The first day of April had finally arrived, which meant that several humans were celebrating April fool's Day by playing harmless practical jokes on the people closest to them. However, not every person had time to celebrate the ridiculous holiday, especially trainers. April was one of many months during the hardest season for every poke'mon trainer, mating season. Several trainers were lining up at the breeding centers, which meant big business for the breeding centers, but it also meant a lot of hard work and managing their poke'mon so that none of the mates became sexually exhausted. Additionally, spring was the only time of the year that it was required of trainers to fill in applications at the breeding centers and set up appointments.

Trainers needed to answer questions such as "How many poke'mon do you own?" "List the Species of each of your poke'mon (Use the back side of this sheet if you run out of room." "List the genders of each of your poke'mon." "List the height and weight of each of your poke'mon." "If any of your poke'mon are males list the length of their individual erections." "List the age of each of your poke'mon." "If at all possible, please include any information you have on the relatives of your poke'mon (This information would be appreciated in order to avoid inbreeding)." Only poke'mon who were at serious risk of being injured, at risk of dying, or undergoing a seriously bad heat were allowed emergency visitations without prescheduled appointments.

Not every trainer needed to visit any of the breeding centers though because their poke'mon already had mates. There was one trainer in particular who only owned two poke'mon because he could barely afford the expenses that came along with being a trainer with the two poke'mon he already had. Fortunately, the poke'mon derived from the same basic poke'mon and one was male while the other was female. His two poke'mon were also heterosexual, making mating season particularly easy for him. The trainer's name was Peter and ever since he caught his two poke'mon six months ago, he began performing more research on poke'mon than he had in his entire life. It did not take long for Peter to learn about mating, which was a subject his parents did not want him learning about until later. Peter was happy to learn about it though because ever since age eleven, he had been experiencing sexual sensations that he could never explain and felt humiliated when he masturbated for the first time in his life.

The last day of March marked Peter's twelfth birthday and it was at that age that children were legally allowed to travel on their own as trainers. However, both of his parents were worried for his safety. They had heard several stories about poke'mon trainers getting involved in some very dangerous situations. Peter's parents were especially afraid of poke'mon thieves who not only stole poke'mon, but also harmed the trainers who rightfully owned those poke'mon. Therefore, Peter was forced to remain close to home until he proved that he was old enough and responsible enough to go out on his own. Peter did not mind his parents' decision though because he too felt that he was not ready to venture out on his own. He was still young and wanted to spend his youthful years with his family until his eighteenth birthday. That was not to say that Peter had everything planned out for his eighteenth birthday because six years was still a relatively long time for someone so young.

Peter stood four and a half feet tall and weighed a little more than one hundred pounds, which was normal for his age Peter lived in Cerulean City, which experienced warm weather all year around since it was surrounded by an ocean that brought nothing but tropical weather. Due to the weather, Peter wore clothing that was light in weight and light in color in order to reflect some of the heat off his body. During that particular April day, Peter was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt that was white and had light red palm tree designs that were almost pink in color. Peter also wore a pair of shorts that ended an inch below the knees; the shorts bore a light red color similar to the palm tree designs on his t-shirt. The shorts had white palm trees designs sewn in seemingly random places. Lastly, Peter was wearing a pair of brownish-red leather sandals without any socks over his feet and a small straw hat over his head that had a red ribbon encircling the center of the hat.

Peter's hair was short and possessed a rich shade of red as he constantly kept it well managed because he needed to prove to his parents that he was responsible or they would confiscate his poke'mon from him. Additionally, Peter's skin was well tanned from the constant warm sunny weather. Peter also had a few muscles appearing along his exposed skin, which served as enough evidence that he exercised and trained daily with his poke'mon. Peter might have been young, but he was very intelligent and had become more responsible and organized during the last twelve months of his life. Lastly, Peter's eyes almost shared the same exact shade of red as his hair.

Peter reached into his right-hand pants pocket and extracted the only two poke'balls he owned because he did not want to risk giving into the temptation of capturing anymore poke'mon. It was hard enough on him and his parents affording the two poke'mon he owned and it took some heavy negotiating to convince them both to allow him to keep his poke'mon. Peter looked at the poke'balls as he stood on the sandy beach less than twenty feet away from the tide line and positioned more than one hundred feet due east from the rocky path that led up to an old lighthouse. "Salt and Fresh, come out now!" Peter shouted as he tossed both of the poke'balls onto the beach so that they landed five feet in front of where Peter stood.

The poke'balls burst open and released two enormous flashes of light; one of them was more than twice as large as the other one was. The flashes of light began to dim down as they slowly began to take shape and color until a Croconaw and a Feraligatr appeared standing side by side. The Feraligatr stood more than seven feet tall as the Croconaw stood less than four feet tall. The size of each poke'mon was average and it would not have been a problem if "Salt" the Croconaw had been a male rather than a female. When Peter learned that his two poke'mon chose each other as mates, he worked hard trying to evolve Salt in order to increase her size for mating. Unfortunately, no matter what Peter tried, he could not get her to enter her next stage. Peter knew that it was dangerous for poke'mon to mate when the female was much smaller than a male. Fortunately, when he asked about it at the local breeding center, he was informed that it was perfectly harmless for a female Croconaw to mate with a male Feraligatr and that it was a common occurrence. In fact, female Croconaws did not want to evolve until they lost their virginity to a Feraligatr due to a Feraligatr's enormous size.

As Peter looked at them, fully aware that they were about to mate, he could not believe how much they had grown since he first captured them. Peter had not actually captured them in a conventional manner because in order to capture a poke'mon, someone usually required a poke'mon and an empty poke'ball in order to capture and keep a poke'mon. That was unless the poke'mon were far too weak to struggle against something as simple as a poke'ball. However, Peter had claimed Salt and Fresh in a most unusual way when both of them were only Totodiles. Peter would never forget the day he met both of his poke'mon as long as he lived because it happened during a terrible tropical storm as he nearly gave his life to save his poke'mon while they were still wild.

..........

It was the first day of October when the entire city began experiencing some unusually powerful winds minutes after school had ended for local students including Peter. Surfers decided to take advantage of the weather until an hour later when it had been announced that a tropical storm was rolling directly toward the city. Everyone was ordered to take shelter, which meant that Peter had to return home immediately. Peter began walking toward home after saying goodbye to all of his friends at the beach. However, Peter began hearing cries from far away that did not sound like the wind whistling or a human calling out. Instead, it sounded like an animal crying out for help as Peter wondered if a poke'mon was in danger. Peter knew that the local poke'mon rangers had already been dispatched to rescue any poke'mon that had not already taken shelter. Unfortunately, Peter could not automatically assume that the rangers would rescue every endangered wild poke'mon throughout the entire city.

The poke'mon rangers had a lot of territory to cover including areas outside of the city and Cerulean City was a rather large city, which only made matters worse. Not only that, but poke'mon rangers were in short supply and their small numbers were spread thinly throughout the entire planet. After taking these factors into careful consideration, Peter made his decision to search for the source of the terrible cries. Unfortunately, the weather quickly worsened not long after Peter embarked on his journey. Massive groups of large dark-gray clouds began approaching the city at a very speedy rate. The winds only increased in speed and decreased in temperature with every passing moment, which was bad for the locals remaining outside, including Peter, who normally dressed lightly. Within a few minutes, the winds became nearly unbearable and made it almost impossible for Peter to walk let alone run. Peter felt like he might as well have been trudging through glue and could not help but speculate that the weather had become increasingly terrible within a short amount of time.

