Arthur didn't have the spare bytes to unlock the aesthetics for the Swimmer class yet. Well, he had bytes, but wasn't sure if it was a good buy, since there were still a bunch of other things he could get besides. He had recently bought the Commuter Pass upon hearing that there were all sorts of rare Pokemon over there, and it seemed like a good training ground for Gou. Because of that, he made sure to change into proper swimming gear this time (basically, swim shorts), because he might as well enjoy the fact that this is a semi-giant water park before the seasons change again.

Some of the pools were too shallow to swim in; they were high enough to reach his ankles or somewhat above that, but that still meant that for Koro, he was already technically wading into these pools. The floatie was a welcome safety net. Eventually, he found a pool that definitely looked deeper, and when he started to walk on the water, each step would submerge his feet, legs, his waist, all the way up to his neck.

❝Do you want to stay in the shallow part?❞ he called to his Kricketot, who was indeed hanging back where the water met land.

<Yes, that seems to be for the best.>

Arthur couldn't help but feel amused that his Pokemon was already technically floating - the floatie was visibly moving with the water, and so was the Kricketot. This place might not be as scary if he were evolved, but he would have to get him to battle first before that happened. The plus side was that bug types evolved rather quickly in the main games, so maybe it wouldn't take too long before he could stand taller.

In any case, the trainer started to stretch his limbs and swim in the pond. Some of the Pokemon were racing with each other, as he could see streaks of broken up water on the surface. He was surprised that even in the deeper areas, there were eggs casually floating around, acting almost like markers.

Suddenly, something tapped him on his back. He almost jumped and turned around, finding a Buizel making cries at him, asking him something. The HUD would then say that Buizel wanted to race him. Damn, he was definitely going to lose, but this was probably how he was going to get an egg, so he had to accept.

egg hunting again!

A water type he did not recognize was officiating the match. It looked like a blue seal, but much bigger and fancier, almost like a mermaid. Its cries were melodic as it was talking in a language Arthur couldn't understand, but he nonetheless made his way to what looked like to be the start of the route. The game was already working into incorporating this into his UI - not necessarily translating what the Pokemon was saying word per word, but giving him the important details like, it was just a straight dash since he was no actual swimmer, and he had no Pokemon to help him compete against the Buizel. There was also this little thing about how no matter whether he won or lost, he would get something out of it, but there was definitely a better prize if he won. Did that motivate Arthur? Not really, if anything, it bothered him that he was not going to get as great of a prize for a race he was very likely going to lose in.

Oh well, an egg was an egg, and he already locked in that it was going to be a Dragon type before he started the Rookery hunt, so that was not going to be a loss, right?

In his eyes, he could see the count down as well as hear the unknown Pokemon's voice, and when it reached GO!, he started to move. Curiously enough, the Buizel was not moving as fast as he thought it was - it was ahead for sure, but not by a far distance. Was it young? Or was the game handicapping the Pokemon so that it didn't seem too bad of a loss for him? Whichever the case, he felt a little grateful that it didn't feel too one-sided, yet it did feel the game was trying to baby him. At a few points during the dash, he was even able to go neck and neck, which really shouldn't be happening, but in the end, the Buizel effortlessly pulled through in the final stretch, and by the time that he got to the end, he was panting hard, barely able to keep afloat.

A Lapras was kind enough to pass by and let him rest on its back, while the Buizel was happily celebrating its win. The unknown large seal Pokemon was clapping as it presented some kind of necklace to the winner, while to Arthur it gave...an egg! Was the necklace the better prize? Well, the trainer wouldn't know - he accepted the egg with sore arms, but then something odd happened as soon as he received it.

The code took over, changing not only its default pattern, but its size as well. It suddenly grew twice, maybe even thrice its size, making Arthur fall into the water. This alerted the other Pokemon nearby (including the Lapras), so help was quick in getting him back on his feet. But man, this egg was heavy! What kind of Pokemon was this? He didn't recognize the colors and patterns on it at all, but it must be a dragon, right?

You received a DRUDDIGON egg!

oh boy here we go