Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Hey..." Eddy called out, "Come here."

He put his hand out as a very familiar Pokemon slowly peaked out again. It was an Eevee.

"Man... an Eevee."

The Eevee got startled and ran back into hiding.

"O-Oh wait..." he tried to call out again but got nothing. He stood up and thought for a moment before running back inside the gas station.

"How much are those tenders?"

"3.50 for 4."

"I'll take 'em."

"Feeding that Eevee out there?" the clerk softly asked while grabbing the tenders from the hot plates.

"You know about it?"

"It always hangs out there. My dad lets me give it leftover food before we close the hot food up."

"Your father's a good man."

"I convinced him to," she handed him the bag and held her hand up, "Just take it. No payment. I was gonna do the same."

"Thank you so much."

Eddy stepped with the bag of tenders in hand with the store clerk following behind. A Sprigatito followed after her.

He held out the tenders so that the Eevee could smell them. It slowly peaked its head out and sniffed a few times before chowing down. Eddy placed the tenders down and slowly started to pet the Eevee.

"She's been there for about 2 weeks now," the store clerk knelt next to Eddy and would say, "I've been looking after her. Sprigatito loves playing with her."

"It's a female?"

"Yup."

Eddy slowly stood up and sighed, "Well, I appreciate you letting me do this."

"Oh, no problem," she would stand up with him and put her hand out, "Emma."

"Eddy."

"Oh I know. I recognize you whenever you'd walk in here to do a drink run for your co-workers."

"Fair enough."

"Do you have a Pokemon?"

"Nope. It's too expensive. Pokeballs are crazy expensive too. I definitely don't have the funds."

"Hm," Emma looked down at Eevee who was now playing with her Sprigatito, "Why don't you take Eevee here?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. There's no law against picking up a stray. You'll just have to register her."

"Hm... I don't know. I can barely take care of myself. That's another reason I haven't thought about getting my own Pokemon."

"Come on," the both of them looked at Eevee who leaped onto Eddy's shoulder, "she's already attached to ya'."

"I hope it isn't just for food because I barely have that at my home," he watched Eevee gasp in shock in which he would respond, "See? Even she's second guessing herself."

Eevee would then voice that she still wanted to go with him.

"Just give it a chance. Look, are you off tomorrow?"

"I am."

"Then we can both go and get her registered for you. Maybe then you can even register as a trainer and get some starter Pokeballs."

"You can do that?"

"Have you not read the laws for Pokemon ownership?"

"When they first came out yeah."

"That was a good while ago. Nearly a decade in fact. It's changed a lot," Emma sighed and rushed back inside, "Dad!" she called out, "I'm heading out now!"

"Where are you heading out to?" an older man peaked his head out and also asked, "Out with that guy you-."

"N-No, shut up dad. Look, I think we found a home for that Eevee."

"Oh nice, well, you enjoy yourself."

"Thanks dad!" she ran back out after grabbing her stuff and saw Eevee now laying on top of Eddy's head, "Alright, let's go."

"Huh?"

"I'm positive you don't know how to take care of a Pokemon, so I'll help you get started at least. I'm also gonna help you get up to date on the new Pokemon laws."

"Whatever. Let's go. Eevee's are heavier than I thought."

They eventually arrived to Eddy's apartment and Emma was first to walk in. She looked around in amazement.

"It's... clean."

"Did you think it was gonna a mess?"

"Well... a little?"

"Have a little faith. I might live alone, but I don't wanna be alone in a mess."

"Fair enough. So, do you have a laptop or something. I assume you do since you work at an electronics store."

"In my bedroom."

"Can you go get it?"

"Just grab it. I'm gonna let Eevee go around and make sure she doesn't mark her territory inside."

"Fine," Emma walked down the hall of his apartment and entered his room. She was surprised to see it well-kept as well, "Oh wow. Clean in here too."

"It's on my bed if you can't find it!" Eddy called out.

"A-Alright!" Emma looked down at Eddy's bed and gulped, "Well, whatever."

She grabbed it and quickly went back to Eddy to find the Eevee sleeping next to him and Sprigatito exploring around.