As the weather became progressively worse, Peter persevered while holding his right hand over his face and gripping his straw hat with his left. Peter eventually arrived within less than fifty feet from where he thought the cries were emanating from. Peter continued standing on the beach, which was rather unwise considering that the beach was closest to the storm during that moment. Peter even began feeling drops of rain splash coldly against his attire and exposed skin. After the first dozen drops of rain, the clouds seemed to have burst open as a downpour of rain gushed from the skies above. The drops of rain were heavy as each drop felt like a heavy rock compacted into a tiny pebble. As Peter's body was relentlessly pelted by rain, a blinding flash of light covered the entire landscape in its brilliance. Less than two seconds afterward, a deafening crack of thunder filled the air. The explosive blast of lightning caused the entire ground to shudder from its sheer power. Peter knew that the lightning had struck close as he changed direction and walked toward a large cluster of trees and other types of foliage normally found in tropical climates because the cries were coming from that direction at the time.

Peter knew that lightning was the least of his worries though, as he felt the wind nearly knock his lightweight body to the ground. Instead of falling, Peter planted both of his feet as firmly as he could into the ground, but it barely helped since the ground beneath his shoes was composed entirely from loose sand. Sand was obviously not a firm foundation to rely upon, especially during bad weather, so Peter walked toward the group of coconut trees. He knew that once he stepped off the beach and into solid ground, he could rely on the sturdy coconut trees to block most of the wind. After all, coconut trees were very durable, but they also flexed whenever the wind was powerful enough so that they never snapped unlike other trees unless the wind was unimaginably powerful.

Peter finally came close enough to make out a pair of blue huddled masses shivering in the rain until Peter realized that they were poke'mon. The human boy suspected that they were water types because most blue-skinned poke'mon were in fact, water types. Peter's suspicions were confirmed as he walked closer toward them and saw they were very small, which meant that they were basic poke'mon. Peter could not make out many other details because they were curled up and cowering from the life threatening weather around them as they continued to wail. At firs, Peter did not understand why they were so frightened because water poke'mon enjoyed the rain and if the weather was unusually dangerous, then they would find shelter. Then another wave of blinding light covered the entire area followed by a thunderous roar and Peter knew that they were frightened by the lightning. Peter too was afraid, he was afraid of what the storm might bring and frightened by the fact that the storm could get worse. Peter also shared their fear of the lightning because it was striking rather close to their position and with tall trees surrounding them, the three of them were sitting targets for the godly shards of electricity.

Peter had performed research on poke'mon long before he ever saw those two blue water poke'mon because he wanted to prove to his parents that he could handle the dangers of poke'mon training. Due to his knowledge of poke'mon, he knew during that moment as the storm roared and howled that there was only one thing that wild poke'mon feared more than their elemental weaknesses. Poke'mon in the wild feared humans more than anything else and for several logical reasons that many researchers came to believe. The first and most obvious reason that poke'mon feared humans was the fact that humans were always trying to capture them and use them. However, there were more reasons why poke'mon feared humans that were not as obvious. An additional reason was that humans were extremely versatile and they handled all situations rather well no matter what kind of weather they were experiencing or what kind of landscape and terrain surrounded them.

Humans adapted to new situations rather quickly and learned nearly as quickly if not as quickly. They endured all forms of pain unlike poke'mon and did not show many weaknesses except maybe for the fact that they were not as durable as most poke'mon were. However, humans were by no means weak in the eyes of poke'mon because humans appeared dangerously intelligent and easily outsmarted the most powerful psychic poke'mon who were the most intelligent of all poke'mon in existence. If that was not enough, some humans had advanced their minds so that they could also perform certain poke'mon abilities such as teleportation, levitation, telepathy, mind reading, and telekinesis. Humans also worked in groups in most situations and if humans were not the ones someone had on their side, they could count on the collective effort of their own poke'mon. It was obvious that no species in existence was as capable of handling, training, teaching, nurturing, and protecting poke'mon as humans were. Their only problem was that they were the only species who did not understand the universal language of poke'mon, but many people who were dedicated enough could overcome such a weakness.

Peter used this knowledge to his advantage as he showed as much courage and determination in his face and body as he could possibly muster. However, Peter smiled as well; because he wanted to show the two poke'mon before him how unafraid, he was even if it was just a bluff. He added the smile because he wanted them to see that he did not intend to harm them. By displaying such positive emotions, Peter was showing that he meant the two poke'mon no harm and that he wanted to help them. He wanted them to believe that the weather was not affecting him as if he resembled one of the coconut trees that surrounded them, flexible and virtually unbreakable. Peter then crouched down and slowly lowered his head forward. He did not want to yell above the winds to get their attention, but he did not want them to bite him on the face either for approaching too quickly. "Come on you two; let's get you someplace safer and quieter." Peter said in a tone that suggested he had known the two poke'mon forever.

The two poke'mon slowly lifted their heads toward Peter and looked at the human boy with frightful expressions in their eyes. Peter recognized their species and knew that they were both Totodiles as he reached both of his hands forward. The moment Peter released his hand from his hat; a strong wind blasted it from atop his head and blew the hat higher into the sky. Peter's soaking wet hair could be seen by both of the Totodiles, but neither of them made any movements afterward. They only looked at Peter with an expression that stated, "Who are you and are you really going to help us?" However, after another lightning strike from less than one thousand feet away, both of the tiny poke'mon ran into Peter's arms and hugged him tightly. Their claws pierced Peter's clothes and slightly made the boy bleed, but he endured as he returned the hug. "My name is Peter and I won't let anything happen to either of you." Peter said as both of the poke'mon pressed their faces tightly into the boy's chest for protection. "I cannot carry you both in my arms because I am still just a kid." Peter explained.

Peter then released them both from his arms and tried standing up, but the Totodiles tightened their grip and dug their claws deeper into the boy's flesh. Peter released a shrill cry of pain that frightened both of the Totdiles into releasing him as they fell to the ground. "I did not mean to frighten you two, but your claws are pretty sharp." Peter said as he smiled again and his positive attitude seemed to affect both of the Totodiles in a good way as they smiled back, or at least that is what Peter thought they were doing. "I have an idea." Peter suddenly announced. "If you two are too afraid to walk then I will carry one of you in my arms while the other can sit on one of my feet and hold on tightly for a fun and free ride." Peter said.

Peter thought that the Totodiles would have fought over which one of them was allowed to be carried by their new friend. To the boy's surprise, they glanced at each other and said something in their native language that Peter did not understand. Afterward, both of them assumed their positions as one wrapped itself tightly around Peter's right leg and the other carefully climbed into Peter's arms. The Totodile that had decided to climb scratched Peter a little with its claws, but it was not very painful. Peter gripped the upper Totodile in his arms and made sure that the second one was gripping onto him tightly. The lower Totodile was gripping so tightly that it accidentally made Peter bleed a little from his right leg, but he was not going to retaliate with two sharp-fanged and sharp-clawed Totodiles within lethal striking distance of his body. Both of them were still wild poke'mon and Peter had not forgotten that fact for a second. "Alright let's go." Peter said cheerfully.

