Growing up my sister was the bigger video game player, but when she got Pokémon Sapphire I stole her Gameboy so often that I ended up asking my parents for one of my own, and the only game I ever played was Pokémon Sapphire. So this is kind of based on that, except with the original 3 starters because as much as I love Mudkip, Squirtle is my spirit animal. And the kids start their Pokémon journey at 18 instead of ten because COME ON. It’s been years since I’ve played the game so forgive me if I mention a Pokémon not found in the Hoenn region. 

Chapter 1 : Gotta Catch ‘Em All

Baekhyun was a week into his Pokémon journey when he met his Idol. Kim Minseok, only two years into his own journey, has already beaten all 8 of the Sinnoh, Johto, and Kanto Gym leaders. He didn’t battle any of the region’s Elite Four, which only made him all the more mysterious. Baekhyun knew that Minseok was taking on Hoenn next, but he never thought in a million years that he’d actually run into the guy, not when he was only a week into his journey, with only a Squirtle (that he was still bonding with) to his name. Yet there Baekhyun was, sitting too close to the campfire and in danger of burning his hotdog, trying not to stare at Minseok too much. He was terrified that he’d blurt out something like ‘I have all 4 issues of Pokémon Monthly that you were featured in back in my room, if I run home and get one will you sign it for me?’ He was a grown eighteen year old, but damn it all Minseok made him feel like he was eight years old meeting his favorite power ranger!

Chanyeol, a neighbor and fellow trainer who’s campsite Baekhyun had crashed, apparently had met Minseok a few months ago, and he was telling Minseok all about the Wailord he’d encountered two weeks ago which had nearly knocked him and Marshmallow out of the sky with it’s water spout. Baekhyun had heard the story twice already and even if he wasn’t listening to Chanyeol at all, he knew which part Minseok was reacting to. In his magazine pictures Minseok had looked so darn cute, and he was cute, but maybe it was because of the way the fire was casting shadows on him that now, everything he did was making Baekhyun . From his smile, to his surprised gasp, to the curve of his smile and the way he ate his damn hotdog, Baekhyun was about to spontaneously combust.

A nudge on his arm made him almost jump out of his skin, and he whirled around to find Squirtle looking at him piteously.

“You don’t eat meat,” Baekhyun told it.

Squirtle whined and head butted Baekhyun again.

Baekhyun sighed and held out his hot dog. Squirtle nibbled on the end and promptly spit the piece of meat out again, giving Baekhyun a dirty look.

“I warned you!” Baekhyun cried, and Squirtle turned and waddled off to munch on some dandelion leaves.

“They all do that,” Minseok said.

Baekhyun almost jumped out of his skin for a second time and looked at Minseok. He was smiling, his eyes on Baekhyun’s Squirtle. “I have one myself, a gift from a breeder friend. But a lot of Pokémon will beg their trainers for food, regardless of whether they eat it or not. How long did you say you’ve had your Squirtle?”

Baekhyun cleared his throat. “A week. We’re still figuring each other out.”

Minseok nodded. “Have you caught any others?”

Baekhyun blushed and hoped it wasn’t obvious. “No, not yet. I don’t even want to try, I want Squirtle to like me first.” Saying it out loud, to Minseok of all people, made Baekhyun wonder for the first time if it was a stupid thing to say.

“Interesting,” Minseok said. “How’s it working out for you?”

Baekhyun looked over at Squirtle. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “Sometimes I feel like it really likes me, but other times I feel like it hates me. I haven’t been able to figure out if it’s male or female yet, which…well it just makes me feel bad.”

Minseok laughed. “Don’t worry, things like that will be easier to figure out with practice. And it doesn’t hate you, Pokémon rarely hate anyone. You have to treat them really badly for that to happen, and you seem like a good trainer.”

Now Baekhyun was definitely blushing, and he tried to cover it up by shoving his whole damn hot dog into his mouth, and promptly choked.

