After the battle, Michael and Sersi couldn't stop teasing Rodnick. Every time he opened his mouth, one of them had another jab ready. Rodnick's face was burning red.
"Dude, will you stop already?" he groaned, hands in his pockets and eyes darting away.
"Nope," Michael grinned. "You lost, and now you gotta take the L like a champ."
Sersi snickered beside him, barely holding it in. "Legend says that Crunch still echoes in Charmander's nightmares."
Rodnick scoffed. "Please. You got lucky your Bagon's Crunch landed on my Charmander's tail. He got startled by your shameless battle tactics. Otherwise, you'd be toast."
Michael smirked. "Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that, buddy."
"Seriously! That fluke—" Rodnick began, but Michael cut him off with a smug grin.
"Be happy," he said, patting Rodnick's shoulder mockingly. "You were this close to winning. If only reality hadn't gotten in the way."
"Fine!" Rodnick huffed. "You win. Happy now?"
"Nah." Michael crossed his arms triumphantly. "I'm going to bring this up every time you get cocky. First battle. You had the advantage of higher level and better move set. And you still lost."
Rodnick groaned. "I need better friends."
Sersi laughed. "Okay, okay. Let's focus on something else before Rodnick implodes. Michael, why not give us clues about your second Pokémon"
"Yeah, spill it," Rodnick jumped on the chance to change the subject. "Save me from further emotional trauma." he thought
Michael gave a knowing smirk at their obvious deflection. "Alright, I'll give you a hint." He held up one finger dramatically. "It's big."
Rodnick rolled his eyes. "Wow. So helpful. That narrows it down to, what, half the Pokédex?"
"You could've just said nothing," Sersi said, unimpressed.
"Okay, okay, here's another one—it's a Dragon-type."
"Now you're just messing with us, all of them are Big." Rodnick said, shooting him a glare.
Michael only smiled wider. "Maybe."
As they reached Michael's house, he swung the door open and called out, "Mom, I'm home!"
The three of them stepped inside, kicking off their shoes at the entrance like a synchronized squad, still laughing.
"Welcome home, sweetie," Janice called out warmly, stepping into view with a wooden spoon in one hand and an apron tied snug around her waist. Her hair was pulled back into a practical ponytail, the very image of a doting mom mid-dinner prep.
"Hi, Aunty Janice!" Sersi greeted with a bright smile.
"Hi, Sersi. How are your mom and dad? Is your grandfather still trying to sneak off to the casinos?" Janice asked, raising an eyebrow with a knowing smirk.
Sersi giggled. "Yup. Grandpa's still getting caught. Last month, Grandma locked him out of the family finances—so now he's taking out loans with his limited-edition Pokéballs as collateral."
Janice gasped, then laughed, shaking her head. "That man is going to gamble away the roof next. Your grandma's going to have to start frisking him before he leaves the house."
Michael chuckled, kicking off his shoes. Rodnick entered a bit slower, lingering by the door like someone trying to avoid notice.
Janice turned to him. "Hello, Rodnick! How's Freya doing? I didn't see her at the last breeder's conference."
Freya Whitmare—Rodnick's mom and the only daughter of Rodnick Whitmare Sr.—was a respected Pokémon breeder in her own right, one of the few in the family line known more for raising Pokémon than battling them. Unlike her three brothers, who were obsessed with competition and legacy, Freya had made a name for herself in the nurturing side of things.
Rodnick perked up. "Mom's good, Aunty. Her Pokémon lost an arm, so she stayed home to take care of it."
There was a sudden pause.
Michael and Sersi both froze and turned to him in unison, eyes wide.
"...Wait, what?" Michael blinked, his face suddenly serious. "Dude, you never mentioned that."
Rodnick looked puzzled, still oblivious to the weight of his words.
Michael's expression hardened. A Pokémon losing a limb wasn't just tragic—it could shorten its lifespan, wreck its battle potential, even prevent proper evolution in some cases. It was serious.
Janice's smile faded into concern. "Oh no... how did it happen? Is she okay? Should I go visit?"
Rodnick waved his hands quickly. "Oh! I mean—sorry, not like that. Her new Staryu lost an arm. Y'know, one of the limbs? But it's fine—it'll grow back. No big deal."
Michael facepalmed.
"Man, you really need to work on how you phrase things," he muttered.
Sersi let out a sigh of relief and gave Rodnick a look. "We thought you meant something way worse."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Rodnick said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
With the air cleared and Janice's concern easing, they all made their way into the living room, the scent of home-cooked food drifting through the house like a warm hug.
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The System will be making its appearance very soon, so stay tuned for that. Tomorrow's update might be a little delayed since I've got some real-life stuff to handle, but I'll do my best to get the next part out as soon as possible!
As always, thank you so much for reading my story.🥰
Let me know—how's the writing so far? Is the pacing okay? Do you like the characters? If there's anything I can improve, or if you spotted a mistake, please drop a comment! I genuinely appreciate the feedback and support. 😊
Now, real talk :
What's your favorite Pokémon?
More importantly… should Micheal catch it? (≧∇≦)ﾉ
Got a cool idea? Toss in your fav Pokémon with a backstory, quirks, weird habits—heck, even give it a dramatic slow-mo entrance if you're feeling spicy. If it fits the vibe, I'll totally try to weave it into the story!
Enjoying the ride?
Hit that Add to Library button so you don't miss the next chapter!
Got theories, feedback, or just wanna geek out about Dragon-types and dratini eggs? Drop a comment—I read 'em all.
And lastly...
POWERSTONES.💎💎💎
Feed 'em to this story like they're Rare Candies and help it mega evolve!
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