The poke'mon's additional weight slowed Peter's movements down more than ever as the sky was completely dark now and showering him in heavy ice-cold rain. Fortunately, the weight helped Peter maintain a standing position as the wind continued hitting him with all the force nature could summon during that moment. Unfortunately, another lightning bolt struck from nearly two-thousand feet away as it frightened the two Totodiles into gripping their human guardian. The Totodiles' actions accidentally made them claw Peter in areas that they had not pierced yet. Peter knew that he could not let them continue digging their claws into his body because it was very painful and if they dug deep enough, they could seriously injure him. Therefore, Peter began remembering a song that his parents sung to him when he was a much younger child. Growing up in a tropical city brought many storms and the storms brought a lot of lightning, which scared Peter as much as it scared the two Totodiles in his arms when he was six years old. Peter soon recollected the song and began to sing as loudly and gently as he could so that the two Totodiles could hear him over the screeching wind.

"Lightning flashes,
Before thunder crashes,
Flashing light runs toward me.
Roaring sound runs in fear you see.
When you see a flash,
Count your seconds before the crash.
If you count to ten,
Little poke'mon,
Can come out of their den,
Because the storm has gone"

Peter repeated the song several times and there was an occasional flash of lightning followed by ground shaking thunder, but Peter did not count as the song suggested. The two Totodiles looked at Peter and expected him to count, but they were still inside the storm and if Peter counted, he knew that he would not even reach five let alone ten. If Peter could not count to ten, then the Totodiles would become discouraged after each failed attempt. Peter simply continued singing and felt the Totodiles relax. Soon, they stopped clawing him whenever lightning struck. They only scratched Peter slightly when the lightning strike was less than one thousand feet away, but lightning that close would scare any sensible person, so Peter mentally applauded the efforts of the two wild Totodiles. Peter reached his home half an hour after convincing the Totodiles that they were safe with him. Peter's singing voice had weakened somewhat, but he forced himself to continue singing because the more he sung, the more relaxed the two Totodiles became.

Peter's home was nearly three stories tall and that was without the large wooden stilts that supported the house's structure during floods and other natural disasters. The house was mostly painted white except for the shingles of the roof, which were all painted red. The house was surrounded by tropical foliage and the entrance to the front door was a long wooden staircase. Peter was exhausted beyond measure at that point as he looked up to the doorway and cursed the size of the staircase in his mind. Peter was freezing cold, but not cold enough to numb the tremendous pain of the shallow cuts along his body and what the weather had done to make his shallow injuries worse. What Peter performed at his age was miraculous to say the least, but he was not finished and had not reached his goal yet. Peter continued singing as he lifted his free leg up onto the first step as it shook some from how tired the boy had become. He needed to step up with his free leg so that he could support himself while lifting his leg up that had a Totodile resting on it. "Lightning Flashes." Peter sang as he lifted his other leg up onto the first step. "Before thunder crash-" Peter could not finish the rest as he fell backward and passed out from simple exhaustion while the two Totodile jumped off and landed on the next step in time to avoid crashing.

..........

The loud voice of Fresh finally gained Peter's attention as he awoke from his sudden daydream that had him reliving the experience, of meeting his two starter poke'mon, in his mind. Peter looked toward Fresh and Salt and smiled as he scratched his forehead a bit. "I'm sorry you two, I remember telling you not to start anything until I told you, you could. I am glad you obeyed my orders and I apologize for getting a bit distracted." Peter said as he lowered his left arm. "I promised you two that I would let you mate the day after my birthday and you have been waiting patiently enough I suppose." Peter said as both of his poke'mon nodded in agreement before they stared at each other lovingly.

When Salt lifted her head up to meet her mate's, Peter was reminded of how much bigger Fresh was than Salt. Standing at seven feet tall made Fresh bigger than most humans, especially his trainer. "Go ahead and begin, but be careful with her Fresh, she is less than half your size." Peter said as Fresh huffed at his trainer in irritation as if Peter had given him the same warning countless times, and in fact, Peter had given him the same warning on several occasions. Soon afterward, the two poke'mon faced each other and looked like they were smiling. "Please do it in the water, I am still just a kid and there are some things humans aren't meant to see." Peter said almost jokingly, but neither Fresh nor Salt found his comment humorous as they began moving toward the water.

The two water types eventually reached the ocean and stepped into it until Salt was waist deep in the water and Fresh was more or less ankle deep. Both of them then jumped forward and launched themselves several feet into the deeper ends of the ocean. Peter was glad that he had water poke'mon instead of something like plant poke'mon because water poke'mon were able to mate underwater and out of sight from any human. Totodiles, Croconaws, and Feraligatrs were all unable to breathe underwater, but like other water poke'mon without gills, they could hold their breath for near-indefinite periods of time. If Peter had plant poke'mon instead, they would have preferred an open area where the sun shone brightly and anyone who wanted to could look at them. Peter was not sure how plant poke'mon mating worked, but he did not want to think about any poke'mon mating at all, including his own. He knew that it was natural during their lives, but that fact did not decrease the disgust that he found with it. "Good thing it only happens during a single season." Peter thought silently to himself as he sat down on the warm beach and waited.

Peter had hoped that his poke'mon would start mating immediately, but his fears were realized when he saw his poke'mon splashing playfully throughout the water. The evolutions of Totodile enjoyed teasing and chasing each other through the water as the male acted like the natural predator that he was. As Peter watched closely, he noticed that it looked similar to the times that he allowed Fresh and Salt to go hunting for small things to eat. Peter remembered a day when they killed and devoured a wild Squirtle in the ocean that had been enjoying itself with the human surfers. It happened when both of Peter's poke'mon were Croconaws. Considering Squirtles happened to be on the menu for Totodiles and their evolved forms, the legal system could do nothing about it. However, Peter became a social outcast afterward for allowing his poke'mon to do something like that. Therefore, Peter restricted the diets of his poke'mon to other animals like fish as long as they were not poke'mon.

Peter realized that his poke'mon would not begin mating for hours because theirs was a species that enjoyed foreplay. Poke'mon researchers concluded that the evolved forms of Totodile enjoyed foreplay because of how short-lived the mating was. Croconaws and Feraligatrs enjoyed taking their time and making the moment special and memorable for each other. That way if their mates were one-time only deals, they would have more to remember than just the abrupt segment of mating. Additionally, the life long mates enjoyed excessive foreplay because mating season only came once a year and they wanted memories that would last throughout the remainder of the year until the next time they mated.

Peter decided to lie down on the sandy beach and gaze up at the passing clouds and the warm sun as he smiled and tipped his hat over his eyes so that it shaded his view somewhat. Peter then yawned as he stretched out of all of his limbs and wished that he had brought a towel, an umbrella, and sun block with him. Unfortunately, Peter decided before hand not to bring any of the items because he thought that if he brought nothing with him, including something to eat, his poke'mon would be more considerate toward him and mate quickly. Peter knew he had unfairly taken advantage of the bond he shared with his poke'mon. They had every right to ignore Peter and his needs for the remainder of the day as they enjoyed themselves sexually for the first time in their lives even if they were not mating during that particular moment.

