the fire, Marie running towards the nearby kitchen sink and filling a small bucket with water and Adam grabbing Charcadet from the floor to stop it from causing any more trouble.

"Hey! Hey!" Adam said as he held Charcadet in his hands, turning it so the Fire type Pokemon could face him. "What do you think you're doing!?" He questioned with a stern tone of voice.

"Charca!" Charcadet shouted as it thrashed about in his hands.

"Stop it! Calm down!" Adam said as he tried to maintain his grip on Charcadet as Charcadet proceeded to smack at Adam's hands to try and free itself. "Ow! Ow! What's with this thing!?" He thought as he winced with each hit Charcadet did as it struggled.

"Charcadet!" Charcadet said as it glared at Adam as he was taken aback by Charcadet's actions.

"Wait... Are you using "Leer" at me?" Adam said as he realized what Charcadet was doing.

As he held Charcadet, Marie quickly sprinted over to the couch before it could be completely burnt to a crisp and threw the bucket of water on it. Reaching over, she grabbed a blanket that hadn't been set ablaze and proceeded to use it to put out the fire, lifting and dropping it multiple times.

"Dear lord... Look at this, we're going to need a whole brand-new couch!" Marie exclaimed as she looked at the damage.

"Hey, Marie." Adam said as Marie shifted her attention towards her husband. "I think this Charcadet is trying to pick a fight." He said as he turned to look at Marie.

"Charca! Charca!" Charcadet shouted as Marie and Adam looked at the small humanoid Pokémon, its burning eyes giving off a vibe of confrontation.

"It attacked us with "Astonish" when we weren't paying attention then it set the couch on fire to try and give us a reason to fight it." Marie thought, attempting to understand Charcadet's actions. "Think we hatched a ball of fire..." She said as she put her hand on her cheek.

"Great, another Surskit." Adam said, unenthusiastically.

"No... No, Keats' Surskit was just a psycho. This little guy looks like he wants to prove himself straight out of the hatch." Marie said. "...Kinda respect that." She thought as Charcadet continued to use "Leer" to glare to Marie and Adam.

"You sound like you wanna fight him..." Adam said as he looked at his wife.

"...A part of me does but it wouldn't be much of a fight... Sableye just came home so I want him to rest... Don't know if Lopunny would be up for it though either." Marie thought as she looked at Charcadet.

"Charca! Charca!" Charcadet grunted as it started to thrash about again.

"Ow! Ow! First, I had to wait all day for some guy who wasn't coming here and now I am holding a Fire type Pokémon that won't stop trying to pick fights... Today has been a crap one..." Adam thought with aggravation slowly rising. "Charcadet." He said towards the small humanoid Fire type Pokémon as it stopped for a moment. "You want to battle, yeah?" Adam asked as Charcadet's eyes lit up with even more fire.

"Charca! Charca!" Charcadet said with a confrontational yet enthusiastic tone.

"...Could you wait until tomorrow morning?" Adam questioned as Charcadet went back to glaring.

"Charchar!" Charcadet said as it started to throw a tantrum in Adam's hands.

"And I thought dealing with trainer's Sneasels was rough..." Adam thought as Marie just looked at her tired husband.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rarest Level Ranch, 7:00 a.m. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day, Marie, dressed in her usual attire, was in the kitchen preparing coffee to start her workday as she walked over to window to see how the Pokémon were doing in the backyard.

"Chaaarca!" Charcadet said with a glare towards a group of Pidgey, Ledyba and Oddish.

"Keeps using "Leer."' Marie thought with a headshake as her husband, also dressed in his usual clothes, walked in the room, his hands behind his head and on his neck.

"Morning..." Adam said with a groggy tone.

"Doesn't sound like you got much sleep." Marie said as she poured coffee into two mugs and walked over with them in both hands.

"I was up all-night thinking." Adam said as he took the coffee mug. "That little guy out there has been on my mind." He continued as he walked over to the window to look at Charcadet.

"What was on my mind was whether or not the person who left its egg here did it on purpose or not." Marie said casually. "A Pokémon Egg from the Paldea region left in the Johto region. Never thought I'd see the day someone would go to that much effort to abandon an egg." She thought as she scratched her head.

"What do you think we should do?" Adam asked towards Marie.

"Why're you asking me? You're the one it kept glaring at." Marie replied as Adam rubbed his bald head.

"...Things were so much easier when I was just a Pokémon League referee." Adam commented.

Meanwhile, outside the ranch house, Charcadet was still attempting to pick fights with the random Pokémon that were being looked after by the daycare owners. Suddenly, the small humanoid Fire type Pokémon overhead loud footsteps as it noticed a shadow was cast over it.

"Charca?" Charcadet said as it looked upward and noticed Keats' Druddigon with Keats' Raichu floating next to it.

"Gon-gon." Druddigon said.