Chanyeol roared with laughter and Baekhyun felt like he was going to melt into the ground from embarrassment. He downed a bottle of water, eyes tearing, and when he finally caught his breath again Squirtle was standing by his side, and maybe it was Baekhyun’s oxygen starved brain but it actually looked worried.

“I’m okay,” Baekhyun said hoarsely, giving Squirtle a pat on the head. He expected Squirtle to go running off again, but instead it sat down and leaned against Baekhyun’s side.

“Aww, see?” Minseok cooed, “It likes you!”

Baekhyun’s heart soared. Maybe he was going to be a good trainer after all!

Chanyeol was planning on going to one of the volcanic islands to look for Torkoal, and Baekhyun planned on tagging along just to observe (and he secretly hoped that Chanyeol would give him a Torkoal if he couldn’t catch one himself), and then Minseok decided that he would go along too because he didn’t have a Torkoal yet. Baekhyun and Chanyeol chattered during the whole ferry ride about how cool Torkoal was and how little was truly known about their DNA and how Chanyeol desperately wanted to get one near a firestone to see what would happen, and it was then Minseok asked the question that Baekhyun knew he was going to get a lot.

“Baekhyun, if you’re so interested in fire types, how come you started with a Squirtle?”

But rather than sounding condescending, Minseok sounded truly interested. And Baekhyun answered honestly.

“As much as I love fire types, Squirtle is too darn cute and I’ve always liked them since I was a little kid. Plus after seeing Chanyeol with Marshmallow, I kind of became afraid to start out with a Pokémon like Charmander.”

“That’s smart of you,” Minseok praised. “Between your desire to build a relationship with your first Pokémon before using it to catch any others, and your wise choice of a starter, you really seem to have a good knowledge of yourself and how much you can handle. I have a lot of respect for trainers like you. Just watch that you don’t become afraid to step out of your comfort zone because of it.”

Baekhyun nodded. “Thanks, I’ll remember that.”

Chanyeol pretended to puke over the side of the boat, and Baekhyun half-jokingly told Squirtle to use water gun on him. He was pleasantly surprised when Squirtle shot a gentle spout of water at Chanyeol, just enough to make him whine about being wet.

After two days of camping out on the volcanic islands, Baekhyun was only getting more and more star struck with every minute he spent with Minseok. How could he not though, Minseok was such an amazing trainer! He clearly loved all his Pokémon, and they clearly loved him and showed him a lot of respect. Baekhyun was getting better with Squirtle, but he was still reluctant to send it into battle. That changed when they happened upon a young Torkoal, snoozing in a spot that made escape difficult. Chanyeol told Baekhyun to send Squirtle out to battle it. Baekhyun panicked, what if Squirtle ignored him? In front of Minseok, the greatest trainer of all time!

“I don’t know if we’re ready…” Baekhyun whispered.

Minseok frowned. “You can’t ask your Pokémon to trust you if you don’t trust it. The worst that can happen is the Torkoal gets away and we have to try again. Let your Squirtle have a chance.”

So Baekhyun took Minseok’s advice, and one bubble gun and four water gun attacks later, Baekhyun had captured his very first Pokémon.

“We did it,” Baekhyun said, staring at the Pokeball in shock. He looked up at Squirtle. “We did it, we actually did it!” He swept Squirtle into a hug. “Good job, Squirtle! I’m so proud of you, way to go! You did so well, I can’t believe we actually did it!”

Baekhyun thought he was going to cry, he was so proud and so happy, and when he looked down at Squirtle he saw that it was crying, and that was what did him in. The two of them knelt on the sandy beach and cried, and Baekhyun actually felt a bit guilty that he hadn’t given Squirtle a chance before.

A pat on his shoulder made Baekhyun look up. Minseok was smiling at him. “Good job, kiddo. You and Squirtle did well today.”

Baekhyun wiped his eyes, blushing slightly, and handed the pokeball to Chanyeol. Chanyeol gave him a look of pure shock. “Dude, it’s yours! You caught it!”

“Only because you and Minseok told me to,” Baekhyun said.

“Doesn’t matter,” Chanyeol told him. “You and Squirtle worked together to do it, so now that Torkoal is yours.”