Peter kept his eyes open even though he had exhausted himself during the last few days preparing for the day when his poke'mon mated. His parents told him that if he could not handle it then he would have to decide between either having Salt "fixed" or getting rid of her. Peter was not cruel and heartless and was unable to do either of them to his poke'mon no matter what his opinion about poke'mon mating was. However, Peter knew that he would never survive as a breeder if he could not even stomach being the witness of his first two poke'mon mating. As the witness, Peter was responsible for their safety in case something went wrong and Peter knew he needed to stay awake until they finished. However, it felt extremely comfortable for Peter to lie down on the warm soft sand because he had not lied down in days. Peter then blinked twice and upon the second time he did it, his eyes did not reopen as Peter fell into a deep sleep.

..........

Peter eventually awoke in his bedroom of his house with the sun shining brightly through the window directly next to his twin-size bed. Peter then turned over and glanced at his digital clock that informed him of the time and the date, which made it a rather expensive device. His parents bought it for him on his tenth birthday because he would not stop running late for school. According to the small digital clock, it was 9:00 a.m. on the second day of October. When Peter almost rolled over to fall asleep again, he remembered yesterday's storm and the two Totodiles he tried rescuing from the beach. Peter immediately sat up as his blanket fell off his chest and into his lap. He then looked around to see if the Totodiles were with him. Unfortunately, Peter only saw the usual, a toy shelf resting against the wall three feet away from his bed, a dresser filled with Peter's clothes situated directly next to the toy shelf, and the soft gray carpeting on the floor.

Peter stood out of bed and realized just how painful the claw marks all over his body felt during that moment. When Peter reached around to feel how deep and large his wounds were, he noticed that he was not wearing a shirt. The only thing keeping him decent was a pair of dark blue swimming trunks that his parents must have slipped on him while he was unconscious. Peter rushed to his white wooden dresser and left the water poke'mon bedspread in a messy heap on his bed. Peter rummaged through the drawers and randomly took out a plain white t-shirt and a pair of light green shorts. Peter quickly dressed himself in record time, but because he was rushing, Peter forgot his underwear as he replaced the swimming trunks with his shorts. Peter then rushed back to the opposite end of his room and opened up his closet door that contained all of his brand-new clothes and all of his shoes. Peter grabbed a pair of white tennis shoes before running back to his dresser to extract a pair of socks. "I forgot my underwear!" Peter thought during that moment of panic. "Oh well, this is an emergency and I don't have the time." Peter quietly and verbally reasoned with himself.

Once Peter finished placing his socks and shoes on, he quickly tied the shoes as fast as his fingers could navigate the black laces. Afterward, Peter bolted out of his room and into the hallway of the second floor of the house. Peter heard someone taking a shower in the bathroom directly next to his room. He knew that it was one or both of his parents because their bedroom was situated not too far from Peter's room. Peter then knocked on the brown wooden door as fast and hard as he could. "Who is it?" Peter heard his mother call from inside the shower.

"Mom, it's me, what happened to the two Totodiles that came home with me?" Peter quickly responded.

"Peter, is that really you?" His mother asked. "Oh honey, I am so glad you are alright, I was worried about you when your father said he saw you injured by a pair of poke'mon." She said.

"What are you talking about!?" Peter exclaimed. "Where are the Totodiles?" Peter asked again.

"Oh, is that what they're called?" Peter's mother said from inside the shower as the child's patience was running thin. "Your father locked them up in a closet until this morning; he left for the poke'mon center fifteen minutes ago to have them put down for attacking you. Don't worry Peter, they won't hurt you again." His mother explained. "Why don't you have some breakfast and watch some television, I already informed your school that you won't be coming in today. When I am done showering, I can probably spend some time with you and see how your wounds are healing." His mother added, but Peter was no longer listening.

Peter's stomach twisted into a knot the moment his mother informed him how the Totodiles had been treated by his father and what he planned to do to the poke'mon. If Peter had panicked before, he was becoming hysterical during that moment because he was the one who brought the Totodiles to his house. Peter wondered if any of it was his fault and could not help wondering about the two Totodiles' chances of survival had he not carried them home with him for his father to discover them. They trusted Peter and he delivered them into the hands of death as the boy felt like crying. However, Peter decided not to waste his time because he promised them that he would not let anything happen to them. Peter needed to keep that promise and if his mother was correct about his father only leaving a quarter of an hour ago, then his father had a few hours to go before any nurse felt convinced enough to put down a pair of poke'mon.

Peter thought for several moments to think of a plan on how he would rescue the two Totodiles as he stood with his back pressed against his parents' door. When Peter accidentally pressed harder, the door swung open and caused Peter to fall back onto his butt. It caused a loud thump, but the shower his mother was taking during that moment drowned out the sound. Peter stood back up and began walking back into the hallway because he knew he was not allowed in his parents' bedroom without their permission. Then Peter remembered something that his parents had done less than a week ago. They had purchased him a twenty-speed bicycle and locked it up in the downstairs lounge. When Peter saw it, they told him that it was going to be one of his Christmas presents that year. However, Peter knew where they kept the key to the lock, but he also knew that by riding his bike before Christmas, he would be severely punished. Peter had no other choice though, because he made a promise to the Totodiles that he thought was far more important than keeping his promise with his parents that he would not touch the bicycle until Christmas.

Peter rushed to his parents' dresser in the pitch black room. The dresser was at least twice as long and a foot taller than Peter's dresser. He opened up the bottom drawer on the right and dug deep into the pile of his father's clothes until he felt a piece of hard and warm metal. Peter pulled it out of the drawer and closed it before pocketing the brass key. Peter then realized that it would be impossible for him to transport two Totodiles on his bicycle because he did not have a basket for one to ride in while the other clung to his shoulders. Peter came up with another idea as he ran back into his room and opened up his sock drawer. He then pulled out a single black sock within the drawer that made a crumpling sound when he touched it. Peter held the sock in his right hand while digging through it with his other until he reached the bottom and extracted a few five-dollar bills that he had been saving for a special occasion. Peter placed the money inside his empty pocket before he raced downstairs, absentmindedly dropping the sock to the floor of his bedroom.

The lounge was the largest room in the house because it was twenty feet wide and a little over fifteen feet long. Like nearly every other room in the house, the walls and ceiling was painted white and the floor was covered in gray carpet. The height of the room was slightly less than ten feet, but that was large enough for most people and poke'mon to walk through unless they were unimaginably huge. There were several framed family portraits hanging along the walls and the furniture was located toward the center of the room. There was a black couch that could seat up to three grown men, a loveseat that could seat two grown men, and a matching recliner. A transparent glass coffee table was placed in between all of the furniture as each one of the pieces faced a forty-inch television that rested on top of a wooden stand approximately three feet in height. The staircase was located toward the left side of the room from the front door. There was an open doorway toward the back of the lounge and it led into the dining room.

Peter did not care at that moment though as he raced toward the left side of the front door of the house, which was exactly where his Christmas present leaned against the wall. The wheels of the red bicycle were locked together because there was nothing in the house that the bike's frame could be locked against. Peter pulled the key out from his pocket and carefully inserted it into the metal lock. Peter then turned the key until the lock snapped open. Afterward, Peter instantly removed the lock and chain from the bicycle while his mother continued showering. Peter then opened the front door and rolled his bicycle onto the front porch before he slowly shut the door behind him. The wooden staircase was a difficult obstacle to overcome for Peter at that point, but he managed as he carefully rolled his bike over each step until he finally reached the bottom step. That was when Peter climbed onto the bike's cushioned seat and felt that it was positioned perfectly for him. Of course, his parents made sure the seat was adjusted perfectly for Peter and that the bike was the right size so that they would not have to exchange it during the holiday season when it was too late.

