A Good Dad - M - [Pokemon XY, AU, Professor Sycamore]

[Marshmallow Peep]

This here fic has been sitting in my imagination for too long, but it's time for it to shine! Now, what is this AU the title speaks of? Well, this AU involves Professor Augustine Sycamore as a father of an enthusiastic 16-year-old named Cody who, every summer, comes to visit Sycamore in the Kalos region to spend time and help out in the lab. This fic takes place the first week of one of Cody's summer stays, so there's lots of fun to be had (well, for the readers, and myself, not so sure about poor Sycamore with all he'll be put through hehe.)

Let's begin, shall we?

--

"So, I was thinking..." Augustine Sycamore started, digging through a small selection of Poké Balls he had received from Professor Rowan from the Sinnoh region; such a kind man he was to assist in research on Mega Evolution, despite his own busy schedule. "... that perhaps there is something about Pokémon in their early stages that determines their ability to Mega Evolve. It seems a bit unlikely, but I'm not the type to throw such an opportunity away!"

"Yes, and do you know what Pokémon you're going to examine first?" One of his assistants asked, taking notes.

"That is..." Sycamore finally pulled one out, not quite knowing what it was himself. "... A very good question!"

He released the Pokémon from its ball, revealing a sweet little green plant with a bulb on its head: a Budew. Sycamore knelt down to see it at eye level, his first observation was that it was very cute. Now, what did that Pokédex entry say again? Something about that adorable little face, right? There were just so many Pokémon in the world, it was hard to memorize the entire device. Oak had it so easy, didn't he, back in the day? Oh, how he envied the need to only focus on 150... though there was one more, which was debatable; in fact, in his pile of old books, Sycamore recalled having a few old tabloids revolving around a truck in the Kanto region, those were the days.

"Professor Sycamore, have you had a good enough look at him?"

"O-Oh! Yes! Je suis désolé.*" Sycamore snapped out of his moment of reminiscing, ready to gently pat the Pokémon's bud with his index finger, only to be met with a surprise explosion of yellow dust released from such a small creature. "Oh my-- H'tchsh! H'htsh! Heh'chshu!" His rapid-fire sneezing and greeting from an embarrassingly runny nose reminded him: that entry definitely was not about the face.

"Could you-- H'ttch! Could you get my-- Hh'CHSH! My handkerchief? Please?" He sniffed, too preoccupied with his now itchy and dreadfully watery eyes to bother getting up. He was lucky to have such generous assistants, who were quick to fetch what he needed, and just in time, too! As soon as the square of fabric was in his hand, he was notified of someone waiting outside the lab. Oh no, not now! They couldn't be so early, he hoped, but he knew they were really just on time. With his handkerchief pressed to his nose to hide the unsightly consequences of not paying enough attention, he made his way downstairs to greet who would be his houseguest for the summer.

"Hi dad!" His son, Cody, who had travelled all the way to Kalos from the Johto region, eagerly awaiting to tell his father everything about how, despite his very late start as a Pokémon trainer, his Totodile helped him win his first gym battle and how he was doing in general, was interrupted by his mother's concern.

"Augustine! What happened to you? You look awful!" Marie, Sycamore's ex-wife, was, while a kind woman, definitely not the type of person one would want to make understatements around regarding their health. She wanted to remove the handkerchief pressed so close to his face to observe what damage had been done, but quickly gave up to allow him a chance to explain.

"It's dothig, I just-- H'tchu! Excuse be. I just forgot to take sobethihg very ibportadt idto accoudt." He laughed awkwardly, hoping it'd take the focus off his obvious congestion; but hey, it was better than sneezing so frequently now that he was away from the floor he most likely needed to have cleaned. He turned his attention to his son, as if he had some life-changing advice to give him. "Just, ah, dod't go ohd the third floor."

"Augustine, are you going to be fine having Cody over right now? You don't look it... We can always come back to drop him off when you're feeling better, really."