That night Baekhyun made Squirtle a dandelion and tulip salad, and shared a hot dog with Torkoal. Squirtle slept in his sleeping bag, and Torkoal slept next to the fire.

When the week-long trip to the volcanic islands came to an end, Minseok asked Baekhyun to accompany him to the nearest Pokémon center. Baekhyun got Squirtle and Torkoal checked out while Minseok swapped out some of his Pokémon. When they met up again, Minseok was carrying his own Squirtle in his arms.

“This is Rex,” Minseok said, “I’ve had him since he was a baby, and he doesn’t get a lot of opportunity to hang out with his own kind. I wonder if we could see if our Squirtles get along.”

It took all of thirty seconds for the two to become best friends, and Minseok and Baekhyun took the two to the beach so they could play together. The spent hours splashing around in the water together, and Baekhyun and Minseok sat on the beach and talked. Minseok had so many stories, and this time Baekhyun listened without thinking of Minseok, the great trainer whom he’d admired for 2 years, and instead thinking of Minseok, the great new friend he had just made. When the two Squirtles finally crawled out of the ocean, it was time for Baekhyun and Minseok to go their separate ways.

“Keep in touch,” Minseok said, giving Baekhyun his phone number.

“I will,” Baekhyun promised.

Right after Baekhyun and Squirtle caught their second Pokémon (a zigzagoon), Squirtle began to act drastically different. It adamantly refused to go back in its Pokeball, it wanted to be carried and snuggled all the time, and it was always hungry. At first Baekhyun was glad that it seemed to be more affectionate to him, but it became openly hostile to the other Pokémon, lethargic, and prone to moodiness. After a week of this, Baekhyun discovered the cause. He woke up on morning to find Squirtle nestled in the bottom of the sleeping bag, an egg cradled in its arms.

Her arms.

Squirtle was a girl, and Baekhyun knew that Pokémon only laid fertilized eggs.

Minseok’s Squirtle, Rex, was a boy.

“Oh, snap,” Baekhyun whispered. He whipped out his phone and dialed Minseok. “HELP!” Baekhyun screamed as soon as Minseok answered, “Your Squirtle got mine knocked up and I’m too young to be a father!”

Minseok managed to calm Baekhyun down, and Baekhyun admitted that he was reluctant to make Squirtle move, because she was in her nest and to make her move might stress her too much. Minseok agreed to come to him, and two hours later Daddy Squirtle was reunited with his sweetie and Minseok got Rex to coax Squirtle out of the sleeping bag. Together, Baekhyun, Minseok and the Squirtle family made their way to a trainer inn, with the new mom and dad taking turns carrying the egg. Baekhyun and Minseok checked into a room, Minseok insisted on covering it, because he remembered how hard it was starting out and he had money now, plus he felt like it was kind of his fault that it happened.

“It’s not,” Baekhyun said. “I mean, you offered to check if my Squirtle was male or female, I was too stubborn to let you. If I had then…we could have been more careful.”

“I should have realized that this could be a possibility,” Minseok sighed. “I just wasn’t thinking and I should have been. You’re a new trainer, you just bonded with your Pokémon.”

Baekhyun shrugged. “Well, it’s not the worst thing that could have happened. Look at how happy they are.”

The two Squirtles had taken over the second bed and were arranging the sheets into a nest. Once the sheets had been arranged to their liking they placed their egg in the middle and curled up around it. Baekhyun and Minseok sighed happily, then Minseok said, “You know, that means we have to share a bed.”

Baekhyun thought his heart nearly stopped. He didn’t get a whole lot of sleep that night, especially not after 3:22 AM, when Minseok sat up and took off his shirt, grumbling about how hot it was in the room.

‘Holy Abs, Zubat!’ Baekhyun thought, and it was all he could do not to start giggling.

“So,” Minseok said on day 3 of egg care, “I guess this means we’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on.”

