The rustling and cracking of twigs grew in intensity. Houndour lowered his head, bared his sharp teeth, and let out a deep, menacing growl from his throat. Squirtle stood in a battle stance, his left leg thrust forward, digging firmly into the dirt. I could tell he was tense, yet ready to strike at any moment with a powerful, high-pressure stream of water. A sleepy-eyed Bran, wearing nothing but his boxers, snatched an empty Pokéball and spun it nervously between his fingers. I was sure the ball belonged to Poliwhirl, even though the Pokémon was already standing in front of him, just as tense as the rest of us.
I stood behind my team for a moment, scanning the surroundings and listening to the approaching group of Pokémon. It crossed my mind whether they might be Mankey tracking us, though enough time had passed since our bloody encounter.
I gripped a dagger in my left hand, a sword in my right, adopting a stance similar to Squirtle's. While the tension in my team rose, in me, paradoxically, it ebbed away. That was because Haunter was standing a short distance away with an amused smirk. The little bastard was clearly enjoying everyone else's anxiety, while he himself was completely relaxed. Having had him as my starter, I knew him well enough to know that whatever was approaching wasn't hostile. Otherwise, he'd be on high alert at the front of the pack, not hanging back like this.
The approaching group was loud enough to hear clearly without even straining. They were only a few meters away, but they weren't making any vocal sounds, so I still couldn't quite guess what they were.
"Don't attack when they come out of the woods," I ordered suddenly in a quiet voice. "They might not be hostile, so wait for my command."
"Houndour!"
"Squirtle!"
"Haunteeeeeeer..."
While Houndour and Squirtle agreed without issue, the drawn-out tone in Haunter's voice made his massive disappointment crystal clear.
Little shit, I thought with a smirk.
"You too, Poliwhirl," Bran chimed in, visibly calmed by my reassuring words.
"Poliwhirl!" the Pokémon nodded in agreement.
A few smaller silhouettes finally emerged from the thick brush. The first and largest belonged to a three-foot-tall, muscular Pokémon with gray skin and a highly toned physique. On his head were three sharp, fin-like ridges, and his battle-hardened face was currently split into a friendly smile. It was the Machop from Mt. Moon, who had trained with us before.
Hovering just behind him was a round, cracked boulder of a rock, with short, rocky arms protruding from both sides. It was, of course, Geodude. He eyed us with curious interest. While his gaze swept over me and my team with near boredom, it locked instantly onto Bran, who was standing there in nothing but his boxers, and a wide grin spread across his stony face.
The final Pokémon, keeping a bit further back behind the two, was tiny but completely covered in a gleaming steel armor shell. He scanned his surroundings with wide, dark eyes full of interest. Stopping a short distance from the others, he grabbed a fallen branch in his mouth and tried to bite down on it. The wood gave way instantly with a loud snap.
"Aron..." he muttered sadly as the broken pieces fell from his mouth to the ground.
Machop's smile froze instantly. He looked back over his shoulder, let out a heavy sigh, and with slightly flushed cheeks on his fighting face, took a few quick steps backward. He scooped up the disappointed Aron in his arms, causing the tiny steel creature to chirp happily.
I quickly sheathed my weapons. Houndour and Squirtle relaxed immediately, while Haunter watched the whole display with a look of disgust and disappointment.
"You should be happy," I teased him. "Your cousin's here!"
"Haunter?!"
"Sure, look at Geodude," I waved a hand toward the rock Pokémon, who was still admiring a half-naked Bran with a grin. "You two look like you were born of the same mother," I laughed at my shocked starter, whose face instantly froze into a deeply offended grimace.
"Oh, come on, you're both equally handsome!" I continued teasing the little shit, who definitely deserved it for his earlier stunt. If I hadn't noticed his relaxed behavior at the start, our Pokémon might have attacked without hesitation, resulting in a pointless, unnecessary, and bloody drama.
"Haunter!" he snarled sharply at me.
"Oh, yes you are, go stand next to him," I smiled provocatively. "I'll take a photo, and you can see for yourself!"
By then, our nightly visitors had reached us.
"Machop!" greeted the gray fighter, giving me a friendly wave.
Bran, who had been frozen in place until now, finally realized he wasn't facing certain death but merely an aesthetic critique from a wild Geodude, and quickly slipped into his tent. Geodude looked slightly disappointed at his departure.