Peter raced toward the poke'mon center on his bicycle and shifted gears whenever he felt he had reached his maximum speed on his current gear. After a few minutes of riding, Peter finally reached the final gear of his bike and in seconds, he was racing toward the poke'mon center at twenty miles an hour. The poke'mon center was a located far from Peter's home; in fact, it was almost two miles away from his home. The distance between his home and the poke'mon center made it a physically exhausting journey for Peter as he heavily perspired all across his body including his back. Peter's breaths grew heavier with every pedal as his heart raced in an attempt to keep up with the rest of the boy's body. Only someone who had spent two hours a day at least exercising for several months could have managed such a strenuous journey, but Peter eventually arrived at his destination. He was one of the few children of his age who could have accomplished such a feat.

Peter stopped his bike a few feet away from the main entrance of the moderately sized building. The poke'mon center did not appear much larger than Peter's home as the building entrance had "Poke'mon Center" spelled out in large yellow letters beneath a giant poke'ball. Peter felt like his legs had turned to rubber and that at any moment his heart would detonate and engulf the entire city block with the tremendous fiery heat his body had built up when he stepped off his bicycle. After taking a few steps, Peter began feeling slightly better as his body felt somewhat refreshed and rejuvenated as it always did whenever someone began taking a good walk after any healthy physical activity. Peter eventually reached the doors and walked inside where a young black-haired woman was standing at the front desk calling out someone's name.

The entrance area was not that large, but there were a few trainers in the area that had already taken their seats as the bluish-green cushioned seats were locked together in rows. The seats were occasionally separated by a side table with magazines that mostly related to poke'mon. There was only one television in the waiting room and it was turned off during that moment with a cardboard sign covering it that read "Out of Order". There were trainers who waited patiently to have their poke'mon treated. Other trainers waited for one of the nurses to return with their poke'mon who were already undergoing treatment. Peter approached the front desk and realized that the black-haired woman was at least one foot taller than he was. The woman was wearing a white uniform with a red cross over the right breast as she looked at him. Peter knew that even though the Joy family was the largest poke'mon nurse family in existence, they were not the only people in existence who treated poke'mon. "Hello sir, can I help you?" She asked as she stared at Peter with her blue eyes.

"I would like to purchase two poke'balls please." Peter requested.

"Of course, but I am required to request that you show me a form of identification that will prove to me that you are a poke'mon trainer, a gym leader, a poke'mon ranger, a poke'mon researcher, a poke'mon breeder, a police officer legally able to handle poke'mon, or a poke'mon medical assistant." She said as she went through a lengthy list of occupations that involved poke'mon.

Unfortunately, Peter had no identification; he did not have a poke'dex to prove that he was a certified trainer. Peter did not carry two of the same badge with him to prove that he was a gym leader. Peter did not have a badge that acted as evidence that he was a poke'mon ranger and even if he did, it would have been obvious that such an I.D. was false because you had to be eighteen before registering for the academy. Peter was not a poke'mon researcher or a research assistant and did not have the proper photo I.D. that all poke'mon researchers were given upon employment. Peter was not exactly sure what a poke'mon breeder's job was during that time and so he knew that he did not have any proper identification for that. Peter was not a police officer because that was another job that had an age restriction attached to it. Lastly, Peter was not a medical assistant and did not have a medical license. Besides, Peter was far too young to be a medical assistant. "I am afraid that I am none of those." Peter said sadly, knowing that if he did not get the poke'balls, he could not rescue the two Totodiles from danger.

"If you are not legally able to handle poke'mon, then I cannot let you purchase any of the poke'balls unless-" She began, but one of the seated visitors suddenly stood up, walked over toward Peter, and interrupted the nurse.

"Unless he is given permission to do so by an adult twenty-one years old or older who is legally capable of handling poke'mon." The man said. "My name is Jeremy and as a member of the poke'mon rangers, I am permitting him to purchase anything poke'mon related that he otherwise could not legally purchase." Jeremy said as he reached into an inner pocket of his black jacket and pulled out his badge that verified him as a poke'mon ranger.

The man stood six feet tall, which was more than eighteen inches taller than Peter was during that particular year. Jeremy had short blond hair that was slightly spiked at the ends that made him look like his hair was a block of cheese that had been pounded in my a meat tenderizer. His eyes bore a dark shade of blue and like Peter; Jeremy's skin was well tanned, making him a local poke'mon ranger. Jeremy's jacket was sleeveless due to the warm weather and beneath the jacket was a white t-shirt. Jeremy also wore a pair of light brown cargo pants and a pair of black tennis shoes over his feet. A Natu rested on Jeremy's right shoulder and turned its head to greet Peter with one of its bird eyes.

"I saw you yesterday singing to a pair of wild Totodiles while trying to rescue them from the storm." Jeremy explained as Peter turned to look at the poke'mon ranger. "Right now, you are the big talk back at headquarters for what you accomplished, but when I saw the same two Totodiles being brought here against their will, I decided to investigate. I soon discovered that your father was trying to put them down after reporting a Totodile attack on his son. There is nothing I can do because there is no evidence to support my case. Not only am I viewed as a poke'mon sympathizer and that my testimony would be considered biased toward the poke'mon in question, but also, I did not witness enough of your actions that would serve in the Totodiles' favor." Jeremy further explained. "Do not worry though, there is still a chance, but you have to hurry because the two Totodiles are moments away from being put down. I would help you some more, but I sense that you will make a great poke'mon ranger someday. If I let you do this on your own, and you succeed, your chances of becoming an academy student upon your eighteenth birthday to study to become a poke'mon ranger will be great." Jeremy said with a smile before he turned away and walked back to his seat.

"Here are your poke'balls sir that will be ten dollars and sixty cents." The nurse behind the counter said while placing two miniaturized empty poke'balls on the counter.

Peter quickly grabbed the two poke'balls and handed the nurse fifteen dollars. "Keep the change, I don't have much time." Peter said. "I just need to know where they put down the poke'mon around here because two poke'mon are about to die unjustly." Peter said with a worried expression across his face after hearing that the Totodiles were moments away from dying.

"Well I normally wouldn't, but I cannot let those poke'mon suffer if they are innocent like you say they are." She said. "I will make an announcement to have my coworkers postpone the appointment with the wild Totodiles and then I will give you directions to where you need to go." The nurse said as she walked away until Peter could no longer see her. "This is Nurse Phethur; please hold off on all lethal injections until further notice." Peter heard the nurse's voice over the intercom. The nurse returned shortly after and smiled at Peter. "Walk toward your right and make a left turn the first chance you get. The door at the end of the hallway will lead you into the right room." Nurse Phethur instructed.

