After being transported to the Pokémon world without a penny to his name, Aiden Cross had been forced to confront one very important question: how exactly was he supposed to survive?
“Time to beg for another meal, boys!”
That had originally been Aiden’s brilliant plan for launching his online career.
He would build an audience, conquer the internet, make a fortune, and eventually marry some gorgeous rich girl.
Unfortunately, his entrepreneurial journey had barely begun before Officer Jenny arrested him and hauled him off to the Pokémon Center.
A tragic end to a promising career!
On the bright side, the whole incident had at least solved his problems with identification and accommodation.
Better yet, he had somehow managed to recruit two of the Pokémon Center’s residents into his grand money-making enterprise.
“Sprigatito, Snivy, we need a new plan!”
“Meow!”
“Sni!”
His two trusted lieutenants stared solemnly at Aiden, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed.
If their Trainer couldn’t make some money soon, they wouldn’t be able to replace Nurse Joy’s treasured figurine.
And if they couldn’t replace Nurse Joy’s treasured figurine…
Then sooner or later, she would discover what had happened to the one they had broken while fooling around.
The thought sent a simultaneous shudder through Aiden, Sprigatito, and Snivy.
For one horrible moment, all three of them remembered the Primeape that had caused trouble at the Pokémon Center last time.
They exchanged glances and immediately reached the same conclusion.
They needed money, and they needed it fast enough to make this whole disaster disappear.
Or…
Aiden picked up his phone, looked at the two Pokémon beside him, and found himself considering a considerably less responsible solution.
“How about we just…
make a run for it?”
Snivy rejected the suggestion immediately.
Traveling without money was asking to starve.
They couldn’t even scrape together a single coin while living at the Pokémon Center, if they ran away now, how long would they possibly last outside?
“Sni!”
Without the slightest hesitation, Snivy lashed out with Vine Whip, wrapped Aiden from head to toe, and made her opinion of his proposal perfectly clear.
Even Sprigatito, who had practically done nothing but cling to Aiden and demand affection since the day they first met, firmly shook her head.
“Fine…
Then it looks like we’ll have to ride someone else’s popularity!”
Aiden reluctantly revealed his newest plan.
Who was the most famous person in Nimbasa City?
Some people might say Nurse Joy, while others would argue for Officer Jenny, but there was one name nobody could possibly overlook.
As one of Nimbasa City’s most recognizable faces, the Nimbasa Gym Leader and superstar model known as the Shining Beauty, Elesa was unquestionably one of the city’s greatest celebrities.
If Aiden could latch onto Elesa’s popularity, everything else would fall into place.
Trainers interested in challenging the Gym, fans who followed her modeling career, and spectators who loved Pokémon battles would all come flocking.
The views would pile up, and the money would come pouring straight into his tiny, painfully empty wallet.
“Hehehe…”
Aiden’s grin grew steadily more suspicious as he imagined the life of luxury awaiting him.
Just then, however—
“AIDEN CROSS!”
The furious shout shattered the peace of the Pokémon Center.
Aiden’s grin vanished instantly.
“Oh, crap.
With that level of anger, she definitely found out!”
Sprigatito and Snivy immediately panicked as well.
“Run first, replace the figurine after we make some money!”
“Spriga!”
“Sni!”
Neither Pokémon objected this time.
They leaped onto his shoulders, one on either side, and moments later Aiden disappeared through the open window.
The room fell silent.
…
A short while later, hurried footsteps approached before the door was thrown open.
Nurse Joy swept her gaze around the room and immediately locked onto the open window.
“Damn it!
He got away again!”
“Audino…”
Audino quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as Aiden and the others weren’t here, nobody would discover that the figurine had actually been damaged when Audino accidentally flung a mop into it while cleaning.
Nurse Joy glanced at her partner, and a knowing gleam flashed through her eyes.
In truth, she had known all along.
She knew Audino had accidentally broken the figurine while cleaning, and she also knew that after Audino had glued it back together, the unfortunate thing had suffered a second devastating blow at the hands of Aiden, Sprigatito, and Snivy.
She certainly felt bad about losing one of her favorite collectibles.
Still, Nurse Joy understood that this was also a good opportunity for Sprigatito and Snivy to finally move beyond their pasts and begin something new.
It definitely had nothing to do with wanting an excuse to get herself a brand-new figurine.
Definitely not.
…
Meanwhile, completely unaware that the figurine he thought he had destroyed had already survived one catastrophe before meeting him, Aiden had taken refuge in a nearby park.
He crouched down with Sprigatito and Snivy as he began reviewing what he had learned from conversations with Trainers at the Pokémon Center.
“From what those Trainers told us, the Nimbasa Gym uses three-on-three battles.
Since we don’t have any Badges yet, the Gym Leader should only use Blitzle, Joltik, and Tynamo against us.”
He paused, then continued matter-of-factly.
“Which means we still need one more teammate.”
“…”
“…”
A strange silence followed.
Sprigatito eventually looked up in confusion, only to discover that both Aiden and Snivy were staring directly at her.
It was obvious why.
That stupid Pokédex that was always making weird noises had filled everyone’s heads with strange ideas again.
“Spriga?!”
‘Why does everyone automatically assume I’m going to complain?’
Sure, she did have a few reservations, but it wasn’t as though she had said no!
Sprigatito sprang forward and landed directly in front of Aiden and Snivy, her expression unusually serious.
“Spriga!”
From the moment she met Aiden at the Pokémon Center, she had already made up her mind.
She wasn’t going to repeat the mistakes of the past and resist her Trainer whenever he wanted to catch another Pokémon.
As long as Aiden kept cuddling her, that was all she really needed.
Aiden still couldn’t understand Pokémon speech, but looking into Sprigatito’s large magenta eyes, he somehow grasped exactly what she meant.
“Aww, Sprigatito.
Come here.”
“Meow~”
He pulled Sprigatito tightly into his arms and took a deep breath of the pleasant scent of her fur before reaching over and dragging Snivy into the hug as well.
“In that case, our third Pokémon should be…”
His eyes lit up.
“A Ground-type!”