"Doh, doh. It's fihd." The handsome professor finally worked up the courage to blow his nose as hard as he could, which did him a world of good even though it certainly did not sound pleasant. "Ah. Really. I'm fine. Cody, I'll take your bags, if you'd like."

"If you say so..." Marie sighed. "Cody you be good and... Augustine?"

"Hm?" Sycamore looked up, sounding a bit strained from being handed Cody's surprisingly heavy luggage to carry.

"Don't push yourself too hard. Cody is more than willing to help you." She smiled calmly, watching their son eagerly enter the lab to begin properly alphabatizing some misplaced books and socializing with the assistants on their break.

"I won't. I promise." He assured her, just hoping to not have another Budew incident to cause any more concern.

There was some small talk before Marie was finally on her way, now he could sit down and figure out how he was going to continue his study of the tiny smiling plant without any troublesome allergic reactions getting in the way.

"Dad! Dad! Look at this little guy. One of your assistants said he's being studied right now and I can see why! Isn't he cute?" Cody's face lit up like a child on Christmas morning, Sycamore couldn't break it to him now. "Come on, give him a pat!"

Oh no. The Budew was deciding to open his bud again.

"Cody, No! Hh'TSCH!"

Not again.

"O-Oh, sorry..."

He wasn't sure how this study in particular was going to work out, but he was certain that this was going to be a very interesting summer.

--

To be continued...

[ThePokeFan599]

Love this story. Unrelated to this fic but related to Pokémon, would it be too much to ask for a Professor Ivy fic upon completion of this one?

[Galaxy]

This is incredibly cute, Marshmallow!! I adoooore Professor Sycamore (who does NOT) and you wrote splendidly for him. I love his congested speak<3 and Sycamore seems like he'd be the loveliest (if not incredibly scatterbrained) father. Sooo glad to see such cute work for the great new Prof. Super sweet!

[JQLovesSneezes]

This is seriously too freakin adorable!!! <3 I can't wait to read more!!!

[Marshmallow Peep]

Thanks for the comments, guys

And @ThePokeFan599: I was actually considering writing something involving Prof. Ivy someday. It'll probably be a while until I do, but it's not completely impossible to be in the near future.

Also, I forgot to add a note at the end of chapter 1: "Je suis désolé" is French for "I'm sorry." I apologize for any inconvenience involving that.

Anyways, without further ado, here's the next part:

--

Day 2

Augustine Sycamore woke up with an elaborate stretching routine and a big yawn. He was usually a bit of a mess in the morning, with his hair very much out of place and the occasional small amount of drool on his cheek, but now he was determined to get cleaned up before Cody was up. Unfortunately, the first thing he noticed stepping out from his bedroom was the scent of bacon and the sound of frying eggs coming from the kitchen.

"Cody!" He was quick to grab a comb, run it through his hair a few times, and rub at his right cheek before he made his way downstairs, nearly tripping over one of his socks loose from his other foot rubbing against it while he was asleep. "W-Woah!" He was lucky enough to be holding on the railing, but it still was quite startling for him.

"Oh, you're up just in time. I was worried you'd miss breakfast." Cody's eyes pointed to the digital clock above the stove, reading "10:30."

Not only was it past the time Sycamore was hoping he'd be awake by, but here the professor was, still a little sleepy, wearing only an old T-shirt decorated with a print of a dancing Pikachu and some baggy pajama pants, while his son was fully dressed for the day and wide awake. He had even made breakfast and all Sycamore had done this morning was comb his hair. It embarrassed him a little, making him feel a hint of guilt for not getting up early. He sat down, unaware Cody had placed a plate of neatly arranged breakfast foods in front of him.

"Dad...? Dad?"

"Where do you want to go? Anywhere you'd like!" Sycamore jolted out of his slouch, completely oblivious to what exactly was going on. He hoped he had said something relevant to what Cody was talking about.

"Wha? Dad, I was going to ask how many slices of toast you wanted." Cody tilted his head, wondering if his father was alright.

