The Hatchery

[Gemini Spark]

Originally Posted by Gemini Spark

Dropping off a Birthday Egg here, see you in a week!

Hatchy hatchy eggie time!

[Sandaa]

Gemini Spark: You have hatched a male Sobble!

[Prof.Enigma]

Originally Posted by Prof.Enigma

Exchanging Two of my Breeding slots for an Ice Typed Egg

Then immediately dropping said Ice type egg off for incubation

Originally Posted by Prof.Enigma

Dropping an Enigma Egg from FC Claim @185 for incubation as well

These two should be about ready for hatching

[Sandaa]

Prof.Enigma: You have hatched a Male Sneasel! It knows the Egg Moves Ice Punch and Feint!

You have hatched a Male Shellder!

[Prof.Enigma]

Originally Posted by Sandaa

Prof.Enigma: You have hatched a Male Sneasel! It knows the Egg Moves Ice Punch and Feint!

You have hatched a Male Shellder!

Poping both of these lovely's in pokeballs, Tanka

[Meetan]

Originally Posted by Meetan

Dropping off a Birthday Egg for incubation, ty.

Hatching this, ty!

[Sandaa]

Meetan: You have hatched a Genderless Staryu! It knows the Egg Move Supersonic!

[Zorchic]

Originally Posted by Zorchic

Dropping off this Birthday Egg to be hatched a week later, thanks!

Hatch, please! Can't wait to see what's inside~

[Sandaa]

Zorchic: You have hatched a Male Cutiefly! It knows the Egg Move Moonblast!

[Zorchic]

Originally Posted by Sandaa

Zorchic: You have hatched a Male Cutiefly! It knows the Egg Move Moonblast!

RP:

Spoiler: show

“Wait, the storm’s over?” Jake Celeste, who had been resting on a couch in the lobby of the Laba Dome in his Secret Base, peered out the nearest window.

Jake’s Buizel, who had been looking out the same window, nodded. “At least, it doesn’t appear to be raining anymore,” he clarified. “Can’t say for sure whether the lightning has also ceased. The ground’s still soaking wet, it seems.”

“Anyway, it sure is nice to finally be able to understand you in coherent sentences,” the 14-year-old boy commented. ”Ever since my aura-sensing skills suddenly spurted last week, I can’t stop exclaiming about this.”

“And Lucario doesn’t have to use telepathy anymore for you to understand him,” Buizel added. “But he probably still prefers it—”

The entrance doors to the Laba Dome slid open, letting in a large, amphibian Pokémon with bumps all over her body. “It’s not raining anymore,” she confirmed in a satisfied croak as the doors closed behind her.

Jake stood up. “Ah, Seismitoad!” he exclaimed, walking over to where the Water/Ground-type was at once. “The only one of us who can stay outside during a thunderstorm and not be bothered by either the rain or the lightning. Look,” he remarked, running his hand over Seismitoad’s back. “Doesn’t even seem wet!”

“Well, you know that I can tell whether water’s hitting me or not,” replied Seismitoad. “Water Absorb still allows for that, I just soak up the water that pelts me.”

“Indeed, Water Absorb does,” Jake agreed. “Is it safe for the rest of us to go outside now?”

The Vibration Pokémon gave only a shrug in response.

The Aura Guardian slapped his forehead lightly. “Ah, of course. You’re a Ground-type and aren’t affected by lightning anyway. So you wouldn’t be able to tell if there was no more of it, unlike with Water Absorb and rain. Am I right?”

Again, Seismitoad gave a shrug, but Jake could sense that she agreed with what he said.

The Trainer shrugged as well. “That’s good enough of an answer for me.”

“Hey, I can test if you need,” Buizel chimed in, scampering over to Jake and Seismitoad. “Took a long time to perfect, if you recall, but I very much can use electricity thanks to my Thunder move.”

“It’s fine, Buizel,” the Aura Guardian assured the Water-type. “Luxio would do a better job with that, since she’s Electric-type and can tolerate lightning better.” He cupped his hands to his mouth. “Luuuxiii—oh.” Jake let his hands down. “She’s not in this room and wouldn’t hear me unless she was. Wait, where is Luxio?”

Jake looked from Buizel to Seismitoad and back. Both Water-types shrugged. “She’s definitely not near me, maybe not even in the building,” offered Buizel. “I could sense an Electric Pokémon with ease on this wet day.”

At this, the Trainer put his hands to his head as if troubled. “Oh, man. Luxio might still be outside. I’m not worried about how the storm will affect her, it’s more that she might wander off unattended. I mean, she’s well-behaved, so she wouldn’t do that—agh, I’m paranoid, all right.” He flexed his gloved hands and took a Luxury Ball out of his left pocket. “I’ve got to go outside and check on Luxio, even if there’s still lightning out. Seismitoad, come with me outside. Buizel, I’d advise you to stay inside until the sky clears a bit more, alright?”