"Hey there," I returned the smile to the gray fighter. "Want to keep training?" I asked with a yawn.
"Machop!" he nodded determinedly, the famous spark in his eyes, and thrust a fist forward. "Machop, Mach, Machop, Machop, Mach," he added, waving a hand significantly toward his two companions.
"You want to join my team?" I asked, slightly surprised.
"Machop!" he nodded in agreement.
"Geo, Geodude!" Geodude chimed in, disagreeing. "Geo, Geeeodude!" he gestured directly toward Bran's tent, which Bran stepped out of at that exact moment, now fully dressed.
"Machop Macho Mach Machop!" Machop quickly corrected himself, instantly realizing where Geodude was going with this.
"So you and Aron want to join me?" I asked curiously, looking down at the small steel creature.
Aron looked me deep in the eyes. He didn't blink once, so I stared back with determination. My eyes were slowly starting to water from the effort when suddenly Aron—still with his eyes wide open—let out a sound like a deep snore. The little runt had literally fallen asleep with his eyes open.
"Mach, Machop!" Machop announced, slapping a hand to his forehead. "Machop, Mach, Machop!"
"Sure, no problem," I nodded with a smirk. "I'll take you both on the team, but I'm warning you beforehand: we train hard and we fight bloody."
"Machop, Mach, Machop!" he agreed resolutely, beating his fist against his chest. "Mach, Machop, Maaach!" he gestured toward Aron again, as if defending him.
"Don't worry, I'm not crazy. Once Aron grows up, he'll join the hard training and fighting... I can see he's completely out of it right now," I smirked at the sleeping, wide-eyed Aron.
A brief silence followed, during which I watched with amusement as Geodude once again stared at Bran with devout interest. Behind him, Poliwhirl was glaring back crossly. A total comedy. Judging by Haunter's half-offended expression and subtle smirk, he was thoroughly enjoying the show too.
"I think Geodude wants to go with you, Bran," I said, amused, having had enough of the staring match.
"Geo Geodude Geo!" Geodude nodded enthusiastically. Even though I didn't understand a word, Bran clearly did.
With an excited smile, he looked at the rock Pokémon. "But I don't fight like Patrik, I just travel. Do you still want to join us?"
Without a second thought, Geodude nodded firmly. "Geodude!"
I let out another deep yawn, which was immediately caught by Bran, then Poliwhirl, and then Houndour and Squirtle. Only our night visitors and Haunter remained wide awake.
"Okay, let's get you into Pokéballs so we can finally sleep," I concluded decisively. I pulled the first red-and-white ball from my belt and tossed it lightly at Aron. It didn't shake even once on the ground—the little guy was successfully mine. I sent another straight at Machop, who willingly let himself be drawn inside with an eager smile.
Bran threw a Pokéball at Geodude as well, and it was done. As soon as the ball clicked, he yawned again, triggering another unstoppable chain reaction of yawns.
"Time to sleep," I said in a tired but satisfied voice. "Goodnight."
"'Night!" Bran yawned, crawling back into his tent for good.
Poliwhirl threw himself onto his back in the grass with a yawn, tiredly watching the starry sky. Squirtle moved right beside him, curling into his shell to watch the stars too. Haunter gave me one last grin before quietly vanishing into the dark woods. Houndour didn't waste any time; he crawled straight back into our tent, and I followed immediately.
I don't even know how, but the moment I shed my gear and closed my eyes, I was out.
***
I was woken up by a comfortable warmth and Houndour's soft snoring. The whole tent was heated by the sunlight. Houndour was lying on his back, paws stretched high in the air, happily puffing away with his tongue hanging out. Because of the heat, I must have drifted a bit away from him during the night, as he wasn't glued to my side like usual.
I slowly started to push myself up to avoid waking him, but at my very first quiet rustle, his eyes snapped open and he yawned with a high-pitched squeak.
"Good morning," I greeted him.
"Hound..." he replied, yawning again. He opened his jaw so wide I could admire every single sharp tooth.
I quickly threw on my clothes and stepped outside, with Houndour following close behind. We had obviously slept in a bit later than usual. The sun was already casting a pleasant warmth as I looked around our camp. The campfire was still burning, though Bran was still fast asleep. Haunter was gone, but someone had clearly been keeping a diligent eye on the fire.