"She's asleep..."

"Yeah, she fell asleep pretty quickly."

"Well, I got the laptop here. Let's go over the new laws."

"Alright, sweet."

"So, what do you know about the laws now."

"Well, I remember when our world and the Pokemon world combined, I was told that we couldn't just own a Pokemon like it was a stray. Even registering them officially cost a bunch of money."

"That's still kinda true. You can't just grab a Pokemon off street even with a Pokeball or just grabbing them. Nowadays, it's common for people to take up some strays, but rarely do they register them as people would treat them as pets now rather than a battle partner."

"Battle partner?"

"That's why you would register them now if you are to become a trainer."

"W-Wait, I don't know if that's a good idea. I mean, it's an Eevee, I don't think it'd be a good idea to just up and be a trainer out of nowhere. Eevee here probably won't even want to."

"It's a good idea. Plus, it's a way to get free Pokeballs and enter into the US Gym Challenge."

"Emma, I know you mean well, but at my age, it's a much better idea to watch them."

"I mean, it's never too late. How old even are you? 20?"

"I'll be 26 in a month."

"O-Oh... I thought you were younger."

"How'd you even get to that conclusion."

"I don't know. You just don't look older."

Eddy stared at Emma for a short moment before saying, "I don't even know if that should be a compliment or an insult."

"Look, you should do it. I can kinda help walk you through being a trainer. First though, we'll have to register her so that you can get an official badge case, Pokeballs, and a Pokedex."

"Why do you seem so adamant?"

"Eddy..."

"Emma, look," Eddy stood up, making Eevee lose her spot, "I don't think I'd be a good trainer. Yeah, I played the games and all that, but I just played them for fun. All those former professional players fit more for those gym challenges. I feel like I'm inferior to them."

"Why do you feel that way."

"I don't know. I just know I wouldn't be good enough."

Eevee stood up and slowly walked over to Eddy. She looked up at him with a concerning look.

"Eevee..." she made a soft sound before running up and placing herself on his shoulder, "what do you think Eevee? Should we become partner and take on the US Gym Challenge?"

She stared at him for a second before looking over at Emma and Sprigatito. She then thought back to her old life. She became a stray after she was abandoned by her former Eevee pack due to her being too strong and rough to be around her siblings.

So she had been on her own since and wishes for a place to call home and be able to gain recognition for how strong she is.

She would then nod her profusely, making Eddy sigh.

"I guess she's made her decision," Emma smirked, "Looks you'll be a new trainer tomorrow."

"Oh alright. At least it'll get me out of this apartment. Wait, what about my job?"

"Being a Pokemon trainer will be your new job. That's part of the new laws."

"Wh-What do you mean?"

"You make money as a trainer. The most actually than most jobs. You basically gain money based on your performance. The person you beat doesn't give you the money or vice versa. You gain money base on how well you do in a battle, if you do proper strategy... a bunch of things. So if you're a consistently good trainer, then you could definitely make some serious bank."

"Huh... how am I just now hearing this?"

"Because you never bothered to stay updated?"

"Fair point. Man, I knew the champions and elite four members made bank and lived well. I didn't think that even a good trainer could make good money either."

"As a trainer, your income goes up based on how many badges you have a long with how far you get in the league."

"Hm... this is getting sweeter by the second! Alright, you have me convinced Emma. We'll head to the  courthouse tomorrow and register as a trainer!"

Chapter Text

Emma slowly opened her eyes and sat up. She stretched for a second before freezing and remembering that she slept that night at Eddy's apartment. She slept on the large sectional he had with Sprigatito sleeping near her on the ground.

"Oh yeah, I slept at his apartment," she looked around and saw Sprigatito stretch, "Good mornin' Tito."

Sprigatito meowed at Emma who started petting him. She then looked towards the hallway that led to Eddy's room. She got up and moved towards his room. She knocked on his door before opening it to find him on the floor with Eevee also on the ground with the both of them face up and snoring.

"Wow... those two were actually made for each other..."