The Sea Weasel Pokémon gave a thumbs-up. “No problem,” he assured his Trainer. “Stay safe!”

Jake nodded and waved Seismitoad over, as he walked through the sliding doors to the large yard of the Campus of the Tech and Psychic, the Vibration Pokémon shuffling close behind. “Alright, let’s go.”

As the Trainer and Pokémon stepped into the open, Jake braced himself, focusing his aura into a small shield above his head, before cupping his hands to his mouth once again. The overcast sky loomed over them both, threatening to strike them down with its thunderbolts, but the Aura Guardian paid it no mind now, not after he had erected his aura barrier. All he focused on was finding the Spark Pokémon.

“Luxiooo! Where are you? Are you here?”

Jake scanned the trees surrounding the Secret Base. An empty silence, save for the sound of the wind and of the rustling of the leaves, filled the air.

“Luxio? If you’re here, give me a shout!” The Trainer tried again.

“Come back!” called Seismitoad, gently vibrating the lumps on her arms in hopes of catching attention.

~~~

A black, blue, and yellow feline Pokémon retreated through the brush. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean any harm!” she pleaded, coughing as she struggled against the spray of light orange powder she was being doused with.

“We know you tricky cats,” insisted one of the bug Pokémon in the swarm opposite her; although speaking in a tiny voice typical of Pokémon of their size, this particular Bug-type spoke with a sort of authority. “You always think you can deceive us, you predators. I’ve learned your ways. What did you think you were doing, crashing into our tree like that? You think that’ll shock us silly?”

“Doesn’t help that it just rained,” added another member of the swarm. “Most of us have at least one drop of water on ourselves despite the tree cover, and by us Cutiefly’s standards, that means soaked!”

“Luxiooo! Where are you? Are you here?” echoed a ways behind the Electric-type.

“Aah, just let me go, my Trainer’s calling me!” sputtered Luxio, tripping and rolling over on the grass. “The wind blew me into that tree! A thousand times over, I’m really sorry for disturbing you!”

“Fine, fine, we’ll let you go,” relented the first Cutiefly, stopping the spray of powder as everyone else who had been releasing the powder followed suit. “But not without a parting gift. Moonblast boy, come and give it to ‘er!”

A certain Cutiefly popped out from the large swarm and peered at the supposed foe, an uncertain look forming on his face. Luxio’s eyes were squeezed shut from fear of the powder entering them. “She’s innocent,” he murmured at once to the authoritative Cutiefly. “Well-intentioned.”

“Doesn’t matter,” the other Cutiefly shot back immediately. “Do as I say!”

“Luxio? If you’re here, give me a shout!”

The Moonblast Cutiefly sighed and flew in front of his group, gathering Fairy energy in front of him into a pink orb. With the attack growing gradually larger, soon surpassing its user in size, the Cutiefly faced Luxio, who had covered her face with her paws, and spoke with a soft, resigned, but firm voice. “I’m sorry.”

He let fly the Moonblast and watched the Spark Pokémon be blasted backwards, landing softly on the grass in the clearing in the distance.

~~~

Just when Jake put his Luxury Ball back in his pocket, thinking he was mistaken as to where Luxio was, a black, blue, and yellow mass came careening out of the trees of the south. After landing, the Pokémon rolled a few meters before coming to a dazed stop not too far from the Trainer.

It was Luxio, light orange powder covering almost the entirety of her face.

“Wha—Luxio!” the Aura Guardian exclaimed concernedly, rushing over to his Pokémon’s side. “What happened? You okay?”

The middle-staged Pokémon rolled onto her stomach, but said nothing.

Jake wiped some of the powder off with a finger, eyeing it. “This stuff seems familiar,” he analyzed. “It’s Stun Spore, a paralyzing agent. Good thing you’re an Electric-type Pokémon, Luxio, and can’t be paralyzed,” the Trainer commented, shaking off the spores. “This should only be a dust’s annoyance to you. How did you come flying out like that, though?”

Luxio wiped the rest of the Stun Spore off her face with her right paw and gave a heavy breath, mumbling indistinctly.

“Oh, hey! A bug’s coming!” Seismitoad pointed to a small Pokémon buzzing out of the woods. Unbeknownst to Seismitoad (who in fairness had no way of knowing), this was the same Cutiefly who had reluctantly Moonblasted Luxio.

