Once Zubat was settled, and the sky had darkened, Auron gently stroked Umbreon beside him.
"Umbreon, I'll still need your help teaching Zubat some new moves. Thank you for all the hard work. Tomorrow, when my dad brings Zubat by, I'll make you some really tasty energy cubes as a thank you."
"Umbree~"
Umbreon shot him a mild look, as if to say this was all routine—no need for special thanks.
Auron chuckled, "Yeah, yeah, it's all part of the job—but that's no reason to turn down a treat, right?"
He turned to Kommo-o as well. "That goes for you, too. Don't try to refuse."
"Kommo!"
Kommo-o thumped his chest, as if to say it was nothing.
Just as the group was about to head home, Tim came over, a little uncertain.
"Auron, I was thinking… maybe we could take another look at that Exeggcute egg?"
Tim was still on the fence. He hadn't made up his mind about a second Pokémon because he didn't know when he'd even get one. If he only had one by the time they entered university, he'd be at a real disadvantage.
But something still bugged him about Hawaiian Exeggutor: all those weaknesses. Sure, it could set Trick Room, but that made it predictable—everyone would know it was coming, and opponents would either set up or blast it with super-effective moves. It just felt risky.
Auron agreed anyway, and the four of them headed out. On the way, Tim shared his worries, asking for Auron's take.
Auron couldn't help but smile—Tim was definitely overthinking.
"Look, it's got a bunch of weaknesses, sure, but look at its coverage! Stomping Tantrum, Earthquake for ground, Brick Break, Low Kick, Close Combat for fighting, Darkest Lariat for dark, Sludge Bomb for poison, Psychic, Zen Headbutt, Iron Tail, Iron Head for steel—plenty of variety.
"It can set Sunny Day, Trick Room, Terrain, Swords Dance, Substitute, Toxic, Power Swap, even Ability Swap. Its defenses are solid, and it can hit, tank, support, or control. So what if you eat a bad turn now and then? With all that versatility, what more could you want?"
Auron ticked off the strengths one by one.
"And for evolving? All you need is a Leaf Stone and a trip to Hawaiian Islands. With your family, that's not even a challenge."
That was the push Tim needed. He realised he'd been hung up on the negatives for too long—he should've made up his mind earlier. Now, suddenly excited, he grabbed Auron's wrist.
"Okay, I've decided! It's the one—I want it. Come on, let's hurry!"
"Huh? It's not going anywhere. Why the rush?"
Auron had no choice but to jog after him, half-laughing.
...
But by the time they arrived, the Exeggcute egg was already gone. When they asked a shop assistant, she told them it had just been sold. The group exchanged looks, momentarily stunned.
Jace and Serena, who'd been trailing behind, saw their downcast faces and asked what was up.
Once Auron explained, they both looked at Tim with sympathy—then tried (and failed) to hold back their laughter.
"…Just laugh, go on."
"Pffft—hahahaha—sorry!" Jace and Serena both cracked up, the tension breaking.
On the way out, Tim was still looking a little down. In the end, it was Auron who spoke up first.
"Sorry, man. I didn't think it would actually get bought."
Tim shook his head.
"It's not your fault. It's on me—I hesitated and missed my chance. Thanks for talking it through, though. I'll treat this as a lesson—no more hesitation from now on."
Auron tried to comfort him.
"Ever heard that saying?"
"What?"
"'If you hesitate, you lose.'"
"…That's true."
"And if you're too rash, you give it all away for free!"
"Wait, what?"
Tim stared, unsure if that was supposed to be comforting.
The others burst out laughing.
"Hey, you missed one—there'll be more. This weekend, let's check out the Pokémon store again and see if we can help you find your second teammate."
Tim smiled, finally shaking off the disappointment.
"Thanks, Auron. I appreciate it."
"Anytime."
The four parted ways at the breeding center gate. Auron stayed behind to wait for Ashen and his mom, figuring it wouldn't be long before they could all head home together.
The week passed uneventfully. Each day was the same: school, training, home, repeat. But thanks to Auron, everyone started borrowing moves from older relatives' Pokémon, giving their teams a real upgrade. By the end of the week, every Pokémon had picked up at least one new move—except for Beauty, of course.