Even though Peter had already exhausted himself to the point of passing out, he immediately ran toward the direction that the nurse indicated and turned immediately upon reaching a white painted hallway toward his left. There were many brown doors to Peter's right and left side as he ran toward the door toward the end of the hallway that was one-hundred feet away from Peter's position. Peter passed under several fluorescent lights during his journey until he finally reached the last door. Peter then stopped and almost slid into the door since there was no carpet covering the white marble floor. When Peter stopped himself from slamming his body into the door, he banged heavily and rapidly against the door with his right fist while trying to catch his breath again and return his heartbeats to a normal pace. The door soon opened up as Peter found himself staring at the local Nurse Joy. She looked like every other nurse joy except with slightly darkened skin "Hello is there something I can help you with?" Nurse Joy said, but Peter had no time as he took advantage of the opening and shoved her aside while barging into the room. "Hey wait!" Nurse Joy shouted, but it was too late.

The only people in the room were Peter, Nurse Joy, and Peter's father, a man who looked like an older and more developed version of Peter. Peter's father wore a sleeveless white shirt and a pair of light brown cargo shorts that covered only half of his knees. He wore a pair of black sneakers with white laces and like many other people within the city; Peter's father had perfectly tanned skin from the tropical sun. The man stood six and a half feet tall, making him a giant among men and like his son; he had red hair and red eyes. The man was well built and looked as if he was barely thirty years old. However, he was not bound by muscle like some of the other athletic locals, but he did have the perfect body for surfing and Peter knew that there were few who enjoyed the tropical sport more than his father did. "Peter, I am so glad to see that you are okay!" Peter's father said as he rushed over to hug his son, but when he did hug Peter, the boy did not return the man's embrace.

Peter's father soon took notice as he stood back and looked at his son. Peter looked like he was about to cry, and he was because there was a gray medical bed nearby with disposable medical sheets covering it. The bed had two Totodiles lying down on it with their eyes closed. "Is something wrong?" The boy's father asked when tears began leaking out of Peter's eyes and streamed down his face.

Peter broke free from his father's grip and rush toward the two Totodiles as his father shouted at him to stop, but Peter ignored him. Peter stopped inches away from the Totodiles and began gently rubbing their heads before he fell to the ground crying. "I promised them that nothing would happen to them!" Peter shouted. "It's my fault for trying to bring them home because I thought it would be safe for them!" Peter continued crying with his face soaked with tears. "I made a promise and they were willing to trust me, I even sang to them to comfort them, but all I did was hand them over to die while I selfishly slept in my own bed!" Peter said as he tried standing up and managed. "I am so sorry, I know it is too late for apologies, but I am so very sorry." Peter said as he scratched at their necks a little before falling back down on the cold hard floor to cry some more.

"I am not sure what is going on with you son, but we have to put them down for your safety and the safety of others." Peter's father explained. "Please get away so that the nurse can do her job." He instructed.

From his father's words, Peter realized that the Totodiles had not been lethally injected yet. Peter then stopped crying, even though he continued sniffling and stood up so that he could carefully inspect the Totodiles more. He then noticed that their chests were expanding and deflating slightly and that they were still breathing. Peter could not form words to express how happy he was that the two of them were still alive, but he knew he had not saved them yet as Peter reached into his pocket and pulled out his two poke'balls. "Peter, what are you doing?" His father asked. "I told you to get away and let Nurse Joy do her job." He added.

"Actually, all lethal injections have been postponed until further notice." Nurse Joy informed. "After thinking about it for a moment, I think I understand why the postponement was announced." She said as she glanced over to Peter.

Peter held the poke'balls in his hand for a moment and knew how to use them after studying poke'mon ever since he became nine years old. Peter knew that he was too young to own his own poke'mon legally and that by capturing the two Totodiles, he would not only break the law, but he would also be going against his father's orders. Peter was in no way disrespectful toward his parents and was usually good about obeying them and listening to them whenever they wanted to talk to him. However, Peter's father had taught him that a man had to follow through with his beliefs and do what he thought was right while protecting his beliefs. If a person had no beliefs then that person lost their opinion on important subjects and started to agree with anything that they were told to believe as though they were mindless television viewers. "Son, what exactly are you doing?" His father asked curiously.

Peter's father did not notice the poke'balls in his son's hand as he watched Peter with a clueless expression on his face. Peter then tossed the poke'balls toward the two Totodiles and by the time the boy's father realized what had happened, it was already too late to stop Peter. The poke'balls expanded to their maximum size before they opened up and shot two beams of blinding light toward the two sleeping Totodiles. The beams of light engulfed the water poke'mon in a radiant light before they were dragged into the orb-shaped devices. Afterward, the poke'balls landed on the bed and closed as the caution lights of each poke'ball only blinked once to signal their capture. Peter then picked up the poke'balls and miniaturized them before placing them into his pocket. "Peter, how did you? How could you?" His father asked as he stuttered for a moment. "Those poke'mon are too dangerous and need to be put down. Besides, you aren't old enough, not just by the laws' standards, but by your mother's and my standards as well." His father added.

Jeremy suddenly walked into the room and glanced over at each of the occupants; it was obvious that he had been listening in on the conversation. "Alright Natu, you can stop now." Jeremy said as everyone in the room looked at Jeremy curiously.

"Who are you?" Peter's father suddenly asked.

"My name is Jeremy and I am a poke'mon ranger." He informed, but Peter already knew that much about the man. "After helping your son save those innocent poke'mon from harm, I had Natu establish a telepathic link with him. Your son may not have sensed it, but Natu was able to watch everything that just happened in this room from your son's perspective and telepathically transmitted everything to my mind. Natu may not look like much, but he is still a psychic poke'mon, which enables him to perform some nifty abilities." Jeremy explained while he stared at Peter's father.

"That explains how he got those poke'balls, but why did you endanger my son?" Peter's father demanded. "You poke'mon rangers are so obsessed with protecting poke'mon that you put my son, a human child in danger!" The man exclaimed, obviously angered.

Peter's father might have rushed forward to strike the poke'mon ranger, but he did not want to behave inappropriately in front of his son. "It isn't like that father." Peter finally chimed in. "I was on my way home yesterday after the announcement, but then I heard the two Totodiles crying out in fear from the lightning." Peter said as he explained everything that had happened the previous day and what he did that day to stop the two Totodiles from being put down.

"Let me see if I am correct here son." Peter's father began. "First, you chased after a couple of poke'mon during a dangerous storm, knowing that you could have been killed. Then you allowed two wild poke'mon to climb onto you as you carried them home even though they were tearing through your skin. Afterward, you break into my bedroom, steal a key, unlock your Christmas present prematurely, and then ride it all the way here. If that is not enough, you forgot to bring the lock and chain with you so that you could lock it back up to prevent people from stealing it. Then you spend your entire allowance from the past three weeks on poke'balls even though you are underage." He said as he was getting toward the end as Peter cringed with every word that came out of his father's mouth. "Lastly, you convinced another adult outside the family to stop me from making a decision that your mother told you that I had already made. That does not even include your behavior in front of Nurse Joy and me." He said before he paused for a moment. "Peter you leave me no other choice but to ground you from riding your bicycle until the New Year as punishment for your actions." He said.

"I understand father." Peter said solemnly as he expected nothing less and was willing to accept the consequences.