No sooner than Jake had looked up and spotted the tiny Bug-type, had the Cutiefly suddenly darted over to the Trainer in the blink of an eye, ignoring the other two Pokémon completely. The curious Pokémon flew quickly around the Aura Guardian, seeming to check him out, before settling in front of Jake. Chuckling calmly, Jake took his Pokédex out of his right pocket and opened it, holding it in front of the Cutiefly. The ‘Dex loaded up, momentarily displaying a “partly sunny” current weather forecast, before pulling up the entry screen.

Cutiefly, the Bee Fly Pokémon. A Bug and Fairy-type. It feeds on the nectar and pollen of flowers. Because it's able to sense auras, it can identify which flowers are about to bloom.

“Wow!” Jake exclaimed, putting away his Pokédex. “You can sense auras, Cutiefly! Well, so can I!” he grinned. “And so can my Lucario and Buizel! I hope you’ll be able to meet them!”

Luxio lifted her head up. “Already thinking of catching Cutiefly, eh?”

“What? Have you got something against him?”

“No. In fact, the opposite. He’s a good guy, I don’t need to be able to sense aura to know that. His apology before letting loose his Moonblast at me—that’s what sent me flying—was genuine,” the Spark Pokémon explained.

Cutiefly turned to the Electric-type, showing a smile of relief. “You heard me!” he breathed. “Thank you! I felt bad when my leader had me attack you. You didn’t want to hurt anyone, and neither did I. I didn’t even join in on the Stun Sporing that was going on.”

By way of his own aura-sensing abilities, Jake didn’t need to be filled in on what he had missed. “Better get straight to the point, then,” he said gently as the Bee Fly Pokémon turned toward him again. “Cutiefly, want to join my team? We’ll help you improve your aura abilities to greater heights. Ignore how cliché that sounds,” he added quickly. “Not to mention, I kinda...feel like you’re just what our team needs. I don’t know how, I just...do.”

“I... I feel it, too,” agreed Cutiefly. “Enough said. I’m a strong battler as well as a ‘good guy’—you’ll see me battle when you see—but I can prove myself later. You have an empty Pokéball with you, Jake?”

“Indeed I do,” replied the Trainer, taking a Pokéball out of his left pocket as he spoke. Only, this one was actually Seismitoad’s Pokéball, which Jake recalled her into. He patted the Ball and whispered to it, before putting it back into his pocket and taking out an actually empty Pokéball. “Anyway. Cutiefly, you want to initiate yourself into my team?” He held up the red and white sphere.

“I’m ready!” Cutiefly declared, flying to the button on the Pokéball and pressing it. The Ball automatically opened, sucking the Bug and Fairy-type inside with a trail of red light. Jake let it fall out of his outstretched hand and onto the ground so it could shake freely, which it did just once. The Pokéball let out a burst of stars: the stars of a successful catch.

The Aura Guardian picked up the Pokéball that held the newest member of his team, holding it high. “I just caught…” Jake jumped up. “...a Cutiefly!”

Luxio gave a happy roar in celebration.

Jake grinned, tossing Cutiefly’s Pokéball into the air. “Alright, come on out, Cutiefly!”

With a burst of bright light, the Bee Fly Pokémon materialized in front of his Trainer. The Trainer held out his left pointer finger and let Cutiefly rest on it, before looking up at the sky. Luxio looked up as well.

“Yes! The storm’s over, and the sun’s already coming out!” Jake stated, as if saying it aloud to confirm it to himself.

“That’s great!” remarked Luxio, before a realization came over her. “Is that all you wanted me for? To check if there was still lightning?”

“That’s part of the reason,” Jake admitted. “The other part of it is a Trainer’s concern. I gotta make sure my Pokémon are safe, don't I?”

“Well, I am now,” replied the Electric-type. She climbed to her feet and bounded back to the Laba Dome, beckoning her Trainer and new teammate over with gestures of her head. “C’mon, let’s go back!”

“I’ll be right there with ya!” the Aura Guardian called, running after Luxio as Cutiefly took off from his hand and flew beside him. Man, would they have a story to tell.

Picking up my level 1 male Cutiefly and putting him in Pokéball #5 out of 5! Declaring his Ability to be Shield Dust.

[Connor]

Dropping off Enigma Egg from Staff Rewards [135 FC - 12/04/2021].

[CyberBlastoise]

Originally Posted by CyberBlastoise

Trading in one breeding slot for an Enigma Egg please.

Hatching this eggo.

[Sandaa]

CyberBlastoise: You have hatched a Male Chikorita!

[Emp]

Originally Posted by Sandaa

Emp: You have received a Genderless Arctozolt!