"Oh? Oh! Toast, right. Deux. Please." Sycamore held up two fingers, in case Cody had been residing outside of Kalos for so long he had forgotten the language of the locals. Now that he was less anxious, he began to eat his breakfast. It was just as delicious as it looked and smelled, but that made him feel even more insecure than he was this morning. What if he was doing a terrible job as both a father and a host of his home by making his own son do all the cooking? And it was only the second day Cody was here, too.

"Two, got it," Cody confirmed, smiling, placing each slice in the toaster. "As for where I'd like to go... Hmm..."

Pop! Cody took a moment from his thoughts to retrieve Sycamore's toast from the device, placing the slices neatly stacked on their own little plate next to his father's now almost cleaned plate. "Here you go. Now, I was thinking maybe we could go to Snowbelle City? But I know you have your budew research to finish, so it's okay if we don't go today."

In all honesty, Sycamore was dreading going back to the lab for that very reason. Apparently shortly after Cody had gotten settled in, the floors the budew had occupied needed to be evacuated and cleaned by professionals. Who knew such a small Pokémon could cause such a large amount of misery?

"Oh, well, Cody, I don't think they're finished getting the lab cleaned up just yet, so we can be on our way to Snowbelle once you're finished with your breakfast. But... I do have to ask: Why Snowbelle, exactly? I don't think you've packed your coat. I don't want you catching a cold."

Cody swallowed a mouthful of his toast; he had taken a smaller portion of breakfast than what he gave to his dad, so he was nearly done. The coat part, however, he hadn't considered while packing. He just shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I don't get colds much, anyway."

Sycamore found a few flaws in that logic, but the last thing he wanted to do was let Cody down so early on in his stay. "Well, you can wear one of mine to be comfortable, okay?" He got up and searched around the kitchen. "Now where did I put it?"

"Put what?"

"Ah, one of my poké balls containing a Pidgeot that should be..." He dug through some drawers frantically as he explained, "able to carry us both the way to Snowbelle in no time."

"Why do you have it just lying around?"

"Unfortunately, with all the research I do on Mega Evolution, I tend to run out of space to put my own Pokémon-- Aha!" Sycamore held the ball up into the air in a pose of victory. "Here we are. Now let's head out and--"

"Dad?"

"Hm?"

"You're still in your pajamas."

With that being said, Sycamore ran off as fast as he could upstairs to change, remembering to grab a coat for Cody on his way downstairs once he was looking more presentable. There the two were, ready to take flight with the large flying Pokémon. The trip felt like it took no time at all, thanks to the Pidgeot's great speed, so little time in fact that Sycamore hadn't even taken time to notice he had forgotten a coat for himself. It was an awfully cold day, even for Snowbelle, after all, and the gust of cold wind did not do any favors for his sinuses.

"Hh'TCH!" Sycamore's upper body jerked forward from the sneeze, enhanced by merciless shivering that simply would not quit.

"Dad, are you cold?" Cody asked, ready to offer his coat just as Sycamore gently pushed it back to him.

"No," Sycamore lied with a sniffle; he didn't want to have Cody worried about him. "Just, ah, the wind's blowing into my face and it's very..."

"Cold?"

"I don't know if I'd put it that way..."

"Dad, you're going to freeze to death if we don't find someplace warm." Cody was not going to take no for an answer and took his father by the hand to march him over to the one place he knew was always kept at a comfortable temperature: a Pokémon Center.

"Heya!" He waved until realizing he was getting a few odd looks. "O-Oh, I mean bonjour. Sorry." He looked up to face Sycamore, as if waiting to confirm he was saying it right.

"What brings you here? You don't seem to have many Pokémon with you," the gentle pinkette nurse of the building observed, her kind voice providing a warm atmosphere in the already comfortably heated facility. "Was your trip here safe?"

"Yes it was. Thank you." Sycamore nodded, appreciating the woman's concern, though he was very much sure he was fine now that he was in the comfort of a cozy Pokémon Center. All he needed was a nice cup of chocolat chaud* and he would be plenty warm enough for a trip home.