"Now, it is time for the good news." Peter's father started again as Peter looked at him with a smile. "You were upfront and honest with me about what you had done and you decided not to argue with me when I announced your punishment. You also displayed incredible responsibility and consideration toward the two poke'mon and you never broke the promise you made toward them even though it meant disobeying the rules and more importantly almost breaking the law. As you know, I have taught you to stand up for your beliefs and protect and follow them no matter what and you did just that.

"Additionally, you proved that you are a man of your word no matter how difficult it is for you to keep the promises you make. You showed immeasurable compassion toward the poke'mon you worked hard to protect and rescue." Peter's father explained as everyone in the room began relaxing and smiling a bit. "As a reward for your behavior, I will convince your mother to allow you to keep the two Totodiles for your own. However, you must promise to never stop protecting and caring for them as you have been doing already." Peter's father said before looking at Jeremy. "That is if a qualified and fully licensed poke'mon sympathizer grants him special permission." He finished.

Jeremy reached inside the left inner pocket of his sleeveless jacket and felt around for a few seconds before he pulled out a small badge no larger than the biggest gym badges. The badge had the picture of a Natu engraved into its bronze surface and underneath it were tiny scribbles that were impossible to make out. "Peter, poke'mon rangers never give these out lightly and each ranger is only allowed to give one away once a year. The badge is engraved with the image of the starter poke'mon of the ranger who handed the badge over as well as the ranger's signature in microscopic letters. We normally give these away to people years older than you, people who are in their teenage years, but still too young to apply at the academy. With this badge, you are certified to assist any poke'mon ranger in need of your services. More importantly for someone your age though, you are given the same legal rights as a regular trainer, which makes this situation more unusual than you could possibly ever realize." Jeremy thoroughly explained.

"The reason why I am giving this to you is because you went against all odds and risked your own life for the sake of a pair of wild poke'mon who could have attacked you. However, you handled the situation well enough to earn their trust and friendship last night even though you lacked the proper equipment for your situation that all poke'mon rangers are issued upon graduation. Your actions today are just as impressive because you fulfilled the promise you made when you were the only one that the Totodiles could truly count on in their greatest moment of need. I don't want to encourage you into breaking rules unnecessarily, but you managed to keep your promise even though it meant bending and breaking rules along the way. The reasons I have stated have earned you this badge and then some, but I have nothing else to give you." Jeremy informed. "I would love to celebrate your accomplishment, but I need to get back to work. Just remember not to take this badge lightly because I am allowed to confiscate it indefinitely if I ever feel the need, but I am certain you will never take advantage of your privileges or neglect your responsibilities." Jeremy said before he held out his right hand, which contained the badge.

Peter only stared at the small circular badge in amazement and could not believe what had just transpired. Peter did not try rescuing the poke'mon for personal gratification; he did it because he could not bear to sit back without doing anything while poke'mon suffered. Peter's selflessness only added to the qualifications that Jeremy stated, but Peter was not sure if he should take it. "I would appreciate it if you accepted it because I am seriously running late for work." Jeremy almost said jokingly.

Peter looked toward his father for permission as his father sighed. "Your mother won't like it, but I suppose you can since it is the only possible legal way to let you keep your poke'mon." He said.

Peter then picked the badge out of the poke'mon ranger's hand with his left hand, smiled broadly, as he stared at it carefully, and pressed hard on the badge with his right forefinger to make sure it was real. "Thank you-" Peter began as he looked up at Jeremy, but the ranger began glowing as his Natu activated its teleportation ability.

Afterward, both Peter and his father left the poke'mon center as Peter thought that it had been a great day for him even though it started out terribly. Peter's bike was still resting on the ground a few feet away from the entrance of the poke'mon center as Peter's father picked it up and carried it over to his jeep. The jeep was the family vehicle and it was a convertible, which meant that it had a hood to cover it whenever the weather was not favorable. The jeep could seat up to five grown people, two in the front and three in the back. The jeep had a small trunk in the back that was barely large enough to fit the bicycle into it. Like the bicycle, the jeep was red in color. "Alright get in Peter." His father commanded as Peter climbed into the front passenger seat and buckled himself in.

Peter's father then unlocked the trunk of the red jeep and wrestled with the bike for a few minutes before he finally shoved it into the trunk before closing it. "Before we return home, we are going to find you, your first job. If you want to have poke'mon and be responsible for them, you need a job to support them. I will help you pay for certain things and you will get a five dollar raise in your weekly allowance, but you and I both know that it will not be enough to pay for a pair of Totodiles." Peter's father said when he sat in the driver seat and Peter agreed to the terms as his father started the jeep and began driving away. "It won't be anything big because you are still only a child, but I will find you one." Peter's father said. "I am going down to the beach and talk to my manager about making you my assistant as a life guard. I am sure he won't refuse once he learns how you rescued two poke'mon in danger." He added with a smile. "Showing that you are responsible enough for a job will also help me convince your mother to allow you to keep your Totodiles." Peter's father concluded as he continued smiling.

Peter's father parked the jeep in one of the employee parking spaces at the beach, which was the closest anyone could get to the ocean in their cars without driving off-road and into sand. "Alright Peter, since you are supposed to be sick and in bed, I want you to stay in the jeep while I talk to the manager." Peter's father instructed before he stepped out of the jeep and walked toward the snack shack, which doubled as an employee lounge.

While Peter waited for his father to return, he decided to take his two poke'balls out from his pocket and released both of his Totodiles. Both of them landed in his lap, but both of them were still asleep, possibly from the anesthesia that had been injected into their bodies at the poke'mon center. Fortunately, Peter only had to nudge them a little to awaken them from their slumber because they had been asleep for quite some time according to Peter's suspicions. Both Totodiles began opening their eyes slowly until they were able to open their eyes completely.

The Totodiles looked up to the person who had brought them outside of their poke'balls and they both opened their mouths wide. Peter thought that they were going to bite deeply into his body until they stood up and hugged him tightly with excitement. During the hug, both of them were careful not to tear into Peter's skin like they had done before. Peter returned the hug before pushing himself back and looked into their smiling faces. "I am sorry for getting you two into so much trouble, I just wanted to help you and keep you both safe." Peter said as the Totodiles looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "I will understand if you both want to go free and I will not stop you from making your decision." Peter said as he opened the passenger side door of the jeep. "Like I said I won't stop either of you from leaving." Peter assured them.

Both of the Totodiles seemed to understand Peter as they looked out toward the beach and looked like they were thinking about leaving for a moment. One of the two Totodiles stepped down and began walking toward the end of the jeep. Peter's heart sank when he realized that the Totodile was about to leave. Then the Totodile did something unexpected as it reached for the door with its left claw and barely managed to grip onto it with its scrawny arm. Afterward, the other Totodile jumped down as well and wrapped its arms around the Totodile that was closest to the edge and then pulled back. The result of their actions caused the passenger door to shut before they resumed their positions on Peter's lap.

The Totodiles hugged Peter again before looking at him playfully. "Thanks for forgiving me you two, but you both need different names since you are the same species and it will be confusing if I constantly call you both Totodile." Peter said before thinking for a few minutes. "I have an idea!" Peter exclaimed, almost frightening the two Totodiles. "I will call you Salt." Peter said as he pointed to the Totodile sitting on his left leg. "And I will call you Fresh." Peter said as he moved his hand so that it pointed toward the other Totodile. "Like Saltwater and Freshwater." Peter said and they understood why he gave them such names since they were both water poke'mon.