One week Some time later, Emp, the zany professor and the unassuming receptionist were sat eagerly around the revival machine, waiting for it to do something. Perhaps the two parts couldn’t be made whole after all. The trainer was growing weary, peering through the strange contraption’s viewscreen for any sign of activity. When boredom took ahold, he pulled out a ukulele; he couldn’t tell if his company were entertained or irritated as he spontaniously broke into song.

We're watchin', and we're waitin',
On the edge of our seats, anticipatin'
We're keeping our eyes peeled, keeping 'em glued to the spot
'Cause one moment they’re just rocks but then the next maybe not
We doubt it’ll work but it’s still worth a shot,
So we're watchin' and we're waitin'...

Emp struck a dull chord as several needles spun on their dials, the machine giving a high-pitch whir as steam erupted from its pressure valves. The viewscreen flickered blinding white, forcing the three to avert their gaze – narrowly avoiding the subsequent eruption of glass and shrapnel. The explosion was triggered by what sounded like a sneeze, sparks flying from the contraption as its surface froze over.

When Emp dared to look back he saw another creature staring back at him, though even ‘creature’ might have been a generous term. Whatever it was, it looked like it was in pain. Its birdlike upper body was shaking like a leaf, snowed under by its reptilian base. The abomination waddled free of its birth chamber, and Emp regretted his decision immediately. It gave a shrill cry as it broke into a clumsy sprint, tackling the professor who was either too curious or too petrified to dodge. Sparks and icicles rained from the sky as the hatchery erupted into chaos – Emp reaching for backup as the ancient oddity closed in.

He didn’t need it. In spite of its dripping nose, the creature had caught a whiff of something tasty as its blubbery stomach began to rumble. Turning on its heel it toddled to the nearest incubation room, the receptionist shrieking in horror. They would quickly see that it wasn’t the nest of unborn eggs the creature was after, but the bottles of MooMoo Milk set up for their arrival. The beast was just hangry after all, the creamy refreshments enough to pacify its violent tendencies.

The professor shook his head as he brushed off his lab coat, hair still frazzled in parts and frozen in others: “We were so preoccupied with if we could, we never stopped to ask if we should...”

Claiming Genderless Arctozolt who I'll be nicknaming Brrrd. They will live in this Snow Ball and their ability will be Volt Absorb.

[Connor]

Originally Posted by Connor

Dropping off Enigma Egg from Staff Rewards [135 FC - 12/04/2021].

Hatchin'.

[Missingno. Master]

"...Thanks, Cara. You didn't have to do this, you know. Really," Marv said, looking at the Poké Ball he'd just been handed, making a very thin attempt at veiling his lack of enthusiasm at what he'd received.

"Don't be so haughty, Marv. It's my pleasure," stated the woman who'd just handed Marv the ball. "Of course I'd want to congratulate you on getting the scoop of the century."

"Well, I mean-"

"And think of it- a Pokémon that walked the face of Galar in ancient times!" the woman interrupted, her mud-flecked face alight with excitement. "Can you imagine how good of a scoop that would make?!"

"Er, well, Diana and I don't really do much in the way of, of fluff pieces anymore-" began Marv.

"Bah, what are you talking about, fluff pieces?" scoffed the woman. "What do you think is in that Poké Ball, a simple Bunnelby or Silicobra? Wrong, sir! You have in your hands the apex predator of its time, a Pokémon so exceptional at hunting that it only went extinct because it overhunted its own prey! That, cousin of mine, is no mere fluff piece- that is a scoop befitting a cameraman of your accomplishments!"

"I'm not sure I-"

"Oh, don't even worry about it- I assure you I won't miss it," the woman stated.

"I'm not surpri-" Marv began snarkily.

"This is hardly the first of its kind I've revived, and I'm sure it won't be the last."

"Oh, goody-"

"Take it, Marv, take it, please," the woman insisted. "Now, I'm sorry I have to run so quick, but my work is never really done, now is it? Diana, lovely to see you in person as well, and may I add, it's so good to know the two of you finally got together! I've been waiting so long for this to happen, you know! Anyone with eyes could have seen it coming a mile away."

"Well, that's very nice-" Diana began, almost visibly sweatdropping from the whole conversation.

"Now, I'm afraid I must be off, I'm quite busy. Thank you both for having me over, we simply must do this again sometime. Goodbye!"

With that said, the disheveled, muddy woman walked out of Marv's apartment, leaving a stunned silence in her wake. Diana Macks and Marv Liss exchanged looks of bewilderment, before they both looked at the Poké Ball in Marv's hand. "...So that was your cousin," Diana finally spoke up.

"Yeah, that... that was Cara Liss, alright," Marv replied. "I, uh... I think you see now why our phone conversation was going the way it went."

