Rose Joy was feeling quite conflicted after the revelations that transpired in just one night. That one of their own was in possession of terrifyingly powerful Pokemon, which can also grow to titanic sizes on demand. The baffling results of the blood test saying that her Crystal was an ancestor of that powerful Audino from 10 generations ago. The man himself claiming to be from some 300 years into the future.
The minor scuffle on the gate was a bit more worrying, as well as enlightening. Those were hand-picked ace trainers, not random people recruited from the street. Every one of them could give an Elite a run from their money in the right circumstances. Yet even from her mansion, hundreds of meters away, she could feel the power that emanated from that Audino… "Felt just like a champion's Pokemon…"
A Champion's ace Pokemon usually held that amount of raw power. Alder's Volcarona, Cynthia's Garchomp, Steven's Metagross… Iris' Hydreigon…
From the information she was privy to thanks to their dear champion, he claimed to be just an Ace trainer. Yes, he briefly held the title of Unovan champion, but apparently, another trainer beat him quite swiftly. It was his brother Aidan that held the title the longest between the two before taking an even greater title.
She was quite curious as to why they didn't share the same last name, but answers would come soon enough.
"Grandmother." A voice interrupted her train of thought.
"Sarah, dear." She answered in an even tone. "I was waiting for you."
The young woman bowed as she entered her office. The wooden floor in her office was polished like a mirror, with paintings of several members of the Joy clan on the sides. Her desk was more utilitarian, forgoing any special flair apart from an Audino carved on the front.
"Take a seat." She waved her hand to one chair while spinning hers to face her. "So…tell me more about Mr. Daniel."
After some time, Daniel took a moment to breathe. Jack and Wally, Casper's children, licked his face while their mother laid in front, feigning indifference. Mothra snuggled into his abdomen. Gamera laid his head on top of his. Elizabeth hugged his right arm, and Lily was petting his left shoulder like a consoling mother. R2 and Donald orbited around him, like a pair of fussy moons. Rodan was too big to join on the pile, so the big bird was sulking beside them.
[I am not sulking, master.]
An involuntary chuckle escaped his lips. His tears had already dried up, and all that was left was emptiness. Or so he thought. Feeling the warm aura of his Pokemon mingle with his. Their eagerness, fears, happiness, love…
"I don't know what I would have done without all of you." He whispered. "You are family too, after all."
All of them let sounds of acknowledgement, snuggling a bit closer. Even separated from his family by time and space, Aidan's death, and the strange place he found himself. He was not alone in this. Part of his family came with him, after all.
"Get up everyone. We need to take inventory."
With great reluctance, everyone separated. Some required more convincing than others.
"Elizabeth…"
Like Elizabeth, who tried her best to remain attached to him. When words were useless, Rodan pried her off with his telekinesis. She radiated some anger, but mostly good naturedly. With a crack of his joints, he stood up and took everything in. Looking beyond his Pokemon, he could see the walled interiors of a back garden. "Not the biggest, but good enough."
"Casper, perimeter. Elizabeth, check the garden. Go with her, Rodan and Gamera. See if you three can make yourselves at home. Donald don't let anyone spy on us. R2, supplies."
His Pokemon nodded resolutely and left to attend to their tasks. He didn't have anything pressing for his starters, so he left them be for the moment. R2 entered the TV in the living room and displayed a list on the screen.
[SADDLE (X2)]
[HYPERPOTION (X15)]
[SURVIVAL KIT:
- TENT (X2)
- SOLAR POWERED LANTERN (X4)
- CAMPFIRE KIT (X1)
- COOKING KIT (X1)
- HUMAN RATIONS (X7)
- POKEMON RATIONS (X30)
- FLARE GUN (X1)
- FLARE AMMUNITION (X24)
- ROPE (X30 METERS.)
- KNIFE (X1)]
[3D PRINTER (100% CAPACITY)]
[TERASTAL EMITTER (40% CAPACITY)]
[DYNAMAX EMITTER (51% CAPACITY)]
[DARK EMITTER (95% CAPACITY)]
[FAIRY EMITTER (2% CAPACITY)]
[GRAVITY EMITTER (89% CAPACITY)]
[ULTRABALL (X30)]
[CONTAINMENT POKEBALL (X4)]
[BEAST BALL (X10)]
"That's not a lot…" He muttered, subconsciously petting Mothra's fur. The Pokemon purred in enjoyment, flapping her wings. "And I need to plant those emitters too…"
Before he could make a "piece of the future" in his new present, he needed to have conversations with Iris and the current Joy clan head. He doubted there would be any problems with his printer spitting up some gadgets, like solar panels or holoprojectors. But the emitters could have consequences in the environment. Like the early disasters caused by Terastal and Dynamax emitters.