A little further away, I noticed Squirtle and Poliwhirl training intently by one of the trees. This time, Squirtle wasn't using his standard Water Gun; he was practicing Bubble. And he was doing just as wonderfully as Poliwhirl. It seemed that while we slept, Poliwhirl had, of his own friendly accord, taught Squirtle a new move. And being a pure Water-type, Squirtle had mastered it in a flash.
They were far enough away that the quiet popping of the bubbles wouldn't wake us. But when I listened closely and strained my ears, I could hear the bubbles exploding directly against the tree trunk with a sharp, crackling sound.
I didn't go to disturb them. I got straight to preparing a massive breakfast for everyone, already planning a little something extra in my head for Poliwhirl as a well-deserved reward. Meanwhile, Houndour sprawled out on the blanket, hypnotizing me as I loaded ingredients onto the pan, watching the empty, waiting bowls eagerly.
I whipped up breakfast in no time. Luckily, I had enough bowls for everyone—the set of six had been on sale for the same price as a set of three, so it was an absolute no-brainer, and not buying it would have been a sin.
I served everyone their favorite food. For Poliwhirl, I prepared the same portion as Squirtle, including seaweed, meat, and other ingredients. For Machop, I served a meal identical to my own—a hearty steak, green beans, and roasted potatoes. I assumed that as a humanoid Pokémon, his biology might be fairly similar to mine. For little Aron, I set aside a meaty portion, hoping it would suffice since I honestly had no idea what his favorites were yet.
"Squirtle, Poliwhirl!" I called out to them toward the trees. "Breakfast!"
Squirtle obeyed instantly. Poliwhirl hesitated for a moment, glancing at his trainer's tent, but then, with a manly shrug, followed Squirtle straight to the blanket. Just as they reached us, Bran emerged from the tent fully dressed. He let out a deep yawn.
"Good morning."
"'Morning," I replied, and summoned Machop and Aron straight from their Pokéballs.
"Macho!" the gray fighter greeted on behalf of them both.
"Breakfast," I nodded toward the prepared bowls, handing Machop the one meant for him just to be safe. "I made the same thing for you as I did for myself. It should be perfect for your physique," I told him with professional calm. "Of course, it's completely salt and spice-free. If you want something else next time, just say the word," I added, sliding the next bowl over to Aron.
"Machop!" he thanked me with a firm nod and immediately dug into his steak. Squirtle and Poliwhirl set upon their bowls with equal enthusiasm.
"You didn't have to do that, Patrik, I would've made him breakfast," Bran noted, sitting down opposite me and starting to prepare his own food.
"It's a reward. While we slept, Poliwhirl taught Squirtle Bubble, so he deserved a little training thank-you," I nodded gratefully at Poliwhirl.
Bran nodded in surprise, but with a proud smile. Once he had everything ready on the tripod over the fire, he pulled Geodude's Pokéball from his belt and released him in a flash of light.
"Geo, Geo!"
"Hey!" Bran waved companionably. "We're having breakfast, help yourself!" He gestured toward the ground.
With a grin, Geodude plunged his rocky hands into the earth, ripped out a small patch of soil and grass, tossed it aside, and then buried his face into the open dirt, happily munching away.
We all ate contentedly. Haunter was still away, the sun warmed us beautifully, and a relaxed atmosphere filled the camp.
But this idyll was suddenly shattered by a loud screech and a sharp crack coming straight from my tent. I sprang to my feet instantly. In a split second, my Pokémon abandoned their food and stood on alert. A quick scan of the area showed no sign of little Aron. His bowl remained full, untouched, but those unpleasant metallic sounds echoed from the tent once more.
Slowly, with Squirtle and Houndour close behind, I entered the tent. When I looked over at where I'd left my weapons, I saw a sad sight. The scabbard of my sword was empty, barely half the length of the blade remained, and a thoroughly satisfied Aron was happily chewing on a chunk of tempered steel.
"Aron?" my eyes went wide.
"Aron!" he greeted me with an enthusiastic gulp and immediately went back to destroying my weapon.
With a heavy sigh, I picked him up. I made sure to lift with a textbook-straight back—the little guy could easily weigh over twenty kilograms. Tucking him securely against my left side with my left arm, I grabbed the remains of my sword with my right and headed back to the fire.
