"The boss's own sister is in the competition. What's even the point for everyone else? Just hand her the trophy now."
When the full picture came to light, the reaction online was immediate.
"They aren't even trying to hide it anymore. Typical Fox family move."
But Lennon had her own thoughts on the matter. Yes, letting Janella enter the competition had always been about securing her a debut spot. She was not going to pretend otherwise. Even so, as the person running things from behind the scenes, Lennon had only been confident enough to guarantee one slot. And honestly, her sister's ability across singing, dancing, and performance left the other contestants far behind. What did it matter if people knew they were related?
What Lennon had not counted on was three more exceptionally talented girls showing up in the auditions. Exactly three. Exactly enough to fill every remaining debut spot. Against those four, the rest of the field simply could not keep up.
Aresdra was a complete unknown before the auditions, a genuine dark horse with no industry background at all. That was surprising enough on its own. But what was going on with the Tucker family's third daughter? Charlie Tucker was a Grass-type Pokemon master, and his daughter had built her name as a formal battler. Nobody had expected her to take a turn toward the world of Pokemon Coordinators, let alone this seriously.
And then there was the lead dancer from Thousand Lakes Gym. Did Kim cut your pay? Was that really reason enough to throw yourself into a talent competition?
Public pressure was one thing. Privately, Lennon was satisfied. The auditions had actually turned up four girls whose talent and appeal were well above average. That was not nothing. The girl group from the neighboring Nirvana League, which leaned on sheer numbers to fill its rosters, had never put together a lineup with this kind of firepower.
Lennon had been in the entertainment industry long enough to have seen everything. A bit of negative press at the start of a project was barely worth a second thought. Once these four genuinely talented girls began activities as a proper group, she was confident their presence alone would quiet every doubter.
Nova kept scrolling through the news and fan posts, catching up on everything he had missed during his two weeks away from civilization, while using his free hand to scratch behind his cats' ears.
Not that petting cats at home was relaxing for him. It was more like a balancing act. One hand, two cats. The moment he gave Purrloin a few strokes, Sprigatito would shift closer. The moment he turned to Sprigatito, Purrloin's tail would flick with impatience. Back and forth, left and right, he kept the peace as best he could.
Before he realized it, half the afternoon had slipped by.
And then the egg beside him lit up.
A brilliant white light filled the small room. Nova set his phone down and watched as the glow gradually settled into a clear shape. When the light finally faded, a small Pokemon was sitting in the sand: a stocky little creature with an ochre-red body, a head that seemed almost too large for its frame, and wide, round eyes that caught the light like stars.
It was his seventh Pokemon.
The Trapinch tilted its head up slowly. Its round eyes found Nova's face, and for a moment the two of them simply looked at each other. Then Trapinch opened its large, pincer-shaped jaws and let out a quiet "Tra! Tra!" It was saying hello.
Nova gently lifted the glass cover from the incubator and reached in, picking Trapinch up with both hands. The moment its small body made contact with the sand on the floor, something shifted. The fine grains around its feet began to move on their own, turning in a slow, steady circle. The rotation spread outward, and within seconds the entire layer of sand across the room was spinning clockwise, as if something deep beneath it had started to stir. The movement tightened and narrowed until a small quicksand funnel formed directly around Trapinch, pulling it down until only its large, round head was visible above the surface. It sat there, perfectly still, staring up at Nova with those wide eyes.
"Okay," Nova said quietly. "You are kind of adorable."
He brought up his Pokedex and scanned Trapinch, checking its stats in full.
Species: Trapinch Level: 1 Ability: Arena Trap
Traits:
Prince of Quicksand Born of desert royalty, this Pokemon carries the power to command sandstorms. Ground-type moves deal 30% more damage. Sand-based moves produce additional effects depending on the move used.
When this Pokemon uses Sand Tomb, there is a 20% chance to inflict the Bound condition on the target. A Bound Pokemon cannot use moves to counterattack. When this Pokemon uses Sand Attack, there is a 50% chance to inflict the Blinded condition on the target. A Blinded Pokemon suffers a 60% drop in accuracy. If the target can detect opponents through means other than sight, this effect is negated. When this Pokemon uses Sandstorm, the weather damage dealt each turn is doubled, and this Pokemon recovers a small amount of HP each turn while the sandstorm persists. When this Pokemon uses Scorching Sands, the burn chance increases by 20%. An additional instance of Evaporation damage is applied during the damage calculation, equal to 30% of the move's power. This Evaporation damage is doubled against Water-type and Grass-type Pokemon.
Dual STAB This Pokemon gains STAB when using Bug-type moves. When using Dragon-type moves, the STAB bonus is increased by an additional 25%.
Tunnel Expert This Pokemon has an exceptional command of the move Dig. Dig deals 50% more damage than normal. This trait also affects Trapinch's diet. Rather than feeding primarily on meat, it is drawn to rocky materials as its main food source, with meat as a supplement. Trainers should account for this during care. Feeding it rocky food allows it to gain experience at a faster rate.
Nibble Trapinch uses biting to express its feelings, whether it likes something or dislikes it. Biting-type moves deal slightly increased damage.
Early Bloomer Its lineage gives this Trapinch a higher potential to evolve earlier than others of its species.
Berserker Due to exposure to an unknown substance during its incubation, this Pokemon carries a significant amount of berserk genes. When it becomes highly agitated in battle, or when its HP falls to 10% or below, it enters the Berserker state.
While in the Berserker state, this Pokemon's HP is fixed at 3 points. Every hit it takes, regardless of the move's power, reduces its HP by exactly 1 point. When its HP reaches zero, it faints.
In the Berserker state, all of this Pokemon's moves gain +2 priority, allowing it to move first every turn without exception. It can only use damaging moves, cannot use status moves, and cannot be switched out.
Warning: If the bond between this Pokemon and its Trainer is not strong enough, it will not follow commands in the Berserker state. It will treat every living creature within sight as a target, including its own Trainer.
Moves: Bug Bite (Egg Move), First Impression (Egg Move), Slash (Egg Move), Sand Attack, Astonish
Cultivation Notes:
Building a strong bond with this Pokemon must be the top priority. Solemn warning: if a deep bond has not been established before this Pokemon's first entry into the Berserker state, the Trainer will be in EXTREME DANGER.
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