When he was at school, history ended up being his best subject almost by accident. His father would tell them a lot of stories from the past. Especially how things went in the pre-union days, the "age of heroes." He had a small fascination with this time period in particular.
He remembered fondly those times he and Aidan would hear about evil teams. The grand battles between Legendaries that seemed commonplace. How children always seemed to be enough to stop these massive threats…
A sudden jolt startled him. He looked down to see Lily and Mothra hugging him. He wiped a small tear that managed to sneak away and hugged them back.
"Thanks…" he whispered to them and straightened again. "R2, Printer."
A cube rolled from his bracer to his open palm. He lightly tossed it over an empty space in the living room and a green ray shot from it. The printer was nothing more than 4 black pillars that loosely formed a cube. Each one was 10 centimeters thick, a meter and a half tall, and a meter and a half apart from each other. The top was covered in a thin, metallic sheet inscribed with a Pokeball logo.
"R2, Donald, make the house smart."
[UNDERSTOOD]
Both answered, flashing in front of him before shooting towards the printer. The edges lit up in green colors and a faint rumbling sound came from it. Before long, he could see a new lock being built inside the "cube." He left them at it before exploring his home, Lily and Mothra in tow. Flying inside would be too hard on her, so the Volcarona had to walk at the end of their entourage.
There were three spacious rooms, all of them furbished with pastel colored furniture. There was an empty room that could work as a workshop. Two bathrooms, one of them big enough to house a Snorlax. And finally, an empty attic. It was surprisingly clean for an empty house. A couple of cleaning bots could have the place tidied up in no time.
"Voooool."
The moth shifted her weight from one side to the other while looking at the attic.
"Want to live up there?"
"Volca!" She nodded enthusiastically.
"Leave enough space for Casper, alright?"
Mothra quickly disappeared into the attic and started to throw her silk around to form a pseudo-cocoon. It was a habit that never really left her when she evolved. She always seemed content with closed spaces, especially the ones she made. With a small shrug, he went back to explore.
His last stop was the kitchen. It was barebones to his standards, but that was to be expected. The fridge had fresh food, berries, and some moo-moo milk. Lily took a bottle and held it up for him. He opened it for her, and she happily drank straight from it.
Everything seemed fresh and ready to be cooked, but… "It's off…" fruits and berries appeared smaller, meats were not as vibrant, and milk didn't seem to have the same consistency. He doubted it was done maliciously, "different farming techniques, perhaps."
Cooking for his team was second nature after so many years. Chopping up berries, mixing the right number of proteins, sprinkling spices to everyone's' palate. He was happy to return to a semi-normal activity. Lily helped him as much as she could, cleaning dishes and bringing everything to the table. Even if she snacked here and there when she thought Daniel was distracted.
Daniel poked his head in the backyard past a giant glass door. Elizabeth moved with the grace of a dancer, uprooting any undergrowth with ease before burning it up. Rodan was roosting in the lone tree near the wall, eyes lit in with psychic energy. Gamera was adapting the small pond with Rodan's help, making it large enough for him to take naps. Casper was nowhere to be found, but Jack and Wally's flickering images betrayed her position.
"Time to eat, everyone!" All the Pokemon suddenly stopped and looked at him with certain ferocity. Even Casper, who appeared out of thin air near her children. "Clean yourselves before entering! Theres no clean… nevermind."
All members of his team rushed past him, bringing dirt, mud, and water inside. Lily had already finished their bowls by that time, thankfully, so there was no scuffle. Their bowls formed a small semi-circle in front of the table, since it was not made for them. Mothra, R2 and Donald were already at it, so the rest just joined. All of them devoured their meals, almost choking on certain cases. Considering all the time they were fighting, being interrogated, and healing in most cases, he didn't blame them.
Growl.
He agreed with them.
"There's enough food. Eat slower!"
With a smile, he took his seat and began devouring his food. It wasn't the best, considering the ingredients and lack of cooking bots, but it was enough.
A/N: A slightly smaller chapter today, but an important one nonetheless imo. Thanks everyone for their kind words! It feels my heart with joy seeing people enjoy my work, even if I'm not the best. Have a great day!