The Totodiles did not seem to mind their names as they said something in their native language that sounded like agreement. "Alright Peter, he said he will interview you tomorrow at 5:00 p.m." The boy's father announced as he approached the jeep. "Oh, I see you brought your Totodiles out, I thought I heard you talking to someone. I was confused when you said something about names." Peter's father said.

"Yes, I was just giving both of my Totodiles proper names." Peter explained. "This one is Salt and the other one is Fresh." Peter said as he indicated which Totodile was which.

Peter's father chuckled lightly, as he immediately understood why Peter gave them such curious names. "Well, Salt and Fresh need to return to their poke'balls." Peter's father said.

"I don't think they want to be cramped up in a tiny dark space anymore since you did lock them in a closest all night last night before." Peter said before he stopped and noticed that both of his Totodiles were shaking tremendously with fear. He understood what they were afraid of and why. "I think they are afraid of you, I think it would be best if I sat in the back with them." Peter said.

"Agreed." Peter's father said as Peter stepped out of the jeep and the Totodiles quickly scampered out and followed him in fear of their trainer's father.

Peter allowed Salt to climb into the Jeep first and had the Totodile sit directly behind his father, which greatly discouraged Salt. Peter quickly walked into the jeep and sat next to Salt as the Totodile embraced him when its trainer became close enough. Fresh looked frightened again when Peter left the other Totodile alone outside the jeep. Fresh quickly climbed into the jeep as quickly as the Totodile could while slipping up clumsily several times in panic. Peter eventually reached over and pulled it up into its seat. Both Totodiles gripped their trainer in fear as the human boy comforted them as best he could. "I think it will be best if they stayed away from you for awhile and slowly get them used to having you around the house. Once they lose their fear of you, I think you should apologize to them. They may seem very timid, but if you know how, you can calm them easily and earn their trust." Peter explained to his father.

"Alright, I will try." Peter's father said as he started up the jeep and began driving toward home.

The trip was not very long, because Peter and his family lived close to the beach as stated earlier, in fact, they were home in less than five minutes. However, even though the journey was short, the Totodiles did not seem to enjoy themselves very much and wanted to get out of the jeep as soon as it was parked in the driveway. "I think they are afraid of the loud noises from the engine almost as much as they afraid of you." Peter speculated as he helped his poke'mon to get out of the jeep because he was afraid that they would panic and fall down and hurt themselves.

Peter's father walked up the long wooden staircase first as Peter was forced to lift one Totodile up into his arms and carry it. Peter knew that Totodiles were excellent swimmers and that they were by no means lazy or slow creatures on land, but they were short with short arms and legs that made it difficult for them to climb anything on their own. Fortunately, the Totodile did not weigh very much in the boy's arms. Peter decided to take Fresh up the stairs first considering Salt was paralyzed with fear from sitting behind Peter's father during the entire trip home. Salt probably needed to spend some time as far away from its trainer's father as possible. When Peter had finished transporting Fresh up the stairs, he set the Totodile down and walked down the stairs to help Salt. By the time he arrived, Salt was sitting by itself next to the jeep in the dirt driveway while staring at the ground. "Don't worry; I will protect you like I always do." Peter said as he smiled and upon seeing its trainer smile again, the Totodile immediately embraced its trainer with a large hug. "Alright, let's get you inside and try to convince my mother to let me keep you." Peter said as he cradled Salt in his arms and walked up the wooden staircase.

By the time Peter carried Salt up the stairs and set her on the ground, his arms felt like hot rubber from carrying over twenty pounds of poke'mon up a lengthy staircase only to repeat the process immediately afterward. Peter's father was already inside the house as both Totodiles immediately hugged each other. Peter wondered if they were siblings and decided to ask them considering they knew the human language rather well. "Are you two siblings?" Peter asked and they both shook their head after thinking for a moment. "So you two are just friends then?" Peter asked and they nodded their heads to tell Peter that they were friends, but not related.

The door to the house swung open and nearly slammed into Peter's face as his mother was standing out on the front porch. Peter's mother was a slender woman who was still in her mid twenties during that time, making her at least five years younger than her husband. Her skin was not as tanned as her son's or her husband's, but it was still a little darker than the skin of an average city person. She had lengthy dark brown hair that she constantly tied in a pair of pigtails at the back of her head, but even after tying it back, the hair still managed to reach an inch past her shoulders. She had a pair of dark brown eyes that nearly matched the color of her hair and her face was a soft one and no matter what emotion she expressed almost nothing could ever ruin the beauty of her face. "Peter, where have you been! I have been worried about you all day!" She said, proving that even though she was young and beautiful, she was still capable of acting old and motherly.

During that moment, she was wearing her usual outfit, which consisted of a pair of blue jeans with a large black leather belt that barely fit through the belt loops. She also wore a very small light ocean blue top that had thin straps instead of sleeves. The shirt ended more than an inch above the belly button and concealed only three-quarters of her decent-sized breasts. She had a pair of blue foam sandals with those thin transparent rubber hoses to grip onto with her toes to keep the sandals attached to her feet. "Are those poke'mon?" She asked. "I thought your father was going to get rid of them." Peter's mother said without giving Peter a chance to respond. "We can't afford to take care of poke'mon." She added.

"Linda, please, we can discuss this in the house, I assure you that everything is going to be fine." Peter's father said in a confident and assuring tone.

"I am going to stay outside and let Salt and Fresh play while you two discuss things." Peter informed. "They did not enjoy the trip in the jeep and I don't think they are ready to go back into our house yet." Peter explained.

"Okay son, come on Linda." Peter's father said.

"Okay Matt." Peter's mother replied as the two of them went inside and left Peter outside with Salt and Fresh.

Salt and Fresh both stood on the ledge of the porch without Peter noticing and before he could rush to stop them, they both jumped off the fifteen-foot high ledge. "No!" Peter said in fright as he rushed over, but it was too late as he could only watch his Totodiles hurt themselves.

Somehow, the Totodiles managed to surprise Peter as they landed on the dirt driveway unharmed on their large feet. Peter raced down the stairs to see if either of them had been hurt, but when he arrived, they just looked at him curiously as if asking, "Did we do something wrong?" Peter sighed from relief and kneeled down. "Alright you two, I am going to let you two do anything you want as long as you don't leave the yard or destroy anything." Peter said as he indicated the tropical foliage around them as the yard. "If you start to see other houses and buildings, it means that you went too far and you need to come back the way you came. If you get lost, call out like you did yesterday and I will come find you and bring you back safely." Peter said as he explained the rules that his Totodiles needed to follow for their own safety. "Alright you can go now until I start calling out for you to return. Remember to run toward the house and call out for help if you see something you think is dangerous." Peter said before he remembered one final rule they needed to hear.

The two Totodiles raced into the trees together afterward as Peter decided to take the only seat comfortable enough to suit his needs, the passenger side seat of the jeep. Unbeknownst to Peter, his Totodiles did not want to play any games. Instead, they were hungry because they had not eaten for nearly a day and were in search of smaller creatures to kill and consume. "Now all I have to do is wait and hope mother will let me keep them." Peter said as he felt unusually relaxed and fell asleep within minutes after all of the physically exhausting exercise he performed and all of the stress his mind and body endured that day.