Baekhyun nodded. Even if Squirtles didn’t mate for life, they always cared for their young and liked to meet up with them once or twice a year, when the weather was warm. There were even big festivals in spring and summer for trainers with generations of Squirtle families. Baekhyun knew Minseok attended one so his Rex could see his family, now it looked like Baekhyun would be going, too.

“What will happen to the baby?” Baekhyun asked.

“After it’s six months old, it will be mature. You could keep it, or give it away. Until then, it needs to be with its mother.”

Baekhyun sighed. “What are you doing for the next year?”

Minseok shrugged. “Exploring the islands, I guess. I don’t want to battle the gym leaders right away, not like I did…before. I’ve wanted to see Hoenn for a long time, and now that I have an extensive family of Pokémon I can take my time, and not worry about training up a good team. What about you?”

Baekhyun flopped down on the bed with a groan. “I don’t know. I have a list in my head of all the Pokémon I want to train, and I want to battle the Hoenn gym leaders, but beyond that…I just don’t know. Maybe I’ll be a trainer my whole life. Maybe I’ll be a breeder. Maybe I’ll go into the beauty contest circuit with a Ninetails, that’s one of my dreams. Maybe I’ll be a researcher with Chanyeol, or like tag along with him and take care of the Pokémon he researches. I’ve never felt comfortable with any one role, and I’ve always envied people like you. You know exactly what you want.”

Minseok gave Baekhyun an odd look. “What gave you that idea?”

Baekhyun knew he had messed up somehow. “I just…I read the interviews you did and…and you seem to have it all figured out. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to presume, that was a dumb thing to say.”

Minseok shook his head. “No, of course you read those articles, I’m pretty well known. I mean I know that I want to see all the regions and beat all the gym leaders but beyond that…I really don’t know what I want.”

Dying of curiosity, Baekhyun blurted, “Is that why you’ve never battled the Elite Four?”

Minseok grinned and nodded. “I’ve never told anyone this, not even my parents, but considering that we’re going to be Squirtle grandparents I think I can trust you with my big secret. Even if you beat all the gym leaders, you never really know if you’re good enough to handle the Elite Four. I don’t know if I want to be the kind of super talented trainer who beats them. Lots of trainers go their whole lives without battling a single gym leader. But once you beat the Elite Four, then you have that hanging over you your entire life and it’s all you’re known for. And then you have a reputation to uphold. And I’m only twenty, I have some time before I have to really decide what I want. Right now I’m good with what I have. Seeing all the regions, finding new Pokémon, training with them. I get to meet so many people and see so many wonderful things…I don’t want to be tied down by a title.”

“Wow,” Baekhyun said. “I guess we’re more alike than I thought.”

“Looks like it,” Minseok agreed.

It would take two weeks for the egg to hatch, and then after that Baekhyun and Minseok agreed to stick around for another week, so the baby could bond with its mom and dad. In the meantime Baekhyun trained his Torkoal and Zigzagoon, and he managed to catch a Poocheyna and a Wurmple. He and Poocheyna almost had an Abra, but it got away at the last minute. Poocheyna was devastated by the loss, and Baekhyun spent an afternoon comforting it and assuring it that he wasn’t mad. After that the bond between the two of them grew a lot stronger, and Baekhyun managed to figure out with Minseok’s help that Poocheyna was a girl. He nicknamed her Victory, to boost her spirit.

Minseok battled guests at the inn and even battled and won against a gym leader, he did an interview for a local news channel and brought Baekhyun along, and when they got back from the interview they found the two Squirtles standing over the egg anxiously, and saw that it had begun to crack. Only an hour later, the baby Squirtle hatched.

Baekhyun would never forget the moment that he saw the little baby Squirtle tumble out of the eggshell, landing on the bed with a soft squeak of surprise, and the way Rex and Squirtle immediately began to cuddle their baby, soothing it with coos and squeaks of their own. Baekhyun was so overcome with emotion that he all but flung himself into Minseok’s arms, and he started crying into Minseok’s shoulder.

“They’re…so…cute!” Baekhyun wailed.