Later that morning, Eddy stared out the window of his apartment while sipping on his coffee. Emma put her hat on and looked at him from behind.

"What're you thinking about?"

"Just this. It actually was a dream of mine to become a Pokemon trainer. But there was one thing I was fearing."

"What was that?"

"Being a trainer. I feel like I could've always become a trainer, but my fear was of how good of a trainer I'll even be. I just doubted myself into never even considering it."

"Well, now you have a reason," Emma pointed over to Eevee who was staring up at Eddy, "She seems pretty intent on being able to take part in battles. Plus, it just seems like the two of you are made for each other."

"I hope that becomes the case."

"By the way, have you thought about which eeveelution you'd want?"

"Hm," Eddy stared back down at Eevee and sighed, "my favorite eeveelution was Sylveon, so I might do that."

"Really? I never thought of you to be a Sylveon guy."

"I just think Sylveon is adorable. So why not. Otherwise, I always used Vaporeon when I played the games. But Sylveon would probably be what I do."

"Hm, I feel like you'd be able to get your friendship up for her to become a Sylveon."

"Yeah, hopefully," Eddy downed the rest of his coffee and coughed, "Whew, let's go ahead and get going. Might as well get this show on the road."

The group drove to the city's capitol building and Emma could see that Eddy was still nervous the whole drive there.

"Still nervous?"

"Yeah, like I said, I don't know if I could really make it as a trainer. Hopefully I can at least be decent. But I've been telling myself, even last night, that this'll be a once in a lifetime opportunity and that I gotta make the most of it."

"Exactly. You gotta the see the positive in this. You're gonna live the dream that so many people have. Becoming a Pokemon trainer and going on an adventure to be the very best."

"Yeah. With less walking too."

The two laughed as the pulled up to the building. Dax looked behind in the backseat to see Eevee staring back at him. He blew out some air and nodded at Emma.

"Let's do this."

They now sat in the lobby with their respective pokemon taking a seat on their laps. Emma looked at Eevee who started to lay down and fall aleep.

"By the way Eddy, Eevee doesn't have a registered Poke Ball. They have you select a Pokeball for her. Any idea on which one you'd go with?"

"Oh, I never thought about that," Eddy looked down at Eevee who was sound asleep. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know. The OG Poke Ball seems like a go-to. But I do like the design of the Great Ball. But the Timer Ball looks awesome too..."

"Well, 'Tito is in a Premier Ball. I think that would be a cool choice."

"Hm..."

"Eddy?" a woman called out.

"There you go Eddy. We'll be out here whenever you're ready."

"Alright. Let's go," Eddy stood up with Eevee in his arms and followed the woman.

He now sat in a office with Eevee sitting next to him and the woman sitting across from him from a desk.

"So, I see it that you'd like to register not only this Eevee, but to also register for the US National Gym Challenge."

"Y-Yes. That's correct."

"Hm. You're 25 years old. About to be 26 in two months. Never owned a Pokemon in the near decade that our world combined with theirs."

"Y-Yeah."

"You were in high school when Pokemon arrived in our world. You never took a course in high school about it?"

"My high school did not offer any courses until the year after I graduated. As for college, I didn't go to college. I went straight to the work force. So I never had the opportunity that others around my age got."

"I see. I take it you never attempted to adopt one or capture one from the wild?"

"I did not update myself on the new laws of owning Pokemon until last night. So, that's why I'm here with Eevee here."

The woman leaned forward and chuckled, "You're an interesting man. I take it you don't remember me?"

"Uh, ma'am, I'm aging pretty poorly, so I barely remember what I did yesterday morning."

"You didn't go straight to work after high school. You did a year of college."

"Uh..."

"We were in the Creative Writing Club?"

"Hm..."

"Oh my gosh, Eddy, I'm Emily. Don't you remember? You and I worked on a little Pokemon thing."

Eddy stared for a moment as Eevee looked over at Eddy with a look similar to a 'are you serious' before he snapped his fingers.

"Oh yeah! We did that Pokemon short story. Oh wow. I didn't think I'd see you here. I thought you were in Germany."