"Rai-rai." Raichu said as he looked down at the small Fire type Pokémon, the Dragon type Pokémon turning his head to look down as well.

"Chara!" Charcadet exclaimed as it used "Leer" once more towards both Raichu and Druddigon.

"Drudd?" Druddigon said as he suddenly felt his defenses lower.

"Chuchu-rai?" Raichu muttered as he suddenly felt the same way Druddigon felt.

"Charcachar!" Charcadet said as it motioned for Druddigon and Raichu to fight it by waving its right hand, beckoning them as the two Pokémon looked at each other in confusion.

Shrugging, Druddigon and Raichu proceeded to walk and float away, respectively, in the direction of Keats' trailer. Angered by this action, Charcadet ran ahead to get in front of Keats' Pokémon, stopping them as the small humanoid Pokémon turned around and glared at them again with its burning red eyes, using "Astonish" on them.

"Druddi!" Druddigon said as his body and Raichu's were covered in a red aura as a shiver of pain ran through them. "Gon." The Dragon type Pokémon grunted as he clutched at his backside with his left claw.

"Rairai." Raichu said as he landed on the ground, his board-like tail now under him in as he sat on it.

"Charcachar!" Charcadet exclaimed in a triumphant manner as Druddigon got back to his feet and Raichu back into the air.

"Druddigon!" Druddigon shouted in anger.

"Raichu!" Raichu shouted in similar agitation.

"Charca!" Charcadet said, ready for a fight until a familiar brown and white rabbit-like Pokémon got in-between them.

"Lopunny!" Lopunny said as she put her right and left hand to separate Keats' Pokémon and the recently hatched Fire type. "Punnypun-lop." She said to try and stop the fighting.

"Drudd." Druddigon said towards Lopunny as he pointed at Charcadet.

"Raiiii." Raichu muttered.

"Lopunny-loplop." Lopunny said towards Druddigon and Raichu as Charcadet looked up at Lopunny with the same burning glare it has had since hatching. "Lopunny?" She continued as Druddigon and Raichu looked at each other and then nodded before walking away back towards Keats' trailer where the rest of his Pokémon were.

"Charca! Char-" Charcadet exclaimed as it ran past Lopunny until it was caught by the Normal type Pokémon grabbing the small Fire type by its arm.

"Lop." Lopunny said with a scolding tone and a wag of her finger on her free hand.

"Char!" Charcadet grunted in anger as it pulled away its small arm from Lopunny. "Chaaar!" It said as it used "Leer" once again, this time in Lopunny's direction.

"Lopunny?" Lopunny replied as she put her hands on her hips, surprised by the Fire types peculiar behavior.

"Chaaar!" Charcadet continued in an effort to find someone to fight.

Opening up the door to the back of the house, Adam walked outside in the direction of Charcadet as Lopunny shifted her attention towards her trainer's husband. Turning around, now Charcadet was looking up at Adam.

"Little guy is getting to you too, huh?" Adam questioned towards Lopunny as she nodded in response. "Can't let it loose into the woods and it's going to keep trying to pick fights until it gets one..." He thought as Marie approached him from behind, her Sableye hanging off her right shoulder.

"Only thing we can do is give it what it wants; a battle." Marie said as she folded her arms as Charcadet glared at him, using "Leer."

"Sable?" Sableye said in confusion as she reached her hand over and petted the Ghost and Dark type on her shoulder.

"Hmmmm..." Adam mumbled as he rubbed his chin. "With how it has been acting towards me, I think I'm the best bet for this guy to be calmed down." He thought as he took a deep breath. "Charcadet?" Adam said towards the small humanoid Pokémon.

"Char! Char!" Charcadet said with an agitated tone.

"Do you want to battle?" Adam questioned as Charcadet's eyes lit up even brighter than they already were.

"Charcadet!" Charcadet said with enthusiasm at the prospect of finally getting what it wanted.

"Then... Give me a minute, okay?" Adam said as Charcadet nodded, running to an open space in the backyard as all the other Pokémon looked on.

"Okay..." Adam said as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a Pokéball with a green lid that had four red dots and one yellow dot in the center. "I'm going to be way out of practice." He said with an anxious tone towards Marie.

"In case you lose, don't worry. I'll still love you." Marie said with a smirk as Adam's eyebrow twitched and he tightly clutched at his Friend Ball.

"...Was that necessary? You and your brother like to say the dumbest things." Adam said with annoyance as Marie covered her mouth to keep herself from starting to laugh.

"Charca!" Charcadet said, growing impatient.

"Then let's go." Adam said as he opened up his Friend Ball, a beam of light flashing brightly to reveal his Pokémon.

Standing between Charcadet and Adam was a canine-like Pokémon on all fours that sported cream-colored fur that formed a series of voluminous, white-tipped plumes and a three-pointed crest on its face. Covering it was a mass of dark blue fur that appeared like it was draped over its body and it had three toed paws on the front and back.