"I would say so," nodded Diana. "So... that Pokémon she gave you-"

"Oh, I can't keep it," Marv said at once. "Cara is family and I love her, but if it ever got out that I was related to her, I can kiss my career goodbye. She's a pariah in her field, because of those abominations she created that she's tried to pass off as Pokémon that walked the face of Galar in the ancient past... Besides, they're all too big to fit in here anyway," he added, gesturing around his rather small apartment.

"Hmm..." murmured Diana. "Well... if we're gonna try and find a new Trainer for it... I may have an idea as to where to start looking."

"Yeah?" Marv said hopefully.

Diana nodded. "What say we take a trip to Sludge Wave Coast?" she asked.

OOC: Dropping off this Fossilized Fish and Fossilized Drake to be revived into a Dracovish.

[Pearl's Perap]

Originally Posted by Pearl's Perap

Dropping off Alice the Chatot for a week of wooing Wisewoods, grassyglide's Rowlet - she will be holding on to an Old Spice Incense for the occasion too. Once all is said and done, I shall be keeping the egg



Alice the Chatot

Spoiler: show

~ +
Species: Chatot
Classification: Music Note Pokémon
Type: Normal / Flying
Gender: Female
Level: 20
Obtained: Captured in The Cloud Garden on 16th May 2009
Ability: Keen Eye
Nature: Jolly
Bond: 21

Contest stats - 100 - 20 - 20 - 20 - 20

Level-up Moves: Hyper Voice - Chatter - Confide - Taunt - Peck - Growl - Mirror Move - Sing - Fury Attack - Round (Lv29) - Mimic (Lv29) - Roost (Lv33) - Echoed Voice (Lv37) - Uproar (Lv37) - Synchronoise (Lv49) - Feather Dance (Lv50)
TM/TR Moves: Sky Attack - Mud Slap - Rest - Sleep Talk - Metronome - Whirlwind - Icy Wind - Torment - Bubblebeam - Fury Cutter - Bullet Seed - Double Team - Silver Wind - Thunderbolt - Ice Beam - Flamethrower - Mega Drain - Dark Pulse - Toxic - Dragon Rage - Round - Substitute
HM Moves: Fly - Defog
Egg Moves: Night Shade - Supersonic
Move Tutor Moves: Heat Wave

Originally Posted by grassyglide

Dropping off my Rowlet to breed with Pearl Perap's Chatot. PP will be providing an old spice incense and also will be keeping the egg.

Spoiler: show

Species: Rowlet
Name: Wisewoods
Type: Grass/Flying
Gender: Male
Level: 35
Nature: Gentle
Ability: Long Reach
Moves:
MT and EM: Grassy Glide, Sky Attack, Double Team
Level up: Tackle [1], Growl [1], Leafage [1], Astonish [6], Peck [8], Shadow Sneak [12], Razor Leaf [14], Ominous Wind [16], Foresight [18], Synthesis [18], Pluck [21], Nasty Plot [24], Sucker Punch [27], Fury Attack [29], Leaf Blade [30], Feather Dance [33]
TM/TR: Attract, Return, Seed Bomb, Swift, Toxic
Unnatural TM/TR: Acrobatics

Time to hatch this little hooter

[Lil'twick]

Pearl's Perap: You have hatched a Male Rowlett with EMs Defog and Double Team!

[Pearl's Perap]

Originally Posted by Lil'twick

Pearl's Perap: You have hatched a Male Rowlett with EMs Defog and Double Team!

Picking up this downy dude in a Leaf Ball - going to be nicknaming him Robin and declaring his ability to be Long Reach

[Lil'twick]

Connor: You have hatched a Male Chinchou with EM Water Pulse!

[Gemini Spark]

Originally Posted by Sandaa

Gemini Spark: You have hatched a male Sobble!

Awww, he looks so cute! Let's see what you are now:

Sobble, the Water Lizard Pokemon. This Pokemon can turn invisible by submerging itself in water or by letting enough water fall down on it, which is why they are frequently seen walking in rainstorms or diving into rivers or fountains before seemingly disappearing. It cries when startled or frightened, causing all those nearby to cry along with it due to the potency of its tears.

Aw, guess we'll have to avoid scaring him, huh? Okay, let's put you in this Premier Ball (4/4), and I can take you to see Henrietta and James! I'm sure they'll like you...Percy!

[SpinyShell]

Exchanging what I believe is my second breeding slot for an Enigma Egg. Thanks.

Edit: I believe this is actually my fourth breeding slot. I misinterpreted the meaning of "calendar year" from the first post, assuming that it reset with every year change, e.g. 2020-->2021, and not when a year passed since I first used a slot. Fortunately I believe I am still within the four eggs allotted, so I didn't go over the limit.

Edit 2: Nevermind, I've been told that I still have two slots left.

