"I passed?" Jack blinked, voice drenched in disbelief and rum-stained slur. He scratched his head with the barrel of his pen, as if tickling the answers loose would change reality. "I passed?"
He didn't remember taking the exam. Then again, the drinking age in the archipelago was fourteen, and there had been rum. Lots of rum. Enough to black out three nights in a row and still wake up in someone else's hammock.
Was it the Dwarf or the Therian wolf girl again. Delta and Gretta love competing way too much for his taste.
The proctor, a stern-looking Unovan woman with biceps the size of Tauros thighs and a clipboard permanently glued to her palm, gave him a slow blink. "You scored perfect marks across all all categories. Aura Aptitude, Battle Tactics, Emergency Protocol, Pokémon Welfare, Wilderness, Weapons, Monster Bio, Survival, and Ethical Bonding.
"Ethical what now?" Jack muttered.
He stared down at the box in his lap. Nestled neatly inside were several sealed score sheets—each one stamped with a red "A" in the top corner, which means...
One glance at the scores and Jack beamed, gold tooth gleaming in the light.
"All perfect marks. Must've cheated," he whispered proudly. "Wait—if I cheated and don't remember doin' it… do I still get the credit?"
He popped the lid open fully and reached past the folded welcome letter, a trainer armband, and a pair of black fingerless gloves—standard issue. His fingers wrapped around a Pokéball. It clicked when he touched it, like it recognized him.
"And what's this?" Jack reached further into the box. "Oh-ho! Is that a hoverboard? Praise be to the gods of reckless behavior."
He pulled it free. Lightweight, metallic blue with stabilizer fins and a tribal swirl pattern across the deck. He didn't read the manual.
He never read manuals. Instead, he slapped it on the ground, stepped on with one boot, and pointed at the exit.
"To freedom, fresh air, and fried Magikarp!"
The board whirred, sputtered, and launched forward with the grace of a drunken Doduo.
Jack barely kept his balance as he skated down the marble hallway of the Certification Bureau, dodging a Chansey cart and a pair of junior medics.
"Ahahaha! Catch me now, ye bastards!" he called behind him, cape flapping dramatically.
Somewhere behind him, an administrator screamed about safety violations.
[XXX]
Jack turned the Poké Ball over in his hand, squinting at it like it might whisper secrets if he stared long enough. "You holdin' treasure in there, ain't ya?" he muttered, thumb brushing along the activation stud.
With a flick of his wrist and dramatic flourish—because everything he did had to be dramatic—he tossed the ball.
It burst open mid-air with a high-pitched ping and a flash of white light.
Out came the starter Pokémon in a rush of energy, landing on the floor with a chirp and a confident stance. Standing there, tail swishing like a whip in slow motion, was a Totodile.
Jack's brow arched, eyes scanning the little reptile. Sure, it was a bit on the small side—maybe a runt—but that hardly mattered. The real headline was that he got one of the Three. One of the proper, League-sanctioned, high-ceiling Starter Pokémon. Most of them clocked in with A-rank potential out the gate… and given enough time, blood, sweat, and rum, they could claw their way to S-rank or even higher.
That meant power.
That meant options.
That meant trouble. And not the kind that involves Belle.
Totodile snorted and crossed his stubby arms. "Dile."
Jack tilted his head, squinting with one eye and grinning with half his mouth. "Well, aren't you a friendly lad."
Totodile gave him a look. The kind of look that said, You're not the boss of me, and then immediately shot a stream of water at the floor for absolutely no reason at all except to make a point.
The floor was now wet. Slightly steamy. And very much marked.
Jack laughed, one hand slapping his thigh.
"That's the spirit! Mark yer territory, then. Long as it ain't me boots."
He knelt down, pulling up his holo-screen on the Rotom Watch and aiming the Pokédex app at the creature. The hovering lens activated with a beep.
Totodile, of course, leaned in. Right up into the camera like a tourist at a boat party.
"Easy, mate—camera shy or just vain?"
Totodile blinked once. Then licked the lens.
[Pokédex Entry – Totodile]
Totodile, the Big Jaw Pokémon. It is playful but rough with others. It chomps with its powerful jaws, and will bite anything it sees as a game. Known for its energetic nature and reckless abandon, many rookie trainers lose fingers. You have been warned.
Information from the system chimed in as well as as well new information data as well.
[Totodile] [Name: N/A]
[Type: Water]
[Gender: Male]
[Potential: A+]
[Combat
[Level: 5]
[Height: 2'1"]
[Weight: 20.3 lbs]
[Ability: Torrent]
[Hidden Ability: Sheer Force]
[Known Moves: Scratch, Leer, Water Gun, Ice Fang (Egg Move), Aqua Jet (Egg Move), Dragon Dance (Egg Move)]
Jack snorted. "A bit bitey, are we? Good. I like bitey. Long as you don't start chew'n on my hat, we'll get along just fine."
Totodile turned and strutted in a tiny circle, clearly pleased with himself.
Jack stood, brushing off his coat and glancing down at his new partner. "Right then. You and me—we're off to paint this bloody region red, blue, and every shade in between. We'll find us riches, glory, chaos, maybe a bath…"
Totodile opened his mouth like he was about to spray again.
Jack raised a finger. "Maybe."
They locked eyes. Totodile narrowed his. Then, satisfied, nodded.
"Welcome to the crew, lad," Jack said with a grin, offering a fist.
Totodile bumped it. Chomped it slightly.
Jack yelped. "Right! That's fair. I did ask."
[XXX]
Totodile—Nassau now—scratched his jaw thoughtfully, still testing the taste of his new name in his head. Jack gave him a gentle pat on the back.
"Alright then, Nassau. Go cool off and meet your roommates. Try not to drink the water."
With a lazy swipe, Jack pressed the side panel to the in-room tank and the hatch slid open with a hiss. A ramp lowered into the crystalline water.
Nassau sniffed the air and gave a grin like he owned the place. With a confident hop and a splash that soaked half the floor, he cannonballed into the deep end.
Water churned. Mnemosyne swam up first, her head breaking the surface with practiced grace, eyes narrowed. Calypso surfaced next, blinking slowly like the whole thing was beneath her.
Nassau floated past them on his back like a smug little log, kicking lazily. "Who be ye?" he called out. He can tell the those two fish are the only Pokémon in this lake. All he can smell are prey and more prey.
Mnemosyne raised her snout with practiced poise, eyes shimmering like glacier-cut sapphires. "You're loud," she said flatly. "And small."
Calypso flicked her tail with the elegance of a sea duchess and sank just beneath the surface again, murmuring, "Another one. Great."
The gator blinked, still reclined like he was sunbathing on a pirate sloop. "Well now," Nassau chuckled, "this ain't the welcome I was expectin'. Thought I got dropped in paradise, not a lecture hall."
He flipped upright, spinning once with a delighted cackle. "But spirits above—this place! Is this real? Ain't no lab tank ever this big. No walls buzzin' with static. No sour-food pellets. You two got waterfalls in here?"
"We have peace," Mnemosyne replied coolly, "or at least, we had."
Calypso finally rose again, brushing past Nassau with a slow swirl. "He's not wrong," she admitted. "This is better than the ocean we raised in. First warm current I've felt since the spawning area."