"I was. I returned after I won the Masters Tournament there."

"So now you're an Official for the league?"

"You could say that. This is a part-time gig. I have something that's a lot better."

"Huh..."

"But look, are you sure you're wanting to do this? Eevee is your only Pokemon. The Gym Challenge is rough and facing the Elite Four and facing the Champ isn't an easy task. Plus, signups for the challenge end today, so you're basically one of the final entries. Are you sure?"

"I mean, I feel like it became every Pokemon fan's dream to become a trainer and become the best there ever was. So yeah, I'm ready for it."

"Despite no experience in battling ever? The games don't count. This is different."

"I understand that, but I feel like I'd be able to accomplish more with Eevee than anyone would ever be able to believe."

"You're confident."

"I've started to become more and more confident the closer I got to this moment."

"Alright. If you're adamant about it, then we'll get you registered. Although, I'm positive you don't have Eevee there with an official Poke Ball. You will get the option today to put her in one. Any idea on what you'd use?"

"I think I'll go with a Timer Ball. The look is aesthetically pleasing. So I'll go with that."

"Alright," Emily stood up and went over to a draw and pulled out a few things. She placed each item on the desk in front of Eddy, "As an official trainer, you'll have your Timer Ball, badge case, and Pokedex. You'll be set to go."

"Oh wow," Eddy opened his badge case. And he closed it. Then opened it again, and again, and again...

"Stop," Emma clasped the case for him once more, "you'll need a backpack to carry all this which I assume you have."

"Yeah I got that," Eddy then grabbed the Timer Ball and looked at Eevee, "Alright Eevee, it's time to make it official. You ready?"

Eevee looked at the ball before looking back up at Eddy. He whacked the ball out of his hand before leaping onto his shoulder.

"Looks like she doesn't want to go in the ball."

"But she has to be at least caught in it, right?"

"That's right."

"Eevee," Eddy scratched just under her muzzle and asked, "Can you just get caught by it, then you can ride on my shoulder afterwards."

Eevee sighed and nodded. So Eddy put the Timer Ball up to Eevee and she tapped it with her head. The ball opened and she went in. It shook once before confirming that she was caught.

"She's now officially yours," the ball opened back up and Eevee was back on his shoulder, "Oh, you'll need this Poke Belt. It'll hold all of the Poke Balls you'll use for Battle."

"Thanks," he put his belt on and nodded, "Alright. How do I start this gym challenge thing?"

"Well," Emily went over and grabbed a bag of hers and would say, "my job here is basically done. So I'll kinda help you get started."

"Yeah?"

"I know the first gym to start you out is actually only about 2 or 3 hours away."

"Really? Oh yeah, Nashville. That's right. Well, let's go. I'm sure I'll need to train a bit with Eevee, but we can do that when we get there, right?"

"I can show you a place where you can train and possibly get new Pokemon."

"Sweet. Oh, let me introduce you to a friend."

"Friend?"

Eddy and Emily made it back to the lobby with Emma waiting with Sprigatito in her arms.

"Is it official?" she asked.

"It is official. Eddy here is now officially a trainer and entered in the US Gym Challenge."

"Sweet!" Emma cheered, "I can't wait to see you battle. This'll be awesome!"

"Yeah, Emily here is gonna help me get started."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I was the last signee, so she'll be the one that kinda guides me for the first few gyms."

"Hm," Emma stared at the two and asked, "do you two know each other or something?"

"Wow, you're preceptive."

"Well, I don't think a random official would just be so open to guide you."

"I do know him," Emily quickly answered, "Him and I went to college together. So I'm offering my assistance for the first few gyms."

"I can handle that," Emma quickly refuted, "I'm the one that convinced him so it should be fine for me to help him."

"Emma, it'll be fine. She's a former champion too. So she can help me."

"Hmph..."

"What's up with her?"

"Man..." Emily chuckled, "I won't say anything."

"What is it?"

Even Eevee had to give a loud sigh of frustration. Emma then grabbed his arm and dragged him ahead.

"Let's head to the car then. We have little time to waste!"