[Missingno. Master]

Originally Posted by Missingno. Master

"...Thanks, Cara. You didn't have to do this, you know. Really," Marv said, looking at the Poké Ball he'd just been handed, making a very thin attempt at veiling his lack of enthusiasm at what he'd received.

"Don't be so haughty, Marv. It's my pleasure," stated the woman who'd just handed Marv the ball. "Of course I'd want to congratulate you on getting the scoop of the century."

"Well, I mean-"

"And think of it- a Pokémon that walked the face of Galar in ancient times!" the woman interrupted, her mud-flecked face alight with excitement. "Can you imagine how good of a scoop that would make?!"

"Er, well, Diana and I don't really do much in the way of, of fluff pieces anymore-" began Marv.

"Bah, what are you talking about, fluff pieces?" scoffed the woman. "What do you think is in that Poké Ball, a simple Bunnelby or Silicobra? Wrong, sir! You have in your hands the apex predator of its time, a Pokémon so exceptional at hunting that it only went extinct because it overhunted its own prey! That, cousin of mine, is no mere fluff piece- that is a scoop befitting a cameraman of your accomplishments!"

"I'm not sure I-"

"Oh, don't even worry about it- I assure you I won't miss it," the woman stated.

"I'm not surpri-" Marv began snarkily.

"This is hardly the first of its kind I've revived, and I'm sure it won't be the last."

"Oh, goody-"

"Take it, Marv, take it, please," the woman insisted. "Now, I'm sorry I have to run so quick, but my work is never really done, now is it? Diana, lovely to see you in person as well, and may I add, it's so good to know the two of you finally got together! I've been waiting so long for this to happen, you know! Anyone with eyes could have seen it coming a mile away."

"Well, that's very nice-" Diana began, almost visibly sweatdropping from the whole conversation.

"Now, I'm afraid I must be off, I'm quite busy. Thank you both for having me over, we simply must do this again sometime. Goodbye!"

With that said, the disheveled, muddy woman walked out of Marv's apartment, leaving a stunned silence in her wake. Diana Macks and Marv Liss exchanged looks of bewilderment, before they both looked at the Poké Ball in Marv's hand. "...So that was your cousin," Diana finally spoke up.

"Yeah, that... that was Cara Liss, alright," Marv replied. "I, uh... I think you see now why our phone conversation was going the way it went."

"I would say so," nodded Diana. "So... that Pokémon she gave you-"

"Oh, I can't keep it," Marv said at once. "Cara is family and I love her, but if it ever got out that I was related to her, I can kiss my career goodbye. She's a pariah in her field, because of those abominations she created that she's tried to pass off as Pokémon that walked the face of Galar in the ancient past... Besides, they're all too big to fit in here anyway," he added, gesturing around his rather small apartment.

"Hmm..." murmured Diana. "Well... if we're gonna try and find a new Trainer for it... I may have an idea as to where to start looking."

"Yeah?" Marv said hopefully.

Diana nodded. "What say we take a trip to Sludge Wave Coast?" she asked.

OOC: Dropping off this Fossilized Fish and Fossilized Drake to be revived into a Dracovish.

The time is now! Bring forth the latest unholy fusion we call a frankenfossil!

[Lil'twick]

Missingno. Master: You have received a Genderless Dracovish!

[Missingno. Master]

Originally Posted by Lil'twick

Missingno. Master: You have received a Genderless Dracovish!

The day thus far had been fairly uneventful at Sludge Wave Coast, and nobody there had any real reason to think that would change. It, therefore, came as something of a surprise to the Masters family when there came a knock at the door of the Poisonous Palace that afternoon. "Huh. Who could that be?" Keith murmured, popping his head into the entrance hall from the living room, where he and his wife and daughter had been in the middle of watching the remake of Kingler Kong- one of many instances of the family watching movies that Willa's mother and Maribel's grandmother had starred in. Keith walked over to the double doors and pulled them open, and took a step backwards in surprise- a news reporter and a cameraman stood on the front step, minus their usual equipment. "Diana Macks!?" Keith exclaimed.

"Ahaha, I'm, ah, not too surprised you recognize me," Diana replied modestly. "You've seen me on TV, I take it?"

"More than a few times, yeah," Keith nodded. "Which I take to mean you're Marv, then?" he added to the man.

The man in question nodded, offering a handshake. "Marv Liss. A pleasure," he said quietly.

"Yeah, same," Keith nodded, shaking Marv's hand. "Uh... come in, come in," he said, leading the way inside.

Willa and Maribel were suitably surprised to see who their guests were, to say the least. "...I must say, I was not expecting any sort of excitement out of today, least of all something like this," Willa stated.