"Stoouu!" The canine-like Pokémon howled as it turned around, looking at Adam.

"Hey, Stoutland." Adam said as he approached his Pokémon, a calm smile on his face as he petted it. "Time for some exercise." He said as he looked over at Charcadet, who was punching the air to ready itself.

"Stoou." Stoutland said as it looked at its trainer as Marie took out her cellphone and began to look up info on her husband's Pokémon.

"Been awhile since I've seen him battle. May as well look up Stoutland's Dex entry." Marie thought as she found the right info page. '"Stoutland, the Big-Hearted Pokémon, a Normal type. Being wrapped in its long fur is so comfortable that a person would be fine even overnight on a wintry mountain. It's known for rescuing people stranded by blizzards."' She thought as she read the PokéDex for Stoutland before putting the phone away.

"Charcadet. You can move first." Adam as Stoutland stood ready.

"Charca!" Charcadet grunted as it proceeded to run at Stoutland. "Chaaaar!" It said as he stopped short in front of the large dog-like Pokémon and then used "Leer."

"Stout." Stoutland said calmly as the small humanoid Fire type Pokémon glared at him to lower his defenses.

"Chaaarrca!" Charcadet said as it turned around.

"And here comes "Astonish."' Adam thought as he looked on as Charcadet turned back towards Stoutland, its burning eyes glowing red.

Unlike the multiple times before when Charcadet had used "Astonish," however, Stoutland didn't flinch or have a shiver up its spine. Taken aback by this, Charcadet looked up at Stoutland as the Normal type Pokémon looked down at Charcadet with a plain expression.

'"Astonish" is a Ghost type move. Isn't going to work on a Normal type like Stoutland." Marie thought.

"Stoutland, use "Work Up."' Adam ordered calmly as Stoutland breathed in.

"Stooout!" Stoutland barked as its body was covered in a bright red aura, raising its power.

"Cha-charca!" Charcadet said in shock as Stoutland still stared at it. "Ch-charcadet..." The small humanoid Fire type Pokémon grunted as it stepped back slightly.

"It only has been able to use "Astonish" and "Leer" this whole time... And with its only attacking move being a Ghost type move, it can't do anything." Marie thought as she and her two Pokémon watched the battle go on.

"Stoutland, "Work Up."' Adam said as Stoutland breathed in and covered itself in a red aura once again, raising its attacking strength further.

"Chaarr..." Charcadet said nervously as a bead of flaming sweat dripped down the side of its knight helm-like head. "Ca-charca!" It said as it glared at Stoutland, using "Leer" on Stoutland but the large dog-like Pokémon didn't flinch or move. "Chaaar!" Charcadet said while glaring.

"Stout." Stoutland said calmly as if growing bored.

"So much for "exercise," huh?" Marie commented as Adam scratched his face.

"Thought it would be a little more intense..." Adam thought.

"Charca-charchar!" Charcadet said as it angrily stomped its feet, frustrated at the lack of progress in the battle. "Chaaar!" It said as it breathed in.

"Stoutland?" Stoutland muttered in confusion as Marie and Adam raised eyebrows.

"Caaaaadet!" Charcadet exclaimed as a mass of white smoke had emerged from its small mouth.

"Laand!" Stoutland grunted as it was hit by the white smoke, getting pushed back slightly from the force.

"That was "Clear Smog!"' Adam said in surprise.

"Must have gotten so angry, it learned a new move." Marie said. "However..." She continued as Adam looked at his Stoutland.

"Charcacharchar-cadet!?" Charcadet said with a celebratory tone until it looked at Stoutland and noticed it was still standing, shrugging off the attack.

"Stouuuut!" Stoutland said with a growl towards Charcadet as Marie approached Adam, tapping him on the shoulder.

"This little guy isn't going to win, no matter what." Marie whispered.

"You think?" Adam said with a sarcastic tone. "Stoutland, "Take Down."' He ordered as Stoutland proceeded to rush at Charcadet.

"Stoutland!" Stoutland growled as it slammed into the small Fire type Pokémon, sending it flying into the backyard fence and hitting the ground with a hard thud.

"Char... Char..." Charcadet said on the ground as it was struggling to get back up.

"Stoutland!" Stoutland roared with a triumphant shout.

"Uhh... Stoutland. I think you're good." Adam said as he approached his Normal type Pokémon, petting it on the head before walking over to Charcadet. "Charcadet?" He said as he bent forward to look at it.

"Char... Ca... Charcaaadeeeet!" Charcadet said as burning tears started to well up in its eyes before it started to throw a tantrum over its loss. "Cadet! Cadet!" It said as it kicked its small legs and flaming droplets landed on the ground, burning the grass.