“Um, actually, ma’am, my dad forgot his coat and I’m worried about him not being warm enough.” Cody added.

As thankful as Sycamore was to know he had raised such a caring son, he really did not want any fuss made over him. He was going to be fine, after all, wasn’t he? This entire day, though, he had felt like nothing more than a burden. From him sleeping too late to forgetting his own coat. Nothing was making a good first impression of the summer, he was sure of it, and it made him a little irritated.

“Don’t you worry, young man, we’ll get your father a nice hot beverage and an extra coat he can return any time he’d like.” The nurse smiled.

“Thank you so much, miss!”

“It’s no trouble at all. Although… I think it might be a good idea for the two of you to head home after you’ve warmed up. Maybe you could come back when you’re more prepared.”

“That’s a great idea. Thank you.”

Sycamore’s jaw dropped. All he wanted to do for the day was provide a nice trip to Snowbelle; that was really it, and here they were, discussing the possibility of going home already. He still had so much to show Cody. The city’s gym, the local boutique, the Pokémon Village; all much too much to pass up and just go home now. But he did admit it was cold out and he was feeling oddly fatigued now that he’d given himself a chance to sit down, but was it too much to ask to just stay a bit longer?

“Dad? Your drink’s ready.” Cody handed the hot beverage to the professor, wondering what could be on his mind. He always looked so overwhelmed, Cody thought, it would be nice to give him a day to relax. He had heard all about the trouble some of the lab’s Pokémon could be at times; it must be a lot of work, but his father still seemed to find joy in it. Despite however rewarding the job may have been, it did not change the fact that it pained Cody a little to see his father so out of it that he had to wave his free hand in front of him. “Dad, it’s ready!”

“O-Oh! Right. Thank you, Cody.” Sycamore clumsily reached for the mug, thankfully not spilling any before he was able to take a sip. “Mmm…” He deeply inhaled the chocolaty scent through his nose. The steam tickled a little and—

No, not now!

“Huh’TCHUH!”

That particularly violent sneeze forced his hands to set the mug free, falling into his lap with the hot liquid spilled all over the right leg of his pants before the container made its way to the floor without a crack. This absolutely humiliated poor Sycamore, and to top it all off now they really did need to go home so he could get this new laundry done.

“A-Ah!”

“Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll get some paper towels.” Cody was as quick to run off as he was to let his father know he was going to do so, leaving the professor alone to sink into a puddle of self-pity.

Sycamore groaned to himself. This wasn’t fair. He was the one who would come to the carpet’s rescue with all the paper towels one could possibly need whenever Cody had spilled milk or ice cream many, many years ago. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to see this boy, who was once a little one unable to reach an Eevee on a counter and had to be picked up so he could see and say hello, be so responsible and mature. It made him feel old. It also did not help at all that he was starting to have a terrible headache. He wondered if he’d have some time to doze off before heading back home

“Dad are you okay?” Cody looked up from dabbing the affected pant leg with a damp paper towel. “You look a little pale.”

“I’m alright.” Sycamore yawned. “Really…” He meant to blink, only for a second, honest; however, his body had other plans, using this as an opportunity to take whatever nap he could get, and so it did.

--

Note:

* - French for hot chocolate

Well, that’s all for chapter 2. Chapter 3 is when we’ll get to the more fun, fluffy stuff. This chapter turned out longer than expected, and I had actually hoped to add more but I’ve decided to save the rest to be added in chapter 3.

Hopefully, it won’t be as long for me to post the next part and I do have all intentions of completing this story. In between chapters of this fic, though, I was thinking of writing a short drabble with Archie and Maxie from the new Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire games (since they’re so much different from their RSE versions.) I was wondering if that would be something anyone would be interested in.

Comments are appreciated as always and thank you for reading this chapter.

[JQLovesSneezes]

DAAAAAWWWW This update was incredible <3333333

[Bisc]

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!!!!!