"Wow, it's so cool to meet you two!" smiled Maribel. "You're the best at covering raid battles!"

"So, um, not sure how much of this is necessary, but introductions nonetheless," Keith stated. "I'm Keith Masters, and this is my lovely wife Willa, and our beautiful daughter Maribel."

Marv nodded. "I've seen all three of you through my camera when Diana and I were reporting on raid battles," he said. "Keith and Willa, we knew your names, but Maribel, we hadn't known yours. A pleasure to meet you all in person."

"Likewise," nodded Diana.

"It's nice to meet you two as well," Willa nodded back. "I... mean no disrespect, but why exactly have you come here?" she added.

"Ah, yes," stated Diana. "Well, I think Marv can answer that better than I can."

Marv nodded, with a sigh as he examined the Poké Ball in his hand, before looking back up at the Masterses. "Yesterday, my cousin paid us a visit after having finally learned that Diana and I had done that news coverage of the Primal Dialga incident. Speaking of which, I hate to pry, but would I be correct in assuming that you were affected in some way by, the, uh...?"

Willa nodded. "My husband and I walked into a time distortion that appeared around this very house the morning after our wedding, along with our then-unborn daughter. Ten years later, it pulled us back to that point in time, so from the perspective of our friends, we spontaneously aged ten years and Maribel appeared out of nowhere."

"It was so weird- it still is," admitted Maribel. "But it's also really cool in some ways," she added with a smile.

"Yeah, it's had more of a positive impact than you'd think," Keith stated. "But yes- you were saying?" he added, prompting Marv to continue.

"Ah, yes," nodded Marv. "Well, my cousin, she insisted on giving me a gift to congratulate me on having gotten what she's saying is the scoop of the century. You may be wondering why she's only just doing this now- as it happens, she gets so engrossed in her work that she's slow to catch up on current events."

"Well, wait- if you were brought back from a decade in the future, wouldn't you already know what we're doing here?" asked Diana.

"Not so much," Keith shrugged. "There's a number of subtle differences between the tangents of the timeline. I don't pretend to understand it at all, but in the version of the timeline we're from, this visit never happened."

"Truly bizarre," Marv murmured. "But yes- the thing with this gift. I do love my cousin, she is a very dear member of the family, and I absolutely appreciate her intention..." he took a deep breath. "...but Cara has an abhorrent reputation in the field of Poképaleontology, and not without objectively good reason," he stated. "If it got out that I was related to her, and I assure you, with a gift like what she gave me, it inevitably would, it would be devastating to my career. I... I hate to speak like this," he frowned. "I hate to think of it as choosing my career over my family, and I would not blame you for seeing it as such, but even if that weren't an issue, there is the additional issue that the gift in question is a Pokémon, one which I simply don't have the living space to care for. So..."

"...so you were hoping one of us could take the Pokémon off your hands?" Keith offered.

"...that's about the shape of it, yes," Marv nodded.

"I hope you don't think less of Marv for his concerns about his career," Diana said to the Masterses. "He does truly care about his cousin, whatever faults she may have-"

"It's fine," Willa stated. "Nobody is perfect, and it can be hard to know the right decision to make.

"...can we see the Pokémon?" asked Maribel.

"Ah, yes," nodded Marv. "Can... can we do this outside?" he asked. "I see you have a spacious house, but at the same time, I can make no promises about this Pokémon's temperament- I've yet to send it out myself, you see."

"Of course," Keith nodded, standing up and leading the way outside.

Once they were all out in the open, Marv stepped forward and cleared his throat, pressing the button to enlarge the ball in his hand. "All right," he exhaled. "Come on out," he said, lobbing the ball in the air.

The ball split open, and in a flash of light, a creature materialized. It had sturdy legs and a powerful tail, albeit almost comically cut off where it might have once connected to a hypothetical upper body. Instead, on the tip of the tail, using said tail as a neck of some sort, was the large head and odd-looking fins of some sort of prehistoric fish Pokémon. It glanced around, letting loose a strange bellowing cry.

"...What is that?" Keith and Willa said simultaneously.

"That," Marv Liss sighed, "is Dracovish. One of the four reasons Cara Liss is a Poképaleontological pariah. You see, fossils in the Galar region aren't complete enough to be able to be revived into what they actually once were, so Cara began mixing and matching. It's still unclear what two Pokémon these used to be." As he spoke, Maribel took out her Rotom Phone.

"Dracovish, the Fossil Pokémon. A Water and Dragon-type," said Rotom. "Dracovish was the apex predator of its time, and was so stupid it overhunted its own prey to extinc... wait, what is this entry? This thing clearly didn't exist in ancient times. Who wrote this garbage?"