"Look, it's alright." Adam said as he tried to calm down Charcadet as it still flailed around, upset at its loss. "Marie, can you grab me a Berry of some kind?" He said as he looked over at his wife.

"Sure, hold on." Marie said as she walked back towards the ranch house as Stoutland approached.

"Stoutland-landland." Stoutland said with a calm tone as Adam helped Charcadet sit up while it was still crying.

"First moment out the egg, thought you were going to win, no matter what." Adam said towards Charcadet as it just looked at the ground, clearly depressed from losing.

"Chaarrr..." Charcadet said as Marie approached Adam and handed him a Berry that was yellow with a green leafy top and covered in orange spots.

"Sitrus Berry. Good choice. It's very fatty so Charcadet will probably like it." Adam said towards Marie as he attempted to offer the Berry to Charcadet.

"Charca!" Charcadet grunted in anger as it swatted away the Berry onto the ground.

"Look, don't be like that." Adam said as he picked the Berry back up and tried to offer it again, this time with Charcadet grabbing the Berry with both hands. "Hmmmm..." He mumbled to himself.

"Losing is all a part of the game." Marie said as she caught the attention of Charcadet. "Whatever way you want to act about it is on you." She said as Lopunny and Sableye looked at their trainer.

"Charca..." Charcadet muttered as it bit into the Sitrus Berry.

"...You know what..." Adam said as everyone looked at him as he reached into his back pocket. "I have an idea." He said as he pulled out a Pokéball.

"Charca?" Charcadet said.

"Charcadet, let me catch you." Adam said as Marie looked at her husband, wide-eyed.

"You're going to catch it and release it somewhere?" Marie said.

"...Nah, I think I'll keep the little guy." Adam replied as he looked at Marie.

"Really?" Marie said as Adam looked at Charcadet.

"Char?" Charcadet muttered, unsure of what to do.

"I could train you, if you want. And I have a friend you could spar with too. Help you get stronger so you can win a battle." Adam said in a persuasive manner. "And if you want to try again against Stoutland, you could do it at any time." He continued as Charcadet looked at Adam.

"Well, you were the first person this Pokémon ever saw." Marie commented towards Adam as Charcadet finished the Sitrus Berry. "And it's probably going to lose a lot before it wins so maybe a patient guy like you might be the kind of trainer it needs." She thought.

"What do you say?" Adam said.

"Charca..." Charcadet said with contemplative tone as Marie and Adam heard someone approaching.

"Yo! Who's the flaming dwarf?" Keats said as he appeared with Rotom floating next to him and his sightline looking down at Charcadet.

"Where have you been?" Marie said towards her brother as she noticed his clothes were slightly torn. "And why do smell like tree bark?" She thought as she got a whiff of Keats.

"Long zzzztory." Rotom replied as it looked at Keats.

"You were gone all night." Adam said as everyone looked at Keats.

Taking a deep breath, Keats proceeded to reach into his back pocket and pulled out an unfamiliar Friend Ball to present to the pair. Soon after, he reached into his other pocket with his free hand and pulled out the Fast Ball he had in his possession from before he left for Alola.

"It's a veeeerrrry long story... And don't get me started on Venonat!" Keats said as Marie and Adam looked at each other.


Cannon arms are better than arm blades, fight me! One cliffhanger has been resolved as the red Pokémon Egg is revealed to be a Charcadet, a Fire type Pokémon native to the Paldea region and someone has decided to leave it behind at the Rarest Level Ranch in Johto! The effort people go to abandon Fire type Pokémon is extraordinary! The little guy wanted a fight straight out of the egg, but no one was willing to take it up on the offer. But Adam relented and revealed his Stoutland, knocking down the Fire type in a single hit and making it cry with flames. Not feeling like wanting to release it out into the wild, Adam decided to offer the little guy a ball to become his... And then Keats shows up to reveal he had a bit of a night. What's in the Friend Ball? Did something get caught in the Fast Ball? Was it the trade worth it? We'll certainly find out next time! On "Wannabe!"

Keats' Pokémon (on-hand):
1. Venonat.
2. ?

Keats' Pokémon (in rotation):
1. Porygon.
2. Pineco.
3.
Dragalge.
4.
Cloyster.
5. Timburr.
6.
Swalot.
7. Raichu - Alolan Form.
8. Stunky.
9. Druddigon.

Released/Traded Away:
1. Diglett - Alolan Form.
2. Surskit.

Author's Note: (Does it bother you guys as much as it does me that the new anime, Pokémon Horizons, has Paldean Pokémon existing in the Kanto region? I mean, it's a minor gripe but I just think they could've set the anime as taking place immediately in Paldea. Regardless, thing to note for the following chapter, the next one takes place right after Keats opened the ball around the same time as the events of this chapter and I admit, it took a LONG TIME to figure out what the hell was in it.)