Minseok hugged Baekhyun tightly and rocked him side to side. “They are. They’re adorable, such a beautiful family.”

The baby was only an hour old, but already Baekhyun couldn’t bear the thought of separating it from Rex. And after only a day of watching the family, he could tell that Minseok felt the same way. They would have to be together for much longer than a month. Minseok invited Baekhyun to go out to dinner, and Baekhyun thought it was nothing more than another chance to discuss their future plans.

“It’s a good thing I didn’t have any immediate big plans,” Baekhyun laughed as he and Baekhyun made lettuce wraps.

“Yeah,” Minseok said. “But…it’s more than that, right? You’re not just doing it for Squirtle and Junior, are you?”

Baekhyun almost choked on his lettuce wrap. “Well I mean…not really, I like spending time with you, too. We’ve become really good friends.”

Minseok cleared his throat and drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “Yeah we have. But, Baekhyun I…I just…I wanted to tell you that…that you’ll be a great trainer one day, and I really hope that whatever you do in life, I’ll be able to see it. Because I know you’ll be brilliant.”

Baekhyun flushed with pride and looked away. “Thanks. You’ll be brilliant too, you know. You have a great bond with your Pokémon.”

They talked like that and ate some more, and after dinner they got ice cream before heading back to the Inn. They walked along the beach, and at one point Minseok stopped walking and said, “Honestly Baekhyun, I’m a bit of a Scardy Skitty.”

Baekhyun didn’t quite know how to respond to that. “How so? I’ve always thought you were pretty brave.”

Minseok sighed. “Except before, in the restaurant, I was going to say something and I chickened out. But I’m going to try to give it another shot.” He straightened his back. “When I first met you I could see the hero worship in your eyes and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I wasn’t sure if I could live up to your expectations. But now I can see that you’ve lost that look, and you can see me for who I am, and I think that you like the real me. And when I say like, I mean in more than a friends-only way. And I would like it if we could try…dating. If we could try being a couple.”

Baekhyun was beyond stunned, though he kind of felt like he should have seen it coming. He stepped forward and took Minseok’s hands in his own. “Is this a dream?”

Minseok shook his head. “It’s real.”

Baekhyun smiled. “Then I would love to try being a couple. I would really, really love that.”

Minseok looked elated. “Good, oh wow, Baekhyun…this is so incredible.”

Baekhyun asked, “So…is this the part where we kiss?”

Minseok frowned. “Maybe I should walk you home first.”

“But we’re staying in the same…ah, yes. Maybe you should walk me home first.”

(Baekhyun and Minseok were on the receiving end of many exasperated looks from their Squirtles that night, not that either of them noticed it.)

Junior was two months old, and quite the handful for both his trainers and his parents. But he was adorable and loved meeting new friends, and having a baby around actually made new Pokémon come out of their shells and bond with their trainers a lot faster.

“I could get used to this,” Baekhyun said, watching his new Vulpix play with Junior.

Minseok leaned over and kissed Baekhyun’s cheek. “Good, because I could too.”

“Does that mean that you’d be okay with Squirtle and Rex having another baby?”

Minseok laughed. “I should hope that by the time they do, we manage to come up with a more creative name than Junior.”

Minseok leaned in again, and Baekhyun closed his eyes. He never got enough of kissing Minseok. He had yet to train a flying Pokémon but he always imagined that the way Minseok made his stomach swoop was the same feeling he would get from flying. Minseok’s lips were warm and soft, and it was easy for Baekhyun to lose track of time and kiss Minseok for hours. But he gently pushed Minseok away, because he had something to say.

“Minseok, our Squirtles are building another nest.”

Minseok whirled around so fast that Baekhyun heard his neck crick, and of course there was no new nest. Baekhyun rolled on the ground with laughter and Minseok shrieked, “I’ll get you back for that!”

And if Minseok’s idea of getting Baekhyun back was pinning him to the ground and kissing him senseless, Baekhyun was going to have to pull a lot more pranks like that.

I referenced this list of Pokemon while I was writing.

For a list of trainers and teams, check this blog post