Pokémon: Zubat
Female, Poison/Flying
Ability: Infiltrator (can attack through barriers/substitute)
Potential: Orange
Moves: Absorb, Supersonic, Astonish, Mean Look, Poison Fang, Swift, Confuse Ray, Shadow Ball, Taunt
Egg Moves: Cross Poison, Air Slash, Pursuit
Pokémon: Munchlax
Male, Normal
Ability: Thick Fat (halves damage from Fire and Ice)
Potential: Gold
Moves: Lick, Tackle, Defense Curl, Covet, Bite, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Mega Punch, Rest, Bulk Up, Sleep Talk
Egg Moves: Belch, Curse, Fissure, Counter
Pokémon: Growlithe
Female, Fire
Ability: Flash Fire (absorbs Fire moves to power up own attacks)
Potential: Purple
Moves: Bite, Leer, Howl, Crunch, Agility, Flamethrower
Egg Moves: Flame Wheel, Heat Crash, Play Rough
Pokémon: Torkoal
Male, Fire
Ability: Drought (summons sunlight on entry)
Potential: Purple
Moves: Ember, Withdraw, Rapid Spin, Smokescreen, Clear Smog, Stone Edge
Egg Moves: Haze, Flamethrower, Fissure
Pokémon: Shellder
Male, Water
Ability: Skill Link (multi-strike moves always hit max times)
Potential: Orange
Moves: Tackle, Water Gun, Withdraw, Ice Shard, Leer, Whirlpool, Icicle Spear, Aqua Jet
Egg Moves: Aqua Ring, Life Dew, Rock Blast, Mud Shot
Pokémon: Dratini
Male, Dragon
Ability: Shed Skin (occasionally cures status)
Potential: Red
Moves: Wrap, Leer, Twister, Thunder Wave, Dragon Tail, Substitute, Dragon Dance, Ice Beam, Dragon Pulse
Egg Moves: Dragon Breath, Aqua Jet, Mist, Water Pulse, Haze
Beauty (Feebas) couldn't really pick up anything new, but Shellder was a pleasant surprise for Serena—Skill Link plus the rare, inherited Rock Blast. That week, he'd even mastered Icicle Spear, which left Serena over the moon.
Jace, on the other hand, seemed to be quietly plotting against Auron: not only did his Growlithe learn a ranged attack, but Torkoal had been taught Stone Edge—a Rock move perfect for countering Zubat.
Tim gave Dratini some extra coverage against Ice types.
...
Saturday morning rolled around and the four met up, ready to help Tim finally get his second Pokémon.
On the train, Auron asked,
"So, what's the plan? An egg, or are you hoping to get lucky out in the wild?"
"Egg, of course! The odds of running into a wild Dragon-type are tiny, and even if you did, you might not even be able to catch it," Tim replied, as if the question was crazy.
Auron grinned, "Just kidding, man. We're on the train to the main store, aren't we? Relax."
He was pleased with himself, though Jace and Serena both gave him matching eyerolls.
"Alright, this is our stop."
The four hopped off and entered the store. Jace immediately flagged down a clerk.
"Hey, do you have any Dragon-type eggs? Could you show us?"
The clerk's eyes lit up—Dragon eggs always meant big commissions. Smiling brightly, she led them to the right aisle.
"This way, please! At the moment, we only have two known Dragon-type eggs: Trapinch, which eventually evolves into a Ground/Dragon Flygon, and Turtonator."
Tim quietly asked Auron, "Well? What do you think?"
Auron frowned, giving him an honest answer.
"Trapinch is okay, Dig gets around Earthquake, Ground/Dragon is a solid combo. High attack, decent resistances, only 4x weak to Ice, 2x to Dragon and Fairy. Speed's not bad either. But compared to Garchomp? Well, it's just not as strong. It's like Garchomp-lite—lower stats across the board, less coverage. Honestly, I don't recommend it.
"And Turtonator… well, it's built to Shell Smash, just like Cloyster, but it's awkward—after Shell Smash, it's still not as fast as Cloyster. If you run Trick Room, it's actually too fast to be optimal, and it doesn't get Flamethrower or Fire Blast, so its damage is capped in Trick Room. Its one cool thing is its big signature move, Shell Trap, but it needs to take a hit first and it's negative priority, so… yeah, kinda awkward. Upside is, Ice moves only do normal damage—so it could counter things like Cloyster or other physical Ice sweepers. But honestly, neither of these is ideal."
Tim trusted Auron completely. After days of listening to his in-depth analyses, he was convinced Auron understood Pokémon even better than most teachers.
So he politely told the clerk,
"Thanks, but these two don't quite fit my plans. Can we see some other options?"
The clerk hid her disappointment but kept smiling.
As they passed through the standard egg section, Auron leaned in,
"Want to check out the mystery eggs? I know a bit about reading egg patterns."
There are two kinds of eggs: those where you know exactly what the parents and species are, and the "mystery eggs," where you only get hints from the shell's markings—like how purple swirls could mean Dragon or Poison types.
These are generally cheaper, but you have to gamble a bit. Some people—like Jace—go for the known quantity. About half the eggs in the store are of each type.
"Alright. I trust you," Tim said.
(End of Chapter)
Please Give me Power Stones support me on Patreon @ patreon(dot)com/SorenEclipse : Read 15 Chapters Ahead on Patreon