An amused Machop smirked at me instantly, while Bran and Geodude burst out laughing the moment they realized what had actually happened in my tent.
With another heavy sigh, I sat back down by the fire with the heavy Aron in my lap. Resignedly, I held out the broken fragment of the blade. Of course, I was a bit sad to lose the sword—I'd gotten it directly from Argus in Pallet Town, and it was somewhat special to me... but in the end, it was just a material possession. I'd rather Aron be happy and well-fed.
While the little guy enthusiastically chewed another piece of steel—which echoed through the clearing like a horribly grating, screeching scratch—I made a mental note to buy him a proper supply of raw steel to eat in Cerulean. At the same time, I gave myself a mental slap for not realizing this sooner.
Meanwhile, Machop smirked and pulled Aron's untouched bowl over, happily polishing that off too.
Once we were all full and content, and little Aron had fallen asleep in my lap, it was time for training. Gently, so as not to wake him, I laid him on the blanket beside me. He snored softly. I paused for a second, worried I might have woken him, but he was clearly fast asleep. He had eaten a good two-thirds of my sword, the remainder of which I set aside.
"Time to train," I announced to the team in a quiet whisper, gesturing for them to follow me a bit further from the campsite.
Bran, along with Poliwhirl and Geodude, followed immediately. Once we stepped aside, Machop stood resolutely in front of me and threw down a direct challenge: "Macho Mach Machop?"
I smirked at him with amusement and shook my head: "You're too small. I'm twice your height, so sparring wouldn't be much of a contest," I laughed, vividly imagining myself kicking a 1-meter-tall hobbit away with an uncompromising Spartan kick.
"Macho!" he growled at me, clearly offended, while Houndour and Squirtle watched him curiously.
That made me laugh even more. A vein bulged on the gray fighter's forehead from anger, and then, something unexpected happened—his entire body suddenly began to glow with a brilliant, blinding white light. Before our eyes, his figure grew dramatically in both height and width. Suddenly, he was one seriously strapping bastard. He nearly matched my height, easily stood taller than Bran, and comfortably eclipsed me in shoulder width.
The moment the evolution process finished, he let out a deep, challenging growl: "Machoke!"
He thrust a massive fist forward and curled his open palm, provocatively beckoning me to bring it on.
Houndour snarled fiercely at this demonstration of power. Just as I turned my gaze toward him, his body lit up with the exact same brilliant white light. Seeing this, Squirtle merely snorted in disdain, casually flicked his tail, and a second later, began to glow with the light of evolution as well.
"Well, fuck me..." I blurted out in utter shock.
Bran, Geodude, and Poliwhirl burst into uncontrollable laughter that echoed across the clearing, while a massive Machoke stood defiantly in front of me like Neo in the Matrix, flanked by the rapidly glowing, brilliant silhouettes of Houndour and Squirtle.
***
Author's note:
Two new team members for our MC! I'll confess, Machop was a self-indulgent add after our Discord discussions—he's my favorite Fighting-type, so I couldn't resist. We've also got a baby Aron on the team (previously babysat by Machop), and Bran walked away with a Geodude that was clearly impressed by his "biceps" (or maybe just his boxers, who knows? lol).
Also, our MC had a total brain-fade there. Honestly, who in their right mind expects a Steel-type to eat regular food? And that's how he lost his sword... RIP.
And finally... that massive triple-evolution ending! A brand new Machoke is throwing down a sparring challenge. What are your predictions? Does Machoke take the W, or does our MC knock him out cold? With Houndour going full protector mode and Squirtle being too proud to get left behind, things just escalated quickly. Let me know what you think in the comments!
***
Step into the Restricted Section
The shadows are shifting, and the story goes much deeper... If you can't wait for the next update, Advanced Chapters are already waiting for you.
Enter the Restricted Section here: you-know-what/PatrikWriter
Upcoming Chapters – Already Written(14):
31. A Clash of Auras
32. Houndour: The Strength of the Pack
33. Above Average
34. Of Eggs and Iron
35. The Road to Cerulean
36. Boiled Lobsters and Double Beds
37. Cerulean After Hours
38. Shadows, Sparks, and the Bro Code – 18+
39. The Cost of Power
40. Of Iron and Fists
41. No Mercy
42. The Girl in the Pink Cap
43. The Price of Arrogance
44. Of Bro Codes and Psychic Radars
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