"Oh, lord, she had those Pokédex entries published," groaned Marv, burying his face in his hands. "I was hoping they'd see them for the nonsense they are and try and talk some sense into- LOOK OUT!" he exclaimed, for at that moment, he looked up just in time to see Dracovish barreling right towards them! Everyone got out of the way, just as Dracovish tripped and skidded on the ground. It got back up, looking around, letting out what sounded like a confused version of the strange bellowing cry it emitted before. It then ran right for Maribel, prompting sudden, violent movements on her parents' parts as Marv frantically scrambled for Dracovish's Poké Ball. Maribel carefully backed up as Dracovish approached and... tapped a fin to one of her shoulders. And then, with a strange, bellowing laugh, Dracovish wheeled around and ran off into Sludge Wave Coast, leaving a stunned silence as Maribel gleefully dashed off after the frankenfossil.

"...huh?" Keith said, breaking the silence.

"...it just wanted to play tag?" Willa added incredulously.

"I... think so," Marv said. "I... wow. That is not the sort of personality I expected from this thing. Though I do stand by what I say- that sort of playfulness, combined with its size, my apartment would be in ruins."

For a while after this, they contented themselves watching Maribel play with Dracovish. The two appeared to be having a lot of fun, while after some time, Maribel's Rotom Phone, seemingly bored with the whole thing, wriggled out of her bag and just floated aimlessly around the area. Every so often, Dracovish would stop what it was doing and jump into the sea for a moment, which Diana speculated had to do with Dracovish being, well, half prehistoric fish Pokémon. Every time, Dracovish would emerge re-energized and ready for more fun, until, about an hour into all this, Dracovish sat down, tired but so, so happy.

After a few moments to confer with his wife and then with Marv, Keith approached his daughter, who was petting the tired-out Dracovish. "Looks like you had fun, sweetie," he remarked.

"Yeah, Dracovish loves to play," smiled Maribel. "Dad... Mr. Liss said he wanted one of us to take care of Dracovish, right? Can I be the one to take it? Please?" she pleaded.

Keith smiled and chuckled. "After what we've seen, your mother and I are in agreement- you'd be the perfect Trainer for Dracovish," he replied. As he spoke, he produced the Poké Ball Marv had given him and held it out to his daughter.

"Woooow!" Maribel whispered as she accepted the sphere. "Hey- hey, Dracovish- how'd you like to come with me?" she asked the Fossil Pokémon.

"Viiiiish?" yawned Dracovish in response. Then, as Maribel's words sank in, Dracovish's eyes lit up, and it let out a joyous bellowing cry, waving its tiny fins excitedly.

Maribel grinned. "I think we're in agreement, then," she stated. And she held out the Poké Ball. "Dracovish, return!" she declared, withdrawing her newest Pokémon.

The Rotom Phone chimed as soon as Dracovish was back in its ball. "Dracovish has been registered to your Pokédex!" said Rotom.

Msribel smiled at the Poké Ball in her hand. Then, she approached Diana and Marv. "Thank you, Mr. Liss," she said to Marv. "I'll take good care of Dracovish."

"I have no doubt," Marv nodded. "That was you commanding that Bagon during that Lickilicky raid last Halloween, right?"

"Yeah," confirmed Maribel.

"Everyone there was clearly a very skilled Trainer," stated Diana Macks.

"Heh, thanks," smiled Maribel. "I still have a long way to go, but I did learn from the best," she added, with an admiring look at her parents, who exchanged smiles at their daughter's praise.

"Well, I agree with your parents- you will almost certainly do well with Dracovish," stated Marv. "Now... I'm afraid Diana and I have to head out at this point," he added apologetically.

"Yeah, we have work in a little while," said Diana. "I actually do wish we could've stayed longer, it was very nice to meet you all."

"The pleasure is ours," stated Willa. "You are welcome back anytime."

"Seconded," Keith nodded.

"Thirded, fourthed, and fifthed," chimed in Maribel.

This got a nice chuckle out of everyone present, at which point Marv spoke up again. "...if I may, though, can I ask you all to please promise you'll keep my relation to Cara Liss a secret?" he pleaded. "It's an uncomfortable position I find myself in, and it's not like I want to choose between my family and my career-"

"It's fine," Keith stated. "We'll keep the secret. I promise."

"I promise as well," nodded Willa.

"I promise," said Maribel firmly.

Marv gave a small smile. "I truly appreciate this," he said. However, as further goodbyes were said, nobody noticed a well-dressed man lurking behind the Pokémon Center, a diabolical smirk spreading across his face...

OOC: Thanks, Lit! Collecting my Dracovish in Poké Ball #5 of 10, no nickname, and declaring its Ability to be Strong Jaw.